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Lewis Winks

@lewis-winks.bsky.social
3.6K followers 1.2K following 268 posts

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.

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Reposted by Lewis Winks
Phil Brickell MP @philbrickellmp.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
We often speak about the value of green belt, but did you know the overwhelming majority of that land is out of bounds? So what’s the point in green belt if we can’t enjoy it? That’s why I support the change in the law being campaigned for by @righttoroam.bsky.social
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Today about 100 people took part in a mass trespass in the Prime Minister’s constituency. There’s a right to roam over just 1% of Makerfield, & today the landowner proved our point for us: putting up fencing & calling the police. @andyburnham.bsky.social - please open the door to the countryside!
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The government must know full well that many people have neither the space nor the money to store extra food in their homes. It is individuating responsibility for a collective problem. As usual, it is the poorest and most excluded who will suffer from it. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Minister tells Brits to stock up on days of supplies after ‘supersize’ El Niño warning
Exclusive: Angela Eagle urges UK citizens to be ‘a bit more resilient’ as they plan for national emergencies
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
A new sign put up on land belonging to the local education trust in Totnes. Looks like an 'access reset' designed to protect land value ahead of a possible sale... An example of how landowners use Section 31 of the Highways Act to extinguish historic permissive access. @righttoroam.bsky.social
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Clem.PM @clempm.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Agree strongly with this Study of Geography and History is vital
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Scrapping geography degrees while we are stifled by yet another heatwave. These graduates would have taken on roles sorely needed and too little championed at this time of immense crisis. Our universities should be leading the conversation, not following the money. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
University of Exeter scraps geography admissions at Penryn campus
The decision impacts the BA, BSc Geography and associated joint undergraduate programmes.
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
I joined the End of Tourism podcast to discuss @righttoroam.bsky.social, the commons and conservation - listen in here. open.spotify.com/episode/1fgf...
open.spotify.com
S7 #7 | The Commons, Trespass, and Wild Service | Lewis Winks (Right to Roam)
The End of Tourism · Episode
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
For GOD'S SAKE. Massive landowners call for ban on disposable BBQs, but at the same time call for "a lifting of the ban on controlled burning" 'You oiks shouldn't burn moorland - that's OUR job' Entitled double standards. Ban both. @georgemonbiot.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
theguardian.com
Calls to ban disposable barbecues in England and Wales over wildfire risk
Lib Dems and many Labour MPs join farmers, landowners and firefighters in urging temporary prohibition
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Right to Roam @righttoroam.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
‼️Breaking: Almost three-quarters of English riverbanks have no right of access. Our new investigation has found that 71% of riverbanks in England have no right of access on either bank. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
REVEALED: Almost three-quarters of riverbanks in England have no public access - new analysis by @righttoroam.bsky.social @lewis-winks.bsky.social As heatwaves get worse we need a right to responsibly access rivers @angelaeagle1.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Almost 75% of England’s riverbanks ‘off limits’ to public, figures show
Campaigners urge government to introduce right of access to water, particularly as heatwaves become more common
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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I see Labour MPs still announcing stuff on X, a platform specifically designed to make people hate them, 100% shaped to push them out of public life and which would ideally see many of them in prison. Funny old world.
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Hawkmoth_🐛 @hawkmoths.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
@lewis-winks.bsky.social “Trees in and around school grounds offer vital shade during heatwaves like the one we’ve just experienced, while also benefiting wellbeing, improving air quality, enhancing biodiversity and enriching outdoor learning opportunities.... www.theguardian.com/education/20...
theguardian.com
Private schools offer 41% more tree shade than state schools in England
Analysis reveals stark socioeconomic divide, with schools with highest free school meal eligibility having fewer trees
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Caspar Henderson @casparhenderson.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
‘“Manchesterism is the end of neoliberalism,” Burnham has declared in one of his campaign videos. If this is to be so, a reckoning is needed not only with neoliberalism’s privatisation of public services, but also of land itself.’ righttoroam.substack.com/p/why-manche...
righttoroam.substack.com
Why Manchesterism is a politics of land
Andy Burnham's 'place first' philosophy opens up questions of land ownership & access
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Twlldun @twlldun.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I’m not saying the debate in the U.K. has moved to the right, but Ed Miliband is basically seen as Pol Pot for aiming for a climate target first agreed to by…I think Theresa May’s government? Definitely Johnson’s. And this chat is going on during the middle of a record-breaking heatwave
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I joined Tony Hawks for his new Radio 4 series, exploring the link between access and play for @righttoroam.bsky.social . We discussed how patterns of ownership, rights and restrictions interact to present barriers in England today. Give it a listen! www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
Tony Hawks Just Wants to Play - Off Limits - BBC Sounds
From walks on the moor to games in a park, Tony looks at how access and play are linked.
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
A tale of two heatwaves... 🏊‍♀️Spain: ensure everyone has access to cool water by heavily discounting municipal lidos; ⛔England: shut off all access to the reservoir in case the public consider swimming! @righttoroam.bsky.social
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Dartmoor Preservation Association @dpadartmoor.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
We're honoured to have filmed with students from Churston Ferrers Grammar School to help create a Dartmoor focused entry for the global #Docathon film competition, answering questions from the young film makers about what made access to #Dartmoor so important. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeLo...
youtube.com
Our Common Ground: Churston Grammar Student Dartmoor Docathon Documentary
YouTube video by Dartmoor Preservation Association
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
If you're looking for reassurance as to why you ditched X, give this article by Jonathan Liew a read, and then share it with someone who's still there: share.google/CKBEgYExzX2y...
share.google
If you’re still on Elon Musk’s X, ask yourself this: why? | Jonathan Liew
Some argue that quitting the platform formerly known as Twitter cedes the space to malign actors. But it’s an open sewer, beyond redemption, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew
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Met Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · 25/05/2026
Today has been the hottest day in May on record with Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 34.8°C - exceeding the previous highest May temperature in the UK by a full 2 degrees Celsius🌡️ This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid summer, let alone in May📈
A map of the UK showing a temperature of 34.8 degrees Celsius, recorded in Kew Gardens, London on Monday 25 May 2026
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
While all eyes are on Farage, we're overlooking something even worse: the building of the very tight and truly vile operation that is Restore Britain. This excellent essay/report by Simon Pearson should wake us up to the threat - and to what exactly it is. simonpearson1.substack.com/p/tory-30
simonpearson1.substack.com
“Tory 3.0”
The British far right has spent fifty years failing to find a leader who looks like he could run the country. Last Thursday, it did. This is Tory 3.0.
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Obscured by our most iconic landscapes are 'shadow places': counterpoints to the carefully-curated and bucolic countryside. Confronting the interwoven demands of nature recovery and ecological literacy requires us to look to the relationships which shape our land - warts and all. 🧵1/
A serene landscape featuring two rocky hilltops illuminated by soft sunlight, surrounded by a dense expanse of dark green forest. The scene is under a cloudy sky, casting a mix of light and shadow across the rolling hills and terrain.An aerial view of a large open-pit mine with terraced levels carved into a mountainside, surrounded by dense green forest. Heavy machinery and trucks can be seen along the mining terraces. In the background, rolling mountain ranges fade into the distance under a partly cloudy sky.
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
This is a perfect illustration of when space opened by a radical social movement becomes neutered and watered down by those who believe 'it's not political'. Pretending you want to create space, while editing out the components which discomfort you is doubling down on the initial injustice.
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Good news for children as well as headteachers - now the government should get on with introducing social media prohibition for under 16s. Mobile phones to be banned in schools in England under new plans share.google/U8EgPVpD058x...
share.google
Mobile phones to be banned in schools in England under new plans
Government amendment to children’s wellbeing and schools bill to replace existing guidance with statutory ban
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Cllr Emily Kerr 💚 @emilykerr36.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Delighted to go on BBC Politics South yesterday and talk about the @righttoroam.bsky.social amongst other things. Sweden has had this law of “public access to land” for decades, Scotland introduced it in 2003, its time we did the same in England.
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Jon Moses @jon-moses.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
There is a viral video going around on X and Facebook which has been seized on by the far-right. It claims to show a young British Asian destroying a dry stone wall. But as so often with such ragebait, the video isn't what it seems. Here is my, probably forlorn, attempt to correct the record.
open.substack.com
The far-right and a dry stone wall
a viral video promoted by racists is not what it seems
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Nicola Chester @nicolawriting.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Off (& excited) to the London premiere for Our Land Documentary - we need to change our relationship to land access. In these times of multi-crisis, land use & responsible access has never been so important. It affects us all. It’s going to be lively.
m.youtube.com
Our Land Trailer
YouTube video by MetFilm Distribution
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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
This kind of thing at Substack (including their Nazi problem and trans hate problem) are why my newsletter is at Ghost.org and always has been. Andrew Tate is a spectacularly vile human being accused of numerous violent crimes against women and hugely corrosive for young male minds.
