tl;dr - The Land Reform Act 2003 codified the long-held tradition of unhindered access to open country. This includes the great estates, forestry land, etc. Basically, as long as you behave, you can hike, camp, cycle anywhere you like. Obvious exclusions would be somebody's yard adjacent to their home, areas with active livestock activity, etc.
tl;dr - The Land Reform Act 2003 codified the long-held tradition of unhindered access to open country. This includes the great estates, forestry land, etc. Basically, as long as you behave, you can hike, camp, cycle anywhere you like. Obvious exclusions would be somebody's yard adjacent to their home, areas with active livestock activity, etc.