Large areas of the Yorkshire Dales National Park are now accessible to the public as a result of the Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act 2000. The Act gives people the right to walk freely on designated 'Access' land without having to stay on footpaths. Information about Open Access land across England is available on the national Countryside Access website (opens in new window).

Out and about in the countryside look out for the Open Access symbol - see above - which tells you when you are entering Open Access land.

Open Access land across the Yorkshire Dales National Park is clearly marked on all Ordnance Survey Explorer maps published in May 2005. Maps showing the Open Access land and any long term restrictions and closures can be found in our Document Library. Click on the area that you are interested in to download the relevant information. You should always consult both the map and the restrictions table provided together.

• Cumbria Dentdale, Garsdale and Southern Howgills (opens Document Library)
• Malhamdale (opens Document Library)
• Ribblesdale (opens Document Library)
• Swaledale (opens Document Library)
• Wensleydale - Lower and Upper (opens Document Library)
• Wharfedale - Lower and Upper (opens Document Library)

Freedom to walk on access land comes with responsibilities for both users and land managers. Many of these have been outlined in the new Countryside Code. If you are a visitor to access land you are primarily responsible for your own safety, and for taking care of any children or dogs which accompany you. Please do not light (or cause) a fire, feed any animals, leave litter or do any damage.

Following the introduction of the new Open Access rights in May 2005 the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has been carrying out a number of monitoring exercises to establish the levels of use of the new access land, and the general public's knowledge of their new rights and responsibilities in relation to Open Access.

This monitoring aims to provide information on:

• How many people are using new access land?
• What impact are they having on important sites for nature conservation?
• Do people understand the new rights and responsibilities?
• Has the information that has been provided been effective?

The full reports can be downloaded from our Document Library by clicking the links below:

• Open Access Monitoring Reports (opens Document Library)

The Authority is committed to ongoing monitoring of the use of Open Access land throughout 2006 and 2007 to establish whether any trends and patterns develop, and to see if further management measures are required.