The Scottish Outdoor Access Code and The Right To Roam
One of the driving forces for the TillyOchil website is our love of our local countryside (Clackmannanshire and nearby) and desire to share that with others.
We want to encourage people to get out there and experience it, and to do so in a way that is kind to nature, the people who live and make a living there, along with their animals and property, and others who wish to enjoy it.
We therefore want to promote the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
This page gives some basic information about that code.
For more detailed or specific information visit the Outdoor Access Scotland website or contact your local Scottish Natural Heritage office.
The Code In Brief (In Relation To TillyOchil Walks)
The Scottish Outdoor Access Code asks people to enjoy Scotland's outdoors responsibly.
In Scotland, everyone has the right to be on most land and inland water for recreation, education and for going from place to place providing they act responsibly.
These access rights and responsibilities are explained in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
The key things with regard to recreational countryside users are, when you're in the outdoors:
take personal responsibility for your own actions and act safely
respect people's privacy and peace of mind
help land managers and others to work safely and effectively
care for your environment and take your litter home
keep your dog under proper control
take extra care if you're organising an event or running a business.
Recommended Reading
The scope of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code is quite wide and you may find you are entitled to do some things you thought you couldn't, or that you unwittingly fail to adhere to the code in some cases.
The Outdoor Access Scotland website is well worth exploring.
Pages of particular note include
the dog walkers area that includes advice and also offers free dog poo bags and a helpful downloadable leaflet.
Various leaflets to order or download.
The Scottish Outdoor Access Code to order or download in full or in sections. (The page also a link to translations of leaflets into various languages, and the full code in Gaelic.)
The Context Of The Code
At the highest level legal rights and restrictions on accessing the countryside in Scotland, for example for walking and cycling, are laid out in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
A pdf-format summary of the act as well as its full text are available online.
The act gave Scottish Natural Heritage the duty to draw up and make available the Scottish Outdoor Access Code to set out guidance in relation to these access rights.
The legislation is often referred to as The Right To Roam, though the phrase itself has no official basis.
