GIVE NATURE A CHANCE

“The wind maketh the dunes and the sea taketh.” That biblical cadence captures the truth of our shorelines: beaches and dunes are never fixed, but in constant flux. Yet again and again, landowners and local authorities try to “hold the line” against waves and tides, pouring money into rock, concrete, and sand fences. The result?…

Leave access to chance and people carve desire lines through crops, lambing fields and bogs—everyone loses. The answer isn’t finger-wagging or a thicket of signs; it’s picking the right route form and putting it where people actually want to go. Done well, paths channel traffic onto robust ground, protect fences and margins, and cut dog-livestock…

Scotland’s countryside—and too many historic sites—now read like bureaucratic noticeboards: layer on layer of “don’t do this” and “warning that,” each with a different logo, tone and font. It’s clutter masquerading as care. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code already sets the ground rules, yet every estate, council, NGO and attraction adds its own mini-code until…

I’m past my best before date by a few years. I am always interested in rubbish, and this one is a fascinating piece

Ward 6 is a predominantly rural area situated some 40 minutes from Edinburgh by car. With a rich diversity of outdoor recreation sites that are also internationally important for wildlife and habitats, there was growing concern about the impact of increasing pressures from rising visitor numbers, especially those arriving by motorised transport. However, the gradual…

A while back now, in 2021 I put together some materials and suggestions for better managing tourism impacts post pandemic. One idea didn’t make it into the final report but is published on these pages. Essentially a series of home printable posters with simple and consistent messaging promoting also the outdoor access code. Each message…