or ‘Normal Service is Resumed’
Part 1
A schlep up to Stanedge Pole to see the extent of the gate damage. Some time from Thu evening the new barrier at Dennis Knoll has had the lock cropped, as has the gate behind it, as has the gate over the Causeway midway between the pole and the res.
Reference is #1039 23 May @derbyshireconstabulary if anyone knows ‘owt.
You may see the advisory touch of @eastern_moors_partnership (and my photos 😉) in the new post from @outside.co.uk regarding keeping fire out of the @peakdistrictnationalpark – a doff of the cap to them for using their money and platform to record and publish that message 👍👍
And on that note, after chatting to 4 lovely cycle tourists at Redmires on their way over to Castleton, i ended up pleading with 3 separate groups intent on heading up to the Pole armed with the new supersized disposable barbecues.
In fairness they did all see sense …. but i’ve no idea where their Plan B location is !!
Part 2
Between the EMP and the PDNP / BMC rangers we dealt with 12 incidents of people either walking in to woodland / moorland ‘armed’ with a disposable BBQ, or campers with a lit BBQ or campfire last night.
And that was only in the north end of the EMP patch and nearby areas. We were too flat out busy to get round all of the Eastern Moors.
For balance we did also chat to several campers that had a discreet set up and didn’t feel the urge or need to set fire to anything. For imbalance we also chatted to a group that broight ao much shit ‘wildcamping’ with them that they needed a wheelbarrow to cart it all the 400m from the lay-by.
The moors, valleys and woodlands were alive with birdsong last night, long eared owl and nightjar amongst the stars of the chorus.
Trying to normalise your actions by using sentences akin to the Kinder Trespass, ‘we’re just hardworking people coming out of the city to enjoy the countryside’, doesn’t really ‘cut the mustard’ when the enjoyment involves having a fire in bone dry woodland in a protected landscape.
There was also a hare-coursing incident last night for some of the local farmers, and the early shift of rangers have observed and reported several incidents of fly-tipping this morning.
P.S. The gamekeeper for Featherbed Moss (the area devastated by the wildfire 3 weeks ago), counted 47 campfires in Snake Woodland last night adjacent to his moor.
Have a lovely weekend.
Please remain vigilant to the risk of fire and ring it in if you see it 🙏👍📞999🚒.