BOULSWORTH Hill above Trawden is set to become one of the top destinations for ramblers and tourists when new legislation will make it more accessible.

Parts of the moor, up to the Yorkshire border, have been off limits for many years because they are owned by a water company.

But on Sunday, September 19, the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CRoW) will give everyone a legal freedom to roam in areas of south east and north west England.

Boulsworth Hill has been named in a list of the top 10 new areas in the North West to open to the public under the legislation.

The law will also see parts of the Forest of Bowland become more accessible, taking the amount of open country within Lancashire County Council's jurisdiction to 32,051 hectares.

Pendle MP Gordon Prentice, who has long campaigned for increased rights of way for Ramblers, believes the legislation is "hugely significant".

In 1999 he proposed a Private Members' Bill to give walkers a statutory right to roam across four million acres of mountain and moorland but later withdrew it after the Government promised early legislation of its own on the issue.

Now, five years later, Mr Prentice said: "I know there will be rambling events to celebrate this significant milestone and hopefully I myself will be climbing up there.

"On a clear day it is like being stood on top of the world.

"It's nothing short of a scandal that parts of the countryside have been out of bounds for so long to people who just wanted a quiet walk and fresh air.

"It is therefore hugely significant that land will be opened up to members of the public for the first time."

Sylvia Franks, of Reedyford Road, Nelson, is secretary of North East Lancashire Ramblers' Association.

She said: "Boulsworth Hill will be accessible in its entirety and parts of Burnley Moors and Rossendale Moors will also be more accessible.

"This is great news and there will be a lot of happy people celebrating on September 19. I am personally pleased because we have all been fighting for this for a long time."

It is hoped the moor will now benefit from a tourism boost like that experienced by Pendle Hill, which has long drawn tourists because of its open access and connection to witches.

Nick Barrett, chief executive of the Ramblers' Association, said: "That future generations will have this unprecedented access to open country is testament to the extraordinary dedication of many thousands of ordinary people who have campaigned for it all their lives."

Access and rights of way in the countryside have been an issue in England since MP James Bryce introduced the first bill for freedom to roam in 1884. The bill was reintroduced every year until 1914 and failed each time.

It was not until the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949 was passed that areas of the countryside were defined and more access became possible.