Enjoy the National Parks

This is National Parks Week. Not only that but it is 60 years since the first one was opened. Unfortunately the weather hasn’t been kind to them this week. I was going to write about this yesterday but it was raining so I thought, wait a day, things might improve. It hasn’t. It’s raining again this morning. And to be fair, even though the scenery is wonderful, it does help if you’re not squelching through puddles.
In 1951, the first national park came about, the Peak District, some two years after the legislation was passed. Now visited by 22 million people per year, its tourism appeal is bigger than lots of countries..
But the idea of a national park to be enjoyed by everyone is quite new. Although we all know the schoolboy stories of William II being shot by an arrow in the New Forest in 1100, then the forest was the king’s own hunting reserve. And it was only 4 years ago that it became our 14th national park. The Lake District had a guide book written about it 200 years ago but it only became a national park in 1951.
The park authorities don’t necessarily own the land within a park. A lot is privately owned but the management of what is done within each authority is controlled by that authority. And if there is a conflict between development and conservation, conservation takes priority. But that was only decided on in 1995.
So it has taken a long time in our history to enable you to enjoy some of our most stunning scenery. And largely, it costs nothing so make the most of it. Even in this weather.

Into the New Forest

There is a problem with our National Parks.
They're big
That means getting to see much of them can be difficuly. You either need a car and you spend long time driving around bits that are not as intereting as others or you take a much longer tiim and do it thoroughly. But any of us start off with going there just for a day and don't know where to go to see the best views. And the proble with a car is that you need to concentrate more on the driving than on the sightseeing so you can miss things. By the time something is pointed ot to you you've pssed t and wth a stream of traffic it is sn't easy to d a u turn.
In big cities you have compnaies who provide hop-on, hop-off tours so you can see some of the main sites (not necessarily the most interesting). Whether you are in London, York, Edinburgh, Istanbul or wherever, there is a tour.
Now in the New Forest you can do the same thing. Actually you have been able to do it for a few years but I have only just caught up with it. the New Forest Tour Bus has just began for business for the Summer and runs until the second week in September. A day ticket costs nine pounds with children at half price and a family ticket at 22.50. there's a guide which is included in the price.
But here's the difference with the city tours. There are some cycle rides that can be included (yes the bus can cary a limited number of bikes) and some suggested walks where you can get off the bus and pick it up later.
You can see all the details at www.the newforest.co.uk.

Ripping off Tourists at home

When you’re on holiday, you know that the chances are you will pay a little over the odds for something, the taxi will take the scenic route rather than the shortest and that meal; well what was it you ate?
I still have a shapeless, tacky looking hat I bought in Beijing (I can’t remember why, probably at the behest of my wife who wanted me to cover my bald patch). Its part of the life of the tourist just as we like saying that we had this fantastic bargain is such and such or we had the best meal ever in this restaurant for what was little more than the cost of a first class stamp.
But we take a dim view of what looks to be a deliberate attempt to fleece the public with sub-standard offerings particularly at home. We like to think that it couldn’t happen here. But happen here it did and in the New Forest in Hampshire.
The Lapland story has received a lot of press coverage for it shoddy offering and high prices. TV pictures of wooden huts and stage sets make it look worse than some of the words written say. It has now been closed down and anybody trying to open a similar event will have a hard time overcoming the memory of people who came, who paid and who fled disgusted at what they found.
In Essington in Staffordshire, a Lapland West Midlands was due to open yesterday. It didn’t due it said to bad publicity and a poor response for ticket sales. Apart from seemingly not having permission to have an events licence (but having planning permission), it seems that it was only on Thursday this week that South Staffordshire Council said it couldn’t go ahead. Was this due to not having an events licence or not providing what publicity handouts said would be there?
In both cases it seems that councils should vet what is being offered before they open and, maybe, until that approval is given all monies paid over in advance ought to be held in an account (almost like an escrow account) so that when things like this happen monies are easily refunded.