Wild campers should be tamed, not banned

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/26/wild-camping-campers-scotland

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In Scotland over the weekend, a keen canoeist mentioned a ban on wild camping in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, which comes into force next spring.

During a previous visit this summer, I befriended a couple of young roofers from Glasgow who also said how upset they were about this ban, which prevents camping on about 150km of loch shore, the most attractive and accessible part of a national park that is less than a hour’s drive away for half of Scotland’s population.

It’s not just three people: Ramblers Scotland, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and even SportScotland, a government agency, are opposed to new bylaws approved by the Scottish government, which will limit camping to 300 places in designated areas in the national park.

Balancing our access to the countryside with the rights of other species and a pristine landscape is a difficult dilemma. At times, the most harmless human enjoyment is in direct conflict with other animals: an increase in walking, for instance, has caused some shoreline-nesting birds to plummet in number on remote beaches.

In Scotland, where wild camping is widely permitted, I see plenty of notices about the “leave no trace” principles – some illustrated with a trowel – to teach you how to dispose of your business. Unfortunately the lochside ban has been triggered by abandoned tents, horrendous litter and, yes, shitting in the woods.

The ban symbolises a government giving up on trying to improve behaviour. Unruly camping could be cleaned up with better education and enforcement. The canoeist told me of a Loch Lomond police officer who on finding partying campers throwing away beer cans would take their details and tell them that if they were gone – without a trace – in the morning he’d tear up the charge. It worked every time. Wild camping has helped Scotland maintain a healthier culture of enjoying nature than England. My Glaswegian mates were urban twentysomethings but they eschewed Ibiza for the equally lively (and far cheaper) holiday of fishing, drinking and camping in the Highlands. It would be tragic if this was regulated out of existence.

Gunning for rare birds

Chris Packham was last week cleared by the BBC Trust of “bias” after daring to campaign against the illegal killing of wildlife. With the Countryside Alliance still seeking the extinction of this brilliant broadcaster on the BBC, it’s brave of Packham to petition for a moratorium on the legal shooting of three rare and declining birds – woodcock (down 76% over 25 years), snipe (down 87%) and golden plover.

I’ve never seen the roding of a male woodcock, its magically strange squeaking flight over woodlands at dusk, but last winter I did spot 14 dead woodcock from a local shoot on sale in a nearby butcher shop. I don’t think we should stop people enjoying the countryside by shooting birds if they really must, but we could at least pause the shooting of rarities. Our burgeoning wood pigeon population should be enough to satiate the appetite of the keenest shot.

Switching the stick

Six hundred abandoned bodyboards were collected from three south-west beaches in one month this summer and another smaller item is now the subject of a surfer-led campaign. Our shores are littered with cotton bud sticks, which don’t need to be made of plastic. City to Sea is campaigning for manufacturers to “switch the stick” from plastic to paper. We can sign up and change buying habits. Hopefully this sensible switch won’t be as long in coming as England’s plastic bag charge, which celebrates its first birthday next week.