OpenFell
Access rights

Access rights in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has the most restrictive access regime in the UK: no general right to roam, very few recorded rights of way, and countryside access that mostly depends on the landowner's consent.

By Ryan · Access position reviewed August 2026

Right to roam
Permission needed No general right to roam
Wild camping
Permission needed Permission needed everywhere
Paths
Mostly permissive Very few recorded rights of way; mostly permissive routes

Right to roam

Northern Ireland has no statutory right of open access and very few recorded public rights of way. Most countryside access is permissive — it depends on the landowner's consent and can be withdrawn. In practice, walking is concentrated on National Trust land, Forest Service forests, country parks and waymarked ways agreed with landowners.

Paths and rights of way

The Access to the Countryside (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 places a duty on district councils to assert, protect and record public rights of way, but relatively few have been formally recorded. Waymarked routes (including sections of the Ulster Way) often rely on permissive agreements.

Wild camping

Wild camping requires the landowner's permission everywhere in Northern Ireland. Some Mourne and Sperrin locations have tolerated spots, but there is no legal right; ask first or use official sites.

The full nation-by-nation picture, including the Dartmoor litigation and how to ask a landowner for permission, is in our UK wild-camping guide.

Dogs

Access being permissive, landowners set the rules — many permissive paths and all farmland require dogs on leads; some exclude dogs.

Seasonal & conditional restrictions

The headline rules above are the general position. Through the year, the following can narrow it — check before you travel.

  • Permissive access can be withdrawn at any time, including seasonally for lambing or shooting.
  • Forest Service and National Trust sites publish their own opening arrangements.

Key legislation & guidance

Last reviewed August 2026. This page is general information about the law, not legal advice — local byelaws, seasonal restrictions and closures can override the general position described here.

Long-distance paths under these rules

11 waymarked long-distance routes in our database run through Northern Ireland. Following a waymarked route does not change the position above — it is still the same need for permission to camp, and the same rules on leaving the path — but a route with an agreed line is the simplest way to walk a long way here without a rights question at every stile.

Longest 10 shown — browse all 11 routes in Northern Ireland.

Compare and check