TWO areas of moorland near Bolton are to be fully opened up to ramblers under new access laws.

Smithills Moor and Winter Hill will become one of the first areas in the country to have public access under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, which comes into force on September 19.

The Act, which gives ramblers the "right to roam", will allow people the legal right to walk responsibly over open, uncultivated countryside.

Campaigners have been demanding for a number of years that the Smithills Moor and Winter Hill areas be opened up.

The areas are considered important by walkers as they provide stunning views of Bolton, Manchester and the Pennines.

Until recently, the landowner wanted to close access to the land and there was only a footpath across the moors.

The areas are also historically significant to the "right to roam" campaign in Bolton. In 1896, a group of Bolton men marched to the moors to maintain their traditional right to walk across them.

The moors link to other areas of access moorland to the north to create one of the largest areas of walking country in the borough.

The Ramblers' Association, which has spearheaded the "right to roam" campaign, hopes that opening up the moors will encourage more walking tourism in the area.

Nick Barrett, chief executive of the Ramblers' Association, said: "September 19 is a truly historic day. These landscapes are as much a part of our national heritage as structures like Stonehenge.

"For many, the joy of walking is about getting off the beaten track. Everybody in this country now has a right to do just that and we hope people will take the opportunity to discover these beautiful areas for themselves.

"This legislation is the hard-won achievement of more than a hundred years of campaigning."

The new Countryside and Rights of Way Act permits access on foot to mountain, moor, heath, down and common land, but specifically excludes cultivated farmland and gardens.