Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

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Bearbonesnorm
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Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

I've just read that as from Monday, the Government are going to make it a criminal offence* to travel abroad from the UK without good reason ... so, no overseas holidays basically. I'm not sure how long that'll be imposed for but I foresee another summer like last or probably worse.

*5k fine for anyone not playing nicely.
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Dave Barter
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by Dave Barter »

we are thinking of moving back to Swindon 😕
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voodoo_simon
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by voodoo_simon »

How it started
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

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How it ended
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voodoo_simon
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by voodoo_simon »

Right, let’s explain.

Disused golf course by mine, created over a hill and could smell fire. Bit off but a farmer owns it, so maybe they are doing something. No, obviously not! 4 kids were playing with fire and it got the better of them :roll:

Queue them running away and me phoning the fire service. In the space of 10 minutes, it went from a table sized fire to something the size of an average house!!

Not sure how big it would have got if I didn’t call up 999. This was last week, the long grass was dry but the layers below were saturated
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

we are thinking of moving back to Swindon 😕
I wouldn't bother, I went on holiday there once ... there is no hiding place.
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Loki
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by Loki »

Any National Park or AOB is going to be rammed, motorhomes and caravan making it impossible to move, the UK is going to look like the arse end of an illegal rave I suspect, I hope I am wrong.
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by gairym »

Loki wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 1:37 pm ...the UK is going to look like the arse end of an illegal rave I suspect, I hope I am wrong.
It's not a good sign when all that's needed to destroy a country is for is own population not be allowed to leave (and destroy other countries)! :lol:

I am of the opinion that this move is at least as much for political/economic gain as it is anything to do with Covid numbers.
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by ScotRoutes »

It's going to be crap.

I suspect we'll avoid our usual haunts in a small effort to minimise the impact on the locals.

On the other hand, 126,172 deaths and counting. If we can get this under some sort of control then another shitty summer at home is a small price to pay.

My biggest fear is that we have a truly terrible forest/moor fire. Given the weather, conditions and visitor numbers last year there's a widespread feeling wee dodged a bullet. Asking for a second year of good luck might be pushing it.
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by sean_iow »

We'll be ok as long as the pubs are open. The issue last year wasn't so much that they couldn't go abroad but that they couldn't go to 'spoons. If they are all safely in the beer garden the countryside will be safe. Fingers crossed.
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PaulB2
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by PaulB2 »

The problem around here is that the chase proved so popular last summer that cannock council's grand plan to combat that is to close all the laybys and small free carparks while charging for parking at the biggest carpark. It's going to be bedlam in all the surrounding villages.
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by directdrive »

I didn't personally come across anything too egregious last summer, which I understand was very fortunate. I am sure there'll be a lot of repeat episodes.

That said, I think this broad conversation could benefit from some introspection on what fuels attitudes towards the outdoors and the 'commons' in Britain. I don't know the answers; I suspect that part of it is a deeply embedded sense that we have little to no meaningful ownership over outdoor spaces, which is of course based in the material reality of land ownership structures. Having spent a bit of time in New Zealand, a country which is admittedly so different to the UK that it may as well be the Moon, I was really struck by the much more (generally) elevated sense of collective and communal stewardship towards nature and natural assets.

I'm sure we'll see carnage this summer, and people will be rightly upset at grossly terrible individual behaviours that ruin the outdoors for the rest of us. However, what I think we would do well to recognize as a community of outdoor enthusiasts, is that there are a lot of social and economic barriers to really understanding and appreciating the outdoors in this country. We should be careful that our anger and analysis about the issue doesn't start and end with anger and complaining about people's behaviour (which often lapses intentionally or not into classism). Instead I think we should be spurred on to addressing the heart of why this behaviour manifests when people have no choice but to be in the British outdoors - when they otherwise would not be.

Like I said, I haven't got any answers really, just impressions, and everyone was and will be rightly angry about everything that will happen. But, outdoor hobbies and interests are already pretty exclusionary and elitist, and I think as a community we need to do better than just pulling up the drawbridge because it will make the problems worse.
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by fatbikephil »

Dunno why they don't make returnees have a test and isolate, problem solved. In fact if they'd done that a year or so ago we wouldn't be in this (much) mess.....

