Gateway to the Pennines. The border between the white and red rose counties. A walker's paradise.

And a place to lose yourself in quiet solitude.

Eleven years ago Yorkshire Water proposed to lay miles of fencing across the moor.

A plan that was abandoned amid a hue and cry from the Ramblers Association and the Open Spaces Society.

Because they felt it would infringe the right to roam.

A public inquiry in 2002 rejected plans to build a fence from Blackstone Edge to Black Hill, Rishworth, because it would have impeded access and spoiled the wildness of the area.

Now Yorkshire Water is girding its loins for another try. This time it wants to lay nine miles of fencing, which it says will protect the moor from overgrazing and preserve areas deemed Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Its argument seems to hold water, if parts of the moor are in danger of being destroyed. If it is going to win however, it will need to win over the opposition.

To do that it must assure those who use the moor that their walks will not be curtailed or the views that they enjoy be ruined. Otherwise, as before, it is unlikely to succeed.