UKH

Cycled to Hodge close this eve. Tents all over the place, empty beer cans and general mess. Many many people camping and in vans. Many others pitched by the nearby river. Lots of open fires. I spoke to a few of the campers, in a reasonable way, but was meet with pretty solid aggression.

The place is currently a dreadful mess and will likely be far worse tomorrow.

After speaking to some nearby residents, who are well and truly fed up, it seems access is now under threat due to the camping and littering. Some of the overnighters are climbers, maybe even reading this. Please consider the possible problems you may be creating and find a campsite

In reply to Mark Eddy: Hi Mark, the same problem is occurring all over the Lake District (and in many other areas of the UK). I’ve never known anything like it. Today is the busiest day in the Lake District I’ve ever seen. 

In reply to shantaram:

Agreed. Feels pretty close to boiling point to be honest.

Totally understand the desire folk have to get away into a National Park, but why then trash the place, it's a crazy. I feel so sad about it

In reply to Mark Eddy:

Thing is I suspect a lot of these people would be getting out of their faces in some Mediterranean shithole. They didn't go to the Lakes to enjoy the scenery and visit Wordsworth's house.

In reply to Mark Eddy:

Yes this summer has been a shock to me. English national parks just can't cope with the number and shitty behaviour of visitors. Remember when proper lockdown was eased up and people literally burned some beauty spots down? And now the litter is everywhere. It kind of feels like the beginning of the end and the spoiling of what little nice places we have left in England. Not sure how things are in Scotland and Wales.

In reply to Mark Eddy:

Still, look on the bright side, the Spanish must be enjoying the tw*t sabbatical? 

In reply to Mark Eddy:

Same problem at Masson Lees yesterday morning. Tents, campfire, empty cans everywhere. 

In reply to chadogrady:

Did they clean it up?

In reply to Mark Eddy:

Maybe the problem is that few campsites are open and those that are have restricted numbers. Thus people are driven to wild camp. Then there are all the folk who would normally be abroad. Absolutely no excuse for not clearing up after yourself though. I can't understand people who don't. I am in despair at the awful amount of trash and human excrement around. I fear it will lead to places being closed off. I notice that the stupid parking in Wales has led to even less parking available then there used to be.

In reply to shantaram:

It’s terrible at the moment, as a proud Cumbrian and a resident, all be it a mile outside the NP, I despair at what the Lakes has become, the lack of respect people are showing to not only the fells but people’s home is unbelievable, something needs to be done as it’s at breaking point.

We were in Keswick very early on Thursday, by the time we had come back to town at around midday it was crammed to busting, I haven’t seen anything like it in 30 years of being in the Lakes, it’s pretty much a no go zone for residents now, I’m certainly giving it a wide berth and sticking to the less well known and frequented areas.

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

I was discussing this last night, best to be sanguine about it. The current wave of visitors will die down and things will return to how they were. While the lakes have been busier, I haven't personally witnessed any great madness and I wonder how much is increase in visitors and how much is media exaggeration.

Take comfort in your location and the advantages it gives you. Snatched sunny days in November, grabbing the best winter conditions after work on a weekday, sun baked may evenings on a deserted Scafell. Tourist chaos is a small price to pay for this. 

In reply to Presley Whippet:

Totally true.

In reply to Presley Whippet:

We went down Borrowdale last Friday to take a few friends climbing, the crag was nice and quiet and we had a lovely day but the valley was rammed with cars everywhere and I mean everywhere! cars parked along in rows in places where I have never seen cars parked before, the buses and local delivery drivers were having trouble getting down. 

Like you say I wont be going again until the winter. 

In reply to petegunn:

Understandable though, not many folk keen on car sharing. This potentially quadruples the number of cars, even out of season this would cause difficulties. Go early/late let the visitors have the main part of the day, they pay a lot of people's wages. 

In reply to Wft:

I don’t know. They were still there when I left at midday. I think they had gone back to sleep in their tents. 

In reply to Mark Eddy:

Likewise at Foggintor On Dartmoor last night. Tbf everyone looked like they were keeping it clean so good on them, but pressure on National Parks everywhere. Will Vixen very close by and nearby Swell Tor allegedly banned in previous years, it’s easy to see how trouble could spread here. I believe Bellever and another spot have already been banned as wild camping locations. 

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

As some have said, there are still quiet places for those who know. However, if you add in the damage done by the National Park Authority as the managers rather than the customers, viz cash crop willow plantations, inappropriate tree planting, devastation of bracken expansion, destruction of views, vistas and open scenery, urbanisation, commercialisation, over-development, cash exploitation of locals' parking rights, removal of sheep, blocking of parking places and pull-offs, you have a perfect storm of environmental and cultural degradation of the locals' heritage. You could say the place is fcuk'd, but some are fighting back.
DC

In reply to Mark Eddy:

I'm on the Pembrokeshire coast 5 miles from Tenby and the last couple of weeks have been the busiest I've ever seen, but talk of the end of days seems like a gross exaggeration (in this area at lest) the vast majority of people are well behaved and sensible. 

It only takes one small group to not take their rubbish have home and it really stands out as it is rare, but this must be about 1% of our total visitors would do something like that.

And, come September it will be quiet again.

In reply to Mark Eddy:

I've heard a few people mention that there have been whole camping set ups abandoned on dartmoor Glastonbury styleeee

In reply to Mark Eddy:

Whilst it has a certain post industrial beauty I am not sure Hodge Hole would be my first choice of holiday venues. 

Any idea how Walna Scar is fairing? 

In reply to Presley Whippet:

Hodge is a bit of an odd choice for holidays for sure.

Have been avoiding Walna Scar so don't know how things are there 

In reply to Mark Eddy:

I think another thread referred to this - can we stop talking about 'Wild camping' in relation to these incidents. It is 'Fly camping' closely related to 'Fly-tipping'.

In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Fly camping indeed, it's dreadful. I didn't refer to it as wild camping, because it certainly isn't.

In reply to Mark Eddy:

Quite so - it was other responders who used the term, sorry if I tarred you with the same brush.

In reply to Mark Eddy:

Different people use the term "wild camping" in different ways. Nobody has sole right to it.

In reply to Robert Durran:

It's only wild if you growl and claw at the air whilst doing it. Same for swimming, cycling, bouldering, dogging. 

In reply to Presley Whippet:

Bzzzzzzzzz!  Surely, wild dogging is a 'deviation'?

In reply to Dave Cundy:

Only in a gimp mask. 

In reply to Presley Whippet:

Was up there today. Very busy and there were a few vans that had driven up the track a bit with full car camping setups on the open hillside, tables and chairs out etc. Saw one guy in a 4x4 with rooftop tent who looked like he was living out some kind of safari fantasy.

Most had gone when we were heading back to the car park, there was a few bits of tissue etc in one spot but didn't notice anything worse. Looked like a few people setting up for the night in the main carpark too.

Been round there a few times over the last couple of weeks, it's been busy every time but today the 'wild camping' setups were noticeably more over the top than what I've seen before. I guess some of it might be down to people not being able to get spaces in a campsite