0:00:05 > 0:00:08The National Parks are Britain's most beautiful landscapes.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Rolling hills, wide lakes, panoramic views,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19they are places to relax and inspire you.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23I didn't know there was anywhere like this.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25It's absolutely fantastic.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31The Peak District is the oldest of our 15 National Parks.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35In creating it after the Second World War, the Government
0:00:35 > 0:00:39was giving to the nation a place that everyone could enjoy.
0:00:39 > 0:00:40Today, the Peak District
0:00:40 > 0:00:43is becoming a victim of its own success.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47It has ten million visitors a year.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48I've been a long time ago
0:00:48 > 0:00:52but I don't remember it as it is now. It seems different.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Many of those come from the huge surrounding conurbations
0:00:55 > 0:00:57of Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02- Have you ever had a nasty fall? - No, not in 20 years.
0:01:02 > 0:01:03Touch wood.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07The park is also home to nearly 40,000 people.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09These chocolate-box villages
0:01:09 > 0:01:12are what have helped make the Peak District so famous.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16All these people want different things from
0:01:16 > 0:01:18this one precious piece of land.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20And that creates conflict.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Hey, stop!
0:01:23 > 0:01:24He nearly knocked me down!
0:01:24 > 0:01:27All you want to do is represent the tourists.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30I spent a year filming in the Peak District.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35I want to find out who this National Park is really for.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38We've all walked here to send a strong message.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Do you think it's moving? Does it move you to look at that view?
0:01:50 > 0:01:56- Yes. It's the first time and it's beautiful.- Peaceful, so peaceful.
0:01:56 > 0:01:57It is.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02- It's the tranquillity, isn't it? - Yes, it is.- Yes.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07And also, I suppose, the sheer scale of it.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Mm-hm.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15In July 2010, I arrive in Great Longstone, a typical
0:02:15 > 0:02:19charming village in the heart of the Peak District National Park.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22It's home to around 800 people.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26It has two pubs and a shop which closes each day for lunch.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Joyce Poulter has lived in the village for nearly 40 years.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35- Hello.- Hiya.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Morning.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Hello. Lovely day, isn't it?
0:02:43 > 0:02:47She's a retired primary school teacher.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50I think I'll have some brownie cookies. We like those.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54And I think John might like some custard creams.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Joyce is not your typical 80-year-old. She's an activist.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59We're trying to get some people involved
0:02:59 > 0:03:02- and try to do something about it. - Right, yeah.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04If anybody mentions it to you in the shop,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08just send them in our direction.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11John and I are speaking for it at the moment.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14- We've not really established... - Yes, Joyce.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Like most country villages, Great Longstone has a little lane
0:03:20 > 0:03:23that winds its way down the side of the village.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27It's called Cherpit Lane. It's just under two miles long.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29The villagers love this lane.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31For generations, they've walked their dogs
0:03:31 > 0:03:33and ridden their horses up it.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35But all that has changed.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Although it's not a tarmacked road,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Cherpit Lane is classified as a "Byway Open to All Traffic",
0:03:44 > 0:03:46or BOAT for short.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50It's being used throughout the year by off-roading enthusiasts,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53driving 4x4s and riding trail bikes.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56And the villagers don't like it.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04- Beautiful day, isn't it? - It's absolutely perfect.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Joyce's campaign is to get the off-roaders banned
0:04:06 > 0:04:08from Cherpit Lane.
0:04:08 > 0:04:15We're just so angry. The way that it has now been opened to all vehicles.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22Trail bikes, 4x4s, anything that anybody wants to drive along here,
0:04:22 > 0:04:28and it's just ridiculous. It's made it so difficult for the people
0:04:28 > 0:04:34who have been using it, the walkers, the horse riders, the cyclists.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41This part of the track now, where it is steep and stony, loose stones,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44is now quite dangerous for cyclists.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50We've heard several say they won't come again.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57People are not able to walk up in peace and calm.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03And it's upsetting.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Stop!
0:05:08 > 0:05:10- Are you OK?- Yes.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13I shall get emotional.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Some of Joyce's neighbours in the village share her view
0:05:26 > 0:05:29and see the off-roaders as unwelcome and a bit scary.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Like Sue and Chris Woods.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34How do you feel when you see them?
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- I'd prefer they weren't there. - Me too.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41But I can accept that, if they are where they're legally entitled to be
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and behave responsibly, I've got to grin and bear it.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50Although, as I say, I would prefer that the law was changed.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56At the Gundrys', they believe they are a menace to society.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01I wouldn't want to get involved in a real confrontation with them.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05I wouldn't want to...
0:06:05 > 0:06:06obstruct them.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11An local phrase I have had used against me is,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13keep your neb out!
0:06:17 > 0:06:21In August, a month after I first met Joyce,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23she's holding a recruitment drive
0:06:23 > 0:06:26in her village pub for her new campaign.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Her husband, John, is chairing the meeting.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34You're in shock because you've seen me in a suit, collar and tie.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37It's nothing to do with the fact we've got television here.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39It's just I thought we'd celebrate.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42I never thought we'd have a meeting like this setting up of
0:06:42 > 0:06:45the organisation with all sorts of allies all over the country.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Joyce is giving the campaign a name with a double meaning.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Rocking The BOAT, I think, is something that
0:06:51 > 0:06:53can be remembered by most people.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56The "BOAT" business, of course, refers to
0:06:56 > 0:06:59- the bridleway open to all... - Byway.- Byway, sorry.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04Byway Open to All Traffic, which, of course, refers to Cherpit Lane.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07The campaign will include letter-writing, meetings
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and monitoring of off-roaders on Cherpit Lane,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13but Joyce has got a warning for her new recruits.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16You may think that is a welcome signal but it wasn't,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18and the person who took the photograph
0:07:18 > 0:07:22got out of the way quickly because he realised that he was vulnerable.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Your safety is paramount.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28We're not asking you to take photographs,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30take number plates even, or anything else.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34We are asking you, please, just to record what you see.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37The villagers of Great Longstone are getting organised and mobilised
0:07:37 > 0:07:40and they are determined to defend their lane.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Cherpit Lane is one of up to 300 green lanes in the Peak District.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Many are open to traffic
0:07:55 > 0:07:59because they've been deemed roads since medieval times.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Getting the law changed on a lane can be costly and difficult
0:08:05 > 0:08:09because the off-roaders know their legal rights.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15One of those is Richard Entwistle,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18who lives in Chesterfield, just outside the park.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21He's part of the Peak District Vehicle Users Group,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24or PDVUG, as it's known.
