Don't know about Scotland ,,,,,, but when I lived in England people were aloud to walk on farmland by using public foot paths Some farmer's don't mind as long as you walk around the sides andd not cut a cross
The rules of camping and roaming "leave no trace". Leave it as you found it.... Then the beauty that you saw can be seen by the next person. FOREVER MORE. 💙🏴💙
Just be respectful. There are many campsites all over the countries. Washing facilities ( showers etc.) Electric hook ups, if you want to watch TV. Many have clubhouses, where you can have a beer or wine, many have music of some sort.Thats why caravanning is popular. I used to own a caravan when we wanted, just hook up and go where we wanted in the countryside. My dog used to love coming in holiday with us. We'd go hiking, some of the bigger ones had swimming pools, my grandson learned to swim in the pool of a campsite. These sites are very reasonably priced.unfortunately I'm too old to attempt nit now. But have many happy memories.
Preferably leave it better than you found it, camping in a good spot and find a lost peg? A bit of rubbish (piece of trash) lying nearby? Pick it up and pack it out.
A Bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are found in remote mountainous areas of Scotland, Northern England, Ulster and Wales. They are particularly common in the Scottish Highlands.
The modern Bothies we know today, were originally built (or restored from old ruined cottages or sheilings) in mountain passes by climbing clubs. In the present day you can also find them in the more remote areas of Scotland’s long distance walking routes where they can be used as shelter in bad weather and also in emergencies. So yes, they are free for anyone who is climbing or hiking (but everyone always has their own tent or bivvi because you can’t guarantee there will be room at the Bothy when you get there. I believe there are also a few private bothies on some estates which are let as holiday accommodation.
I grew up in Scotland, didn't realise the rest of the world wasn't like this, as a kid we just got on our bikes, and went for a few weeks camping in the highlands, sometimes the gamekeepers would check we didn't have fishing rods, and you can't just camp in someones back garden unless its over a certain size, it also includes inland waterways, rivers and lochs. Bothies are little huts with basic facilities that are free to use.there are about 80, across Scotland.
The thing is , even without right to roam there was so much land open via footpaths or permissible areas that it wasn't that often you really came across a place you couldn't get by and it just didn't occur to you.
Scotland is the Real Land of The Free. Home of the Brave. A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. When I go for a walk in the Country, which is right at the end of my street, I always sing. I can hear the Cows and Sheep saying, 'Oh! Not again'.
@@darrenj.griffiths9507 Don't be embarrassed to say you're English - Marcus Rashford is English and he is a stupendously good ambassador for your country!
The Right to Roam was always part of Scottish culture but landowners started to make it difficult to enter their lands by putting fences, gates and large boulders to try and block the path. Therefore to preserve what had always been the case the right was codified in law
I had some work in Shetlands briefly and heard that some farmers arent too keen on people just going where they want. I guess it frustrates them if there are cattle in fields being upset by people, etc
The problems began when the Arabs and other other foreigners started buying up estates then decided that they wanted to keep folks out. The Law allows for access except to gardens, but the new landowners decided to fence off areas and reclaim them. There were no footpaths at these new fenced areas, so you can find that older footpaths have been cut off and people are expected to walk through bogs!
Originally locals understood about farming, so would walk round the perimeter of crop fields, and not damage fencing or walls. Of course nowadays there are far more people walking as a hobby, originally they walked in order to get from A to B
There is a Mountain Bothy Association which looks after these old houses, once built for shepherds, basic facilities, usually a fireplace and some benches, bring your own firewood, food, bedding. They are usually near a water source. Sanitation may not be formal.
Hi Steve, i grew up in the Highlands, near Fort William, and always just took it for granted that i could go anywhere, at any time. Funnily enough, i didn't realise that this freedom wasn't granted until 2003. The freedom to roam was instilled in me from when i was wee. I think it's because 'freedom to roam' was expected but not codified until then. Could be wrong, i've been abroad a long time. Clips like these really make me homesick... I live in Sydney, but my heart still belongs to the Highlands ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Hi MaryAnne, back in 1990 where I did grouse beating, you had to stick to public pathways, especially going through estates during the working seasons. There were a couple of times when the gamekeepers would speak to individuals to ask them to keep to the paths, more for their own safety; during the hunting season, there was a lot of shotguns blasting away. Also it was to preserve the habitat of the grouse, especially during dry seasons where the young were vulnerable.. It was commonsense approach really, which has now been ratified into Law.
Same here down in Ayrshire - remember being wee with my dad marching past the "Trespassers will be prosecuted" signs and being told we had the right to roam and were fine.
It’s videos like these that make me so proud to be Scottish 🥰♥️🏴 It really is the land of the free. This would never happen in the US, You walk onto someone’s property over there and you’d be greeted with a shotgun yet here in Scotland they’d offer you a cup of tea 😂 The guy singing at the start, He was singing in Scottish Gaelic And the cows we call them highland coo’s 😂 🐮
'Bothy' is a Scottish word for hut or shelter, and a lot of them are left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It's an amazing bit of hiking infrastructure. Whilst you are on the theme of Scotland and land ownership/ access, I would suggest you find something on the Highland Clearances. The story of how the land became owned by such a few huge landowners.
The Highland Clearances were simply the third stage of rationalising agriculture to make it productive. It started with the Enclosure Acts in England, followed by the Lowland Clearances and finally the Highland Clearances. None of these was achieved without disruptions of the social order, winners and losers. But they transformed the agricultural performance of the whole of Britain and made it able to support the urban developments of the Industrial Revolution.
Although the bothies are welcome rest-stops for adventurers etc. they're also life-saving sanctuaries for those caught in the wilderness unprepared when conditions turn nasty,always good to know where your nearest bothy is when you're out and about.
A Bothy in this context is like a small shelter in the countryside that anyone can turn up to and stay in (if theres room!). It provides shelter for people if they are out camping or hiking and it gets very cold or bad weather. Usually its small like that in the video and has a fireplace and some wooden sleeping boards where people can put sleeping bags etc. Sometimes campers will leave supplies there like gas canisters, high calorie foods for hikers, non-perishable food and water etc incase someone is in a bad situation and needs shelter. There is indeed a huge amount of wilderness in Scotland mostly in the highlands.
That was an excellent video. Great choice. I am so proud of my country, and our right to roam. People may "own" the land but the land belongs to the people.
Hi Steve from here in Scotland.There are No Tresspaing Laws here in Scotland but always be respectful of the landscape and mindful of closing gates behind you and of course to leave the area as you found it. Scots as a culture are respectful and mannerable and very welcoming. There are no laws the we can't walk on roads. I believe you call that Jay Walking. Our long haired cattle are called Highland Cattle and are the most adorable & mild natured animals and Highland Cow milk is rich and creamy.
Just to clarify the law of trespassing in Scotland there are indeed such las, Mostly introduced during the period of railway expansion to keep people of the dangerous track. There is also a trespass law but it is civil la and not criminal and is very difficult to prove. This latter may hav been removed d by the Right to Roam legislation, but I am not sure.Wn Hen people talk about there is no trespassing law, they really mean there is no such law in the common law.
Of course there are trespassing laws, It is an oft-repeated myth that there are no trespassing laws in Scotland. This is simply not true. Trespass is a civil wrong, called a delict in Scots legal terminology. However, the waters were muddied by the introduction of what is commonly known as “the right to roam.” Public access rights were created by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. This Act provides the public the right to be on and cross most land and inland water in Scotland in a responsible manner. However, public access rights do not apply to the following places: +Houses, gardens and non-residential buildings and associated land +Land in which crops are growing +Land next to a school and used by the school +Sports or playing fields (where exercising access rights would interfere with their use) +Airfields, railways, quarries, construction sites and military bases +Visitor attractions or other places which charge for entry +For a more extensive list of places where public access rights do and do not apply, see the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Where a member of the public accesses land which is not covered by public access rights, they are trespassing.
Hi, I don't want to seem critical, but no trespass laws in Scotland is actually a myth. Very hard to prove with the Right to Roam, i.e. The Land Reform Act Scotland 2006. Trespass and The Land Reform Act are both Civil Law and cannot involve the Police who have no jurisdiction in Civil Law. They can only become involved it a crime is comitted, eg. Threats of violence, criminal damage. Hope this Helps.
