Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Tangled Metal
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by Tangled Metal »

Wasn't it a hunting ground for royalty? Basically a playground for the rich / royalty. Now at least it's the playground of the masses not restricted to royalty and friends. Progress indeed!
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661-Pete
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by 661-Pete »

Bonefishblues wrote:I'm sorry, but this just came into my mind :lol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMikaIYbFu8
Oh dear! Takes me back to that 'incident' last March. Well, the lady we encountered on that occasion was certainly accompanied by a lot of dogs, but she wasn't 'dogging'. Indeed, the very thought of her indulging in the latter activity, gives me the willies. If you'd met her, you'd understand why.... :shock:
Suppose that this room is a lift. The support breaks and down we go with ever-increasing velocity.
Let us pass the time by performing physical experiments...
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horizon
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by horizon »

Tangled Metal wrote:Wasn't it a hunting ground for royalty? Basically a playground for the rich / royalty. Now at least it's the playground of the masses not restricted to royalty and friends. Progress indeed!


Spot on! (TM we agree on something at last :D ).

It's quite inevitable that the New Forest would attract lots of visitors and IMV quite right that it is now a national park (notice the "park"!). But it needs good management with respect to the local people, the animals and what is a stunning natural environment.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Tangled Metal
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by Tangled Metal »

horizon wrote:
Tangled Metal wrote:Wasn't it a hunting ground for royalty? Basically a playground for the rich / royalty. Now at least it's the playground of the masses not restricted to royalty and friends. Progress indeed!


Spot on! (TM we agree on something at last :D ).


Shhh! I'll get thrown out of my local Conservative and unionist party. And don't even mention how that'll be received at my hunt! :wink:

Seriously though, it's a park but it still has a lot of specific local traditions. In some ways that makes it a bit more unique than other national parks. It's traditions are what made it I think so you have to take care of them too.

There are issues with the ponies I believe. I heard they have got too tame and used to being fed. That they get a little aggressive at times if you don't feed them. Or there has been such incidents. Some ponies ended up being moved out of the park for this reason. Our at least that's what i read years ago.

But rope swinging is harmless fun so no need to moan about that.
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661-Pete
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by 661-Pete »

Tangled Metal wrote:But rope swinging is harmless fun so no need to moan about that.
Just so long as Bojo doesn't join in....
Image
Suppose that this room is a lift. The support breaks and down we go with ever-increasing velocity.
Let us pass the time by performing physical experiments...
--- Arthur Eddington (creator of the Eddington Number).
reohn2
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by reohn2 »

I think it's safe to say that some people's pedantry knows no bounds,I could be wrong but the UK seems to have more than it's fair share,who seem to be under the impression they own the place and can dictate who can and can't visit under their strict and unreasonable criteria.
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Bonefishblues
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by Bonefishblues »

reohn2 wrote:I think it's safe to say that some people's pedantry knows no bounds,I could be wrong but the UK seems to have more than it's fair share,who seem to be under the impression they own the place and can dictate who can and can't visit under their strict and unreasonable criteria.

You called?

That rope-swing's a killer, innit.
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/protect-t ... 04259.html

Being serious for a moment, I think the point was made elsewhere that in absolute terms whilst pressure on the NF is increasing, there are still huge tracts of land where people can go to get peace and solitude whilst Lyndhurst et al are heaving with car and coach-borne trippers.

It was also interesting to read how many more ponies there are than previously - between 4-5,000 at last count, compared to an eighth of that number after WW2.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by Tangled Metal »

661-Pete wrote:
Tangled Metal wrote:But rope swinging is harmless fun so no need to moan about that.
Just so long as Bojo doesn't join in....
Image

If only we could have kept him up there and away from parliament and number 10. See rope swinging has its positive uses. Just how can we pursuade him back up there? Thinking caps on everyone! :D
AlaninWales
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by AlaninWales »

Rope will take around a year to decompose https://www.down2earthmaterials.ie/2013 ... decompose/ and some will take longer. During that time wrapped around a tree branch, it will restrict the tree's growth and damage the branch. The unsightly decomposing rope will be weaker than most expect and may break when some unsuspecting child starts swinging on it.

But that's OK, our environmentally aware and hip cyclists on this forum see no problem with this stuff being left around in the natural environment. Are you the same cyclists who will happily drop waste food and drink packets along the trails and leave inner tubes under bushes? If not, why do you find the practice of leaving ropes tied to trees acceptable?
Tangled Metal
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by Tangled Metal »

Not us!

We're the cyclists who buy multiple bikes and constantly indulge in rampant consumerism to keep our cycling hobby going. We've got bikes for commuting in winter, ones for summer, another for Sunday best club runs and touring bike. Then we hit into mountain biking. Downhill, xc and a hardtail for old school lolz. Oh nearly forgot our gravel bike, adventure bike, endurance bike and CX bike.