0:08:24 > 0:08:29- What is it that does it for you? - I think it's the skill of being able
0:08:29 > 0:08:33to get the vehicle to cope with the terrain.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Obviously, the vehicle is very competent
0:08:37 > 0:08:41but it still needs skill to drive it.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Whoa!
0:08:47 > 0:08:49I'm more worried about your vehicle than you!
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Richard knows some villagers in Great Longstone
0:08:52 > 0:08:56are out to get him and his friends banned from Cherpit Lane,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58so he wants to try and appease them
0:08:58 > 0:09:01at a large public meeting in the village in two weeks' time.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Difficult, diplomatic situations are nothing new to Richard.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08You have experience as a negotiator.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13Well, I was an officer in the Territorial Army for 22 years.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16That obviously stands me in good stead
0:09:16 > 0:09:19for getting up in front of people and saying what has to be said.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24There are the sheep down there.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Just wait here until the sheep have gone in there, please.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Yes, I just spotted them!
0:09:29 > 0:09:35- What are you filming?- It's a BBC documentary.- About sheep?- No.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- Thank God for that!- Sadly. For you.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Could I ask you, what's your view
0:09:39 > 0:09:43about the use of the green lanes for off-road vehicles?
0:09:43 > 0:09:46They're a pain in the backside.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52That evening, Richard Entwistle and some other off-roaders
0:09:52 > 0:09:53are on Cherpit Lane
0:09:53 > 0:09:57preparing for the meeting with the villagers of Great Longstone.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01They have a legal right to drive down the lane
0:10:01 > 0:10:03any time of day or night.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08Any compromise they offer will be out of the kindness of their hearts.
0:10:08 > 0:10:09The villagers complain
0:10:09 > 0:10:12that the lane is too narrow for vehicles to use,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16but Richard and his team have a simple solution to that problem.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20They're going to offer to cut back the blackthorn bushes.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21You can see the distance here
0:10:21 > 0:10:24as to how much it restricts the lane.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29The locals are concerned because of...vehicles
0:10:29 > 0:10:34and pedestrians meeting down here - where do the pedestrians go?
0:10:34 > 0:10:37People walking their dogs and suchlike.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39If the road was its proper width,
0:10:39 > 0:10:41there wouldn't be any more problem
0:10:41 > 0:10:44than most of Derbyshire's narrow lanes.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47So we've thought we'll investigate
0:10:47 > 0:10:50whether we can do something about it.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55The end of that is nine feet in. I mean, that's five feet.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56Plus the length of my arm.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00The most efficient way of doing it will be to have one of us
0:11:00 > 0:11:05- firing off a chain saw. - Shall we continue down a bit?
0:11:05 > 0:11:09This is the main bit to concentrate on, where it's narrowest.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19We'd better start with the Great Longstone village meeting...
0:11:19 > 0:11:22After the lane, the off-roaders retire to a pub
0:11:22 > 0:11:26to discuss the forthcoming meeting with the village.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31The meeting is primarily to persuade us motorists
0:11:31 > 0:11:36to put a voluntary restraint whereby 4x4s
0:11:36 > 0:11:40don't use the lane at all and motorbikes only use it in winter.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43That's quite a radical sort of change from
0:11:43 > 0:11:45a legal byway open to all traffic.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49They're wanting us to give way to them, aren't they?
0:11:49 > 0:11:54It's been proved that it's a legal right of way for all users.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57We're giving them more offers than they're giving us.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59They're giving nothing, really.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03They are united in the view that they don't need to offer
0:12:03 > 0:12:06anything more than cutting back the blackthorn.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18It's the end of September, the day of the meeting between
0:12:18 > 0:12:22the Great Longstone villagers and the off-road motorists.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Joyce is at the hall early.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Another villager called Diana turns up
0:12:31 > 0:12:34with what looks like a bag of scrap.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36I've got another lovely mudguard at home that
0:12:36 > 0:12:38I couldn't manage on my bike.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40So, I'll just... I'll put...
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Each time Diana takes a stroll on Cherpit Lane,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46she picks up bits of broken vehicle.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48She's brought them all along tonight
0:12:48 > 0:12:52as damning evidence of the damage the off-roaders are causing.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57- I'll bring down the mudguard when I come walking.- Oh, good.- OK?
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- Thank you, Diana.- OK.
0:13:00 > 0:13:01- See you later.- See you later. Yes.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05What do you think of the evidence?
0:13:05 > 0:13:09I have seen it before but I think it's probably a little bit more now.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12She seems to find some every time she goes up there.
0:13:12 > 0:13:18Slowly, the hall fills up. It seems the whole village has turned out.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23HE RINGS BELL
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Welcome, everybody. A fantastic turnout.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Joyce's husband, John, is chairing the meeting.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33- We've just been hovering. Apologies to everybody.- Yeah, it's all right.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Last to arrive is Richard Entwistle and his off-roading friends.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Anybody else coming in?
0:13:40 > 0:13:45I want to emphasise that these guys have every legal right
0:13:45 > 0:13:47to drive up and down Cherpit Lane.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51Remember, they didn't have to come here tonight and make an offer.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56I think you're going to make an offer...of some sort, anyway!
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Nobody in the room knows what the motorists will offer.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02I shall try and keep it in order with this bell.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05You've got 20 minutes, if you wish.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08- I don't think I'll be that long. - OK.- Yeah,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11as motorists, we perceive that a substantial problem
0:14:11 > 0:14:17on Cherpit Lane, in particular, is the blackthorn that's
0:14:17 > 0:14:21crept over about three quarters of the lane for 50 yards or so.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29We're looking into ways of getting rid of it
0:14:29 > 0:14:32to make it safer for everybody, make it usable.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34CROWD MUTTERS
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Richard's offer has gone down like a lead balloon.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43These good people, they expected
0:14:43 > 0:14:46something a bit more than cutting back blackthorn, I'm sorry to say.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48OK. Yes.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52- It has food on it for birds. - Blackthorn?- Yes.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Sloes, sloe gin. If you cut it back,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59some of the locals won't be able to go and get their sloes.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04- It is growing in a public highway. - It's not.- Yes, it is.- No!
