Rumble in the rucksack
A Mexican wave is currently churning the waters of the Blogosphere. The Ramblers have gone mad, or so says Cameron McNeish. Chris Townsend is also dismayed by events down south and bloggers such as Darren are taking up the cause. It all boils down to the Ramblers rebranding themselves as an urban walking outfit, presumably at great marketing and consultancy expense, consequently going bust and having to close their Scottish and Welsh operations as a result. Well, that’s how I see it but I tend to see things in very simplistic and non political terms. Black and white is best I say!
Now I know nothing about the Ramblers. I’ve always considered them a southern England phenomenon, largely confined to canal paths and real ale pubs but according to Chris, the Scottish branch has been involved in the Beauly-Denny power line debacle. Grough also say that the “…Perth and Kinross-based organisation … managed to secure one of the best right-to-roam laws in Europe with the passing of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act…” which I think is quite erroneous. The Ramblers didn’t secure that legislation. Lots of groups helped to make the de facto land access in Scotland de jure. The same hasn’t been done in England and Wales as the starting point was far far lower in terms of existing access.
What does rankle is the apparent requirement to save 300K after they’ve gone through a, presumably, expensive rebranding exercise to position themselves as an urban oriented outfit and said to the “regions”, so long and thanks for all the fish. They’re keeping on a couple of home workers in Scotland on reduced pay. So they’re basically saying to them, “you can do the work of 15 people, for less money”. What? That’s not what they’re saying? So what were they saying in their rebranding exercise? “New improved Ramblers, no reduction in service”? So that means less people doing the same job for less money. Or are they repositioning themselves as a truly southern English outfit?
Darren mentioned the demolition job the YHA did on their rural hostels and I well remember the SYHA actually burning down Inverbeg Youth Hostel on Loch Lomondside and selling off Ardgarten Youth Hostel at Arrochar. Those two hostels made me what I am, in terms of loving the outdoors. Instead of sport, I was allowed, at school, to cycle instead and I used to cycle from Glasgow city centre to Arrochar and back on a Wednesday afternoon. I was 15! I loved Inverbeg and I started my hill bashing from Ardgarten. Both are now gone. Those were the days when the SYHA rules stated that a motorist would be asked to move on if a cyclist turned up and there was no room at the hostel. I actually remember this happening at Ardgarten.
So things do change. Attitudes change. It’s called culture. In an increasingly hectic but health conscious society, people want an instant fix of well being. They’re not prepared to go far to get it. Hence hostels close, others become hotels catering for the motoring masses on an overnight bash from the cities. No-one is willing to sit on the equivalent of the walkers’ express trains of the 30s. They want satisfaction nearer to home. Hence the urbanisation of the Ramblers.
In the late 90s, Professor Mark Shucksmith wrote a paper that included the phenomenon he called ” the gentrification of the countryside”. Retiring from the city to a pleasant dotage in an overpriced rural idyll, to the exclusion of the indigenous population, who were priced out of the local housing market and forced to move to the city to find work and accommodation. Now the situation is turning full circle, as those displaced build lives for themselves in these urban centres and they have no intention of returning to the areas they were forced to vacate. As a consequence, groups such as the Ramblers, YHA and SYHA are changing to service this growing market, while the decreasing interest in hillwalking is leaving less and less footsoldiers to defend wild land against attacks by wind farm and power line dictators.
There’s a general urban-wards trend, noted elsewhere. It would seem that rock climbing is moving indoors and ice climbing will be a thing of the past, thanks to global warming. So where does that leave those of us who eschew urbanisation? Will there be enough of us left to defend the wild land we love so much?
Chris has a good idea. Let the Scottish Ramblers break free of London chains and come and join the growing house party up north. Devolution has proved to be a resounding success and the Calman Commission has just released the report that states we should take more control over our taxation. More and more control over Scottish lives is heading north of the border. Come and join us! Work in Scotland for a Scottish group, looking after wild land, as face it, this is where the only wild land is to be found in the UK. To leave it unprotected because an English urban outfit isn’t interested in it is almost criminal in its negligence.
