The best walks, landscapes and magical wildlife from 15 years of BBCCountryfile Magazine
FEATURING LakeHighlands,District, Snowdonia, Cornwall & more!
You are holding the 200th edition of BBC Countryfile Magazine. The magazine was launched at the end of 2007 to support the brilliant TV programme and I took over in 2009 from the launch editor Cavan Scott. Of course, we wouldn’t still be here if it weren’t for our fabulous contributors and you, our loyal readers. So a massive thank you! And a special tip of the hat to John Craven, who has written a column in almost every one of those 200 issues – see page 47.
Over the years, we have seen a lot of changes in the countryside and the magazine. Our website, countryfile.com, has become one of the authorities on the UK countryside – if you’re looking for a walk, a holiday, a place to stay or even a pair of walking boots, it’s your one-stop shop. We’ve also developed a countryside podcast, the Plodcast, for a more immediate fix of nature and landscape.
This issue, the editorial team and I have gone back over the best adventures we have had while working on the magazine and compiled a selection of highlights for you to enjoy. I hope you will be tempted to try some of our suggestions and relish the experiences as much as we did – see page 38.
And as ever, there’s plenty more throughout the issue to get your teeth into, as we begin to put winter behind us and look towards the longer days of spring. Here’s to the next 200!
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Fergus Collins, editor@countryfile.com
Ben Lerwill, p18
“Here at the mouth, the Dart River is wide and strong, with diamond glitter that comes and goes as the clouds shift.”
John Craven, p47
“Now, after writing 200 columns and presenting over 1,000 episodes of the TV programme, my belief in our countryside and its people is even stronger.”
Caro Giles, p51
“The beach school is unusual, but part of an outdoor learning movement that has grown in popularity since the 1990s.”
› Where to celebrate spring.
› How to sharpen a pocket knife.
› Make wild-garlic breadsticks.
From Dartmouth to Dartmoor, journey upstream along the delightful River Dart in Devon, exploring glittering coast, temperate rainforest and windswept moor with Ben Lerwill.
As spring slowly unfurls, the blackbird’s beautiful song rings out. Nicola Chester looks into the hidden world of this familiar garden visitor.
We celebrate 200 issues of BBC Countryfile Magazine with a round-up of our most unforgettable outdoor experiences, from mighty peaks to incredible wildlife and island wonders.
Has the countryside been forgotten during the cost of living crisis currently hitting the UK? We look at the acute problems facing farmers and many rural dwellers in 2023.
Caro Giles join Northumberland schoolchildren for their weekly class on the beach at Embleton Bay, where they study their natural surroundings and learn outdoors in the fresh air.
Otterhounds were once popular hunting dogs, bred to stalk and kill otters, but are now Britain’s scarcest breed. Can this handsome, amiable and playful dog be saved from extinction?
17 COUNTRY VIEWS
Our relationship with horses has changed over the centuries, but that strong bond remains, says Nicola Chester.
30 SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Mark our 200th-issue milestone with this special offer.
47 JOHN CRAVEN
How has BBC Countryfile Magazine changed over 200 editions?
92 READER PHOTOS
Your great days out in pictures.
94 BOOKS, TV AND RADIO
What to watch, read and listen to this month, from Ronald Blythe’s last book to BBC’s WildIsles
98 LETTERS
Have you say on rural issues, including cheap food, steam trains and... elves.
100 BEST BOOTS FOR 2023
We test seven pairs of walking boots to find out which stand up to the challenge.
102 QUIZ AND CROSSWORD
Test your country knowledge.
105 NEXT MONTH
Don’t miss our spring special, starring nightingales and nature reserves.
106 ELLIE HARRISON
Distaste for predators can lead us to intervene in the natural world, unbalancing complex ecosystems and causing more harm than good.
74 The lure of the wild Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad, Powys
78 Jaunt along the Jurassic coast Branscombe to Beer, Devon
80 Hidden treasure Pett Level Beach, East Sussex
83 Great ridge ramble Mam Tor, Derbyshire
84 All hail the wall Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland
86 Wainwright in miniature Castle Crag, Cumbria
86 Megaliths of the south Avebury, Wiltshire
87 Leaning tower to rival Pisa Caerphilly Castle, Caerphilly
88 A wild island adventure Goatfell, Arran, Ayrshire
90 Walks in national parks Top seven, nationwide
Photo: Drew Buckley
A glowing amber sun sets over the Pembrokeshire coast, viewed from the coast path by Porth y Rhaw. Located near Solva, Porth y Rhaw is an Iron Age hillfort, which has been reduced to a small promontory by coastal erosion, with three-quarters of the site believed lost. Excavations revealed signs of iron, bronze and glass workings, as well as the remains of eight roundhouses. The cove below is a lovely spot for picnics, swimming, snorkelling or sea fishing.
A striking shelduck lands on water, displaying its blacktipped wings and chestnutringed chest to dramatic effect. One of our largest ducks, shelducks are usually coastal, feeding in muddy estuaries and sandy beaches, but are tempted inland by flooded gravel pits and reservoirs that offer a feast of invertebrates.
Packed densely with small pink flowers, the butterbur (Petasites hybridus) is popular with bees as a source of nectar in early spring when supplies are scarce. The plant is found across Britain on damp soil, such as ditches, riverbanks, meadows and copses, and its name is derived from its large leaves, which were once used to wrap butter.
Beaming yellow daffodils frame St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire. Wales’ patron saint, St David was born on this coast (during a storm, legend has it) and died on 1 March 589, the date on which St David’s Day is celebrated each year.
The Callanish Stones on the Isle of Lewis are an extraordinary Neolithic monument that predate Stonehenge. For more than 5,000 years, druids and pagans have gathered at sites such as these to observe the spring equinox. Mark this time of new beginnings by visiting one of Britain’s mighty stone circles on 20 March.
WORLD POETRY DAY
Celebrate World Poetry Day on 21 March with this verse from one of Britain’s finest writers
The Enkindled Spring
I am amazed at this spring, this conflagration
Of green fires lit on the soil of the earth, this blaze
Of growing, and sparks that puff in wild gyration, Faces of people streaming across my gaze.
And I, what fountain of fire am I among This leaping combustion of spring? My spirit is tossed About like a shadow buffeted in the throng
Of flames, a shadow that’s gone astray, and is lost.
Whether you’re a gardener, forager or camper, now is the perfect time to hone your favourite pocket knife ahead of a season in the great outdoors. This method is quick, easy and very gratifying.
You will need: small container of water; sharpening stone (a dual-grit whetstone is ideal)
al) 21 MARCH
1
Soak the sharpening stone in ld w ter f 0 minute t n
cold water for 10 minutes, then lay the blade of the knife on the stone, tilting it to sit flush with the surface (most pocket knives have a bevel edge of about 20°). Make sure you maintain the same angle when you’re sharpening your knife.
2 knife with the blade facing away from you, then glide it along the whetstone, maintaining the same angle as you sweep it diagonally up and down the stone. Don’t forget the tip of the blade. Repeat this process several times.
Using both hands, hold the if h b d fac n
3
blade facing you, then glide the knife diagonally up and down the stone. Be sure to maintain a steady angle of 20°
4 If you’re using a dual-grit stone, start on the coarser side then flip it over to the finer grade side and repeat the previous steps. This will fine-tune the blade. Your pocket knife is now sharpened and ready for you to use.
Join the pilgrimage to Perranporth on Cornwall’s west coast this 5 March to celebrate Saint Piran, the county’s patron saint. Watch the annual St Piran Play on Perran Sands then follow the holy man across the dunes for a parade, more festivities and perhaps a Cornish cider or two. perranporthinfo.co.uk
6–12 March
Celebrate your local community garden and enter Cultivation Street’s competition to find the nation’s top educational or mental-health boosting garden projects. Find out more at cultivationstreet.com
by Gill Meller
If you have children, you might like to have a go at this recipe. It’s my take on garlic bread, but it begins in the woods with a basket. Wild garlic grows in the spring and is easy to identify. In fact, you’ll probably smell it before you see it. Kids can help you cut a bunch of leaves, set the fire and make the dough. This is more than cooking – this is an experience your children will remember and want to do again and again.
MAKES 9
17
Where better to mark the ‘Apostle of Ireland’ than the Emerald Isle itself? Join the Home of St Patrick Festival in Armagh for music, song and dance (visitarmagh.com) or make a pilgrimage to St Patrick’s grave at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick.
YOU WILL NEED
• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp quick yeast
• 1 tsp sea salt
• A knob of butter, softened
• A handful of wild garlic
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, to serve
• Flaky sea salt, to serve
• 8 freshly cut sticks, about 40–50cm
twirling the dough on to the sticks. Pinch one end of a length of dough against a stick so it holds. Take 4–5 wild garlic leaves and lay them over the stick. As you hold them in place, begin turning the dough round the stick, winding up and around the garlic leaves as you go. Pinch the end of the dough to secure it in place. Set the finished stick down on the floured board to rise while you set about twirling the others.
17
Give your local countryside a litter-free start to spring – pledge to pick up one bag of rubbish or gather a team and collect several in this year’s Great British Spring Clean. See keepbritaintidy.org
1. Place the flour, yeast, salt and soft butter in a large bowl. Add 300ml of water and stir it in until the flour starts to bind together to form a dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured board and knead it for five minutes, until it begins to feel soft and stretchy. Shape the dough into a rough round, place it in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it to stop it drying out. Leave the dough somewhere warm (but not too hot) for an hour or two, until it’s doubled in size.
2. Turn out the dough on to the floured board and divide it into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece back and forth to make long, thin lengths about 30–35cm long. Now you can start
3. Cook the garlic breads in the order you made them so they all get a chance to rise. Simply hold them over the hot embers, turning the stick every 30–40 seconds so the bread cooks nice and evenly. Don’t worry if the garlic leaves and bread begin to crisp and smoke – that all adds to the flavour. Each stick should take about 10–12 minutes to cook, but if your fire is really hot, it might be ready sooner. Simply tear a chunk off and see if it’s cooked through – if it’s still a bit doughy, carry on cooking the bread.
4 Serve with extra-virgin olive oil and some flaky sea salt.
Recipe from Outside: RecipesforaWilderWay
ofEatingby Gill Meller (Quadrille, £30).
Make Mum’s day on 19 March with these nature-inspired gifts
Give longer-lasting flowers that all can enjoy with this gift that supports the National Trust’s vital coastal conservation work, and your mum receives a cute wildflower pin badge; £15. shop.nationaltrust.org.uk
Trill on the Hill is a joint venture between founder of Neal’s Yard Remedies, Romy Fraser and her daughters Tamsin and Lara. Their products are made from wild plants foraged on their Axminster farm. Cleavers and Thyme Hand Wash, £14, has self heal, plantain, nettle and cleavers herbal extracts; Sea Buckthorn
Universal Balm, £29, contains soothing calendula, plantain and self-heal herbal extracts; gently massage the luxurious Silver Birch Body Oil, £24, into skin after bathing, with silver birch, rosehip and sea buckthorn. trillonthehill.co.uk
Plant Heritage is calling for anyone with a love of gardening and flowers to search their green spaces for hidden gems. Do you have a special cultivar that is not available commercially? If so, it could become 2023’s winner, succeeding last year’s champion, Paeonia ‘Gleam of Light’ (pictured). As always, the victor will be announced at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival (4–9 July).
To find out how to enter, visit plantheritage.org. uk or scan the QR code.
This deliciously soft, extra-fine merino wool scarf in a traditional Welsh blanket design will keep mum warm on spring walks; available in four beautiful nature-inspired colours, £72. fforest.bigcartel.com
Early spring is a perfect time to start looking for our six native reptile species, as they emerge from hibernation to bask in the sunshine ahead of the breeding season.
Words:
Kevin ParrIn mottled browns with faint spots and stripes, this 15cmlong lizard feeds on a variety of invertebrates and is widespread across the UK, favouring coastal scrubland .
Our rarest native lizard is 20cm long and restricted to heaths of south England and the Merseyside coast. Males have green flanks in the breeding season.
Up to 50cm long, this legless lizard is grey-brown (male) or dark brown (female). Widespread, it is liked by gardeners due to its fondness for slugs.
BBC ONE, SUNDAYS
12 February Steve Brown (above) and Joe Crowley explore Staithes in North Yorkshire, once a bustling fishing port and now a magnet for artists, to discover its history, the decline of its fishing industry and its bright revival. 19 February Charlotte Smith and Adam Henson visit Bakewell Livestock Market, where 200,000 sheep and 40,000 cattle are sold each year.
Our largest native reptile can grow to 1.5m on a diet of amphibians, fish and rodents. Its colour ranges from lime to olive with a yellow collar. Superb swimmer.
These small snakes have a dark zig-zag on the back (the females are larger, up to 70cm, and browner). They favour woodland edges and eat rodents, lizards and birds.
Our rarest reptile, this brown or grey slender snake (up to 70cm) is restricted to the heaths of Surrey, Dorset and the New Forest. It feeds on reptiles.
Don’t forget to tune into our new season of Plodcasts, which began on 10 January. Explore the eerie downlands of Wessex with archaeologist Mary-Ann Ochota; descend into a deep cave with folklorist Amy Jeffs; enjoy a walk with musician Cerys Matthews –plus atmospheric walks in audibly beautiful places. It’s the perfect way to explore the countryside when you can’t get there yourself.
TO LISTEN NOW:
Scan the QR code with your smartphone.
This long, slim snake measures up to 2m. There are three small colonies in Britain, all resulting from escapes from captivity.
Similar in look to the common lizard, but with a more pointed head and longer tail,the wall lizard is established in several places across England, particularly the south coast.
Growing to 35cm in length, these bulky lizards occur naturally in the Channel Islands, while several unofficial introductions have been made on the British mainland.
What a brilliant idea – why has no one thought of it before?’ That was my reaction when I heard about the launch of BBC Countryfile Magazine back in 2007. At that point, it hadn’t occurred to me that I’d be asked to contribute to the magazine, but I jumped at the chance to tell the varied and inspiring stories of British food and farming in print.
When the magazine lands on the doormat every month, my routine is always the same. First, I turn to the pages written by my old friends and TV colleagues John, Matt and Ellie. Although I’ve known them all for donkey’s years, and I don’t live a million miles away from either John or Ellie, it’s rare that we actually meet while filming the programme. Despite the fact we frequently appear in the same episodes, we can be at opposite ends of the country on our individual assignments and those shoots often take place weeks apart. But when Sunday evening comes round, we’re all together on screen; that’s the magic of television.
After the presenter pages, I’ll look for articles and pictures from places around Britain that I know and love. The Cotswolds, obviously, but also East Devon and north-east England, where two of my sisters have lived for many years and which I know like the back of my hand.
At least, I like to think so. It’s always a thrill to discover something new about a place that’s familiar. I found out just
what makes Seaton Wetlands in Devon so popular when it was shortlisted for Best Nature Reserve in the BBCCountryfile MagazineAwards four years ago (issue 176, May 2019). I had no idea how much work had gone into creating and maintaining the marshland and reed beds in such a beautiful location beside the River Axe. As well as thousands of visitors every year, the site attracts an abundance of wildlife, from curlews and kingfishers to butterflies, dragonflies and even otters.
Then there are the places I dream of visiting. I’ve lived and worked in the landlocked Cotswolds for most of my life, so
it’s no wonder that the British coast, and especially the Scottish islands, have always attracted me. Maria Hodson’s wonderful article about St Kilda (issue 151, October 2016) really left its mark on me with its description of the isolated archipelago in the North Atlantic, a full five-hour sea journey from Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Perilous rocks, rugged cliffs and fog-shrouded sea stacks were brought vividly to mind in what she evocatively described as “a gannet-crowned kingdom” (see page 44).
