Open access land and public access

Overall vulnerability

Features assessed:

• Open access land
• Public access
• Access and rights of way routes

Special qualities:

• Undeveloped places of tranquillity and dark night skies within reach of millions
• An inspiring space for escape, adventure, discovery and quiet reflection
• Vital benefits for millions of people that flow beyond the landscape boundary

Feature description:

Open access land, access routes, and public rights of way can be found across all areas of the PDNP. A third of the PDNP is open access land. There are 2,460 km of public rights of way, 200 concession routes, and 20 promoted accessible routes. There are also 546 km of unclassified roads.

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) gave the public right of access to land mapped as ‘open country’ (mountain, moor, heath and down) or registered common land, for activities such as walking, running, watching wildlife and climbing. There are certain restrictions for activities including horse riding and cycling which are usually prohibited unless the landowner allows them, if public bridleways or byways cross the land, or there are local traditions providing rights of access.

On access land, there is a right to close the land for conservation reasons, land management, public safety, or at times of exceptional fire risk.

Some land uses, such as gardens, buildings and working quarries, are excluded from the ‘right to roam’ and public rights of ways must be used to cross these areas.

The PDNP features three long-distance trails on public rights of way: The Pennine Way, Pennine Bridleway and Trans Pennine Trail. There are also five ‘trails’ that run along ex-railway lines: the Manifold Trail (also known as Manifold Way), the High Peak and Tissington which are public bridleways, and Monsal and Thornhill which are concessionary paths.

How vulnerable is open access and public access?

Open access land and public access in the PDNP have been rated ‘moderate’ on our vulnerability scale. This score is due to moderate sensitivity and exposure to climate change variables, coupled with a varied current condition, and with moderate adaptive capacity.

Erosion could be one of the key potential impacts of climate change, as many paths are susceptible to extreme weather events and the most popular routes that are heavily used already suffer from erosion.

There is limited funding available particularly for larger projects. However new initiatives for fundraising such as the ‘Mend our Mountains’ campaign are having a positive impact for specific routes.

Current condition

The heavy use of some of the most popular routes has already caused major erosion, especially in moorland areas where damage is exacerbated by degraded peat, high rainfall and wind. Historic erosion of moorland due to wildfire, pollution, drainage and overgrazing has meant some paths have become very inaccessible.

One major route that has been subject to erosion control and re-vegetation measures during recent years is the Pennine Way National Trail, which starts at Edale. This has seen paving introduced on some sections, which has reduced further erosion and has allowed the re-vegetation of previously eroded peat.

Access land and public rights of way are used by a considerable number of people (residents and visitors) engaged in a wide variety of activities such as walking, cycling and horse riding. This puts pressure on the existing infrastructure and the sense of tranquillity and remoteness to be found in the PDNP. Dovedale in the White Peak can become extremely congested at peak times and such ‘honeypot’ locations are under the greatest pressure.

Due to limited resources, new ways of fundraising are being explored. For example, there are severely eroded routes currently being addressed by the ‘Mend our Mountains’ project for The Great Ridge and Cut Gate.

What are the potential impacts of climate change?

Sedimentation or erosion

Climate change could have a significant impact on open access land and public access.

Paths, tracks, trails and bridleways are sensitive to erosion by wind and rain. Any increase in extreme weather such as the frequency and severity of storms, flooding and drought could lead to the potential loss of bridges or paths in some areas, requiring replacement or rebuilding. Paths may also be temporarily blocked or inaccessible leading to higher maintenance costs. Data Certainty: High

Prolonged winter rainfall could see an increase in erosion particularly on softer or unsurfaced routes, and subsidence could become a problem in some areas. This could lead to some paths becoming unusable while any difficulties involving bridges could cause prolonged route closure. Data Certainty: High

Conversely warmer winters could see less damage to paths as a result of fewer freeze-thaw events. Data Certainty: Moderate

Human behaviour change

Any increase in the frequency and severity of storms and droughts could see a rise in the risk to public safety as well as maintenance and legal costs. There may be an increase in pre-emptive closures of access due to high fire risk for example, while infrastructure such as the Monsal Trail Tunnels may need to close at short notice if any emergency repairs are needed, or a public safety risk is predicted. Data Certainty: Moderate