Bear in mind though, there will be no Europeans visiting (will there ever be again??)and they usually make up the majority of numbers so overall I'd guess that visitor numbers will be roughly the same. Just so long as the politicos penalise the bawbags and not the legit folk... hmm some hope.....
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by summittoppler »

Yeah I can see Snowdonia again being 'overrun'. That said it'll be the honey pot areas as usual. Luckily being local means you know where the quieter places may be.
Thing is with folk turning up and pitching by the car or lighting a BBQ, they don't know any issue with it as they don't know any better. Education and learn by your mistakes is the way to go. I wouldn't mind betting we've all done something daft in our early years and we've all learnt from it. Social media has just brought the issue to most peoples attention.
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Dean
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by Dean »

Perhaps the weather is terrible this summer and it rains every day, then it will return to "normal" and the outdoorsy types will be the only ones in the hills (though I suspect that small rural shops will rely on tourist numbers being huge to be able to survive another Covid year).
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Richard G
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by Richard G »

For what it's worth, that headline date just gives them flexibility.

Without getting overly political, the odds that this government stops their core voter demographic from heading off to Spain / Greece / France come June... slim to none. I guess there is a possibility that they tie it to being fully vaccinated though, in which case, yeah, the UK will be packed with the 18-30 crowd.
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by Cheeky Monkey »

Dunno why they don't make returnees have a test and isolate, problem solved. In fact if they'd done that a year or so ago we wouldn't be in this (much) mess.....
I'm not sure what the reg's are from the date Stu mentions but this is pretty much what is in place at the moment when you return to the UK (10 days isolation) and has been the case since about January. More recently they've added a mandatory testing requirement on Days 2 and 8.

Oh and if you don't answer your landline (who uses a landline nowadays :wink:) they send the Bill round to check you are isolating as stated (guess how I know :roll:).

Or maybe I've misunderstood the comment :cool:
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by Hamish »

Living in the middle of an AONB I find that the biggest issue often isn’t the number of people as much how they get here. The traffic last year when things opened up was pretty horrific and the way people drive, where they drive and park and what they drag with them and leave behind is a problem.
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by faustus »

Yep, long thought that would be the case this year, as travel will be so much trickier, and more expensive even if it is legal. Coast, mountains and national parks will take a particular hammering. Some of it will be an unhappy trade off to ensure the tourism and hospitality industry survives and that's probably fair enough all considered. I totally empathise with people from all walks of life wanting to go somewhere nice/different.

I'm just going to make the most of (hopefully) staying with in-laws and enjoying our local area. On the upside, travelling off road by bike will be a great option for avoiding the worst of the crowds and traffic!
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by benp1 »

The upside is that all the hospitality providers might pull through, and the economy and employment gets a boost from those that have been able to save up disposable cash
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

I really don't think anyone has an issue with people venturing out. I certainly haven't - well, not until the point where people begin to behave like selfish dicks.
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benp1
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by benp1 »

Well in fairness, we've go comments on traffic and above average usage. Obviously I'd prefer it to be quiet but it's good that people are getting out

Treating the countryside disrespectfully is poor form. Always has been and always will be. Sadly those people have always been there, but with more people venturing out the numbers of bad folks also increases. Those are the ones that need education - no fires, carry your rubbish home, pick up dog poo etc
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by Gari »

Bit worrying that adults need educating about taking rubbish home/away and not to leave dog sh*t lying about no?!
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by boxelder »

Hopeful that it won't be as bad as we fear, because they'll be wanting everyone back to work. It seemed, in the Lakes at least, that hot, sunny Weather along with thousands on furlough were key causes. More folk back to work and some standard issue dreich may well help.
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Re: Another busy summer of BBQ, campfires and litter?

Post by MuddyPete »

The DEFRA page on the gov.uk site states:

"How to contact us
To contact us regarding policy enquiries (not covered by the above guidance) please email defra.helpline@defra.gov.uk
You should clearly label your query by subject area to help us allocate your enquiry to the right team."

So I sent them the following e-mail:

"Hello DEFRA,
The Government has announced overseas travel is unlikely during the summer of 2021. How will DEFRA engage with the Great British public to encourage "respectful enjoyment" of the countryside, to avoid repeats of the littering, damage and anti-social behaviour witnessed during the summer of 2020?
Yours sincerely, ...."

A "grass roots" campaign, in so many ways :d
Gotta start somewhere... :-bd.
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