THE sun shone on May 28, the day the Right To Roam, the CROW Act, came into being on the North York Moors, and a stiff breeze blew away the old order.

It has been a long time coming and as we walked the open moorland road near Osmotherley we gave thanks to the many who have brought it about and especially to Michael Meacher and Chris Smith.

To navigate the new territory and to avoid the woods and fields that aren't you need the new Ordnance Survey maps.

You also have to be able to navigate your way round the Countryside Agency website. This duplicates the OS maps in marking the relevant areas and most important it gives an up-to-date list of the days that any particular area is closed to open access.

Do not set out without checking this as a landowner is only obliged to give five days notice of a closure. Also if you haven't got one already buy a satellite navigator, the new ones can cost less than a pair of boots and are very accurate.

I could crow and crow about the Act but I had better describe the walk a bit.

The first two miles are on public rights of way, down a lovely valley with a pretty blossomed beck that cascades through rocks plastered with liverworts.

I must mention that at the end of this near a blaze of bluebells was a man with a ladder wearing a Tees Ringing Group shirt who, with infectious enthusiasm, pointed out bird boxes inhabited by pied flycatchers, nuthatch, redstart and tawny owl.

We hurried with mounting excitement and soon made our first Right To Roam step.

It was easy. A track of sorts took us round some woods, you'll see a memorial stone. Then we joined a well made-up track that took us past grouse butts, fresh little quarries for the track stone, rusting and redundant 'Private' signs and acres of heather and bilberries, the latter in flower. There was but one big bird, a curlew, in the sky.

Down below is the River Rye and it was good to see its beginnings at Rye Head. Then there was a sharp turn to another track, another inscribed stone, views to Hawnby and Easterside Hills and longer views over the plains to the Dales.

Not bad at all. Well more than that, a thrill, a day triumphant.

I hope and think the Act will work well. Today's was perhaps a typical heather country route, using tracks rather than tramping awkwardly over rough terrain, upsetting ankles and wildlife. Certainly new paths will be made to important places and to connect other routes but I'm not in a hurry to wander at random and I don't think many others will.

Have fun.

directions

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point. Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

Right from car park to moorland road. Good track/path on right (signed), gates after 100 yards.

Above house, gateway, 25 yards, 11 o'clock downhill from ruins (signed), over beck, down beck, gate (waymark), immediately over beck to clearer, left-hand path across moor. Ignore side turns.

Fieldgate (waymark) and downhill by wall, gate and left to track, fieldgate, bridge and left to road.

Stile on left (signed), 1 o'clock, pass above wood, stile and left to road (signed), 50 yards.

Cattlegrid/fieldgate and immediately right to CROW access land and stay on sometimes faint vehicle-made track that approximately skirts woods.

Join main stone track and continue to skirt woods, downhill and pass quarry, left at junction (cattle-grid on right) and stay on track along valley side, ignoring two tracks downhill to right and one to the left (latter by old No Entry sign).

Left at T-junction near crest of hill. Right to road.

fact file

Distance: Seven and a half miles.

Time: Four or five hours.

General Location: North York Moors.

Start: Car park at GR. SE 479 959.

Right of way: The route is along public rights of way, and on access land as defined by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CROW Act). At the time of writing, May 31, the walk is permitted on weekends in June, but not weekdays. There are additional restrictions concerning dogs. For these, for any restrictions after June, and for the possibility of more restrictions in June, check the Countryside Agency Website at www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk.

Date walked: Saturday May 28

Road route: From York, the A19 North, turn off to Osmotherley, right at T-junction in village, after half a mile keep left, two miles to car park. Moorsbus route.

Parking: Free car park on sharp bend, info boards.

Lavatories: Osmotherley.

Refreshments: Osmotherley.

Tourist & public transport Information: National Park Sutton Bank Centre 01845 597426.

Map: Based on brand new OS Explorer OL26 North York Moors Western area.

Terrain: Moor and valley.

Points of interest: The Right To Roam.

Difficulty: Good going.

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 09:14 Saturday, June 04, 2005