American Reacts to the Freedom to Roam Scotland

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  • Опубликовано: 20 янв 2025

Комментарии • 915

  • @Peelywalley
    @Peelywalley Год назад +313

    As a Scotsman I find my freedom to roam seems to take me straight to the pub 🍻

    • @che71che
      @che71che Год назад +3

      Hahaha 👍🏻

    • @xarisstylianou
      @xarisstylianou Год назад +10

      Don't know about Scotland ,,,,,, but when I lived in England people were aloud to walk on farmland by using public foot paths
      Some farmer's don't mind as long as you walk around the sides andd not cut a cross

    • @SkySpokes
      @SkySpokes Год назад +8

      not a bad place to roam too 😁

    • @rickb.4168
      @rickb.4168 Год назад +12

      Yes in a nice straight line, not so straight on the way home!
      Dalwhinnie this weekend. Weather permitting!

    • @madyottoyotto3055
      @madyottoyotto3055 Год назад +10

      That's the missing line in the magna carta the right to roam to to the pub

  • @SteveT--UK
    @SteveT--UK Год назад +173

    The rules of camping and roaming "leave no trace". Leave it as you found it.... Then the beauty that you saw can be seen by the next person. FOREVER MORE. 💙🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙

    • @kirsteneasdale5707
      @kirsteneasdale5707 Год назад +13

      Take only photographs and leave only footprints

    • @iriscollins7583
      @iriscollins7583 Год назад +3

      Just be respectful. There are many campsites all over the countries. Washing facilities ( showers etc.) Electric hook ups, if you want to watch TV. Many have clubhouses, where you can have a beer or wine, many have music of some sort.Thats why caravanning is popular. I used to own a caravan when we wanted, just hook up and go where we wanted in the countryside. My dog used to love coming in holiday with us. We'd go hiking, some of the bigger ones had swimming pools, my grandson learned to swim in the pool of a campsite. These sites are very reasonably priced.unfortunately I'm too old to attempt nit now. But have many happy memories.

    • @EPICchuchu
      @EPICchuchu Год назад +6

      Preferably leave it better than you found it, camping in a good spot and find a lost peg? A bit of rubbish (piece of trash) lying nearby? Pick it up and pack it out.

  • @TerryBoydon
    @TerryBoydon Год назад +85

    As an English man who has lived in Scotland for 30+ years nothing and I mean nothing could get me to move back down south….

    • @catherinebrennan3225
      @catherinebrennan3225 Год назад +4

      Appreciated beautiful country my brother ❤x

    • @scottcrombie7997
      @scottcrombie7997 Год назад +4

      Thanks . It’s the most beautiful country in the world x

    • @scottcrombie7997
      @scottcrombie7997 Год назад +5

      Yes we have a lot of open area .

    • @donner101
      @donner101 Год назад +4

      Despite numerous efforts from a section of the cultist followers of the likes of Nicola Sturgeon.

    • @donner101
      @donner101 10 месяцев назад +3

      @@MrAbletospeak Yep. I agree Sturgeon has properly fucked Scotland.

  • @tedroper9195
    @tedroper9195 Год назад +143

    A Bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are found in remote mountainous areas of Scotland, Northern England, Ulster and Wales. They are particularly common in the Scottish Highlands.

    • @234cheech
      @234cheech Год назад +1

      thay were sheperds cottages mate in the old days ware to shelter during highland storms when gathering the livestock gardeners pmsl fuck up

    • @kirsteneasdale5707
      @kirsteneasdale5707 Год назад +8

      The modern Bothies we know today, were originally built (or restored from old ruined cottages or sheilings) in mountain passes by climbing clubs. In the present day you can also find them in the more remote areas of Scotland’s long distance walking routes where they can be used as shelter in bad weather and also in emergencies.
      So yes, they are free for anyone who is climbing or hiking (but everyone always has their own tent or bivvi because you can’t guarantee there will be room at the Bothy when you get there.
      I believe there are also a few private bothies on some estates which are let as holiday accommodation.

    • @rantmaker6427
      @rantmaker6427 Год назад +4

      There is no trespassing law

    • @Cheezsoup
      @Cheezsoup Год назад +1

      Free of charge? When I was in a climbing club at school (mid70s) it was 10P a night..

    • @Euroscot9155
      @Euroscot9155 7 месяцев назад +5

      My late father always told us "you always leave a bothy better than you found it!"

  • @panchomcsporran2083
    @panchomcsporran2083 Год назад +68

    I grew up in Scotland, didn't realise the rest of the world wasn't like this, as a kid we just got on our bikes, and went for a few weeks camping in the highlands, sometimes the gamekeepers would check we didn't have fishing rods, and you can't just camp in someones back garden unless its over a certain size, it also includes inland waterways, rivers and lochs.
    Bothies are little huts with basic facilities that are free to use.there are about 80, across Scotland.

    • @theotherside8258
      @theotherside8258 8 месяцев назад

      The thing is , even without right to roam there was so much land open via footpaths or permissible areas that it wasn't that often you really came across a place you couldn't get by and it just didn't occur to you.

  • @brahnseer3512
    @brahnseer3512 Год назад +79

    The Right to Roam was always part of Scottish culture but landowners started to make it difficult to enter their lands by putting fences, gates and large boulders to try and block the path. Therefore to preserve what had always been the case the right was codified in law

    • @johnritter6864
      @johnritter6864 Год назад +1

      I had some work in Shetlands briefly and heard that some farmers arent too keen on people just going where they want. I guess it frustrates them if there are cattle in fields being upset by people, etc

    • @ladygardener100
      @ladygardener100 Год назад +8

      The problems began when the Arabs and other other foreigners started buying up estates then decided that they wanted to keep folks out. The Law allows for access except to gardens, but the new landowners decided to fence off areas and reclaim them. There were no footpaths at these new fenced areas, so you can find that older footpaths have been cut off and people are expected to walk through bogs!

