Use this page to find out about land you have a right to access under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000.
Land you can access
The CROW Act gives you the right to pedestrian access on defined areas of the countryside known as 'Access Land'.
This right does not equal a 'right to roam' on any land, but does allow access to registered parts of land. This can include privately owned moors, mountains, heaths, downs and registered common land.
This right is for pedestrians only and does not extend to horse riders, mountain bikers or people driving or riding in a vehicle.
Find Access Land
Many of the mapped areas of Access Land are small isolated pockets of land. You can search for Access Land on Natural England's website
There are several large locations of Access Land to visit in the area, including:
- Breach Hill Common, Chew Valley
- Knowle Hill, Chew Valley
- Burledge Hill, Bishop Sutton
- Northfield, Radstock
- Bristol Road, Radstock
- Southfield, Radstock
- Waterside, Radstock
- North of Engine Wood, Southstoke
- Little Solsbury Hill, Batheaston
- Bannerdown Common, North of Bath
What you can and cannot do
You can use access land for walking, running, watching wildlife and climbing.
Unless a landowner has given you permission, you cannot usually carry out the following activities:
- Horse riding
- Cycling
- Camping
- Taking animals other than dogs onto the land
- Driving a vehicle
If you are walking a dog, you must keep it on a lead no more than 2 metres long on open access land:
- between 1 March and 31 July - to protect ground-nesting birds
- at all times around livestock