In defence of Roger Smith
I read Colin Fraser’s response to Roger Smith’s article ‘New heights of absurdity’ (The Great Outdoors, December 2020), and have to come out in Roger’s defence.
I, like Roger, have reached a certain age (I am 59) where I can look back with fondness on many years of wandering the hills of England, Scotland and Wales. The hills have always been popular, but never more so than now. However, when I was young I discovered the hills through my own natural interest in all things wild and untamed. My parents were never ‘into’ this, and although they took regular holidays to the likes of the Lakes, Scotland etc I often used to go off on my own to discover the thrill of climbing a hill and soon developed a love for these wild places.
In the intervening years I have often met like-minded individuals or groups and, to me it seems they were there for a genuine love of the hills, nurtured and developed through a shared desire and passion for this, what seemed to some, strange way of spending one’s hardearned holidays. This was all before the age of social media, and I fear the ‘herd’ mentality that seems to go with whatever is deemed to be the next best thing we should all be doing.
I firmly believe if you have a genuine love and desire to ‘get out there’ you will do, irrespective of what is pushed on social media. I have no qualms with those that really wish to discover and explore our wonderful countryside; but the sights I have seen recently make me feel a little bit sad for the way we are now treating these places. Andrew Hardy
PS: Love your magazine; have been reading it since it first came out!