I am scottish, and i know I live in the most beautiful country in the world . I thought every country had this freedom 🤔. I am so blessed 🏴🏴🏴
I LOVE Scotland and the Scottish in general (I'm English). Such a beautiful country and, in my opinion, the greatest place to get away. I cannot ski or snowboard and probably break a few bones, but watching this makes me really want to purchase a snowboard . (Ambulance on speed dial).
We have the same laws in my country. You can't go into someone's backyard etc but you're free to roam in any woods, fields, etc. without needing to ask for permission. You're also allowed to forage in those woods for berries and mushrooms etc and camp anywhere that's not in sight of a dwelling.
When my daddy died in Edinburgh his ex sat on our door step and there was nothing the police could do - AYE. WE PHONED THEM AND THAT'S WHAT THEY TOLD US.
The singer at the start is Griogair Labhruidh. He does a lot of the music on ‘Outlander’, a very significant and accomplished culture-bearer here in Scotland.
Although the "right to roam" was formalised in law fairly recently, it has been the case for many many years in Scotland. It needed to be formalised in law because a few incomers who bought land didn't understand or buy into it and so it had to be formalised. As Scottish I've known it all my life, and it's only when you go elsewhere and realise the restrictions that you really appreciate what we have here. Of course it's all about being respectful, not damaging anything and looking after the environment.
I've noticed people from down south have moved up to Scotland, they seem to love to put up gates and fences with private property and no trespassing signs. There was a story in paper a few years back about a family who tried blocking off a public foot path by the coast.
When my son was 14 or so him and 2 friends went off up the glen to camp and explore (we live on the edge of the Cairngorms). It was a popular tourist area so the landowner's gamekeeper checked in on them every couple of days, the first time was to make sure they weren't idiots and that they knew how to keep their fire safe etc but after that was just to say hi. The freedom those kids had to roam the countryside is something I only understood when I realised how precious it is. This is the world I grew up in, where the fact that private owners hold these vast areas of natural beauty shouldn't mean we can't all enjoy them. I agree with what Lauren said - we have a responsibility to respect our rights: take a little, give a little. Don't be a dick is basically the code. Love your videos, you seem like a person interested in the world and we need more of them ;) Good luck to you, and if you ever visit us in Scotland beware of the midgies!
I’m Scottish and my understanding is that out in the countryside you are allowed to walk about and camp on private land as long as your presence doesn’t negatively impact the local area. For instance u can camp in a farmers field as long as u aren’t effecting crops or animals and make sure any gates are shut behind u and all rubbish is taken with u. So when u leave it’s like u were never there.
12:00 very accurate, most live in city's and smaller villages, majority of the land is unhabituated, apart from the wildlife which we try to leave alone
A bothy is usually a stone cottage or cabin for hikers to seek refuge its usually stocked with food and wood by previous visitors and is totally free to use these can be found throughout the uk
Originated as shepherd shelters and to protect travellers in days of old from being caught out in bad conditions. A few years ago some were deliberately destroyed as they were offering false security. This was because they were not not protective enough to people who used them from freezing to death.
There's an amazing UA-cam channel called She Walks She Paints, a woman called Sarah goes walks to all sorts of historic, scenic, beautiful places, then she paints a picture of something she spotted on her walk. She recently moved to Skye with her partner Willie who has his own channel, Dirty Secrets of Scotland, where he digs at old bottle dumps and finds the most amazing bottles and pottery and stuff from long ago. And together they started another channel called Living the Skye Life, documenting their move to Skye, and filming some amazing walks and scenery together. They are my favourite UA-camrs, all of their videos show you something different about Scotland.
There are huge estates in Scotland owned by a few people , right to roam gave the public access to walk or hike these places , the highlands long ago did have a reasonable population but it was scattered and landlords realised they could make more money getting rid of the people and bringing in sheep , have a look at a video about the highland clearances , it’s the main reason there were so many Scot’s settlers in US and Canada
The cattle are called Highland Cattle, originally from the Highlands of Scotland. They are now bred in England too, they are really gorgeous. I should imagine the long hair would originally keep them warm as its jolly cold up there in the winter.
If you want true Scottish landscape gawping - look up Danny Mcaskill "The Ridge". Yes, it's Skye, yes, it's beautiful (to a lot of us Scots, Skye's actually *boring*) but the music and what Danny *does* on The Ridge is...extraordinarily modern.
@RammingSpeed they can be caught usually between last orders and closing time they can be quite loud and aggressive when cornered but they can be calmed down with a kebab and a cheeky can of Irn Bru.
This right to roam also pertains in Sweden. I went there once and roamed, as I had anticipated doing. In Sweden it is called Allemansratt, if I remember correctly. I also remember the first time I took 3 American friends to the countryside here in Scotland and they could not relax. They constantly expected ‘the man’ to come and question them about what they were doing! No man turned up! They couldn’t get their heads round the right to go anywhere, and they also loved drinking clean water from streams!
We where forced of our land and sent in chains to far corners of the earth, our spirit will never ever die. The Scotsman will never give in. SAOR ALBA GU BRATH
Apart from peoples fenced / walled gardens and some national trust areas, YES, you can roam free all over Scotland and although Tress Passing is still built in to the Scottish Law System, its very rarely used by land owners and or people a like. Been to Scotland many many times to hike, climb and camp on almost any field, woodland or mountain. Its a fantastic place to visit if you love Nature and Wild Life. Cell / Phone Signal can drop a lot in the highlands as I have found out on a few trips.
Bothy - all over the highlands for use as shelters by walker, climbers, cyclists etc etc. Can stay a night or two,. Basic rules of leaving it as you would wish to find it. Very basic. but beautiful settings.
I went hiking in the Cairngorms, its a truly beautiful mountain range. I highly recommend it! its huge, so awe inspiring. Highland cows are so sweet too
Cairngorms is one of the last great wild places in UK. Much of the scenery in Scotland is deceiving however because of the low density of population. Much is within at least a days walk of a good road or village, so accessible, but you can make the rest of the human world seem a million miles away
Thanks for the video Steve. The freedom to roam in the Peak District came about when 400 people made a mass trespass on Kinder Scout (a mountain not far from where I live) in 1932. This brought about a change in the law, eventually making the area a National Park. This s an interesting short documentary about it - ua-cam.com/video/OpmPDWCSeKQ/v-deo.html
I’m really glad you have reacted to this after your last video. It really got me thinking about public walkways and land in Scotland (and the UK) and how different it might be in the US 😁
It should be the case everywhere, we don't have the same benefits in England :( it's what makes hiking in Scotland and Sweden so amazing, freedom to camp most places. I'm sure there's other places, but it's the only 2 places I've utilised such laws.
I'm a mountain biker - we ride literally anywhere (except through peoples gardens, industrial complexes, airfields and golf courses). Around 100 people own 40% of the country largely due to land gifted by the English after the wars of independence 300 years ago and so the land has very, very rarely been split up and sold. As a Scot (living north of Stirling) I take the freedom to roam very seriously.
@@healingandgrowth-infp4677 Presume he means gifted by the British Crown/Parliament after the Jacobites lost the rebellion. I look around and pretty much all the land where I am is owned by these folk, anyone disloyal to the British Crown from that time were mostly killed or deported.
Fifty years ago there was the expression 7:84" which meant that 7% of the people owned 84% of the land of Scotland. The ratio may have changed, but it's still around that. Before the land was "cleared" for sheep and later for sporting estates there were houses and small hamlets everywhere, but the rural people were herded into villages if they were not deported. Rural depopulation was completed by the mechanisation of agriculture in the 20th century. That's why you can see ruins everywhere in the countryside. Most of them did not become bothies, because it used to be the case that the owner had to pay tax on any house with a roof.