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Horses have ridden these tracks for centuries.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12It wouldn't be appropriate for me to drive a motorbike
0:15:12 > 0:15:15through your front room any more than it's appropriate
0:15:15 > 0:15:17for you to drive 4x4s up a narrow lane like that.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20For five minutes' thrill driving down Cherpit Lane,
0:15:20 > 0:15:21you destroy our lives.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25I don't know why you don't understand that because it actually
0:15:25 > 0:15:26isn't something I'm sure you would
0:15:26 > 0:15:28want to have happening outside your house.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Your activity destroys the pleasure
0:15:31 > 0:15:36of the vast majority of people who are part of the National Park.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Cutting back a little bit of blackthorn,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41it's not a pee in the ocean, mate.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Most of the people that I know despise you lot.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46You're nothing, mate. You're nothing.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50There's millions of walkers and we're dead against you lot.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51APPLAUSE
0:15:51 > 0:15:55The meeting ends with no agreement about Cherpit Lane.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58If Rocking The BOAT wants to get off-roaders banned,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01they will now have to use the law.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03As residents of a National Park,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06they hope the law will be on their side.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16There are 15 National Parks in the UK,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19but the Peak District is the oldest.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27Some people have been visiting since it was designated in 1951.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Hello. We're just doing some filming for the BBC.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37- You sure?- Right!- Sorry? - You're sure you're from the BBC?
0:16:37 > 0:16:41- Do I not look respectable?! - Not really!
0:16:41 > 0:16:44This is somewhere you've all been to, is it, before?
0:16:44 > 0:16:49Yes, I've been a long time ago, but I don't remember it as it is now.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- It seems different. - How has it changed?
0:16:52 > 0:16:58Goodness knows, I don't know. It seems bigger. It's just different.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03MUSIC: "The Woody Woodpecker Song"
0:17:03 > 0:17:07The origins of the National Parks in Great Britain
0:17:07 > 0:17:10can be traced back to before the Second World War.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18In 1932, when Kinder Scout in the Peak District
0:17:18 > 0:17:20was entirely privately owned,
0:17:20 > 0:17:25a group of ramblers from Manchester staged a mass trespass there.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28They demanded the rights for ordinary people
0:17:28 > 0:17:31to walk in open countryside.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34A few years later, the first National Parks were created
0:17:34 > 0:17:37and they were built on the guiding principle
0:17:37 > 0:17:40that everyone should be able to enjoy the countryside.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43It's this principle which underpins the work
0:17:43 > 0:17:46of the Peak District National Park Authority,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50and its head ranger is Sean Prendergast.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55We've got a plaque in a quarry in the car park.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58The story of this place is intrinsically linked
0:17:58 > 0:18:01with the history of the Peak District National Park.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04People battled in the '30s to gain access to these places
0:18:04 > 0:18:07because they thought these places should belong to everybody.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Today, Sean has to deal with contemporary conflicts
0:18:12 > 0:18:16over the landscape, such as that on Cherpit Lane.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20The residents of Great Longstone, it's their village
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and they want tranquillity,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26they want a quiet life,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28if you like.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31They see outsiders coming in and destroying it.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36They see outsiders coming in and destroying part of their village.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38The other side of that coin, the off-roaders are saying,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41"Well, hang on a minute. This is an ancient right, it's our right.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45"We just want to exercise that right." They're two extremes.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Bringing those two extremes together is difficult.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52The Peak District Park Authority
0:18:52 > 0:18:56is based in an old manor house in Bakewell.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Sean's small team is tucked away in an annexe.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05It's their job to manage the park's 300 green lanes.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08This is the access and rights-of-way team.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11His second-in-command is Mike Rhodes.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13We are trying to do our best to manage a very difficult situation.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16People do get very upset and very passionate
0:19:16 > 0:19:19about what's happening in the Peak District.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22As Sean said, we have to try and take the middle ground
0:19:22 > 0:19:26and we sometimes get a bit of a bashing for it, but hey-ho.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29When you've got opposing views,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32you're always going to be on the wrong side of one of those views.
0:19:32 > 0:19:38Sean's team use this rights-of-way bible to assess every road,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41going back to the days of horse and cart.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44It's these ancient laws which the off-roaders refer to
0:19:44 > 0:19:47when demanding their rights to use the green lanes.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50- Is it a good read? - I wouldn't say I've read it!
0:19:50 > 0:19:53That sounds like I sit there in the bath reading it from cover to cover,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56which isn't the case! I do refer to it quite a lot, yes.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59I'm surprised there's not a dart on that map where Cherpit Lane is.
0:20:01 > 0:20:08No, because Cherpit Lane is one of the many threads we have to address
0:20:08 > 0:20:11in this rich tapestry we call rights-of-way management.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Sean's boss at the Park Authority is chief executive Jim Dixon.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19He tells me it's the park's policy
0:20:19 > 0:20:23to only ban off-roaders as an absolute last resort
0:20:23 > 0:20:24because they have as much right
0:20:24 > 0:20:27to enjoy the landscape as everybody else.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Everybody has rights in this debate.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31- It's a complex issue. - It's a complex issue.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32Everyone has rights
0:20:32 > 0:20:37and to just simply say nobody should be allowed to drive vehicles
0:20:37 > 0:20:39on roads in the National Park
0:20:39 > 0:20:42would be a kind of draconian response
0:20:42 > 0:20:45that would cause more problems than it would resolve.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Equally, allowing anyone to drive any vehicle anywhere
0:20:49 > 0:20:51is going to cause upset for a lot of people.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53We know it is. It is now.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Who have we left behind?
0:20:58 > 0:21:00At the end of October,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03John and Joyce and the rest of Rocking The BOAT
0:21:03 > 0:21:05are back on Cherpit Lane.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09Sorry, Joyce, just explain the whistle again.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12I'm wearing a whistle because I've been appointed
0:21:12 > 0:21:14the safety officer for this morning.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15Right, I see.
0:21:15 > 0:21:21And if I hear any motorbikes or 4x4s... You'll see them all run!
0:21:21 > 0:21:23SHE BLOWS WHISTLE
0:21:23 > 0:21:24After the disappointment of
0:21:24 > 0:21:27the meeting with Richard Entwistle on the off-roaders,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30they are taking matters into their own hands.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Two metres.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Two metres, effectively.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37They are measuring the lane's narrowest points
0:21:37 > 0:21:40and doing a survey of people using it.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46They are putting together a case for a traffic regulation order,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48which will ban motorists.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50TROs, as they are known,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52are usually applied by the local council,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56but in a National Park, the Park Authority also has the power
0:21:56 > 0:22:00to enforce one, but only if the environment is being damaged.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Is that a bike I can hear? I can hear a bike.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Get the whistle out!
0:22:06 > 0:22:08SHE BLOWS WHISTLE
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Hey, stop!
