SPRING FLOWERS PERFECT PACKED LUNCH

M AY 2 0 1 7
Fill your garden with colour How to make delicious hiking food

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 EDITORS LETTER

Take me here now. Luskentyre

Sands on South Harris in HOW TO
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Its my favourite month and Im going to
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Theres something about the utter Follow us on Twitter:
freshness of May the birdsong is at its height, www.twitter.com/
wildowers are bursting along verges and insects countrylemag
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I would give a small digit of my least useful hand to teleport to the wilds of countrylemagazine
the Outer Hebrides. Mark Rowe is the authority on these unspoilt islands with
their silver sands and turquoise seas and on page 18 he reveals that once-in- Find us online for lots
a-lifetime encounters with eagles and otters are daily occurences there. Just of bonus content:
imagine waking up in an ancient cottage by a wild loch and listening to calls of www.countryle.com
curlews and hen harriers. Mark shows that its all completely achieveable.
Britains top wildlife photographers agree that May is their most
productive time. So we asked them where they hunt down those award- Buy BBC Countryle Magazine for your
winning shots. They kindly reveal their favourite wildlife havens on page 75. PC or Android device at www.zinio.com
Some of the most rewarding wildlife encounters occur surprisingly close to or, for iPad and iPhone, search Countryle
home but you have to be a little bit adventurous. Rob Cowen reveals how on the App Store.
repeat visits to the wild fringes of his town have enabled him to get close to a
host of surprising natural wonders. He shows you how on page 54.
So make the most of May and please tell us how you got on.

Fergus Collins, editor@countryle.com

THIS MONTHS CONTRIBUTORS

Mark Rowe Rob Cowen Sarah Medway
Visitors are entitled to feel short- Edge-lands are a gateway to the wild Find babbling brooks and bluebells
Photos: Hi ary C othier, Getty

changed if they dont see red deer, and oer a daily dose of the sublime. on the site of a Saxon manor in
otters, golden and white-tailed eagles, Rob reveals the natural spring deepest Kent, says wildlife
says Mark of the Outer Hebrides, p18 wonders on our doorsteps, p54 photographer Sarah p88

www.countryle.com 03
 Contents

14
Identify wildlife of road verges Mag h May Day

42
How to create vibrant spring colour in your garden
18
Find glittering treasures on the shores of the Outer Hebrides

MONTH IN
THE COUNTRY FEATURES
18 TREASURE ISLANDS: THE
6-14 MAY OUTER HEBRIDES On the 42 SPRING FLOWERS On the
Make prints from owers. Is there anywhere as beautiful cover FOR YOUR GARDEN cover
Identify wildlife of roadside verges. and wildlife-rich as the Outer Hebrides Bring early colour to your garden,
Win tickets to Countryle Live. in spring? Find glittering beaches, inspired by the Oxfordshire masterpiece
turquoise seas and enchanting lochs created by Gina and John Price. Plus,
10 FLOWER OF THE MONTH haunted by otters. 10 more gardens at their best in spring.
Its bluebell time.
32 JOIN A MAGICAL MAY 54 NATURAL WONDERS On the
14 ADAM HENSON DAY PARTY IN CORNWALL On the ON YOUR DOORSTEP cover
cover
Remembering Maytime farming The town of Helston hosts tens Rob Cowen explores the edges between
traditions. of thousands during a day of dancing town and country and reveals the
and revelry to welcome in the new wildlife surprises to be found there.
season.
ON YOUR COVER 61 PERFECT PACKED LUNCH On the
The sun rises over the 40 THE LOST POET OF On the Create healthy, delicious food to cover
cover
beach at Seilebost on THE SOUTH COUNTRY take on your next walk.
the Isle of Harris: Celebrating the life and wonderful
Discover the Outer words of naturalist, walker and poet 66 OUR AWARDS WINNERS On the
Hebrides on page 18 Edward Thomas, who was killed in Amazing places and awesome cover
action 100 years ago this spring. people our class of 2017.