Fantastic reaction video.. I'm a townie but Mom's side were all country farmers. I've walked the Kintyre & West Highland Ways and the Sutherland Trail among many other saunters - Scotland's scenery and access are matchless. There are a few Military areas that are prohibited as well as a glen re-introducing wolves! Signs are usually posted to avoid deer stalking, grouse-shooting, and farmer's fields during the lambing season.. if a gate is open; then leave it open, and if you have to open one, close it behind you.. simple countryside code. (y) :D
The music at the end is quite similair to folk music in the appalachan areas. Lots of Scots settled in vast area of Appalachan mountains from 1600s and brought their fiddles and accordians and folk music with them. There are quite a lot of West Virginians that can trace their roots back to Scotland and there were many Scottish plantation owners in Virginia and West Virginia.
One reason I think any similar opening of access won't happen anytime soon in America is the litigation culture. Imagine if a land owner opened up access and then got a tonne of lawsuits from people who have had accidents on the land and think the owner should be liable. Would be a nightmare. In Scotland there is a general understanding that 99% of the time if you have an accident (even a serious one) it's because you've been a silly sod!
We call it Folk music here also, there are other names around the UK but Folk covers it! My friend and her Dutch husband spent three weeks roaming the Highlands of Scotland last summer. They had a roof top tent for the top of what you would call their Station Wagon. They said they had the best holiday (vacation) ever! It was a very hot dry summer, so a bonus! Thanks that was a beautiful video.
Yep, it was made legal in 2003 but it was pretty much the case before that, as long as you were respectful, didn't damage property and followed the Countryside Code. When land does come up for sale, it is very expensive. Lots of countryside is privately owned, but also lots of it is in the ownership of government agencies and conservation charities. The landowners in my local area were always good about allowing access, I never had the idea of not being able to roam, and I'm 48. Technically there is a trespass law but I believe it would only be invoked if damage was done. I grew up playing in the woods and walking in the hills. I never worried about being chased by a gamekeeper or farmer with a gun. A few years ago, I was talking to the guy who owns the woods near my house, and I pointed out that someone had buried their pet dogs in the woods and made a grave. His reply 'I'm pretending I didn't see it'😅. Most people live in the area between Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee but even within that there is a lot of beautiful open countryside and rural or semi-rural areas, and we don't all live in major cities. Its only Glasgow and Edinburgh which are really big. You should check out some views of Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire.
bothy comes from gaelic bothan meaning hut historically a bothy is a small shelter or cottage originally built for labourers as hill farming declined walkers started to use them for shelter (bothying) and this became the word for this activity
I'm from Argyll, and my dad is a gamekeeper... and we would often have people just randomly staying over for a night or two, and end up trekking up lots of random hill roads... tbh, I thought everywhere was like this, until when I describe what its like living here to people online. Some of them must think im making it up hahaha... Aye get yerself over here and in touch with some awesome people and go for some treks lad... You'll love it! Also, get yourself to Oban for some fish n chips too!!
Anywhere in the uk is open, as long as you do not cause any damage close gates when you go through, do not leave rubbish around, you can walk anywhere, apart from private closed places, for instance factory yards or private gardens. we are actually free in the UK . A farmer or landowner will not shoot you for walking across his fields. The pipes that he is playing are Irish not Scottish, they are pumped by bellows under his arm, not blown like Scottish pipes.
No, not all the UK. The laws in England are different (not sure about Wales or N Ireland). It is only Scotland that has the Right to Roam, England still has trespass laws. There are many public footpaths in England and access to the outdoors, but you can still be prevented by owner from a lot of the land. In Scotland, there are not trespass laws, so you have the right to go anywhere, with a few exceptions, e.g. secure prison land etc. The Outdoor Access Code asks that people respect the land, e.g. not walking across crops, but around the edges of fields, closing gates, leave no trace of being there, having dogs on leads near animals or crops, respecting farm and other animals and not causing worry for them.
@@claregallagher8550 Sorry, you are correct, my point really was that it would be unusual for a farmer to complain about anyone just walking across a field, as long as there was no damage caused, unlike in the US where you could actually be shot for merely walking on someones land.
@Terry Hayward Absolutely, most will be ok if respected. Even if they were upset, as you say, they wouldn't have a gun and threaten to shoot you. Just tell you to not do it again or 'get off my land!'
@@claregallagher8550 Yes, and in England even if the farmer is offended as long as you're not doing any damage they mostly can't legally do anything worse to you than tell you to leave the land - and use "reasonable force" to force you out if you refuse. In most cases trespass is considered a civil matter not a crime, and it wouldn't be worthwhile to sue someone just for walking across a field.
No longer able to wild camp on parts of Loch Lomond due to too many ass hats leaving their rubbish behind. We took my girls on a wild camp tour and the state of the banks in LL were shocking. Discarded tents, clothing, empty cans and bottles, food wrappers. We spent a few hours with black bags clearing it all up and leaving it at rubbish points, teaching the next generation that with the right to roam is also making sure we leave no trace. We always enjoyed the wild camping, we had a big GSD who didn't like camp sites. He enjoyed being able to play in the lakes and spend his nights chasing field mice. It's OUR country and we are a country of roamers, mostly because, as youve noticed, our population is spread out.
A Bothy is an empty shelter in a remote place anyone can use for shelter if you are caught out by bad weather or you are stuck in the dark.there are some foods and supplies left by other walkers or climbers you can use .The rule is if you use something then leave some thing in return or chop wood or other chores.everybody shares .lives have been saved using these shelters in arctic like conditions .It's called the Scottish Highlands for a reason (it has mountains Duhhh )
Firstly can I ask, am I the ONLY one who thought it was Steve sitting there at the beginning... LOL! I go camping in Scotland most years (except during Covid) and find it to have the BEST water in the whole of the UK and some of the BEST air too...👍
@@kirstygunn9149 I'm a (big) tea drinker too, so absolutely concur... Over the years I have visited most parts of the UK/Ireland and it's those areas of the 'hardest water' that make the worst teas. It leaves a very annoying 'scum' on the surface that you have to skim off. LOL!
I hope Freedon to Roam Scotland look back at this Epic Vlog,and realise just how Epic the Editing was/is!! It takes a genuine open mind to capture the little snippets of captured video and blend it all into this genuinely fantastic Video!!And a B I G shout out to Reacting To My Roots for showing the world this clip of my country!!
The right to roam does not give vehicles the right to park anywhere however. You CAN walk, cycle, ride with freedom tho, lots of visitors misunderstand that part.
The further you go into the Highlands and Islands, the smaller the village's become its so beautiful, me and my sister go wild camping and swimming all over Scotland in the summer.
I live about 2 hour’s drive from everywhere you see in this video and spent my whole working life, outside in these areas, through snow, wind, rain and the occasional bit of sunshine and I love Scotland, for everything it and our people stand for. 27:13
I just love watching you enjoy everything about the wonderful parts of the United Kingdom. We may look small compared to the United States but we are mighty and proud of our heritage history and lands. 👍❤️
Love the right to roam. I live next to farm land and walk my dog each day across this land. Obviously we are responsible and don’t go in fields with livestock or plants but only grass. The local farmers are very open to people using their land. I also fly a drone for recreation and the ability to take off and land from private land is a big deal. Perhaps one day we will get rid of all man made barriers and borders around the world so we all have the right to go wherever we want within reason.
The house you asked about is called a Bothy. They can be found in Scotland and Wales (maybe England too?). But essentially they are old, abandoned, but upkept houses that are on private land. Usually an old farmers house in my experience. A map of bothies can easily be found on google
Sheepsky might be mistaken here ? But last i thought theres only 2 bothies in England left ? One coming off Cross fell along the pennine way and i think the other is somewhere around Skiddaw, Lake district. I read some years back that England / Wales has a total of 7 bothies ?? Weve stayed in one in Snowdonia. Only one we ever saw there.
@@garythomas4877 Could it be that a lot of the "English Bothies" were taken over by the YHA? For example "Black Sail YHA" in Ennerdale, the most remote and most peacefull YHA I have ever had the pleasure to stay at while doing the Coast to Coast Hike.
