For whom do our national parks exist? Are they for everyone to enjoy, whatever their favoured activity? Or are they purely for lovers of peace, tranquillity and the silence of the countryside?
The issue which has polarised opinion is whether 4x4s and motorbikes should be allowed to use a few of the old farm and quarry tracks in the Lake District. It is a debate which will rumble on into 2021, and probably beyond.
In August 2020, a judge ruled that the National Park Authority acted lawfully in allowing the use to continue, but that didn’t bring an end to the controversy.
Campaigners who had taken the authority to court immediately said they would fight on. They claim the passing of time and the tide of public opinion will inevitably result in such activities being banned eventually.
And the LDNPA itself recognised they would have to do more to reconcile the two sides of the argument. It has promised to set up a new management group to monitor the activities in 2021.
In a sense we have been here before: when the 10mph speed limit was imposed on Windermere. Lovers of noisy machines – in that case jet-skis and motorboats – clashed with those seeking peace and quiet. In that case tranquility won and the hospitality industry has thrived ever since.
But that debate was like a pebble in a pond compared with the glacial fury and abuse hurled about over allowing 4x4s and motorbikes to use Tilberthwaite Road and High Oxen Fell Road in Little Langdale, including land which was bequeathed to the National Trust by author and environmentalist Beatrix Potter.
Bu hikaye Lancashire Life dergisinin November 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Lancashire Life dergisinin November 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
A Shopper's Paradise
‘Anything is possible’ is the boast of a famous Knightsbridge shop and it could equally apply to Clitheroe, where shoppers come eager to pick up something just that little bit different, especially in the run-up to Christmas
Back from the brink?
There are signs hedgehog numbers might be recovering, and we can all do our bit to help them, says Alan Wright of Lancashire Wildlife Trust
Memories of a LANCASHIRE CHILDHOOD
Blackburn-born Sara Foster has had a string of bestsellers on the other side of the world. With her latest novel now out, she reflects on her Lancashire roots
The tale of BEATRIX'S VALLEY
Land once owned by Beatrix Potter is at the heart of a noisy row over how we enjoy the Lake District
Liverpool's pyramid scheme
We’ve seen the shape of things to come – and it’s a pyramid. But are you ready to spend the afterlife piled high with 34,591 other people in Toxteth?
Around the world in 2000 paintings
Preston artist Martyn Hanks has spent 60 years globetrotting with his paints and brushes
WALKING THE BORDER
This glorious walk in the hills around Earby takes a peek over the county line
We will remember them
For a hundred years the Cenotaph has been the focal point for a nation’s grief, but few know its connection to Kirkby Lonsdale
A pawfect day out
The grounds of Holker Hall at Cartmel are a favourite with human and canine visitors
A LEGACY of LOVE
An unusual war memorial in Lancaster is a haven for wildlife and young people from the city