Managing risk is down to the individual, and all actions have reactions or consequences.
I need to start this by explaining that I'm very privileged with my access to land, having spent much of my life teaching outdoor skills and working in land management and forestry.
I was involved in campaigning for Scotland's Outdoor Access Code and never want to see it eroded. I'd love to see it become UK-wide.
However, I sadly see the other side, dealing with the issues caused by irresponsible land use and the increasing number of byelaws reducing access. An event this weekend made me think it's possibly time to try and get the message out about responsible access.
Although our regular readers are a responsible lot, hopefully they're also the kind of people who'll share this message.
This weekend was a rarity, as I wasn't teaching outdoor skills but was at home on the edge of Edinburgh's Old Town, next to Holyrood Park, and watched it burn less than 100 metres from my window.
I've lived in its shadow for over 50 years and I've seen it burn before, but not on this scale.
At the same time, I have friends and colleagues fighting a massive fire that's been burning for a week in the Cairngorms.
So here goes...
Land access varies across the UK and this blog particularly looks at access in Scotland, which, although some of the best in the UK, is often taken for granted and, more worryingly, abused.
In Scotland we have the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, which forms part of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
Part 1 of the Act deals with access rights and contains the following statement:
A person has access rights only if they are exercised responsibly.
This is a key point, as nowhere does it say people have the right to drop litter, set the land on fire or use vehicles to access the land.
In its early days the Act was seen as a shining example of how things could be, with people enjoying various outdoor pastimes. Walking, wild camping, kayaking... the list was endless.
However, now we are seeing more and more byelaws eroding these rights, and people ask why. Some blame overseas landowners, some blame city folk.
Personally, having seen access to the outdoors in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe, I believe that the general lack of people taking responsibility is the issue.
From litter to poor toilet habits, the list is almost as endless as the outdoor activities we can undertake.
During the latest hot, dry weather it's been great to see people accessing the outdoors and enjoying it.
However, the rise in antisocial behaviour has been abhorrent, to say the least.
Last weekend we spotted smoke from our living room window and called it in.
The fire service arrived within nine minutes of the first call.
At which point, this was the view.
Six hours later this was the scene.
And 48 hours later the fire service left the site.
In all, within nine minutes from a small wisp of smoke, an area the size of a football pitch was burning.
Why, we may never know, and the fire service stated it was not suspicious.
That struck me as an odd statement. Possibly it wasn't caused by a deliberate act, but neither were two recent fires caused deliberately; they were more likely caused by stupidity with BBQs.
Over the two days since, I've witnessed one person light a BBQ to cook steaks and drink beer while watching the folks fighting the wildfire. Thankfully, after being challenged and with the rangers turning up, it was quickly put out.
The next day I was flabbergasted to find two still-hot instant BBQs had been disposed of in the bin inside a wooden toilet block.
Now, there are no bins inside the toilets in a National Park.
Walk a little further around the Royal Park and I find this on a veteran ash tree.
And I wonder, why do people walk out here to do this?
Then I decide to check on the area of native wildflowers and hedging planted a couple of years ago, and then I understand that many people just don't get it.
So, a plea to folks from people who have spent our lives teaching skills to allow others to access the outdoors safely. We've empowered thousands of students to visit and enjoy the outdoors.
Please...
Know before you go.
For those of us in Scotland, please read the Scottish Outdoor Access Code in the link at the end of this blog.
For those who are elsewhere, the ethos isn't wrong elsewhere.
Unfortunately, due to recent events, this has turned from a blog into almost a sermon.
But I'd say get this information out there.
Accessing nature isn't about driving out to places to take a selfie whilst parked on verges.
It's about respect.
Whilst I love a fire, this is cold drinks and picnic weather, or I'll use my FireMaple stove if I want a brew.
Small things go a long way.
If a sign says don't light fires between April and September, please don't light fires.
If it says please keep dogs on a lead, well, please keep them on a lead.
Regardless of people's views on the causes of climate change, things are changing, folks.
Fire is going to become a bigger problem, but here's a few facts.
Piles of logs are often left to create habitat. Please don't burn them.
Rocks are where nature put them. Please leave them there. Chucking a rock down a hill can create a spark capable of igniting dry grass.
Parking near trees and on verges next to hedges in rural areas compacts the ground, damaging the tree's ability to feed. In simple terms, that damage can't easily be undone.
Dead trees also increase wildfire fuel loads.
And yes...
BBQs are fires.
An instant BBQ can heat the ground beneath it to around 450°C, hot enough to start roots smouldering and potentially ignite a fire long after you've gone home.
Dead wood on someone else's land is theirs, not yours. Although the Scottish Outdoor Access Code gives you the right to safely have a fire, it doesn't give you the right to use the landowner's wood.
If you do want to have a fire, read my previous blog on when and how to have a safe fire.
The climate is changing and we need to assess our practices just as we would when travelling to other environments.
Instead of simply saying Leave No Trace, maybe we should aim to leave it better than you found it.
Pick up someone else's litter and try to pass these skills on to the next generation and to everyone who's new to spending time outdoors.
But most of all...
Know before you go and be safe.
Scottish Outdoor Access Code