    • @ladygardener100
      @ladygardener100 Год назад +2

      Originally locals understood about farming, so would walk round the perimeter of crop fields, and not damage fencing or walls. Of course nowadays there are far more people walking as a hobby, originally they walked in order to get from A to B

    • @ladygardener100
      @ladygardener100 Год назад +3

      People should not take dogs through fields with cattle.😊

    • @ladygardener100
      @ladygardener100 Год назад +2

      There is a Mountain Bothy Association which looks after these old houses, once built for shepherds, basic facilities, usually a fireplace and some benches, bring your own firewood, food, bedding. They are usually near a water source. Sanitation may not be formal.

  • @maryannedouglas
    @maryannedouglas Год назад +74

    Hi Steve, i grew up in the Highlands, near Fort William, and always just took it for granted that i could go anywhere, at any time. Funnily enough, i didn't realise that this freedom wasn't granted until 2003. The freedom to roam was instilled in me from when i was wee. I think it's because 'freedom to roam' was expected but not codified until then. Could be wrong, i've been abroad a long time. Clips like these really make me homesick...
    I live in Sydney, but my heart still belongs to the Highlands ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

    • @stuartshaw2373
      @stuartshaw2373 Год назад +2

      Hi MaryAnne, back in 1990 where I did grouse beating, you had to stick to public pathways, especially going through estates during the working seasons. There were a couple of times when the gamekeepers would speak to individuals to ask them to keep to the paths, more for their own safety; during the hunting season, there was a lot of shotguns blasting away. Also it was to preserve the habitat of the grouse, especially during dry seasons where the young were vulnerable.. It was commonsense approach really, which has now been ratified into Law.

    • @kirsteneasdale5707
      @kirsteneasdale5707 Год назад +5

      The right to roam is an ancient right. Tresspass was a civil offence and you had to prove criminal damage.

    • @stevenmcconnell3571
      @stevenmcconnell3571 Год назад +3

      Same here down in Ayrshire - remember being wee with my dad marching past the "Trespassers will be prosecuted" signs and being told we had the right to roam and were fine.

    • @andymalone5120
      @andymalone5120 Год назад

      Do you miss the cold and snow

    • @andymalone5120
      @andymalone5120 Год назад

      ♥️

  • @traceys8065
    @traceys8065 Год назад +77

    It’s videos like these that make me so proud to be Scottish 🥰♥️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
    It really is the land of the free.
    This would never happen in the US, You walk onto someone’s property over there and you’d be greeted with a shotgun yet here in Scotland they’d offer you a cup of tea 😂
    The guy singing at the start, He was singing in Scottish Gaelic
    And the cows we call them highland coo’s 😂 🐮

    • @kirsteneasdale5707
      @kirsteneasdale5707 Год назад +6

      @@scottneil1187 We’ve had the right to roam for a long time before this precedent was made law.

    • @georgejob2156
      @georgejob2156 Год назад +3

      Wan wi a tin hat is a military coo ...🥴

    • @gavinspence2381
      @gavinspence2381 Год назад +1

      @@georgejob2156 And it turned anti-clockwise which makes it a left wing military coo 😀

    • @traceys8065
      @traceys8065 Год назад

      @@georgejob2156 😂

    • @kriegaffe10
      @kriegaffe10 Год назад +5

      How do you know when a Highland Coo's on holiday?
      They've got a wee calf

  • @carolineskipper6976
    @carolineskipper6976 Год назад +69

    'Bothy' is a Scottish word for hut or shelter, and a lot of them are left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It's an amazing bit of hiking infrastructure.
    Whilst you are on the theme of Scotland and land ownership/ access, I would suggest you find something on the Highland Clearances. The story of how the land became owned by such a few huge landowners.

    • @sarajane5306
      @sarajane5306 Год назад +4

      There's a bothy in the lake district and a couple I Northumberland that I know about too.

    • @kumasenlac5504
      @kumasenlac5504 Год назад +1

      The Highland Clearances were simply the third stage of rationalising agriculture to make it productive. It started with the Enclosure Acts in England, followed by the Lowland Clearances and finally the Highland Clearances. None of these was achieved without disruptions of the social order, winners and losers. But they transformed the agricultural performance of the whole of Britain and made it able to support the urban developments of the Industrial Revolution.

    • @barbaraclark1687
      @barbaraclark1687 Год назад

      @@kumasenlac5504 The Highland Clearances were what we would now call genocide!

    • @kumasenlac5504
      @kumasenlac5504 Год назад +3

      @@barbaraclark1687 Only if the meaning of the term genocide has changed from 'actions specifically intended to eradicate a race of people' .

    • @barbaraclark1687
      @barbaraclark1687 Год назад

      @@kumasenlac5504 The meaning hasn't changed as far as I know.

  • @MartinNowakowski-iu6hn
    @MartinNowakowski-iu6hn Год назад +10

    Look up John Muir, born in Dunbar, Scotland in 1838 he was known as John of the mountains and was an activist who shaped national parks in the U.S.

  • @busking6292
    @busking6292 Год назад +14

    Although the bothies are welcome rest-stops for adventurers etc. they're also life-saving sanctuaries for those caught in the wilderness unprepared when conditions turn nasty,always good to know where your nearest bothy is when you're out and about.

  • @Punkz83
    @Punkz83 Год назад +4

    This is a stunning little town in the Perthshire area called Killin, where I live... I can actually see my house in this shot...amazing! @5:55

  • @jpjapers
    @jpjapers Год назад +28

    A Bothy in this context is like a small shelter in the countryside that anyone can turn up to and stay in (if theres room!). It provides shelter for people if they are out camping or hiking and it gets very cold or bad weather. Usually its small like that in the video and has a fireplace and some wooden sleeping boards where people can put sleeping bags etc. Sometimes campers will leave supplies there like gas canisters, high calorie foods for hikers, non-perishable food and water etc incase someone is in a bad situation and needs shelter. There is indeed a huge amount of wilderness in Scotland mostly in the highlands.

  • @DruncanUK
    @DruncanUK Год назад +21

    That was an excellent video. Great choice.
    I am so proud of my country, and our right to roam. People may "own" the land but the land belongs to the people.

