Access to the Countryside
Public access or right to roam was a founding principle of CPRW that went on to see the creation of Wales’s National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Since that time, we have seen the introduction of legislation like the Countryside and Right of Way Act 2000 and the wider recognition that being out in nature is beneficial for people’s physical and mental health.
Beneficial to mental and physical health
The advent of COVID, lockdowns and social distancing emphasised the importance of access to our countryside, known as green and blue spaces, both for their well-being and mental health benefits.
CPRW strongly support the right to access our countryside and are also supportive of ‘active travel’. In 2023 we joined the Senedd’s Cross-Party Group on Active Travel and will work with the likes of Ramblers Cymru, the Open Spaces Society and Sustrans to advocate for the creation of more active travel routes to enable people to seek our healthier ways of travelling around their community.
CPRW also recognises that in rural settings active travel may not be as accessible or convenient as semi-rural or urban areas, but it is important to include rural areas in discussions about active travel routes as these can also aid tourism potential in areas.
Greater Accessibility
CPRW are actively supporting the creation of new National Parks and is campaigning along side the Cambrian Mountains Society to secure an AONB and eventual National Park in the Clwydian Ranges of North Wales.
We work closely with our friends and fellow members of the Wales Environment Link, such as Ramblers Cymru, British Mountaineering Council, and the Campaign for National Parks to advocate for further access to the countryside, improving walking rights of way and making the countryside as accessible as possible.
Respect for the land
CPRW also works with the farming sector to remind the public to follow the countryside code, treat the land with respect and do not endanger livestock or damage crops. CPRW is a participant in Natural Resources Wales’s review into the Countryside Code.
