Monday, July 30, 2007

Tourists in the bog

We have finally had some decent weather here in the south-west of Ireland and I have been doing a great deal of walking in the boglands at the north western end of the island where I live. Although the place was still quite wet, there was a lot of life going on. The flora has suddenly exploded, set free by the burst of heat and sun. Bird's Foot Trefoil, Ling, Ragged Robin, Bog Asphodel and Stonecrop have all started to bloom and its a treat to see all this. However, alongside all this natural stuff comes the inevitable detritus of that most unnatural of creatures, the tourist. Four wheel drives parked on fragile coastal heathland because they are too lazy to shift their asses and walk a few hundred metres. Empty drinks bottles, quagmires of discarded tissues, letters from Eircom (Dublin address), foil fast food trays and golf balls have all turned up out there in the last couple of weeks. Most bizarrely, I found a small tin of lip balm and a mobile phone (no credit left so I left it with the guards) sitting on a rock, in full view. And one of the dogs came bouncing across to me with a single sock in her mouth. Someone must have one cold, wet foot!

Tourism is a major part of what sustains many people in this area, and so I accept its importance. I just cannot accept that it is necessary to dump rubbish anywhere you feel like, I even had one delightful visitor offload their bags of non-recyclable stuff into my recycling bin which meant I had the unpleasant task of removing it.

I love the place where I live, and I know that all the visitors that I meet and talk to also have a great affection for it. Valentia Island is still relatively unspoilt in large areas and those of us who make our homes here want it to stay that way. All we ask is that, yes please come and visit, enjoy our scenery, share our lifestyles, take away your photos, take away your memories, and, most of all, take away your rubbish. Leave behind only your footprints.

PS to my profile and last posting. We have added to our family, we have another dog, Pegi, a labrador/collie cross and she is already great friends with codydog. They play and fight and chase all the time, then they go to sleep. Oh the effort of it all!