Dave Wise: Beyond the crowds
The Winter 2009 edition of walk featured the article The paths less travelled – Top alternatives to Britain’s walking hotspots. It told of unspoiled countryside to be found near crowded destinations such as Mam Tor, Snowdon and Ben Nevis. I thought it well written, very readable and totally irresponsible…
Many years ago, as a novice travel writer, I asked the great walker and author Sir Wilfred Thesiger what he’d meant with the words ‘We all kill the things we love’. “Well,” he replied, “we love a place for its solitude and wild beauty, then we publicize it and by doing so encourage others to visit and kill what it is we most love about it.”
I know many places that I’d describe as paradise, partly because they’re beautiful, un-crowded and tranquil and partly because they’re not suffering from the general destruction that large numbers of walkers create. I could tell you more about those places but I won’t, not because you’re not worthy of them but because there’s thousands of walkers reading this, not just you. And if I told you all about a peaceful paradise, exactly how long d’you think it would stay that way?
So my lips are staying shut, except to say the following; if you want unspoilt areas to hike in there’s no need for me or any other travel writer to spill the beans, you just need to start reading between the lines of any guidebook. Focus on the areas it omits and look them up on Google Earth or regular survey maps. It won’t take long to find places that look interesting but which are barely mentioned (if at all) in any mainstream guidebook. Google phrases like ‘light pollution maps’, ‘cleanest UK freshwater rivers and lakes’ or ‘most remote areas UK’ (this phrase leads to an insurance site that reveals the 10 remotest places in Britain – you never know where your info will come from!). Then just pack your rucksack and take a chance.
Many would say that this is all too much trouble. Why not simply read an ‘Away from the crowds’ article instead? My reply would be, if it’s too much trouble to find paradise for yourself then maybe the litter bin will always be too distant, the path too narrow to walk on or silence not as comfortable as iPod sounds and mobile ringtones. And if that’s so, maybe it’s best you stick with Ben Nevis or Scafell Pike.
I hope it’s not too much trouble for you though. There are lonely Peak District fells waiting for you. And deserted mountains a few hours walk from over-hiked Kilimanjaro. And tropical islands devoid of cars and electricity but packed with great walking and snorkelling. You’ll benefit from seeing these places, without a doubt, and somewhere down the line, they’ll benefit from seeing you too.
For more of Dave’s writing, please visit www.davewise.biz
2 Responses to “Dave Wise: Beyond the crowds”
At 11:21 am on May 16th, 2010 
