There is a small pond about 100 metres south of the top of Pen yr Helgi Du, and I thought it might make a good foreground for a photo of the peaks that rim Nant y Benglog. So on a cool, clear December day I took dog, camera and lenses and set off up the dam road to Ffynnon Llugwy. Up the zig-zags to Bwlch Eryl Farchog, right up the sharp nose to the dome of Pen yr Helgi Du, and over to the water. Up with the tripod, find the foreground, take a few; the only one that almost worked (the one you see on the front page) ended up with the hills, even Tryfan, as mere adjuncts to the reflection of a winter sky. Not a good photo, although it does purvey a sense of space, peace, and beauty – the things that most of us go to the hills for.

But a second photo from that day haunts me more. Can you remember a weekday on the hill recently when you couldn’t hear a helicopter? There were two RAF training helicopters over Carnedd Llewelyn and Pen yr Helgi Du as we went up the zig-zags and the nose; one flew off, but as we popped onto the summit there the other was, remarkably close - as you can see from the day’s second picture. I know getting angry with these things just adds to their destruction of the mood of the day; but I was angry. So I walked straight towards it, slower than I wanted but the dog was at my heel. Eventually it flew away, leaving only tranquillity behind, and thinking photography was again possible.

Why do we have to have so many of these training flights in a national park? In what way does their presence conform to the purposes for which national parks were created? Is it coincidence that the phrase ‘quiet enjoyment’ vanished from the national park purposes in the 1995 Environment Act? I would guess that if there were a vote about what air transport national parks should support, most people would vote for air ambulances as essential; for key police flights as justifiable; for pleasure flights and RAF training (jets or helicopters) as quite contrary to the proper use of our precious parks. Is it not a question of alternatives – a medical emergency in Blaenau necessitates a flight over the park; learning to hover a helicopter in an updraught can be done in many places. What do you think?

More images from John are here