Lewis Winks
@lewis-winks.bsky.social
Researcher, writer and campaigner with Right to Roam; social and cultural geography; environmental social science; campaigning to defend the right to wild camp on Dartmoor. Devon based.
Reposted by Lewis Winks
The daft thing is that with Proportional Representation there'd be no need for this self-destructive war within Labour. It could split into its component parts - left and right - and people could vote for what they wanted. It's only First-Past-the-Post that forces these irreconcilables together.
February 9, 2026 at 8:51 AM
The daft thing is that with Proportional Representation there'd be no need for this self-destructive war within Labour. It could split into its component parts - left and right - and people could vote for what they wanted. It's only First-Past-the-Post that forces these irreconcilables together.
Reposted by Lewis Winks
Exciting news: this May sees the national release of OUR LAND.
A beautiful documentary feature film about the @righttoroam.bsky.social campaign, directed by Orban Wallace.
Trailer here π
www.youtube.com/watch?v=est-...
A beautiful documentary feature film about the @righttoroam.bsky.social campaign, directed by Orban Wallace.
Trailer here π
www.youtube.com/watch?v=est-...
Our Land Trailer
YouTube video by MetFilm Distribution
www.youtube.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Exciting news: this May sees the national release of OUR LAND.
A beautiful documentary feature film about the @righttoroam.bsky.social campaign, directed by Orban Wallace.
Trailer here π
www.youtube.com/watch?v=est-...
A beautiful documentary feature film about the @righttoroam.bsky.social campaign, directed by Orban Wallace.
Trailer here π
www.youtube.com/watch?v=est-...
Reposted by Lewis Winks
Good morning. Let's make a collective resolution: this will be the year in which we start to turn things round.
January 1, 2026 at 8:51 AM
Good morning. Let's make a collective resolution: this will be the year in which we start to turn things round.
Reposted by Lewis Winks
National or regional (GLA) government needs to liberate Londonβs river system for walking too. Try walking the Roding between Barking Creek & Redbridge?! Impossible where it offers the most benefit in statistically low walking areas. Try the Ravensbourne; canalised/buried even in most green spaces!
The Government has announced the first of their βnine new river walksβ: a section of the River Mersey near Stockport. Yet whatβs being presented as a national breakthrough is, in reality, a set of long-overdue local council upgrades to existing riverside paths.
A skim through the details... π§΅
A skim through the details... π§΅
December 26, 2025 at 12:13 PM
National or regional (GLA) government needs to liberate Londonβs river system for walking too. Try walking the Roding between Barking Creek & Redbridge?! Impossible where it offers the most benefit in statistically low walking areas. Try the Ravensbourne; canalised/buried even in most green spaces!
Reposted by Lewis Winks
It seems the first of the new 'nine river walks' the Government announced in place of a real access policy... won't actually create any new access?
They're just upgrading the existing path and adding some signs and benches. A really rubbish level of ambition.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
They're just upgrading the existing path and adding some signs and benches. A really rubbish level of ambition.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
First of nine new river walks in England announced for north-west
Mersey Valley Way takes in Manchester and Stockport on its 13-mile route with other walks to be identified in 2026
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 9:24 AM
It seems the first of the new 'nine river walks' the Government announced in place of a real access policy... won't actually create any new access?
They're just upgrading the existing path and adding some signs and benches. A really rubbish level of ambition.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
They're just upgrading the existing path and adding some signs and benches. A really rubbish level of ambition.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Lewis Winks
Government's proposed new National River Walk a damp squib says @openspacessociety.bsky.social -it's not new, but on existing rights of way. Priority should be green paper on access to nature, and new legislation. www.oss.org.uk/new-national... @ramblers.org.uk @naturalengland.bsky.social
New National River Walk βa damp squibβ - Open Spaces Society
The proposed first new National River Walk, the governmentβs Boxing Day announcement, is a βdamp squibβ, we argue. The government claims that it will provide β21 kilometres of new pathsβ along the Mer...
www.oss.org.uk
December 26, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Government's proposed new National River Walk a damp squib says @openspacessociety.bsky.social -it's not new, but on existing rights of way. Priority should be green paper on access to nature, and new legislation. www.oss.org.uk/new-national... @ramblers.org.uk @naturalengland.bsky.social
For sure -- investment and improvements are needed -- but important that we critically look at the barriers to access elsewhere as well as undertaking (imo essential) improvements to accessibility and connectivity on existing routes, and that resourcing is given to LAs to undertake .
December 26, 2025 at 10:15 AM
For sure -- investment and improvements are needed -- but important that we critically look at the barriers to access elsewhere as well as undertaking (imo essential) improvements to accessibility and connectivity on existing routes, and that resourcing is given to LAs to undertake .
