...by the way, apologies for the long interval since my last post. This is partly down to me having a longer-than-usual post-Christmas bout of illness, and partly down to a mad coding frenzy through December which prevented me from finishing and posting a number of little articles I'd started.

A personal note for today's post. Something about the intense cold the other morning reminded me of early mornings watching for evictors at Newbury tree protest camps, and through that nostalgic haze it occured to me that it must be exactly ten years ago. Sure enough, today's Guardian includes a short reminiscence / celebration of the 10th anniversary (linking, I'm glad to see, to two current protests :o).

It does not seem like 10 years ago. My KnowNet colleague Al Harris and I, with many of our good mates from here in furry North Wales, spent some times at Newbury that winter. The North Wales climbing community was galvanised into active participation when some Sheffield climbers shamed the climbing world by turning tree-bailiff. The climbers proved a valuable press attraction and also showed that talent on the rocks can translate into amazing climbing feats in the trees. Among my bittersweet memories is a large ring of police giving a big round of applause to Dave Towse when he finally came down out of the distant, whiplashing top of a giant oak after foiling the best efforts of cherry-pickers and tree-bailiffs to shake or cut him down all day. Of course, there were some utter nutters about, but in general the experience gave me a new faith in young people. Just when my own middle age was starting to make anyone under 30 look selfish and unmotivated, I met some wonderful, aware, gifted, committed and imaginative young people - full of bravery, zeal and organisational nous, but without the dogmatic ideologism that blighted my own youthful activism. Here's to them.

Anyway, below are links to the Guardian article, and to some other resources:

The fierce battle against the Newbury bypass a decade ago changed the way campaigners fight for the environment, and altered forever the lives of many of those who took part. By Bibi van der Zee and John Vidal

The wikipedia articles on the A34 and on the A34 Newbury bypass include some (oddly worded) information and links about the protest. There is an extensive links-list on the Third Battle of Newbury in the press. That page also links to the chronology quoted below:

9 January


Third battle of Newbury starts. Attempts to start clearance work on the route of the Newbury bypass are foiled when hundreds of security guards and contractors are prevented from leaving their overnight base by protesters perched on two scaffold tripods. The location of the security base had been revealed to protesters by a 'mole' planted within the security firm. The tripod action appears on the news that day. It seems 15 people, with a five metre tripod of scaffolding poles had stopped the whole day's work.

Tuesday 17 November 1998 01:15 GMT


Bypass opens, with the movement of some traffic cones at Chieveley. There is no opening ceremony, "for fear of disruption by protesters".

The official opening ceremony is held in the afternoon at a secured Newbury Racecourse, and is led by Newbury MP, David Rendel, who cuts the ribbon. At the opening ceremony is also Undersheriff Nicholas Blandy. The racecourse was the site where the police and security convoys used to congregate before driving off in high speed to evict protesters.