Tag Archives: Wales

Ian Mercer’s life celebrated

Posted on 25/01/2022 by campaignerkate

I was delighted when the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) accepted my offer to write an entry for Ian Mercer.  I first met Ian in 1973 when he was about to become the first Dartmoor National Park Officer, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, commons, Countryside Council for Wales, Dartmoor, National parks, Natural history, Obituary, Wales | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Thirty years of WEL doing

Posted on 14/12/2020 by campaignerkate

Wales Environment Link has celebrated its 30th anniversary, and is a strong and effective body. Continue reading →

Posted in Access, campaigns, Countryside Council for Wales, Natural Resources Wales, Open Spaces Society, Ramblers, Wales | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Remembering Alan Howard

Posted on 01/12/2019 by campaignerkate

Alan Howard, who pioneered Rail Ramblers, would have been 97 today. He is remembered with affection. Continue reading →

Posted in Access, campaigns, Obituary, Public paths, Ramblers, walking | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Gems of the Elenydd

Posted on 03/07/2016 by campaignerkate

The Elenydd Wilderness Hostels Trust does a fine job providing two hostels in the remote heart of mid Wales. Continue reading →

Posted in Access, AONB, Wales, walking | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cambrian Mountains: unfinished business

Posted on 16/11/2015 by campaignerkate

With the government’s welcome announcement last month that the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks are to be extended, another chapter in the long history of our protected landscapes closes.  But the vision of Arthur Hobhouse in 1947 has still … Continue reading →

Posted in AONB, campaigns, Natural Resources Wales, Wales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Llanymynech limeworks

Posted on 26/08/2015 by campaignerkate

My disappointment about the walk organised by Natural Resources Wales at Meifod, Powys, on 4 August was offset by my afternoon visit to Underhill Farm and the Llanymynech Limeworks Heritage Area. Underhill Farm is just in Shropshire, close to the Powys border. … Continue reading →

Posted in National trail, Wales, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why all in black?

Posted on 08/08/2015 by campaignerkate

I don’t know who decided that the outdoor uniform for Natural Resources Wales (NRW) staff should be black, but it was unfortunate—for NRW can’t want to appear either funereal or fascist.   The uniforms were much in evidence when I joined the walk … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Resources Wales, Wales | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tried and tested in Wales

Posted on 23/04/2015 by campaignerkate

Ramblers Cymru is part of the Ramblers’ family.  Its Welsh Council  consists of volunteers from all levels of the organisation in Wales and meets annually, electing officers and an executive committee, overseeing the work of Ramblers Cymru and passing motions. … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, campaigns, National parks, Natural Resources Wales, Ramblers, Wales | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hawl i grwydro (freedom to roam)

Posted on 21/04/2015 by campaignerkate

I was in Oriel College, Oxford, last week and passed this portrait of college fellow James Bryce, by George Reid, on the stairs.  When he was MP for South Aberdeen, James Bryce promoted his Access to Mountains Bill (1884). Unfortunately, although … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, campaigns, Public paths, Wales | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Round and round the common

Posted on 22/03/2015 by campaignerkate

The Heads of the Valleys Development Company is under financial and competitive pressure to build its massive Circuit of Wales motorsports development as soon as possible.  Bizarrely, it opted to site the construction on common land, with all the inherent delays which that … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, British Horse Society, campaigns, common land, Natural Resources Wales, Open Spaces Society, riding, Wales, walking | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments