Can you sit and sketch anywhere in the UK countryside?

The short answer: public rights of way, pavements, and open access land are your natural places to sketch, as long as you stay out of the way. Scotland gives you much wider access, on condition that you behave responsibly. Northern Ireland gives you the least, and you will often rely on public land or a landowner's goodwill. Fields of crops, gardens and farmyards are off limits unless you have asked. This is general information rather than legal advice, and local signs and restrictions always take priority.

One caveat runs through all of this. The official pages rarely mention painting. They talk about walking, wildlife and climbing. Sitting on a stool with a sketchbook is about as gentle as outdoor recreation gets, but we would rather tell you that the rules do not name it than claim they do.

At a glance

England

GOV.UK's guide to rights of way and accessing land lists three main routes on to the land: public roads and pavements, public rights of way such as footpaths and bridleways, and open access land. Anyone on foot may use every public right of way. Signs and coloured arrows mark them on the ground (yellow for footpaths, blue for bridleways), and Ordnance Survey maps show them too.

Open access land, the "right to roam", is where a painter has the most freedom. You can use it for walking, running, watching wildlife and climbing. Things not usually allowed include camping, driving and water sports. Sketching is not listed either way. Some land stays private even inside an access area: houses and buildings, crop land, building sites, parks and gardens, golf courses, railways and working quarries.

A footpath across a farmer's field gives you a right of way on foot, not a place to set up for the afternoon. A short stop to the side, where you are not blocking a stile or gate, is unlikely to trouble anybody. If you want a long session in a particular field, ask. The GOV.UK guide says plainly that you can use private land if the landowner gives permission, and a polite request tends to go well when you explain that all you want to do is draw the view.

Wales

Wales works in much the same way as England on this point. Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's guide to open access land explains that the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 gives a right to go on foot on to open country and common land, and lists activities such as walking, running, climbing, bird watching and picnicking. Natural Resources Wales has dedicated the forests it owns as access land, though forests on leased land are not included. The land appears on Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer maps.

Scotland

The Scottish Outdoor Access Code sums up the position: you can go on to most land to enjoy the outdoors, as long as you behave responsibly. Its three principles are to respect the interests of others, care for the environment, and take responsibility for your own actions. West Lothian Council's summary covers informal pastimes such as walking and sightseeing, and says rights extend to non-motorised recreation. The exclusions are sensible: houses and gardens, farmyards, school grounds, paid-entry sites, and crop land, though field margins are open. The Code's site also carries guidance on deer stalking on the hills, so in season look out for local notices.

Northern Ireland

Here, access is much narrower. nidirect's page on public rights of way explains that these routes are public highways with legal protection, looked after by local councils, and that some landowners also allow walking on permissive paths under agreement with the council. Cycling UK's overview notes that the region lacks a general public right to wander freely across open land. In practice, that means sticking to public land, signed routes and places where you have permission, and checking locally before you settle in.

Setting up without getting in the way

The Countryside Code, which applies to England and Wales, was written for walkers, though most of it maps neatly on to painting:

• Keep clear of gates and stiles. Leave gates as you find them. A farmer may have shut one to hold stock in, or opened one to let them reach water.
• Stay on paths, even muddy ones, unless you are on land with wider access. That perfect viewpoint just over the wall may need a different day and a polite question.
• Think about dogs and livestock. On English access land, dogs must be on a lead no longer than 2 metres between 1 March and 31 July, and at all times around livestock. If a painting trip includes your dog, you will need a plan for holding a lead and a brush.
• Plan ahead. Check the weather and tide times, and tell someone where you are going, because phone signal is often unreliable.

Your paint water

The Code asks you to leave no trace of your visit. Painters have one extra item to consider: the jar of murky water. Some pigments contain metals you would not want in a stream, and even harmless ones leave a stain on a rock. The tidy habit is to carry your rinsing water home in a screw-top bottle, along with used kitchen roll. It adds little weight, and it is one more reason to keep to the small kit we suggest.

Sitting still in long grass

A painter stays in one place for much longer than a walker, often in exactly the sort of spot ticks like. The NHS's page on Lyme disease says that ticks live in woods and long grass, sometimes in parks and gardens. It suggests covering skin, using insect repellent, and checking yourself for ticks afterwards. If you have been bitten or been in such an area within the past three months and develop flu-like symptoms or a round or oval rash, it advises contacting a GP or NHS 111.

Choosing a first spot

Start with something easy: a bench on a public path, a village green, a beach, or the edge of a country park. You want a view with clear layers for some practice at painting distance, and space to do a couple of thumbnails without feeling watched. Before long you will have a list of favourite places, and if someone stops to look over your shoulder, it is nearly always because they like to see someone drawing.