04 www.countryle.com
 subscribe
today
for unbeatable
money-saving
oers, page 30

54
Discover natural wonders close to home

61
Make the perfect packed lunch The rural side of Caroline Quentin
122

REGULARS LAZY DAYS Great days out

17 COUNTRY VIEWS
Many of our rural traditions are
reinventions of older activities. Why do
we crave these connections?
30 SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Great savings for May.
51 COUNTRYFILE ISSUES
Photos: iStock, Philip Hartley, Jason Ingram, Dave Willis, Alamy, Mike Searle
PHOTOGRAPHERS TOP
95 READER PHOTOS WILDLIFE WALKS On the
cover
Your great days out in pictures. 76 Otter spotting
Hampshire, plus six other great otter-watching sites
99 BOOKS, RADIO AND TV 81 Capture the coast
What to watch and read this spring, Marloes Peninsula, Pembrokeshire
from a lm set on a Somerset farm to a
book on walking Ireands border. 82 Wetland wonders
Cley and Salthouse marshes, Norfolk
103 YOUR LETTERS 85 Tree-top dwellers

WITH JOHN CRAVEN
Great crested newts are the test species
under new rules for developers.
52 BEHIND THE HEADLINES
How useful are tidal barrages in
providing renewable energy?
122 MY COUNTRYSIDE
Caroline Quentin on her rural passions
and why kids need to be outside.
Slurry spreading, wild boar have your Formby, Lancashire
say on countryside matters.
86 Seabird city
108 SPRING WALKING KIT St Abbs Head, Berwickshire
Ideal gear for all weathers.
88 The Wealden Way
Marlpit Hill, Kent
110 COUNTRY PUZZLES
Test your rural knowledge. 90 Cli top owers
Bedruthan Steps, Cornwall
121 NEXT MONTH 92 Wildlife photography courses
Whats in store in the June issue?

www.countryle.com 05
 MAY
IN THE COUNTRY
PICTURES WILDLIFE PEOPLE & PLACES COUNTRY KNOW-HOW FOOD
Photo: David Hansford
 must see
CHALK DOWNLAND IN SPRING
Orchids and other wildowers scatter through the grasses of this
unspoilt tract of downland at Whitesheet Hill in west Wiltshire. You
can almost hear the skylarks overhead and picture blue butteries
and skippers dancing through the foliage. Poet Edward Thomas
loved to escape into such landscapes to nd perspective in the
sweeping views and curving escarpments, as well as inspiration
from the mysterious barrows and other ancient earthworks that still
haunt these landscapes. Read more about Thomas on page 40.
 WATER POLO
Fancy catching a spot of polo? On 19-21 May this year, the
Aspall Polo on the Beach festival will be held at Watergate Bay in
North Cornwall, promising a spectacular family event with live
music, great food and, of course, an array of polo matches and
activities to introduce newcomers to the sport. As well as watching
the serious matches in a stunning beach setting, visitors can enjoy
Segway polo matches (motorised scooters) and even have a go
themselves. The centrepiece is the Saturday night Beach Party.
watergatebay.co.uk/polo

A HOME FOR DRAGONS

This May sees the ocial opening of Britains only nature reserve
managed primarily for dragonies. Foxearth Meadows is an 11-acre
site on the Essex-Suolk border that is home to 21 species of
dragonies and damselies, including the magnicent emperor
dragony, which with a body length of almost 8cm is among
Britains largest insects. The site is owned and managed by
Christian conservation charity A Rocha and the opening event, on
13 May, will include pond dipping, walks and a wild art workshop.

Send us your best countryside photos

Share your best photos for the chance to feature as our
Photo of the Day on social media. Simply tweet your pic, share on
Facebook or post on Instagram using the hashtag #Photooftheday.
Alternatively, you can email: photos@countryle.com but please
include the subject line Photo of the Day.

