Book Reviews Continued
And I was equally disappointed that she acknowledges the inspiration of the pre-war route of that well-known misogynist Alfred Wainwright in his Pennine Journey of 1938 , in which he castigates married women who go out to work , and those who refuse to have children .
Walking Class Heroes
Roly Smith Signal Books , £ 9.99 ( pb ) ( Reviewed by David Taylor )
There are some things in life that are routinely taken for granted even though they really shouldn ’ t be . Britain ’ s public footpath and bridleway network is a good example , and , of course , one particularly relevant to OWPG members . And yet it isn ’ t too long ago in the scheme of things that vast areas of the British countryside were closed to all but a few . Walking Class Heroes by Roly Smith is a short but very informative book about the pioneers who campaigned , fought , and occasionally wrote poetry for the right to roam freely across the moors and through the forests of the British Isles .
By far the most famous of these pioneers are those who organised and took part in the mass trespass on Kinder Scout in 1932 . However , as Roly ’ s book points out , the �ight began far earlier than this . Between the 17th and early 20th century over 5,000 Enclosure Acts were passed . These acts effectively passed 6.8 million acres of common land into the hands of the British aristocracy and wealthy farmers . Resistance began when the right to walk ancient footpaths was �irst contested .
Today , thanks to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act of 2000 , there is greater freedom for wandering hither and thither than there has been for over 300 years . ( Even more so in Scotland since the enlightened Land Reform Act of 2003 .) However , the work is not complete . There is a looming threat of legislation that would ‘ criminalise unintentional trespass ’, for example , and , as Roly points out , a mere one per cent of the population own over half the land in England . ( This , as well as other startling facts in the book about land ownership in Britain , will quickly cause blood to boil .) Roly puts forward a persuasive case that England and Wales should look to Sweden and the concept of ‘ Allemansrätten ’, or ‘ every man ’ s rights ’ ( and presumably women ’ s too ). This idea - one not enshrined in law - sensibly allows a wide range of activities in the Swedish countryside , but also demands that people take a personal responsibility in looking after the land .
There are 20 heroes in the book , some long dead , though many are happily still alive . A good number of the heroes are known personally to Roly and were interviewed for the book . All deserve to be better known for their work , something that Working Class Heroes does a �ine job in achieving .
Musical notes
David Taylor
An album of music is a wonderful thing , but it ’ s far more fun to create your own selection of personal favourites . ( Whether this is a mixtape or Spotify playlist will depend on age or temperament .) This led me to put together a ( short ) playlist for photographers – with tongue only partially in cheek …
All things must pass George Harrison
This heartbreak of a song about the �leeting nature of love and life may seem a strange choice for a photography playlist , but when Harrison sings that ‘ sunrise doesn ’ t last all morning ’ and ‘ a cloudburst doesn ’ t last all day ’ who else can he be addressing but a landscape photographer ? The art of landscape photography is capturing those �leeting moments when the elements of a scene perfectly combine to produce something extraordinary . This can only be achieved by learning to anticipate the moods of the landscape , and understanding the way that natural light constantly changes . All things must pass and photographers need to make the most of the moment before it inevitably slips away .
Cloudbusting Kate Bush
Can there be anything more frustrating than a �ine day turning overcast and grey ? What photographer wouldn ’ t want a machine to bust that cloud ? And yet , although cloud cover is unsuitable for certain types of landscape photography , for some subjects it can be just what ’ s needed . Woodland scenes in strong sunlight can be a mess of highlights and shadows , a range of tones often outside the dynamic range of a camera . It ’ s on overcast days that woodland scenes – particularly when autumn colours are at their peak – are at their most photogenic . The moral is that cloudy days aren ’ t necessarily bad photography days , it is all just a question of having the imagination to see past the grey to the subtle greens and reds beyond .
16 outdoor focus / summer 2021