Overview

• Hiker Stuart Cox’s TikTok and Facebook videos of him dismantling stone stacks at Mam Tor have drawn over one million views and prompted a debate over responsible countryside behavior.
• The National Trust and Peak District National Park have issued official warnings and intermittently removed illicit stacks to safeguard centuries-old boundary walls and wildlife habitats.
• Conservationists warn that removing stones from ancient walls disrupts insect, amphibian and bird nesting sites and erodes historic features dating to the late Bronze Age.
• Residents of Castleton report that tourists are also causing problems with irresponsible parking, littering and human waste, compounding post-pandemic visitor pressures.
• Park authorities are coordinating educational campaigns and proposed Countryside Code signage to discourage stone stacking and reinforce visitor responsibilities.