The Book of Trespass: Crossing the Lines that Divide Us
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- Create Date：2021-08-01 03:41:04
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Nick Hayes
- ISBN：1526604728
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Summary
A meditation on the fraught and complex relationship between land， politics and power， this is England through the eyes of a trespasser。
The vast majority of our country is entirely unknown to us because we are banned from setting foot on it。 By law of trespass， we are excluded from 92 per cent of the land and 97 per cent of its waterways， blocked by walls whose legitimacy is rarely questioned。 But behind them lies a story of enclosure， exploitation and dispossession of public rights whose effects last to this day。
The Book of Trespass takes us on a journey over the walls of England， into the thousands of square miles of rivers， woodland， lakes and meadows that are blocked from public access。 By trespassing the land of the media magnates， Lords， politicians and private corporations that own England， Nick Hayes argues that the root of social inequality is the uneven distribution of land。
Weaving together the stories of poachers， vagabonds， gypsies， witches， hippies， ravers， ramblers， migrants and protestors， and charting acts of civil disobedience that challenge orthodox power at its heart， The Book of Trespass will transform the way you see England。
The vast majority of our country is entirely unknown to us because we are banned from setting foot on it。 By law of trespass， we are excluded from 92 per cent of the land and 97 per cent of its waterways， blocked by walls whose legitimacy is rarely questioned。 But behind them lies a story of enclosure， exploitation and dispossession of public rights whose effects last to this day。
The Book of Trespass takes us on a journey over the walls of England， into the thousands of square miles of rivers， woodland， lakes and meadows that are blocked from public access。 By trespassing the land of the media magnates， Lords， politicians and private corporations that own England， Nick Hayes argues that the root of social inequality is the uneven distribution of land。
Weaving together the stories of poachers， vagabonds， gypsies， witches， hippies， ravers， ramblers， migrants and protestors， and charting acts of civil disobedience that challenge orthodox power at its heart， The Book of Trespass will transform the way you see England。
Reviews
Jim Galloway
，
Honestly the best book I've read in the last 3+ years， and propably the best nonfiction book I've read full stop。 An engaging blend of travelogue and manifesto about the dire need for improved public access to land in the UK。 Made me reconsider both my ideas of property as a concept， and what I thought I knew about the UK， natural spaces in it， and how these spaces are managed and owned。 Cannot recommend highly enough！ Honestly the best book I've read in the last 3+ years， and propably the best nonfiction book I've read full stop。 An engaging blend of travelogue and manifesto about the dire need for improved public access to land in the UK。 Made me reconsider both my ideas of property as a concept， and what I thought I knew about the UK， natural spaces in it， and how these spaces are managed and owned。 Cannot recommend highly enough！ 。。。more
J Grimsey
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I found this book a little frustrating。 I think the author has got it 80% right。 I am not convinced that lighting a fire on land is always a good idea nor am I clear what his views are about entry to the country from other countries 。 No rules or what？ He does not mention the blocking of rights of way preferring to recommend a variation on Scottish rights of access。 I could go on。 Well worth reading and thought provoking
Martin
，
So admittedly this book took me a long time to get through， and that’s due not to how the book is written but simply due to the content。 It’s blindingly shocking once the experiences and figures are told in this book at how butchered and bartered England is， and what an island of Bond Villains and sycophants the ruling class are。 The cult of exclusion is something more people should know about， and the details are dispersed between touching anecdotes of the writer passionate experiences in the w So admittedly this book took me a long time to get through， and that’s due not to how the book is written but simply due to the content。 It’s blindingly shocking once the experiences and figures are told in this book at how butchered and bartered England is， and what an island of Bond Villains and sycophants the ruling class are。 The cult of exclusion is something more people should know about， and the details are dispersed between touching anecdotes of the writer passionate experiences in the wild。 。。。more
Bronwen Griffiths
，
