[Airehead]

Imaginos, I am not sure how much of what you have written was a result of the quote of mine that you start with, but let me slightly, and only slightly, expand my point of view:

I am entirely in favour of the hands-on approach and I certainly like to see enthusiasm. But enthusiasm without bounds in the outdoors is dangerous. It leads to death, and has done so in my near-direct experience too many times, sometimes caused by people with more enthusiasm than experience. On the other hand I have also seen at close hand the fatal and near-fatal results of well-experienced people becoming victim of a false sense of invulnerability ironically due to their wealth of experience. I have been involved, many years ago, with the production of a television documentary on the subject of pot-holing. On this occasion the standard safety measures were systematically observed and in my view it should always be so where a potentially dangerous activity is portrayed for public consumption. But it is a simple matter of observation that television likes sensationalism and encourages those people who are willing to provide at risk to themselves.

Re stress and the Farne Islands - I visited about 50 years ago in my teens and was disgusted by the number of dead chicks which had been walked on by tourists. I have never returned.