On the day that Open Access came into force in Nidderdale I met Janet Street-Porter near Scarhouse Reservior. She said that in the past she had often 'trespassed' to walk up to Meugher

In answer to the question asked in March 2008 ~ yep they do!!

Actually a letter on it in the current edition of TGO Magazine (July 2010 Page: 8) which is why this post caught my eye!

This post made me chuckle, and I loved the Banana Drama.

On the "animal eating banana" debate..... in Australia, they feed their horses bananas in the same way we give horses apples in this country. I tried it with my horse, but he was having none of it... but then he's Irish, and I have NO idea what they feed them over there..... Guinness?

TALKING OF BANANAS - DID ANYONE FIND A PLASTIC BANANA WITH A BANANA SKIN INSIDE (ATE THE BANANA AT TANNERS HATCH YHA) ON THE FOUNDERS CHALLENGE WALK ON SUNDAY 18TH OCTOBER. IT WAS LOST SOMEWHERE BETWEEN TANNERS HATCH YHA AND THE FINISH, IT FELL OUT OF RUCKSACK SIDE POCKET. JANET

Any relation to Donkey Hoe-Tee, I wonder. Also a bit of an ass. G

Donkey orange ('dä[ng]-kE 'är-inj) a rare species of domestic ass with a yellowish to reddish-orange tint, recently added to the list of endangered species.

Must be the skins that they eat!

Don’t care for soft black bananas in the pack, better left in a cool box in the car

My dog nearly choked on a lamb's tail it picked up in a field once (or maybe it was the rubber band on the end that caused the problem). Also (and completely unconnected)we were once on a trek with 2 donkeys for company, which all but fought over the peel and pips from oranges we ate en route.

.... will the animals choke?

Actually, I have no idea either, just wanted to stir up the conversation a bit. I do remember some old farmer's tales from my days helping out at the vets as a youngster, when I was encouraged to leave nothing lying about the fields. But perhaps if none of us know for sure, we should hold on to those banana skins just in case?

I understand lambs choke on just about anything out of their curiosity to try out the world.

Is there vet in the house? - can we have a medical answer from any member who knows for sure.

So where does chocolate milk shake come from then Peter?

Always wondered where Banana Milkshake came from.

I can't speak for sheep, but I remember eating a banana as I walked and then stopping to put the skin in my sack. The chap I was walking alongside suggested throwing it into the cows in a field just ahead. He was right. The cow that got there first relished it.

Thanks Nicky - I couldn't agree with you more.
My aim initially was to try and quantify the degrading time in view of the wildly disparate estimates that fly about - I had heard of 8 years being mentioned.
After nearly 6 months there is now virtually just the husk of the stem left and pretty unimpressive it looks in the flesh!
By the way, can animals choke to death on banana skins? Not being picky - I just have no idea.
Tony

Whilst Banana Drama is great fun, and Tony I like your pictures on your website, this discussion isn't just about how long it takes to biodegrade.

A few years ago I entered a Dales event, can't remember which one, but everyone had dropped their banana skins across the field immediately after the checkpoint which issues them (just off the Mastile's Lane, event from Kettlewell I think).

It might take only 3 months to biodegrade but what about the poor sheep or cow who chokes on it tonight. How long will he/she take to biodegrade!!

Take your banana skins home with you folks, stone walls are meant to be built with stones, they look prettier that way and animals don't look too pretty choking to death.

Gone to the great banana split in the sky - Rest In Peace

I loved the banana drama and therefore rest my original case (27/09) that it takes 1-3 years to biodegrade, as this one is still quite obvious after 3 months, left on soil (which encourages the process more than, say, slate, gritstone or in a cairn, which is sadly where they can often be spotted.

Well done Tony, but why not share with a wider audience? May I suggest a time lapse film on You Tube.

Still not convinced, TAKE ALL RUBBISH HOME

In a fearless crusade to uncover the truth a new page has been opened on our website - BANANA DRAMA.
http://www.ldwa.org.uk/cumbria
Never shown before,this is at the cutting edge of photo-journalism showing banana skin bio-degradation at its awe inspiring best.
Visit this site if you dare!!
Happy New Year to everyone.

