Ramblers Unite: Wild Service and the Right to Roam

At Kendal Mountain Festival in the glorious Lake District, we headed to Wild Service – an inspiring discussion about a new kind of environmentalist. On the panel were Nick Hayes and Jon Moses, editors of Wild Service: Why Nature Needs You, and contributors to the book: Amy-Jane Beer, Nadia Shaikh and Guy Shrubsole. All are pioneers of the Right to Roam campaign. Here's what we learnt...

WHAT IS WILD SERVICE?

Wild Service is a concept that calls for a new way of defending Nature. It’s also the title of Hayes and Moses’ book, an anthology that encourages readers to reconnect with – and restore – Nature. Both concept and book were inspired by a 2022 paper from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences that measured the biodiversity, Nature connectedness and wellbeing of 14 European countries. Britain came last in all three categories. Gloomy news – but Wild Service is here to bring hope.

Crafted by the pioneers of the Right to Roam movement (more on that below), Wild Service argues that humanity’s loss and Nature’s need are two sides of the same story. By reconnecting to the natural world, we can not only help to restore it but help ourselves too. The book combines indigenous philosophy, Nature writing and science in a rallying cry to change our relationship with the land. From campaigning against polluted rivers to helping create habitat for declining pollinators, Wild Service invites you to discover the power of community and participation and take urgent action.

WHAT IS THE RIGHT TO ROAM CAMPAIGN?

Founded in 2020, Right to Roam is an organisation of campaigners who want to see the UK’s exclusionary laws of access changed. When Moses and Hayes discovered that only 8% of the land in the UK is accessible, they began to assemble like-minded people to organise mass trespass events and encourage acts of wild service. Now, Right to Roam is a growing movement made up of local groups from all over the UK, an alliance of writers, artists, ecologists, ramblers, paddle-boarders, wild swimmers and activists who all believe that Nature should be open for access to all.

The campaign is for default right of responsible access, which Scotland and Scandinavia already enjoy. In those places, any exclusions are justified rather than arbitrary, and most types of activity can be enjoyed in the countryside. This isn’t just in the interests of climbers and walkers: it’s for everybody.

A LITTLE HISTORY

In 1896, Britian’s biggest mass trespass took place on Winter Hill in Bolton (not far from our factory!) 10,000 members of the public protested the closure of a footpath by landowner Colonel Ainsworth, with the aim of reclaiming it as a right of way.

Ainsworth took the leaders of the protest to court, and despite a strong defence, with many witnesses stating the path had been used for generations, Ainsworth won – with costs. But while the law was on the side of the landowner, the people of Bolton were behind the campaigners and locals rallied round to pay off the fines. The path remained officially closed for nearly a hundred more years, however – only being declared a public right of way in 1996.

WHAT IS AN ACT OF WILD SERVICE?

So, what does Wild Service look like in practice? The obvious examples are things like taking part in litter-picking or restoring habitat for native insects. But citizen science initiatives are on the rise. These projects involve local residents volunteering to gather much-needed data, for example assessing the water quality of Lake Windermere and the River Wye. This article has some great examples of citizen science projects that you can get involved in. For more information on river-specific activism, see our blog: 5 Ways to Take Action for Our Rivers.

PASSION FOR NATURE

True love and passion for Nature are at the heart of Wild Service and Right to Roam.

During the discussion, Jon spoke about his love for the River Monnow, which he grew up nearby. The Monnow flows into the River Wye, and Jon explained how to the two vastly differ in terms of access, despite being so geographically close.

Famously a fishing river, the Monnow is dominated by game laws, which hinder people’s ability to be there unless specifically to fish. In contrast, the Wye is one of the 3% of rivers in England and Wales with the public statutory right of navigation. With long-standing bankside access, the Wye is well used and loved; locals are very familiar with the river, it’s a backdrop to their lives – and they want to protect it.

You might have heard of the Wye recently because of the prominent campaign to save it from damage by upstream farming, which starves the river of oxygen and causes eutrophication of the water.

“Because it’s a well-known, well-loved river, one of the biggest river campaigns emerged out of the defence of the Wye,” said Jon. “That’s not, sadly, because it’s the most polluted river in the country – it’s because people are there to notice… and to care.”

Jon’s realisation that he barely knew the river he’d grown up beside led him to explore the area, pretending he had access rights as if he were in Scotland. It was sort of trespassing, although he admits he didn’t get very far because it's quite hard to get through hedgerows when there’s no infrastructure. Still, in one day, he learnt more about the Monnow than he had in his whole life.

Nadia, who’s an ornithologist, said that when people who work in conservation are asked what they do, they normally say something along the lines of “I met Nature and I loved it.”

That’s the thing: when people meet Nature, they love it and they want to care for it. If more people could meet Nature, more people would love it and more people would want to care for it.

Wild service shouldn’t be seen as a burden or duty, but as a well-deserved gift to Nature, a natural part of a reciprocal relationship.

Wild Service: Why Nature Needs You is published by Bloomsbury. Find out more about Right to Roam and how to get involved here.