Although I’ve never visited the ribbon of little islands way out in the ocean, I feel a special connection to St Kilda because it’s the original home of one of Britain’s precious breeds of primitive sheep. The Soay is an intelligent, nimble sheep which takes its name from one of the isles in the archipelago and can be traced all the way back to the Bronze Age. We’ve had Soays on the farm since we opened to the public in the 1970s, so take it from me, these sheep are as hard as nails! Like many ancient sheep breeds, they don’t need shearing because they shed their wool naturally, while pregnant ewes can give birth easily outdoors in all weathers with no human intervention at all. I’m delighted to say that Soays have featured several times in the pages of BBC Countryfile Magazine over the last 200 issues – and here’s to the next 200.
Ask Adam: What topic would you like to know more about?
Email your suggestions to editor@countryfile.com
“It’s always a thrill to discover something new about a familiar place”Extremely agile and hardy in hostile weather, Soay sheep originated on St Kilda; here they are on the main island of Hirta
Quite where my abiding love of horses came from, my family has never fathomed. But the fever took hold through pony books – often those of an earlier generation that I found in jumble sales and charity shops, and almost always featuring adventurous girls of slender or no means who found a way to have horses in their lives – as well as through 1970s television series, such as Flambards, the deliciously gritty Follyfoot and The Moon Stallion.
Later, I graduated from fictional horses to a real riding school, travelling there in the back of a Land Rover and ‘working for rides’. I learnt how to plait hay wisps, tie quickrelease knots and how to fall off at speed (and get back up). I learnt how to pull ragwort and wild oats, make hay, help out at harvest and handle an animal much larger than myself with surety and gentleness. I learnt resilience and responsibility, and got to do an outdoors job that, otherwise, seemed the preserve of men and boys.
Horses have played a major role in human progress and they are still very much part of the fabric of rural life. The reason for the partnership may have changed, but the relationship hasn’t. The huge, old, heavy horseshoe that hangs above my writing hut’s door dwarfs the modern one inside it. But I found them both on the edge of the same ploughed field, when looking for the one lost by the chestnut mare I’d been riding.
The loss and search for it would have meant just as much to the ploughman as it did to me, despite our quests taking place 100 years apart.
Working with horses is a labour of love; it’s hard, physical work in all weathers, with little time off, and the pay, conditions and security are usually poor. It can also be dangerous. But it’s incredibly rewarding and often thrilling. The chapped hands and chilblains of winter, the bruises, ingrained dirt and bone-deep tiredness are all part of a deal made for the exhilaration of galloping.
Owning or riding a horse is an expensive undertaking, inaccessible to many, but there are opportunities in rural communities or around equine businesses to work with them, if borrowing and managing on
a shoestring isn’t an option.
The equestrian sector in the UK is worth £4.7 billion per annum. It employs 41,200 people and five million British households claim to have at least one existing, or former, horse rider.And yet a halter held behind your back and a mint on an outstretched hand is the only contract for borrowing the freedom, strength, gentleness and courage of a half-wild, though biddable, animal. An animal that trusts you and gives you its all, whether it’s flying over fences, ploughing endless fields or, in the ultimate of heartbreaking asks, galloping into battle.
Horses engender an ancient mix of awe, humility, respect and reverence. The language and work of keeping a horse is a mysterious, sensory poem to be learnt, from the huff of a velvety muzzle nuzzling a pocket to the clink of an eggbutt snaffle and saddle carried over your arm. Doing evening stables and ‘setting fair’ a loose box of pitchforked, rustling-gold straw, the smell of neatsfoot oil and a whinny from across a field seem nothing short of prayers.
Though they may not be the work animals, the facilitators, the enablers of the past, we’re not ready to give up our horses yet. There’s too much history between us.
Shared work, yes; but most of all, love.
Horses play a different role in our lives today, but their hold over us remains the sameNicola Chester is the author of Richard Jefferies Award-winning and Wainwright Prize Highly Commended book OnGallowsDown.
From the coast to its source on wild moorland, Ben Lerwill journeys up the delightful River Dart, by boat, train and finally on foot
Dartmouth is a fine place to linger on a May morning. I’m sitting in Bayard’s Cove, watching the River Dart rolling out towards the open sea. Gulls are circling above the rooftops, tugs are chugging across the water, halyards are slapping against off-duty masts. Back in 1620, the Pilgrim Fathers put in here for a week before crossing the wilds of the Atlantic, and even today, as yawning holidaymakers amble the quay with takeaway coffees, it’s easy to see the hill-ringed harbour as a place to pause and replenish.
I’m in town for a journey of my own, but my goal lies inland, 47 sinuous miles upriver, where the Dart first burbles to life among the peaty soils of Dartmoor. By literally going against the flow, I’m following the river back to the place it begins, and in the process looking to know it that much better, this lovely waterway that tumbles and turns through southern Devon. It says plenty that when the makers of 1970s TV drama The Onedin Line needed a river to double on
screen as the Amazon, they came here. You don’t see many jaguars, but still.
Time is ticking, so I wander through Dartmouth’s timbered centre to reach the little ferry pontoon. The town crier is at the dockside in regalia and tricorn hat, waving to newcomers. “I was supposed to
be at a fête today,” he informs me, “but they called it off without telling me.”
Before long the ferry appears, a small craft with a cheery skipper, and I settle on board as we putter into the current and steer upstream. This 25-minute sailing to Dittisham is the first part of my journey, but three riverside days and nights lie ahead.
Here at the mouth, the river is wide and strong, with a diamond glitter that comes and goes as the clouds shift. On the opposite bank, Kingswear is a steep jumble of pastel-toned houses. We continue north and, within minutes, the views are all tilting fields and frothing woodland. Dense, jungled hills stretch skywards on both sides. Years ago, I spotted a seal along here, milling around in the brackish waters. Today the journey upriver is quieter, but a joy nonetheless. As I disembark, Agatha Christie’s long-time home, Greenway, is visible across the water. The sylvan folds of the valley gave her the headspace to write prolifically; little mystery there.
For the next four hours I’m on foot, winding up through the cottages of
Dittisham – a village where any For Sale sign makes you stop and ponder – before following the Dart Valley Trail towards Totnes. It’s a walk along wriggly country lanes and up shaggy inclines, the river mostly out of view and the verges heavy with campion and
I spend plenty of time, particularly in the Dart Valley Nature Reserve, hoping for a glimpse of that most elusive of water-lovers: the otter. I don’t get lucky but the knowledge that they’re close by is a thrill. The Devon Mammal Trust calls the Dart “an otter stronghold” and says that territories cover almost the entire length of the river. For your best chance of spotting one, stay quiet and still, look for unexplained ripples – the so-called ‘ring of bright water’ – and know that they can travel surprisingly quickly. Their droppings, called spraints, are more readily seen than the animals themselves.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Ben disembarks the ferry at Dittisham, having sailed 25 minutes from Dartmouth; Ben at Totnes Riverside Station, where heritage trains run to Buckfastleigh; the River Dart flows through the beech trees of Hembury Woods, after which it becomes harder to follow along its banks
ferns. I stop for a pint at the laid-back Maltsters Arms, overlooking a tributary of the main river, then shoulder my pack and resume the trail. The trees and fields have a lazy warmth, soundtracked by bee-buzz and song thrushes. I pass no one. Already, the South Hams have swallowed me up.
At the crest of a hill on the Sharpham Estate, the Dart bursts back on to the scene. There it is, curving across the egret-flown plain below, snaking through woods and farmland. Far in the distance are the toothy tors of Dartmoor; much closer is Totnes, where I wander through town, waylaid by a bookshop, to reach the station of the South Devon Railway. Here a bottlegreen locomotive is puffing steam.
“It’s from 1939,” says the flat-capped driver, piling coal into the firebox. “And still going strong.”
I board one of the heritage carriages –polished handles, smart upholstery – and soon we trundle north, following the river along a pretty seven-mile branch line, the horn yahooing into the late afternoon and swifts wheeling above the treetops. Reaching Buckfastleigh, I disembark to reach the riverside Abbey Inn. Day one is done. From this point on it’s going to be just me, my walking boots and the Dart.
The broad lower reaches of the river are plied by ferries and pleasure-boats, with not a bridge in sight, but north of Totnes its character alters. The next morning I find a wilder, narrower watercourse, red as strong ale, riffling over rocks and babbling under alder boughs. I reach Buckfast Abbey first, a soaring totem of stone ringed by Monterey pines and neat lawns (a sign reads ‘Please DO walk on the grass’), then veer slightly inland to head into the dappled beeches of Hembury Woods. Keeping to the water’s edge, within 20 minutes I pass a swimmer, two kayakers and four very wet, very happy spaniels.
And so begins a morning that isn’t without its frustrations. Following the banks towards Newbridge is simple at times and totally impractical at others, unless you’re impervious to barbed wire, so the Dart goes its way, I go mine, and occasionally we meet. But this preludes a stunning afternoon river walk through the tangled temperate rainforest of the Dart Valley Nature Reserve.
“Paths into the reserve’s interior are unmarked and contain challenging sections,” states the Devon Wildlife Trust advice: accurately, as it happens. It takes me four hours to complete a distance of less than five miles, scrambling here, clambering there, teetering on stepping stones and paddling in side-pools – but what a place! Far from any road or phone signal, the river flows fresh and clear right through its leafy heart, at times an urgent whisper of a thing where oaks lean over the surface and dippers fidget in the shallows, at others a splashy torrent of churning eddies and white-water cascades.
“There it is, curving across the egretflown plain below, snaking through woods and farmland”Photos: Alamy
Sharp Tor offers a fantastic vantage point over the temperate rainforest of the Dart Valley Nature Reserve
I eventually emerge from the reserve to reach the bluebell-scattered hamlet of Dartmeet, where the two branches of the river converge to flow towards the sea. Here I find the blocky remnants of an old clapper bridge, and bushes of yellow broom and pink rhododendron; the hubbub of Dartmouth now seems part of another world entirely. The long day has sapped me, so I straggle up to nearby Brimpts Farm for an overnight camp, being stared at by hillside cattle. Within walking distance is the remote Forest Inn, which stocks pasties and Dartmoor Legend cask ale. I sleep like a fallen trunk.
In the morning, with the river now reduced to its nascent stages, I have the choice between tracing the West or East Dart. The moors of the national park are massed ahead, pale-green and immutable. After some breeze-blown OS Map origami, I choose to follow the western tributary, as the source looks easier to locate. But
ABOVE Rising in Dartmoor, the Dart’s crystal-clear waters run through the national park down to Dartmouth. Its depth rises quickly following heavy rainfall on the moors, transforming its flow from gently tranquil to fiercely powerful
again, riverside access becomes impossible – what price a Devon-wide right to roam? –so I spend several miles crossing the high moor, passing wind-buckled rowans and speckled wood butterflies, to reach the water again at Two Bridges. In fairness, it’s no hardship.
The hot afternoon is already a few hours old when I walk on, fuelled by apples and sandwiches, stepping through the magical twisted groves of Wistman’s Wood before the trees rescind and Dartmoor again furls emptily to the horizon, a huge billowing otherworld of crags and tussocks. The going is slow, and as the sun drops the tors pass by like monuments: Longaford, Higher White, Lower White, Rough. There’s no one out here. When I reach the lonely nub of Flat Tor, I pitch my tent in the lea of a rock-shelf (*see page 27), eat, then wander west to find the birthplace of the river.
The ground becomes squelchy and clumpy. For miles around I see nothing but slopes and far-off sheep. After 10 minutes, I reach the small, chuckling stream that is the young Dart; it’s slim enough for a child to step over.
I follow it until it becomes nothing more than a gurgle in the grass, the genesis-point of something wide and powerful, but here just a noise of nature buried away in the strange, susurrating calm of this modern-day wilderness.
I pass the night fitfully, at one point poking my head outside to see a glittering roof of stars and later stirred by the first skylark at – I checked my watch for this – 3.39am. No matter. It’s not often you truly get the chance to lie and listen. And when you’re near the Dart, even at its barely there beginnings, it’s a thing to savour. CF
Ben Lerwill is an award-winning writer based in Oxfordshire, who specialises in the outdoors, wildlife, hiking, rail journeys, cycling, sustainable travel, sport, music, history and food.
Author Ben makes his way across Dartmoor National Park towards Higher White Tor, with Longaford Tor in the background; viewed from Longaford Tor, the Dart snakes through Dartmoor with Lydford Tor on the skyline; gnarled ancient oaks create a mystical, fairytale atmosphere in Wistman’s Wood, Dartmoor; look out for dippers hunting for insects along the river
“
Dartmoor again furls emptily to the horizon, a billowing otherworld of crags and tussocks”
The Dart Valley Trail is a 17-mile route taking in both sides of the river between Dartmouth and Totnes; the section between Kingswear and Greenway is one of the most popular stretches.
*As of January 2023, the right to wild camp on Dartmoor has been revoked and permissions around wild camping have changed. Visit dartmoor.gov.uk to see the latest developments on permitted camping areas and stay aware of any military training exercises. OS Map OL28 will help navigation.
With the waterside just steps away, this dog-friendly boutique hotel in a Tudor building sits in the historic heart of Dartmouth. It has just seven rooms/ suites and has won awards for its food and drink. bayardscoveinn.co.uk
This unpretentious B&B is set in the higher part of town, with the centre some 10 minutes’ walk away. Rooms are straightforward but comfortable, and the welcome is warm. townstalfarmhouse.com
A smart riverside inn with a modern bar/restaurant and a cracking outdoor terrace. The eight en-suite rooms are of a good quality, while the food menu is a notch above many places. facebook.com/ abbeyinnbuckfastleigh
This friendly, traditional working farm near Dartmeet offers various accommodation options, from a self-catering cottage to group rooms and camping pods. Breakfasts use local produce. brimptsfarm.co.uk
Perched high above the river, this large Georgian house was home to Agatha Christie, who called it “the loveliest place in the world”. The interiors are furnished in a 1950s style, and the gardens are beautiful. Catch a ferry from Dartmouth, walk from Kingswear, or ring the harbourside bell in Dittisham to summon a boat for the short crossing to the Greenway dock. nationaltrust.org.uk/greenway
Not easy to navigate through on foot, this family-friendly, 36-hectare country park is nonetheless an attraction in its own right, offering canoeing, kayaking, caving, a high ropes course, climbing and more. riverdart.co.uk
Faber
& FaberA homage to the river and the people who live and work alongside it, this superb 2002 poetry collection from local writer Alice Oswald won the TS Eliot Prize for Poetry.
A bright pink landmark on the quay at Dittisham, the small but much-loved ‘FBI’ offers real ales, river views and a daily changing menu. fbidittisham.co.uk
An 18th-century waterside inn in Tuckenhay, once owned by TV chef Keith Floyd. the-maltsters.co.uk
Still home to a community of Benedictine monks, the abbey was founded in the 11th century, dissolved in the 16th and re-established in the 19th. The church and its grounds remain an absorbing place to visit, with gardens, a restaurant and shops. buckfast.org.uk
Between Dittisham and Totnes, it’s possible to walk through the peaceful Sharpham Estate, although the famous Sharpham Wine is now produced on the opposite side of the Dart, down river at Sandridge Barton, where tours and tastings can be arranged. sandridgebarton.com
Written with evident enthusiasm by Bradt Guides founder Hilary Bradt, this makes a lovely companion to a trip – particularly if slow travel’s your thing.
