The Great Outdoors - UK (2021-08)

Damage to the countryside: why social

media gives a misleadingimpression

there enjoying the sunshine. Many were

dressed in new-looking outdoor clothing

and clutchinguncreased OS maps, perhaps

part of a new waveof outdoor enthusiasts

connectingwith the hills aer lockdown.

Kids in a schoolgroup on Mam Tor quizzed

me about long-distance backpacking as we

walked the newly restored Great Ridgepath

(a project funded bythe BMC’sMend Our

Mountains campaign). When I pitched my

tent on a quiet corner of Kinder at dusk,

a walker ambled past,and I felta stab of

anxiety, certain that I’dbe told to clear off

• but instead we chatted about the restored
  blanket bog habitat created bythe Moors for
  the Future partnership.
  e next day, I admired the new
  ‘NO MOOR BBQs’signage on gates and
  access points, providing clear guidance
  on how to avoid causing wildfire. I even
  saw a hen harrier soaring over Stanage–
  another conservationsuccess story, as these
  magnificent raptors areonce again breeding
  in the areadespite continuing persecution
  from some estates. Notwithstanding the
  challenges ahead, thereis so much in this
  landscape to be thankful for– so much
  progress, so much hope for the future.

New hillwalkers

But it can’t be denied thatthere have been

serious problems to overcome, particularly

PAY TOO MUCH ATTENTIONto social

media and youmight be forgiven for

thinking thatit’sall over for our uplands and

wild places. Withthe rise of‘dirty’ camping

and fly tipping, inconsiderate and poorly

equipped walkers, overcrowded honeypot

areas, devastating moorland fires, and

threats to wildlife and habitats, what hopeis

there le for the hills?

Our social feeds havebeen filled by

images of trashed, abandoned campsites,

rants about how popular places likethe Lake

District andthe west coastof Scotland have

been overwhelmed by the wrong sort of

visitor. Itlooks bleak, but whatresemblance

does this bearto whatwe actually

experience outthere? Arethings really this

bad, or have a relatively smallnumber of

incidents in a handful oflocations tainted

the biggerpicture?

Success stories

Recently, when planninga trip to thePeak

District, what I’dseen online influenced my

choice of route. Ithad been months since

my last solo multi-day mountaintrip,and

I wonderedhow much things had changed.

I worried about overcrowding and rubbish,

about locked gates and hostility – worried

that sensitive, low-profile wild camping

(as I’ve been doing for years in the Peak)

would no longer be viable. I’dread about

landowners clampingdown on responsible

wild campers. Less tangibly, I worried that

all of theseproblems may have degraded

wildlife habitats, dulling that subtle sense

of wildness welook foron the hill.Had

there been aninflux of poorly equipped

newcomers with a bad attitude? How would

this change the experience?

When I actually began my walk, starting

from Matlock and heading upthrough

the White Peak to busier areas around

Castletonand Edale, I startedto realise

that things were better than I’dfeared. e

White Peak was quiet, Lathkill Dale was

alive withwildlife, and although Castleton

and Mam Torwere busy Isaw no more

litter than usual, and zero evidence of

dirty camping or other problems. Infact,

I was surprised thatmost of the walkers

I met seemed to beabout my own age

(mid-thirties) or younger, and I exchanged

countless friendlygreetings with others out

since the pandemic began. Wildfires, oen

caused by disposable barbecues or other

irresponsible behaviour, have ravaged parts

of the Peak District. I asked Peter Judd, a

local hillwalker and active BMC volunteer,

about the challenges the area had faced.

“Moorland fireshave been devastating,”

he told me, “and there are other problems,

but they’re mostly on the fringes – and,

while glaringly obvious when encountered,

are relatively minor considering the large

numbersof people who have ventured into

the national parks, some forthe first time.

It’sgreatthat somany have discoveredthe

beauty of these places.”

What about the impact ofthe pandemic?

“e BMC ranmonthly Covid working

group meetings last year. ere werebig

problems early on, but theseeased with

time. But parking has been an issue in the

Despite the doom and gloom online, Britain’s wild places haven’tbeen trashed,

says Alex Roddie – and signs of positive change are everywhere

COMMENT

by Alex Roddie

Ph

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:^ Al

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A hen harrier in the

Peak District

Ph

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:^ Jo

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24 The Great OutdoorsAugust 2021