Wilderness

[Doc]

I suppose it depends on how you define it, but is there anywhere in the UK that could be called wilderness?

I did wonder about Knoydart, Ardnamurchan, Rannoch Moor and maybe the foreshore in some areas. However, I guess even these show some imprint of man.

 

[JeremyH]

I guess if you are measuring by man's intrusion they cannot be many places left however if you measure it by biodiversity, lack of access, and no traffic noise then you're pretty close. Also some islands in the Hebrides.

Parts of France, Spain, Scandinavia and of course the emerging European states have plenty of Wilderness area/biosphere parks. North of the Arctic Circle is pretty good too! And south to Africa...and finally the Antarctic.

Across the Atlantic they are very good at Wilderness!

Keep searching!

 

[Roving Rich]

Richard Mabey in one of his other books proposes an area called "undercliff" at Lyme Regis as an example of British wilderness.
Its not a getting away from it all, middle of nowhere place. But rather an area of cliff top field that due to coastal erosion slumped in one big slab a hundred feet down the cliffs. The Farmer no longer had access to it so it was left untouched. So nature has taken her course and returned to what Mr Mabey states as the closest thing to "wildwood" within the UK today. IE with no human intervention or management. So it is as we would imagine the forested Albion to have been before the Saxons came up the rivers with there axes.
It is infact an impenetrable tangled mess, that you would need machete (or a billhook ) to hack your way through. It is as I imagine Tolkiens Mirkwood to be in middle earth.
Cheers
Rich

 

[Adi007]

Just to give you an idea of just how small and crowded the UK is, this is from the OS site:

http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/freefun/geofacts/remotestpartofgb.html

The remotest point was calculated to be the hillside of Ruadh Stac Beag, between Letterwe Forest and Fisherfield Forest.
The Grid Reference is NH 02550 77010

Distance to nearest road = 11km or 7 miles away. The nearest road is the A832.

For this purpose, the remotest part of mainland Great Britain is considered to be the point farthest from a metalled road.

More interesting facts from:
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/freefun/geofacts/

 

[maddave]

Just to give you an idea of just how small and crowded the UK is, this is from the OS site:

http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/freefun/geofacts/remotestpartofgb.html

The remotest point was calculated to be the hillside of Ruadh Stac Beag, between Letterwe Forest and Fisherfield Forest.
The Grid Reference is NH 02550 77010

Distance to nearest road = 11km or 7 miles away. The nearest road is the A832.

For this purpose, the remotest part of mainland Great Britain is considered to be the point farthest from a metalled road.

More interesting facts from:
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/freefun/geofacts/

Acckk !! Beat me to it ya monkey !! :-D

 

[Doc]

So we're never more than seven miles from a metalled road! I find this a rather sad statistic.

Having said that, you can often go for hours without seeing anyone in the Scottish hills.

 

[Ed]

I find this a rather sad statistic.

A very sad statistic indeed :-(

Ed

 

[Hoodoo]

Sorry to hear it folks. To be honest, I thought it was bad here in Michigan but nothing like what you folks have. You can still get lost in the woods pretty easily here in many places. But the western states have some pretty spectacular wilderness as does Minnesota and Canada.

As an aside, I think I understand the term "metalled road" from the context but does anyone know how it was derived?

 

[martin]

Metalled roads.
The chippings (small stones) laid on the hot tar are crushed slag.

Slag is a by-product in the steelmaking industry.

When they tip a ladle full of molten slag onto the cooling beds at night it lights up the sky. I can see it here at my house 15km away.

 

[Ed]

You can still get lost in the woods pretty easily here in many places.

People still get lost here, though that tends to be due to a lack navigation skills and they end up going round in circles.

Ed

 

[Kath]

People still get lost here, though that tends to be due to a lack navigation skills and they end up going round in circles.

Ed

I know I did this weekend!

 

[spiritofold]

Dartmoor in Devon is what i consider to be wilderness.Very spooky at night when the mist comes down and (nearly) devoid of all modern noise.

Andy

 

[Raz]

Sadly even dartmoor isn't as wild as I'd like to think.
I don't think you can class anywhere a "wilderness" if you can walk across it in a day.

Even on the Oakhampton range there are tracks venturing heavily into the middle of the moor. There's always 999999 minibuses bombing round them on weekends.

 

[gb]

One dartmoor guide book i read actually suggested driving along the military tracks so people who are'nt so fit could visit cranmere pool without having to walk too far. Surely vehciles (other than military ones)are'nt allowed to use these tracks? The DNPA make enough fuss about the erosion caused by walkers alone.

cheers gb

 

[Raz]

Your allowed on most of the tracks, most of the time.
(when they are not firing!)
Some of them require a car with good ground clerance. Most that go up there are 4x4's and minibuses.

 

[gb]

It seems starnge that the DNPA allow this when they make such an issue out of erosion and the fact that they dont like the army being up their. I thought the NPA are there to protect the moor?

back to the original subject - what about the cairngorms?
gets loads of visitors i know but many parts are quite remote.

cheers gb

 

[Raz]

They are established tracks layed with tarmac or pebbles.

 

[gb]

I suppose its not so bad if they are maintained. Still dont know why they allow it though.

cheers gb