Just up the road from the Maltsters Arms, this is another high-quality inn overlooking the Harbourne River, a tributary of the Dart. thewatermansarms.net
A popular pub and hotel in the heart of Dartmoor, with two AA rosettes for its food. It’s a great base for walks out onto the moor. twobridges.co.uk
Perched on a branch, a male blackbird is resplendent in full-throated song. The birds sing to claim and defend territory and to broadcast the fact that they are fit and healthy
As days lengthen and winter recedes, the blackbird’s gorgeous liquid voice joins the dawn chorus. But how much do we really know of this familiar garden songster? Nicola Chester reveals the hidden life of the blackbird
With a song like the light through slow-poured honey, the coal-black male blackbird, with its yellow-gold bill and matching ring around a big, dark eye, is familiar almost everywhere. Along with the subtly dappled, earth-brown female, blackbirds live alongside us, sharing spaces we have created or appropriated; urban, suburban or rural. Appearing almost tame, yet quick to scold with indignant, loud alarm, they accept us as just another animal: reminding (sometimes reprimanding) us, that’s what we are.
Our most neighbourly and recognisable member of the thrush family is never far away. Gardens can provide excellent habitats with food, shelter and nesting places in the form of shrubs, hedges and climbers. Close territories are defended by gatepost posturing, with wing and tail flicks. Males (and, to a lesser extent, females) patrol borders, lowering their head into a run like a rugby player with the ball, often using lines we have created as boundaries along a path edge, kerb or roof ridgeline. If this doesn’t see a rival off, a fight on the ground ensues.
TOP A solitary and territorial species, blackbirds will patrol their area’s boundaries and fight off any interlopers ABOVE Blackbirds advertise their presence by foraging noisily in the winter leaf litter
give them good visibility in low light. In the countryside, this makes them early risers and late sleepers. In warmer, suburban settings, they lie in longer, though some stay up very late under artificial light, streetlampsinging into the night.
Similarly, their low-frequency song has evolved to travel through dense woodland vegetation. And what a song: rich, melodious, languid and sensual as a torch singer in a smoky nightclub (including a throaty chuckle at the end). It is a song delivered with insouciance, whether from a barn roof along a quiet country lane or the top of a bus shelter in the suburbs. An old phrase “to whistle like a blackbird” is to do something effortlessly. Ornithologist and writer WH Hudson thought it closer to human song than any other bird, and this is true, in phrasing, tone and tune. Repeated phrases even sound like human words. The blackbird is our family’s ‘treacle birdie’.
Blackbirds are ostensibly a woodland bird, and can be heard loudly and furiously flinging leaves about to find insects, eggs and grubs beneath hedges and shrubs, like a teenager who has lost something on the bedroom ‘floordrobe’. Large light-gathering eyes, circled by a ring of Romani gold,
Though they have a bold, commanding, intelligent demeanour, blackbirds are also highly strung; this seems to emanate from righteous indignation more than anything. A hysterical, rising and falling shrill is a familiar reaction to perceived threat, but an urgent ‘chuck, chuck’ greets ground predators, such as cats, stoats and weasels, and a high, thin ‘seeeip’ calls out aerial predators, such as sparrowhawks or owls. Evening brings the sounds of the pre-roost ‘pinking hour’, where bird after bird repeatedly calls what is possibly a false alarm, of ‘pink pink pink’ or ‘whit, whit, whit’, sending nervier birds elsewhere to roost and ensuring their own safe space. It is an atmospheric chorus of steel on flint, chipping off sparks to trim a night-light.
It’s no surprise that blackbirds abound in myth, legend and art. From Kenny Hunter’s modern frieze of cinematic, stop-motion birds in London’s Leicester Square, to the three birds accompanying Celtic Queen Rhiannon in the Welsh book
“Their low-frequency song has evolved to travel through dense woodland vegetation”
The female blackbird is brown with faint dapples on the chest, and a browner bill than the male INSET Juveniles are similar in appearance to females, but with more coppery-brown spots and streaks
of medieval tales, the Mabinogion, they transport people between worlds through their song. Blackbirds seem of us and our world in a profoundly ordinary way, yet also, as poet RS Thomas puts it, with “a suggestion of dark places” about them.
We have put blackbirds in dainty dishes to amuse kings (tucking them mercilessly under a pastry lid) and caught roosting birds to supplement meagre rural diets as late as the 1940s – although some of these ‘black birds’ were doubtless young rooks. Poets and songwriters have celebrated the blackbird as a symbol of human suffering and struggles, from love, to witch trials and the oppression of black people. This includes artists as diverse as Rachel Unthank, Sam Lee, Jeff Beck and singer-songwriter Marley Munroe, aka Lady Blackbird (after the 1966 protest song by Nina Simone about the struggles and pain of black women).
The Beatles’ Blackbird is said to address the civil rights movement, too, and a blackbird features in Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) as witchvictim. Blackbirds recur in the work of Kate Bush; in a witch-trial in Hounds of Love (1985) and in a video about the end of a long relationship And So Is Love. Her eighth studio album Aerial is saturated with birdsong, including Kate riffing along in an extraordinary call-and-response duet with a blackbird that merges into one voice. The album’s cover masquerades as a mountain range at sunset, but is actually the waveform of a blackbird’s song.
Poets recognise a bird that has endured with us through time, too; for Edward Thomas in his pause-poem Adlestrop, where unending blackbird song ripples across counties in a moment of profound peace before the outbreak of war, to Seamus Heaney’s “picky, nervy goldbeak – on the grass when I arrive, in the ivy when I leave”, and RS Thomas’s “slow singer… loading each phrase with history’s overtones, love, joy and grief”.
The blackbird is a gateway bird to social and nature cohesion. It’s a bird we all have access to, whether in deepest countryside or a suburban garden. It is a woodland bird that shows us even our urban human spaces can be woodlands, too: include nature in our planning, and be rewarded by song and wellbeing. They are a way into a connection with nature for a child (or anyone). Watch from a kitchen window, as one hunts with a listening ear and pulls a worm out of the earth in the gruesomecomedy of an elastic stretch.
Blackbirds don’t yield their ground, they challenge us, dare us even, with a cocked head and bright, enquiring, gold-ringed eye, to live alongside them in a better world, where we are part of the same nature, pausing in awe in a saturation of honeyed song. CF
• HABITAT Blackbirds live almost anywhere, from woodland, gardens and parks, to coasts, countryside and brownfield sites – everywhere except the highest peaks.
• DIET Includes insects, caterpillars, berries and fruit. Earthworms are a staple (blackbirds suffer in droughts when worms are under baked earth). They will even take tadpoles from shallow garden ponds.
• BREEDING Varies with the weather, but is a long season (early March to late July) with two to three broods raised from three to six sky-blue, or sea-green, brown-speckled eggs.
• NEST Built by the hen, the nest is a deep cup, beautifully crafted from twigs, grasses and other natural materials, plastered in with mud. Typically low in a hedge, bush, climber or even sheds and porches.
• CHICKS The hen incubates eggs, which hatch after two weeks. Both parents feed chicks, which fledge two weeks later. They become independent a mere week later.
• LIFESPAN Averages three to four years, although the oldest known wild blackbird was 21! Cats, cars, loss of habitat or access to food in a harsh changing climate are the biggest threats.
It’s very difficult to have job envy working on BBC Countryfile Magazine. Exploring beautiful places, meeting incredible people and have heart-stopping encounters with wildlife… I think I can speak for the whole team when I say it really is a dream job. We have all been lucky enough to find ourselves on a huge variety of adventures over the years and these have all featured in the magazine or on Countryfile.com at some stage. But as most of our work takes place in a Bristol office where we produce a new magazine every four weeks, as well as writing and editing dozens of website articles, reviews, podcasts and newsletters, it’s easy to forget to pause to take stock and remember these life-giving experiences; 200 magazines is a lot of content to remember!
So here’s a taster of the team’s top days out in the British countryside – from holidays to crafting experiences to life-changing journeys. We want to share these with you to give you fresh ideas for fun times in 2023 and to give you a little bit more insight into the people who make this magazine. I’d also love to hear your own favourite experiences inspired by the magazine. Please email me at: editor@countryfile.com
Fergus Collins, editor
The first time I ever saw an osprey was on a small loch in central Perthshire. These epic fish hunters were vanishingly rare when I was growing up, so to find a pair happily nesting on this enchanting, if rather gentle, loch felt extraordinary – and a mark of the species’ wonderful resurgence in the UK. The Scottish Wildlife Trust has a visitor centre here, usually with a scope trained on the birds’ nest so you can witness the intimate details of their lives – I was spellbound for hours. The Lows is one of a chain of small lochs – the Lunan Lochs – and all are rich in wildlife but far less visited than you’d expect. Picnic by the water and expect a flyover osprey or hobby at any time.
Fergus Collins, editorI’ll never forget the warm summer’s day I first set eyes on Mwnt Beach. After a drive down pretty hedgerow-lined country lanes that opened out to a gorgeous view of Cardigan Bay, the beach’s perfect white sands and gently rolling waves quite took my breath away. Sheltered by the conical hill Foel y
Mwnt – clamber to the top for panoramic views –this National Trust beach is one of the best places along the coast to spy dolphins in the bay. And as an ancient holy site, with its simple 14th-century white-painted stone church, it has an atmosphere all its own, too. Margaret Bartlett, production editor
After walks in the Wye Valley where I saw many happy canoers steaming along on this beautiful river, spending a day on the Wye’s waters became a must-do. As inexperienced paddlers and with two eight-year-olds in tow, we opted to take on a gentle section, starting at Hay-on-Wye and journeying on
One of my first adventures after joining the team in 2014, Dungeness captured my imagination. Its eerie landscape of long shingle beach, abandoned fishing boats, derelict rail tracks and eclectic artist’s huts creates an otherworldly atmosphere, influenced by the hulking presence of the nuclear power station and the sea stretching around this south-easterly headland. The grasslands, freshwater pits, shingle and wildflower meadows of Dungeness Nature Reserve thrive – it is Britain’s third most biodiverse landscape. Maria Hodson, production editor • rspb.org.uk/Dungeness
peaceful grade-one waters, which still offered plenty of adventure. We had to get out and push on a gravelly, shallow stretch, spotted tiny fish, searched for signs of otters and finished with a cold drink at the Boat Inn, Whitney-on-Wye . Next on the wish-list are the river’s white-water thrills! Margaret Bartlett
CRAFTS
Bushcraft skills, Highland
Sleeping under the stars in the spectacular Culbin Forest for a women’s-only bushcrafting retreat in 2018 was one of my favourite trips for the magazine. Set on the Moray Firth coastline, we foraged along the seashore and learned how to cook over a fire, plus mastered essential knot tying skills. It was a magical experience with a friendly group of women that gave me renewed confidence to take on more solo adventures.
Carys Matthews, online editor
I’d never considered visiting the East Riding of Yorkshire – a wide unknown place north of the Humber and south of Scarborough. I was usually more drawn to the Dales or Moors of this grand county. But a press trip to the Wolds ended with me watching hares at dawn on these softly sculpted chalk downlands and being completely beguiled by the local history. Prehistoric mixes with Viking; Elizabethan manor houses brush shoulders with Victorian industry; I explored handsome market towns and perfect villages with pubs beside duck ponds. All this time, I never knew.
Fergus CollinsSix years on and I am still grateful for a day I spent with the perfectly named Peter Wood of Greenwooddays learning entry-level green woodworking skills in a Nottinghamshire woodland. It was December but the work – and open-fire-brewed tea – kept me warm as Peter showed me how to make a three-legged stool using saws, froes, shave-horses and pole-lathes. It was pure sylvan magic with a master craftsman. If I had my career again… Fergus Collins
Home of prolific gardening writer Christopher Lloyd, the beautiful timbered manor house and grounds of Great Dixter is a fine example of how your fantasy cottage garden would look on a vast scale, with billowing herbaceous borders, diverse kitchen gardens, jewelled carpets of spring bulbs and peaceful meadows. Come here for inspiration and tranquillity, leave with some well-nurtured plants from the nursery.
Tanya Jackson, digital editor
• greatdixter.co.uk
For a family-friendly camping adventure somewhere wild and unspoilt, head to Glenmore in the Cairngorms. It’s on the banks of Loch Morlich – a safe, shallow lake with a sandy beach that backs on to an ancient Caledonian pine forest. There’s so much to explore, whether you’re renting kayaks from the watersports café or heading off on a mountain bike trail. See the wolves at the Highland Wildlife
Stourhead Estate is a classic example of grand 18thcentury garden design, complete with Palladian temples, bridges and a tower.
Henry Hoare II, who inherited Stourhead, styled and created the impressive gardens and architectural additions to the manor, inspired by great landscape artists of the time. Enjoy visiting at any time of the year – there’s something here for the whole family to enjoy.
Hilary Clothier, picture editor
• nationaltrust.org.uk/ stourhead
It’s no secret that nightingales are on borrowed time in the UK – all the more reason to try to hear them while they’re still here. One way to do it is to book on to a Singing with Nightingales event, as Maria Hodson and I did last spring. Camp wild at a secret location in Sussex or Gloucestershire, take a bird safari with conservationist and folk singer Sam Lee, enjoy food, drinks and music around the fire, then embark on a 20-minute night walk to hear Sam and a guest musician tempting the little bird into a duet.
Magical. Tanya Jackson
• thenestcollective.co.uk/singing-with-nightingales
Read all about Tanya’s experience in the April issue.
Park, climb up Cairngorm Mountain and visit nearby Loch Garten RSPB Reserve, an osprey breeding site where knowledgeable rangers will entertain your kids with fascinating talks about blaeberries. Red squirrels abound at both lochs – you’ll have to be patient to see one – but there’s also the chance to see otters, deer and even golden eagles. Tanya Jackson
• campingintheforest.co.uk/glenmore-campsite
North Devon is fantastic for surfing spots and Croyde Bay is a personal favourite, due to its beautiful sand dunes, small village surf community, craggy coastal scenery and Atlantic waves, which can reach epic proportions. Even those with no desire to attempt big-wave surfing can find a thrill watching the adrenaline seekers paddle out to take their chances. With fine conditions, Croyde Bay has a long history of surfing – the original pioneers, 100 years ago, surfed the waves on wooden planks known as ‘coffin lids’. Thankfully, these days you can hire decent kit on the beach, if you don’t have your own board and wetsuit.
Maria Hodson
This sweeping beach lies on a heartbreakingly lovely stretch of coastline. Even in August, there’s a laid-back feel, with few other beachgoers around. Reach the sands via a short walk and a gentle scramble over rocks. There are no loos, or café, or lifeguard. And it’s tidal, so take care you don’t get cut off. But it’s blissfully peaceful and gorgeous.
