The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 translates into law what people commonly regarded as their “right to roam” in Scotland. It states the rights and responsibilities of those exercising access rights, as well as those of land managers and recreation managers. You have the right to access most land and inland water including mountains, moorland, woods and forests, grassland, fields, rivers and lochs, coastal areas, most parks and open spaces, golf courses (to cross them); day and night, providing you do so responsibly. It also requires local authorities to uphold access rights. This Act is supported by the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC). The key messages whether you're in the outdoors or managing the outdoors, are to:

• take responsibility for your own actions
• respect the interests of other people
• care for the environment

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland explains your responsibilities under the new code clearly here: http://www.mcofs.org.uk/know-the-code.asp

I'm Lynn Macdonald, the club's representative on the Renfrewshire local Access Forum. Mostly this forum covers only local issues which you may wonder at its relevance to the club as most of our walks are without the area. The local access forum however does have connections to the national forum which does have relevance to our walks.

However the purpose of these forums is the same no matter where you walk. Firstly to make sure that the access laws are working i.e. that you can go where you want within reason; and secondly that people are educated in the correct way to use our countryside. I know that anyone in our club is responsible in the way they exercise their rights and would encourage others to be so, too but it doesn’t do any harm to be reminded. My intention is to publish our minutes as and when I get them, we meet every 4 months, and pass on any interesting information gleaned at these meetings from other sources.

The latest RAF and NAF (National Access Forum) minutes will be posted here after each meeting.

Local items of interest included:
• Highland cows mobbing walkers on the Glennifer braes;
• Local community boards are being erected and leaflets produced identifying local walks and places of interest in Renfrewshire. Houston,  Bridge of Weir and Lochwinnoch are in place; the next planned one is for Johnstone.

The three following links will give access to local and national projects relating to the Great Outdoors, The Paths for All website has some very useful links attached to it.  All info relating to National issues are available on the link below including minutes of meetings if you require a more detailed look at what’s going on.  

Lynn Macdonald                 

http://www.snh.gov.uk/enjoying-the-outdoors/your-access-rights/

http://www.pathsforall.org.uk/

http://www.outdooraccess-scotland.com/default.asp?nPageID=28