Access Rights and Wrongs

Sometimes we get into the river feeling as if we shouldn't really be there - that we are somehow doing "something wrong". Paddlers coming up from down south (and some of us living up here as well) are often unsure how the situation in Scotland differs from that in England and Wales. They may believe that access agreements and seaonal restrictions exist, or that local access officers "negotiate" access onto rivers and lochs, as may the case down south. On the other hand they may have heard that access in Scotlanf is a "free for all" and that "anything goes". Most land and water in Scotland is privately owned but you are not breaking the law by being on someone's land or water either with or without permission. There is little difference in practice in taking access to land and water because there is little distinction in law and the principals are similar. Paddling-related access problems occur as frequently on land as on the water.

Going paddling is a lawful activity and in Scotland there is recognition if the traditional "right to roam" over land and water.

Here are some more details on specific issues: