Your Rights and Responsibilities
Find out about your access rights and responsibilities.
Rights
Access rights apply to most land and inland water in Scotland for non-motorised activity including walking, cycling, horse riding and canoeing.
There are some areas where access rights do not apply, including:
- Non-residential buildings and structures and closely associated land
- Houses and sufficient adjacent land to provide reasonable privacy
- Land around any school and land used by the school
- Compounds and building sites
- Sports and playing fields when in use
- Land developed or set out for a particular recreational purpose; although you may cross a golf course (excluding greens) avoiding interrupting play
- Grassland grown for hay or silage if it is at a late stage of growth and would be damaged by access
- Land on which crops have been sown or are growing although field margins whether sown or unsown are not defined as crops.
There is an exception to these exclusions if a route is a Right of Way. More information about Rights of Way in Scotland can be obtained from Scotways opens in a new tab
Responsibilities
People only have access rights if they exercise them responsibly. These responsibilities include:
- Being aware of the rights of others to enjoy the countryside
- Respecting others privacy and peace of mind
- Helping farmers, landowners and others to work safely and effectively in the countryside
- Caring for the environment by being aware of the impact you might have on the places you visit
- Following any reasonable information and advice and take responsibility for your own actions
Land managers are obliged to manage their land in a way that respects and protects responsible access rights.
Further guidance
Detailed guidance for access users and land managers is contained on the Scottish Outdoor Access Code opens in a new tab website.
View guidance leaflets on responsible outdoor access.
Specific advice is also available from specialist organisations;