0:22:19 > 0:22:20This is the first time
0:22:20 > 0:22:25I've seen trail bikers and walkers come face-to-face.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27It feels tense.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30- Go steady, please, in single file. - That's what we're doing.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35- Is he one of yours?- Yes.- I hope you tell him off. It's bloody dangerous.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37SPEECH DROWNED OUT
0:22:45 > 0:22:49As they drive past, I hear a scream further up the lane.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52SHOUTING
0:22:56 > 0:23:00- Did you get the one that nearly took Joyce?- Yes, I got Joyce's number.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04- Was he shouting at you, Joyce? - Pardon?- Did he shout at you?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07- Yes, he did.- He nearly knocked me down.- He said, "What are you doing?"
0:23:07 > 0:23:12- Joyce's feet were there and he was in this track.- And what happened?
0:23:12 > 0:23:15I had to fall back, more or less, onto the bank.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17John calls the police.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Oh, good morning. I'd like to report some difficult, dangerous motoring
0:23:21 > 0:23:24on Cherpit Lane in Great Longstone, please.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47By the time the snow comes in November,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49I learn that similar battles
0:23:49 > 0:23:52to that over Cherpit Lane are taking place throughout the park.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54I hear of confrontations
0:23:54 > 0:23:59between walkers and off-roaders on other lanes.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Derbyshire police force
0:24:01 > 0:24:04has been aware of the problem on green lanes for some time.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07It's set up Operation Blackbrook,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10which is being run by PC Kevin Lowe.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14What a view! Aren't I privileged to work here?
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Kevin's job is to make sure the off-roaders
0:24:19 > 0:24:21are keeping to the legal routes
0:24:21 > 0:24:25and that they obey traffic regulations.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26Hiya.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31OK. Just run my little thing over here,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33just to see if we are licensed.
0:24:35 > 0:24:36Yes, we could really do
0:24:36 > 0:24:40with a bigger number plate on there, couldn't we?
0:24:40 > 0:24:45- All four sides in that square. OK? - Yes.- And it applies to you...
0:24:45 > 0:24:49Oh, there we go. That's a real no-no, isn't it?
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Too small.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57We require one of those letters to touch, as near as possible,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00all four sides,
0:25:00 > 0:25:05OK, to be a proper prescribed registration plate, and it isn't.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Are you confident that your horns work, your lights work?
0:25:09 > 0:25:10- Yes.- Yes?- 100%.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13HORN BEEPS Again?
0:25:13 > 0:25:14HORN BEEPS
0:25:14 > 0:25:15Yours, sir?
0:25:15 > 0:25:16ENGINE STARTS
0:25:19 > 0:25:20HORN BEEPS
0:25:23 > 0:25:27You can hear it go click, that's it. It's not making a proper noise now.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30OK.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35- Well, that's not acceptable, is it? - Not at all.- No, no.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39What I'm going to have to do now is get my little book out.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43I don't really think this part is appropriate for the camera
0:25:43 > 0:25:45cos I'm going to get my book out now. OK?
0:25:47 > 0:25:49- What's your date of birth?- 29...
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57You'll notice this month I've come equipped!
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Every few months, PC Lowe chairs a public meeting at Bakewell Town Hall
0:26:01 > 0:26:05where he reports back on the success of Operation Blackbrook.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Here to answer questions on behalf of the National Park
0:26:08 > 0:26:10is the access and rights-of-way...
0:26:10 > 0:26:12At this meeting, the panel
0:26:12 > 0:26:15also consists of Mike Rhodes form the Park Authority
0:26:15 > 0:26:16and Neil Hickman,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19the County Council's assistant director of highways.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22The audience includes people from Great Longstone,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26but there are people from other villages throughout the park too.
0:26:29 > 0:26:30Joyce has come equipped
0:26:30 > 0:26:34with the results of Rocking The BOAT's Cherpit Lane survey.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38She wants to get a traffic regulation order put on it.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43Cherpit Lane becomes too narrow for four-wheeled vehicles.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48The photographs show four Land Rovers driving down Cherpit Lane
0:26:48 > 0:26:50and passing two walkers
0:26:50 > 0:26:54who have been pressed into the wall to avoid injury.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56The Land Rovers didn't stop.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Imagine what would have happened
0:26:58 > 0:27:02if the other users that afternoon had been walkers with children,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06people with limited mobility, or horse riders.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11For safety reasons, please will you put a road traffic order
0:27:11 > 0:27:13on Cherpit Lane?
0:27:13 > 0:27:18I can't give you any assurance that Cherpit Lane will be subject
0:27:18 > 0:27:22to a TRO, or even subject to us attempting a TRO,
0:27:22 > 0:27:26because I don't know the full story behind it.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28I would need to look into that further.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32I just hope we don't have to wait for an accident to happen.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35The man from the council says he cannot help Joyce.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37If they want to start putting some of the damage right...
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Now, the people in the audience focus their attack
0:27:40 > 0:27:43on Mike Rhodes from the Park Authority.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45The authority has a duty to look after the environment
0:27:45 > 0:27:48and can ban off-roaders on these grounds.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52But because it won't do so, the residents here are getting angry.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Yes, sir?
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Will the Peak Park commit themselves
0:27:57 > 0:28:00to revisiting the issue of TROs?
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Because we understand that to put a TRO on,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09using the Peak Park's own figures, costs less than £6,000.
0:28:09 > 0:28:10APPLAUSE
0:28:12 > 0:28:16The policy, as it stands, clearly states that we must
0:28:16 > 0:28:21distinguish a lack of maintenance from an environmental impact.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Where there's lack of maintenance,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27the Park Authority is not going to bail the Highway Authority out.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31The statutory duty of the Peak Park is to protect the environment.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33You do have the resources.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37What we're hearing is that people, senior in the National Park,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40have said, "If they are degraded, the environment's degraded,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43"it's not our fault, it's Derbyshire County Council."
0:28:43 > 0:28:47It doesn't square with your duty to protect the Peak Park.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51The Park Authority's view is that damage to a green lane
0:28:51 > 0:28:55is more likely to be a maintenance issue than an environmental matter.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58But the audience won't accept this from Mike Rhodes.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01- Yes, madam?- If there's no resources dedicated to it,
0:29:01 > 0:29:07then I don't understand how the Peak Park thinks it's carrying out
0:29:07 > 0:29:09its responsibilities under the legislation.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12I have to deal with the budget I'm given. That's all I get.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17- You're the last question. You're on. - The law's got to be changed.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19The police can't change the law,
0:29:19 > 0:29:22but we, the people, can, and we, the people, will!
0:29:22 > 0:29:25It dawns on me, as this meeting draws to a close,
0:29:25 > 0:29:29the arguments are less between the off-roaders and the residents,
0:29:29 > 0:29:32but more between the residents and the Park Authority.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34We're going to get to grips with the Peak Park.