I’ll add as a Scotsman, we love our country! We want to show our country off and share it. We don’t wanna destroy. It’s basically leave as you found please We are proud of our culture and heritage and when I see someone like you gobsmacked with the look of our country makes me more proud and just
Good video! You can easily find the Scottish Outdoor Access Code online and it’s very clear. It’s a very commonsense approach., and to a large extent it mirrors what we always regarded as a traditional ‘right’ - even if the right wasn’t strictly legal! You can wander on almost all land, with obvious exceptions like private gardens, industrial sites or airports, and if there are growing crops such as oats or wheat or barley in a field, you keep to the field margins. You can wild camp as long as you leave no trace and the right also applies to inland water, for example kayaking. But you lose your right to roam if you do things that damage the land. And it applies to everyone, not just Scottish residents. You must come and visit some time. The kettle will be on!
As long as you do no damage nor invade anyone's privacy you may go anywhere. I feel so lucky and privileged to have enjoyed this freedom, having roamed Scotland for 56 years. The Northwest Highlands are one of the world's best places to hike and camp. Great video Steve. Brought a tear to my eye.
I don't know if it's changed but when I was young there was a touring theatrical company called 7:84 it took its name from the fact that 7% of the population owned 84% of the land. Quite a few of the bothies are really old single roomed structures that had been used by shepherd's at one time.
In the 1970,s they had a play called The Cheviot, the stag and the black ,black oil, one part sticks in my mind, after the clearances the Prince of Wales went to Brora in Sutherland to recruit for the Crimean war, he said " Proud Highland men ,will you fight for my father"? One local said " You threw us off our lands,burned our houses,replaced us with sheep, your Highness go recruit the sheep. .
I grew up partly in the farming community in Scotland and although we have the right to roam,many tend to think they can just walk through fields when they want which isn't true. If the field has a crop such as wheat you can only walk through it as long as its along the tram lines or the edge and if its cattle you dont do anything to them, id say stay away from cattle but they are curious beasts lol
Rule of thumb is, just respect the land and leave it the way you found it. Sadly a lot of people just dump their garbage when packing up. They're in a Bothy, there are over 100 Bothy's on private land, they are open to anyone, like a cabin in the wild. You can sleep there overnight, there may be some limited cooking facilities and a hearth to get a fire going so you can dry out your wet clothes or use it for cooking.
I'm starting to try recycle everything I can now my ptsd and ibs made it difficult to start new habits like that when I wasnt so good at taking out bins before. So it be nice if they also recycled their rubbish at the nearest place they can find to help the land further too 😊
He was singing in the Gaelic language and it is beautiful to hear, especially if you are Scottish. Highland cattle are sweet-natured, even the bulls! There are no real trespassing laws. It's more common courtesy. Although only written into law in the early 2000's, the freedom to roam has been an unwritten privilege for generations. A "bothy" is a wooden hut or stone cottage which is open for free use by anyone needing shelter. People often leave behind non-perishables, candles., etc for use by the next traveller and there are many of them dotted around the wild countryside and some are very old indeed. Squatting for weeks or months in such dwellings would be seriously frowned on, but would also be a bit of a hardship being at the mercy of the elements. The pipes played in this video are not the usual Scottish bagpipes. They resemble Irish bagpipes in that there is no mouthpiece.
The song is in Gaelic, Scotland's oldest language. The cows are Highland cows and they're big, the one Griogair pushes out is a baby. Bothies are old buildings reclaimed usually and they're open 24/7 for hikers and travelers to reside in when needed, they're open to everyone though. Something like 75% of our population lives in what we call the "central belt" it's the stretch from East to West, Edinburgh to Glasgow. Camping is limited to staying in the same place for a maximum of three nights, Although there's no one around to enforce these rules.
Great video ,i got bit teary eyed watching , I love nature and walking it's something I do for my mental health , this looks right up my street , stunning .
The highest number of Scots live in the Central Belt which is from Glasgow to Edinburgh. I grew up 16 miles to the west of Glasgow above the Clyde, truly beautiful.
A Rich Land owner in Devon England has recently banned people from camping on his Land ,its called wild camping. More, people have started camping then ever before, BRILLIANT 👏.
They are several types of bagpipes played in these islands The big mouth blown Great Highland pipes Scottish small pipes played with a bellows instead of the mouth Border pipes bellows blown Northumbrian pipes played in northumberland england also played by bellows The irish Uilleann pipes also played with the bellows. The singing at the start of the video was like what we call in ireland sean Nos .. You should have a look at the Uilleann pipes they are classed as an intangible world heritage by unesco.They are the most complex instrument in the world there is a saying it takes seven years to learn,seven years to master and seven years to perfect and its also the bagpipes used in braveheart movie.
As a Scotsman I find my freedom to roam seems to take me straight to the pub 🍻
Hahaha 👍🏻
Don't know about Scotland ,,,,,, but when I lived in England people were aloud to walk on farmland by using public foot paths
Some farmer's don't mind as long as you walk around the sides andd not cut a cross
not a bad place to roam too 😁
Yes in a nice straight line, not so straight on the way home!
Dalwhinnie this weekend. Weather permitting!
That's the missing line in the magna carta the right to roam to to the pub
The rules of camping and roaming "leave no trace". Leave it as you found it.... Then the beauty that you saw can be seen by the next person. FOREVER MORE. 💙🏴💙
Take only photographs and leave only footprints
Just be respectful. There are many campsites all over the countries. Washing facilities ( showers etc.) Electric hook ups, if you want to watch TV. Many have clubhouses, where you can have a beer or wine, many have music of some sort.Thats why caravanning is popular. I used to own a caravan when we wanted, just hook up and go where we wanted in the countryside. My dog used to love coming in holiday with us. We'd go hiking, some of the bigger ones had swimming pools, my grandson learned to swim in the pool of a campsite. These sites are very reasonably priced.unfortunately I'm too old to attempt nit now. But have many happy memories.
Preferably leave it better than you found it, camping in a good spot and find a lost peg? A bit of rubbish (piece of trash) lying nearby? Pick it up and pack it out.
A Bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are found in remote mountainous areas of Scotland, Northern England, Ulster and Wales. They are particularly common in the Scottish Highlands.
thay were sheperds cottages mate in the old days ware to shelter during highland storms when gathering the livestock gardeners pmsl fuck up
The modern Bothies we know today, were originally built (or restored from old ruined cottages or sheilings) in mountain passes by climbing clubs. In the present day you can also find them in the more remote areas of Scotland’s long distance walking routes where they can be used as shelter in bad weather and also in emergencies.
So yes, they are free for anyone who is climbing or hiking (but everyone always has their own tent or bivvi because you can’t guarantee there will be room at the Bothy when you get there.
I believe there are also a few private bothies on some estates which are let as holiday accommodation.
There is no trespassing law
Free of charge? When I was in a climbing club at school (mid70s) it was 10P a night..
My late father always told us "you always leave a bothy better than you found it!"
As an English man who has lived in Scotland for 30+ years nothing and I mean nothing could get me to move back down south….
Appreciated beautiful country my brother ❤x
Thanks . It’s the most beautiful country in the world x
Yes we have a lot of open area .
Despite numerous efforts from a section of the cultist followers of the likes of Nicola Sturgeon.
@@MrAbletospeak Yep. I agree Sturgeon has properly fucked Scotland.
I grew up in Scotland, didn't realise the rest of the world wasn't like this, as a kid we just got on our bikes, and went for a few weeks camping in the highlands, sometimes the gamekeepers would check we didn't have fishing rods, and you can't just camp in someones back garden unless its over a certain size, it also includes inland waterways, rivers and lochs.
Bothies are little huts with basic facilities that are free to use.there are about 80, across Scotland.
The thing is , even without right to roam there was so much land open via footpaths or permissible areas that it wasn't that often you really came across a place you couldn't get by and it just didn't occur to you.
Scotland is the Real Land of The Free. Home of the Brave. A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. When I go for a walk in the Country, which is right at the end of my street, I always sing. I can hear the Cows and Sheep saying, 'Oh! Not again'.
I'm English and I would be very proud to say that I am Scottish If I was born there rather than being embarrassed to say I am English. Love the scots
@@darrenj.griffiths9507 Don't be embarrassed to say you're English - Marcus Rashford is English and he is a stupendously good ambassador for your country!
@@karasaunty9823I had a Rashford but it cleared up.
@@alanbbrady8196 that was absolutely brutal
Not if snp get their way!