So vote with your keyboard and help Ramblers Scotland gain autonomy. Donate on their appeal site, ask Chris Townsend questions on his Facebook page and keep a watch on Cameron’s blog as he teams up with the heavyweights such as Dennis Canavan and Dick Balharry to take on the urbanites and attempt to reverse their deplorable decision.
June 16th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I am a member and think there decision and focus is wrong. Fact is that saying walking is declining makes no sense based on the amount of new outdoor shops opening. Maybe people have changed from just walking. Many mountain bike,climb, canoe,run, go paragliding, and find other ways to enjoy the outdoors. The Ramblers don’t get them becoming members. I joined as I like their support of access – but access to the countryside needs to be lobbied for by many groups that represent all who use the countryside in a responsible way, not just walkers. Devolution has proved to be a resounding success? I would say unfair funding for some at the expense of others if you are English. But that is another debate. If the Ramblers split there voice will diminish. Will a Scottish one have any real influence? or such a loud voice as a UK one has?
June 16th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Yes, the devlution funding issue is a load of fun I must agree! As for the Ramblers being a force for UK access, that’s over. They’ve binned their Scottish and Welsh groups. They’re not a UK group any more. They’re an English group.
June 16th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Remember this is only a proposal! It hasn’t been put into effect yet and there is still time to change it though I do agree that it appears to go along with the rebranding and new urban orientation of the Ramblers.
Ramblers Scotland has been very important in the access and conservation movement in Scotland – arguably much more effective than south of the border. Of course they weren’t the only organisation involved in achieving the access legislation – the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (interest declaration – I am President!) was heavily involved amongst others – but they did play a major part and are certainly the only group fighting lowland access cases at present – cases that could be abandoned if these proposals go ahead. Ramblers Scotland has dedicated and effective staff – I’ve worked with several of them, including on the Beauly-Denny Landscape Group (as MCoS rep), and been impressed. Losing them would be a big blow.
I don’t know if Ramblers Scotland can go it alone but I don’t see why not – the MCoS is independent of the BMC and always has been. The current appeal for funds appears to be a statement of independence to some extent. If the funds come in why do they need to stay attached to London?
I don’t think the fact that the number of new Munroists each year has ceased to increase means there are fewer hillwalkers. Most walkers have never been Munro baggers anyway. Membership of the MCoS is increasing at present – and most of our members are hillwalkers.
June 16th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Yes, I was wondering what they’d do with the money Chris. Why hand over almost a quarter of a million to the organisation that wants to cut you off?
Maybe it’s a “leak”. That time honoured way of gauging public opinion on a proposed change. Mention it and see who jumps up and down. So even if it’s just a rumour, if no-one pontificated on it (as I like to do on most things) they’d prolly think it was ok to go ahead.
Glad to hear the MCofS membership is healthy. I don’t see many walkers up here but it’s standing room only further south.
June 20th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
The Ramblers have a proud and radical history Alistair. They originated in the industrial cities of Northern England, with many of the early members being left-wing firebrands, and they fought tooth and nail against landowners to get access to the hills and moors so working folk could get out to the countryside. Some of the early leaders served time in prison after participating in mass trespasses like Kinder Scout.
The Scottish branch have been very strong and vocal campaigners today, helping to get the access legislation, taking legal action against landowners blocking access, and campaigning on environmental issues like the Beauly-Denny line you mention.
We do want to keep them – in that guise, not as a silenced, sidelined and ineffectual rump that they would become with the cuts.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:32 am
I understand the cutbacks and the commercial aspects involved with the Ramblers.
But their membership nos remain strong, and any cutback has to be factored to meet memberships wishs.
Could we be watching a Ramblers trying to transform itslef into nothing more than a political lobbyist cum legal dept?
I left the Ramblers years ago – far too middle class/chintzy curtains and not meeting my outdoor interests, save for legal clout at a local level.
I suspect this latest strategic modification will result in a large loss of membership north and west of the English borders
July 12th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Their loss is someone else’s gain. According to Cameron’s blog, their head man in Scotland has been rehired but perhaps they might like to join with MCofS to create an uber-access group?