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Countryside at risk from code-breaking visitors

Our desperation to be free to roam where we want has the potential to wreak havoc in the countryside.

Staying safe at home has left many of us yearning to be outdoors. As lockdown rules relax over the coming weeks few things will look as tempting as a long walk, run or cycle in the fresh air.

In Scotland, where outdoor exercise is permitted within five miles of home, many have been taking to parks or nearby areas of countryside. But in our eagerness to get away from it all, it seems that some have forgotten the right to roam rules, and it’s causing problems for those who live and work in those areas.

The code-breakers causing problems in the countryside

Farmer Kerry Clark warns that ignorance of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code causes harm.

On Landward, farmer Kerry Clark described the difficulties she faces.

Pentlands farmer, Kerry Clark

“We’re seeing lots of people access the countryside, possibly for the first time," she explains.

And it seems that some of those people are not familiar with the .

Kerry, who farms in the Pentlands near Edinburgh, has spotted rubbish being left strewn on the ground, and gates being left open.

Unlocked gates can allow cattle to stray not only into neighbouring fields, but on to public roads where they become a safety hazard.

It is one of the responsibilities outlined in the code that visitors to the countryside must 'leave gates as you find them'.

Kerry shared her advice for people planning a trip near farmland over the coming weeks:

"Make sure that if you open a gate you close it – and make sure it’s closed properly. If you’ve got a dog with you make sure it’s on a lead or under close control, particularly around livestock.”

Doing so should allow us all to get on with enjoying our time in the countryside.

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