The Right to Roam was always part of Scottish culture but landowners started to make it difficult to enter their lands by putting fences, gates and large boulders to try and block the path. Therefore to preserve what had always been the case the right was codified in law
I had some work in Shetlands briefly and heard that some farmers arent too keen on people just going where they want. I guess it frustrates them if there are cattle in fields being upset by people, etc
The problems began when the Arabs and other other foreigners started buying up estates then decided that they wanted to keep folks out. The Law allows for access except to gardens, but the new landowners decided to fence off areas and reclaim them. There were no footpaths at these new fenced areas, so you can find that older footpaths have been cut off and people are expected to walk through bogs!
Originally locals understood about farming, so would walk round the perimeter of crop fields, and not damage fencing or walls. Of course nowadays there are far more people walking as a hobby, originally they walked in order to get from A to B
People should not take dogs through fields with cattle.😊
There is a Mountain Bothy Association which looks after these old houses, once built for shepherds, basic facilities, usually a fireplace and some benches, bring your own firewood, food, bedding. They are usually near a water source. Sanitation may not be formal.
Hi Steve, i grew up in the Highlands, near Fort William, and always just took it for granted that i could go anywhere, at any time. Funnily enough, i didn't realise that this freedom wasn't granted until 2003. The freedom to roam was instilled in me from when i was wee. I think it's because 'freedom to roam' was expected but not codified until then. Could be wrong, i've been abroad a long time. Clips like these really make me homesick...
I live in Sydney, but my heart still belongs to the Highlands ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Hi MaryAnne, back in 1990 where I did grouse beating, you had to stick to public pathways, especially going through estates during the working seasons. There were a couple of times when the gamekeepers would speak to individuals to ask them to keep to the paths, more for their own safety; during the hunting season, there was a lot of shotguns blasting away. Also it was to preserve the habitat of the grouse, especially during dry seasons where the young were vulnerable.. It was commonsense approach really, which has now been ratified into Law.
The right to roam is an ancient right. Tresspass was a civil offence and you had to prove criminal damage.
Same here down in Ayrshire - remember being wee with my dad marching past the "Trespassers will be prosecuted" signs and being told we had the right to roam and were fine.
Do you miss the cold and snow
♥️
It’s videos like these that make me so proud to be Scottish 🥰♥️🏴
It really is the land of the free.
This would never happen in the US, You walk onto someone’s property over there and you’d be greeted with a shotgun yet here in Scotland they’d offer you a cup of tea 😂
The guy singing at the start, He was singing in Scottish Gaelic
And the cows we call them highland coo’s 😂 🐮
@@scottneil1187 We’ve had the right to roam for a long time before this precedent was made law.
Wan wi a tin hat is a military coo ...🥴
@@georgejob2156 And it turned anti-clockwise which makes it a left wing military coo 😀
@@georgejob2156 😂
How do you know when a Highland Coo's on holiday?
They've got a wee calf
Absolutely love this and makes me so proud of my country 🏴
'Bothy' is a Scottish word for hut or shelter, and a lot of them are left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It's an amazing bit of hiking infrastructure.
Whilst you are on the theme of Scotland and land ownership/ access, I would suggest you find something on the Highland Clearances. The story of how the land became owned by such a few huge landowners.
There's a bothy in the lake district and a couple I Northumberland that I know about too.
The Highland Clearances were simply the third stage of rationalising agriculture to make it productive. It started with the Enclosure Acts in England, followed by the Lowland Clearances and finally the Highland Clearances. None of these was achieved without disruptions of the social order, winners and losers. But they transformed the agricultural performance of the whole of Britain and made it able to support the urban developments of the Industrial Revolution.
@@kumasenlac5504 The Highland Clearances were what we would now call genocide!
@@barbaraclark1687 Only if the meaning of the term genocide has changed from 'actions specifically intended to eradicate a race of people' .
@@kumasenlac5504 The meaning hasn't changed as far as I know.
But don't forget - when you come over, especially in Scotland, come in June when you can go roaming and see where you're going, until 11pm.!
Although the bothies are welcome rest-stops for adventurers etc. they're also life-saving sanctuaries for those caught in the wilderness unprepared when conditions turn nasty,always good to know where your nearest bothy is when you're out and about.
A Bothy in this context is like a small shelter in the countryside that anyone can turn up to and stay in (if theres room!). It provides shelter for people if they are out camping or hiking and it gets very cold or bad weather. Usually its small like that in the video and has a fireplace and some wooden sleeping boards where people can put sleeping bags etc. Sometimes campers will leave supplies there like gas canisters, high calorie foods for hikers, non-perishable food and water etc incase someone is in a bad situation and needs shelter. There is indeed a huge amount of wilderness in Scotland mostly in the highlands.
Look up John Muir, born in Dunbar, Scotland in 1838 he was known as John of the mountains and was an activist who shaped national parks in the U.S.
That was an excellent video. Great choice.
I am so proud of my country, and our right to roam. People may "own" the land but the land belongs to the people.
Hi Steve from here in Scotland.There are No Tresspaing Laws here in Scotland but always be respectful of the landscape and mindful of closing gates behind you and of course to leave the area as you found it. Scots as a culture are respectful and mannerable and very welcoming. There are no laws the we can't walk on roads. I believe you call that Jay Walking.
Our long haired cattle are called Highland Cattle and are the most adorable & mild natured animals and Highland Cow milk is rich and creamy.
Just to clarify the law of trespassing in Scotland there are indeed such las, Mostly introduced during the period of railway expansion to keep people of the dangerous track. There is also a trespass law but it is civil la and not criminal and is very difficult to prove. This latter may hav been removed d by the Right to Roam legislation, but I am not sure.Wn
Hen people talk about there is no trespassing law, they really mean there is no such law in the common law.
Of course there are trespassing laws, It is an oft-repeated myth that there are no trespassing laws in Scotland. This is simply not true. Trespass is a civil wrong, called a delict in Scots legal terminology.
However, the waters were muddied by the introduction of what is commonly known as “the right to roam.” Public access rights were created by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. This Act provides the public the right to be on and cross most land and inland water in Scotland in a responsible manner. However, public access rights do not apply to the following places:
+Houses, gardens and non-residential buildings and associated land
+Land in which crops are growing
+Land next to a school and used by the school
+Sports or playing fields (where exercising access rights would interfere with their use)
+Airfields, railways, quarries, construction sites and military bases
+Visitor attractions or other places which charge for entry
+For a more extensive list of places where public access rights do and do not apply, see the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
Where a member of the public accesses land which is not covered by public access rights, they are trespassing.
Hi, I don't want to seem critical, but no trespass laws in Scotland is actually a myth. Very hard to prove with the Right to Roam, i.e. The Land Reform Act Scotland 2006. Trespass and The Land Reform Act are both Civil Law and cannot involve the Police who have no jurisdiction in Civil Law. They can only become involved it a crime is comitted, eg. Threats of violence, criminal damage. Hope this
Helps.
I am scottish, and i know I live in the most beautiful country in the world . I thought every country had this freedom 🤔.
I am so blessed 🏴🏴🏴
So are you Scottish or USAsian?
I LOVE Scotland and the Scottish in general (I'm English). Such a beautiful country and, in my opinion, the greatest place to get away. I cannot ski or snowboard and probably break a few bones, but watching this makes me really want to purchase a snowboard . (Ambulance on speed dial).
Hey Steve lad, as a Scot this just lifts the soul, thank you for loving our ancient nation & all the peoples of these two historical islands. 💙🏴
We have the same laws in my country. You can't go into someone's backyard etc but you're free to roam in any woods, fields, etc. without needing to ask for permission. You're also allowed to forage in those woods for berries and mushrooms etc and camp anywhere that's not in sight of a dwelling.
Where are you in the world?
@@jodybobble We have something very similar in Norway. Most likely Sweden and Findland does, too.
you can forage in the uk but its illegal to do it for commercial reasons
When my daddy died in Edinburgh his ex sat on our door step and there was nothing the police could do - AYE. WE PHONED THEM AND THAT'S WHAT THEY TOLD US.