  • @Me-nobodyspecial
    @Me-nobodyspecial Год назад +38

    Hi Steve from here in Scotland.There are No Tresspaing Laws here in Scotland but always be respectful of the landscape and mindful of closing gates behind you and of course to leave the area as you found it. Scots as a culture are respectful and mannerable and very welcoming. There are no laws the we can't walk on roads. I believe you call that Jay Walking.
    Our long haired cattle are called Highland Cattle and are the most adorable & mild natured animals and Highland Cow milk is rich and creamy.

    • @brahnseer3512
      @brahnseer3512 Год назад

      Just to clarify the law of trespassing in Scotland there are indeed such las, Mostly introduced during the period of railway expansion to keep people of the dangerous track. There is also a trespass law but it is civil la and not criminal and is very difficult to prove. This latter may hav been removed d by the Right to Roam legislation, but I am not sure.Wn
      Hen people talk about there is no trespassing law, they really mean there is no such law in the common law.

    • @billnoel
      @billnoel Год назад +10

      Of course there are trespassing laws, It is an oft-repeated myth that there are no trespassing laws in Scotland. This is simply not true. Trespass is a civil wrong, called a delict in Scots legal terminology.
      However, the waters were muddied by the introduction of what is commonly known as “the right to roam.” Public access rights were created by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. This Act provides the public the right to be on and cross most land and inland water in Scotland in a responsible manner. However, public access rights do not apply to the following places:
      +Houses, gardens and non-residential buildings and associated land
      +Land in which crops are growing
      +Land next to a school and used by the school
      +Sports or playing fields (where exercising access rights would interfere with their use)
      +Airfields, railways, quarries, construction sites and military bases
      +Visitor attractions or other places which charge for entry
      +For a more extensive list of places where public access rights do and do not apply, see the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
      Where a member of the public accesses land which is not covered by public access rights, they are trespassing.

    • @MRmUIREND1
      @MRmUIREND1 Год назад

      Hi, I don't want to seem critical, but no trespass laws in Scotland is actually a myth. Very hard to prove with the Right to Roam, i.e. The Land Reform Act Scotland 2006. Trespass and The Land Reform Act are both Civil Law and cannot involve the Police who have no jurisdiction in Civil Law. They can only become involved it a crime is comitted, eg. Threats of violence, criminal damage. Hope this
      Helps.

  • @ivylasangrienta6093
    @ivylasangrienta6093 Год назад +33

    We have the same laws in my country. You can't go into someone's backyard etc but you're free to roam in any woods, fields, etc. without needing to ask for permission. You're also allowed to forage in those woods for berries and mushrooms etc and camp anywhere that's not in sight of a dwelling.

    • @jodybobble
      @jodybobble Год назад +3

      Where are you in the world?

    • @basstrammel1322
      @basstrammel1322 Год назад +3

      @@jodybobble We have something very similar in Norway. Most likely Sweden and Findland does, too.

    • @theotherside8258
      @theotherside8258 Год назад +4

      you can forage in the uk but its illegal to do it for commercial reasons

    • @marysmee7202
      @marysmee7202 Год назад

      When my daddy died in Edinburgh his ex sat on our door step and there was nothing the police could do - AYE. WE PHONED THEM AND THAT'S WHAT THEY TOLD US.

  • @thomasmoore5949
    @thomasmoore5949 11 месяцев назад +4

    The singer at the start is Griogair Labhruidh. He does a lot of the music on ‘Outlander’, a very significant and accomplished culture-bearer here in Scotland.

    • @AngellaSmall-c3z
      @AngellaSmall-c3z 11 месяцев назад +1

      thank you for stating his name I really wanted to know!

  • @lolsaXx
    @lolsaXx Год назад +2

    Relatively speaking Scottish mountains aren't huge but, they can seem much bigger because many of them rise up straight from sea level and low altitude. Climbing can also be harder than anticipated as the cocky german students I took up a few munros found out. They were used to very high mountains in the alps and start their well pathed trails from a high altitude already so werent used to climbing much of an ascent.

  • @Jamienomore
    @Jamienomore Год назад +74

    Scotland is the Real Land of The Free. Home of the Brave. A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. When I go for a walk in the Country, which is right at the end of my street, I always sing. I can hear the Cows and Sheep saying, 'Oh! Not again'.

    • @karasaunty9823
      @karasaunty9823 Год назад +6

      @Darren J. Griffiths Don't be embarrassed to say you're English - Marcus Rashford is English and he is a stupendously good ambassador for your country!

    • @alanbbrady8196
      @alanbbrady8196 Год назад +2

      ​@@karasaunty9823I had a Rashford but it cleared up.

    • @Aarondonnelly10
      @Aarondonnelly10 7 месяцев назад

      @@alanbbrady8196 that was absolutely brutal

    • @Luna_tic68
      @Luna_tic68 7 месяцев назад

      Not if snp get their way!

    • @Yesser-Thistle73
      @Yesser-Thistle73 4 месяца назад

      Yes, we have areas of cities and large towns, but the Highlands, parts of the Borders, the islands, have large unspoiled areas . Even in the cities there are large green spaces to enjoy.

  • @Riffster59
    @Riffster59 10 дней назад +1

    I am a proud Scot born and bread. Scotland is mine and I'll go anywhere I chose.

  • @hazelaitken1284
    @hazelaitken1284 Год назад +19

    I am scottish, and i know I live in the most beautiful country in the world . I thought every country had this freedom 🤔.
    I am so blessed 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

    • @joharrison3469
      @joharrison3469 11 месяцев назад

      So are you Scottish or USAsian?

  • @KeithWilliamMacHendry
    @KeithWilliamMacHendry Год назад +12

    Hey Steve lad, as a Scot this just lifts the soul, thank you for loving our ancient nation & all the peoples of these two historical islands. 💙🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  • @jennigee51
    @jennigee51 6 месяцев назад +6

    As a 73 year old partially disabled Scotswom,, who lives in the South of England, I absolutely loved every second of this, thank you Steve.

