Yesterday I learned about Scotland’s Right to Roam laws or more accurately thr Right to responsible access.
While England and Wales have walking paths that supersede other property restrictions, in Scotland there is broader to open land. Walking here I am coming to an understanding of how this place has had human feet traipsing across it for a really long time and the idea of ownership is vastly different from what I have grown up with. I
know that my son in law has a hard time with all of the No Trespassing signs in California.
In Scotland the law allows responsible walking and tent camping on most land. The hiker is assumed to behave in a proper way and is responsible for his own actions. What a novel idea, that one doesn’t sue a land owner for breaking a leg on his property.
That leads to a whole different idea of what ‘ownership’ means. And how an individual has responsibility for their actions. The dichotomy of individualism versus social behavior as viewed n the US differs from the UK.
This article was helpful.
Footnote: I am doing this from phone and tablet. The wonkieness of the blower format gets even weirder.
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