To get there, walk along the coast path for 2.5km from the large car park at Praa Sands. Or take a narrow and winding lane off the A394 Penzance Road to the small car park at Prussia Cove, one kilometre from the beach on foot. Not recommended for children’s buggies. Joe Pontin, features editor
A few springs back, my mum, brother and I set out on an adventure – a 25-mile walk through the wilds of the Lake District. The route was to include three waters, four fell tops, a dozen waterfalls and over 1,400m accent. Our challenge? To prove that even the most remote corners of the country could be enjoyed by your average country rambler. Making this all possible was the humble walker’s hostel. Instead of completing the route in one arduous day, we split it into three, seeking food and lodgings at YHA Buttermere, Honister and Black Sail. I think about this trip often and can still picture the look of accomplishment on my mum’s face at the end of the journey. Daniel Graham, outdoors editor • To plan your own quest, visit yha.org.uk
Hands down, sea kayaking around St Kilda in 2016 was the greatest wildlife adventure of my life. This archipelago marks the most north-westerly point in Britain and access isn’t easy –inclement weather regularly prevents boats from making the crossing. But fortune smiled and the MV Cuma prevailed. The few days spent paddling around the main island Hirta, which boasts Britain’s highest sea cliffs, and to the towering sea stacks of Stac Lee and Stac An Armin, home to vast gannet colonies, were simply magical. Wildlife abounds here – basking sharks, minke whales, a pod of orcas, white-tailed eagles, great skuas, Soay sheep, puffins and seals galore variously graced the shore, sea and sky. Unbeatable. Maria Hodson • island-cruising.com
I had always been inspired by stunning photos of Eryri (Snowdonia) featured in the magazine and was keen to explore this area. We planned our trip for September 2019, stopping off en route at Penrhyn Quarry to experience the worlds’s fastest zip wire, which I can highly recommend. Taking the Pyg Track
to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), I realised photos don’t do this area justice – the scenery is simply stunning. Blessed with glorious weather, we experienced incredible mountain views as far as the eye could see and glistening turquoise lakes, making for a truly memorable walk. Tim Bates, art editor
In January 2017, our team visited RSPB Ham Wall in Somerset to witness one of the most amazing wildlife spectacles I’ve seen in the UK. Arriving mid-afternoon, we spent time bird-spotting from the hides. As dusk fell from quiet surroundings, the sky darkened and thousands of starlings began to fly in and head
One day at work, I was looking at a map of Northern Ireland and something caught my eye; an intricate network of loughs, waterways and islands in the south-west corner, bound by huge tracks of woodland and reeling escarpments. A few months later I was there, delighted to discover that County Fermanagh and its 40 miles of lakes was as enthralling in real life as it was on the map. For anyone considering a visit, my top three must-dos are kayaking on Lough Erne, the Lough Navar Forest Drive and Marble Arch Caves.
Daniel Graham
• fermanaghlakelands.com
towards the reeds to settle; they flew up around us, dancing in the sky like a choreographed ballet. It was an incredible sight and a privilege to witness – and you, too, can see starling murmurations all over the UK. Find your local site at rspb.org.uk
Hilary ClothierSeven of us set off up Glen Finnan, backpacks heavy with gear. After a day’s gruelling ridge-walk in buffeting winds, we made camp in the drizzle on the shores of Loch Arkaig. The morning brought a gentle climb up to the head of wild green Glen Dessary, then a spectacular descent along Finiskaig River – flanked by craggy giants – to lonely Sourlies Bothy on the shores of Loch Nevis. One hard day’s walking remained before at last we marched into the village of Inverie, for a hot meal in the inn, a soft bed and a ferry back to real life.
Joe Pontin
Trelissick sits at the edge of the Fal on its own peninsula. Walking its beautiful grounds, you can imagine what it was like for those living here in the 1750s when it was first built. Now run by the National Trust, Trelissick offers visitors a woodland garden, orchard, 18th-century quay and Iron Age fort, plus a café. While living in Cornwall, I explored the grounds in all weathers, bringing back memories of visiting in the summer holidays as a child.
Annie Sanderson, multimedia editor
The first house to be powered by hydraulics, Cragside was built by wealthy Victorian industrialist William Armstrong, who designed a fairytale palace in Morpeth, Northumberland. The house is surrounded by a rockery and vast coniferous plantation, including Britain’s tallest Scot’s pine, which form a vast protective fortress around Cragside, creating the effect of a sorceror’s castle in an enchanted forest.
Maria Hodson CF• nationaltrust.org.uk
In the autumn of 2007, I was invited to take part in an intriguing new project. Countryfilewas popular viewing every Sunday and now was the time, I was told, for it to have a sibling in the form of a monthly magazine. Would I like to write a column?
I jumped at the chance. After all, print journalism was where I began my career and even though I had totally embraced television, it is a somewhat ephemeral medium. There is a certain satisfaction in knowing one’s written words might survive a little longer. And here I am, 200 editions later. They are all stored away at home, and some get to see the light of day when I need to refer to past events. Which is what I’m doing right now with issue number one, dated November 2007.
I remember some TV colleagues on Countryfilebeing rather wary about the birth of a magazine that bore the same name; could it truly reflect the values that our viewers had come to trust as we brought the countryside into their homes? No need to worry – it could. Along with features covering everything from our natural heritage to haunted pubs, as well as stunning photographs, the magazine dealt with issues that remain relevant today: the future of farming, badger culls, marine protection and climate change. In my column, I wrote about the return of red kites – perhaps the most successful of wildlife reintroduction projects and something I have followed up several times since.
This first issue celebrated the 50th birthday of Radio 4’s Farming Today (still going strong) by asking leading figures to predict the industry’s future over the following 50 years. Government minister Lord Rooker talked about the drive for efficiency and diversification; top of the list for NFU President Peter Kendal was dealing with the hostile effects of climate change while producing more food; and conservationists urged more stewardship schemes and better protection for wildlife. All ongoing concerns today, though no one could, of course, have predicted Brexit and its impact.
The prospect of a badger cull was a hot topic for the magazine. Those in favour argued that badgers were spreading TB to cattle, at a cost of £31m to the rural economy. Opponents said there was no proof and an independent study concluded that a cull would make “no meaningful contribution” to the control of TB. Six years later, the Government came down in favour of a widespread cull, and since then, according to some estimates, more than 180,000 badgers have died. Last year’s cull was extended to 69 areas and the debate still rages.
Another concern reported in the first issue was the delay in introducing a law to safeguard sea life, which finally happened when the first Marine Conservation Zone was set up around Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel in 2010. Now, nearly 40% of the seas around the UK are protected.
It has been fascinating leafing through those early pages. Now, after writing 200 columns and presenting well over 1,000 episodes of the TV programme, my belief in our countryside and its people is even stronger. Though endless challenges need to be met – many of them serious, stressful and ongoing – rural Britain will always have the support of the millions of us who live, work or simply wander amid its glorious presence.
“The early magazines dealt with issues that remain relevant today”John has long championed the reintroduction of the red kite, one of Britain’s most successful wildlife conservation projects
Latest data for inflation puts the UK rate at 9.3% for the 12 months to October 2022. Yet this figure is calculated from a range of products and utilities that can be more expensive for those living in the countryside. According to the Office for National Statistics, the largest upward contributions to the annual inflation rate came from housing and household services (principally electricity, gas and other fuels) and food and non-alcoholic beverages. Housing and household services rose by 11.7%, while the cost of a meal out rose by 10.2% year on year. The British Retail Consortium says that food inflation is floating at around 13%.
The cost-of-living picture is nuanced. According to data from DEFRA, in 2020, the median workplace-based annual salary in predominantly urban areas (excluding London) was £25,400, compared to £22,900 in predominantly rural areas. However, for those who work from home, this gap all but disappears, with the median residence-based earnings in predominantly urban areas put at £25,100, compared with £25,000 in predominantly rural areas. This relatively even level of income, however, is often negated by the fact that, as the RSN points out, rural residents face higher costs, for transport, heating and housing.
Food inflation is currently around
13% Household services rose by
11.7%
£25,400 pa Predominantly urban areas
£22,900 pa Predominantly rural areas
A £2 bus fare (£1 for children) cap was introduced across many areas of England for the first three months of 2023 (Scotland and Wales have similar schemes) but rural advocates say this is meaningless if services are intermittent or do not serve remoter areas. The Campaign for Better Transport says a long-term subsidy is needed to keep fares down. Poor transport infrastructure reduces rural communities’ ability to access health services, education, skills training and employment. Consequently, people in rural areas tend to be much more reliant on cars.
Fuel is on average 1.2pper litre more expensive in rural areas
The cost of living crisis is felt acutely in the countryside, where rural residents face higher prices for fuel, transport and food. Farmers, meanwhile, not only face these pressures themselves but also find that prices for their raw farming materials are soaring above the rate of inflation
According to the Rural Services Network (RSN), those living in the countryside spend much more on essentials, such as heating, transport and housing. An RSN report says they face “significantly higher” costs but earn much less than their urban counterparts.
Around 1.5m people in the UK use heating oil rather than mains gas. The use of heating oil for housing is far greater in rural areas: 52.6% of rural homes are believed to be off the gas grid, compared to just 9.8% of urban properties. Homes in rural areas tend to be less energy efficient, with 60% of rural homes having an EPC energy rating of D or below.
The Countryside Alliance says more needs to be done to help rural householders cope. Unlike gas and electricity, there is no regulator for heating oil to cap prices. Impacts of rises are also felt more quickly, as heating oil is bought in real time, unlike gas, which is bought months in advance. A Fuel Poverty Coalition survey found that half of those who live in rural households are classed as vulnerable –with one in five elderly people living in cold, damp homes and 44% of them now living in fuel poverty. The latest data from the RSN shows that the reduction in fuel bills needed to take rural households out of full poverty
is £501, compared with an average in England of £223. The Government says it has issued alternative fuel payments to households who are off grid.
The Rural Services Network says that rural house prices are almost 40% higher than in urban areas of England (excl London), with rural villages and hamlets increasing to 55% higher. Year on year, estate agent reports indicate that rural house prices outgrow their urban equivalents. Rural households on a low income now spend about half of their earnings on rent – almost 5% more than low-income households in urban areas. Government data shows that, in 2021, the average lower quartile house price was 9.2 times the average lower quartile earnings in predominantly rural areas, compared with 8.0 times in predominantly urban areas (excl London).
Farmers groups caution that the full effects of food inflation have yet to filter through and will only become apparent as crops are harvested and food processed later this year. The County Land and Business Association (CLA) says that while national inflation may be around 9–11%, agricultural prices have risen by 25% over the past six months. Fertiliser costs have risen by between 400 and 500% since November 2020. Farmers who grew 2022’s crop with fertiliser costing £280/tonne are now paying £800/tonne, according to estate agent Strutt and Parker.
Rural fuel pressures are being felt acutely by farmers. Several farmers groups say that recent reductions in oil prices (petrol prices dropped to £1.49 a litre in January 2023) make little difference as the price is still eye-wateringly high. Reports are increasing of food growers powering generators with red diesel – awful from an
environmental point of view but a signifier that costs may have passed a threshold where this becomes viable financially.
Fuel costs are also affecting the ways in which farmers go about their work, with the NFU, the CLA and ADAS (agricultural consultancy) reporting changes in techniques and practices, such as fewer blanket applications of fertiliser, fewer passes over a field, less drilling or ploughing.
With fertiliser costs so high, many farmers now view the manure their chickens produce as a commodity to be sold across counties to other farmers, who seek alternative sources of fertiliser. DEFRA says it is updating payment rates for both Countryside Stewardship revenue options and capital items from the start of this year.
Have your say? What do you think about the issues raised here? Write to the address on page three or email editor@countryfile.com
Rural house prices are almost 40% higher than in urban areas
Fertiliser costs have risen by between 400 and 500% since November 2020
The CLA says that while national inflation may be around 9–11%, agricultural prices have risen by 25% over the past six months.
52.6% of rural homes are believed to be off the gas grid
Once a week, all year round, a group of lucky children from Northumberland swap their classroom for a day on the beach. This natural setting provides a great way to learn, writes
Caro Giles
For most of the year, Embleton Bay is almost deserted, a magical curve of sand on the edge of the world. When you approach from the dunes, the crunch of sea-scraping sand hits you first, and the marram grass slaps your legs. Pearly shells litter the path and oystercatchers erupt into the air as the skies unfold.
The dunes drop away on to the beach and you are greeted with a clear stretch of glossy sand burning orange under the sun, licked by dancing waves that froth and churn. If you are lucky, a black head will be bobbing in the water, the whiskery face of a seal. Further out, beyond the ancient rocks below Dunstanburgh Castle, dolphins flick spray into the air, arching their gleaming bodies like rainbows.
This is where the pupils of Embleton Primary School come every Friday – to learn. Pulling on waterproofs and wellies, 53 children, aged from three to
11 years, walk down the hill towards the sand dunes. “It’s my favourite day of the week,” seven-year-old Mia tells me. In all weathers, the children, along with seven teachers and learning support assistants, cover topics as diverse as
electricity and fractions, as the beach is dotted with high-vis jackets and squeals of excitement float over the rocks.
The beach school is part of an outdoor learning movement that has grown in popularity since the 1990s, when forest school provision became more widely available. The Institute for Outdoor Education describes the importance of outdoor learning in enabling children and young people to form sustainable self-led relationships with the natural environment, and engage more effectively with education to benefit from better health and wellbeing. Beach schools are a relatively new initiative; international training organisation Forest Schools Education developed the first accredited beach school training for teachers over 10 years ago.
Staff employ a range of teaching methods, from more traditional written
“I love writing at the beach because we have to look and listen to everything around us and describe it”
work to creating number sentences in the sand with sticks. Embleton Primary School headteacher Nicola Threlfall says the first thing she looks at when planning a unit of work is which learning objectives could be better suited to delivery outdoors. The children are less inhibited outside, she explains, so teachers consider how they can use the beach and its surroundings, offering outdoor learning linked to the curriculum.
Five-year-old Arthur tells me he loved making porridge on the beach, part of a series of activities linked to the story
Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Marley, aged six, says: “I love writing at the beach because we have to look and listen to everything around us and describe it.” It is this exposure to the outside world that seems to inspire the
As time flies by, the sun shines brighter
Every step of the way the waves ring in my ears as they crash to the shore
The cold sea sings to the beating waves of the people walking past
Dogs run their mighty paws over the soft sand
Roaring their songs to their owners, hearts pounding
The rocks stand eroded by the salty sea, a habitat for wondrous creatures
Birds catching their prey, ripping them and feasting on their guts and bones
That’s what the beach is to me.
Summer-Rose (year 5)
QuestionPoem, inspired by Man
OnTheBeachby Joshua Siegel
children’s imagination, whether that be re-enacting the Viking landings or exploring Beowulf.
Sometimes the environment itself does the teaching – Nicola explains there are huge benefits to giving children the opportunity to just ‘be’, especially for those children who struggle with sensory processing or have additional social and emotional needs. Watching the waves, lying on the sand feeling the wind and sun on their faces, rolling down sand dunes or listening to the sounds are all an essential part of the beachschool experience, enabling children to explore, test their own limits and understand their place in their environment.
Initially supported by Mudlarks, a local beach-school provider, the staff are now confident in their
Boat on the sea
Where is it sailing?
How long will it take to get there?
Why is it moving so slowly?
Has it come from far away?
Where has it been?
Is it sinking?
Why has it got smoke come out?
Flo (year 2)
The waves crash into the smooth sand
The people strut along the beach like fancy cats
But still she smiles.
Arthur (year 5)
As the water crashes on the rocks and leaves prints in the sand
As the breeze shivers my bones and cold shoulders inside me
The mist comes off the waves and into the air
But it’s still blissful.
Thomas (year 5)
own delivery of outdoor sessions and it has become an integral part of the curriculum offered by the school. The children’s understanding around safety on the beach is crucial, and rules are reinforced at each session.
Bridie Melkerts, beach school leader at Mudlarks, tells me the beach strengthens the children’s connection with nature. She loves to share her enthusiasm and enjoyment of the natural world with them, pointing out the first swallows or discussing what might have happened to a dead guillemot.