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  6 месяцев назад +1

      Thank you, Jenni! Appreciate your support of the channel and sending you blessings and love from across the pond.

    • @jennigee51
      @jennigee51 6 месяцев назад

      And back Steve, and to Lindsay and Sophia.

  • @JohnResalb
    @JohnResalb 8 месяцев назад +5

    But don't forget - when you come over, especially in Scotland, come in June when you can go roaming and see where you're going, until 11pm.!

  • @taveth3595
    @taveth3595 7 месяцев назад +1

    12:00 very accurate, most live in city's and smaller villages, majority of the land is unhabituated, apart from the wildlife which we try to leave alone

  • @petercollins1104
    @petercollins1104 Год назад +12

    A bothy is usually a stone cottage or cabin for hikers to seek refuge its usually stocked with food and wood by previous visitors and is totally free to use these can be found throughout the uk

    • @theotherside8258
      @theotherside8258 Год назад +2

      Originated as shepherd shelters and to protect travellers in days of old from being caught out in bad conditions. A few years ago some were deliberately destroyed as they were offering false security. This was because they were not not protective enough to people who used them from freezing to death.

  • @SS-tc5mq
    @SS-tc5mq 3 месяца назад +2

    Beautiful place to roam ❤ my homeland xx

  • @stevenanderson912
    @stevenanderson912 Год назад +10

    Thanks for the reaction on my beautiful country where we have proper freedom and it is the real home of the brave 🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👏🏻👍🏻

    • @Kazza_8240
      @Kazza_8240 Год назад +5

      ONE DAY we'll have proper freedom! Independence! Saor Alba 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙

  • @randymarsh27
    @randymarsh27 Год назад +11

    He was singing in Gallic

    • @lem01uk
      @lem01uk 11 месяцев назад +3

      Gaelic.

  • @loopywren
    @loopywren Год назад +11

    The cattle are called Highland Cattle, originally from the Highlands of Scotland. They are now bred in England too, they are really gorgeous. I should imagine the long hair would originally keep them warm as its jolly cold up there in the winter.

    • @matthewhenery4834
      @matthewhenery4834 Год назад +6

      Heeland Coo…!
      🐮
      😂😂😂
      ✌️❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧🏳️‍🌈xxx

    • @grumpyowl66
      @grumpyowl66 Год назад

      Also in Northumberland we have Chillingham cattle.

  • @knowledge-seeker-x7u
    @knowledge-seeker-x7u Год назад +1

    Bothy - all over the highlands for use as shelters by walker, climbers, cyclists etc etc. Can stay a night or two,. Basic rules of leaving it as you would wish to find it. Very basic. but beautiful settings.

  • @lilyliz3071
    @lilyliz3071 Год назад +16

    There are huge estates in Scotland owned by a few people , right to roam gave the public access to walk or hike these places , the highlands long ago did have a reasonable population but it was scattered and landlords realised they could make more money getting rid of the people and bringing in sheep , have a look at a video about the highland clearances , it’s the main reason there were so many Scot’s settlers in US and Canada

    • @pamelaadam9207
      @pamelaadam9207 Год назад +2

      Argentina too . During the Falklands War my cousin met an Argentinian McKenzie

  • @iMertin
    @iMertin 11 месяцев назад +1

    Our central belt holds the population. Then you have a few bits as you go up north. Perth, Dundee. Aberdeen, Inverness and obv pockets south

  • @emilyjayne77
    @emilyjayne77 Год назад +4

    I’m really enjoying watching these videos! I’m from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧

  • @artasium1
    @artasium1 Год назад +1

    The music at the end is quite similair to folk music in the appalachan areas. Lots of Scots settled in vast area of Appalachan mountains from 1600s and brought their fiddles and accordians and folk music with them. There are quite a lot of West Virginians that can trace their roots back to Scotland and there were many Scottish plantation owners in Virginia and West Virginia.

    • @thepickledpixie9052
      @thepickledpixie9052 Год назад

      Aye, also the Scottish Highlands and the Appalachian mountains were once part of the same mountain range before the continents shifted.

  • @kwchalky02
    @kwchalky02 Год назад +14

    Although the "right to roam" was formalised in law fairly recently, it has been the case for many many years in Scotland. It needed to be formalised in law because a few incomers who bought land didn't understand or buy into it and so it had to be formalised. As Scottish I've known it all my life, and it's only when you go elsewhere and realise the restrictions that you really appreciate what we have here. Of course it's all about being respectful, not damaging anything and looking after the environment.

  • @williammatheson8507
    @williammatheson8507 Год назад +1

    bothy comes from gaelic bothan meaning hut historically a bothy is a small shelter or cottage originally built for labourers as hill farming declined walkers started to use them for shelter (bothying) and this became the word for this activity

  • @heather0f
    @heather0f Год назад +9

    I’m Scottish and my understanding is that out in the countryside you are allowed to walk about and camp on private land as long as your presence doesn’t negatively impact the local area. For instance u can camp in a farmers field as long as u aren’t effecting crops or animals and make sure any gates are shut behind u and all rubbish is taken with u. So when u leave it’s like u were never there.

    • @mufuliramark
      @mufuliramark Год назад

      You can’t just camp on private land. You must ask the land owner first. You can camp on all unenclosed land without permission though.

  • @alanbbrady8196
    @alanbbrady8196 Год назад

    At 20:46 the lass took a Dram.
    Was it The Ben Nevis or Glenturret? Both most excellent malts with a sweet but smooth palate.

  • @fridarey
    @fridarey Год назад +5

    When my son was 14 or so him and 2 friends went off up the glen to camp and explore (we live on the edge of the Cairngorms). It was a popular tourist area so the landowner's gamekeeper checked in on them every couple of days, the first time was to make sure they weren't idiots and that they knew how to keep their fire safe etc but after that was just to say hi. The freedom those kids had to roam the countryside is something I only understood when I realised how precious it is. This is the world I grew up in, where the fact that private owners hold these vast areas of natural beauty shouldn't mean we can't all enjoy them. I agree with what Lauren said - we have a responsibility to respect our rights: take a little, give a little. Don't be a dick is basically the code.
    Love your videos, you seem like a person interested in the world and we need more of them ;) Good luck to you, and if you ever visit us in Scotland beware of the midgies!

