The following press release has been issued by the Lake District National Park Association - under the heading of "Wild Camping". To my mind, wild camping is low-key, leave-no-trace camping. Obviously, what's happening in the Lake District is that gangs of louts are essentially wrecking the place, and in the process likely to harm bona fide campers in the process. Quite honestly, a lot of the stuff referred to in the press release is criminal damage, and therefore I'm at a loss to understand why the police can't take any action.
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With the hottest July since records began came a blight on the Lake District as wild campers ravaged the countryside causing damage, destruction and despair.
Weekend tent revellers have broken up farm gates and stiles for bonfires, left rubbish and beer cans, scorched the earth and used hedgerows and wall sides as toilets.
Lake District National Park rangers say they have been disgusted by wanton damage and the disregard for one of England's loveliest landscapes.
"We're only talking about a small minority," according to Chris Berry, whose area includes the honey pots of the Duddon Valley, Wasdale and Eskdale.
"Most people are in the Lake District because the love and care for the countryside. Unfortunately the few are spoiling it for everyone else with reckless behaviour that is completely unsustainable."
Banned by many official campsites, young single-sex groups are heading to car parks, lake sides and beauty spots for a night's drinking and tenting around a bonfire.
"If they can't find firewood they'll rip off branches and remove gates and stiles," said northern area ranger Graham Standring. "A wooden footbridge at Carrock Beck, near Haltclffe, was chainsawed and burned, which is bad, even by wild campers' standards."
Graham said although the area had not suffered a serious fire since a hillside blaze near Catbells, Keswick, three years ago, the risks from portable barbecues and campfires were significant.
"We've had such a hot, dry spell that the ground has been bone dry. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to realise the huge dangers. Even though we've now had some rain, the hazards are still there."
Last weekend Chris Berry came across a party of campers in a car park near Stanley Ghyll, Eskdale, who had lit a fire and strewn a "disgraceful amount of litter".
"By the time you come across these people they have often been drinking and can't be moved until morning," said Chris. "The police are very supportive, but with limited resources they can't always be on hand at the weekend.
"Although most people are thoroughly reasonable when approached, we can't get away from the consequences of irresponsible wild camping. Signs forbidding camping along Wastwater's shoreline were vandalised within 12 hours of them going up."
'No camping and no fires' notices have also been wrecked in the Mosedale valley, near Caldbeck, over the last few weeks.
Rangers say all they can do is appeal to people to spare a thought for the countryside and think through the effects of causing damage, fouling, leaving litter and lighting fires.
Posted: 03/08/2006 at 15:16
