Milestones on the Road to Freedom
1865 Commons and Open Spaces Society formed
1876 Hayfield and Kinder Scout Ancient Footpaths Association formed
1884 Liberal MP James Bryce introduces first access to mountains bill
1893 Co-operative Holidays Association formed by TA Leonard for rambling holidays
1894 The Peak & Northern Footpaths Society formed in Manchester
1900 Sheffield Clarion Ramblers founded by GHB Ward - the first working class rambling club
1905 First Federation of Rambling Clubs formed in London
1932 Mass trespass on Kinder Scout; five ramblers imprisoned
1935 Ramblers' Association founded
1938 Access to mountains bill introduced by Arthur Creech-Jones, becoming the severely emasculated and largely unused Access to Mountains Act of 1939
1945 Rambler and architect John Dower produces his report on national parks
1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act passed, allowing access agreements with landowners
1951 Peak District becomes the first national park and negotiates access agreements to Kinder Scout the following year. Sixty per cent of access agreements are in the Peaks
1965 Tom Stephenson's Pennine Way long distance path opens, crossing Kinder Scout and Bleaklow
2000 Countryside and Rights of Way Act passed, enshrining the right of walkers to roam freely in open country
2001 First access forums set up
Extract from article by Roly Smith for the Guardian on 17 Apr 2002
