I’m a fan of Patrick Galbraith’s writing – his book In Search of One Last Song –see my review – was my blog’s book of the year in 2022 but this is an even better read. Here, again, Galbraith travels the land and talks to some interesting people in some interesting places and the subject of those conversations is largely access to the countryside.
And again, the author lets the interviewees speak to the reader and his own opinions don’t dominate and aren’t wholly clear to me. If you look at the access issue in binary terms then both sides get some brickbats from the author – I liked that.
I found the book helpful to nudge my own thinking along a bit. I don’t really buy that there is a right, an actual right, to roam and I find some of the arguments that are put forward to attempt to justify increased access to be nonsensical. But on the other hand, some exclusions that exist seem to me to be high-handed, mean-spirited and unjustifiable. The worst arguments, to my mind, are those that claim that wildlife will benefit, almost always, and not be harmed, hardly at all, from increased public access. I can’t see much evidence for that. The strongest argument for increased access being benign to wildlife depends on hardly anybody taking up the opportunity to stroll around in new places, which of course rather undermines the need to bother with it in the first place.
The author talks to, and listens to, quite a lot of people to whom I’ve talked and listened over the years. I recognise their words and their views in this book. One can’t help but think that they all might benefit from reading this book and even more, if they had the conversations with each other that might be even more beneficial. I’m grateful to Patrick Galbraith for having those conversations and writing them down so that many more of us can have access to the varying thoughts and opinions on this subject.
Even if you aren’t the least bit fussed about access to the countryside this is such an interesting look at the views of those who are fussed that it is a very good read. The author writes beautifully and with nods to many other aspects of human life.
This book is highly recommended by me.
The cover? It is very good. I’d give it 9/10.
Uncommon Ground: rethinking our relationship with the countryside by Patrick Galbraith is published by William Collins
Buy this book direct from Blackwell’s – a proper bookshop (and I’ll get a little bit of money from them).
https://www.righttoroam.org.uk/patrick-galbraith-uncommon-ground/
A very different view given here…
The campaign Right to Roam argues that protection of nature could be one of the reasons for protecting land if that would cause harm, to stop a big impact on nature.
We know the biggest issues for nature are current land use, including industrial meat farming and shooting. Surely that is the more important battle to fight.
I – hi I! I’ve already linked to the Right to Roam blast https://markavery.info/2025/04/25/storm/ which is pretty difficult to find on their website. How did you come across it?
In the weekly email from Inkcap Journal.
I just think that the Right to Roam is an important issue for the vast majority of people who have never had access to land. As the campaign says, the Right to Roam could be removed on special protected nature areas.
Giving people access hasn’t been the issue for nature – farming, including industrial meat, and shooting are much bigger issues.
I – I just think that the Right to Roam is of very little interest to most people, but of strong interest to a small percentage of people who add up to quite a lot of people. But they (the general populace involved) are mostly people uninterested in nature – like most people.
‘Giving people access hasn’t been the issue for nature’ – there is no ‘the issue’ for nature. When CROW Act was being drafted then access was a very big issue for nature. Were you around or aware then? I was. And access will become a big issue for nature if it changes.
What do the wildlife organisations all think? They are keeping their heads down at the moment, and may be hoping that Right to Roam doesn’t get too much traction otherwise there will be a big public argument.