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By stwhannah

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Off The Beaten Track

I wonder what specifically has changed in the last 30+ years though? Is it technology keeping kids in because it is more attractive than climbing a tree? Or changing attitudes to risk communicated through the news, schools or parents themselves?

I spent my formative years walking, cycling and exploring but, I think, I had the advantage over a lot of people in living on the outskirts of a town with friends that lived on farms. It was a lot easier for me to jump on a bike and head out than it was for a lot of my friends in town. Come to think of it, I didn’t get a computer until after I had left home. When I did get one I stayed in a lot more. That could have played a huge part.

I have had similar thoughts to this about biking. I used to just go to a wood and follow a trail. Often it would lead to a dead end but every now and then you’d find some amazing singletrack that made the whole thing just more enjoyable. Nowadays with all the trails at centres marked out and colour coded I often think do the young ones even bother with just normal woods anymore. If not they really are missing out in my opinion.