Dave Manby wrote in message ...
What, I think, you would really, really like is access 365 days a
year. Responsible access, free access. One day!

I think that the arrangement in France is pretty good

The question is how is it going to be achieved? Thirty plus years of
negotiation would appear to me, from the distance and relative sanity
of Scotland I admit, to have achieved little more that to slow down
the erosion of access in England and Wales, despite the hard work and
committment of those involved.

Is it time for another CRACK at it? Confrontation will certainly not
improve the relationship between paddlers and land owners, but with
even with the land owners and paddlers on the best of terms can the
latter ever expect more that restricted access or a few token
weekends.

So long as the access issue remains a dialogue between paddlers and
land owners I cannot see what progress will be made, the land owners
hold all the cards, along with all the land, and currently have no
reason to change their attitudes.

If there is a plus side to confrontation, it is that will raise the
profile of the dispute, it will become visible to a wider audience who
will, hopefully, realise that it does, or might, effect them. Only
once the general public, the media and the politicians are involved
with there be any reason for the landowners to take notice of the
paddlers.