I am concerned that Covid is like the canary in the cage warning of danger ahead. Not just the runaway greenhouse effect that is dangerously affecting all life on earth but, the fact that our prodigious use of oil and gas means that we are now well and truly trapped into using vital hydrocarbons that are getting in shorter supply. We are trapped in total dependency on using ever more oil and gas that are finite and, causing life support systems to fail.
I would like some recognition that we must learn to travel shorter distances in the years ahead and, starting now to cut back to preserve life.
Sacrifice to survive. Restraint for ourselves to give a richer and fuller life to our descendants.
I have found that I don't need to make the six long drives to Scotland to climb the big hills that I did last year. Perhaps, only one in October this year, because of lockdown.
Instead, I have contented myself with local and much closer to home regional walks and explorations as part of my daily coronavirus exercise. I have discovered new walking territory and lower hills. But also many misleading, wrongly mapped and missing footpaths and bridges on the legal definitive map that then get put on the OS maps.
There needs to be an encouragement for members to report the errors to the local authorities so that we don't end up trespassing quite so much! Our maps, as regards the public rights of way (PROW) in England Wales, must become more accurate. Where there is Open Access land, the maps must show the stiles, gates and bridges but the actual PROW from the definitive (often medieval) map must only be shown where they can be seen and actually walked, in my opinion. Why are we still mapping footpaths in open access hill country that go in straight lines or in the most beautiful curves and, through rivers where there is no ford or bridge and, even straight through residential buildings? Although, in this last example, the OS did draw their path around the garden and house. But the legal, definitive map has it straight through someone's home!
So there you have it. Much fun can be had very much nearer to home without doing quite so much damage to our descendants' prospects.
Access to more accurate maps, PLEASE!
Less long-distance travel but more under our own steam with urban, traffic-free cycle-walkways free of mud and puddles.
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