We need to flip the current assumption that we are barred from land and water unless a landowner decides otherwise, and instead start from the principle that rivers are public spaces, central to community life, health and local nature recovery.
@righttoroam.bsky.social
@righttoroam.bsky.social
December 26, 2025 at 9:57 AM
We need to flip the current assumption that we are barred from land and water unless a landowner decides otherwise, and instead start from the principle that rivers are public spaces, central to community life, health and local nature recovery.
@righttoroam.bsky.social
@righttoroam.bsky.social
A serious attempt to improve continuous access along the Mersey would have required the Government to grapple with that concentration of private control. Instead, they have opted to upgrade stretches that local councils should be resourced to maintain anyway.
December 26, 2025 at 9:57 AM
A serious attempt to improve continuous access along the Mersey would have required the Government to grapple with that concentration of private control. Instead, they have opted to upgrade stretches that local councils should be resourced to maintain anyway.
Creating genuinely new riverside access would mean confronting the reality that the power to grant or deny access rests with landowners. In this case, the banks and corridor of the Manchester Ship Canal are owned by Peel Holdings Ltd.
December 26, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Creating genuinely new riverside access would mean confronting the reality that the power to grant or deny access rests with landowners. In this case, the banks and corridor of the Manchester Ship Canal are owned by Peel Holdings Ltd.
And while this relatively small stretch is being focused on, anyone attempting to follow the river beyond it will quickly run into difficulty. A walker recorded their attempt to walk this section:
gerryco23.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/w...
gerryco23.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/w...
December 26, 2025 at 9:57 AM
And while this relatively small stretch is being focused on, anyone attempting to follow the river beyond it will quickly run into difficulty. A walker recorded their attempt to walk this section:
gerryco23.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/w...
gerryco23.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/w...
I've mapped the Mersey's publicly accessible waterside and the upper half through Manchester already enjoys extensive public access.
These upgrades will benefit local communities. But why does essential local authority work require a national announcement from Defra?
felt.com/map/River-Me...
These upgrades will benefit local communities. But why does essential local authority work require a national announcement from Defra?
felt.com/map/River-Me...
River Mersey Access β Felt
The only cloud-native GIS platform.
felt.com
December 26, 2025 at 9:57 AM
I've mapped the Mersey's publicly accessible waterside and the upper half through Manchester already enjoys extensive public access.
These upgrades will benefit local communities. But why does essential local authority work require a national announcement from Defra?
felt.com/map/River-Me...
These upgrades will benefit local communities. But why does essential local authority work require a national announcement from Defra?
felt.com/map/River-Me...
According to reporting "no new paths will be created", and instead "signs to mark it as a national river walk will be erected and stretches of the existing river path will be upgraded to meet accessibility standards"
December 26, 2025 at 9:57 AM
According to reporting "no new paths will be created", and instead "signs to mark it as a national river walk will be erected and stretches of the existing river path will be upgraded to meet accessibility standards"
The Government has announced the first of their βnine new river walksβ: a section of the River Mersey near Stockport. Yet whatβs being presented as a national breakthrough is, in reality, a set of long-overdue local council upgrades to existing riverside paths.
A skim through the details... π§΅
A skim through the details... π§΅
December 26, 2025 at 9:57 AM
The Government has announced the first of their βnine new river walksβ: a section of the River Mersey near Stockport. Yet whatβs being presented as a national breakthrough is, in reality, a set of long-overdue local council upgrades to existing riverside paths.
A skim through the details... π§΅
A skim through the details... π§΅
Reposted by Lewis Winks
This Telegraph article is a distillation of the horseshit propping up the idea of a 'rural v urban culture war'.
'BBC ACCUSED OF METROPOLITAN BIAS TOWARD RURAL BRITAIN' it claims, citing a poll commissioned by the Regional Moorland Association (i.e. gamekeepers)
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
'BBC ACCUSED OF METROPOLITAN BIAS TOWARD RURAL BRITAIN' it claims, citing a poll commissioned by the Regional Moorland Association (i.e. gamekeepers)
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
December 12, 2025 at 5:13 PM
This Telegraph article is a distillation of the horseshit propping up the idea of a 'rural v urban culture war'.
'BBC ACCUSED OF METROPOLITAN BIAS TOWARD RURAL BRITAIN' it claims, citing a poll commissioned by the Regional Moorland Association (i.e. gamekeepers)
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
'BBC ACCUSED OF METROPOLITAN BIAS TOWARD RURAL BRITAIN' it claims, citing a poll commissioned by the Regional Moorland Association (i.e. gamekeepers)
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
The River Dart in spate flowing through (and over!) Totnes following heavy & prolonged rainfall.
