They're lichen clean air

They say Lichen only thrives in really clean air, and there's certainly clean air out here amongst the stands, as is clear by the healthy nature of the forests lichen communities.  Bushy varieties are supposed to be the most fussy too, and they do particularly well out here. 

Making tracks

A long train of aggregate wagons filled with dirty and contaminated ballast stretches for over a mile along the mainline tracks on the edge of the forest as ballast cleaning and track renewal are undertaken. Contrasting the difference in the colour between the newly laid cleaned ballast and the old dirty ballast I can't help but consider what sorts of contaminates must line our rail network and how polluting our modern ways are. I wonder where all the contaminated ballast goes.

Here to help?

It says 'here to help' on the side of this drinks container, help who? Who are they kidding! They're part of our problem. I was at least a mile from the minor-est of made up road, even further from any major roads, on a hollow way and the nearest McDonalds must be 10 miles or more away. So how does this piece of McDonald crap find it's way so deep into the Chase. It's got to be some form of dark arts or something. Or, I suppose it could be that people are just shit thick and ignorant. Whatever, it's both saddening and angering to constantly find corporately labeled crap, even in our most remote roams. I can't understand it though, people must come out to these places because of their beauty, so why dump your crap here and spoil it? It makes no sense!