There’s no denying the privileged position Embleton School is in – the beach is within walking distance of the school gates. It’s one kilometre down the hill and another one back up that can prove challenging for little legs. Older students are paired with younger ones and it’s clear that the children do become more resilient outdoors, with Lexi, aged nine
exclaiming: “I’m not scared of the wind or the rain, we are outside in the elements!” Nicola confirms that the noticeable improvement in the children’s stamina and fitness levels is one of the main advantages of the beach school.
During the winter months in Northumberland, the weather can be challenging. Sand blows in ripples across the beach and gulls are tossed
about on snarling waves. I wonder how the children cope with the biting north winds, but Nicola says they like to get the kids out on the beach in all weather. If it’s raining, they head to the bird hide; when it’s cold, the kids warm up by doing more physical activities. The staff take hand-warmers and hot drinks to share and a stock of warm clothing. On warmer days, they sit on picnic tables outside to enjoy their lunch.
For students living in urban locations, access to nature can prove more of a problem. Although these pupils are more likely to walk to school, local authority budgets have been slashed in recent years, having a direct impact on parks that are vital in terms of accessible outdoor space. I spoke to Harriet Menter, education manager at Scotswood Garden, a charity in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who explains that many children do not have gardens, green spaces at school, or access to welcoming green spaces
“I’m not scared of the wind or the rain, we are outside in the elements!”ABOVE The children are attentive and focused while listening to stories and learning about tidal erosion and local geography BELOW Wearing high-vis jackets for identification and safety, the students brave the beach in all weathers, moving around to stay warm on cold and windy days
nearby, and their parents lack the means to access spaces further afield. Some schools run forest schools in their own grounds, but few urban schools have a space that is suitable. Many make use of community gardens, local parks and nature reserves. With charities like these playing such a valuable role in offering education outside, there’s no doubt that an increase in beach schools around Britain’s coastline would benefit schools and families.
There is value to be found in online resources, too, in terms of engaging children and fostering an interest in our beaches. During lockdown, the students at Embleton enjoyed a virtual session with the Rock Pool Project, a social enterprise based in Cornwall that encourages people of all ages to discover marine life found around the UK coast. It was a huge hit with the children, who excitedly called out “Bingo!” as they spotted hermit crabs
and starfish crawling out from the seaweed. The concept of the rock pool as a microcosm of the ocean, an alien world, is irresistible.
Embleton Primary School is demonstrating how successful outdoor learning can be. With support, investment and confidence, can more schools mould the curriculum to include regular time outside for their students? Whether it’s building ponds, planting seeds, watching birds or investigating the weather, time in the natural world needs to be accessible for children wherever they live. The pandemic has taught us that nature is everywhere and it is our responsibility to care for it. One of the students tells me that “nature helps us learn in new ways” – and perhaps that is precisely the point. CF
Caro Giles, as Caro Fentiman, won BBCCountryfileMagazine’s New Nature Writer of the Year in 2021. Her book TwelveMoons:AYearUnderaShared Skyis out now (Harper North, £14.99).
• Visit the Forest School Association website to find a local provider. forestschoolassociation.org
• Forest Schools Education offers a Beach School Training course. forestschools.com
There are beach-school providers around the UK. Some are listed below:
• Lancashire lancswt.org.uk/beach-school
• Mudlarks, Northumberland mudlarksoutdoors.com
• The Rock Pool Project, Cornwall therockpoolproject.co.uk
• Northern Ireland beachschoolsni.com
• Wales beachacademywales.com/education
• Scotland littlegreenexplorers.com/outdoornurseries-in-scotland/
Have you ever seen an otterhound? Appearing in many different colour combinations – wheaten, sandy, black, blue, tan, liver, grizzle and white – this playful breed is friendly, energetic and affectionate, with a bearded face and drop ears hanging down the side of its head. Its big personality matches its size, with male otterhounds weighing up to a hefty 52kg, compared to a golden retriever at around 30kg.
But despite its good looks and conviviality, the otterhound today is a rare sight and at risk of becoming extinct. Otterhound numbers worldwide are only in the hundreds. In the pandemic puppy boom of 2021, a recordbreaking 349,013 puppy births were registered – but just 42 were otterhounds. And by late 2022, only 14 otterhound puppy births had been registered, compared to the most popular breed, the Labrador retriever, with 61,559 puppies recorded. Small wonder that the Kennel Club describes the otterhound as “one of the rarest of all the vulnerable native dog breeds”. So why the decline? The answer, it seems, is fashion.
With their webbed feet, supersensitive noses and abundant energy, otterhounds were perfectly adapted to track their prey, but the dog is now disappearing in Britain. Luc ap Rolant asks, can they survive?Photo: Heidi Hudson/The Kennel Club
Many hunting packs comprised a mixture of breeds; for example, one pack in Wales included English and Welsh foxhounds as well as otterhounds. The pack hunted otters during summer and foxes in the autumn and winter, although the otterhounds were removed during fox hunts as they were relatively slow across open ground
Bill Lambert, spokesman for the Kennel Club’s Save Forgotten Dog Breeds campaign, explains. “There are more than 200 dog breeds in this country, each with different personalities, characteristics and needs, and yet people are increasingly opting for the fashionable or obvious choices. Sadly, it seems that TV, celebrities and social media – rather than responsible research – are normally the guiding force behind our choice of dog, and which breeds move in and out of fashion.”
The Kennel Club’s aim, says Bill, is to maintain “a rich diversity of breeds, so that people can get a dog that is truly right for them. One of the main reasons there is such a decline in popularity of these dogs is because people simply don’t seem to know of them.”
The history of otterhounds is inextricably entwined with the once-traditional pastime of otter hunting. During the Middle Ages, otter hunting was popular among England’s royalty and nobility, with packs of otterhounds attached to royal households.
In those days, otters were seen as nothing more than vermin, perhaps, in large part, because they competed with humans for fish. However, these intelligent, semi-aquatic mammals were formidable opponents during the hunt, and required a versatile breed to overpower them.
Otterhounds were originally bred as otterhunting scent hounds – dogs that hunt via scent more than sight. Their water- and weatherproof
coats, webbed feet and love of swimming made them ideally suited to tracking down otters along rivers and in other wetland habitats.
According to Ayrshire writer and dog expert Robert Leighton, to outwit the otter, otterhounds needed: “A bulldog’s courage, a Newfoundland’s strength in water, a pointer’s nose, a retriever’s sagacity, the stamina of a foxhound, the patience of a beagle and the intelligence of a collie.”
In fact, breeders suspect that the otterhound’s ancestors include five redoubtable hunting breeds: the bloodhound, foxhound, southern hound and two venerable French breeds: the griffon Nivernais and grand griffon Vendéen. The Kennel Club notes “a look of French
Hunting alone did not cause the decline in the otter population. Conservationists believe three other factors lay behind the decimation of otter numbers: the use of harmful chemicals by industry and agriculture was the primary cause, with loss of habitats and declines in fish populations also contributing.
After hunting was outlawed, and some of the chemicals most harmful to otters were banned, otter populations thankfully revived. However, the most recent large-scale UK survey data (from National Otter Survey Wales, published in
2021) suggested an unexpected downturn in otter numbers across Welsh river catchments.
Dr Liz Chadwick from Cardiff University Otter Project (CUOP) suggests that this should be a wake-up call for otter conservation, highlighting the state of Britain’s freshwater ecosystems. Pollution and changes in fish stocks may both be important – CUOP is researching freshwater chemical contaminants and gathering evidence to identify other potential causes for the decline. A national otter survey is currently underway in England, coordinated by the Mammal Society.
ABOVE Many of us first read of otter hunting in the novel TarkatheOtter by Henry Williamson. Set in North Devon, the tale culminates in a fight to the death between Tarka and the otterhound Deadlock, illustrated here. The book is credited with transforming the public’s attitudes towards otters BELOW The semi-aquatic otter is a superb swimmer and a predator of fish, waterbirds, amphibians and crustaceans. Its fishing prowess made it a target for huntsmen in the Middle Ages
“Their webbed feet and love of swimming made them ideally suited to tracking otters”
If their characteristics are suitable for you and your home, you can help save otterhounds from the brink of extinction by keeping one or several. Here are some useful facts about the breed.
• Size: Large (36–52kg)
• Exercise: At least two hours per day.
• Home and garden size: Large.
• City or country? Ideally suited to the countryside.
• Lifespan: Over 10 years.
• Coat: Mediumlength double coat – rough, slightly oily and weatherproof; it does shed hair.
• Grooming: More than once a week.
• Feet: Webbed
hound ancestry” in the otterhound’s head and expression. The current otterhound breed can only be traced to the early 1800s, with some speculating that Britain’s earlier otterhounds, such as the “otter dogs” referred to in Izaak Walton’s classic book TheCompleteAngler (1653), were in fact the now-extinct southern hounds.
From its peak in the Middle Ages, otter hunting continued into the 20th century – in 1953, there were still around 16 active otterhounds packs. However, resistance to the bloodsport developed in the late 19th century, when William Lisle Blenkinsopp Coulson, an army officer and prominent member of the Humanitarian League, began a letter-writing campaign to ban otter-hunting. Another campaigner was Harry Hamilton
Johnston, a founder member of the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire. Otters, argued Johnston, were an intrinsic part of the landscape.
The Humanitarian League campaigned against otter hunting until its dissolution in 1919; later, the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports (later the League Against Cruel Sports) campaigned against otter hunting.
Objections to, and protests against, otter hunting continued in various forms over the decades, including direct action; hunt saboteurs would lay aniseed oil down to disrupt scent trails and confuse the hounds.
However, when chemical pollution led to the crash in otter populations across Britain and Europe in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, otter hunts were among the first to raise the alarm.
“Hunt saboteurs would lay aniseed oil down to disrupt scent trails”Photo: Heidi Hudson/The Kennel Club
The hunts voluntarily closed in 1976, prior to legal protection for otters in 1978 and an explicit ban on otter hunting in 1981.
As a result of the ban, many hunters disbanded their otterhound packs. Some switched to hunting American mink – the mustelids that flourished in British rivers after escaping from fur farms. However, in 2004, legislation also outlawed the hunting of mink and other wild animals with dogs.
Unlike other hunting breeds, which managed to thrive despite losing their original purpose, with the disbanding of otterhound packs came the decline of the dogs themselves. Today, otterhounds are the rarest of British breeds, unknown to most people. But all is not lost – the Kennel Club’s Save Forgotten Dog Breeds campaign has been raising the profile of the historic native breeds most at risk of dying out.
A key campaign goal is to inform potential owners about these breeds’ personalities and needs, and how they may suit different people and lifestyles. This includes the Discover Dogs area at Crufts, the annual dog show, where people can get to know a range of rare breeds.
“Come and meet these breeds,” urges Bill Lambert, “speak to experts and owners who can tell you everything you need to know, and help us to raise awareness.”
Bill admits that otterhounds aren’t for everyone. “They are an easy-going and goodnatured breed,” he says, “but require more than two hours exercise per day, a larger space due to their size, and grooming more than once a week – so may not be suitable for the fastpaced urban lifestyles of many people.”
Nevertheless, Bill hopes there may be just enough prospective dog owners out there for whom the otterhound sounds like the perfect companion. Could that be you? CF
• Visit the Kennel Club for information on breeds and to find out which dog best suits you. thekennelclub.org.uk/getting-a-dog
• Crufts 2023 takes place on 9–12 March at the NEC in Birmingham. crufts.org.uk
Luc ap Rolant is a writer from West Wales. The descendant of local princes and mariners, among others, he takes a strong interest in Welsh history, genealogy and folklore.
ABOVE Playful and affectionate, otterhounds make good pets for active families who love outdoor life, but otterhounds also enjoy a good daytime nap!
Your handy guide to this month’s Great Days Out
THE LURE OF THE WILD
Craig Cerrig Gleisiad
Powys, p74
JURASSIC JAUNT
Branscombe
Devon, p78
HIDDEN TREASURE
Pett Level Beach
East Sussex, p80
GREAT RIDGE RAMBLE
Mam Tor
Derbyshire, p83
ALL HAIL THE WALL
Hadrian’s Wall
Northumberland, p84
WAINWRIGHT IN MINIATURE
Castle Crag
Cumbria, p86
MEGALITHS OF THE SOUTH Avebury
Wiltshire, p86
LEANING TOWERS
Caerphilly Castle
Caerphilly, p87
A WILD ISLAND ADVENTURE
Goatfell, Arran
Ayrshire, p88
NATIONAL PARK WALKS
Top seven
Nationwide, p90
WALK: Craig Cerrig Gleisiad,
Purple Arctic-Alpine flowers and bluebells colour a craggy habitat that’s home to one of the Brecon Beacons’ wildest views, says Fergus Collins
Of the many rewards that come from working on BBC Countryfile Magazine, the greatest is discovering new places to walk. From editing or reading the rambles
gathered by our army of writers, to chance conversations with those working to save a particular landscape or species, I have accumulated enough treasures to write a book… or a magazine, come to that.
For me, nothing beats the thrill of stepping off a train or parking the bike or car and putting that first foot forward
into a new landscape. The wilder and more wildlife-rich the better. I am rarely disappointed.
It’s not just the adventures, it’s the lasting memories and emotions that offer sustenance in darker times. I quite often daydream of a walk I took on Solway Firth to a backdrop of bugling geese, or the orchids flowering on a Wessex chalk
escarpment. Or perhaps the time I sat on a promontory on the Anglesey coast, listening to choughs and curlews while waves crashed below.
More recently, I have captured some of these adventures on the Plodcast, our nature and countryside podcast. I hope you will tune in and enjoy some of these deeply uplifting and inspiring connections to the countryside we all love.
For now, though, I want to take you back to one of the first discoveries I made on BBC Countryfile Magazine. I was chatting to presenter and
naturalist Mike Dilger and he mentioned an unspoilt crag in the Brecon Beacons where he had encountered ring ouzels – a mountain-loving species of blackbird with a gorgeous white bib. A bird I had never seen. The place was Craig Cerrig Gleisiad, a national nature reserve but with surprisingly little written about it.
I was living in Bristol at the time and made a plan for that spring. I waited for a warm, dry early May day to appear on the weather forecast and set out the night before, camping on the outskirts of Brecon. Before first light, at about 4.30am, I struck my tent and drove to
Like a blackbird but bigger and with a white bib, the ring ouzel loves craggy cliffs, where it feeds on insects, seeds and berries. It’s a summer migrant, arriving from north Africa in late March. Its call
is a series of ‘chack-chackchacks’, while its plumage seems scaly rather than soft. Look for it in the ravines. This is just about the last place in the Brecon Beacons this rare bird nests.
a little lay-by near the reserve. As I stepped out of the car, I was greeted by a dawn chorus of redstarts, cuckoos, willow warblers and wrens. The great cliff-like peak was still dark but, as the sun rose, its northern face revealed a rare patchwork of wilderness. I knew then it would be a special day. It was so special that, within 18 months, my family and I uprooted from Bristol to come and live in the Brecon Beacons, where we dwell to this day, still making fresh discoveries every month.
This is the walk I took. And yes, the ouzels did make an appearance.
Park at the lay-by beside Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad, a Fan Frynych National Nature Reserve on the western side of the A470. An information board and
kissing gate indicates the entrance to the nature reserve and the start of your walk.
Go through the gate and follow the path through a small band of woodland for about 150m, soon emerging at the mouth of a large cwm.
