Ben Nevis under threat from Booted Foot!

[Defender]

It seems that the Three Peaks Challenge is causing major issues.
Details HERE

The problems caused by so many booted feet tramping up Britain’s highest mountain will come to a head later this month with a summit meeting between charity representatives and Ben Nevis’s authorities.

Irresponsible users also occur in the walking community:

the strains put on the mountain by so many walkers, many of whom are not ‘mountain-savvy’ and leave a trail of litter, food and other detritus.

and it's not just Ben Nevis:

The problems are felt elsewhere on the Three Peaks route, notably Wasdale

Erosion has increased and the fragile, semi-arctic environment is suffering serious damage.

Now if this was a Greenlaning issue, there would be an outcry to close the lanes immediately.

The comments of Ms Goring make for interesting reading.
Paying for access to lanes, quotas, permits, proving good responsible use, etc have been suggested as one solution to the Greenlaning issue, but the Anti's still want a complete ban on MPV's on the lanes.

[Boddle]

 Interesting to see how you would enforce this especially with walkers right to roam in national parks.

[SWEETY]

I read in 4x4mag that Ben Nevis has been scaled in a motor vehicle once & said motor was an old Ford model T :shock: :clap: :clap:

[william127]

been done a few times, think the last was a 90 in the 80s  :-k

[Disco Matt]

IIRC the main problem with getting a vehicle up there (apart from the need to get permission as there's no right of way) is that there is a boggy section at the base. I seem to recall seeing a vehicle with what were described as "bog clogs" - they looked like plastic dustbins with wooden battens nailed to them to form a similar tread pattern to a dumper tyre. These were fitted to the standard wheels for the boggy section and removed for the final ascent where there is very little room!

[carracarra13]

I must admit my feelings run very high on these subjects the old double standerds , if walkers have the right to roam why cant every one else? shurly we could get enough support (theres enough of us ) if we stuck together' how do you think the walkers got such strong support,  lets actualy do somthing instead of winging about it and show as many pepole as possible we  ARE RISPONCIABLE 4x4ERS why not put our responcible laning vids on you tube etc draw lots of attention to the fact that we ALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO ACCESS THE COUNTRYSIDE,

as for lane closures if a road is closed it should be closed to ALL AS IT COULD BE CLASSED AS PREJUDICED and I thought we were ment to have equal  rights, could this be used in a legal right act? after all if some one in the street said oh you cant come down hear I dont like the coulor of you it would be rightfully considered raciest shure the princiable of civile rights is the same hear

[mike142sl]

Quote
The problems caused by so many booted feet tramping up Britain’s highest mountain will come to a head later this month with a summit meeting between charity representatives and Ben Nevis’s authorities.

Now is this 'summit' meeting what I think it means  :doh:

[Chris Putt]

THis arguement has been around for years. Its a major issue for any well walked route, all of the NPAs have to tackle this year round. The real question is this. Should there even be a path the less accessible it is the less people will attempt an ascent? Cairngorn is possibly worse off than Nevis.......

 As an outdoor instructor I pretty much take the view, let the tourists stick to nevis/snowdon (sacraficially) etc and erode them and let all the other mountains remain less accessible, that way I/my clients can enjoy these other sites in a relatively undisturbed manner.

[V8MoneyPit]

THis arguement has been around for years. Its a major issue for any well walked route, all of the NPAs have to tackle this year round. The real question is this. Should there even be a path the less accessible it is the less people will attempt an ascent? Cairngorn is possibly worse off than Nevis.......

 As an outdoor instructor I pretty much take the view, let the tourists stick to nevis/snowdon (sacraficially) etc and erode them and let all the other mountains remain less accessible, that way I/my clients can enjoy these other sites in a relatively undisturbed manner.

Hmm... interesting thought. But I wonder if Nevis would have become so popular if it was less accessible in the first place. Maybe so. We only have to look at the junk left up Everest to realise there are more 'intrepid' louts around than we might think.

[ChrisV8]

It's the age old problem the Bobblies wreck the Fells and very few can be bothered to help to repair the damage. This appeal has been out for years, they have lots of money and few volunteers

http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/lakesguide/4050545.Conservation_volunteers_needed_on_fells/

but if we ask for money for the BOATS and UCRs "there isn't any money" how strange, it took ages to get the Coach Road repaired but they have made a really good job of it.

[Defender]

I had an interesting site meeting with the National Park, Cumbria CC, the local farmer & other members of the Cumbria Countryside Access MPV Sub Group on a couple of lanes in Colton Parish in Cumbria on Thursday & some of the views expressed were very interesting.....
....I'll post details soon.

[Chris Putt]

It is a massive problem, The intrepid 'Louts' you mention sadly, are the product of the stigma attached to everest.- Its a big market now getting people to the top of everest, the problem is now that too many people are basically due to the availability of support and guides who are willing to take vast sums of money to do so. Unfortunately the costs to the mountain are great, as you have mentioned the amount of equipment discarded by those desperate to make it, most of it (from what I have read) being depleted oxygen bottles, which then never get removed due to the diffficult nature of the terrain.

It is a dichotomy, do we encourage people to go out and experience the outdoors and get fit and see things outside of the urban sprawl at the expense of our countryside, or do we keep quiet, and let it all remain inaccessible, at the expense of allowing people to have these wilderness experiences.

Is rebuilding footpaths the way- or by doing this (often by bringing in stone that is not native) are we actually ruining the natural environment further? Are 'scars' created by footpaths actually scars or are they just an acceleration of a natural process? after all- How many times have we walked up a sheep track?

In the Mean time, Stick to the paths guys and don't scare the wildlife!!!!!!!!

Chris