4。5 stars！ Some of the information in the book I knew but there were many things I didn't know about land ownership in this country。 It was perhaps a pity he wasn't able to speak to many of the big landowners - although one he did manage to speak to decided to take against him。 Now that we have the new Policing Bill going through Parliament （2021） trespass is likely to be even more of an issue so this book is very timely。I liked how Hayes mixed history， geography and his own thoughts together。 N 4。5 stars！ Some of the information in the book I knew but there were many things I didn't know about land ownership in this country。 It was perhaps a pity he wasn't able to speak to many of the big landowners - although one he did manage to speak to decided to take against him。 Now that we have the new Policing Bill going through Parliament （2021） trespass is likely to be even more of an issue so this book is very timely。I liked how Hayes mixed history， geography and his own thoughts together。 Nick Hayes is a gentle and knowledgeable guide。 He also attempts to look at the issue from both sides and to look at places where solutions have been found。 If you are interested in this subject - and I really think you ought to be - then read this book。 It's now out in paperback or you can borrow it from your local library。 It will make you angry and weep in equal measure。 Access to land in England is our right and much of it has been taken away from us。 。。。more
Duncan Osborne
，
The initial idea of roaming on 'forbidden land' was very appealing。 However， the book became a sustained account of every injustice ever meted out to the poor， women and ethnic minorities。 The link between these injustices and the walks the author was making often seemed arbitrary and it began to feel like I was being lectured in an excessively sanctimonious manner。 The message seemed to be that everything would be alright if only we could go back before the Norman Conquest。 Disappointing The initial idea of roaming on 'forbidden land' was very appealing。 However， the book became a sustained account of every injustice ever meted out to the poor， women and ethnic minorities。 The link between these injustices and the walks the author was making often seemed arbitrary and it began to feel like I was being lectured in an excessively sanctimonious manner。 The message seemed to be that everything would be alright if only we could go back before the Norman Conquest。 Disappointing 。。。more
Bex
，
I LOVED this book。 It made me cry。 It made me angry， and hopeful。 It made me want to trespass flagrantly， and often。 You must read it too， if you haven't already， and realise how hemmed in we have become by stupid， archaic laws in England that only serve the rich and powerful。 Some of the statistics are downright shameful and scandalous - like the fact that we only have rights of access to 3% of our rivers。 'In England， if you're by a river， on a river or in a river， there's a 97 per cent chance I LOVED this book。 It made me cry。 It made me angry， and hopeful。 It made me want to trespass flagrantly， and often。 You must read it too， if you haven't already， and realise how hemmed in we have become by stupid， archaic laws in England that only serve the rich and powerful。 Some of the statistics are downright shameful and scandalous - like the fact that we only have rights of access to 3% of our rivers。 'In England， if you're by a river， on a river or in a river， there's a 97 per cent chance that you're not allowed to be there。' Even if you're doing nothing more than admiring the view and taking some photos， you are trespassing。This book compelling demonstrates the ludicrous fiction of land ownership and the law， and the lack of common sense and compassion that is pushing us further and further away from the land that once was common to all。 The author uses stories and legends， as well as law， history， and his own trespassing adventures to make his case， and to show how this connection to the land is vital， and should be nurtured and restored。Land in this country is owned by the few， who deprive the many of the access that should be a common， human right。 Things need to change。 I hope this book is read widely， and acts as an anthem and a rallying cry to inspire us all to demand the return of the land to the common folk。 。。。more
Simon Goldson
，
Can you see the cat？This was a meme adopted by followers of Henry George who in 1879 wrote 'So simple and so clear is the truth， that to see it fully once is always to recognise it'。 Once you see the cat one can never again look at the meme without knowing it is there （Google it！）。 And this is the case for land ownership and how it devolved。 This book is a must read for anyone wishing to open their eyes to the inequalities perpetuated by the fencing off of huge tracts of land， once owned by the Can you see the cat？This was a meme adopted by followers of Henry George who in 1879 wrote 'So simple and so clear is the truth， that to see it fully once is always to recognise it'。 Once you see the cat one can never again look at the meme without knowing it is there （Google it！）。 And this is the case for land ownership and how it devolved。 This book is a must read for anyone wishing to open their eyes to the inequalities perpetuated by the fencing off of huge tracts of land， once owned by the people but over time - sometimes stealthily but most often brazenly - sequestered into the greedy hands of the land owning classes and the ruses and doxa used to maintain the status quo。 It's beautifully written and illustrated。 Everyone in England should read it。 Everyone in Scotland should be proud of themselves and their government for realising the inequalities and re-granting rights to roam over what is， after all， their countryside。 。。。more
John
