Oh yeah lets have freedom to roam all over farmland destroying crops or simply destroying heather etc. The countryside needs to be managed and this will always involve closing some areas off from time to time
I’m torn on this one.
On the one hand if the state is paying for protection and development of these lands, then those funding the state, ie taxpayers, should have some access to those lands. Scotland’s open access laws are amazing and could in theory be replicated in the rest of the UK.
On the other hand, we’ve direct evidence from Scotland that allowing unfettered access to national parks that are near major cities causes widespread damage to the environment to the point access must be re-restricted. Most of Englands and Wales’ national parks are just as closer or closer (in terms of distance or travel time) to major popular centres than Loch Lomond is to Glasgow.
In reality I feel that making England and Wales open access like Scotland would cause more harm than good simply because of the population density of most of England. It works in Scotland because outside of the central belt population is sparse, and the one park closest to the dense population restricts camping. Open access also works Scotland because it’s so far away from everything, and there are no facilities. For example the only folk going on major hikes up in Torridon are those prepared for it. Open up 100% of the peak district and you’ll have folk with no clue getting themselve killed, or worse causing irreperable damage to the environment or getting rescue workers injured in a rescue attempt.
This is fine… Just walking through a conservation area can disrupt the wildlife.
If your argument is taxpayers pay for it so we should be allowed to use it ourselves that’s just selfish, the money is going towards protecting a wild area and the species that live there. It is not for our sake.
There’s more and more people looking to take back our countryside and increase access, I’m 100% in support of it. If you look at the Nordic countries where access is unrestricted you find that everyone has a high degree of respect for the outdoors as they see it as a place that belongs to everyone.
We also have an incredibly restricted access to our waterways, only something like 5% has public access which seems like such a loss when we have so many beautiful rivers and lakes that could be paddled and swam.
Good. The amount of times I’ve been up a hill and seen some gormless city dwelling cunt sauntering about in the wrong kit, dropping litter, and parking like an arsehole is unreal. Don’t want to ruin absolutely everything if we can help it.
This has been a particularly worrying trend on Dartmoor where every time I return I find yet another footpath closed or blocked off by some landowning arsehole who’s decided they don’t want the riff-raff walking across ‘their’ property.
The Templer Way is now half closed, and that’s not only a national footpath route, but a designated park route, and overseen by a local charitable trust. But no, some horse breeding cuntbag has decided their precious foals cannot be disturbed by seeing a person two fields away, so they nailed the gates shut and dismantled all the signposts.
This is a bad thing because? People are generally shit and don’t respect the land. Why let them on to ruin it
I’d be less hesitant if lockdown did not see people discovering nature for the first time and destroying it at the same time. Access nature is important but so is keeping nature as free from human influence as possible. Most people are good at following basic etiquette, however it only takes a fee idiots to ruin it for the rest of us.
Good. I’m so sick of going to a beautiful area full of wildlife only to see it terrorised by dogs running free chasing everything. Dont get me wrong I love dogs but not their owners, you could have a 6 foot high sign warning of nesting bird season and asking for dogs to be leashed and still every person thinks awww not my Benjy! Every dog wants to chase and play but this presents a real danger to pretty much every wild animal
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Oh yeah lets have freedom to roam all over farmland destroying crops or simply destroying heather etc. The countryside needs to be managed and this will always involve closing some areas off from time to time
I’m torn on this one.
On the one hand if the state is paying for protection and development of these lands, then those funding the state, ie taxpayers, should have some access to those lands. Scotland’s open access laws are amazing and could in theory be replicated in the rest of the UK.
On the other hand, we’ve direct evidence from Scotland that allowing unfettered access to national parks that are near major cities causes widespread damage to the environment to the point access must be re-restricted. Most of Englands and Wales’ national parks are just as closer or closer (in terms of distance or travel time) to major popular centres than Loch Lomond is to Glasgow.
In reality I feel that making England and Wales open access like Scotland would cause more harm than good simply because of the population density of most of England. It works in Scotland because outside of the central belt population is sparse, and the one park closest to the dense population restricts camping. Open access also works Scotland because it’s so far away from everything, and there are no facilities. For example the only folk going on major hikes up in Torridon are those prepared for it. Open up 100% of the peak district and you’ll have folk with no clue getting themselve killed, or worse causing irreperable damage to the environment or getting rescue workers injured in a rescue attempt.
This is fine… Just walking through a conservation area can disrupt the wildlife.
If your argument is taxpayers pay for it so we should be allowed to use it ourselves that’s just selfish, the money is going towards protecting a wild area and the species that live there. It is not for our sake.
There’s more and more people looking to take back our countryside and increase access, I’m 100% in support of it. If you look at the Nordic countries where access is unrestricted you find that everyone has a high degree of respect for the outdoors as they see it as a place that belongs to everyone.
We also have an incredibly restricted access to our waterways, only something like 5% has public access which seems like such a loss when we have so many beautiful rivers and lakes that could be paddled and swam.
Good. The amount of times I’ve been up a hill and seen some gormless city dwelling cunt sauntering about in the wrong kit, dropping litter, and parking like an arsehole is unreal. Don’t want to ruin absolutely everything if we can help it.
This has been a particularly worrying trend on Dartmoor where every time I return I find yet another footpath closed or blocked off by some landowning arsehole who’s decided they don’t want the riff-raff walking across ‘their’ property.
The Templer Way is now half closed, and that’s not only a national footpath route, but a designated park route, and overseen by a local charitable trust. But no, some horse breeding cuntbag has decided their precious foals cannot be disturbed by seeing a person two fields away, so they nailed the gates shut and dismantled all the signposts.
This is a bad thing because? People are generally shit and don’t respect the land. Why let them on to ruin it
I’d be less hesitant if lockdown did not see people discovering nature for the first time and destroying it at the same time. Access nature is important but so is keeping nature as free from human influence as possible. Most people are good at following basic etiquette, however it only takes a fee idiots to ruin it for the rest of us.
Good. I’m so sick of going to a beautiful area full of wildlife only to see it terrorised by dogs running free chasing everything. Dont get me wrong I love dogs but not their owners, you could have a 6 foot high sign warning of nesting bird season and asking for dogs to be leashed and still every person thinks awww not my Benjy! Every dog wants to chase and play but this presents a real danger to pretty much every wild animal