08
 MAKE MOORE OF THE LANDSCAPE
A stark two-piece reclining gure by Henry Moore at
the Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakeeld. The
natural beauty of the area has been harnessed to
complement dozens of contemporary structures and
provides a refreshing approach to appreciating
modern art and ancient landscapes. Fans of Moore
(1898-1986) can enjoy a major exhibition of his works
at the Henry Moore Foundation in Hertfordshire,
which opens 14 April. henry-moore.org
Photos: Kirstin Prisk, Naturepl.com, Alamy

Make the most of Maytimes oral abundance with these deceptively simple watercolour style prints. By Hannah Tribe
1. Choose a ower with
thin, bright petals, such as
geraniums, poppies and
pansies. Prepare the
owers by removing the sandwiching the petals
stem and calyx.
10
Flower of the month
BLUEBELL
by Kevin Parr
A solitary bluebell appears delicate and
demure, hanging its head like a coy child. Yet
as part of a troop it delivers one of our most
powerful oral displays. Through early spring,
as the daaodils and snowdrops take centre
stage, the bulbs of the bluebell are content to
bide their time. They wait until the trees begin to
green before sending forth leaves of their own.
By now, the days are long and warm, and the
bluebells must respond swiftly before the
forests canopy blocks out the precious
sunlight. The owers unfurl as one, carpeting
the woodland in a shimmering sea of violet that
oats ethereally above a sharp gloss of green.
The stem curls beneath the weight of a dozen
bell-shaped owers, each one formed from six
lobes that curl back to expose the anthers.
The ower is smooth and unmarked, a quality
that led to its Latin etymology.
When Carl Linnaeus was classifying the ower
in the 18th century, he referred to Romano-
Greek legend for inspiration. After the hero
Hyacinthus fell, Apollo took his blood and with
it created a ower. The god wept, and his tears
marked the newly formed petals, resulting in the
naming of the genus Hyacinthus.
The perfume of the bluebell can be
intoxicating, though it is a smell under threat.
Some insects, such as bees, bite a hole in the The non-native and almost odourless Spanish
base of the bluebell head, plundering its bluebell has spilled from gardens and parks,
nectar without pollinating the plant hybridising with our native bluebell and
neutralising Mays traditional woodland waft.
how to...
PRINT WITH FLOWERS
Photos: GAP Photos, BBC GoodFood Magazine / Myles Newy, Shutterstock / Rex, Jessica Graham
You will need: fresh owers, watercolour paper, a hammer and some acrylic spray
2. Place one of the 3. Tap the paper above 4. Once you are happy 5. Repeat the process
owers on to the the ower with a hammer you have covered the until you have built up
Illustrat on: Alan Batey
watercolour paper and this will help to hold it in whole ower, unfold the your design. To x the
then fold the page, place. With the petals paper and gently peel o print, cover the page
now stuck to the page, the remains, revealing with an even spread of
between the two layers. hammer a little harder. the print. acrylic spray.
www.countryle.com
 MAY IN THE COUNTRY

Make

29 Apr - 1 May
Brixham Pirate Festival
Avast me hearties! Tis that time of year when
scallywags, peglegs and parrots gather in the south
Devon shing village of Brixham for a weekend of
swashbuckling entertainment. Whether ye be a salty
old seadog or a little landlubber, youre invited to get
your pirate rags on and come on down to the seafront
for shanty singing, jigging and a bit of rum swigging.
This year, the festival be hosting a replica of
Ferdinand Magellans tall ship the Nao Victoriaa which,
in 1522, became the rst ever vessel to
In Season circumnavigate the world. Blistering barnacles!
brixhampirates.com
TROUT & POTATO WEDGES
Throw seasonal sh, roots and greens into one delicious spring dish Did you know...

You will need Method

500g Maris Piper 1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes until tender.
potato cubed Meanwhile, pour the spinach into a large colander. Drain the
100g bag baby potatoes over the spinach so the cooking water wilts it, then spoon
spinach the potatoes back into the pan. Mash, stirring in the lemon zest
zest and juice 1 lemon and juice and some seasoning, then fold in the trout akes,
140g smoked trout squeezed-out spinach, capers and dill.
llet, aked
1 tbsp capers 2. Pour the potato mix on to another plate and shape into a large
1 tbsp chopped dill
140g breadcrumbs
disc. Press half the breadcrumbs into the potato, and then ip the
cake on top of the remaining crumbs on a separate plate. Pinch Bum Day...
1 tbsp sunower oil ...is on May 29, although you
lemon wedges and 3. Heat the grill and pour the oil into a large frying pan. Slide the may know it better as Oak
tartare sauce, potato cake into the pan, then cook for 5 minutes until the bottom Apple Day, Shick Shack Day,
to serve is golden. Grill for 4-5 minutes until the crumbs on the top are Bumping Day, Nettle Day or
golden. Serve hot with lemon, tartar sauce and a green salad. Royal Oak Day. For hundreds
Thanks to BBC Good Foodd for this recipe. For more seasonal dishes, visit bbcgoodfood.com of years, this was a public
holiday and people wore a
on the side... sprig of oak leaves to
Crispy fried stinging nettles commemorate the restoration
In spring, nettles are at their sweetest, so now is the time to to the throne of King Charles II,
eat them. Careful not to sting yourself, cut the young tops who famously hid in the boughs
from the plant and throw them into a frying pan with a knob of an oak tree to avoid capture
of butter. Cook for ve minutes on a medium heat, stirring by the Roundheads.
until crispy, then turn the leaves on to a paper towel to cool.

