wth? It’s early Feb with snow in places. Reportedly 3-4miles of moorland on fire atm. Princetown/Two Bridges area. Swaling gone wild? I don’t pray but it feels as if I’m praying that it’s not a certain Wood. I know the area has been increasingly targeted by lockdown louts recently.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-56034312
Tinder dry in some areas
BBC News - Wildfire warning as firefighters tackle blazes in Western Isles
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-56021899
There's been one near Bodmin recently & local news is reporting another near Bampton Exmoor this morning.
Article suggests with term fires in dry cold weather are fairly common. Today's school day has come early.
It was over by tavy cleave. Could see it from the lane behind the house. It’s been dry and windy for about a week and the ground is frozen solid and the grass/gorse dries out really quick.
I’d be amazed if anyone was stupid enough to be swaling, most likely arson
I know the area has been increasingly targeted by lockdown louts recently.
what does this even mean? I assume you are talking about wistmans wood? The most overrated but of Dartmoor.
Some fires at this time of year are started by drifting embers from house fires.
I assume you are talking about wistmans wood? The most overrated but of Dartmoor.
I like Wistmans. Anyway reports suggest the fire's much further west.
from what I could see last night it was in the standon hill, lynch tor area, just on the western edge of the merrivale ranges, strong SE winds suggest it started deeper into the moors which mean nowhere near any houses.
no firing exercises so the squaddies arent to blame.
Report in the Guardian
A couple face being fined for breaking lockdown rules after being caught “fornicating under the stars” on Dartmoor.
Perhaps things got a bit too hot?
different bit of the moors...
but two people from different households are allowed to meet outside for exercise together...
^humblebrag? 😎
Stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household or support bubble
If so then ‘humble’ is thereby and utterly redefined. 🥶❄️ 📏
As above, the colder it gets the dryer it gets - cold air can't hold moisture so things are bone dry. If you've got wooden floors or exposed beams you might see them shrinking and cracking in this weather. But it must be a bit of a shocker for the fire crews, fighting fires when the water's only just above freezing...
A couple face being fined for breaking lockdown rules after being caught “fornicating under the stars” on Dartmoor.
Reminded me of this:
An aide brought Churchill the morning paper with the news that one of his Cabinet Ministers would have to resign because he had been caught having gay sex with a Grenadier Guardsman in Green Park the night before.
Churchill said: “It was cold last night was it not?”
the aide replied: “Yes Sir, only 23 degrees”
Churchill replied: “Makes you proud to be British”
^humblebrag? 😎
two females...
How are they starting though? People tossing cig ends out of cars, or people being selfish and having a BBQ?
where it looks like it likely started, there are no tarmaced roads, a few quad tracks and its not a popular walking area as its mostly bog.
i saw a tweet suggesting a military flare but nothing backing it up. according to the schedules they weren't firing last night but I guess there could still have been troops on exercise.
Wtf is a "lockdown lout"? 🙂
Wtf is a “lockdown lout”?
Since lockdowns there have been increased instances of littering, wanton/ignorant (choose as applicable) destruction, ‘wild’ BBQ’s, etc etc.
Louts taking ‘advantage’ of lockdown? Maybe I chose louts for alliterative purposes. But litter louts is a valid term? And vandalism whether wanton or not is still vandalism. I cycled over the commons here last year’s lockdown and found heaps of laughing gas canisters, food wrappers, plastic etc. Many times more than generally encountered.
As for W Wood
Lockdown visitors are causing 'irreparable' damage to an ancient Devon wood by starting fires, stripping trees of moss
The wood was given protection as a site of special scientific interest in 1964 and is managed by Natural England.
But in the weeks after the first lockdown, rangers collected more dumped rubbish than they usually would over the course of a year at the site.
A short-term ban on wild camping was even introduced over the summer after an increase in rubbish being left, which included fly-tipping and human waste.
"It's been since the first lockdown really. We had problems before but not on this scale. Up to 400 people are visiting it every day.
"Moss and lichen is being taken, which is illegal and I'm guessing for hanging baskets.
"The route to Wistman's Wood is a footpath, it's not a bridleway yet people have been taking mountain bikes down there. The damage that is being done is irreparable."
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/ancient-devon-wood-abused-lockdown-4931773
A shitshow.
Chobham Common also comes to mind
https://www.countryfile.com/news/chobham-common-wildfire-destroys-vital-wildlife-habitat/
Sherwood (fragment)
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/appeal-last-remaining-fragments-ancient-4410966
DNP's own social media regularly post images and videos of places like wistmans and are then indignant when people want to visit. problem is it's really easy to access with a fairly flat walk less than a mile from the car park.
it’s not a bridleway yet people have been taking mountain bikes down there. The damage that is being done is irreparable
strange statement. its a really well established path. the 'damage' is being done by hundreds of feet a day not the odd mtb (is a route to nowhere, no real reason to ride a bike there)
the ban on wild camping was a small area at bellever. next to a massive car park that encouraged the car campers when campsites were closed. nothing to do with wistmans or the rest of the massive area where wild camping was still allowed.
Might not apply to Dartmoor but some of the Scottish fires are started by crofters, burning the heather to encourage new grass for the sheep.
^. Happy to hear alternative and more positive reports. I haven’t visited for a few years (maybe 4) and only saw a handful of people the whole afternoon.
DNP’s own social media regularly post images and videos of places like wistmans and are then indignant when people want to visit
Then DNP are naive/idiots. Nonetheless, if your reports are more accurate and positive than the (scaremongering?) press I’m relieved to hear it. My experiences of my own local SSSI’s and beauty spots have not been so positive during the pandemic so that maybe why I was willing to largely believe the negative press about WW.
I’m sure there is some truth but also a great deal of protectionism. DNP are their own worst enemy who resist everything. I think they’d put gates up and lock us proles out if they could.
there is a derelict pumping station on the road up to Princetown from Tavi. It’s falling down, vandalised, total eyesore. But DNP have blocked multiple planning applications to renovate/reuse it. I think they’d rather it fell down.
New Forest has joined in now : https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/19087528.video-fire-crews-called-large-heath-fire-new-forest/
That’s three moorland fires in Devon and Cornwall in the last week
‘Arson suspected’ at Rosenannon Downs Nature Reserve (Wadebridge, Cornwall)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-56008971
‘Arson suspected’ at Cardinham Moor nr Bodmin
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-56037226