Wasdale Destruction Diary Online... |  |  |
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Fourteen minibuses in a quiet cul de sac of the Wasdale valley in
the Lakes, six of them parked in a space reserved for Mountain Rescue
vehicles...
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Up top - Scafell Crag, wild and
serene..,
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Residents woken by cheers, doors slamming and minibus engines in the
small hours of the morning. Piles of litter discarded at the side of
the road ...
It can mean only one thing, Three Peaks Challenge season has
started again.
Now OUTDOORSmagic member Guy Newbold who lives and works in
Wasdale at the base of Scafell Pike has started an online diary aimed
at highlighting the impact of charity challengers on both local
residents and the environment.
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Down below, discarded rubbish
from Bank Holiday
Monday's Three Peak challengers
(pic: Guy Newbold)
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He's documenting from a local's point of view exactly what the
arrival of buses full of walkers in the small hours of the morning
actually means for Wasdale in the hope that it will prompt
individuals and organisations into reconsidering the mass charity
attempts on the Ben Nevis / Scafell Pike / Snowdon challenge.
Last year in a hard-hitting article,
Guy described how remote Wasdale was being overwhelmed by challengers
who arrive in the middle of the night, wake locals and visitors
alike, cause concentrated erosion damage to paths, leave a legacy of
litter and discarded toilet paper then depart with a cacophany of
roaring minibus engines.
'Wasdale is taking a beating, and is not always a pretty or
pleasant place to be,' he said, before calling for charities to take
a long hard look at what they're doing. Sadly, if the May Day Bank
Holiday weekend is anything to go by, his calls, so far have gone
unheeded.
Take a look at the first entries in Guy's Three Peaks Challenge
Diary here,
but be warned, it's depressing stuff...
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| | Discuss this article, 1 of 156 messages, read more: |  Guy ....... | |
| Posted: 05/05/03 17:40:10 10 | OK so in the past many people have been accused of over stating the effect the 3 peak challenges have to the areas they use.
Well in an attempt to highlight the actual impact and reality of these events, I will be keeping a diary online on my web site , supported by photos where needed to show the effects in Wasdale.
Hopefully this will get some of the organising charities to rethink their involvment, who knows.
The diary will be updated daily (although most events are weekend based not all are)and can be found at
www.felltreks.co.uk
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