I support the Right to Roam...
I have a confession to make: I have never been put off by signs saying ‘Private’ or ‘Keep Out’. In fact, I have always wandered wherever I have wanted, even before there was any ‘right to roam’ the most beautiful parts of our countryside.
It is a hot topic at the moment. New government legislation may soon allow landowners to apply to reroute historic footpaths, and support ramblers who wish to record rights of way and propose new ones. Whatever the government of the day’s view, however, I have always believed that we have a personal ‘right’ to roam.
This comes with one big proviso, however: I also believe strongly that with ‘rights’ come ‘responsibilities’.
Whenever I have been roaming, looking for wildflowers, birds or rare animals, I have always done so responsibly. I have always considered the welfare of our wildlife and the countryside and aimed to cause the minimum of disturbance. It’s about understanding the local environment and acting accordingly. What worries me these days are those people who want access to the countryside but then abuse that access – many of them are selfish, irresponsible and, sadly, ignorant. Sorry, but at the heart of the problem are dogs. There are about 10 million pet dogs in this country and the majority are pampered pooches which, in the eyes of their owners, can do no wrong.
Take my favourite farm: the Countryside Restoration Trust’s (CRT ) Lark Rise Farm in Cambridgeshire. There we have provided permissive footpaths so that people can enjoy the countryside and, to help them, we erected notices with the simple message, ‘Please Keep Dogs On Leads’. Sadly, this is often ignored. Many visitors arrive, tip their dogs out of the car and let them run riot over land on which we are trying to restore wildlife. Consequently, one attractive, groundnesting little bird, the Meadow Pipit, failed to breed for the first time last year, and the year before, a nest of Willow Warblers was trashed by a dog. We get voles and mice hunted, young partridges and hares chased: and most owners seem totally oblivious.
To make matters worse, many dog owners seem to regard the countryside as a gigantic dog latrine. In fact, it is where country people live and work and where some of us try to encourage wildlife – so please keep your dogs and their deposits to yourselves.
It is true that some visitors scoop their poop into plastic bags. But as Kirstie Allsopp said in her recent interview with this magazine, many then hang these unpleasant parcels on the nearest branch of a bush or lob them into a ditch. It is disgraceful – if only I could take my cows into the gardens of those hooligans.
At the present time, it is extremely difficult to change a right of way, even if there is good cause. In Herefordshire, for example, the CRT has a fantastic farm in the Golden Valley where we would like to get curlews and lapwings breeding again. Sadly, ancient footpaths used by dog walkers are in the wrong place and have prevented this from happening.
Fortunately, it seems that help is on the way; the proposed Deregulation Bill is under consultation and could make it easier to move footpaths so that we can continue to enjoy the countryside without impacting on our precious wildlife.
We don’t want confrontation but co-operation. Everyone should be able to enjoy rural Britain, but it is also all of our responsibilities to know how to behave. Because people do have an impact. During the 2001 foot-andmouth epidemic, for example, when restrictions were imposed in many areas and people were banned from roaming in many regions, including Dartmoor and the Lake District, wildlife thrived thanks to a reduction in disturbance.
Similarly, the public has access to half of Lark Rise Farm – and wildlife is doing much better in the half the dog owners can’t cross. The answer is to roam responsibly, and to have a dog that will ‘Sit’ and ‘Stay’. It’s a small price to pay for keeping our countryside beautiful – and accessible.
{acepolls 80}
It is a hot topic at the moment. New government legislation may soon allow landowners to apply to reroute historic footpaths, and support ramblers who wish to record rights of way and propose new ones. Whatever the government of the day’s view, however, I have always believed that we have a personal ‘right’ to roam.
This comes with one big proviso, however: I also believe strongly that with ‘rights’ come ‘responsibilities’.
Whenever I have been roaming, looking for wildflowers, birds or rare animals, I have always done so responsibly. I have always considered the welfare of our wildlife and the countryside and aimed to cause the minimum of disturbance. It’s about understanding the local environment and acting accordingly. What worries me these days are those people who want access to the countryside but then abuse that access – many of them are selfish, irresponsible and, sadly, ignorant. Sorry, but at the heart of the problem are dogs. There are about 10 million pet dogs in this country and the majority are pampered pooches which, in the eyes of their owners, can do no wrong.
Take my favourite farm: the Countryside Restoration Trust’s (CRT ) Lark Rise Farm in Cambridgeshire. There we have provided permissive footpaths so that people can enjoy the countryside and, to help them, we erected notices with the simple message, ‘Please Keep Dogs On Leads’. Sadly, this is often ignored. Many visitors arrive, tip their dogs out of the car and let them run riot over land on which we are trying to restore wildlife. Consequently, one attractive, groundnesting little bird, the Meadow Pipit, failed to breed for the first time last year, and the year before, a nest of Willow Warblers was trashed by a dog. We get voles and mice hunted, young partridges and hares chased: and most owners seem totally oblivious.
To make matters worse, many dog owners seem to regard the countryside as a gigantic dog latrine. In fact, it is where country people live and work and where some of us try to encourage wildlife – so please keep your dogs and their deposits to yourselves.
It is true that some visitors scoop their poop into plastic bags. But as Kirstie Allsopp said in her recent interview with this magazine, many then hang these unpleasant parcels on the nearest branch of a bush or lob them into a ditch. It is disgraceful – if only I could take my cows into the gardens of those hooligans.
At the present time, it is extremely difficult to change a right of way, even if there is good cause. In Herefordshire, for example, the CRT has a fantastic farm in the Golden Valley where we would like to get curlews and lapwings breeding again. Sadly, ancient footpaths used by dog walkers are in the wrong place and have prevented this from happening.
Fortunately, it seems that help is on the way; the proposed Deregulation Bill is under consultation and could make it easier to move footpaths so that we can continue to enjoy the countryside without impacting on our precious wildlife.
We don’t want confrontation but co-operation. Everyone should be able to enjoy rural Britain, but it is also all of our responsibilities to know how to behave. Because people do have an impact. During the 2001 foot-andmouth epidemic, for example, when restrictions were imposed in many areas and people were banned from roaming in many regions, including Dartmoor and the Lake District, wildlife thrived thanks to a reduction in disturbance.
Similarly, the public has access to half of Lark Rise Farm – and wildlife is doing much better in the half the dog owners can’t cross. The answer is to roam responsibly, and to have a dog that will ‘Sit’ and ‘Stay’. It’s a small price to pay for keeping our countryside beautiful – and accessible.
{acepolls 80}