Opinion: Beauty spot visitors leave common sense at home
© Adobe Stock Having spent a fair chunk of my life living and working in the Peak District National Park, I can absolutely sympathise with the Cumbrian farmer who, having reached the end of his tether with entitled, ignorant tourists parking in his field, filled his tanker and covered their flashy cars with slurry. Good on him.
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Living and working in a tourist hotspot can test one’s patience to the limit. Sunny Sundays and bank holidays, for residents of these beautiful areas, are usually earmarked for staying in and bolting the door.
The roads are jammed, the footpaths packed and the pubs overflowing. The Peak District, like the Lake District, is swarmed with tourists almost all year round.
Add that magical ingredient – sunshine – into the mix and visitor numbers soar.
This is brilliant for the rural economy and many farms rely on vital diversified income, but unfortunately, most visitors appear to leave their common sense at home when visiting places of outstanding natural beauty.
Parking etiquette goes out of the window, and double parking and blocking gateways is commonplace.
It makes my mind boggle that, should anything untoward happen halfway up the hillside, someone’s own terrible parking could prevent the emergency services from reaching them.
Important habitats are regularly disturbed or destroyed by irresponsible dog owners letting their beloved pets run riot among important nesting sites, blatantly ignoring very clear signage.
Decades of conservation work for endangered species undone in a flash.
Brain-dead idiots continue to light disposable barbecues on tinder-dry moorland, consequently setting it alight and destroying flora and fauna, hundreds of acres at a time.
I totally understand the draw of eating lovely food while enjoying a beautiful view, but why on earth can’t they just take a sandwich? Another scourge on the landscape are camper van inhabitants who regularly park wherever they want (except at a campsite, as that would involve paying a fee) hoping to be first to witness an Instagram-worthy sunrise.
It’s ironic, really, that the scenic places so often photographed, only remain that way due to local volunteers clearing up the rubbish so carelessly left behind.
No wonder farmers in these areas have reached boiling point. National parks are glorious places to visit, but they are also workplaces.
The job is hard enough in these challenging landscapes, without being made harder by the inconsiderate actions of others.
This behaviour isn’t just limited to rural areas. Recent footage of sun-loving Londoners playing volleyball and swimming in a pond on Hampstead Heath, while the swans desperately tried to save their unhatched eggs from perishing, highlights widescale ignorance.
What chance does any wildlife have to thrive, when selfish human beings are oblivious to their existence and clueless about the damage they are causing.
I’m not sure how it got to this point. It’s not that long ago when the worst we had to deal with were groups of Duke of Edinburgh students straying off the footpath or leaving the odd gate open.
The right to roam argument still rumbles on. Until everyone learns how to respect nature and the countryside they should be confined to fenced footpaths and made to take a test before being allowed to purchase any kind of walking shoes or outdoor equipment.
Otherwise we may see an army of slurry tankers lined up, rightly wanting to teach folk a lesson.