... for all schoolchildren.
A new report says that children need to reconnect with nature and one way of doing it would be for every child to get at least one night under the stars in a National Park (NP) or Area of Natural Beauty (AoNB).
Fine, it is not the worst of ideas, these places are on the doorstep of just about everyone yet, at the same time, they are almost off-limits.
Well I have a message for the stuffed shirts who operate these places: Stop making them so exclusive and expensive and relax the rules a bit.
The Dales are right on my doorstep but B&Bs and rooms in pubs are few and far between, and expensive, so not much chance of 'a night under the stars' there. They have become largely for day trippers. Campsites? Well yes, if you want glamping, camper van, caravan parks for a few nights in the 'touristy' places, but there is not much for hikers or walkers out in the sticks. It is the same thing in nearly all of the NPs and AoNBs.
It's time to re-allow some structured wild camping in some areas. It does not have to be a free-for-all, but farmers and land owners should be allowed and encouraged to have small pop-up campsites - small tents only - in quiet corners in out of the way places during parts of the year. There is a universal wild camping code and those of us who do or have done it follow it religiously, so they should not be afraid of their land being trashed.
If we want to get people back in touch with nature we have to open it up. Sending children to an organised site with electric power points, hot showers, a cafe and a shop is not it.