  • @slaintejimmy
    @slaintejimmy Год назад +4

    Fantastic reaction video.. I'm a townie but Mom's side were all country farmers. I've walked the Kintyre & West Highland Ways and the Sutherland Trail among many other saunters - Scotland's scenery and access are matchless. There are a few Military areas that are prohibited as well as a glen re-introducing wolves! Signs are usually posted to avoid deer stalking, grouse-shooting, and farmer's fields during the lambing season.. if a gate is open; then leave it open, and if you have to open one, close it behind you.. simple countryside code. (y) :D

  • @lornamaker3312
    @lornamaker3312 Год назад +13

    Wild camping is a big thing in Scotland. You don’t have to pitch your tent at a camp site you can camp anywhere within reason.

    • @RammingSpeed-lk8kk
      @RammingSpeed-lk8kk Год назад

      But where can I hunt and catch a wild tadger?

    • @bryannicholls200
      @bryannicholls200 5 месяцев назад

      @RammingSpeed they can be caught usually between last orders and closing time they can be quite loud and aggressive when cornered but they can be calmed down with a kebab and a cheeky can of Irn Bru.

  • @greensam7074
    @greensam7074 Год назад

    I live about 2 hour’s drive from everywhere you see in this video and spent my whole working life, outside in these areas, through snow, wind, rain and the occasional bit of sunshine and I love Scotland, for everything it and our people stand for.
    27:13

  • @funkymonk5145
    @funkymonk5145 Год назад +6

    Greetings from Scotland Steve.
    Saor Alba.

  • @thomasmoore5949
    @thomasmoore5949 Год назад +3

    This right to roam also pertains in Sweden. I went there once and roamed, as I had anticipated doing. In Sweden it is called Allemansratt, if I remember correctly.
    I also remember the first time I took 3 American friends to the countryside here in Scotland and they could not relax. They constantly expected ‘the man’ to come and question them about what they were doing! No man turned up! They couldn’t get their heads round the right to go anywhere, and they also loved drinking clean water from streams!

  • @Kazza_8240
    @Kazza_8240 Год назад +4

    There's an amazing RUclips channel called She Walks She Paints, a woman called Sarah goes walks to all sorts of historic, scenic, beautiful places, then she paints a picture of something she spotted on her walk. She recently moved to Skye with her partner Willie who has his own channel, Dirty Secrets of Scotland, where he digs at old bottle dumps and finds the most amazing bottles and pottery and stuff from long ago. And together they started another channel called Living the Skye Life, documenting their move to Skye, and filming some amazing walks and scenery together. They are my favourite RUclipsrs, all of their videos show you something different about Scotland.

  • @katydaniels508
    @katydaniels508 Год назад +6

    I’m really glad you have reacted to this after your last video. It really got me thinking about public walkways and land in Scotland (and the UK) and how different it might be in the US 😁

  • @stewedfishproductions7959
    @stewedfishproductions7959 Год назад +9

    Firstly can I ask, am I the ONLY one who thought it was Steve sitting there at the beginning... LOL! I go camping in Scotland most years (except during Covid) and find it to have the BEST water in the whole of the UK and some of the BEST air too...👍

    • @iriscollins7583
      @iriscollins7583 Год назад

      A cup of Welsh stream water especially from a waterfall, Heavenly.

    • @stewedfishproductions7959
      @stewedfishproductions7959 Год назад +1

      @@iriscollins7583
      As well as Scottish water, I also have a liking for Welsh and Irish too... 😁

    • @kirstygunn9149
      @kirstygunn9149 Год назад

      The best cups of tea iv ever had were made with Scottish water.

    • @stewedfishproductions7959
      @stewedfishproductions7959 Год назад

      @@kirstygunn9149
      I'm a (big) tea drinker too, so absolutely concur... Over the years I have visited most parts of the UK/Ireland and it's those areas of the 'hardest water' that make the worst teas. It leaves a very annoying 'scum' on the surface that you have to skim off. LOL!

  • @tracytabb2882
    @tracytabb2882 Год назад +3

    I've live in Scotland for all my 44 yrs and been alot of places but would love to go up thr Highlands and explore as it is so stunning 🥰🥰🥰🥰

  • @robertofraser101
    @robertofraser101 Год назад +2

    What a lovely video I feel Lucky I stay in North East Scotland aberdeen city on any chosen day ask me a landscape? I could be in so many different places well In a very short period of time.beaches fishing villages mountains etc etc you get the picture I have too say so much of my beautiful country I haven't seen and it might sound bit soft but when I see some landscapes it brings a tear too my eye makes me feel sp lucky proud but thank you kind words appreciation of my country its nice 2c thank you

  • @sheepsky
    @sheepsky Год назад +6

    The house you asked about is called a Bothy. They can be found in Scotland and Wales (maybe England too?). But essentially they are old, abandoned, but upkept houses that are on private land. Usually an old farmers house in my experience. A map of bothies can easily be found on google

    • @garythomas4877
      @garythomas4877 Год назад

      Sheepsky might be mistaken here ? But last i thought theres only 2 bothies in England left ? One coming off Cross fell along the pennine way and i think the other is somewhere around Skiddaw, Lake district. I read some years back that England / Wales has a total of 7 bothies ?? Weve stayed in one in Snowdonia. Only one we ever saw there.

    • @user-TonyUK
      @user-TonyUK Год назад

      @@garythomas4877 Could it be that a lot of the "English Bothies" were taken over by the YHA? For example "Black Sail YHA" in Ennerdale, the most remote and most peacefull YHA I have ever had the pleasure to stay at while doing the Coast to Coast Hike.

  • @helenjarvis7755
    @helenjarvis7755 Год назад +3

    We call it Folk music here also, there are other names around the UK but Folk covers it! My friend and her Dutch husband spent three weeks roaming the Highlands of Scotland last summer.
    They had a roof top tent for the top of what you would call their Station Wagon. They said they had the best holiday (vacation) ever!
    It was a very hot dry summer, so a bonus!
    Thanks that was a beautiful video.