Thanks for the reaction on my beautiful country where we have proper freedom and it is the real home of the brave 🇺🇸🏴👏🏻👍🏻
ONE DAY we'll have proper freedom! Independence! Saor Alba 🏴💙
The singer at the start is Griogair Labhruidh. He does a lot of the music on ‘Outlander’, a very significant and accomplished culture-bearer here in Scotland.
thank you for stating his name I really wanted to know!
Greetings from Scotland Steve.
Saor Alba.
As a 73 year old partially disabled Scotswom,, who lives in the South of England, I absolutely loved every second of this, thank you Steve.
Thank you, Jenni! Appreciate your support of the channel and sending you blessings and love from across the pond.
And back Steve, and to Lindsay and Sophia.
I’ve been in Australia 10 years, this video is making me want to get my ass (arse) home. 🏴
i left my home town, never thought i would miss it but i was wrong, i am back
Get yer erskie hame
Although the "right to roam" was formalised in law fairly recently, it has been the case for many many years in Scotland. It needed to be formalised in law because a few incomers who bought land didn't understand or buy into it and so it had to be formalised. As Scottish I've known it all my life, and it's only when you go elsewhere and realise the restrictions that you really appreciate what we have here. Of course it's all about being respectful, not damaging anything and looking after the environment.
I've noticed people from down south have moved up to Scotland, they seem to love to put up gates and fences with private property and no trespassing signs. There was a story in paper a few years back about a family who tried blocking off a public foot path by the coast.
aye and they find their signs removed
Why not stay in England if they don't want to accept our culture and land
When my son was 14 or so him and 2 friends went off up the glen to camp and explore (we live on the edge of the Cairngorms). It was a popular tourist area so the landowner's gamekeeper checked in on them every couple of days, the first time was to make sure they weren't idiots and that they knew how to keep their fire safe etc but after that was just to say hi. The freedom those kids had to roam the countryside is something I only understood when I realised how precious it is. This is the world I grew up in, where the fact that private owners hold these vast areas of natural beauty shouldn't mean we can't all enjoy them. I agree with what Lauren said - we have a responsibility to respect our rights: take a little, give a little. Don't be a dick is basically the code.
Love your videos, you seem like a person interested in the world and we need more of them ;) Good luck to you, and if you ever visit us in Scotland beware of the midgies!
I’m Scottish and my understanding is that out in the countryside you are allowed to walk about and camp on private land as long as your presence doesn’t negatively impact the local area. For instance u can camp in a farmers field as long as u aren’t effecting crops or animals and make sure any gates are shut behind u and all rubbish is taken with u. So when u leave it’s like u were never there.
You can’t just camp on private land. You must ask the land owner first. You can camp on all unenclosed land without permission though.
This is a stunning little town in the Perthshire area called Killin, where I live... I can actually see my house in this shot...amazing! @5:55
I’m really enjoying watching these videos! I’m from England 🏴 🇬🇧
He was singing in Gallic
Gaelic.
12:00 very accurate, most live in city's and smaller villages, majority of the land is unhabituated, apart from the wildlife which we try to leave alone
A bothy is usually a stone cottage or cabin for hikers to seek refuge its usually stocked with food and wood by previous visitors and is totally free to use these can be found throughout the uk
Originated as shepherd shelters and to protect travellers in days of old from being caught out in bad conditions. A few years ago some were deliberately destroyed as they were offering false security. This was because they were not not protective enough to people who used them from freezing to death.
There's an amazing UA-cam channel called She Walks She Paints, a woman called Sarah goes walks to all sorts of historic, scenic, beautiful places, then she paints a picture of something she spotted on her walk. She recently moved to Skye with her partner Willie who has his own channel, Dirty Secrets of Scotland, where he digs at old bottle dumps and finds the most amazing bottles and pottery and stuff from long ago. And together they started another channel called Living the Skye Life, documenting their move to Skye, and filming some amazing walks and scenery together. They are my favourite UA-camrs, all of their videos show you something different about Scotland.
There are huge estates in Scotland owned by a few people , right to roam gave the public access to walk or hike these places , the highlands long ago did have a reasonable population but it was scattered and landlords realised they could make more money getting rid of the people and bringing in sheep , have a look at a video about the highland clearances , it’s the main reason there were so many Scot’s settlers in US and Canada
Argentina too . During the Falklands War my cousin met an Argentinian McKenzie
The cattle are called Highland Cattle, originally from the Highlands of Scotland. They are now bred in England too, they are really gorgeous. I should imagine the long hair would originally keep them warm as its jolly cold up there in the winter.
Heeland Coo…!
🐮
😂😂😂
✌️❤️🏴🇬🇧🏳️🌈xxx
Also in Northumberland we have Chillingham cattle.
If you want true Scottish landscape gawping - look up Danny Mcaskill "The Ridge". Yes, it's Skye, yes, it's beautiful (to a lot of us Scots, Skye's actually *boring*) but the music and what Danny *does* on The Ridge is...extraordinarily modern.
I've live in Scotland for all my 44 yrs and been alot of places but would love to go up thr Highlands and explore as it is so stunning 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Wild camping is a big thing in Scotland. You don’t have to pitch your tent at a camp site you can camp anywhere within reason.
But where can I hunt and catch a wild tadger?
@RammingSpeed they can be caught usually between last orders and closing time they can be quite loud and aggressive when cornered but they can be calmed down with a kebab and a cheeky can of Irn Bru.
This right to roam also pertains in Sweden. I went there once and roamed, as I had anticipated doing. In Sweden it is called Allemansratt, if I remember correctly.
I also remember the first time I took 3 American friends to the countryside here in Scotland and they could not relax. They constantly expected ‘the man’ to come and question them about what they were doing! No man turned up! They couldn’t get their heads round the right to go anywhere, and they also loved drinking clean water from streams!
Our central belt holds the population. Then you have a few bits as you go up north. Perth, Dundee. Aberdeen, Inverness and obv pockets south
We where forced of our land and sent in chains to far corners of the earth, our spirit will never ever die. The Scotsman will never give in. SAOR ALBA GU BRATH
Apart from peoples fenced / walled gardens and some national trust areas, YES, you can roam free all over Scotland and although Tress Passing is still built in to the Scottish Law System, its very rarely used by land owners and or people a like.
Been to Scotland many many times to hike, climb and camp on almost any field, woodland or mountain.
Its a fantastic place to visit if you love Nature and Wild Life.
Cell / Phone Signal can drop a lot in the highlands as I have found out on a few trips.
Bothy - all over the highlands for use as shelters by walker, climbers, cyclists etc etc. Can stay a night or two,. Basic rules of leaving it as you would wish to find it. Very basic. but beautiful settings.
I went hiking in the Cairngorms, its a truly beautiful mountain range. I highly recommend it! its huge, so awe inspiring. Highland cows are so sweet too
Cairngorms is one of the last great wild places in UK. Much of the scenery in Scotland is deceiving however because of the low density of population. Much is within at least a days walk of a good road or village, so accessible, but you can make the rest of the human world seem a million miles away
Thanks for the video Steve. The freedom to roam in the Peak District came about when 400 people made a mass trespass on Kinder Scout (a mountain not far from where I live) in 1932. This brought about a change in the law, eventually making the area a National Park. This s an interesting short documentary about it - ua-cam.com/video/OpmPDWCSeKQ/v-deo.html
I’m really glad you have reacted to this after your last video. It really got me thinking about public walkways and land in Scotland (and the UK) and how different it might be in the US 😁
The actor David Hayman done a great documentary on how the right of way came about in Scotland 🏴 😊
It should be the case everywhere, we don't have the same benefits in England :( it's what makes hiking in Scotland and Sweden so amazing, freedom to camp most places. I'm sure there's other places, but it's the only 2 places I've utilised such laws.
I'm a mountain biker - we ride literally anywhere (except through peoples gardens, industrial complexes, airfields and golf courses). Around 100 people own 40% of the country largely due to land gifted by the English after the wars of independence 300 years ago and so the land has very, very rarely been split up and sold. As a Scot (living north of Stirling) I take the freedom to roam very seriously.
With so few owning so much of the land I can definitely appreciate how valuable the freedom to roam truly is.
