News

Thousands of hectares of land in southern England are now open to walkers for the first time.

The affected area which includes Dorset is the third to have areas of mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land mapped as open access land and open to the public under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act.

The new rights include most open-air recreational activities carried out on foot, including walking, sightseeing, bird-watching, climbing and running. It also enables 'open access' which allows people to wander freely across 'access land'. With this greater freedom the legislation also strengthens wildlife protection. A new Country Code reminds us to take care to not disturb wildlife. In Poole this is especially true for the rare lizards, snakes and Dartford Warblers who are here all year round on our heaths.