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 wildlife-rich wilder and more 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
Or perhaps the time I sat on a promontory on the Anglesey coast, listening to choughs and curlews while waves crashed below.
A SPECIAL DAY
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.
Denne historien er fra March 2023-utgaven av BBC Countryfile Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra March 2023-utgaven av BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Guilt-Free Meat? - Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians
Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians. Livestock farming around the world is facing scrutiny because of its greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, the sector contributes somewhere between 11.1% and 19.6% of total emissions. Meat production is roughly twice as bad as the production of plant-based food, according to some analyses. And beef is the worst of all. Study after study has suggested that, in order to curtail the devastating effects of climate change, we ought to shift to a diet containing less meat - or even go vegetarian or vegan.
Discover Cider Country - Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks
Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks. I'm cycling Porter's Perfection, one of three cider circuits developed for Visit Herefordshire over the past few years. Each showcases a section of this bucolic county's loveliest villages, pubs, orchards and cidermakers via lanes suited to bicycles - e-bikes for hill-averse cyclists like me. The idea is to allow you to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of cider country while traversing roads never meant for modern cars. If you have dodgy knees, or are keen to indulge in the local adult apple juice as you go (remember, it's illegal to cycle while under the influence), Visit Herefordshire also promotes cider bus routes.
TOP 10 WILD AUTUMN FOODS
Make the most of seasonal abundance with foraging tips and recipe ideas from wild food expert Liz Knight
The taste of England
Amid pastures farmed by her family for more than four centuries, Mary Quicke is reviving forgotten dairy traditions to produce delicious Devon cheeses
How to eat 30 plants a week
As science proves the many health-boosting benefits of eating at least 30 different plants each week, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall shares recipes to help you meet the magic target
RARE RAFT SPIDER MAKES A COMEBACK
Thanks to dedicated conservation work, this impressive but vulnerable arachnid is resurgent in East Anglia
SPECTACULAR STONEHENGE FINDS
Following the latest astonishing revelation about the Stonehenge Altar Stone's Scottish origins, Dixe Wills looks at recent discoveries that have changed the way we view this impressive and enigmatic Neolithic monument
GALLOWAY NATIONAL PARK DEBATE
Would this protected status bring welcome recognition and attention - or overcrowding and problems for farmers?
Farmers are valued, so why do they feel we don't care?
For farmers out in their fields in all seasons, worried about the future as dramatic levels of rainfall blamed on climate change damage their crops, inflation and uncertainty push up their costs and what they see as unfair imports threaten their livelihoods, here's a spot of unexpectedly good news: the rest of us think you are doing a good job.
Pumpkin patches
Find the perfect jack-o'-lantern for Halloween at a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Some are simple affairs in tranquil countryside; others offer activities ranging from ghost trains to spooky mazes.
