The Countryside Code | Respect Rural Mid Wales

The Countryside Code in Mid Wales

Mid Wales is a working landscape. The hills you walk across, the fields you pass through, the lanes you drive along are all part of someone's livelihood. Following the Countryside Code isn't just good manners. It keeps the land, the livestock, and the people who live here safe.

The code is managed by Natural Resources Wales and applies wherever you are in the Welsh countryside. Here's what it means in practice when you're out in Mid Wales.

Respect other people

Leave gates as you find them. If a gate is closed, close it behind you. If it's open, leave it open. The farmer may have left it that way deliberately. Stay on marked paths, especially through farmland. Use stiles and gates rather than climbing fences or walls. Say hello to people you meet on the path. It's what we do here.

Protect the natural environment

Take all your litter home, including food waste. Orange peel and apple cores take months to break down and attract rats near footpaths. Don't light BBQs or campfires unless there's a signed fire pit. Dry grass on hillsides catches fire faster than you'd think, and upland peat fires can burn underground for weeks.

Stick to paths across open moorland, particularly in the Cambrian Mountains and on the higher ground above the Elan Valley. The blanket bog up there is fragile. Every shortcut leaves a scar that takes years to heal.

Keep dogs under close control

This matters enormously in Mid Wales. There are sheep on almost every hillside, all year round. During lambing season (February to May), even a well-behaved dog running loose in a field can cause a ewe to miscarry or abandon her lamb. Keep your dog on a lead around livestock, always.

If cattle approach you aggressively while you have a dog, let the dog go. The cattle are reacting to the dog, not to you. Your dog will outrun them easily.

Clean up after your dog on paths and lanes. Livestock can pick up diseases from dog waste left in fields.

Stay on marked paths

Mountain paths on Cadair Idris, Pen y Fan, and across the Cambrian Mountains are there for a reason. They protect the ground beneath your feet and keep you on safe routes. Erosion from people cutting corners on zigzag paths is a real problem on busy mountains, especially Pen y Fan's main route up from Pont ar Daf.

In farmland, follow waymarkers and keep to field edges where paths aren't clear. If a path is blocked or overgrown, report it to the local authority rather than making your own way through crops or stock fences.

Enjoy the outdoors responsibly

Don't feed wild or farm animals. Park sensibly and don't block farm gates or narrow lanes. Drive slowly on single-track roads and pull over for oncoming traffic and farm vehicles.

The full Countryside Code is available on the Natural Resources Wales website. Read it before you visit, and enjoy the hills, the coast, and the valleys knowing you're helping to look after them.