  • @randymarsh27
    @randymarsh27 Год назад +42

    I’ve been in Australia 10 years, this video is making me want to get my ass (arse) home. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  • @iMertin
    @iMertin 11 месяцев назад +1

    Bothys can be on private land or public and are free to use

  • @LiveForever13
    @LiveForever13 Год назад +16

    I went hiking in the Cairngorms, its a truly beautiful mountain range. I highly recommend it! its huge, so awe inspiring. Highland cows are so sweet too

    • @theotherside8258
      @theotherside8258 Год назад

      Cairngorms is one of the last great wild places in UK. Much of the scenery in Scotland is deceiving however because of the low density of population. Much is within at least a days walk of a good road or village, so accessible, but you can make the rest of the human world seem a million miles away

  • @Mamawaffa
    @Mamawaffa Год назад +1

    They’re wee highland Coos 🐄 😂They’re awfy Bonnie🥰Please take time to explore our highlands & islands…it’ll make you feel a certain kinda way🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿♥️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  • @StrudlePie
    @StrudlePie Год назад +3

    I'm from Argyll, and my dad is a gamekeeper... and we would often have people just randomly staying over for a night or two, and end up trekking up lots of random hill roads... tbh, I thought everywhere was like this, until when I describe what its like living here to people online. Some of them must think im making it up hahaha... Aye get yerself over here and in touch with some awesome people and go for some treks lad... You'll love it! Also, get yourself to Oban for some fish n chips too!!

  • @Euroscot9155
    @Euroscot9155 7 месяцев назад

    Fantastic review of a fantastic video, im a new subscriber from the Hihlands!.

  • @shaunwild8797
    @shaunwild8797 Год назад +6

    Dartmoor was the only place we could camp freely in England but that was taken away from us last week.

    • @cyberash3000
      @cyberash3000 Год назад

      not true. there are plenty of places yo ucan free camp in england, it may be illega lbut many places turn a blind eye you just havr to know where does

    • @cyberash3000
      @cyberash3000 Год назад

      for example the yorkshire dales its illegal to campo there but thousands do every year

    • @cyberash3000
      @cyberash3000 Год назад

      also the lake district tolerates it

    • @shaunwild8797
      @shaunwild8797 Год назад +2

      @Nicky L Why is that?

    • @shaunwild8797
      @shaunwild8797 Год назад

      @Cader Well he's a greasy slimeball.

  • @delskioffskinov
    @delskioffskinov Год назад +1

    I actually enjoyed watching this video with you lol!

  • @jessicamotion4564
    @jessicamotion4564 Год назад +6

    One reason I think any similar opening of access won't happen anytime soon in America is the litigation culture. Imagine if a land owner opened up access and then got a tonne of lawsuits from people who have had accidents on the land and think the owner should be liable. Would be a nightmare. In Scotland there is a general understanding that 99% of the time if you have an accident (even a serious one) it's because you've been a silly sod!

  • @claregale9011
    @claregale9011 Год назад

    Great video ,i got bit teary eyed watching , I love nature and walking it's something I do for my mental health , this looks right up my street , stunning .

  • @paolow1299
    @paolow1299 Год назад +3

    A Bothy is an empty shelter in a remote place anyone can use for shelter if you are caught out by bad weather or you are stuck in the dark.there are some foods and supplies left by other walkers or climbers you can use .The rule is if you use something then leave some thing in return or chop wood or other chores.everybody shares .lives have been saved using these shelters in arctic like conditions .It's called the Scottish Highlands for a reason (it has mountains Duhhh )

  • @niff7124
    @niff7124 16 дней назад

    There is a bothy on a tiny island on loch Ard that is an awesome place to wake up the view down the loch is something else on a summer morning

  • @margaretbarclay-laughton2086
    @margaretbarclay-laughton2086 Год назад +6

    I don't know if it's changed but when I was young there was a touring theatrical company called 7:84 it took its name from the fact that 7% of the population owned 84% of the land.
    Quite a few of the bothies are really old single roomed structures that had been used by shepherd's at one time.

    • @georgejob2156
      @georgejob2156 Год назад +1

      In the 1970,s they had a play called The Cheviot, the stag and the black ,black oil, one part sticks in my mind, after the clearances the Prince of Wales went to Brora in Sutherland to recruit for the Crimean war, he said " Proud Highland men ,will you fight for my father"? One local said " You threw us off our lands,burned our houses,replaced us with sheep, your Highness go recruit the sheep.
      .

    • @elanoross7536
      @elanoross7536 11 месяцев назад

      The 7:84 company are still going strong and still touring. The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil highly recommended

  • @ninjabobable
    @ninjabobable Год назад

    I hope Freedon to Roam Scotland look back at this Epic Vlog,and realise just how Epic the Editing was/is!! It takes a genuine open mind to capture the little snippets of captured video and blend it all into this genuinely fantastic Video!!And a B I G shout out to Reacting To My Roots for showing the world this clip of my country!!

  • @callumw9067
    @callumw9067 Год назад +9

    I'm a mountain biker - we ride literally anywhere (except through peoples gardens, industrial complexes, airfields and golf courses). Around 100 people own 40% of the country largely due to land gifted by the English after the wars of independence 300 years ago and so the land has very, very rarely been split up and sold. As a Scot (living north of Stirling) I take the freedom to roam very seriously.

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  Год назад +4

      With so few owning so much of the land I can definitely appreciate how valuable the freedom to roam truly is.

    • @healingandgrowth-infp4677
      @healingandgrowth-infp4677 Год назад

      Gifted by the English what you going on about this is scottish land and never was English land

    • @callummackay4412
      @callummackay4412 Год назад +2

      ​@@healingandgrowth-infp4677
      Presume he means gifted by the British Crown/Parliament after the Jacobites lost the rebellion. I look around and pretty much all the land where I am is owned by these folk, anyone disloyal to the British Crown from that time were mostly killed or deported.

