hill walkers on private land do i have rights!

no1horse

i am a land owner in the wicklow mountains in an area where hill walking is popular. the land is private and we have public liability insurance. but are we still covered if someone has a fall or cuts themselves? we do not want to have close it off fully as it would not be possible. has anyone any views?

not even wrong

The rights of walkers and ramblers are specified in the Occupiers' Liability Act 1995, which includes "recreational user" as a category of users of privately-owned lands. Under the Act, a recreational user is a person present on the premises or land of a private citizen, without charge (other than a reasonable charge for parking facilities) for the purposes of engaging in a recreational activity. Under these circumstances, the owner of the land is obliged only to not intentionally injure or harm the recreational user or act with reckless disregard for the recreational user's welfare. This is an important distinction because it removes previous insurance liability concerns, which still apply to an invited visitor onto private land.

So as long as you're not setting up bear traps or landmines you should have nothing to worry about.