‘Radical’ land reforms in Scotland are nothing of the sort

You might be forgiven for thinking that the rules regarding a patch of land north and south of the Anglo-Scottish border do not vary greatly, but in fact they are governed by completely different legal traditions.

For example in Cumbria you might heed a sign saying “Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted”, but such signs are less effective in Aberdeenshire, as simply being on someone’s land in Scotland might not actually be a crime. Scots law does not think of title in terms such as “freehold” and “leasehold”, and in fact has rules that prevent an owner of land granting a long lease of more than 175 years.