Hi AlOriginally Posted by Al Fowler
1) As mentioned earlier a cairn is a pile of stones, it's not like an Alpine marker with paint and a possible number so how do you know the cairn you are looking at marks your route. The only way I can think is if you are already on that route, if so why do you need a pile of stones to tell you the way.
2) Heard on Kinder- a guide leader telling her group that the cairns marked the way back to EdaleProblem was they were walking away from Edale at the time
3) If you move rocks from there natural area (to create a cairn)you are causing erosion in 2 ways.
i) Exposing the area to the elements
ii) Creating a follow me attitude for other hill users. This brings a higher footfall to a concentrated area which wears down the surface exaggerating the erosion. Taking this to the next step once the path has expanded you step to one side thereby widening it
In some areas of Scotland you can walk/run all day with out getting near or seeing a path until you get near a summit.
It's difficult to see how removing cairns in the Lakes or the Peak could help as most paths are so well established due to the number of people in the hills but the true wild places need looking after and unless they are a marked Cairn(on a Map) I would knock it down
Hope this helps
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