Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

Flying the Flag on Roseberry

This Union Flag was flying on Roseberry summit this morning. I thought at first it was a BNP publicity stunt, one has recently been erected on Eston Nab, but hand written on the flag were hundreds on names, one I recognised was Lee Rigby so I guess they’re soldiers who have died whilst serving their country.
But I am still uneasy about the flag. It should not have been erected without the consent of the landowner, for Roseberry Topping that would be the National Trust, and eventually it’ll have to be taken down. Without any disrespect to the men whose names are on the flag it could be argued it is distracting from the beauty and wildness of the place.
On the same lines the modern trend of leaving bunches of flowers around in remembrance and the depositing of cremated ashes also causes me unease. The flowers are often wrapped in cellophane and tied with ribbons and wire which do not decay.  Ashes are frequently left in a little pale coloured pile which actually takes quite a long time for the wind and rain to disperse. I know Roseberry’s ecology is not critical but flowers and ashes as well as banana skins, orange skins and apple cores left on the high mountains do cause a change in the ecology of the fragile environment there. They take a very long time to decay and become part of the soil and new chemicals and minerals are introduced which are alien to these  places. My philosophy is in line with the Leave No Trace movement and I apply that to all countryside including Roseberry.
Rant over.


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