This raven-haunted buttress is studded with steep crags that prevent sheep from grazing rare sub-Alpine plants, such as purple saxifrage. Hence, the flora here is richer and more interesting than elsewhere in the national park. And so are the birds.
At the foot of the cliff in spring, you’ll find bluebells flowering among the hawthorn scrub, from where male redstarts sing.
Ignore the right-hand turn and continue straight on for a few steps past scattered hawthorn trees, keeping an eye out for an inconspicuous
crossing over a small stream on your left.
Cross the stream – a good test for your boots – and begin up the often-muddy path. As you climb the hill, the way becomes gradually steeper and begins to slalom. Take care here, especially in wet weather. As the paths bring you closer to the top, look out for nesting peregrine falcons and the star of the reserve: the ring ouzel. Stick to the ridge as it curves north, keeping the cliffs and reserve on your right and the flat uplands of Rhos Dringarth on your left.
The path dips to a small llyn, with the Beacons Way veering left just before it – ignore this and continue straight on, rising gradually to reach a junction of paths. It’s a wild scene, often void of other walkers.
3 FRYNYCH VIEW
Divert left at the junction of paths away from the valley and climb to the summit of Fan Frynych. Views from the rounded crest stretch out over the Powys farmland to the north and west.
Return to the ridge at the head of Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad. Peering into the valley from here, it’s easy to imagine the scooping action of the glaciers that shaped the landscape.
4 GLACIAL SCAR
Descend into the valley, looking out for the many species of bird, insect and mammal that make this reserve their home.
A number of paths braid through the cwm; stick to the most obvious one to avoid trampling fragile Alpine plants, before making your way back to the car park.
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1 CUCKOO
A rarity that still flourishes around Craig Cerrig, laying its eggs in the nests of others such as meadow pipits.
A pair nest on the inaccessible cliff face, duelling with ravens for nest sites and airspace.
A wistful melody coming from a hawthorn tree is likely to be the male redstart’s song. This summer visitor loves the rocky wooded slopes at the foot of the cliffs here.
Once common throughout
Britain, the brown hairstreak is still found in parts of the Beacons, including here.
5 PURPLE SAXIFRAGE
These purple flowers on a green cushion are a spring treat, found only in limestone uplands, such as the Beacons, where sheep can’t reach.
If you have built up a thirst walking along Devon’s coastal cliffs and beaches to Beer, then you’re in luck – the tiny seaside village has a handful of traditional pubs, perfect for a well-earned pint, says Carys Matthews
The small village of Beer, sheltered by white chalky cliffs above a steep shingle beach, sits on the Jurassic Coast near Lyme Regis. Along this stretch of Devon coastline, the rocks provide a haven for wildlife, and it’s a site of geological and historical interest, too.
Despite its popularity, Beer beach remains a peaceful spot to spend an afternoon, with bobbing fishing boats drawing the eye out to sea. This popular three-mile coastal walk from the village of Branscombe to Beer requires a reasonable level of fitness
as the path can be steep and uneven at times. However, your efforts will be rewarded with stunning coastal and countryside views and a refreshing pint at your aptly named finishing line.
1
Start in Branscombe at Saint Winifred’s Church, one of the oldest churches in Britain. Take the path to the left of the building and walk for 100m to cross over a stile. Continue until you reach a small footbridge and another stile leading into the woods. Climb the steps through the trees until you find a broader trail and the South West Coast Path. Turn left and continue for a minute or two to emerge from the trees to spectacular views of the coast and the village of Branscombe.
Continue along the footpath. You briefly enter the trees again, keeping right at the fork before descending to Branscombe Mouth.
Branscombe Bay infamously claimed headlines in 2007 when the MSCNapolicargo ship ran aground – the 13.5-tonne Napolianchor is now on display outside the Sea Shanty – a beachside café serving refreshments.
Beyond the café, look out for a National Trust sign for East Cliff, and head through a gate to climb a grassy hill. (An alternative route can be taken at this point: follow the South West Coast Path sign to the right, passing through the Sea Shanty Holiday Park, before ascending Under Hooken to
rejoin the described route at Beer Head). Follow the path across two fields towards steep steps that lead to the top of Hooken Cliff and a good view of Sidmouth and the coast.
Keep following the clifftop path east towards Beer. Go through two sets of kissing gates and along a small dirt track beside a hedgerow towards Beer Head. Pass the Beer Coastguard Station. From here, it’s a short walk along Common Lane into the village.
To return to Branscombe, there are three options: retrace your steps along the coast path; head inland along Mare Lane and through the village of Vicarage to complete a circular loop; or catch the 899 bus.
The strip of coastline that stretches from Hastings to Dungeness has a simple and desolate beauty, composed of shifting shingle beaches battered by strong winds. But at its southern tip, just east of Fairlight Cove, lies one of Sussex’s most prized treasures: Pett Level Beach, a spot shielded by cliffs and filled with natural wonders.
As the tide moves out, pebbles give way to sand, rocks and a petrified sunken forest that emerges through the clay and dates back to 5200 BCE. In contrast to the noisy, busy Camber Sands and the featureless Winchelsea Beach, Pett Level is a quiet heaven.
Park in the lay-by opposite the Smuggler’s Inn (currently closed) or continue along Pett Level Road to the little car park near the toilet block (the nearest facilities). Walk along the waterfront to access the beach, giving the unstable cliffs a wide berth.
The colours on the beach are everything an artist could dream of – emerald, mustard and mocha. The clay is very sticky, however, and many a shoe has been lost to it. But it’s worth the risk for the riches in the rock pools. In fact, the clay is so malleable you can create
your own sculptures from it –responsibly, of course.
WALKING WITH DINOSAURS
Venture across the rocks towards Hastings to find a spot to enjoy the scenery and any refreshments you have brought along. There are fossils to be found here and
the eagle-eyed may find the Iguanodon footprint among the boulders (be patient – it took me four years to find it).
For those looking to cover more ground, there’s a nine-mile circular walk from the car park that takes you up Chick Hill, across Hastings Country Park and over
Fairlight Cliffs (also known as the ‘Fire Hills’ when the yellow gorse flowers set them alight). The views out to sea as you descend back down to the coastal road are breathtaking. Veer south-west if you fancy joining the naturists, or head east to the beach for another go at finding that footprint.
Sheltered by Fairlight Cliffs, Pett
Beach in Sussex is a favourite spot for quiet family adventures, says Tanya JacksonTanya Jackson is digital editor at countryfile.com. Soft sand is revealed at low tide on windswept and wave-beaten Pett Level Beach, at the foot of Fairlight Cliffs Photo: Alamy
any thoughts of a cold pint, it’s time to work up a thirst.
a popular spot for paragliders and kestrels, and the perfect halfway point for a rest to admire the stunning scenery.
Iwas inspired to climb Mam Tor after seeing so many amazing photos of it during my time on the magazine – and this iconic peak didn’t disappoint. A lovely circular route begins at the Cheshire Cheese Inn, a great post-walk pub for a drink in front of the fire. But before
The route quickly climbs north to the top of Back Tor, offering the first of many stunning views across rural Derbyshire. As you veer west along the undulating Great Ridge to Hollins Cross, you are rewarded with breathtaking views of Edale Valley, Kinder Scout and the Derwent Moors. A gradual ascent brings you to Mam Tor,
Returning to Castleton, the route heads east, levelling out before reaching a striking narrow valley leading towards the dramatic ruins of 11thcentury Peveril Castle, now run by English Heritage. As you descend the valley, with water streaming at your feet,
the view of the ruins perched high on the rugged rocks above is an impressive sight. The path soon arrives back at Castleton and its cluster of traditional stone buildings. You’re spoilt for choice with fine cafés and pubs, but we chose to return to our starting point for that well-earned pint at the Cheshire Cheese Inn.
With stunning views, cosy pubs and cafés, plus a historic ruin, this exhilarating Peak District path delivers everything you could hope for in a classic country walk, enthusesArt editor Tim has worked on the magazine since its launch in 2007. Tim and his band of eager walking companions descend Back Tor along the Great Ridge, with Hollins Cross and Mam Tor in their sights SCAN HERE to access this route on your mobile device.
The boldness and beauty of Hadrian’s Wall marching across the Northumberland landscape takes some beating, says Maria Hodson. Follow in the footsteps of Roman soldiers along this dramatic section
Production editor Maria loves Britain’s mighty landscapes, wild waters and quiet charms.
The stretch from the ancient Roman fort of Housesteads – the most complete example of a Roman fort – down to the Twice Brewed Inn is one of the most spectacular sections of this wall. Game of Thrones, eat your heart out. There is only one great wall, and it is Hadrian’s.
Construction on this 73-mile whopper began in AD 122. It represented the northern limits of the Roman Empire, to the north of which lay wildlings –or rather, the northern Celtic Britons and Picts. The structure is thought to have taken 15,000 men six years to build and, 2,000 years later, its straddles the landscape with an audacity that defined the Romans. The boldness of it! To build a ruddy massive wall right across a country seized by force.
In its day, the garrisoned, militarised boundary must have inspired fury and fear. Today it is a work of great beauty. The very desolation of this ruin is what makes it so marvellous, standing testament to the passage and power of time. And rolling out for miles in either direction are panoramic views across Northumberland.
Start at Housesteads Roman Fort, a remarkably wellpreserved ruin providing a
glimpse into the operations of the Roman army from the 2nd to the end of the 4th century AD. Covering 2.2 hectares, the structure housed a barracks block, hospital, granaries and commander’s house, as well as 800 Roman soldiers, and a civilian settlement outside the military compound.
From here, join Hadrian’s Wall and head west through a magical avenue of trees, before emerging to a view of the ancient structure undulating over the crags. A mop of thick grass on top of the wall gives it an amiable air – a far cry from the ominous border it must have once been.
Passing Milecastle 37, one of the small forts placed at every Roman mile along the frontier, wend your way along Cuddy’s Crags and Hotbank Crags. As
you march, savour every step. Hopefully the sun shines on the landscape – something about the way the light and shadows
than build the wall with Whin Sill dolerite, the Romans quarried local sandstone that was easier to shape into regular blocks.
3 STAR
play across the crags, grassy tussocks and ancient wall creates a sight that is truly magical. Here Hadrian’s Wall travels over the Whin Sill, a vast igneous layer that dramatically protrudes in places, producing a mighty cliff of volcanic rock. Above the inland lake of Crag Lough, drink in the views and admire the sharp projection of the Whin Sill towering steeply over the earth below. Rather
6.2 MILES/10KM | 4 HOURS | MODERATE (RETURN)
The famous single sycamore tree, featured in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves stands resplendent as you descend to Sycamore Gap. After passing Milecastle 39 and climbing Peel Crags, make your way down steep steps to the road and, soon after, the Twice Brewed Inn for a good feed. Well done, soldier.
If you have time, explore the Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre, which offers free entry, before retracing your steps or following the B6318 back to Housesteads.
“ THE VERY DESOLATION OF THIS RUIN IS WHAT MAKES IT SO MARVELLOUS”
Multi-media editor Annie enjoys walking, swimming, yoga and paddleboarding.
Castle Crag is strong, striking and, at 290m, the smallest of the Wainwrights – the 214 Lake District fells described in Alfred Wainwright’s APictorialGuidetothe LakelandFells– making it the perfect walk for a spring day.
Starting in Grange, follow the path through trees to climb the fell from the west. If you’re lucky enough to be there on a clear day, it’s hard to leave behind the summit’s sweeping views. Make time to see adventurer Millican Dalton’s cave on the way down.
Hilary Clothier reveals one of her favourite landscapes, where standing stones meet mythic trees
Avebury is a mysterious place. Huge stones, dug deep into the ground, create circles and pathways. Wander among them and climb the surrounding Neolithic mound, where small burrows are safe havens for furry creatures. The nearby Wishing Trees, with their long roots and ribbon-decorated canopies, offer a place to remember loved ones. End the day at the Red Lion pub, listening to tales of ghosts and strange sightings.
restoration of the castle started by his father.
How do you prop up a stone tower leaning at more than 10°?
Very Caerphilly. Cheesy puns aside, the tilt of Caerphilly Castle’s Civil War-damaged south-east tower surpasses Pisa’s by a whopping 6°.
But here you have to share your holding-up-the-tower snap with a six-metre-tall statue that’s already doing the job. The sculpture represents John Crichton-Stuart, the 4th Marquis of Bute, who, from 1928 to 1939, continued the
Dominating the heart of Caerphilly, this awe-inspiring 12-hectare fortress is the second largest in Britain, behind only Windsor Castle.
Commissioned by Gilbert de Clare in his bid to defy Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, it was built in a rapid three years, between 1268 and 1271. The first concentric-circle fortification in Britain, its design – on an island surrounded by artificial lakes – made it a formidable bastion. Allow a couple of hours to explore the huge gatehouse rooms, the reroofed medieval Great Hall, and the impressive recreated wooden fighting platform.
Complete your visit with a walk around the castle’s lakes; designed as a sophisticated network of moats and dams, they were among the most advanced water defences of their kind in Britain. Now, geese, ducks, moorhens, swans, herons and cormorants are at home on
the water, and you may spot people fishing for carp, too.
This year, the Welsh heritage agency Cadw has started major conservation and development work on the castle, thanks to a £5 million funding boost, so check their website for amended opening times. cadw.gov.wales
The rise of a redoubtable Welsh prince inspired the speedy construction of one of Britain’s mightiest and most defendable medieval castles, discovers Margaret BartlettProduction editor Margaret enjoys finding new walks near her home in South Wales. Caerphilly Castle’s central island was accessed via a drawbridge, while two massive gatehouses flanked by towers protected the entrance John Merrill’s statue of the Marquis was sculpted from a fallen oak
Breac. The going was steep and rocky; knees and calf muscles strained (and creaked all the way down again).
From Arran’s shores, the mountain muscles upwards, its broad granite shoulders hoisting high a purple peak so proud and solitary that it seems to belong to a storybook Scotland, something halfremembered from childhood bedtimes.
Grand, romantic, beautiful, Goatfell is the first proper hill I ever climbed. At 874m, it’s 40m too short to be a Munro, but as your walk starts at sea level, it’s no cinch, and summiting brings a whiskywarm sense of achievement.
From the city of Glasgow, just a couple of hours’ journey by train and boat brings you to the foot of Goatfell. The classic route ascends steadily from the port of Brodick through forest to sweeping slopes of rough grass and heather and at last to those vast shoulders of wind-scoured rock that lead to the summit.
The Corrie route is more of a test, rising steeply from this scattered settlement on Arran’s eastern coast via the tumbling Corrie Burn to reach the vast amphitheatre of Coire Lan. Here I crossed the water and swung south and then west on to the rocky ridge of Meall
On a clear day, the summit is a revelation. Not only the ragged ribbon of coastline encircling Arran; the tiny ferry steaming from Brodick Harbour; the long sleepy limbs of Kintyre basking in grey waters to the west; beyond the scattered islands of Jura, Islay; or the brooding Mountains of Mourne to the south. What really surprised me was that once at its high point, the Goatfell I had imagined differed so sharply from the real thing. Like so many things in life, Arran’s mountainous high ground turns out to be more complex than it first seems: a high ridge that jags in a crazed loop around the deep green U of Glen Rosa, connecting three crumbling citadels: Cìr Mhòr, Beinn Tarsuinn, Beinn Nuis. One day, I thought, I will be back to walk them, too. Weary but proud, I turned and began the long descent.
