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spencer
spencer
3071 posts

Modern times
Apr 22, 2019, 23:51
We decided to visit Upleatham and neighbouring Patterson's Bank round barrows near Middlesbrough this evening...smoke over the wood as we approached. A fire engine near the car park and another at the start of the path into the wood. Climbing up to Patterson's it turned out it was these days a favourite place for scrambler bikes, deep ruts biting into the corestone. Then to it's neighbour: the fire had burnt a wide area right up the hillside to its base and it still smouldered despite fire crews efforts. The smoke still hung heavy in the air. Returning to the car park three lads who we'd seen up there were by their VW Golfs chugging away on their fags, looking pleased with themselves. Pix on TMA to follow. Not in mood tonight : (
moss
moss
2897 posts

Edited Apr 23, 2019, 08:06
Re: Modern times
Apr 23, 2019, 06:23
spencer wrote:
We decided to visit Upleatham and neighbouring Patterson's Bank round barrows near Middlesbrough this evening...smoke over the wood as we approached. A fire engine near the car park and another at the start of the path into the wood. Climbing up to Patterson's it turned out it was these days a favourite place for scrambler bikes, deep ruts biting into the corestone. Then to it's neighbour: the fire had burnt a wide area right up the hillside to its base and it still smouldered despite fire crews efforts. The smoke still hung heavy in the air. Returning to the car park three lads who we'd seen up there were by their VW Golfs chugging away on their fags, looking pleased with themselves. Pix on TMA to follow. Not in mood tonight : (


It is all very demoralising the moors on fire, due to carelessness, and of course deliberate lighting of fires. How do you protect them? The fire on the moors in West Yorkshire seems to have been started by one of these ready made barbecue trays.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/apr/22/huge-area-of-yorkshire-moorland-destroyed-by-fire-barbecue

Also don't forget it has been so dry the last few months, it is criminal to waste water from the reservoirs putting them out. Basically people will have to be kept off the moors, the wild life damage is also severe, the curlew already in decline, the hares and grouse....
spencer
spencer
3071 posts

Re: Modern times
Apr 23, 2019, 11:42
I spoke to the fire crew oppo, it was too far away to get water hoses to, they'd had to beat it out mainly. Lots of other callouts over the hol weekend.. plus they're volunteers, a lot of them remember. The guys missus had sent him a pic of her eating supper holding a glass of wine. It was quite a big one in a wood, the trees should survive but all else charred. Pix'll give gist later. As for what the effing bikes had done to the cairn: rather saddened and cross is understatement.
Monganaut
Monganaut
2375 posts

Re: Modern times
Apr 23, 2019, 20:06
Sorry to hear about your experience. In my neck of the woods it's mountain bikers ripping up the paths and making lots of new 'scars' where there were none before on the Clent Hills. It's got proper popular in the last 18 months or so. I'm not bemoaning the visitors, just the usual small minority that destroy the reason people wanna come for. Bluebell times at the minute, so lovely and fragrant when you get off the beaten path.
spencer
spencer
3071 posts

Re: Modern times
Apr 23, 2019, 23:22
Bluebells burnt to cinders yesterday. Hope the bulbs survived. Must've been quite a blaze at its height...and also fear that perpetrators if deliberate will be back.
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