‘Access is vital’: picnicking protesters target Duke of Somerset’s woods

Law-breaking picnickers … This walk and picnic in the woods is illegal because there is no right to roam in England’s countryside. Photograph: Karen Robinson/The Observer

On a beautiful Sunday in May a spot under the trees in an ancient woodland would seem like an idyllic location for a picnic for residents of the Devon town of Totnes.

But when a group of 200 people settled down on the grass to enjoy sandwiches and slices of Victoria sponge next to the publicly funded woodland, they were actually breaking the law.