OMG I need a new car to drive to the trail. Van possibly too.

Did you see that new Rapha top? Yeah I did, I got three in different sizes. I've sold on the ones that don't fit.

Don't mention the helmet. They don't like them here. Yeah but I got that new £300 one that's very light and almost all vents. It's aero too. I've got to get a nano second gain on the club tt with that. Yeah I got two of those. Different colours for my team strip and when riding at other times in Rapha or castelli colours (black).

Sorry I'm parodying cycling types unfairly. Although I think I know of a few on another site for which this isn't unfair parody.

I only own a road bike bought nearly 30 years ago that is not safe to ride but could be fixed. A commuter bike that's my do it so bike. Then a recumbent bought for touring last year. Secondhand so I'll sell it on shortly and get my money back. Not really into consumerism with bikes beyond what I really need. Not into fettling too the nth degree or any other cyclist's traits that could contribute to consumerism and carbon emissions.

My point is we're all sinners looking for the faith to live clean lives. Pick on one aspect of sin you're missing ask the others.

Sorry for being an atheist using religious phrasing. Environmentalism also breeds it's evangelists.
slowster
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by slowster »

AlaninWales wrote:Rope will take around a year to decompose https://www.down2earthmaterials.ie/2013 ... decompose/ and some will take longer. During that time wrapped around a tree branch, it will restrict the tree's growth and damage the branch. The unsightly decomposing rope will be weaker than most expect and may break when some unsuspecting child starts swinging on it.

But that's OK, our environmentally aware and hip cyclists on this forum see no problem with this stuff being left around in the natural environment. Are you the same cyclists who will happily drop waste food and drink packets along the trails and leave inner tubes under bushes? If not, why do you find the practice of leaving ropes tied to trees acceptable?

It's acceptable because it's probably only one tree in 10,000 that has a rope swing tied to a branch in the New Forest. Children tying a rope to probably just one tree in their area are doing a lot less environmental damage than any of the adults posting on this thead. If you drive a car, own multiple bikes or commit any of the other modern sins such as flying abroad for holidays etc., then compared with you those children getting a simple pleasure from a rope swing are environmental paragons. As for damage to the tree, so what? It's just one tree among thousands, and when it has died and rotted or been cut down, whether or not there was a rope swing on it at any time during its existence will have had no significant impact other than to give a bit of fun and healthy activity for some children.

As for to the risk to the child, in the overall scheme of things that's a risk likely to be worth taking. It's often said that children nowadays are overly protected from risk, and they need to learn to take risks. I've only seen one rope swing in the New Forest, and if it snapped the child would probably end up with a broken bone at worst. Better that children run that risk and get outdoors and exercise, than stay indoors and play computer games or only participate in activities organised and supervised by their parents or other adults.

As for me, I pick up the inner tubes left along the trails by other cyclists. What about you? Are you one of those 'environmentally aware and hip cyclists' who has a car or flies abroad?
Tangled Metal
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by Tangled Metal »

Never really noticed a rope cutting into a tree branch. Most are loose loops tied awkwardly with plenty of room for growth. Most ropes break down before they can be an issue to the tree ime.

However Google things in trees and you'll see how nature copes. There's genuine images of trees growing around things. Like the bike left leaning against a tree many decades later being spotted within a growing tree trunk. Even cars have been found partly surrounded by a growing tree. Nature finds a way!
pwa
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by pwa »

Ropes left around tree boughs can be a problem, but frankly, when I see a rope swing I am gratified that kids are still getting out there and making swings, building dens, and swimming in rivers. That is how I spent my leisure time in my 1960s childhood. I'm far more worried about the kids who spend too much time indoors.
reohn2
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by reohn2 »

pwa wrote:Ropes left around tree boughs can be a problem, but frankly, when I see a rope swing I am gratified that kids are still getting out there and making swings, building dens, and swimming in rivers. That is how I spent my leisure time in my 1960s childhood. I'm far more worried about the kids who spend too much time indoors.

+1 it used to be called adventure,now it's unfortunately termed as danger :?
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Letters: Help! The New Forest is becoming a suburban park

Post by Cyril Haearn »

reohn2 wrote:
pwa wrote:Ropes left around tree boughs can be a problem, but frankly, when I see a rope swing I am gratified that kids are still getting out there and making swings, building dens, and swimming in rivers. That is how I spent my leisure time in my 1960s childhood. I'm far more worried about the kids who spend too much time indoors.

+1 it used to be called adventure,now it's unfortunately termed as danger :?

I met a strange hairy man (curmudgeon? troll?) when playing in the woods in the gloaming
He is described in a book: 'Stig of the dump' :wink:
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