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
MASSIVE numbers on the Together march against the far right today. Right to Roam has been marching with the Folk Against Fascism bloc - Morris dancers reclaiming rural English traditions from the far right The countryside is for everyone!
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
The lion and the unicorn. A sentiment as apparent and as urgent today as it was for Orwell in the 1940s.
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
VICTORY! Government to open up the Land Registry - bringing to an end a thousand years of secrecy shrouding who owns England. I’ve been campaigning for this for ten years: the new Land Use Framework, published later today, makes it government policy. 1/ www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Government to lift paywall from large parts of the Land Registry
Exclusive: finding out who owns land will become simpler under plans to make the best use of green spaces and hit net zero targets
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Great news. Dartmoor is an ecological disaster zone masquerading as a National Park, as its ecosystems have been grazed out by sheep. Now this must change.
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Jon Moses @jon-moses.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
This is a great news story. But it's also an interesting access story; revealing of how we talk, and think, about access rights. Nightjar are an 'amber' list species. They're ground nesters. And they roost in the sorts of habitats which often overlap with existing access land in England and Wales.
bbc.co.uk
Nightjars make 'remarkable comeback' to South Downs National Park
An ecological survey has found 109 nightjar territories in the lowland heaths of east Hampshire.
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Across England, we are shut out of the majority of our woodland: so much of that which is off limits is used for pheasant shooting or private commercial forestry. Support @righttoroam.bsky.social & join a local group trespass! Time for access reform. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Nearly three-quarters of England’s woods inaccessible to public, study finds
Exclusive: Campaigners call for government to introduce right-to-roam bill that allows people to walk around their local woodlands
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Jon Moses @jon-moses.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Very happy to be representing @righttoroam.bsky.social as a member of this new rewilding alliance, and to have authored its launch report: The Welsh Way to Wild. 1) Read the report and sign up to the mailing list at: rewildingalliance.cymru 2) Give the alliance a follow: @cynghrairalwylltio.cymru
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
When campaigners argue for public access to the countryside, the debate is often cast as though access itself is an exceptional imposition on private rights. Yet in commercial contexts, the right to exclude is seen as "central to the business model"... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
New by-law to stop people roaming at first Scottish Center Parcs
Restrictions at the site of its first Scottish holiday village will come into force in April.
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 27/02/2026
Green majority of more than 4500, Labour in third place. Absolute calamity for Keir Starmer. And a complete failure of McSweeney’s electoral philosophy. The idea of relying on an anti-Reform vote coalescing behind Labour just collapsed entirely.
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
The attempted silencing of Palestine Action by proscribing is stuff of both satire and nightmare. Now all charges against protestors should be dropped and the ban repealed so that democracy can do its job of acting as a conscience for those in power with none. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live...
theguardian.com
High court rules ban on Palestine Action is unlawful – live
Protest group’s co-founder wins legal challenge; home secretary ‘disappointed’ by ruling and says government will appeal
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Right to Roam @righttoroam.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
This May sees the release of Our Land - a feature length documentary film about the Right to Roam campaign, directed by Orban Wallace. www.youtube.com/watch?v=est-...
youtube.com
Our Land Trailer
YouTube video by MetFilm Distribution
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
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.
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Jon Moses @jon-moses.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
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 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=est-...
youtube.com
Our Land Trailer
YouTube video by MetFilm Distribution
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Good morning. Let's make a collective resolution: this will be the year in which we start to turn things round.
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guy mannes-abbott @guymannesabbott.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
National or regional (GLA) government needs to liberate London’s 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!
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Jon Moses @jon-moses.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
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/...
theguardian.com
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
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Kate Ashbrook @campaignerkate.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
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
oss.org.uk
New National River Walk ‘a damp squib’ - Open Spaces Society
The proposed first new National River Walk, the government’s Boxing Day announcement, is a ‘damp squib’, we argue. The government claims that it will provide ‘21 kilometres of new paths’ along the Mer...
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
The Government has announced the first of their ‘nine new river walks’: a section of the River Mersey near Stockport. Yet what’s 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... 🧵
A new river walk will be created along the River Mersey between Stockport and Manchester - the first of nine such paths promised by the government for locations nationwide.
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Jon Moses @jon-moses.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
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...
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Lewis Winks @lewis-winks.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
The River Dart in spate flowing through (and over!) Totnes following heavy & prolonged rainfall. And this is one week past spring tides!
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
The Government have today announced an Access Green Paper which will consult on how to ‘strengthen the public’s legal right to access’. 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:
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