0:29:34 > 0:29:39They need to have a whole new view of what goes on in the Peak Park.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42Maybe this is where the real conflict lies.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44Thank you.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01As December approaches, the conflict over green lanes
0:30:01 > 0:30:05is gaining momentum - and it is the Park Authority in the firing line.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Stoney Middleton, Pindale, Abney -
0:30:08 > 0:30:12many villages are reporting problems with off-roaders
0:30:12 > 0:30:14on their green lanes.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19What they do is back in and pull them out with a rope
0:30:19 > 0:30:20and then someone else has a go.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22I was worried they'd knock my walls down.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25I hear of one farmer, Jeff,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29who is so angry about off-roaders on his land
0:30:29 > 0:30:31that he's started filming them.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34That is what it was like when I drove round ten years ago.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36That is the state of the lane eight years later.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40Jeff believes the Park Authority should do more.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43For some reason they feel that people can come and play
0:30:43 > 0:30:45and they don't want to upset them.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47The recreation seems to be a free-for-all.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53The festive season arrives.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55But I am getting a sense of growing tension amongst
0:30:55 > 0:30:57the inhabitants of the park.
0:30:57 > 0:31:02As we forgive those who trespass against us...
0:31:02 > 0:31:06More villages are following Joyce's example
0:31:06 > 0:31:09and starting their own campaign groups.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13In Abney, Mark has organised a group
0:31:13 > 0:31:16which wants to get off-roaders banned throughout the park.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20Once again, the campaigners target the Park Authority.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22This isn't true of all the offices or all the members,
0:31:22 > 0:31:26but there are enough within the organisation who would rather
0:31:26 > 0:31:30keep their head down, not to do anything and allow damage
0:31:30 > 0:31:33and the rest to occur because it is easier that way.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36It is not just villages.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40Other campaign groups are also springing up throughout the park.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43Like Peak Horsepower, led by Patricia Stubbs.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48The Peak Park has a legal duty to protect the environment.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52The legislation talks about tranquillity and the tranquil
0:31:52 > 0:31:53enjoyment of the countryside.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56We seem to have got ourselves in a situation where
0:31:56 > 0:31:57anything goes in a national park,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59and I cannot believe that was the intention
0:31:59 > 0:32:01when national parks were created.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08Then, in January, all these disparate groups decide to unite.
0:32:08 > 0:32:13Horse-riders, walkers, villagers, they are coming together
0:32:13 > 0:32:19to create one big campaign group called the Green Lanes Alliance.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23Its simple aim is to rid off-roaders
0:32:23 > 0:32:25from the Peak District forever.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32The first meeting is held in secret,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35at The Crispin pub in Great Longstone.
0:32:38 > 0:32:43What is happening in there is that we are trying to form
0:32:43 > 0:32:46a coalition of organisations and individuals
0:32:46 > 0:32:48to work Peak Park-wide.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52So we're on a very boring constitutional wrangle
0:32:52 > 0:32:55about whether the constitution should include words such as
0:32:55 > 0:32:57"Peak National Park" or "Peak District".
0:32:57 > 0:33:00I think it is just not the right sort of meeting for television.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02That is what they feel.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06At the next Operation Blackbrook meeting,
0:33:06 > 0:33:11chaired by PC Kevin Lowe, tempers flare.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15I support the tourist industry, but we don't like to see
0:33:15 > 0:33:19folk coming in with 4x4s and motorbikes and destroying it all.
0:33:19 > 0:33:20APPLAUSE
0:33:22 > 0:33:24It's a damn disgrace.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28Mr Dixon gave a long reply, talking about this report and that report,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30none of which is substantiated.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Our concern is that lack of leadership...
0:33:33 > 0:33:38On this occasion, the chief executive of the park, Jim Dixon,
0:33:38 > 0:33:41has come along to defend his authority
0:33:41 > 0:33:44against the accusations of the campaigners.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46There is a bit of a fog of misleading coming there, I'm afraid,
0:33:46 > 0:33:50and it is a myth to say that nothing is being done.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54All this guff, frankly, it's simply not true.
0:33:54 > 0:34:00It's very, very easy to spin a story that tells the people
0:34:00 > 0:34:04that are listening to you that somehow things are not right.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09Let's look at the facts. Let's look at the update...
0:34:09 > 0:34:12Let us look at the facts and the update
0:34:12 > 0:34:17on the practical work that Mike and Andy and the team are doing.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20At the moment, there isn't a single TRO...
0:34:20 > 0:34:22It lists very specifically...
0:34:22 > 0:34:25It lists specifically the action that is being taken.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29What you wish to see done has not necessarily been done
0:34:29 > 0:34:33because other more effective things have been done.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35You have set the question...
0:34:35 > 0:34:41Jim Dixon's team has identified 24 lanes which need attention.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44The authority is part of a working group which considers
0:34:44 > 0:34:48each of these lanes, and this group includes horse riders,
0:34:48 > 0:34:52walkers, off-roaders and people from the council.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55This track has been resurfaced by the council
0:34:55 > 0:34:57and the Park Authority has put in place
0:34:57 > 0:35:00a one-way system for the off-roaders.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04These fords here were a real bomb site, weren't they?
0:35:04 > 0:35:08It was really chewed up here. As you can see, 100% sustainable.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11I would expect zero maintenance required on this section.
0:35:14 > 0:35:15There is another route
0:35:15 > 0:35:18where the Peak District National Park Authority
0:35:18 > 0:35:20is helping walkers and cyclists.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24It is about to be reopened after 40 years.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38The Monsal Tunnels Project will allow people
0:35:38 > 0:35:41to get from Bakewell to Buxton along an old railway line
0:35:41 > 0:35:45without ever being disturbed by cars or trail bikes.
0:35:48 > 0:35:53The 20-mile route includes four miles of atmospheric old tunnels.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56Sean Prendergast is overseeing it.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59It's a great feeling, isn't it? Eerie.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04So this is going to be for people who want to cycle?
0:36:04 > 0:36:08This will be... You will be able to cycle from Bakewell
0:36:08 > 0:36:12right the way through almost into Buxton itself.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Just think of something
0:36:18 > 0:36:21where you can go 15, 20 miles without encountering a car.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Do you not think it'd be a bit eerie to drive through as a young child?
0:36:24 > 0:36:27I think it would be fantastic.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30As long as it is 100% safe then the apprehension
0:36:30 > 0:36:34is part of the thrill, part of the reason for doing it.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42By opening up this old railway line, beautiful parts of the park
0:36:42 > 0:36:45are being revealed to visitors for the first time in many years.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47So you can't access this normally?
