The countryside is open. To test the truth of this sweeping statement, this month my column is being written in the Yorkshire Dales.
Saturday/Sunday
On the day we arrived, notices were posted around the village stating that yet another suspected outbreak of Foot & Mouth was located just down the road (later to be confirmed), the sheep were grazing in the fields and the smoke from a previous pyre was drifting down the valley. All the footpaths are closed and the sight of the army on the roadside brought home the fact that the countryside is actually not open. Large articulated lorries trundle down country lanes with just what appears to be a tarpaulin over the load and disappear into a field, which often has a small JCB type of vehicle scurrying around stoking a long mound of smoldering material.
Disinfectant mats are placed at the entrance to every hamlet, village or town and appear, in fact, to be carpet nailed to the road on the outskirts of our village but others seem to be two lines of tarmac with a damp bit in between and you cannot leave the tarmac roads apart from in the main towns. In the village where we are staying, numerous footpaths lead either up to the surrounding moors or down to the river that formed the valley. All are closed and the only place to walk the dogs is along the road. In fact the one thing that strikes the visitor is just how many dogs are being walked along the roads.
The reason is that there are no parks to speak of, unlike in and around our town as they do not have the need. Normally, you just fall out of bed and the Dales are there, only now they are still there but inaccessible, unless you are in the countryside when, of course, they are open!
Monday
As several farms straddle farms, many of the lanes leading away from the main 'A' roads are closed and just to reinforce the signs, the army land rovers are stationed alongside. As I sit looking out of the window, the footpaths either side of the village hall both have one sign requesting that dog owners clear up after them with the red 'footpath closed' one underneath. An army vehicle drives through the village and a local resident walks up to the notice board outside the hall to see if any news has been added to the various notices detailing changes to the refuse collection dates, candidates for the election on May 3rd, information on what you cannot do during the foot and mouth outbreak and the location of the latest local outbreak. We visited Bolton Castle, which is some 5 miles from our local pyre, and the smell was still noticeable even at that distance.
Tuesday
As we walked the dogs down the lane, a pile of sheep is laying in a pen. A little further down the lane we notice about 10 sheep together with their lambs are laid neatly out just a gateway from the road. We thought we would trundle off to the county town of Richmond and see what a proper town is like. On the way, we saw the land rovers, articulated lorries, diggers complete with vets and men in white overalls, which suggested carcasses about to be moved. This was before we got as far as the main road! When we returned, the lane was blocked and cattle being shoveled into the back of the lorry. Tomorrow we will find out if the sheep went away as well.
   
 Wednesday
Today we thought we would try further afield and crossed one of the moors - under instructions not to leave the road - and visited one of the numerous waterfall trails in the Dales. The caves were open, but the trail was cut short due to proximity of countryside. Ho hum.
The village is still cut off at one end and all the traffic, such as school buses, has to turn around. The army is still in attendance and 'our' sheep still lying at rest.
Thursday
The forecast was for dry sunny weather today, but for some reason it turned out misty, damp and wet so the opportunity was taken to visit the Dales countryside museum which was indoors and next to the company which makes all kinds of ropes. The site also housed one of the Dales information centres where a list was available of all the various attractions in the area which were open, but when you spot such visitor attractions such as the local cinema (12 miles away! and open Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun - REX supporters note) and ice cream parlours, you do wonder if they are scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Today three more pyres have been spotted in the valley below and these coupled with the one just along the lane mean that we are not often without the smell of burning flesh in our nostrils. On the plus side, the carcases that have been lying around have finally been removed and 'our' local pyre stoked up and is smoldering well.
Friday
The last day and the sun has come out! The plan for today changed in order to take advantage and we set out to visit one or two outdoor locations only to be thwarted as sheep were grazing on part of the sites and therefore closed. Never mind, plan 'B' promptly swung into action and a visit to a brewery hastily arranged which finished a frustrating week on a high note.
In conclusion, almost everything outdoors is either closed or severely curtailed. If you think the countryside includes fresh air and grass, then most rural tourist areas cannot be classed as 'open'. If you are happy with bricks and mortar connected by tarmac then it is.