UKC

Dow Crag

Hi All,

Its taken me a while to gather my thoughts on this so its a bit late to be posting about it really. However, it's been nagging at me all week so here we go. I went for an early morning adventure run up the walna scar road on sunday morning, hoping to get up to dow and do some easy scrambles (though the weather put paid to that!). About a mile up the track I was surprised to find a bunch of parked cars and vans and a bunch of people (climbers by the looks of their appearance) having a party, replete with loud music and what looked like cocktails! I wouldn't want to spoil the fun, and was a bit of a figure on my local party scene in the 90s, but the music had ludicrously offensive and base lyrics which I could hear it way up the hill. it did seem to me that the new generation don't care about such behaviour, and i was worried about whether it might spoil access situations for climbing, green laning, and other activities people use the area for. Back in my day we might crank up some trance on the car stereo and dance around the car park, but with this scaling up of both volume and offensiveness, have things been taken too far?

In reply to Al Onsight:
I was up there also on sunday morning and was surprised to find the mentioned scene too, as we weren't able to hear anything in Coniston. Think it was winding down when I walked past though, and I didn't hear any of the offensive music, just sounded like fairly standard techno to me. Being a keen party goer myself I a chat to a group outside the tent they had set up and they seemed like a thoroughly lovely bunch of coconuts. Was pleased to see on my way down a few hours later that they were giving the site a thorough cleanup, didn't look like anyone had been there. I don't think occassional parties in this fashion would really harm access, so long as the site is left clean and the music doesnt continue well into the daylight hours

In reply to bensilvestre:

from my experience these are secret preplanned events where they give a care to where they go, so they don't upset people with the noise or litter, last thing they want is a 1am police arrival when they are off their faces. Most car park litter comes from people who are random visitors who ought to know better, the lazy and the young. There isn't anything can be done for them, lost cause, better to target the next generation from nursery age upwards and teach some more respect for their environment.

In reply to bensilvestre:


+1 Didn't chat to them but didn't hear any offensive music and was pleased to see they had a 'leave no trace' attitude.

As has been said above - they were obviously climbers - but they also obviously gave a sh*t about the place they had chosen for a party. I was impressed the only trace of them having been there was some flattened grass. If it had looked a mess I would have gone back up to see what state it was in when they left but I was confident there was no need.

Presumably the land around there is CRoW land so access is unlikely to be pulled?

Al Onsight - what time did you go past them? Did you speak to any of them? As Ben has said above they seemed like nice people, I'm sure if you had asked them to turn the music down/off/to something less offensive they would have obliged.

In reply to Al Onsight:

Interested to know what the offensive words were?

Also, cocktails? Had you stumbled into Great Gatsby?

In reply to Al Onsight:

What the hell is an adventure run?

In reply to The New NickB:

By definition, it has to involve at least one river crossing without a bridge, a chase-or-fight scene with wolves, a bear, or a dragon, and a sudden change of route do to landslide/volcano/black magic/similar.

In reply to Al Onsight:

If they'd driven a mile up the track from the end of the road then they were indeed breaking the law as you're no longer allowed to drive beyond the car park. I've no idea whether this could have any impact on access, but my guess would be not.

In reply to summo:

Having a party in an area commonly used for semi-wild camping seems to go against this?

In reply to Supersonic:

Do you really think so? I suspect the most that would have happened would have been a temporary turning down of the volume, turned back up again after 10 minutes or so.

In reply to Al Onsight:

I was at a party this weekend. Our cocktails, dancing and general merriment were upset by an adventure runner scowling and tutting at us.

The bad feeling from this gentleman and his selfish attitude took the shine off our normally cheery tidy up session afterwards.

In reply to bensilvestre:
>
so long as.... the music doesnt continue well into the daylight hours
>
>

Sod the daylight hours, what about the night hours!!!?? Doesn't anyone think of the sheep....?

In reply to The New NickB:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E_ELfUMcNP0/VEsG-DXFboI/AAAAAAAA0DM/IwSSyEch4JU/s...

In reply to The New NickB:

Like a wild swim but a bit drier maybe ?

In reply to Al Onsight:

Good to see the tradition of parties up there being carried on. It's been a thing for well over 20 years or so now, and nice to hear that the leave no trace ethic has been continued. We all worship the outdoors and freedom in our own way.

In reply to Al Onsight:

This is one of the reasons that the LDNPA have apparently pushed Rydal Estates to apply for planning permission to turn the informal fell parking area into a pay and display car park, with bollards/embankment/barriers to stop encroachment onto the open fell and Walna Scar Road. Given the way the LDNPA override popular opinion, including locals on other matters, this will go through. And payment will likely be enforced with NPR cameras/etc in the same way all the other LDNPA operated (not that its been said directly but you can bet they will) CP's have gone.

In reply to Supersonic:

I would have talked to them but, in all honestly, I was a little scared. As I went by the lyrics of the gangster music they were playing were 'I'm gonna tear this mother****er up. I didn't want to be that mother****er!

In reply to Al Onsight:

Those guys weren't having an illegal rave - they'd gone for an adventure dance.

In reply to Al Onsight:

You were scared of people drinking cocktails and listening to dodgy hip hop? Does Paul Dacre get all your money?

In reply to Dom Whillans:

I'm struggling to think of something less gangster than drinking cocktails outside a campervan in the lake district.

In reply to Trangia:

I think the "sheep" are the folk who think that paying for an unnecessary " Pay and Display " car park is a good idea

Sorry, wrong thread.



I live in Coniston and have been keeping a closer eye than usual at the parking and litter up on the Walna Scar Road.

I mountain biked past on Sunday and had a chat with the party, all nice lads and no mess whatsoever, so no problem.

No noise in the village, don't get me started about the party goers in the self catering houses in the village and the parking on double yellow lines causing chaos with the traffic flow and the shouting piss heads staggering back to the campsite. I suggest they might be the anti social ones?

In reply to Rick Graham:


I try to avoid the main campsites and wild camp instead to avoid the aforementioned piss heads. It seems that even wild camping you can't get away from them now....

In reply to Al Onsight:


Green laning by its definition would mean land rovers up the track as far as a car can get and beyond and its at no risk as it's not sanctioned access as its in breach of the bridleway.

In my experience land rovers tearing up, down and often off a track causes far more damage than what people have said was a tidy party and poses a real risk to cyclists, runners, horse riders etc. as well, definitely greater than some rude music.