0:36:47 > 0:36:50You've never been able to get up here because that tunnel was closed,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53that tunnel was closed, this piece was closed off,
0:36:53 > 0:36:57so it's 40 years since any member of the public will have seen that,
0:36:57 > 0:37:01so now they can come along, look at it, admire it,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04and, especially on a summer's day, just sit and watch.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07You get moorhens and coots and everything down in the bottom there.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Is that the definition, to you, of tranquillity?
0:37:12 > 0:37:16Ah, now. Tranquillity is about a state of mind.
0:37:16 > 0:37:21It is a bit like meditation, then?
0:37:21 > 0:37:23It sounds very hippy-ish, doesn't it?
0:37:23 > 0:37:26I'm a solid working-class Northern lad but...
0:37:26 > 0:37:30We don't meditate, but we think about things, that is what it is.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32It just gives you a chance to think about things.
0:37:32 > 0:37:37You wouldn't want to be typecast as a meditator?
0:37:39 > 0:37:41I don't look like a meditator, do I?
0:37:41 > 0:37:43I look more like a pie eater!
0:37:43 > 0:37:45Come on, let's go. Meditator!
0:38:05 > 0:38:09Where can you go and get a better view than that?
0:38:09 > 0:38:13- It is quite a priceless view, isn't it?- It's lovely.
0:38:13 > 0:38:19- How old were you when you first saw this view?- I would be...
0:38:19 > 0:38:23Just after the war. I was born in 1937.
0:38:23 > 0:38:28I notice that a lot of these benches have plaques on them.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31I suppose you would be a candidate for a plaque.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33I'm not ready for a plaque yet!
0:38:38 > 0:38:40At the start of February,
0:38:40 > 0:38:45the newly-formed Green Lanes Alliance gets its first big test.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47A green lane called Hawkhill Road,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50which sits next to the village of Eyam, is under dispute.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Today, a public enquiry is being held to decide
0:38:55 > 0:38:59if the off-roaders can continue to use the road.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03The Green Lanes Alliance has sent a delegation of its top campaigners,
0:39:03 > 0:39:07but so has Richard Entwistle and his off-roading group PDVUG.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12I am only allowed to film proceedings through a window.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15It's being presided over by an inspector
0:39:15 > 0:39:18appointed by the Government.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20Each side puts its case to the inspector.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25INAUDIBLE
0:39:28 > 0:39:31In the end, the enquiry comes down on the side of the off-roaders.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36They have successfully shown that the lane is a key part
0:39:36 > 0:39:40of a network of roads around the village of Eyam.
0:39:40 > 0:39:41It breaks my heart.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46It just does.
0:39:48 > 0:39:53I have lived and walked and ridden round here all my adult life.
0:39:53 > 0:39:54It's terrible what's happening.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02This is a huge blow to the newly-formed alliance
0:40:02 > 0:40:05and they have learnt a difficult lesson.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07The off-roaders are a formidable opponent,
0:40:07 > 0:40:12well organised and with a vast knowledge of their legal rights.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18So the Green Lanes Alliance decides to look
0:40:18 > 0:40:21to the Peak District Park Authority for answers.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25A special meeting has been called
0:40:25 > 0:40:28at the Park Authority headquarters in Bakewell.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30Other organisations, including the police
0:40:30 > 0:40:33and the County Council, are also present.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36We don't want off-roaders in national parks, period.
0:40:36 > 0:40:41The general public want the national park to act this way.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44A delegation from the Alliance demands to know
0:40:44 > 0:40:48why Sean Prendergast's department won't close lanes to off-roaders.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51It is clear what your duties are.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54It is also clear what your powers are.
0:40:54 > 0:41:00You have the ability to protect the environment using TROs.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Yet we have heard there will be no TROs.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06The perception is certainly the case
0:41:06 > 0:41:08that this authority is doing less than other authorities.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11You're saying we're wrong. That's the perception.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15Please can we find a way to expedite things quickly in the Peak District?
0:41:15 > 0:41:19I know people that will not come to the Peak Park
0:41:19 > 0:41:21because of the motorbikes.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25That is fact. They will not come here, Mr Prendergast.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28You are losing... You're losing tourists.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32I am not here to lobby for the 4x4s.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34In the same way, I am not here to lobby against them.
0:41:34 > 0:41:40I don't think you should confuse independence
0:41:40 > 0:41:41with inactivity.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44There appears to be, on the part of some people,
0:41:44 > 0:41:45a sense that we're doing nothing.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48It's not true. We are responding without fear or favour.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52And I'm sorry that that doesn't win any popularity competitions,
0:41:52 > 0:41:54but, as a public body, that's how we have to behave.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58Because, as angry as you are, there are other people who believe
0:41:58 > 0:42:02that there SHOULD be 4x4 roads, who are equally angry.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05We cannot show favour to them either.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07We have to act in an independent manner
0:42:07 > 0:42:12so that every decision we've made is justifiable, is robust.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16We can substantiate a legal challenge to it.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Can I just close the meeting because it is 4:00pm.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21The Green Lanes Alliance is not happy
0:42:21 > 0:42:24with the outcome of this meeting.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27But the authority has a legal responsibility
0:42:27 > 0:42:30to make sure the park is available to everybody.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36Failure to do that would be going against the very principles
0:42:36 > 0:42:38on which it was founded.
0:42:50 > 0:42:55All the views that we go to in this park are romantic. Definitely.
0:42:55 > 0:43:00- We always carry vinegar. - You carry that with you?- Yes.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04Because you can never put enough vinegar on in the chip shop.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07One of our favourite places is to stop in Bakewell,
0:43:07 > 0:43:10take the fish and chips, and walk along the river.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13- Right.- That is another lovely place, Bakewell.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Or we drive out, we get our fish and chips in Bakewell
0:43:16 > 0:43:18and drive out to Longstone Edge,
0:43:18 > 0:43:21which is a better view than this, actually.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24This is a really nice view and it's good when the fog lifts.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28But the view from Longstone Edge is even more stunning, isn't it?
0:43:28 > 0:43:30Yes, it is. Yes, you can see a lot further.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33So there are different combinations of views and chips to be had?
0:43:33 > 0:43:35- That's right. - Depending on your mood.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39The other thing is, we'll stop at the fish and chip shop in Bradwell
0:43:39 > 0:43:41- and drive to Ladybower Lake. - And have them there?
0:43:41 > 0:43:42Or Ladybower Reservoir.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44- Which is another stunning place. - Another stunning view.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48- That's my absolute favourite. - Is it?- Ladybower Reservoir.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59In spite of the disappointment of the meeting with Sean Prendergast
0:43:59 > 0:44:01and the Park Authority,
0:44:01 > 0:44:05there is some good news for the Green Lanes Alliance.
