Yesterday , I thought I’d drive a few miles and then walk along the canal to Hebden Bridge . I have access to 50 acres of farmland next to me , but on a weekend it is now swamped by Mass Trespassers .. to the point it looks like my nephew is farming Patagonia clad dog walkers / sheep worriers not Hampshire Downs !
When I arrived in Hebden Bridge the town centre was a little more crowded than Blackpool on Illuminations night . There were a dozen outdoor cooking stations serving everything from wood fired Pizza to Indian street food , bakers open , cafes for takeaways , coffee vans , even a pub doing a click and collect , order by text at the menu board then collect and pay . A Puppeteer was entertaining the kids , every step snd wall by the river taken by fed up people enjoying their food in the sun . For a bit of colour a scooter club and a “ rat bike club “ had turned up as well .
The local plod were noticeably absent , and I don’t blame them , they police by consent , it’s one thing raiding a house party , it’s another dealing with hundreds of families .
The vaccinations around here are going full steam ahead with the 60’s ( who were put back for the clinically extremely vulnerable 18-64 ) receiving their instructions to book over the weekends .
The genie is definitely out of the bottle now , and nothing is going to put it back , when the scene above is in play all over the country stopping a few pairs of pensioners potting clays on a midweek day does seem quite silly
