Who has land you may want.

People often buy far more than they can effectively use. This was probably more true in the past than the present, but this still means that there are numerous holdings where there is far more land than any owner is capable of supporting or even maintaining. In most cases this just gets let off to a neighbour for tack, or sheep, but some people just don’t like the idea of others using their land, and the excess is gently allowed to fall into disuse. Bear in mind that the majority of people moving to the country are cash buyers. If they want to sell off any part of their holding, there is nothing to stop them doing so. People with mortgages are more restricted.

Many people have more than they need for their own use. In many cases, people focus on buying their dream property, and the land that it happens to come with is simply seen as an add on. 

There are innumerable reasons why people may consider selling off a parcel of the land they own. But I can guarantee that it won’t happen unless you ask the right questions. 

If the land appears abandoned, the ownership is only relevant if you believe they are likely to reclaim it if you make any attempt to take possession. 

However, there is never a situation where you just find what appears to be available, land on it and hope for the best.

Simply by doing good research you can usually find out what risk there is of someone else having a legitimate, and more importantly, demonstrable claim to the land.

There may well be a difference in approach between someone hoping to purchase compared with a potential squatter, but the majority of the information provided here does apply to both.

The main difference is that a potential purchaser can literally look at and approach any property with an offer to buy. A squatter will need to find land with very specific characteristics only. 

In every case, you need to find the land first.