0:44:10 > 0:44:15A few weeks ago, the Park Authority revealed for the first time ever
0:44:15 > 0:44:19it was considering closing a green lane to off-roaders.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24It's called Chapel Gate and it's just outside the village of Edale.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31This badly eroded lane is going to be repaired
0:44:31 > 0:44:33by Derbyshire County Council
0:44:33 > 0:44:37but the Peak District Park Authority is concerned the erosion
0:44:37 > 0:44:40is also spreading to the land either side of the lane.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44For that reason, it's considering closing it to traffic.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50Sean Prendergast and his team want to put an experimental traffic ban
0:44:50 > 0:44:55on the lane for 18 months to see if the land can repair itself.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00But they cannot just impose the ban straightaway.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05They need to undergo a lengthy public consultation first
0:45:05 > 0:45:09and then get the decision approved by the authority's board members.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15As part of the consultation,
0:45:15 > 0:45:18John and Joyce and other members of Rocking The BOAT
0:45:18 > 0:45:20are taking a look at the route.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Right, can I check, love,
0:45:27 > 0:45:32- is this SK 107841?- Yes.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35Damage to this section is very severe
0:45:35 > 0:45:39due to the combined effects of vehicle use and water erosion,
0:45:39 > 0:45:43resulting in increasing damage to the footpath.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46The footpath has thus been widened and deepened.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50The area of bare ground has expanded and is further open to erosion.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59Sue, I think this is probably a mud flap off a 4x4.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11While we're on Chapel Gate looking at the view,
0:46:11 > 0:46:15it occurs to me why this campaign means so much
0:46:15 > 0:46:18to people like John and Joyce.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20This is not just a national park.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24It's the landscape of their life story.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29That round, grassy hill is Grindslow Knoll.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32I proposed to Joyce on top of that hill.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36I sort of stumbled into it and Joyce said, "Yes. When?"
0:46:37 > 0:46:40And there we were, engaged. Out of the blue.
0:46:40 > 0:46:46It was romantic, yes, because it was an area we loved. We still love.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50Sue and Chris Woods also have a confession to make.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54It was after the emotional stress of going along Striding Edge
0:46:54 > 0:46:58in a snowstorm that we first made love, actually!
0:46:58 > 0:46:59LAUGHTER
0:47:01 > 0:47:04And he knew I was afraid of heights!
0:47:07 > 0:47:10If the Park Authority approves the closure,
0:47:10 > 0:47:14it will be a huge victory for the newly-formed alliance
0:47:14 > 0:47:17and a turning point in the battles over green lanes.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22If we go for an order, if it's an 18-month experimental order...
0:47:22 > 0:47:25A few weeks later, it's time to discuss the findings of
0:47:25 > 0:47:27the consultation on Chapel Gate.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30Over 500 people have responded.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32Lots of them are off-roaders opposing it.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36Mike Rhodes reads out one of the comments.
0:47:36 > 0:47:40"You are unfairly discriminating against one particular user group
0:47:40 > 0:47:44"for the perceived enjoyment of another. That's discrimination."
0:47:46 > 0:47:49I think if that were true it would be, but that's not what we're doing.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52You know? We're not doing this because the ramblers
0:47:52 > 0:47:55don't like motorbikes in the countryside,
0:47:55 > 0:47:57any more than we'd be doing it
0:47:57 > 0:48:00if they didn't like horses or mountain bikes.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04- We are doing it for very, very clear environmental reasons.- Absolutely.
0:48:04 > 0:48:05I think we've already reached
0:48:05 > 0:48:08the decision that we're going to go to the members with.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11After analysing the findings, Sean's team is recommending
0:48:11 > 0:48:16the Park Authority board vote to impose the ban on off-roaders.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19The board meets in a few weeks' time.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27Back on Chapel Gate, the trail bikers greet the news with dismay.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33They believe their rights are now being slowly eroded.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36A bike has no larger impact than a horse
0:48:36 > 0:48:38and a horse is allowed to roam freely.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40We're not, for some reason, you know.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42We only have limited access now.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45There's miles and miles of footpaths available.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48I'm not telling anyone where they can and can't walk
0:48:48 > 0:48:49and these routes here are legal.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52I don't see why I should be told where I can and can't ride.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54If it's legal then we'll ride it.
0:48:54 > 0:48:5860 ramblers do far more damage to a path than one motorbike.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02Why do you think it is the ramblers, you know,
0:49:02 > 0:49:06if you're not causing any damage, don't want you in the area?
0:49:06 > 0:49:08Because they kid themselves into thinking
0:49:08 > 0:49:11that it's the pretty, green England of 1950,
0:49:11 > 0:49:14where everything was ginger beer and sandwiches.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21It's springtime.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23We need a public debate on this issue,
0:49:23 > 0:49:26so commission has been given and I'm assuming...
0:49:26 > 0:49:28The board members of the Park Authority
0:49:28 > 0:49:30are considering the recommendation
0:49:30 > 0:49:34to ban off-roaders from a green lane for the first time.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37The 11 board members who will vote on the TRO
0:49:37 > 0:49:40are either elected parish councillors
0:49:40 > 0:49:43or people appointed by the Government.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Campaigners from both sides of this battle
0:49:45 > 0:49:47have come to listen to the meeting.
0:49:47 > 0:49:48What we have to remember
0:49:48 > 0:49:52is we've got to respect different views on this issue.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54The chairman introduces the debate.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56Our first duty is to the natural beauty of the park.
0:49:56 > 0:50:00We can't stress too strongly its importance to the local communities.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02One of the board members, Professor John Herbert,
0:50:02 > 0:50:07appears critical of Sean and his team for not acting fast enough.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10Why has it taking so long to set up the Chapel Gate experiment here?
0:50:10 > 0:50:16Could we do it quicker in future if other such occasions arise?
0:50:16 > 0:50:19I don't think that it has been unduly long.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23It's been careful and considered and through proper process.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27We're very, very clear as to why we are making this recommendation
0:50:27 > 0:50:28in this particular case,
0:50:28 > 0:50:31as opposed to other recommendations in other cases.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35Local communities don't understand. Local communities want action fast.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39It's an example where we, as an authority, have a different view
0:50:39 > 0:50:42of speed to the rest of the world, it seems to me.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45Then Professor Herbert brings into question
0:50:45 > 0:50:49the Park Authority's whole policy on off-roading.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53I do think it is absolutely crucial that we have a thorough review
0:50:53 > 0:50:55of our existing policy.