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Picked it up not knowing what exactly it was。 It's a fantastically written book about trespassing and roaming through England， and the social history of the land being taken away from the common people。Each chapter describes one trespass trip of the author， and links to an aspect of land enclosure and property rights。 The history bits are really well told and researched， and while some of them are more obviously linked to land rights than others， the argument that exclusion from our land underli Picked it up not knowing what exactly it was。 It's a fantastically written book about trespassing and roaming through England， and the social history of the land being taken away from the common people。Each chapter describes one trespass trip of the author， and links to an aspect of land enclosure and property rights。 The history bits are really well told and researched， and while some of them are more obviously linked to land rights than others， the argument that exclusion from our land underlies a lot of the inequality in today's society is persuasively made。But the best bits for me were the descriptions of the walking， camping and kayaking in the countryside。 He obviously loves being there and it really shines through in his writing。Made me want to go to all these places， and got me angry that I can't。 。。。more
Annette Morris
，
A very interesting and well researched book about land and property ownership in England and the consequent lack of access to most of it for most of us。 The author tells of his trespassing escapades and， simultaneously， of the history of the properties into which he trespasses。 It's an entertaining as well as informative read and all wonderfully illustrated by the author。 A very interesting and well researched book about land and property ownership in England and the consequent lack of access to most of it for most of us。 The author tells of his trespassing escapades and， simultaneously， of the history of the properties into which he trespasses。 It's an entertaining as well as informative read and all wonderfully illustrated by the author。 。。。more
Charlotte Burt
，
3。5 starsThis is a very political book， left wing in the extreme but it also makes a lot of sense。 Part rant， part history book， part expose on the laws that separate the people from the land around it。 The woodcuts that intersperse the book are beautiful。 It is a fairly dense read and took me about 6 weeks to read it， which is an age for me。 On the plus side it did make me want to investigate places on the other side of gates marked private property and I have discovered some lovely places in t 3。5 starsThis is a very political book， left wing in the extreme but it also makes a lot of sense。 Part rant， part history book， part expose on the laws that separate the people from the land around it。 The woodcuts that intersperse the book are beautiful。 It is a fairly dense read and took me about 6 weeks to read it， which is an age for me。 On the plus side it did make me want to investigate places on the other side of gates marked private property and I have discovered some lovely places in the process。 。。。more
Ivan Monckton
，
A stunningly good book， especially considering the author’s only other books have been graphic novels。 Each chapter involves a deliberate trespass and sleepover， mainly on the larger landed-estates， and polemic about private property that was taken from the common wealth at various stages in the past。 He manages to pack in everything you could possibly think of that relate to trespass including Enclosure， slavery， women’s suffrage， gypsies， Battle of the Beanfield/Stonehenge， and much， much more A stunningly good book， especially considering the author’s only other books have been graphic novels。 Each chapter involves a deliberate trespass and sleepover， mainly on the larger landed-estates， and polemic about private property that was taken from the common wealth at various stages in the past。 He manages to pack in everything you could possibly think of that relate to trespass including Enclosure， slavery， women’s suffrage， gypsies， Battle of the Beanfield/Stonehenge， and much， much more， and the writing is a joy。 The only reason I have not given 5 stars is because I can’t get my head around his meek acceptance of ‘authority’ when he is occasionally confronted， and the rather silly way he contrived to get a Landowners’ angle， when a straightforward， honest request would surely have had better results。 Still， these are minor quibbles and I heartily recommend this book。 。。。more
Shaun Vizor
，
Fantastic read ， thanks Nick
Chris Wilby
，
So much land owned by so few made trespass able with fences and walls。
Alasdair Thompson
，
It pulls back on the more radical implications （like questioning the idea of private property tout court） towards the end， and is a little idealized in the view of how much better things are in Scotland - the problems outlined earlier in the book about migration， travellers and colonialism all apply just as much North of the border， and whilst we have better access to land than in England， it is still incredibly highly concentrated in terms of ownership。
Ash Stally-chudasama
，
Important， and interesting， but overly long with too many sausages by fires。
Scott
，