Gifted by the English what you going on about this is scottish land and never was English land
@@healingandgrowth-infp4677
Presume he means gifted by the British Crown/Parliament after the Jacobites lost the rebellion. I look around and pretty much all the land where I am is owned by these folk, anyone disloyal to the British Crown from that time were mostly killed or deported.
Fifty years ago there was the expression 7:84" which meant that 7% of the people owned 84% of the land of Scotland. The ratio may have changed, but it's still around that.
Before the land was "cleared" for sheep and later for sporting estates there were houses and small hamlets everywhere, but the rural people were herded into villages if they were not deported. Rural depopulation was completed by the mechanisation of agriculture in the 20th century.
That's why you can see ruins everywhere in the countryside. Most of them did not become bothies, because it used to be the case that the owner had to pay tax on any house with a roof.
Fantastic reaction video.. I'm a townie but Mom's side were all country farmers. I've walked the Kintyre & West Highland Ways and the Sutherland Trail among many other saunters - Scotland's scenery and access are matchless. There are a few Military areas that are prohibited as well as a glen re-introducing wolves! Signs are usually posted to avoid deer stalking, grouse-shooting, and farmer's fields during the lambing season.. if a gate is open; then leave it open, and if you have to open one, close it behind you.. simple countryside code. (y) :D
This will be me this weekend!
Bagging more wonderful Munro’s
❤from Manchester!
We have freedom to roam through all of Scandinavia (including Finland) too.
The music at the end is quite similair to folk music in the appalachan areas. Lots of Scots settled in vast area of Appalachan mountains from 1600s and brought their fiddles and accordians and folk music with them. There are quite a lot of West Virginians that can trace their roots back to Scotland and there were many Scottish plantation owners in Virginia and West Virginia.
Aye, also the Scottish Highlands and the Appalachian mountains were once part of the same mountain range before the continents shifted.
Steve, you should check out videos about The Highland Clearances, especially about The Duke of Sutherland and what he did to his tenants, 😢
One reason I think any similar opening of access won't happen anytime soon in America is the litigation culture. Imagine if a land owner opened up access and then got a tonne of lawsuits from people who have had accidents on the land and think the owner should be liable. Would be a nightmare. In Scotland there is a general understanding that 99% of the time if you have an accident (even a serious one) it's because you've been a silly sod!
We call it Folk music here also, there are other names around the UK but Folk covers it! My friend and her Dutch husband spent three weeks roaming the Highlands of Scotland last summer.
They had a roof top tent for the top of what you would call their Station Wagon. They said they had the best holiday (vacation) ever!
It was a very hot dry summer, so a bonus!
Thanks that was a beautiful video.
Yep, it was made legal in 2003 but it was pretty much the case before that, as long as you were respectful, didn't damage property and followed the Countryside Code. When land does come up for sale, it is very expensive. Lots of countryside is privately owned, but also lots of it is in the ownership of government agencies and conservation charities. The landowners in my local area were always good about allowing access, I never had the idea of not being able to roam, and I'm 48. Technically there is a trespass law but I believe it would only be invoked if damage was done. I grew up playing in the woods and walking in the hills. I never worried about being chased by a gamekeeper or farmer with a gun. A few years ago, I was talking to the guy who owns the woods near my house, and I pointed out that someone had buried their pet dogs in the woods and made a grave. His reply 'I'm pretending I didn't see it'😅. Most people live in the area between Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee but even within that there is a lot of beautiful open countryside and rural or semi-rural areas, and we don't all live in major cities. Its only Glasgow and Edinburgh which are really big. You should check out some views of Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire.
You're making me miss my homeland. 🥺
The right to roam is not just for the inhabitants, if you went there you could do that too.
It is called folk music here too.
That's good to know for when I visit. :)
@@reactingtomyrootsthe "long hair cows"?..are you talking about my ex wife?
bothy comes from gaelic bothan meaning hut historically a bothy is a small shelter or cottage originally built for labourers as hill farming declined walkers started to use them for shelter (bothying) and this became the word for this activity
We in wales have the that right as well but it’s called public right of way and it’s mapped out for you there is over 20,750 miles of it
I'm from Argyll, and my dad is a gamekeeper... and we would often have people just randomly staying over for a night or two, and end up trekking up lots of random hill roads... tbh, I thought everywhere was like this, until when I describe what its like living here to people online. Some of them must think im making it up hahaha... Aye get yerself over here and in touch with some awesome people and go for some treks lad... You'll love it! Also, get yourself to Oban for some fish n chips too!!
So funny that I should come across this video, I'm just back from my weekly walk, exercising whilst exercising my right to roam in Scotland
Anywhere in the uk is open, as long as you do not cause any damage close gates when you go through, do not leave rubbish around, you can walk anywhere, apart from private closed places, for instance factory yards or private gardens. we are actually free in the UK . A farmer or landowner will not shoot you for walking across his fields.
The pipes that he is playing are Irish not Scottish, they are pumped by bellows under his arm, not blown like Scottish pipes.
No, not all the UK. The laws in England are different (not sure about Wales or N Ireland). It is only Scotland that has the Right to Roam, England still has trespass laws. There are many public footpaths in England and access to the outdoors, but you can still be prevented by owner from a lot of the land. In Scotland, there are not trespass laws, so you have the right to go anywhere, with a few exceptions, e.g. secure prison land etc. The Outdoor Access Code asks that people respect the land, e.g. not walking across crops, but around the edges of fields, closing gates, leave no trace of being there, having dogs on leads near animals or crops, respecting farm and other animals and not causing worry for them.
@@claregallagher8550 Sorry, you are correct, my point really was that it would be unusual for a farmer to complain about anyone just walking across a field, as long as there was no damage caused, unlike in the US where you could actually be shot for merely walking on someones land.
@Terry Hayward Absolutely, most will be ok if respected. Even if they were upset, as you say, they wouldn't have a gun and threaten to shoot you. Just tell you to not do it again or 'get off my land!'
@@claregallagher8550 Yes, and in England even if the farmer is offended as long as you're not doing any damage they mostly can't legally do anything worse to you than tell you to leave the land - and use "reasonable force" to force you out if you refuse. In most cases trespass is considered a civil matter not a crime, and it wouldn't be worthwhile to sue someone just for walking across a field.
No longer able to wild camp on parts of Loch Lomond due to too many ass hats leaving their rubbish behind. We took my girls on a wild camp tour and the state of the banks in LL were shocking. Discarded tents, clothing, empty cans and bottles, food wrappers. We spent a few hours with black bags clearing it all up and leaving it at rubbish points, teaching the next generation that with the right to roam is also making sure we leave no trace.
We always enjoyed the wild camping, we had a big GSD who didn't like camp sites. He enjoyed being able to play in the lakes and spend his nights chasing field mice. It's OUR country and we are a country of roamers, mostly because, as youve noticed, our population is spread out.
I feel like the two cultures can be summed up as: -- Americans, me, me, me! British, us, us,us!
Scottish is us us us, England is all me me me
This is a argument no one can win as every country has their share of Me Me Me’s as equally we all have our share of thinking of others 🤷🏻♀️
@@ThePrenti Please don't confuse Parliament with everyone else.
That was beautiful!
A Bothy is an empty shelter in a remote place anyone can use for shelter if you are caught out by bad weather or you are stuck in the dark.there are some foods and supplies left by other walkers or climbers you can use .The rule is if you use something then leave some thing in return or chop wood or other chores.everybody shares .lives have been saved using these shelters in arctic like conditions .It's called the Scottish Highlands for a reason (it has mountains Duhhh )
Firstly can I ask, am I the ONLY one who thought it was Steve sitting there at the beginning... LOL! I go camping in Scotland most years (except during Covid) and find it to have the BEST water in the whole of the UK and some of the BEST air too...👍
A cup of Welsh stream water especially from a waterfall, Heavenly.
@@iriscollins7583
As well as Scottish water, I also have a liking for Welsh and Irish too... 😁
The best cups of tea iv ever had were made with Scottish water.
@@kirstygunn9149
I'm a (big) tea drinker too, so absolutely concur... Over the years I have visited most parts of the UK/Ireland and it's those areas of the 'hardest water' that make the worst teas. It leaves a very annoying 'scum' on the surface that you have to skim off. LOL!
