“Woolly hat” elitists

Melanie Reid writes at The Times on how the as puts it ‘woolly hat brigade’ actually resent people using the great outdoors:-

The truth is that the very same outdoor aristocracy that preaches diversity and equal access for all, that produces a countryside safety guide and probably translates the damn thing into Urdu and Arabic; that draws up health strategies to resist obesity – these people secretly detest the end results. Deep down, they hate the charity challenges, the mountain bikers, the long-distance footpath followers – the unstoppable invasion of their green space.

For them, it is dumbing-down: not just the arrival of the great unwashed in hopeless trainers, but the threatening hordes of fit Bear Gryllses, who can handle the outdoors but just aren’t respectful enough.

Double standards rule, I’m afraid. The woolly-hat brigade, free spirits to a man, would not tolerate being regulated themselves. Tell them that they could not climb a mountain when they wanted to, or must pay an entry fee, and they would revolt. But they are perfectly happy to stop others.

Adam found some echoes with NZ such as what sometimes seems to be the attitude of DOC or some of the organisations such as Forest & Bird. Probably the Greens, especially the Greens

No doubt many will disagree, please do so.

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