On a breezy Sunday morning on the 24th of April 1932, a group of working class men and women set off to walk up Kinder Scout in the Peak District. This was no ordinary ramble, they were walking into the history books. They were soon confronted by a group of game keepers determined to prevent them having access to the moor. What ensued was a pivotal battle in the clash between working men and women and the rich landowners who wanted to keep wild land for their own sporting pursuits. Some of the walkers ended up in prison but they had set in motion a train of events that ultimately gave all of us in England the limited right of access to high lands that we enjoy today. Their battle became known as The Kinder Trespass.
In this podcast episode I talk to outdoor writer Roly Smith about his book, Walking Class Heroes, where he describes the life and work of twenty of these “wilderness warriors”, retelling the battles they fought against seemingly intractable politicians and the Establishment and includes memories of personal encounters by the author with many of them. From the nature-loving romantic poet John Clare and access pioneers such as Tom Stephenson and Benny Rothman, to present-day activists and writers such as Jim Perrin, Fiona Reynolds and Kate Ashbrook, Walking Class Heroes describes the contributions made by philanthropists, writers and political militants. Their battlegrounds included the Peak District, Dartmoor and Scotland and their tactics encompassed campaigning journalism, legal dexterity and even mass trespass. Some are no longer with us of course, but several others are continuing the fight for the same kind of public access to the countryside currently enjoyed by our neighbours in Scotland and the rest of Europe.
Roly Smith was recently described by a reviewer as “one of Britain’s most knowledgeable countryside writers”. He has written over ninety books on the British countryside and is vice-president of the Outdoor Writers’ and Photographers’ Guild, having been its president for twelve years, and is also a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers. A journalist by training, Roly was Head of Information Services for the Peak District National Park for thirteen years, where he became known as “Mr Peak District”.
Very much enjoyed the podcast and have linked to it from our Facebook page (Melbourne Footpaths Group). Roly might not know that there was a Derbyshire Walking Class hero who lived in Melbourne at the end of the 18th century. His name was Thomas Dugmore who wrote a long tract attacking the the enclosure of the village in 1791. He even took Lord Melbourne to court for closing a footpath. I can’t find Roly’s email address so I hope this gets to him.
Hi Barry, glad you enjoyed the podcast. I’ll pass on your comment and contact details to Roly. Regards, John