why is this country so adverse to us being outside?

[tinkerer]

I just purchased 2 sit on kayaks, a 2 seater and a single. i have been down to the river a few times with the kids and its great. good excercise good fun tires the nippers out ,even swmbo likes it. so yesterday had a day off and me and a friend went out for the day for a paddle found a weir carried the kayaks round minding our own business and we got accosted by a very irate fisherman who insisted that we were not allowed to paddle in the river. now i had not even contemplated whether or not you could paddle on a river, i mean its a river no one owns it, paddling surely isnt harming anyone . im not making a noise or causing pollution ? whats the problem ? so when i got home i had a look around on the net and it turns out that your not allowed to paddle on 98% of british inland waterways,:yikes: and the ones you are you need permission licences blah de blah. now im quite surprised about this apparently there has been scientific research and it doesnt affect fish spawn sites, and access for paddling is quite a bone of contention and there are various movements trying to free up the waterways, kind of freedom to raom but paddling. . so then i started thinking. in england i cant go sleep in a field if i feel the urge , unless iuse the designated area, i cant paddle my kayak in the majority of places ,i cant use my air rifle without jumping through hoops , i cant light a fire if im a bit chilly , turns out you cant even take your shoes off and paddle in a stream without breaking a law . so basically my niggle is. All of the things i (and no doubt all of you ) like to do which are (apart from the odd woodpidgeon, which note i always eat.) totally harmless ,cause no damage to the environment, are good exercise and a valid use of the great countryside we have in england , have for some reason been outlawed . what is going on? ,i have to say my hopes for the human race are fast dwindling.(i feel a conspiracy theory coming on) is it just me or does any one else feel kind of hemmed in . it just seems that everything we want to do has been struck of the list. and i know there are people that would take the p1$$ if we could just go and do these things, but i think that you would probably only get the people that enjoy the outdoor enviroment and treat it with the respect it deserves out there anyway.it seems that if you want to be outside doing something for free its a big no no. well thats it rant over im off for a covert paddle irate: .

 

[Graham_S]

You need to move to Scotland

 

[Shewie]

Hence the reason why 99% of my bushy trips take place in Scotland

Have you looked at the BCU website for canals and rivers local to you ? I joined last year when I got my canoe but it wasn't really beneficial to me so I didn't bother again this year.

 

[JonathanD]

You need to move to Scotland

It's tempting.

 

[tinkerer]

Hence the reason why 99% of my bushy trips take place in Scotland

Have you looked at the BCU website for canals and rivers local to you ? I joined last year when I got my canoe but it wasn't really beneficial to me so I didn't bother again this year.

yes i did have a look i live in bournemouth which is a blank part of the map for about 150 miles all round lol still at least i have the coastline and apparently the avon has a statute law from the 1600s that means i have public right of navigation up to salisbury but its a bone of contention and coulds land me in court. ho hum

 

[durulz]

Dear Daily Mail...

 

[Bones]

Its because they want us all to stay home, use oil & gas heating, use a car and buying fuel, buy food from a supermarket and watch advertisements on the TV, and sell us things that dont really exist, like phone call credit, internet credit, Satellite TV. They want your money!
It's just like over here, the EU is trying to stop all turf cutting. They want us dependent on oil & gas.
As ABBA said so melodically;

"Money, Money, Money..."

 

[sapper1]

Simple answer?

It's my land/river and I don't want anyone else using it.

 

[Matt.S]

I suspect the answer lies somewhere between Bones' and sapper1's answers.

 

[Miyagi]

You need to move to Scotland

It's tempting.

C'mon in. The water's lovely.

I only discovered last year the hassle you lads have in England with regards to using your waterways and rivers.

It's unbeleivable, and you have my sympathy.

We forget how lucky we are up here in regards to wild camping, river use etc.

(Gawd no, another sensible post...)

Liam

 

[Large Sack]

But why can't it be bl**dy warm in Scotland!

Then perhaps we could all move and leave England to the politicians and the 'newcomers'

Sack

 

[Retired Member southey]

Thats why it's not all warm and cosy, to disuade the masses and reward the few who'll brave the tempest.
what am i going on about!

 

[ProjeKtWEREWOLF]

there's an 'Outdoors' season on BBC3 at the moment...quite funny at times. Gets quite close to the truth sometimes.

 

[rancid badger]

I've so far, had no problem with anglers, although I've only paddled the Tyne, as far as rivers go and that seems to have a fairly good access agreement.

For me; the BCU is a waste of time as I have no intention of paddling canals or rivers that require licences etc and that's really all they're any use for, unless you happen to be (or wish to be) a paddling coach.

R.B.

 

[Retired Member southey]

there's an 'Outdoors' season on BBC3 at the moment...quite funny at times. Gets quite close to the truth sometimes.

Lots of guys in cool ventile and wool stuff at the mo, the lofty bits are great.

 

[JDO330]

They did it with all the RUP's and Byways too. Its the same old problem in many "sports" or "activities", you get a few rogue fools who mess it up for everyone. The problem being the innocent then obide by the rules and miss out but the fools carry on! What about gun laws, you can almost guarantee there will be a change to the rules any time soon because some nutter has gone mad but once again it will be the good guys / girls that loose out and cant shoot clays or something. Knife laws, how daft is that - ooh, best not go there....

Rules do my nut in. Me and my 6 year old got told off tonight by the lolly pop lady for riding my bike across the crossing (reason being my daughter is 6 and only just getting to grips with her new bike and I dont want her on the road). Crazy!

Rant over.

ATB, Jon.

 

[naefearjustbeer]

They may own the river banks but they do not own the water! Keep paddling wherever you want and be nice and friendly to everyone you meet! I am lucky enough to live in Scotland where we have more sensible laws.

 

[nitrambur]

Unfortunately we lost the right to do what we want in our own country quite a while ago, around 1066 I believe.

 

[robin wood]

Unfortunately we lost the right to do what we want in our own country quite a while ago, around 1066 I believe.

Indeed, we Brits have never been a "free" landowning nation, the majority of us are descended from serfs and have more rights today than for most of our history. Problem is that land you want to do stuff on belongs to someone else and whilst one or two well behaved passers by may leave no trace in a heavily populated small island if you let everyone do what they want the place is soon trashed.

 

[Alfredo]

I suspect Bones ha meet the point, here in Europe we are quickly losting our freedom to growth the amount of money of few persons. It's a real shame.