Debate over Free Access to Land: Patrick Galbraith Offers an Unusual Perspective
How a Land Access Debate Tug-of-War Unfolds in England and Scotland
I once persuaded my friend, a Black American farm-married lad, to never shoo off picnickers from his field. I rambled on about nature's importance, how we need to grasp what we tangibly experience, how the 1% own half the land, how absurd it is for someone to claim ownership of a river! He looked baffled, 'If I strolled onto someone else's property back in my hometown, I'd be in trouble.'
This tussle over land access seems to be heating up in the UK, especially with the Right to Roam campaign eyeing a Scottish model of "responsible access" expansion across the nation. Their drive has garnered attention, mainly due to bestsellers like Guy Shrubsole's Who Owns England? (2019) and Nick Hayes' The Book of Trespass (2021).
However, journalist Patrick Galbraith's new book, Uncommon Ground, offers a well-timed, nuanced peek into this heated debate, going beyond caricatured voices like hill farmers, nomads, gamekeepers, poachers, and aristocrats.
After three grueling years of researching across England and Scotland, Galbraith unearths gems in the countryside, fact-checking access arguments he deems to be built on flimsy foundations. Instead of nitpicking, Galbraith aims to combat romanticized Gainsborough pastoral narratives, ones he believes are as unreal as a "land access campaigner's rally" backdrop.
Gathering varied viewpoints, he finds that posh estates, interestingly, offer superior access. In Galbraith's eyes, the issue at hand seems to be less about nature conservation and more about our obsession with class. He suggests that the real adversary is not 'the man' but a lack of understanding, experience, and opportunities to connect with the great outdoors.
With a sharp wit often absent in nature conversation, Galbraith manages to be both funny and acerbic. Though empathetic to those pursuing to enrich people's connection with nature, he finds frustration among rural folks: "I think that most of Right to Roam is just a bunch of rich Londoners telling us what to do." He highlights cases of uncontrolled access wrecking natural habitats and conservation efforts. He even takes aim at the wild swimming cult, hinting that communion requires reverence, not domination.
Galbraith's underlying concern is that the focus on our access to nature lacks reciprocity. He cautions against sloppy engagement that reduces access into a performance on nature rather than a meaningful connection.
Is he being too harsh? Consider the iconic April 1932 picture of rebellious men and women, defying laws to access Kinder Scout in the Peak District, sporting smiles devoid of placards or drums. Whether or not this act contributed to the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, it certainly amplified the issue. Are campaigns only successful because they're obnoxious?
It appears that the Right to Roam's raucousness might be making headway. Amy-Jane Beer, a Roamer, has formed a coalition with landowners and campaigners to discuss access. Moreover, as the call for an ecocide criminal law and legal personhood for nature mounts, nature may find relief from human interference—not the other way around.
Whether this spirited, provocative book will help steer the conversation towards a balanced resolution remains to be seen. But one thing's for sure: it's bound to inspire some healthy dialogue.
Uncommon Ground: Rethinking Our Relationship With the Countryside by Patrick Galbraith William Collins £22, 368 pages
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- Patrick Galbraith's book, Uncommon Ground, offers a nuanced perspective on the land access debate, going beyond stereotypes to include various voices in the conversation.
- Galbraith's research across England and Scotland revealed that some posh estates offer better access to nature, challenging the notion that landowners are necessarily opposed to public access.
- Galbraith suggests that the issue at hand is not just about nature conservation but also about our obsession with class, implying that a lack of understanding, experience, and opportunities to connect with the outdoors might be the real adversary.
- Galbraith's book is not only funny and acerbic but also raises concerns about the lack of reciprocity in our relationship with nature, suggesting that we should strive for meaningful connections rather than performative actions.
- Amy-Jane Beer, a Roamer, has formed a coalition with landowners and campaigners to discuss access, indicating a move towards more collaborative solutions in the land access debate.
- The call for an ecocide criminal law and legal personhood for nature suggests that nature might soon find relief from human interference, rather than needing to be protected through campaigns.
- Despite its provocative nature, Uncommon Ground is expected to inspire healthy dialogue on the issue of land access and our relationship with nature, encouraging a balanced resolution.
