I've been down in Devon since last weekend and will be here into next week - we're staying in a house we've stayed in before having contacted the owners a few weeks ago.
Everywhere we have gone has been noticeably busier than any previous year, and we have been coming down to the same area at the same sort of time for over a decade, as shown by frequent Facebook memories. Car parks are full, the roads and beaches have been busier. Thousands of people who would normally be in Spain, Greece and the like are now in the SW of England.
A few days ago, there was an interesting headline on the BBC News.
It said that the South West was 'full'.
I'm not sure that it's full, but it's certainly busier, particularly in certain locations which you can probably guess on a hot day and therefore avoid if you have a mind to.
This piece by Patrick Barkham outlines one of the very great downsides to this, compared with the good news for tourist businesses who are able to open and who
It focusses on the Norfolk coast, which I left in order to come down to the SW.
It's been particularly busy there during the hot weather with a huge amount of extra traffic and visitors.
A few relevant quotes for geographers from the piece:
Jake Fiennes from the Holkham estate:
“It’s crazy, absolutely crazy. Every day feels like an August bank holiday. It’s a totally different demographic – north Norfolk coast visitors are usually pretty middle class but we’re not seeing the older birders anymore, we’re seeing a lot of young people. The positive is we have a chance to engage with a whole different section of society.”
Another relevant quote here is:
Nikki Williams of the Wildlife Trusts
“You go to a place labelled ‘countryside’. It’s a visitor experience, whereas it should be integrated into our lives. We advocate for a nature recovery network. A really important part of that is more on-your-doorstep nature. Then you start to understand more about nature and you also don’t get in the car and drive to a place that has a line drawn around it and says ‘This is where the good stuff is.’”
Everywhere we have gone has been noticeably busier than any previous year, and we have been coming down to the same area at the same sort of time for over a decade, as shown by frequent Facebook memories. Car parks are full, the roads and beaches have been busier. Thousands of people who would normally be in Spain, Greece and the like are now in the SW of England.
A few days ago, there was an interesting headline on the BBC News.
It said that the South West was 'full'.
I'm not sure that it's full, but it's certainly busier, particularly in certain locations which you can probably guess on a hot day and therefore avoid if you have a mind to.
This piece by Patrick Barkham outlines one of the very great downsides to this, compared with the good news for tourist businesses who are able to open and who
It focusses on the Norfolk coast, which I left in order to come down to the SW.
It's been particularly busy there during the hot weather with a huge amount of extra traffic and visitors.
A few relevant quotes for geographers from the piece:
Jake Fiennes from the Holkham estate:
“It’s crazy, absolutely crazy. Every day feels like an August bank holiday. It’s a totally different demographic – north Norfolk coast visitors are usually pretty middle class but we’re not seeing the older birders anymore, we’re seeing a lot of young people. The positive is we have a chance to engage with a whole different section of society.”
He also talks about a lack of knowledge of the Countryside code, but falls into the usual routine of blaming the behaviour on it not being in the national curriculum. People are taught about these things, but sadly parental norms and laziness are more powerful influences.
Nikki Williams of the Wildlife Trusts
“You go to a place labelled ‘countryside’. It’s a visitor experience, whereas it should be integrated into our lives. We advocate for a nature recovery network. A really important part of that is more on-your-doorstep nature. Then you start to understand more about nature and you also don’t get in the car and drive to a place that has a line drawn around it and says ‘This is where the good stuff is.’”
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