‘Access is vital’: picnicking protesters target Duke of Somerset’s woods
True to form, Totnes as the alternative leading edge heart of rural Britain, is the source of a gentle spin on the 1930s mass trespass in the Peak District, this time its some woods with music sandwiches and cake at the heart of a challenge to those who would use public money to keep the countryside for themselves – well at least according to this article which tells us:
A group of 200 Totnes residents trespassed and ate sandwiches and Victoria sponge to highlight lack of right to roam.
On a beautiful Sunday in May a spot under the trees in an ancient woodland would seem like an idyllic location for a picnic for residents of the Devon town of Totnes.
But when a group of 200 people settled down on the grass to enjoy sandwiches and slices of Victoria sponge next to the publicly funded woodland, they were actually breaking the law.
This is because the Duke of Somerset owns much of the area’s woodlands, and they remain largely off limits to the public because they are used for a large pheasant shoot.
The duke owns 1,100 hectares (2,800 acres) of land in some of the most beautiful areas of Devon, but the vast majority of it is inaccessible to the public. This is despite the fact he has received funds for the woodland the protesters picnicked in under the English woodland grant scheme, which comes from taxpayer money.