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Ohrban Wallace’s film about the freedom to travel movement shows us a group of campaigners with a simple, clear aim: to give walkers in England and Wales the same freedoms as people in Scotland, courtesy of Scottish Outdoor Access Codebrought about by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act of 2003. There, hikers have the right to temporary, non-motorized access – meaning walking, cycling and camping, done properly – in public, public or private areas. This freedom has existed for some time without the end of rural abuse as we know it.
Whether some in the right-wing movement in England want something more than that, or are prepared to protest more vigorously than just organizing peaceful events, is another question. The film interrogates landowners such as Francis Fulford, a long-time media favorite, Viz Comic’s Farmer Palmer, shouting “Get off my land”. There are other, more thoughtful property owners, including Hugh Inge-Innes-Lillingston, who happily admits how ridiculous his name is, and is ready to develop new ideas about managed opportunities. As far as profit goes, I found myself thinking Commentary by Tara Palmer-Tomkinson: “Land doesn’t bring much money until they build a road through it.”
Among the critics, there is a bacchanalian scene that includes morris dancers and people playing in Wicker Man costumes. You can watch the whole movie waiting for a scene – a conflict between heroic outlaws and evil landowners – but there isn’t one. Maybe the owners of the place saw the cameras, and wisely avoided anything like that. Then again, if Wallace wanted an event like that, he could have used hidden cameras and found the argument.
This is a film with many emotions, and perhaps some moments are more intense than others. Grape sprouts, for example, have the interest of viewing hatred for many, but it is insignificant compared to the issues involved in the big business of agriculture – an issue that has not been emphasized much here. As for the legal process, these are the permits that should have been enforced. The sportsmen have good reasons to support the pressure and the take home message is this: opening up the glory of the countryside and nature itself to everyone is a good thing in the world.
