If a Balloonist lands a hot air balloon on your land, damaging a tree, demolishing a fence and squashing crops in the process, is he a trespasser ? If the local hunt saboteurs lay a false trail or blow horns to distract the hounds, are they trespassers ? A study of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 which received Royal Assent on 30 November 2000 suggests that the answer to both questions could be "no" once the provisions of the Act relating to countryside access ("the right to roam") come into force.
The Act, which comprises 104 sections and 16 schedules is divided into five parts. The first part deals with the right to roam and is the subject of this article. The other four parts deal with amendments to the law relating to public rights of way and road traffic (part 2), nature conservation and wildlife protection (part 3), areas of outstanding natural beauty (part 4) and various miscellaneous matters such as the creation of local access forum and town and village greens
