Changing the dates could mean fewer hillgoers are caught out by the dark
Just days after the proposal to switch Britain to permanent summer time was dropped by the coalition Government comes another suggestion: keep the current mixture of Greenwich Meantime and British Summer Time, but alter the dates the clocks change.
The idea comes from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland’s membership development officer Mike Dales, writing on his blog.
Mike points out that during winter, there is only a limited amount of daylight, especially during December and January and no system is going to give hillgoers much better light. And, of course, the Scots have been vociferous in their opposition to imposing permanent British Summer Time which would mean mornings north of the border being intolerably dark.
But outside of these months, Mr Dales argues, it would be possible to make better use of the limited daylight by switching to the equivalent of BST.
“We are now in March and there is lots of light around,” he points out. “It’s just that a lot of it is around before we leave home on a morning and it would be good to have some of that light on an evening.
“From a hillgoers point of view we could have longer evenings in March to enjoy our walk off the hill. Or even just to potter around the garden or go for an evening run.”
So Mike’s proposal is to alter the dates the clocks change to, say, the first weekend in November and the third weekend in February.
That way, he opines, the citizens of Scotland would keep their slightly lighter mornings in the deep mid-winter, but we could all enjoy more time to get off the hill in the evening.
“Of all the months in the year when the current system doesn’t work well it has to be March. Surely we could tweak the current system so we get to use the light available to us in this month when winter starts to give way to spring,” he adds.
“If you agree with my views, or if you have views of your own, then do let your MPs and MSPs know. It’s important that this issue isn’t allowed to drop off the agenda.”
Sam Tana
07 March 2011If you want more light to walk in the hills or do the garden the only clock that needs changing is your own alarm clock. Get up earlier and enjoy the world without all those other still abed. The only reason to change the clocks en masse is so everyone operates to the same time scale, and that's hardly required for something like hill walking.
Gary
07 March 2011totally agree with Sam, just get up earlier, simple! AND it'll be quieter on the hill too!
rob
07 March 2011As i live in scotland why cant people just get up a bit earlier in the morning and beat the rest of the population to the hills. I dont think the times should be changed to suit people living south of the border visiting scotland we like our times and thats that.
Jhimmy
07 March 2011I can't understand the argument about changing times either!
If theres 6 hours daylight, no matter what time you change too, it'll still be 6 hours daylight.
I was a shift worker for many years and soon worked my way around daylight/night-time problems without demanding put a extra hour here there and everywhere.
It looks like people are scared to go to be early, I think.
roworth
08 March 2011Most people in The UK work 09:00 - 17:00. Who cares if it is dark on the way to work when you could enjoy an extra hour of daylight after work?
The 'more accidents would happen in the morning' argument, that is often floated around this issue, is irrelevant as less accidents would happen in the afternoon.
Mike
08 March 2011Well said Sam.
I thought, (not that I agree with), the reason why we change the clocks at the end of March and October, was to fall in line with Europe! :-/
My personal feelings are, lets stop messing around with the clocks and just get on with life.
If I'm correct, RoSPA claimed sometime ago, changing the clocks didn't make any improvement on the accident statisitics!
Jacko
08 March 2011Mike Dales has a good point. Look at it this way. The clocks go back at the end of October - only 7 weeks before the shortest day. But they dont go forward until mid-end March, some 12 weeks after the shortest day. Why?
Regarding those who say 'get up earlier'. Its OK if you live near the hills or are self-catering but if a visitor in hotels, B&B or hostels you are bound by the house rules. Its hard to get out of a SYHA place before about 8.30am, you might not start walking until 9 - 9.30am and you've lost useful daylight.
aebody
08 March 2011I have long advocated changing the clocks forward in late February, but from the point of view of getting daylight after work. I think it's a waste of daylight to spend it driving to work when I could do it in darkness, arrive at the beginning of daylight and enjoy an hour of daylight when i get home.
It's fine to say get up an hour earlier for the hills, and that works if you're going on your own, but if you're with an organised group, or if you're using public transport, it's not always possible to leave earlier, so there would be a real gain in daylight in March.
Tim Jones
08 March 2011You don't need more light to walk off the hills in the evenings if you get moving earlier in the morning. Why should we mess our clocks about for the bone idle who can't get out of bed?
Sam Tana
08 March 2011Fair enough, Jacko - let's change the entire country's time-keeping system just so a few people who can't find a B&B that opens its doors before 8.30am can go walking.
The whole thing about changing clocks is about maximising the best use of daylight for the majority of people, while at the same time not massively inconveniencing the minority. There's no perfect, national solution and the enormous upheaval caused by any change is hardly going to be compensated for by the tiny, possible advantages that would come from any of the suggested changes.
It ain't perfect now but it ain't actually broke - unlike so many other things in our world - so stop trying to fix it!
christopher harrison
09 March 2011Change the clocks so those of us who don't want our weekends to be military exercises can have a lie in... and the rest of you, learn to chill out a bit
Richard J.
10 March 2011I agree with Mike Dales. I have long thought that changing the clocks in March is madness. There is no logic in delaying it till then and I can't see how moving it forward can inconvenience anyone. It still has to be done.
rainbow rising
11 March 2011Tim - why should we mess our clocks about? you seem to be oblivious to the fact that we already do! the summer/winter time adjustment is an invention so just why any other proposal is beyond the pale beats me.
Mike makes a fair point. After all, after mid winter in December the light slowly starts creeping back over January/February. People seem to miss the point that it would give people (hill walking or not) some day light to spend their time in having spent all day in pitch dark. Instead we get the self righteous 'get up earlier' stuff. Obviously us other hill walkers arent like you real 'get up earlier' types. You tough guys! I feel so weak in comparison.