In a Venn diagram that shows the intersection between
farming, country walking and tourism I find myself firmly at the centre, a foot
in every circle. Walking gives me access to the fells of my Yorkshire Dales upbringing,
my farming family provides an understanding of rural communities and the need
for walkers to respect farm life, and producing guide books allows me to
encourage walkers into the Dales, bringing in much needed income.
For many years this has been a joyful place to be. Until
Coronavirus when tensions erupted.
Farmers were desperate for people to stay away, terrified of
being struck down with Covid-19, especially at lambing time when they were
working 20 hour days, often alone with no-one to take over in a crisis. Frightened
village communities with their elderly populations and lack of medical
facilities tried to ban visitors. Walkers resented footpaths being blocked and
gates tied up when they were legitimately walking from home. People who’d never
visited the Dales before descended on beauty spots in huge numbers, parking in
gateways, lighting fires, leaving litter and worse. And in the middle of all
this the government were encouraging businesses to continue to trade if
possible.
How could I with a small business promote guidebooks that
encourage people to walk in the Dales knowing the dangers to a way of life I
love so much? How could I, a passionate champion of Rights of Way, condone a
chained gate or ‘Keep Out’ sign however much I understood the fear? It was a
difficult and uncomfortable place to be.
As lockdown lifts I hope very much that bridges can be built
and good relations restored between town and country. As more leisure facilities open up the
pressure on rural beauty spots will ease. An afternoon in a beer garden will
become more attractive to some than a drive to Ribblesdale. Holidays abroad
will be possible by late summer. Holiday cottages, camp sites and caravan parks
are opening as I write and will bring in much needed tourism £££s. Walkers will
return, many of us avoiding farmyards and fields of stock if possible and heading
for the fells.
And I will start promoting routes again – especially A Dales
High Way.