From Glasgow Central Station, the train takes around 45 minutes to reach Ardossan Harbour. From there, a 55-minute ferry journey brings you to Brodick, Arran’s main town. A combined return train and ferry ticket costs from £17.80 (scotrail.co.uk). The ferry also takes cars (£34.20 return; booking advised; calmac.co.uk).
From the streets of Scotland’s second city to the summit of an island fell, in just a few short hours, Joe Pontin enjoys an exhilarating escapePhoto: Alamy Features editor Joe loves exploring rural places, from lofty peaks to lonely hillforts.
Forest, beach, glen and mountain: Arran has it all – that’s why it’s known as ‘Scotland in miniature’
The Beacons comprise many great peaks, of which one of the most enigmatic is Carn Pica. The most exhilarating way to reach the top of this little-walked mountain is from the east and Talybont Reservoir. It’s a steep route to the 750m summit, but a quiet one, perfect for those seeking a little solitude in the hills. 5 miles/8.2km | 600m ascent | 3.5 hours | challenging
There are few better places to be on a stormy day in spring than Porlock Bay, when great murky waves toss driftwood across the shingle before blasting you with seaspray. From the small harbour at Porlock Weir, walk the length of the beach – or follow paths through the salt and freshwater marshland – to rugged Hurlstone Point, where views of Exmoor’s 200m-high cliffs tumble off to the west. 8.5 miles/13.6km | 173m ascent | 5 hours | moderate
Sitting 377m above sea level among the southern fells of the Yorkshire Dales, Malham Tarn is the highest marl (lime-rich lake) in Britain. This short trail around the tarn takes walkers beneath the looming cliffs of Great Close Scar and through sections of tangled willow carr. There are a number of routes suitable for all-terrain scooters (a Tramper is available for hire). 3.5 miles/5.6km | 69m ascent | 2 hours | easy
There are many great peaks encircling monumental Loch Lomond: Ben Vorlich, Beinn Ime and the soaring Ben Lomond. But perhaps the most charming is little Conic Hill. Standing 361m above the loch waters, this rambling prominence can be climbed in a morning or afternoon, presenting walkers with views across the loch and its string of islands. 6.4 miles/10.3km | 411m ascent | 4 hours | moderate
Peace reigns at this secluded lochan in the southern foothills of the Cairngorms. In spring and summer, look for swallows whirling above the placid water, roe deer wading lazily through the shallows and raptors cruising the skies. You can park at the loch itself, but for a sense of achievement, why not walk the 2.5 miles on narrow lanes from Glen Tilt car park?
5 miles/8km | 188m ascent | 3 hours | moderate
The 526m top of High Snockrigg can be climbed in an hour, though a good level of fitness is required. From the cairn, you can spy three great Lakeland waters: Buttermere, Crummock Water and Loweswater. Descend the fell via its north-east flank, scrambling down beside exuberant Moss Force before returning to Buttermere village on the valley road.
2.7 miles/4.3km | 381m ascent | 2 hours | moderate
Running laterally through the north of Snowdonia, the Glyderau (or Glyders) are a dreamscape of high mountains and wild llyns. For a taster day, start at Llyn Ogwen car park and climb past Llyn Bochlwyd and Bwlch Tryfan to the dramatic rock formation of Castell y Gwynt ( ‘castle of the wind’) before returning via the rugged Y Gribin ridge.
4.7 miles/7.5km | 743m ascent | 3.5 hours | challenging
Where: Hartsholme Park, Lincoln
“On a Boxing Day stroll around the park, some of the squirrels approached my daughter. She then spotted this one nibbling its acorn on the tree and called me over to get a photograph of it. A bit of hide and seek ensued but we got it in the end.”
By: Nick DeCianti
Where: Stour Meadows, Blandford, Dorset
“Walking on Stour Meadows, my partner Charlotte and I were blessed to see the most majestic double rainbow; it lasted for around 15 minutes. This rare sight was a joy to capture on camera.”
By: David Wareham
Where: Durlston, Dorset
“Walking the coast path, we heard the cry of a kestrel coming from the cliffs. We peered over the wall and on a ledge below were two fledglings. We left quickly so the adult birds could return with some food.”
By: Michael Murphy
Where: Near Cockermouth, Cumbria
“I captured this lovely shot of a nuthatch by enticing it closer with, surprisingly, a handful of nuts!”
By: Jay Mastro
Where: Pamber Heath, Hampshire
“I took this on a cold, crisp winter morning walk in Pamber Forest. When I came across this frozen pond, I had to stop in my tracks to take a photo to share.”
This month’s winner receives a pair of Ariat Skyline Mid Waterproof boots, worth £130. The boots are mesh-lined and made with waterproof full-grain leather, plus a shock-absorbing EVA midsole and extra wear protection around the toe and heel. A dual-density Duratread™ outsole provides multi-dimensional traction for sure footing. Sizes: women’s 3–8.5; men’s 7–12. ariat.com
BBC ONE AND IPLAYER
The news that Sir David Attenborough, at the grand age of 96, will be presenting a bold new BBC documentary series this spring focused on the wild jewels of Britain, has left us giddy with excitement. From magnificent white-tailed eagles swooping over windswept seas, to butterflies in battle, Wild Isles promises a feast for the senses.
This ambitious five-episode documentary series, filmed in Britain over the past three years, focuses on the
wealth of wildlife and habitat to be found on our isles. The programme uses cutting-edge filming techniques to capture extraordinary footage of nature in the raw, from ancient oak woodlands and rare hay meadows to seabird breeding colonies and precious chalk streams. After an introductory episode about British wildlife, the next episodes focus on four key habitats: woodland, grassland, marine and freshwater.
While Britain and Ireland have some of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes on Earth, our wildlife is increasingly fragmented and fragile; this
series explains the challenges nature faces, and what can be done to make these isles even wilder in the future.
Sir David says: “In my long lifetime, I have travelled to almost every corner of our planet. I can assure you that in the British Isles, as well as astonishing scenery there are extraordinary animal dramas and wildlife spectacles to match anything I have seen on my global travels.”
Look out for the beautifully illustrated accompanying book, Wild Isles by Patrick Barkham and Alastair Fothergill (William Collins, £25), available this month. NEXT MONTH: Our Wild Isles feature
BY KEVIN PARR, THE HISTORY PRESS, £14.99 (PB)
This is a beguiling piece of writing with a rare warts-and-allhonesty about mental health, nature and life Built around a central focus of a year through the lens of the ancient Celtic calendar and its poetically named moons, Kevin Parr explores his life-long struggles with depression in an open, brave manner. The lunar cycle has long been thought to impact on mental health – think ‘lunacy’ – so it’s an engaging premise blending a bit of detective work about the little-known Celts with Parr’s own darknesses.
Very few of us are without anxiety or fear and Parr’s acute descriptions of how he tackles his demons (or not) offer profound human comfort. It’s all wrapped in amiable musings about history, culture, politics, conservation and so much more.
But it’s Parr’s vivid observation and symbiosis with his local nature in Dorset –particularly his reptiles – that bring the extra magic. He’s a true naturalist, exploring theories, watching for hours on end and completely immersing himself in the rhythms of day, month and season. Bad weather should be embraced for its moods and sensory experiences. He finds beauty, wonder and sadness. But most of all, a form of solace and connection with “an ancient way of being”, which involves acceptance rather than regret or guilt.
Collins, editor
Lauded
If the 20th century was the age of the car, it’s remarkable that the Akenfield author Ronald Blythe, who died in managed to navigate his own 100 years without learning to drive. Even more remarkable, given that his home was at the end of a rutted track near Wormingford on the Suffolk-Essex border where Blythe lived, car-free and computerless, for 45 years.
This rooted, analogue existence, where Ipswich is “as unreachable as Rome”, granted Blythe half a lifetime to meditate on the countryside encircling Bottengoms, the Tudor farmhouse bequeathed him by the painter John Nash. NexttoNature, published in Blythe’s centenary year, is an anthology
of these meditations. Drawn from the weekly column he wrote for the Church Times, the essays weave Blythe’s observations of the natural world with the observances of the religious calendar – farming and feast days being closely aligned.
Though parochial in theme, the book’s range is global. Great writers, artists and thinkers feature alongside the flora and fauna (human and bestial) on the author’s East Anglian doorstep. Blythe’s typewriter turns from haymaking to Hale-Bopp, nightingales to the Napoleonic Wars, scything to Solzhenitsyn, bees to Beowulf, with the same forensic attention.
We don’t learn much about the emotional life of one of our greatest authors, but nor do we need to. Instead we have a precious extended love letter – a decades-long relationship between a man and his secluded loop of the Stour Valley.
Gail Simmons, nature writer
as one of Britain’s greatest nature writers, Ronald Blythe published his latest book just months before he diedFergus
As life affirming as its title, Spring Rain is the third in Marc Hamer’s trilogy of books exploring the threads that weave between land, love and memory Writer, gardener and sometime mole catcher, as recounted in A Life in Nature, or How to Catch a Mole, Marc Hamer has had a peripatetic life, from the north of England to Wales, from railway worker to artist, gardener to life writer. This is not a book about gardening or landscape, or even a biography, but about the relationships we all build with the world around us, and the childhood we carry within.
In alternating explorations of past and present, Spring Rain recalls Hamer’s unsettled childhood and embeds it within his present contentment, finding fulfilment and freedom through the natural world. Animals and plants recur as events and observations: “Tiny sounds, tiny smells, tiny sensations”, the heightened awareness of being alone in nature, the muddy puddle a young boy sails across, wolfsbane and foxglove that deal in death, a wren flitting through shadows.
Age, or more specifically ageing, creep into the story as the book nears its end, but creation is a continuous thread. “Life,” Hamer observes, “is infinitely creative –gardening is the same as painting, as writing, as dancing. The garden I made is this book, this book I write is a garden.” And it is a garden we should all visit.
Twigs Way, garden historian
BY JULIE BROMINICKS, SEREN, £12.99 (HB)
The Edge of Cymru is a delightful part-travelogue and part-exploration of Welsh culture and history
The travelogue elements burst with beautiful, descriptive prose, which picks up the minutia of each moment in a way reminiscent of Paul Theroux (albeit with less dry wit but infinitely more warmth). At times I could see myself right beside her, sheltering from coastal winds or walking through depressed Y Rhyl, wondering how it fell so hard from grace.
After the initial year of walking, Julie took 10 years to research the book and this is apparent on every page. The book charts Welsh history backwards, from Devolution, through
BBC TWO AND IPLAYER
Actor Robson Green showcases the stunning landscapes of his home turf – England’s north-east – in this delightful new 15-episode BBC series. Robson’s family and friends join him on a series of two-day escapes
industrialisation, back into Norman, Saxon and Roman times and beyond, with everything in between. This helps the reader understand how Wales, throughout its history, has walked a tightrope. At times it stood as a fierce, proud independent nation and at others it suffered oppression from its more powerful neighbour.
These non-fiction elements entwine seamlessly with the personal prose, without ever feeling clunky or tagged on. The depth of research reminded me of the books of Jerad Diamond and Yuval Harari. Brominicks skilfully examines broad social, environmental, political, economic and even geological changes without the book feeling dry.
Considering the breadth and depth of the subject matter, this remains easy to read at all times. It is as accessible as a novel and would make a great holiday read as much as a bedside book.
Dave Hamilton, author and explorerdesigned to ease stress and boost wellbeing, from cold-water swimming to cycling coastal paths, riding zip wires through the forest and journeying on a steam train.
Robson takes on a Go Ape course with his uncle and brother, attempts to share a paddleboard with footballer Les Ferdinand and visits Helmsley Walled Garden with Lioness Jill Scott. Life-affirming and inspiring viewing.
Share your views and opinions by writing to us at: Have your say: BBCCountryfileMagazine, Eagle House, Bristol BS1 4ST; or email editor@countryfile.com, tweet us @CountryfileMag or via Facebook facebook.com/countryfilemagazine
*We reserve the right to edit correspondence
I love your Plodcast! I listen every day on my morning walks in York, Maine, USA, on the north-east coast. It relaxes me immensely and I learn so much. I tell everyone about the Plodcast and, of course, have given it a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts!
I’ve been an Anglophile since I was very young. I backpacked around England and Scotland back in 1983 when I was 19 years old, staying in hostels, hitchhiking and using my BritRail pass. I fell in love with your country. I’m planning to return for my 60th birthday, in about a year’s time, and your Plodcast is helping me with ideas of where to visit, especially places I missed during my stay in ’83!
I thought you might like to hear a couple of recordings I managed to catch during one of my walks. One is of the haunting call of a loon and the other is of the spring peepers, the small chorus frogs (officially known as Pseudacris crucifer) that are commonly found throughout the eastern United States and Canada. They often pipe up during the evening to attract a mate.
Marci Price, Maine, USAEditor Fergus Collins replies: Marci, thank you for the kind words, the five-star rating and especially the recordings, which you will be able to hear in episode two of season 15 of the Plodcast. I’m going to use this opportunity to appeal for more readers and listeners to send in sounds of wildlife or landscapes that they have recorded. The very best recordings will be played on the Plodcast as our ‘Sound of the Week’ and the winner will receive a prize from the Plodcast library. So congratulations, Marci – you’ve doubled up as letter of the month and inaugural winner of Sound of the Week!
I noted with interest the article “Top five Santa trains” in your December issue. As a volunteer on the Severn Valley Railway, I wonder what criteria you used to determine the “top five”.
The Severn Valley Railway, which operates between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, has an extensive festive programme, including Santa Trains with a steam-train journey and a station pantomime; the Enchanted Express with pantomime characters on the train; carol trains; and Festive Dining while travelling along the beautiful Severn Valley.
The Severn Valley Railway should surely have been included in your top five, because of its popularity and wide choice of festive journeys.
Michael Norris, Hagley, WorcestershireWith regard to the story on elves/ fairies in the December issue, how could you miss the Fairy Bridge on the magic Isle of Man?
On all of my visits, the first stop was always the Fairy Bridge to say hello to the little people and put a letter in the wall asking for good luck. It’s important to be extra polite and say hello to them, as there are cautionary tales of what happens if you don’t. Many TT Race riders make a point of paying the bridge a visit in the hope of ensuring a safe ride in the motorcycle races that the island is famous for.
C Steemson, NottinghamI enjoy your magazine very much but was surprised to see an article about elves in the December issue.
I’ve always assumed elves to be folklore, so I was left completely baffled by the article that not only gives a physical description of elves but ends by telling readers where to spot them!
I wasn’t the only one who found it far-fetched. I realise that it is Christmas and elves feature in stories, but an article inviting readers to spot them in woods is plain silly.
Christine Mears, via email
Editor Fergus Collins replies: There’s room for a little bit of fun, especially in the dark of winter. We’ve had lots of people telling us how it made them laugh
I’d like to take issue with Ellie Harrison’s column in your January issue. Ellie [right] cites as a cheer the fact that the percentage of income spent on food has dropped, from about a third in the 1950s to 14% now. Does Ellie realise that cheap food comes at an enormous cost to farmers in the UK? The cheap food policy has opened the floodgates to cheaper imports, regardless of the
working conditions, environmental impact, animal welfare and nutrition standards of the source. Air miles are also high. The loss of the UK farm and horticultural businesses has had a huge impact on rural life and economies.
Most UK citizens no longer know what local food is because we have been fed the mantra that cheap food is good and something to cheer about. How wrong Ellie is!
