Underfoot and Underhoof

There were many reasons put forward for not wanting cattle on this land. One was the potential impact of heavy animals on the soft peaty structure of the paths. In an area that even in normal summers gets higher than average rainfall it was always likely that pressures on the paths would follow. It did not need particular insight to forecast this and it has proved correct. To me the really sad thing about this is that the paths on Blacka have always had a special and distinctive appeal because of the absence of livestock on them.

Another example of a reduction of diversity caused by unimaginative and fundamentalist conservation management.