Common Land dates back many centuries, it is land usually owned by an individual, but on which many people have rights to undertake specific practices such as collect fire wood or graze sheep. Common Land does not mean the general public has the right to do whatever they like on the land. All Common Land was mapped as Access Land following the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (2000), meaning the general public have a right of access by foot anywhere, as long as boundaries such as fences and walls are not climbed, but crossed using stiles or unlocked gates.

Within the Heather and Hillforts Project Area there are a number of commons on which commoners have the right to graze sheep. It is vital to the continued success of the moorland that this practice continues, without sheep grazing and the management associated with it, the heather would be left unmanaged and would slowly revert to woodland.

Moel y Parc, Moel Famau, Moel Fenlli and the Llantysilio mountains are all designated Common. All the sheep you see grazing these areas have been put there by a farmer (grazier). Each grazier's sheep will stay on certain areas of the mountain unless disturbed. This area is called the Cynefyn. New lambs are put on the mountain with older sheep who pass on the Cnefyn instinct, ensuring a grazier's sheep graze only a specific area of the common. In years gone by there were far more shepherds who would have controlled the movement of the sheep to ensure they didn’t stray off their patches, Shepherding is much less common today, but with much fewer commoners using their rights, the mountain is less populated.

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