    • @faithlesshound5621
      @faithlesshound5621 Год назад

      Fifty years ago there was the expression 7:84" which meant that 7% of the people owned 84% of the land of Scotland. The ratio may have changed, but it's still around that.
      Before the land was "cleared" for sheep and later for sporting estates there were houses and small hamlets everywhere, but the rural people were herded into villages if they were not deported. Rural depopulation was completed by the mechanisation of agriculture in the 20th century.
      That's why you can see ruins everywhere in the countryside. Most of them did not become bothies, because it used to be the case that the owner had to pay tax on any house with a roof.

  • @Spiklething
    @Spiklething Год назад +1

    So funny that I should come across this video, I'm just back from my weekly walk, exercising whilst exercising my right to roam in Scotland

  • @juliajoyce4535
    @juliajoyce4535 Год назад +5

    Steve, you should check out videos about The Highland Clearances, especially about The Duke of Sutherland and what he did to his tenants, 😢

  • @GlaucusBlue
    @GlaucusBlue Год назад +6

    It should be the case everywhere, we don't have the same benefits in England :( it's what makes hiking in Scotland and Sweden so amazing, freedom to camp most places. I'm sure there's other places, but it's the only 2 places I've utilised such laws.

  • @sandrahilton3239
    @sandrahilton3239 Год назад +1

    The ski lift is called a drag lift. It has a long bar or wire and has a disc on the end and you place the disc between your legs so your leaning on it and then your dragged up the hill or mountain. I once went on the longest drag lift in Europe in Austria and fell off near the top. I lost my party for the rest of the morning. It can be a single drag lift or a double.

  • @Shoomer88
    @Shoomer88 Год назад +10

    Thanks for the video Steve. The freedom to roam in the Peak District came about when 400 people made a mass trespass on Kinder Scout (a mountain not far from where I live) in 1932. This brought about a change in the law, eventually making the area a National Park. This s an interesting short documentary about it - ruclips.net/video/OpmPDWCSeKQ/видео.html

  • @lindadoswell9396
    @lindadoswell9396 Год назад +1

    My son spent an enjoyable year wild camping in Scotland he loved it!

  • @heasydragon
    @heasydragon Год назад +9

    If you want true Scottish landscape gawping - look up Danny Mcaskill "The Ridge". Yes, it's Skye, yes, it's beautiful (to a lot of us Scots, Skye's actually *boring*) but the music and what Danny *does* on The Ridge is...extraordinarily modern.

  • @Sandsd72
    @Sandsd72 Год назад +1

    The further you go into the Highlands and Islands, the smaller the village's become its so beautiful, me and my sister go wild camping and swimming all over Scotland in the summer.

  • @louiseallan7918
    @louiseallan7918 Год назад +6

    It can also be a nightmare if you live in small coastal villages, where you end up with damage from people cycling and in some cases driving over what is in effect your garden. We woke up to people wild camping in our garden.

  • @sm3631
    @sm3631 3 месяца назад

    Great video bud; you are welcome to Scotland anytime 🎉

  • @ABPhotography1
    @ABPhotography1 Год назад +14

    I've noticed people from down south have moved up to Scotland, they seem to love to put up gates and fences with private property and no trespassing signs. There was a story in paper a few years back about a family who tried blocking off a public foot path by the coast.

  • @jimdevlin2138
    @jimdevlin2138 5 месяцев назад

    That Ski-tow is sometimes called a t-bar which can accomodate 2 people, there is also a single person version where you slip the tow button between your lega and let the spring loaded cable spool out and pull you up the hill, both versions can induce terror in the novice and often end in a tangle of arms legs and skis, also due to global warming we only get snow like that once in about every 10 years

  • @colinearnshaw7725
    @colinearnshaw7725 Год назад +5

    To be fair, there are also many areas in England which are 'open access' (or 'free to roam) - so you can wander over the hills and mountains of England as well. They are identified on an Ordnance Survey map with a light yellow colour wash. We also have thousands of miles of designated public footpaths.

    • @healingandgrowth-infp4677
      @healingandgrowth-infp4677 Год назад

      It still sounds restricted

    • @healingandgrowth-infp4677
      @healingandgrowth-infp4677 Год назад +3

      As we have access everywhere not just coded n footpaths

    • @northscot9862
      @northscot9862 6 месяцев назад

      But my land is better, oh eva espana to the english great team, Scotland was bouncing when ye lost, SAOR ALBA GU BRATH

  • @cathenglish4985
    @cathenglish4985 Год назад +2

    That was beautiful!

  • @dorothysimpson2804
    @dorothysimpson2804 Год назад +7

    The right to roam is not just for the inhabitants, if you went there you could do that too.
    It is called folk music here too.

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  Год назад +1

      That's good to know for when I visit. :)

    • @RammingSpeed-lk8kk
      @RammingSpeed-lk8kk Год назад

      ​@@reactingtomyrootsthe "long hair cows"?..are you talking about my ex wife?

  • @princessliz6201
    @princessliz6201 Год назад

    You have also Ben Nevis the highest mountain in Scotland, often used for skiing and snowboarding.

  • @johncunliffe1581
    @johncunliffe1581 Год назад +3

    I was told a long time ago, take only the scenery home and leave only footprints.

  • @1970kingbob
    @1970kingbob Год назад +2

    I love that I can drive from my house in the central belt and within the hour I can be at the gates of the highlands

  • @northscot9862
    @northscot9862 8 месяцев назад +4

    We where forced of our land and sent in chains to far corners of the earth, our spirit will never ever die. The Scotsman will never give in. SAOR ALBA GU BRATH

  • @trailerman2
    @trailerman2 Год назад +1

    That was a beautiful video Steve. 🙂

  • @evelynwilson1566
    @evelynwilson1566 Год назад +3

    Yep, it was made legal in 2003 but it was pretty much the case before that, as long as you were respectful, didn't damage property and followed the Countryside Code. When land does come up for sale, it is very expensive. Lots of countryside is privately owned, but also lots of it is in the ownership of government agencies and conservation charities. The landowners in my local area were always good about allowing access, I never had the idea of not being able to roam, and I'm 48. Technically there is a trespass law but I believe it would only be invoked if damage was done. I grew up playing in the woods and walking in the hills. I never worried about being chased by a gamekeeper or farmer with a gun. A few years ago, I was talking to the guy who owns the woods near my house, and I pointed out that someone had buried their pet dogs in the woods and made a grave. His reply 'I'm pretending I didn't see it'😅. Most people live in the area between Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee but even within that there is a lot of beautiful open countryside and rural or semi-rural areas, and we don't all live in major cities. Its only Glasgow and Edinburgh which are really big. You should check out some views of Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire.

