Better drowned than duffers if not duffers, won’t drown. This cryptic telegram is sent by Captain Walker to his wife in the children’s novel, Swallows and Amazons, written by Lakeland’s Arthur Ransome. She is trying to decide whether to allow four of their children (aged from around seven to 13) to go camping on their own on an island on Windermere.

The message gives tacit approval to the plan - so long as the youngsters use their commonsense and don’t do anything stupid.

The book was written in the 1920s which, looking back, seem like more carefree and innocent days. In the novel, the Walker children do go camping on Wild Cat Island and the fictional fun they have - which occasionally veers towards the foodlardy - spawned a series of further novels by Ransome, which are now loved by millions.

It is hard to imagine many modern parents being as liberal and understanding as Mr and Mrs Walker. These days they would probably be reported to social services for recklessly putting their children’s lives at risk!

These days we live in a risk-averse culture. Teachers complain about the amount of risk assessments they have to carry out if they plan to take pupils outside the classroom. A field trip can involve huge amounts of bureaucracy as teachers are forced to state how they will tackle crossing road junctions and what would happen if a child had a panic attack during a journey.

Some might see this as sensible but many teachers complain that all the paperwork simply puts them off taking pupils on trips which could broaden their experience.

Of course, people still take part in risky activities. Last week The Westmorland Gazette reported how Cumbia police were warning thrill-seekers who ‘tombstone’ from bridges that they could be prosecuted amid safety concerns.

This week a group of Prince’s Trust youngsters and their instructors had to be rescued after they entered a cave near Ingleton despite very wet weather conditions. A review into why this trip went ahead is under way.

In hindsight it can be easy to criticise people who get into trouble. But Cumbria and North Yorkshire are home to some wonderful landscape - above and below ground - and it is right that people are given the opportunity to go out and explore it.

Of course, common sense needs to be applied and judgements made to assess risk. But we must be wary of creating a stifling culture where people are afraid to be adventurous and have fun.

If we fall into that trap, then it is we who are the ‘duffers’.