This is a book that is beautiful to look at and a sort of wild pleasure to read。 Nick Hayes’ journey of trespass through an England， currently locked down， describes another， more entrenched stricture on our physical and mental sense of freedom and community: Land ownership。 The limited space available in the fair land of Albion to walk without feeling like， or knowing that， you have done something wrong。。。。。 https://scott-beveridge。blogspot。com/ This is a book that is beautiful to look at and a sort of wild pleasure to read。 Nick Hayes’ journey of trespass through an England， currently locked down， describes another， more entrenched stricture on our physical and mental sense of freedom and community: Land ownership。 The limited space available in the fair land of Albion to walk without feeling like， or knowing that， you have done something wrong。。。。。 https://scott-beveridge。blogspot。com/ 。。。more
Carolyn Drake
，
This book does an excellent job in making you think more deeply about the land， who owns it， and who has the right to occupy， traverse， and enjoy it。 The format works well: as the author hops over fences， steps over boundaries and explores woodland， forest and rivers all over the UK， he juxtaposes his appreciation of nature with interesting snippets of history， detailing how the UK was arbitrarily carved up and placed in the hands of the few， with people who relied on it for food and shelter bei This book does an excellent job in making you think more deeply about the land， who owns it， and who has the right to occupy， traverse， and enjoy it。 The format works well: as the author hops over fences， steps over boundaries and explores woodland， forest and rivers all over the UK， he juxtaposes his appreciation of nature with interesting snippets of history， detailing how the UK was arbitrarily carved up and placed in the hands of the few， with people who relied on it for food and shelter being displaced and made desititute。 Wild and thought-provoking。 。。。more
Viv JM
，
This is a fascinating and enjoyable piece of non-fiction writing。 Part nature journal， part history book， part polemic。 I learned all sorts of things about who owns the land in this country， how that happened and why a lot of it is so ridiculous。 As a bonus， there are beautiful illustrations included。 Highly recommended and a starting point for a lot of wormholes to travel down， I feel！ And despite my inherently law-abiding nature， a definite inspiration to undertake a bit more trespassing :-）
Jenia
，
This book was lovely！ 4 stars instead of 5 mainly partially because there were a little bit of issues with the audiobook （needed some proof。。 uh。。 listening） but mostly because I guess the laws in *England* specifically just aren't as interesting to me personally lol。 But the ideas are good and I liked the mixture between quiet descriptions of walking and radical leftie politics。 This book was lovely！ 4 stars instead of 5 mainly partially because there were a little bit of issues with the audiobook （needed some proof。。 uh。。 listening） but mostly because I guess the laws in *England* specifically just aren't as interesting to me personally lol。 But the ideas are good and I liked the mixture between quiet descriptions of walking and radical leftie politics。 。。。more
Mark Steven
，
Beautifully written， engaging and important book which helps surface and explain the nagging sensation you often get when out for a walk in England: "Should I be here？" Hayes eloquently explains the injustice of land ownership in the UK， and in doing so implies a case for urgent reform。It's not just a political book though， it's a travelogue about illicit journeys into the Britain's walled estates。 Read it！ Beautifully written， engaging and important book which helps surface and explain the nagging sensation you often get when out for a walk in England: "Should I be here？" Hayes eloquently explains the injustice of land ownership in the UK， and in doing so implies a case for urgent reform。It's not just a political book though， it's a travelogue about illicit journeys into the Britain's walled estates。 Read it！ 。。。more
Richard
，
This book angered me and inspired me in equal measure。 I can already feel my respect for private land diminishing now that I know a little more about how land was stolen from the commoners or purchased with money stained with the blood of my Irish ancestors and African slaves forced to work in Jamaica and Barbados。 It really brings home just how much of Britain is off limits and whilst I struggle to own anything more than a ground floor flat with a small footprint at the age of 33， It seems wron This book angered me and inspired me in equal measure。 I can already feel my respect for private land diminishing now that I know a little more about how land was stolen from the commoners or purchased with money stained with the blood of my Irish ancestors and African slaves forced to work in Jamaica and Barbados。 It really brings home just how much of Britain is off limits and whilst I struggle to own anything more than a ground floor flat with a small footprint at the age of 33， It seems wrong that huge swathes of Britain is owned by an elite few。 Poverty and Inequality is the result of our current land ownership setup。 I didnt agree with everything in this book， the author is clearly an advocate for drugs whereas I most certainly am not。 He makes a suggestion that taking ecstasy is safer than riding a horse， whilst this may be statistically true， glorifying the use of ecstasy and magic mushrooms is dangerous。 I have seen the damage it can do to peoples lives and that damage outweighs that of not owning land。 That aside， its a good book and learned so much so I give it a 4* 。。。more
Skye
，
