Predicted Consequences

This is one of numerous paths around Blacka Hill. They all used to be narrow, pleasantly soft and a pleasure to walk on; they were not always dry after rain of course but even then the experience was acceptable. Last year SWT put cattle on the moor which, as cattle do, walked along the paths more than they did among the heather and bracken. They ate the grass at the edges of paths and they trampled and compressed the soft middle areas. The result is that the grass around the paths has not been there to soak up the water in winter even when the cows are not there. The paths are some 30% or 40% wider than previously and whenever there is rain they become flooded.

The situation is not helped when SWT themselves bring vehicles onto the moor driven by those with no sensitivity to these issues. They have now stated their intention of putting larger cattle on the moor which will have a greater impact on the paths. The whole messiness of the decisions and their predicted results is a symptom of the confused and ill thought-out policy of conservation grazing.