Sally Tuer, via email
TIES TO THE LAND
Landscape shapes us and helps define a sense of place. The geography of where we feel we belong can provide us with an identity that lasts a lifetime. As an Anglican priest who is also a writer, I am only too aware of the illustrious writers in Holy Orders, such as John Donne, who have felt drawn to nature and discovered the natural world’s power to lift the soul. This prayer called ‘Landscape’ is from my book Life’s Complicated – Pray Simply. Its inspiration is the countryside near Chipping Sodbury, where I grew up.
The rolling fields of the Cotswold plateau have left
I thought you and your readers may appreciate this nature-inspired poem. I wrote it 25 years ago and it was inspired by walking in Pishiobury Park in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire. Vernon Bozz Ballisat, Bishop Stortford, Herts
Rain-Scented Meadows
Times before she walked in sunshine,
To ease away the pain
Stood below the tree to shelter from the rain.
And looked for the rainbow, A sign to keep her sane.
Through rain-scented meadows
She searched to make sense of all things
Passing clouds changed shape above
Then, heavy with droplets spread themselves
Below to nurture and create
The darkest cloud will nourish all that will grow
And so sense of all things prevail.
an indelible mark on me and it is a place to which I return time and again for inspiration.
Whether you’re a person of faith or not, I hope this prayer paints a picture of the landscape that means so much to me.
Creator God, Your presence pervades my senses.
Stretching before me is a landscape of arid beauty, framed by drystone walls. Birdsong echoes from a distant copse, carried on a languid wind. Ever-present God, in this moment, I praise You for all that lies before me. Amen.
Reverend Andrew Highway, Herefordshire
Hoka Anacapa Mid Gore-Tex boot, £160, hoka.com Comfortable, grippy and waterproof, these are a pleasure to walk in. Despite the thick wedge-shaped outsole, the boots feel light and there’s no sensation of bulk. Underfoot cushioning is comfortable but not over the top: this helps you feel some connection with the trail. A highly waterproof Gore-Tex membrane should keep your
BBC Countryfile Magazine favourite
feet dry even in sopping weather. The chunky 5mm lugs grip effectively in all conditions. Ankle support is very good, giving you confidence on uneven ground. Fluent and precise in motion.
VERDICT A superb boot light and low-profile enough for easy rambles or fast hikes, but stable and secure enough for tough upland walks with a heavy pack. (JP)
Scarpa Mescalito TRK GTX, £235, scarpa.co.uk
This mountain boot can cope with anything that is thrown at it, but still feels pleasantly lightweight. At a modest 600g per shoe –and yet offering the stoutest of toe and ankle protection through its grippy Vibram outsole and rubber rand – it is your friend on longer hikes in tough, wet terrain. The suede upper and Gore-Tex lining offer dependable waterproofing and breathability.
VERDICT: Superb boots for long-walk comfort and security. (FC)
Oboz Sawtooth X Mid B-Dry Walking Boots, £143.99, obozfootwear.com
If you like your feet to feel well protected on hikes, these mid-priced boots from Montana bootmaker Oboz will interest you. Nubuck leather and tough Cordura fabric uppers swathe your feet, and Oboz’s waterproof B-Dry membrane does a good job of keeping the damp out. I found it hard to get a close fit around the ankle, and some might find them a bit sluggish inmotion.
VERDICT: Well-priced boots that protect your feet, but check fit. (JP)
Adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 Gore-Tex Walking Boots, £200, adidas.co.uk
These striking lightweight boots favour comfort and style over trail feel and protection. A Gore-Tex lining keeps them waterproof, and outsoles are grippy. The thick ‘Boost’ midsole delivers a small but appreciable ‘bounce’ with each footfall. This adds to the light and airy feel of walking in the Free Hiker 2, but also distances you fromthe ground beneath you.
VERDICT: For stylish hikers who like a soft,training-shoe feel. (JP)
Brand Ecosse Capriolo Boot, £199, brandecosse.com
Retro good looks and a lack of bulk adds versatility – you could happily wear these to the pub or market. Waterproofing is decent and the tough Vibram outsole is grippy. The low profile is achieved partly by virtually dispensing with the midsole, so the shoe relies on the insole for cushioning instead. But after five miles or so on mixed surfaces, this begins to feel like a hard ride.
VERDICT: These stylish boots are great for short walks and a capable all-rounder for outdoor activities. (JP)
Columbia Peakfreak II Mid Outdry, £125, columbiasportswear.co.uk
Lightweight and comfortable, the Peakfreak II Mid feels stable and precise in motion. Excellent waterproofing keeps your feet dry even in heavy rain. Grip from the 4mm lugs was good in most circumstances. The excellent lacing system delivers a very secure fit. The only drawback is that while there is some ankle support, this feels less substantial than most other boots on test.
VERDICT: Great shoe for year-round walks in moderate conditions, from easy rambles to fast hikes. (JP)
Sprayway Iona Mid Women’s HydroDRY boots, £90, sprayway.com
I found the Iona comfortable straight from the box, partly thanks to the cushioned foam midsoles. They felt lightweight and responsive. Ankle support was good and they are stable and secure on rockier ground. The outsole grips pretty well in most conditions, and the water-resistant lining kept my feet dry during periods of moderate rain.
VERDICT: At under £100, these are a brilliant option for beginners or occasional walkers. (CB)
best for hillwalking
more detailed reviews, go to
COUNTRYSIDE QUIZ
1. Which author called Greenway, her home in Devon, “the loveliest place in the world”?
a) Daphne du Maurier
b) Iris Murdoch
c) Agatha Christie
d) Beatrix Potter
2. Which formerly Cistercian, now Benedictine abbey, is famous for its tonic wine?
a) Fountains Abbey
b) Buckfast Abbey
c) Tintern Abbey
d) Rievaulx Abbey
3. St David, the patron saint of Wales, is said to have died on which day in March 589?
a) 1
b) 7
c) 13
d) 21
4. Which Lake District fell did Arthur Wainwright describe as “aggressively unashamed of its lack of inches”?
a) Cat Bells
b) Castle Crag
c) Helvellyn
d) Glaramara
5. Where is the largest stone circle in Britain?
a) Stonehenge
b) Callanish
c) Avebury
d) Ring of Brodgar
6. The dramatic ruins of which 11th-century Norman castle, mentioned in the Domesday book, are on a rocky hilltop in the Derbyshire Peak District?
a) Castell Dinas Bran
b) Corfe Castle
c) Rochester Castle
d) Peveril Castle
7. Which of the following birds isn’t a member of the thrush family?
a) Ring ouzel
b) Redwing
c) Chough
d) Blackbird
8. Dunstanburgh Castle overlooks which Northumberland bay?
a) Embleton Bay
b) Druridge Bay
c) Beadnell Bay
d) Whitley Bay
9. Purple saxifrage is an Alpine plant. In which other cold, high-altitude region is it known to flourish?
a) Andes
b) Himalayas
c) Arctic
d) Antarctic
answers at bottom of page 103
10. When was hunting otters with dogs banned in the UK?
a) 1906
b) 1939
c) 1978
d) 1981
11. St Piran, who is remembered on 5 March, is the patron saint of which county?
a) Essex
b) Cornwall
c) Merioneth
d) Angus
12. Which 62,000 tonne cargo ship – carrying car engines, explosives, weed killer, Polish bibles, vodka, shampoo and frozen ducks – ran aground in Devon’s Branscombe Bay in 2007?
a) Kuzma Minin
b) MSC Napoli
c) Ever Given
d) Vasco de Gama
13. Which creature’s droppings are known as spraint?
a) Beaver
b) Badger
c) Otter
d) Stoat
14. What colour are blackbird eggs?
a) Blue-green with brown speckles
b) White with brown speckles
c) Sky blue
d) Pale pink
by Eddie James
1 Situation when access to Holy Island via the Causeway is usually available (3, 4)
5 Threshes corn (6)
9 As made by e.g. Countryfile presenters on behalf of Children in Need (6)
10 Like e.g. a landscape without artificial structures, etc (8)
11 Kind of apple: first half’s another fruit! (8)
12 Left unploughed; also indicates a type of deer (6)
13 SW national park known for its ponies (8)
15 Access to field? Semiprecious stone with top removed! (4)
17 Name given to the Oxford stretch of the Thames (4)
18 Derbyshire town on the Erewash – sort of silent, OK? (8)
20 Mammal that’s related to a ferret (6)
22 North Yorkshire village Lenin got wrong! (8)
24 Woodland flower – Spanish version is considered invasive in the UK (8)
25 Person or machine cutting grain (6)
26 Fragrant shrub from the Mediterranean area (6)
JANUARY
ACROSS: 1 Osprey
4 Speckles 10 Firecrest
11 Osier 12 Woodland Trust
14 May bug 15 Panniers
18 Ingleton 20 Grilse
22 Ornithologist 26 Onion
27 Aylesbury 28 Songster
29 Ascend
DOWN: 1 Offa 2 Portway
3 Enclosure 5 Petunias
6 Croft 7 Leisure
8 Strathspey 9 Fell
13 Omnivorous 16 Narcissus
17 Rotovate 19 Gentian
21 Lettuce 23 Tines
24 Owls 25 Mynd.
EDITORIAL
Editor Fergus Collins
Production editors
Margaret Bartlett and Maria Hodson
Features editor Joe Pontin
Art editor Tim Bates
Multimedia editor Annie Sanderson
Picture editor Hilary Clothier
Outdoors editor Daniel Graham
Group digital editor Carys Matthews
Digital editor Tanya Jackson
27 Cornish town between Truro and St Ives (7)
DOWN
2 Scotland is a good place to see this fish-eating bird of prey (6)
3 Eastern wetlands – has debtor upset (3, 6)
4 Where a river splits into branches before entering the sea (5)
5 Breeding facilities that some biologists claim are detrimental to e.g. wild salmon (4, 5)
6 Circular coral island (5)
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
Group advertising manager
Laura Jones, 0117 300 8509
Business development manager
Amy Thacker, 0117 300 8858
Samantha Hurter-Wall, 0117 300 8815
Senior brand sales
Stephanie Gibbins, 0117 300 8535
Sales executive
Mia Dorrington, 0117 300 8266
Classified sales executive
Antony Jago, 0117 300 8543
Subscriptions director
Jacky Perales-Morris
Subscriptions marketing manager
Natalie Lawrence
7 Renowned horse-shoeshaped Dorset cove (8)
8 A Somerset range, AONB (8, 5)
14 Cumbrian reservoir – I’m there with L–R movement (9)
15 Nottingham holds a famous one in Sept/early October each year (5, 4)
16 _____ Park and House, a National Trust Georgian estate in west London (8)
19 Strait between southern England and Isle of Wight (6)
21 Silvery fish related to salmon... had a bad odour? (5)
23 Deep ravine e.g. Cheddar (5)
Press & PR manager
Dominic Lobley and Emma Cooney
PRODUCTION
Production director Sarah Powell
Junior production co-ordinator
Katie Hood
Ad services manager Paul Thornton
Ad designer Parvin Sepehr
LICENSING
Director of international licensing and syndication Tim Hudson
PUBLISHING
Associate publisher Robert Brock
Promotions and partnerships manager
Rosa Sherwood
Managing director Andy Marshall
FEBRUARY
ACROSS: 1 Thrift 4 Smithies
10 Reservoir 11 Munro
12 Atlases 13 Hollows
14 Cerne Abbas 16 SSSI
18 CFCs 20 Windermere
23 Furness 24 Kestrel
26 Gilet 27 Otterburn
28 Thatched 29 Severn
DOWN: 1 Tarka 2 Rustler
3 Forester 5 Marshland
6 Tumuli 7 Igneous 8 Scots
pine 9 Moss 14 Cockfight
15 Brimstone 17 Preserve
19 Corolla 21 En route
22 Celtic 24 Kits 25 Linen.
MANAGEMENT
CEO Tom Bureau
BBC STUDIOS/UK PUBLISHING
Chair, Editorial Review Boards
Nicholas Brett
Managing director, consumer products and licensing Stephen Davies
Director, magazines and consumer products Mandy Thwaites
Compliance manager Cameron McEwan
UK.Publishing@bbc.com www.bbcstudios.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BACK ISSUES
Annual subscription rates (inc P&P): UK/BFPO £61.75; Europe and Republic of Ireland £72.50; rest of world £76.50.
Jan–Dec
Thundering along a country lane, my spaceship of heated-seatserenity was interrupted by a commotion on the tarmac.
I was pleased because the act of my rocketing into this moment had saved the life of a poor wood pigeon from the hectoring buzzard. Opening the door to examine the casualty, I hoped I wouldn’t have to actually do anything other than puff up with self-praise for saving the day, before driving away with the wood pigeon lifting off in my rear-view mirror. In fact, it was barely able to stagger to the verge. I frowned at the thought of having to intervene by bringing it home, only to have it die in a box, as others had done in the past. Keen to get on my way out of the wintry weather, my allegiance wavered and willed the buzzard back to consume its meal, chalking it up to the Call of the Wild. Clearly, the real problem here was me.
But now, imagine the characters replaced by a pretty blue tit, enjoying our investment at the bird feeder, and a beady-eyed wicked sparrowhawk, tucking into a blood-thirsty free meal. Even with pantomime spin like that, I cannot bring myself to subscribe to the notion that selective predator control is a valid ecological or ethical position. Yet a surprising number of people do believe predators should be taken out to avoid excessive suffering in the wild. What price one lion, when dozens of individual prey species get to live? argues a think-
piece by academic philosophers. No, hang on, lions in distant lands are magnificent. Sparrowhawks eating my entertainment, not okay. Seals or pike eating my fish, not okay. Think of the prey’s suffering, say Twitter philosophers. Slay the beasts: easy solutions to complex problems. The think-piece further suggests taking predators out of their natural environment to give them good lives that don’t involve hunting prey. A new paradigm, indeed, for obligate carnivores. Yet what about all this human meddling?
I recall the waves on graphs in GCSE population dynamics, demonstrating how predators and prey numbers flow in response to each other. More predators, more prey eaten; prey numbers down, predators down. Over-simplistic maybe, but realworld examples are plentiful.
After wolves were hunted to oblivion in 1920s Yellowstone, the entire ecology of the national park felt the effects: the elk population more than doubled, leading to extensive over-grazing. Small mammal numbers dropped without cover; grizzly bears struggled to put on enough weight to hibernate; pollinators had fewer flowers to feed on; songbirds had fewer trees to nest in. There were fewer carcases for scavengers, such as eagles, ravens and coyotes. At the river edges, previously a high-risk spot, elk would now gather in large herds, eroding riverbanks and causing rivers to silt up. Without the trees and clean water, beavers built fewer dams, impacting fish, amphibians and otters. When wolves were reintroduced in 1995, elk numbers dropped from 17,000 to 4,000 and restored that park once more.
Eradicating keystone species is less of a problem for us in the UK, since the exciting ones were obliterated by our ancestors. Let’s not wave our imperial muskets at countries that have managed to hold on to their top predators. We should be clear, too, that down the pecking order, animals eat other animals: spiders, dragonflies, centipedes et al.
That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t help alleviate suffering in wild animals, particularly where we are to blame: rescuing trapped animals, healing sick animals and caring for the orphaned. It is correct to look at the ethics of taking life, but we must do this in a mirror, examining what is decried ‘vermin’ and why we take so much manufactured life when we are overweight. We must acknowledge the noble pursuit of eliminating suffering, while recognising the universal truth that Life Is Suffering.
Our skewed sense of what is ‘good’ can too often disrupt the natural world’s delicate dance of survivalPhoto: Oliver Edwards