Taking the Jeremy

The Lake District National Park is up for World Heritage designation again. This has happened a couple of times in the past and always been turned down. The reasons vary from too much man-made alteration to the landscape, too many tourists, too many pigeons, etc.

This time round, the attempt to get the Lakes listed alongside the Great Wall of China has attracted a couple of notable commentators.

George Monbiot, famous deep-green columnist and CO2 generator for the Guardian newspaper, described the Lakes as a depressing place with a sheep-wrecked landscape. No vegetation will grow within jaw-range of these woolly locals, so its no surprise that the fells are stripped of interesting plants and trees.

The second comment came from noted environmentalist Jeremy Clarkson. In his opinions column in the Times, he berated the Lakes, describing it as full of bobble-hatted walkers with wizened knees. The knees are probably true but bobble hats haven't been seen on the fells since the days of the Ford Zephyr. Jeremy should pop up and do some bobble research.

The story made the front page of the bumper Westmorland Gazette and so, inevitably, was the subject of the cartoon. How could any self-respecting cartoonist resist?

Below are the ideas I submitted to my steamed editor. Which would you have picked? Put your comments below and then burn rubber to my website to see if you are correct.