A man has revealed why he has filmed himself kicking down so-called stone stacks in a British beauty spot. Stuart Cox recently had a video go viral of him kicking down stone stacks in the stunning Peak District and says he wants to raise awareness of the damage they can cause to the environment.
The keen walker, from the village of Castleton in Derbyshire, says some people in the Peak District have been building the stacks — some as tall as 6ft — using stones from an old wall near the Mam Tor hill. The video of himself kicking the stacks has been viewed more than one million times on Facebook. He said there has been a mixed reaction to the video, which was shared on his Peak District Viking page where he posts updates, photos and videos on life in the national park.
Mr Cox told BBC News: “The majority of people have been quite supportive saying: ‘Yeah, I hate them. We reduce them back to their natural state if we see them. Totally agree with you’.
“Then I had the opposite reaction which was: ‘Don’t tell me what to do. I’ll build them if I want and I’ll carry on regardless’.
“I even had a couple of threats by private message, but I don’t worry about those.”
Mr Cox’s viral video was about dozens of stone stacks built close to the popular Great Ridge footpath, a 15-minute stroll from the top of Mam Tor. He said the stones had been taken from a former boundary wall which runs next to the footpath and shared concerns that this may have damaged the habitats of small animals that live inside the wall.
The National Trust said the Peak Forest Wall is “historically significant”, dating back to 1579, and also voiced concerns of the environmental impact.
A spokesperson told the BBC: “Sadly, the stone stacks are not only impacting the history of the site, but they are also affecting the natural habitats of wildlife that live and feed within these ancient walls. In the longer-term, it will disrupt the delicate balance of the landscape.”
The spokesperson added: “The majority of the stone stacks featured in this video are not on National Trust land.
“However, there have been stacks created on parts of Mam Tor, and staff and volunteers will infrequently disassemble any found.”
The Peak District National Park told the BBC the stone stacks are “detrimental” to the landscape and have been increasing in recent years.