  • @leeriches8841
    @leeriches8841 Год назад

    There are some cracking bothys around the country. I stayed in a really big one years ago, so fun.

  • @annbottelli5682
    @annbottelli5682 Год назад +22

    I feel like the two cultures can be summed up as: -- Americans, me, me, me! British, us, us,us!

    • @ThePrenti
      @ThePrenti Год назад +14

      Scottish is us us us, England is all me me me

    • @sarahfoster6765
      @sarahfoster6765 Год назад +1

      This is a argument no one can win as every country has their share of Me Me Me’s as equally we all have our share of thinking of others 🤷🏻‍♀️

  • @bernipritchard784
    @bernipritchard784 9 месяцев назад

    I go every Yr &its the most awesome place to see its a very mystical place I've ever seen the views places &lochs are amazing

  • @maxmoore9955
    @maxmoore9955 Год назад +4

    A Rich Land owner in Devon England has recently banned people from camping on his Land ,its called wild camping. More, people have started camping then ever before, BRILLIANT 👏.

    • @pamelaadam9207
      @pamelaadam9207 Год назад

      is it not charlie the alleged king

    • @iriscollins7583
      @iriscollins7583 Год назад

      ​@@pamelaadam9207 I'm sure there are plenty of places in Cornwall ,,next door where KING Charles would be Welcomed.

  • @ThomasKelly669
    @ThomasKelly669 Год назад +2

    The right of a person to be Free, is a Scottish philosophy that Made America, but freedom is still a concept not many can comprehend

  • @grahamgresty8383
    @grahamgresty8383 Год назад +8

    the 'bagpipes' were actually Ullan or Northumbrian pipes. These are operated by belows controlled by an arm which allows the player to also sing. Bagpipes are operated by blowing into the 'bag'. The ski lift is known as a button lift. The other common form of drag lift is the 'T' bar, usually drags 2 people at once.

    • @gallowglass2630
      @gallowglass2630 Год назад +9

      They are scottish small pipes,uillean pipes and northumberian pipes sound very different .

  • @chriscameron2199
    @chriscameron2199 Год назад +1

    Definitely feel you should have a look at more videos about Scotland especially at places like glencoe or the Applecross. Worthwhile having a gander at the NC500 spent hundreds of hours driving it.

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  Год назад +1

      Just typed in the Applecross and the thumbnails looks like something I would enjoy. Thanks for the recommendation.

    • @tracygilbank6118
      @tracygilbank6118 Год назад +1

      The West Highland Way is also something to look at ​@reactingtomyroots

  • @gabbymcclymont3563
    @gabbymcclymont3563 Год назад +3

    The highest number of Scots live in the Central Belt which is from Glasgow to Edinburgh. I grew up 16 miles to the west of Glasgow above the Clyde, truly beautiful.

    • @chadUCSD
      @chadUCSD 6 месяцев назад

      I'm originally from Port Glasgow but I now live in Edinburgh. I moved here for Uni. Ended up staying here permanently.

  • @rozhunter7645
    @rozhunter7645 Год назад +1

    That bought back memories of hill walking and camping. Used walk bits of The West Highland Way but never did it all though. Managed three Munroes before illness put a stop to it 😢

    • @theotherside8258
      @theotherside8258 Год назад

      I remember when I was young you could drink from the streams as you went. In recent years I've been told this is not a good idea as the moors have likely been treated with pesticides and possibly illegal DDT to kill off parasites that infect game birds and sheep. The water purifying gadgets don't touch it. This all goes into the water courses. I've not seen anything official about this though.

    • @rozhunter7645
      @rozhunter7645 Год назад

      @@theotherside8258 I don’t think this is true tbh because there are so many naturals springs. The water we drink comes straight from the hills

  • @PaulEcosse
    @PaulEcosse Год назад +4

    Rule of thumb is, just respect the land and leave it the way you found it. Sadly a lot of people just dump their garbage when packing up. They're in a Bothy, there are over 100 Bothy's on private land, they are open to anyone, like a cabin in the wild. You can sleep there overnight, there may be some limited cooking facilities and a hearth to get a fire going so you can dry out your wet clothes or use it for cooking.

    • @healingandgrowth-infp4677
      @healingandgrowth-infp4677 Год назад

      I'm starting to try recycle everything I can now my ptsd and ibs made it difficult to start new habits like that when I wasnt so good at taking out bins before. So it be nice if they also recycled their rubbish at the nearest place they can find to help the land further too 😊

  • @grahamsangster1042
    @grahamsangster1042 Год назад +1

    When i was 12-13yrs old i was learning to ski up glenshee,the pulling rope has a round seat that you put between your legs,i was dragged up half the way because i couldn't keep my balance 😂

  • @alastairhamilton6572
    @alastairhamilton6572 Год назад +3

    Good video! You can easily find the Scottish Outdoor Access Code online and it’s very clear. It’s a very commonsense approach., and to a large extent it mirrors what we always regarded as a traditional ‘right’ - even if the right wasn’t strictly legal! You can wander on almost all land, with obvious exceptions like private gardens, industrial sites or airports, and if there are growing crops such as oats or wheat or barley in a field, you keep to the field margins.
    You can wild camp as long as you leave no trace and the right also applies to inland water, for example kayaking. But you lose your right to roam if you do things that damage the land. And it applies to everyone, not just Scottish residents.
    You must come and visit some time. The kettle will be on!