I understand that orange peel also takes a long time to biodegrade, but apple cores are quicker. As for toilet paper; what do other walkers do if caught short?? When backpacking or wild camping I always carry a small trowel, but not on day walks. Similarly, if my dog relieves himself on or near a path, I'll bag it up and carry it away, but if it's in tussocks or overgrowth, I don't go looking for it!

For some strange reason I feel impelled to continue the banana skin debate. It must be pure cussedness as I rarely eat bananas and even more rarely throw away the skins!
I suppose they're not natural to the environment but then neither are fell walkers or dead sheep - both of which I saw in abundance in Langdale last weekend. At least most of the fell walkers don't biodegrade up there.
Of course it would not be OK for 500 banana skins to be stuffed in a wall outside Skipton but the odd nasty slimy one suitably buried must be fairly low on the list of unsociable activities.
PS I'm saving up to buy a webcam, Norman
PPS What about apple cores, orange peel or even toilet paper?

In reply to Merrians "any ideas"

Yes, dont give them any bananas, give them broken biscuits,
yes bananas do break down but they are not natural to the enviroment

on another note why do i have to login again to reply when i am already logged in

Banana skins have no place on a mountain top, one skin stuffed in a wall crevice may be acceptable to some but not to me.

If everyone on next year's 100 stuffed a banana skin in a drystone wall outside Skipton on the main event, the countless recces, and the marshalls walk, would that be OK?

Each person could claim, it's only one little banana skin, it will degrade in a few weeks.

Much easier all round to take it home

Tony could you not set it up on a web cam so we can watch? After all it's been done with watching a large cheese mature so why not watch banana skins degrade?

I did an experiment with a banana skin in the garden a year or two ago. Unfortunately I can't remember how long it took to be unrecognisable as a banana skin but it was only 2-3 weeks, not years.
Perhaps I should try again - with some photographic evidence!

Whilst banana skins don't get me as cross as plastic bottles or drinks cans that have been carefully pushed into summit cairns(!!!!) they do take between 1-3 years to biodegrade, unlike,say, a squashed apple core which is much quicker.

I can't get as worked up about banana skins as other litter.What's the problem as long as they're well hidden eg under a rock or in deep undergrowth etc.?

I have long since given up banging my head against the wall on this and i now use the space left behind by my own consumption of my personal provisions to provide space for some of the rubbish abandoned by the less tidy amongst us.

After all an empty wrapper, banana skin, bottle or two hardly amounts to very much and it certainly does not slow me down much.


And the effect is far more positive than wasting time trying to convert the un-convertable.

Happy litter picking
John

Trying to get inside the heads of those who didn’t clear up after themselves (drink bottles, food wrappers, banana skins, dog crap) on the route up/down Scafell Pike, and at the top, I’ve attempted to rationalise their disgusting behaviour by assuming that they were doing one of these charity challenge events and probably won’t get up from their sofas for another year. I've told myself that they don’t really appreciate the countryside; it’s just a theme park where someone else will clear up. I’ve only done that top once and I’m still seething when I recall the mess; I should have felt elated to be at the highest point in England, but I could have cried.

My reaction on Scafell Pike came back to me on Saturday. We (Dave, Carole and I) were disgusted to see so many banana skins dropped on the Pumlumon Challenge on Saturday. Who can do that, surely not LDWA or FRA folk? What are they thinking; they don’t even attempt to hurl the skin way off the path? You might say “it’s the runners”, but it wasn’t on Saturday, we saw banana skins before and after the first runners came past us.

Those who were there on Saturday will understand that plotting our revenge, and a lively debate about possible solutions, were welcome distractions from the underfoot conditions. The best we could come up with was for the checkpoint teams to take the skins off before handing out the bananas – yup, not a good solution as it’s both creating work and treating the entrants like children. They, who should know better, obviously don’t.

Any ideas?