Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more

General => General Chat => Topic started by: RedLeader on June 20, 2012

Title: Northern Ireland National Parks
Post by: RedLeader on June 20, 2012
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/top-three-contenders-for-national-park-status-to-be-revealed-16172963.html (http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/top-three-contenders-for-national-park-status-to-be-revealed-16172963.html)

What does everyone thing? My initial reaction is I'm greedy and don't want more people in the Mournes as would invariably happen if they got park status. Plus goodness knows what might happen to any sort of right to wild camp.
Title: Re: Northern Ireland National Parks
Post by: hud on June 20, 2012
I would be quite worried about the rights of individuals to camp overnight too...as a former civil servant there is a worrying trend among certain (not all) politicians in all parties to believe they know best and dictate to individuals what they can and cannot do...and usually they dictate against anything they don't fully understand...

Apologies if I have offended anyone but that is my experience...
Title: Re: Northern Ireland National Parks
Post by: Wolf_Larson on June 20, 2012
I say only if you have a NIWILD pass your aloud  ::)
Title: Re: Northern Ireland National Parks
Post by: sjh1 on June 21, 2012
If they helped the natural environment and associated wildlife I'd be for National Parks. They could best do this by reducing the harmful effects of agriculture and commercial forestry. First suggestion (yet again) would be to take all the sheep out of the area enclosed by the Mourne Wall to allow the natural vegetation to regenerate to some extent. Second would be to clear some areas of blanket conifers to achieve the same end. Then the wildlife would return...

However I doubt they would even attempt sensible things like this. As others have said National Park status would probably just lead to pointless bureaucracy and restrictions on wild camping etc. In my opinion they would be mere labels leading only to nuisance and perhaps increased tourist numbers (not in itself a bad thing, but just something in which I have no interest).

If any NPs are declared in NI I would love to see myself proved wrong!

Title: Re: Northern Ireland National Parks
Post by: Mourneman on June 21, 2012
Maybe it is for the good,who know's ! But you can be sure of one thing ,' money will be one of the biggest motives behind it ' & i not worried about this no camping malarky,there's plenty of mountain out there to hide yourself in!  ;D
Title: Re: Northern Ireland National Parks
Post by: wee gaz on June 21, 2012
if i remember right a couple of years ago there was a lot of opposition to this from the local people worried about things like unafordable housing for young locals, overcrowding etc. this could be a good debate
Title: Re: Northern Ireland National Parks
Post by: admin on September 06, 2012
Please continue any discussions in the official thread here:

http://www.ni-wild.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3625.0

It's useful to keep all these discussions in one place.