Millions of people visit the Lake District every year to enjoy its mountains, wildlife and freedom to roam. Most leave with positive memories and little intention of causing harm. Yet every stone removed from a wall, every gate left open, every dog allowed to roam and every piece of litter left behind can have consequences. This article explores the hidden environmental cost of countryside access and asks how visitors can help protect the landscapes they love.

Explore the hidden world of dry stone walls, from Cumbria’s Lake District to global landscapes. Discover their role in folklore, ecology, and cultural history, and why these ancient boundaries still shape how we understand land, memory, and myth today.

What is it about dry-stone walls? They are all around me, a defining feature of where I live, the English Lake District...

Week 44 What is it about autumn colours that are so pleasing? This year, for reasons I cannot explain, the colours on my land are...