0:50:55 > 0:51:01I hope that we will now be looking seriously at other similar places
0:51:01 > 0:51:08where we should also be doing TROs - either experimental or permanent.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11I move the recommendation to the chair.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13Then it's time to vote.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15All those in favour of the motion?
0:51:17 > 0:51:21The vote is unanimous. Chapel Gate is to be closed.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23For the first time in its history,
0:51:23 > 0:51:27the Park Authority is banning off-roaders from a green lane.
0:51:27 > 0:51:28But that's not all.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32Because of the members' strong feelings, it's also going to review
0:51:32 > 0:51:37its park-wide policy on all green lanes in July.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44John and Joyce asked me to drive over to Great Longstone
0:51:44 > 0:51:47after the meeting, to tell them the result.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51- Hello, Richard.- Hello. - Nice to see you again.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53So, Richard, how did it go?
0:51:53 > 0:51:57- They approved it.- Approved? - Oh, great!- Approved?- For sure?
0:51:57 > 0:52:00Oh, great! Oh, smashing!
0:52:01 > 0:52:03The delight in Great Longstone
0:52:03 > 0:52:06is not shared by the off-roading community.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10A week later, in June, on a day out off-roading,
0:52:10 > 0:52:13Richard Entwistle tells me his organisation
0:52:13 > 0:52:15is planning to fight the decision.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18All is not lost.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23But it's on the slippery slope to being lost.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26And the experimental traffic regulation order?
0:52:26 > 0:52:28The experimental traffic regulation order?
0:52:28 > 0:52:31One thing I've learned about the off-roaders
0:52:31 > 0:52:33in the making of this film is that they're not prepared
0:52:33 > 0:52:36to give up the green lanes without a fight.
0:52:36 > 0:52:42It's been proposed for illegitimate reasons, for the wrong reasons.
0:52:42 > 0:52:43Or invalid reasons.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47That's a difficult one to answer because we're not the legal minds.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49No.
0:52:49 > 0:52:56- And although we can supply opinions till the cows come home...- And do!
0:52:56 > 0:52:59..it's the legal people who have to decide on
0:52:59 > 0:53:02what sort of challenge will work in court.
0:53:02 > 0:53:07And there are some legal people who are working on this
0:53:07 > 0:53:09at the moment for the user groups
0:53:09 > 0:53:14- to see what sort of a case we can make.- So, it's got until...
0:53:14 > 0:53:19- Mid-July.- ..till mid-July to mount a legal challenge.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32In June, a few weeks before the Park Authority board
0:53:32 > 0:53:35makes a decision about its whole policy on off-roading,
0:53:35 > 0:53:40I'm out and about in the park with the chief executive, Jim Dickson.
0:53:40 > 0:53:42Just mind the traffic here.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44When I started filming,
0:53:44 > 0:53:48Jim maintained his authority would not close lanes to off-roaders.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51But now, that might be about to change.
0:53:51 > 0:53:56I can see our members taking a different decision,
0:53:56 > 0:53:58saying we need to put a bit more resource into
0:53:58 > 0:54:00the issue of off-road vehicles.
0:54:00 > 0:54:07Ultimately, it is possible that we could reduce the scope
0:54:07 > 0:54:11for off-road vehicle use such that there is a lot less overall use
0:54:11 > 0:54:14by off-road vehicles in the Peak District.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18But Jim has a warning for anyone who thinks the answer is
0:54:18 > 0:54:21simply to ban all off-roaders from the park.
0:54:21 > 0:54:26One of the great achievements of this National Park
0:54:26 > 0:54:30in its early days, and one of the huge drivers
0:54:30 > 0:54:36for its creation was to create more access to the countryside.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38So, the Kinder Trespass in 1932.
0:54:38 > 0:54:43These great people were fighting for access to the countryside.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47So if we're going to be withdrawing rights of access,
0:54:47 > 0:54:51we have to be very, very careful that we're doing it right.
0:54:57 > 0:55:01In July, just two weeks before the Park Authority makes decisions
0:55:01 > 0:55:04about its whole policy on off-roading,
0:55:04 > 0:55:09I'm meeting up with villagers, horse-riders, cyclists.
0:55:09 > 0:55:13People I've got to know over the past year in the Peak District.
0:55:13 > 0:55:18- How are you, Sue? - Yes, we've had a good walk here.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23- We're already walked 4.5 miles. - Is that your bike?- It is.
0:55:23 > 0:55:27Just get me on the flat bits. I'll look good!
0:55:29 > 0:55:31These campaigners
0:55:31 > 0:55:34are not in the mood to heed Jim Dickson's message.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40In fact, in an act reminiscent of the Kinder Trespass,
0:55:40 > 0:55:42they are marching together,
0:55:42 > 0:55:46up to one of the Peak District's famous sights, Stanage Edge.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50Unlike the Kinder Scout trespassers,
0:55:50 > 0:55:54these campaigners are marching to keep people out of the park,
0:55:54 > 0:55:57not make the countryside available to everyone.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12They've successfully got a ban on Chapel Gate.
0:56:12 > 0:56:16Now they want off-roaders banned throughout the park.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19When people in the Peak District don't like something,
0:56:19 > 0:56:21they start walking.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25When people couldn't get on to these moors, they marched,
0:56:25 > 0:56:28trespassed, to show their hunger to get on them.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31And today, we've all walked here to send a strong message
0:56:31 > 0:56:34to the Peak District National Park Authority -
0:56:34 > 0:56:38get tough, stop all off-roading activity.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41Thank you for listening. Have a great day and picnic!
0:56:41 > 0:56:44APPLAUSE
0:56:44 > 0:56:47This was the last time I filmed with the campaigners.
0:56:47 > 0:56:52The Park Authority did meet, but decided not to make changes
0:56:52 > 0:56:55to its off-roading policy until later in the year.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02But there is a change on Cherpit Lane.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05Some traffic-calming signs have been put up.
0:57:05 > 0:57:11It's a small victory for Joyce and the villagers.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14But they are continuing their campaign
0:57:14 > 0:57:17to get the off-roaders banned.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20- It's nice to be back here, Joyce. - Yes, yes...
0:57:20 > 0:57:24- How are you doing? - I'm doing well, thank you.
0:58:05 > 0:58:10It's a hugely industrial structure in the middle of a wild landscape.
0:58:10 > 0:58:11That's the highest point?
0:58:11 > 0:58:14Imagine that projecting out to where that flag is.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17You'll deface it for ever more!
0:58:17 > 0:58:19We do need to strike a balance.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22Obviously, with the decision they made, they don't respect us.
0:58:22 > 0:58:25- It's just not fair.- No. - It's not fair.
0:58:25 > 0:58:28They can push their ivory tower where the sun don't shine.