Hotter, drier summers may lead to an increase in visitor numbers seeking access to the outdoors. An increased risk of wildfire could see the pre-emptive closure of access land by land managers. A higher volume of visitors may lead to increased foot traffic and widening of paths as eroded or boggy patches are avoided. This would cause damage to environmentally sensitive areas. Maintenance costs of infrastructure such as paths, interpretation panels and furniture could rise. If the volume of people increases even further in current honeypots, the PDNP may lose its appeal as a place of tranquillity. There could also be an increase in the workload of PDNPA staff such as rangers. Data Certainty: Very Low

Increased demand for climate change mitigation such as wind farms, solar farms and biofuel crops could see open access land subject to land use changes. Although these scenarios currently appear unlikely due to the planning system, they are worth considering as planning legislation is unlikely to remain static over the next century and indeed radical reforms are quite possible. Data Certainty: Very Low

Direct impacts of climate change

Footpaths, tracks and bridleways may become obstructed by fallen trees more regularly or suffer flooding if the frequency and severity of storms increases. Paths may be temporarily blocked or inaccessible, and there could be an increased cost of maintenance. Data Certainty: Very Low

Invasive or other species interactions

Most paths experience some level of vegetation growth. Atmospheric changes such as increased carbon dioxide and nitrogen levels could lead to some plants growing more vigorously, which may become an issue on narrow paths if they were to become overgrown and unusable. Any increase in annual average temperatures could lead to a longer growing season, which could also impact paths sensitive to vegetation growth. This may lead to paths, tracks and trails becoming overgrown and more difficult to use requiring an increase in maintenance in some areas. Data Certainty: Very Low

Other indirect climate change impacts

The risk of wildfire ignition increases as visitor numbers rise during drier summers and drought periods, especially at heather or grass moorland sites. Wildfires may cause extensive damage to sensitive areas and wildlife, lead to increased costs and public safety risk. Paths or access land may be closed during exceptional fire risk. Data Certainty: Very Low

What is the adaptive capacity of open access land and public access?

Overall adaptive capacity rating

There are a variety of different surface types, widths, and extensive network of rights of way across all regions of the PDNP. The majority of areas will remain open even if some are closed during any given period. Sometimes alternative paths can naturally be created or an alternative route can be purposefully created so the functionality of a path may not be lost. Harder, more permanent surfaces are more resistant to storm events but can also increase the rate of run off. Data Certainty: Very Low

Highway Authorities and PDNPA restore and maintain rights of way. There is limited funding available for maintenance and repair of routes - especially for projects of magnitude. There are also PDNPA resource implications of fundraising for right of way restoration, for example the ‘Mend our Mountains’ campaign. Catastrophic events can bring in funding but little is usually done pre-emptively. Data Certainty: Moderate

Large organisations such as water companies, National Trust, Moors for the Future Partnership, and Forestry Commission are currently restoring habitats on large areas of moorland access land. This should increase resilience to climate change and allow it to stay open. Blanket bog restoration that is ongoing at a landscape scale will make access land on moorland more resilient. Data Certainty: Very Low

Currently there are lots of techniques being employed for path and habitat restoration and many contractors with the necessary skills to implement them. Data Certainty: Very Low

Key adaptation recommendations for open access land and public access

Improve current condition to increase resilience

The current condition of a feature is an important factor alongside its sensitivity and exposure, in determining its vulnerability to climate change. These recommendations are aimed at improving the condition of the feature at present, therefore making it better able to withstand future changes to climate.

• Monitor condition of key paths, tracks and trails and reassess vulnerability on an ongoing basis.
• Provide funding for resilience planning. Take a proactive approach to improve path structure in a smaller way rather than waiting for a damaging event before acting.
• Invest in and encourage natural flood management across the PDNP including the restoration of upland habitats and the regeneration of large areas of woodland and scrub.
• Invest time in developing further crowd-sourced funding for adaptation of paths, tracks and trails, fostering a sense of ownership among user groups.
• Work to reduce the risk of wildfire ignition.
• If visitor numbers increase at easy to access locations, encourage visitors to use alternative transport such as bikes and public transport to maintain tranquillity of the area.

Improve current condition to increase resilience: Targeted conservation efforts for important sites and at risk areas

The current condition of a feature is an important factor alongside its sensitivity and exposure, in determining its vulnerability to climate change. These recommendations are conservation measures aimed at those sites that will have the biggest impact for this feature – either because they are particularly important for the feature or because they are most at risk from climate change.

• Maintain and upgrade those areas subject to heavy usage or those likely to be most vulnerable.
• Create visitor management plans for peak times and honeypot areas. Identify areas that are vulnerable to crowding and influence behavioural changes to spread out visitor impact.
• Continue to foster partnerships to help manage the impacts affecting open access land.