The other thing that pretty much ruins waterfalls for me is people behaving stupidly around them. Where I live anyway, it’s as good as impossible to survive a fall into a waterfall. Rescue can only (maybe) be done by specialists with the right equipment. (Anyone else will also like die, which happens.) But you constantly see people jumping fences, taking silly photos, being completely clueless, and I just can’t. I don’t even want to go near them.
This is why we hike miles. I heard in a report that the National Parks report that the average visitor to Parks hikes .5 mile from their parked car when visiting. So if you wanna get away from the crowds and see beautiful stuff, hike.
Wonderful work! For some reason (possibly the link to your other publication), this piece has put the Kinks' great album 'The Village Green Preservation Society' in the playlist of my head again. I've been tossing about an idea for an essay about that album and this piece may be a sign for me to continue.
Thanks Danny. I have a draft essay titled "The Royal Society for the Protection of the English Village" in the works which might strike a chord. I must have had that song title in the back of my mind when I formulated the title.
As someone who has, for the majority of her life, lived on the edge of the Lake District (southern edge until mid twenties, northern edge from late twenties to now...) I could not agree more!
My own children have rarely, if ever in some cases, been to the honeypot sites. And if they do, it is likely to be grim weather!
My pleasure Ruth, I am glad this piece struck a chord. It was written from bitter experience of being part of the masses - and reading how futile (and damaging) it is/can be. The crowds we experienced in the Jurassic Coast a few years back were pretty horrific - simply too many people for the sites to manage.
Living now in Sedbergh, I am please that it seems to be off the beaten tourist trail and is relatively quiet. Long may it continue.
I saw this degradation of beautiful places especially in Norway. Every waterfall had its own souvenir shop and a snack bar right next to it. While I also like to buy some souvenirs (like magnets), I found these buildings mostly annoying. Another major disappointment was Mount Saint Michel in France. From the outside, the mound with the monastery looked magnificent but the streets within were so crowded that we left as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, if you have school-age children, it is very hard to visit such places outside of peak season as long as they are not within reach of a short drive. So, only two options remain, going early, which is not that easy with children, or going somewhere where not that many people are. Luckily, we discovered quite a few beautiful places this way.
Yes.
The other thing that pretty much ruins waterfalls for me is people behaving stupidly around them. Where I live anyway, it’s as good as impossible to survive a fall into a waterfall. Rescue can only (maybe) be done by specialists with the right equipment. (Anyone else will also like die, which happens.) But you constantly see people jumping fences, taking silly photos, being completely clueless, and I just can’t. I don’t even want to go near them.
Indeed, the picturesque may be beautiful and tempting - but it still deserves our respect.
This is why we hike miles. I heard in a report that the National Parks report that the average visitor to Parks hikes .5 mile from their parked car when visiting. So if you wanna get away from the crowds and see beautiful stuff, hike.
Now this is excellent advice!
Wonderful work! For some reason (possibly the link to your other publication), this piece has put the Kinks' great album 'The Village Green Preservation Society' in the playlist of my head again. I've been tossing about an idea for an essay about that album and this piece may be a sign for me to continue.
Thanks Danny. I have a draft essay titled "The Royal Society for the Protection of the English Village" in the works which might strike a chord. I must have had that song title in the back of my mind when I formulated the title.
Perfection!
As someone who has, for the majority of her life, lived on the edge of the Lake District (southern edge until mid twenties, northern edge from late twenties to now...) I could not agree more!
My own children have rarely, if ever in some cases, been to the honeypot sites. And if they do, it is likely to be grim weather!
You write it so excellently though.
Thank you.
My pleasure Ruth, I am glad this piece struck a chord. It was written from bitter experience of being part of the masses - and reading how futile (and damaging) it is/can be. The crowds we experienced in the Jurassic Coast a few years back were pretty horrific - simply too many people for the sites to manage.
Living now in Sedbergh, I am please that it seems to be off the beaten tourist trail and is relatively quiet. Long may it continue.
I saw this degradation of beautiful places especially in Norway. Every waterfall had its own souvenir shop and a snack bar right next to it. While I also like to buy some souvenirs (like magnets), I found these buildings mostly annoying. Another major disappointment was Mount Saint Michel in France. From the outside, the mound with the monastery looked magnificent but the streets within were so crowded that we left as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, if you have school-age children, it is very hard to visit such places outside of peak season as long as they are not within reach of a short drive. So, only two options remain, going early, which is not that easy with children, or going somewhere where not that many people are. Luckily, we discovered quite a few beautiful places this way.