Content warnings: Violence， slavery， racism， migrants， militarization of boarders， protest， police brutality， destruction and desecration。 Use of drugs and lawlessnessThis book deals with such a wide range if topics I didnt expect going in。 I'm surprised by how sensitively and well handled they are despite going into some very grim details the interweaving of personal expeditions in the land and historical and modern touchstones that illustrate the dynamics of power at play in peoples access to Content warnings: Violence， slavery， racism， migrants， militarization of boarders， protest， police brutality， destruction and desecration。 Use of drugs and lawlessnessThis book deals with such a wide range if topics I didnt expect going in。 I'm surprised by how sensitively and well handled they are despite going into some very grim details the interweaving of personal expeditions in the land and historical and modern touchstones that illustrate the dynamics of power at play in peoples access to and exclusion from the land around us。 And the more wide ranging repercussions of this act and ideology。This is a fantastic book。 Well read， researched and made me think deeply 。。。more
Kieran
，
I loved the powerful central message of this book- that we the people have had the land taken from us， our access curtailed， by those who centuries ago were richer， more elevated than us， and this fundamentally unfair， and damaging in ways we are only just beginning to understand。 As someone who loves spending time outdoors， and is very aware of the issues around this， it really spoke to me。The only reason it didn’t get its 5th star were some of the leaps it made， in history， political thought， I loved the powerful central message of this book- that we the people have had the land taken from us， our access curtailed， by those who centuries ago were richer， more elevated than us， and this fundamentally unfair， and damaging in ways we are only just beginning to understand。 As someone who loves spending time outdoors， and is very aware of the issues around this， it really spoke to me。The only reason it didn’t get its 5th star were some of the leaps it made， in history， political thought， and folklore， which were just not quite right。 I know this is petty， but it did detract from an otherwise superb case。 。。。more
Heather
，
What a fascinating and thorough history of both Land ownership， and many other divisions within society。 I loved both the history， and his interspersed descriptions of his own explorations into parts of our countryside that are off limits。A fantastic book， beautiful and infuriating in equal measure！ 😊👍
Adele
，
We need more writers like Nick Hayes to counteract the morality lies we are fed about land ownership。 The system is skewed & always has been in favour those with property & money， but Knowledge is power too。 This book makes you think， & consider， & want to rebel & rebel now！ I’m fed up with towing the line & just want to walk where I like in this ‘land of ours’ that belongs to a privileged super minority who hog everything for themselves & protect their obscene wealth in tax havens whilst simult We need more writers like Nick Hayes to counteract the morality lies we are fed about land ownership。 The system is skewed & always has been in favour those with property & money， but Knowledge is power too。 This book makes you think， & consider， & want to rebel & rebel now！ I’m fed up with towing the line & just want to walk where I like in this ‘land of ours’ that belongs to a privileged super minority who hog everything for themselves & protect their obscene wealth in tax havens whilst simultaneously claiming land subsidies from the British tax payer。 Deference has a lot to answer for。 Beautifully written， well researched & gorgeously illustrated， this is a book to stir your anarchic soul。 Things have to change， people have to wake up & demand a fairer society。 。。。more
Jacob O'Sullivan
，
This is the kind of book that I want all of my friends to read。 As I was reading this I felt a lot of the disparate ideas I’d had about the land and power over the years being explained and solidified。 This really interestingly explains how much of the power and influence forced upon the world through colonialism has its origins in class and land exploitation in these islands。 It made me want to ‘trespass’ all over the place as a personal response to and protest against years of colonialism and This is the kind of book that I want all of my friends to read。 As I was reading this I felt a lot of the disparate ideas I’d had about the land and power over the years being explained and solidified。 This really interestingly explains how much of the power and influence forced upon the world through colonialism has its origins in class and land exploitation in these islands。 It made me want to ‘trespass’ all over the place as a personal response to and protest against years of colonialism and exploitation which are still upheld。 The one criticism I would have is I wanted somewhere to discuss these ideas further， perhaps a link to an online forum or something。 Really beautifully written and with amazing illustrations from the author。 Fully recommended。 。。。more
Simon Hodge
，
Brilliantly written and beautifully illustrated。 This book will make you question the laws of trespass。
Daniel Mayles
，
A must read for everyone！
Ben Bishop
，
Great book challenging assumptions about power and influence in UK， great read。
Rachel
，