Mobile Phones! Give It A Rest Please!

by Olive O'Hara, West Yorkshire

Is it me or does anyone else get total exasperated by people with mobile phones?

Last August, we clambered wearily to the top of Grisedale Pike in the Lake District only to discover some woman up there merrily ringing all her friends and exclaiming at the top of her voice.

"Hi, it's me. You'll never guess where I am right now!"

First of all it shows little consideration for anyone else who had gone up there for a bit of peace and quiet.

And secondly, the people on the other end of the line have probably never heard of Grisedale Pike, let alone been impressed by some silly woman standing on top of it!

Give it a rest - please!

“I think Jeremy (see below), Les, and many other contributors have perfectly valid points.

Yes, mobiles can be intrusive to others who have come to enjoy the peace of the countryside, and calling someone to say 'guess where I am' is not always necessary.

But if that's followed by 'so I'll be home by about 3, panic if I'm not back by 6' then isn't that OK?

Having excused myself from my walking group, I sought out a quiet spot on the top of High Raise (Langdale) to contact my father, who doesn't walk such great distances any more . . . to tell him I was at the site of his mother's ashes.

Had Jeremy come across me at that moment, he too would have been told where to go.

But if all parties show a bit of common sense and respect for others then mobiles may not be the nuisance they could be.

Time to add that into the updated Country Code perhaps?”

Tim Nobes, Kendal

“I carry a mobile phone when walking, but I must say if I ever meet Jeremy (see below), and he tries to remonstrate with me, I will show him a new place to keep it!!!!

I agree, loud people on phones are annoying, WHEREVER they are, but would Jeremy walk up to my and tell me off if I was talking to my wife/friend/brother etc on top of a hill?

I can't see the difference.

If I am talking (NOT shouting) into my phone, it's an extension and can connect me to someone who, as Jeremy has NO idea, may not be ABLE to walk the hills, for whatever reason and would welcome the call.

Maybe, as often happens, it's someone who doesn't KNOW you're in the vicinity of the 'owner of the countryside and keeper all morals therein' ( AKA 'Jeremy'!).

Mobiles are a part of modern life Jeremy, so get real - they are here to stay, like them or not, and if YOU or anyone else tries to tell me what I can or can't do when I am using it quietly and responsibly, I will retaliate - STRONGLY!”

Les Singleton, Derby

“Mobile phones are a part of modern life and an additional, if not foolproof, safety device in the mountains.

I have had one for twenty years and carry mine while walking, switched-off, so as to enjoy my surroundings untrammelled by the electronic annoyances and distractions of everyday life. It is annoying to watch other walkers use them for trivial purposes without much consideration for those around them. I also bridle at people running their businesses on air as they use an approach route to a popular peak.

However, there may be a safety issue here. Mobile phone cell sizes are more extended in sparsely-populated areas and walkers using phones for trivial reasons may actually block emergency calls.

The moral?

Carry them for safety purposes, switched-off, and don't use them where they may cause offence. I, for one, will come up to you and tell you in no uncertain terms what I think about it!”

Jeremy , Stockport

“Grisedale Pike is always likely to be a bit noisy, as are any of the bigger Lake District hills. I cant see why this should be so upsetting.

Seekers of peace, quiet and solitude should either go there at a ridiculously early hour (recommended, actually), or forego the delights of popular Cumbrian Hills for quieter places.

She was probably so chuffed to get to the top, she just had to tell somebody!”

Mike Knipe, Crook, Co Durham

“Hello, I carry a mobile phone.

A few years ago I allowed myself to deviate from the route which I had planned (OK I shouldn't have, but I did). On a steep grassy slope I slipped onto my back and was carried down the slope on my backside. Though I was rather shaken and had gained a few bruises, I was unhurt.

Then it occurred to me that had I broken my leg or twisted my knee there was no way that I could have climbed out of that valley and it would have been hours if not days before I was found. I got a mobile phone soon after.

I would also make the point that any number of people on campsites have asked to borrow it to phone home, the nearest phone either being miles away or having been vandalised.”

Brian Gent, Northampton

“Carrying a mobile phone is a good idea - but you cannot always rely on it. I go walking in the Edale Valley a lot and my mobile doesn't work there at all.”

Bob Gordon, Sheffield

The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those held by go4awalk.com.

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