Tim Bonner: Countryside braced for post-lockdown invasion

In July last year, when the first lockdown restrictions were eased, people were understandably keen to get to those bits of countryside which they had not been able to access for months. With continued restrictions on international travel, summer holidays were focused on the British countryside. This brought welcome relief to those rural businesses that could open, but also created challenges for many farmers and land managers. The behaviour of a minority of those visiting the countryside was, not to put too fine a point on it, unacceptable and given the number of people visiting some hot spots in the uplands and on the coast, that meant significant disruption and cost for those dealing with blocked access, litter and the dreaded disposable barbeque, amongst other challenges.

The concern now is that with lockdown restrictions starting to be lifted in Wales from tomorrow, and in England and Scotland next week, there will be similar pressures on rural areas at an even more challenging time of year. The uplands are a particular draw for visitors and it is here that access issues are most sensitive with many species of ground nesting bird particularly vulnerable to insensitive access and irresponsible dog walking.

Defra has said that it and other government departments are aware of the likely numbers of visitors to the outdoors as lockdown restrictions are lifted. As a consequence, it predicts increased demand for car parking and camp sites, use of toilets, rubbish, BBQs, possibly leading to more fires, issues with dogs, wear and tear on facilities and greater demands on anyone dealing with the public. Defra's assessment that it is likely to be a very busy period for outdoor places over Easter, particularly if the weather is dry and warm, and that the countryside and beaches will remain very busy until at least October.

As with so many things in the countryside, access is a fine balance. Many parts of the rural economy rely on visitors yet, as we have seen, too many people can lead to real issues for communities and wildlife. With the exception of the most popular rural destinations, that is a balance that is largely kept in normal times, but as we are all only too aware times are not currently normal. As Defra is predicting the pressure on the countryside is likely to be abnormal for the whole of this spring, summer and autumn, that will require a different response from Government, landowners and rural organisations alike.

We must, of course, promote the Countryside Code and responsible use of footpaths and other access areas. Additionally, whilst the message will always be that the countryside is open to all, it may also be appropriate to ask people to think carefully about where in the countryside they go. It is not unwelcoming to ask people to consider alternatives to visiting the uplands in the spring, for instance, especially if they have dogs. This will be (another) exceptional year and there is an awful lot of countryside out there which might not feature on Countryfile, but which is beautiful, accessible and a lot less crowded than honeypot destinations. Encouraging people to use parts of the countryside where they will have less impact must be a part of the response to issues we all know rural communities will face from next week, and for most of the rest of the year.