And this is one week past spring tides!
And this is one week past spring tides!
December 10, 2025 at 7:38 AM
The River Dart in spate flowing through (and over!) Totnes following heavy & prolonged rainfall.
And this is one week past spring tides!
And this is one week past spring tides!
Reposted by Lewis Winks
The Government have today announced an Access Green Paper which will consult on how to βstrengthen the publicβs legal right to accessβ.
This is welcome - but further delay isn't: Labour MPs & access NGOs are united on the need for access legislation now.
@righttoroam.bsky.social comment:
This is welcome - but further delay isn't: Labour MPs & access NGOs are united on the need for access legislation now.
@righttoroam.bsky.social comment:
December 1, 2025 at 2:15 PM
The Government have today announced an Access Green Paper which will consult on how to βstrengthen the publicβs legal right to accessβ.
This is welcome - but further delay isn't: Labour MPs & access NGOs are united on the need for access legislation now.
@righttoroam.bsky.social comment:
This is welcome - but further delay isn't: Labour MPs & access NGOs are united on the need for access legislation now.
@righttoroam.bsky.social comment:
Tonnes of topsoil heading seaward, washed out by rainfall from the River Dart Catchment, South Devon.
With heavy rainfall events becoming more frequent as a result of climate breakdown, leaving fields bare at this time of year is a recipe for literal disaster.
With heavy rainfall events becoming more frequent as a result of climate breakdown, leaving fields bare at this time of year is a recipe for literal disaster.
December 1, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Tonnes of topsoil heading seaward, washed out by rainfall from the River Dart Catchment, South Devon.
With heavy rainfall events becoming more frequent as a result of climate breakdown, leaving fields bare at this time of year is a recipe for literal disaster.
With heavy rainfall events becoming more frequent as a result of climate breakdown, leaving fields bare at this time of year is a recipe for literal disaster.
Reposted by Lewis Winks
ChatGPTβs signature writing style is everywhere now, and I hate it. It reminds me of when we tried mixing all the beverages at the soda fountain in middle school. We didnβt actually create the perfect drink, we just made a cloying monstrosity that lost everything good about its constituent parts.
November 19, 2025 at 5:17 PM
ChatGPTβs signature writing style is everywhere now, and I hate it. It reminds me of when we tried mixing all the beverages at the soda fountain in middle school. We didnβt actually create the perfect drink, we just made a cloying monstrosity that lost everything good about its constituent parts.
Reposted by Lewis Winks
Why Your House Is Full of Stuff
You'll Never Use.
You'll Never Use.
November 27, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Why Your House Is Full of Stuff
You'll Never Use.
You'll Never Use.
Trees high on Dartmoor have been deliberately poisoned.
Perhaps an act rooted in frustration and of sorrow at the passing of an unfettered time... but an act of ecological vandalism nonetheless.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Perhaps an act rooted in frustration and of sorrow at the passing of an unfettered time... but an act of ecological vandalism nonetheless.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Willow trees on Prince Williamβs land in Devon poisoned with herbicide
Exclusive: Unknown culprit suspected of spraying glyphosate on protected trees hoped to stop peat erosion and flooding
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Trees high on Dartmoor have been deliberately poisoned.
Perhaps an act rooted in frustration and of sorrow at the passing of an unfettered time... but an act of ecological vandalism nonetheless.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Perhaps an act rooted in frustration and of sorrow at the passing of an unfettered time... but an act of ecological vandalism nonetheless.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
@ebenmyrddin.bsky.social repping wild camping at the Basecamp stage at Kendal Mountain Festival.
November 23, 2025 at 8:44 PM
@ebenmyrddin.bsky.social repping wild camping at the Basecamp stage at Kendal Mountain Festival.
A real joy to be at Kendal Mountain Festival with @righttoroam.bsky.social and friends -- raising our voices for equitable access to nature.
Wild camping: we won the battle on Dartmoor, now what?
Listening to @lewis-winks.bsky.social, @maryannochota.bsky.social & Aila Taylor discussing extending the right to wild camp in England - at Kendal Mountain Festival, in (appropriately enough) a very big tent
Listening to @lewis-winks.bsky.social, @maryannochota.bsky.social & Aila Taylor discussing extending the right to wild camp in England - at Kendal Mountain Festival, in (appropriately enough) a very big tent
November 23, 2025 at 8:15 PM
A real joy to be at Kendal Mountain Festival with @righttoroam.bsky.social and friends -- raising our voices for equitable access to nature.