Open access land

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act gives the public the right to walk freely over around 825 square miles (2,137 square kilometres) of the county.  On designated land you are free to walk, picnic, birdwatch, run and climb where you want.  But it does not mean you can drive vehicles, cycle, ride horses or camp unless it is already allowed in a designated area.

Walking on access land can be challenging, as you may often be a long way from recognised paths or even obvious landmarks.  Stiles and gates may also be few and far between. As a large percentage of the access land is open country, good navigation skills and suitable clothing are essential.

To protect ground-nesting birds dogs need to be kept on short leads between 1 March and 31 July on open access land and at all times around livestock.  Access to some areas may occasionally be restricted for land management, nature conservation or public safety reasons.

Fire risks on open access land

Uncontrolled wildfires in sensitive upland areas like the North Pennines cause long-lasting damage to wildlife, the landscape and have a significant impact on rural communities.

In the dry weather extra vigilance is called for.  Please be careful with your litter, especially cigarette ends and bits of broken glass.  If you notice a fire, please ring 999 and report it immediately.

In certain areas the open access rights are automatically closed if the fire risk level reaches 'exceptional'.  The Met Office assesses the fire severity on a scale of 1 to 5.  Level 5 means an automatic closure for most of the sensitive Pennine areas for the duration of the dry weather.   

We have notices for land managers to download below. The orange notice is to correspond with 'level 4' (high fire risk).

• Fire Severity index maps and further information on the Met Office website
• High Fire Risk notice (PDF, 333KB)