I hope Freedon to Roam Scotland look back at this Epic Vlog,and realise just how Epic the Editing was/is!! It takes a genuine open mind to capture the little snippets of captured video and blend it all into this genuinely fantastic Video!!And a B I G shout out to Reacting To My Roots for showing the world this clip of my country!!
It's a beautiful place to call home, that's for sure!
WOW that was a very beautiful and unique video you watched😍
Great video bud; you are welcome to Scotland anytime 🎉
My son spent an enjoyable year wild camping in Scotland he loved it!
Fantastic review of a fantastic video, im a new subscriber from the Hihlands!.
The right to roam does not give vehicles the right to park anywhere however. You CAN walk, cycle, ride with freedom tho, lots of visitors misunderstand that part.
The further you go into the Highlands and Islands, the smaller the village's become its so beautiful, me and my sister go wild camping and swimming all over Scotland in the summer.
Dartmoor was the only place we could camp freely in England but that was taken away from us last week.
not true. there are plenty of places yo ucan free camp in england, it may be illega lbut many places turn a blind eye you just havr to know where does
for example the yorkshire dales its illegal to campo there but thousands do every year
also the lake district tolerates it
@Nicky L Why is that?
@Cader Well he's a greasy slimeball.
I live about 2 hour’s drive from everywhere you see in this video and spent my whole working life, outside in these areas, through snow, wind, rain and the occasional bit of sunshine and I love Scotland, for everything it and our people stand for.
27:13
Bothys can be on private land or public and are free to use
I love that I can drive from my house in the central belt and within the hour I can be at the gates of the highlands
I just love watching you enjoy everything about the wonderful parts of the United Kingdom. We may look small compared to the United States but we are mighty and proud of our heritage history and lands. 👍❤️
Love the right to roam. I live next to farm land and walk my dog each day across this land. Obviously we are responsible and don’t go in fields with livestock or plants but only grass. The local farmers are very open to people using their land. I also fly a drone for recreation and the ability to take off and land from private land is a big deal. Perhaps one day we will get rid of all man made barriers and borders around the world so we all have the right to go wherever we want within reason.
I was told a long time ago, take only the scenery home and leave only footprints.
The house you asked about is called a Bothy. They can be found in Scotland and Wales (maybe England too?). But essentially they are old, abandoned, but upkept houses that are on private land. Usually an old farmers house in my experience. A map of bothies can easily be found on google
Sheepsky might be mistaken here ? But last i thought theres only 2 bothies in England left ? One coming off Cross fell along the pennine way and i think the other is somewhere around Skiddaw, Lake district. I read some years back that England / Wales has a total of 7 bothies ?? Weve stayed in one in Snowdonia. Only one we ever saw there.
@@garythomas4877 Could it be that a lot of the "English Bothies" were taken over by the YHA? For example "Black Sail YHA" in Ennerdale, the most remote and most peacefull YHA I have ever had the pleasure to stay at while doing the Coast to Coast Hike.
I’ll add as a Scotsman, we love our country! We want to show our country off and share it. We don’t wanna destroy. It’s basically leave as you found please
We are proud of our culture and heritage and when I see someone like you gobsmacked with the look of our country makes me more proud and just
Good video! You can easily find the Scottish Outdoor Access Code online and it’s very clear. It’s a very commonsense approach., and to a large extent it mirrors what we always regarded as a traditional ‘right’ - even if the right wasn’t strictly legal! You can wander on almost all land, with obvious exceptions like private gardens, industrial sites or airports, and if there are growing crops such as oats or wheat or barley in a field, you keep to the field margins.
You can wild camp as long as you leave no trace and the right also applies to inland water, for example kayaking. But you lose your right to roam if you do things that damage the land. And it applies to everyone, not just Scottish residents.
You must come and visit some time. The kettle will be on!
As long as you do no damage nor invade anyone's privacy you may go anywhere. I feel so lucky and privileged to have enjoyed this freedom, having roamed Scotland for 56 years. The Northwest Highlands are one of the world's best places to hike and camp. Great video Steve. Brought a tear to my eye.
I don't know if it's changed but when I was young there was a touring theatrical company called 7:84 it took its name from the fact that 7% of the population owned 84% of the land.
Quite a few of the bothies are really old single roomed structures that had been used by shepherd's at one time.
In the 1970,s they had a play called The Cheviot, the stag and the black ,black oil, one part sticks in my mind, after the clearances the Prince of Wales went to Brora in Sutherland to recruit for the Crimean war, he said " Proud Highland men ,will you fight for my father"? One local said " You threw us off our lands,burned our houses,replaced us with sheep, your Highness go recruit the sheep.
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The 7:84 company are still going strong and still touring. The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil highly recommended
There are some cracking bothys around the country. I stayed in a really big one years ago, so fun.
I grew up partly in the farming community in Scotland and although we have the right to roam,many tend to think they can just walk through fields when they want which isn't true. If the field has a crop such as wheat you can only walk through it as long as its along the tram lines or the edge and if its cattle you dont do anything to them, id say stay away from cattle but they are curious beasts lol
Rule of thumb is, just respect the land and leave it the way you found it. Sadly a lot of people just dump their garbage when packing up. They're in a Bothy, there are over 100 Bothy's on private land, they are open to anyone, like a cabin in the wild. You can sleep there overnight, there may be some limited cooking facilities and a hearth to get a fire going so you can dry out your wet clothes or use it for cooking.
I'm starting to try recycle everything I can now my ptsd and ibs made it difficult to start new habits like that when I wasnt so good at taking out bins before. So it be nice if they also recycled their rubbish at the nearest place they can find to help the land further too 😊
He was singing in the Gaelic language and it is beautiful to hear, especially if you are Scottish. Highland cattle are sweet-natured, even the bulls! There are no real trespassing laws. It's more common courtesy. Although only written into law in the early 2000's, the freedom to roam has been an unwritten privilege for generations. A "bothy" is a wooden hut or stone cottage which is open for free use by anyone needing shelter. People often leave behind non-perishables, candles., etc for use by the next traveller and there are many of them dotted around the wild countryside and some are very old indeed. Squatting for weeks or months in such dwellings would be seriously frowned on, but would also be a bit of a hardship being at the mercy of the elements. The pipes played in this video are not the usual Scottish bagpipes. They resemble Irish bagpipes in that there is no mouthpiece.
The right of a person to be Free, is a Scottish philosophy that Made America, but freedom is still a concept not many can comprehend
The song is in Gaelic, Scotland's oldest language. The cows are Highland cows and they're big, the one Griogair pushes out is a baby. Bothies are old buildings reclaimed usually and they're open 24/7 for hikers and travelers to reside in when needed, they're open to everyone though. Something like 75% of our population lives in what we call the "central belt" it's the stretch from East to West, Edinburgh to Glasgow. Camping is limited to staying in the same place for a maximum of three nights, Although there's no one around to enforce these rules.
Great video ,i got bit teary eyed watching , I love nature and walking it's something I do for my mental health , this looks right up my street , stunning .
The highest number of Scots live in the Central Belt which is from Glasgow to Edinburgh. I grew up 16 miles to the west of Glasgow above the Clyde, truly beautiful.
I'm originally from Port Glasgow but I now live in Edinburgh. I moved here for Uni. Ended up staying here permanently.
A Rich Land owner in Devon England has recently banned people from camping on his Land ,its called wild camping. More, people have started camping then ever before, BRILLIANT 👏.
is it not charlie the alleged king
@@pamelaadam9207 I'm sure there are plenty of places in Cornwall ,,next door where KING Charles would be Welcomed.
They are several types of bagpipes played in these islands
The big mouth blown Great Highland pipes
Scottish small pipes played with a bellows instead of the mouth
Border pipes bellows blown
Northumbrian pipes played in northumberland england also played by bellows
The irish Uilleann pipes also played with the bellows.
The singing at the start of the video was like what we call in ireland sean Nos ..
You should have a look at the Uilleann pipes they are classed as an intangible world heritage by unesco.They are the most complex instrument in the world there is a saying it takes seven years to learn,seven years to master and seven years to perfect and its also the bagpipes used in braveheart movie.