Fight for your right to roam! I On the 24th April, 1932, around 500 walkers, mostly from Manchester, carried out a wilful mass trespass on land on Kinder Scout, a summit in the English Peak District. This area was considered private land, held under the tight grip of the wealthy aristocracy, and these people were protesting the lack of public access to the British countryside.

By 1932, calls for a “right to roam” had been been made for years, but the Trespass was a seminal moment in this struggle about competing freedoms and class. This event contributed to the creation of the National Parks by the post-war Labour government. The ultimate aim to gain unfettered access to open countryside was achieved through the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, a promise in Labour’s 1997 election manifesto.