www.countryle.com 11
 ID guide

WILDLIFE OF ROADSIDE VERGES

Roadside verges oer an extraordinary range of microclimates and habitats and they spring into life this month.
Here are some of the key species that thrive there.

KESTREL BANK VOLE SIX SPOT BURNET MOTH COW PARSLEY

A familiar sight to motorists,
hovering alongside busy roads
looking to pinpoint small
rodents before dropping,
talons rst, to snatch a meal.
Lovers of nuts, seeds, berries
and insects, bank voles are one
of Europes most common
mammals, and thrive in grassy
roadside verges.
Red spots on jet black wings
give this moth nery to
challenge any buttery. Seen
itting among the thistles and
scabious of meadows.
THE ower of country lanes in
May it leaps out in front of the
car, demanding attention. Tall,
with great umbels of white
owers, it is a key nectar plant.

OX-EYE DAISY FIELD CRICKET RED CAMPION COMMON SPOTTED

Motorway embankments
swarm with ox-eye daisies in
the summer months one of
the great overlooked wildlife
spectacles in Britain.
Crickets bring soporic
musical chirps to the verge.
The male lives in a burrow
and sings at the entrance to
attract a mate.
These abundant rose-pink
owers light up the foot of the
hedge. Its roots were once
boiled to make soap and its
seeds used to treat snakebite.
ORCHID
It can seem a surprise to see
ower royalty in the humble
verge but many orchid species
thrive in these microclimates.

On this day... 25 May 1917

The rst Battle of Britain
The rst bomb to fall on Britain from an aeroplane tore
through a Folkestone greengrocers shop one sunny spring
evening 100 years ago. Killing 63 people and injuring more
than 100, it marked a turning point in the First World War.
Until then, German bombing raids had been by Zeppelin
airships that frequently crashed because of mechanical
failures or bad weather. Then on 25 May 1917, Germany sent a
squadron of 22 Gotha bombers to attack London. Bad
weather forced the pilots of the xed-wing aircrafts to abort,
but not before shedding their loads on the Kent coast.

12 www.countryle.com
 The Cotswold escarpment at
Coopers Hill oers some of the best
cheese-rolling habitat in the UK

Competition!
Win tickets to BBC
Countryle Live 2017

Packed with wholesome countryside fun, BBC

Countryle Live (3-6 August) returns to the
beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace for four days
of live arena shows, hands on activities, animal
displays, debates, food, drink and shopping.
Meet the TV stars and enjoy a host of exciting new
attractions for 2017 everything you cherish about
our countryside, from wildlife and farming, to
outdoor pursuits and food. For more details,
head to countrylelive.com or call 0207 886
There are 30 pairs of tickets to be won each pair
of tickets is worth 60. To enter, simply answer the
following question:

Blenheim Palace is in which English

county?
A) Oxfordshire
B) Somerset
C) Buckinghamshire
Send your answers to: Countryle/124 May/PO Box
501, Leicester, LE94 0AA

Name:

Monday 29 May
Addresss:

CHEESE ROL
Why risk life and limb by chasing a giannt truckle of cheese down
an almost vertical grassy hill? Phone number:
Why not, reply the good folk of Brock kworth and some
Photos: Getty / iStock, Alamy, Imperial War Museum, Oliver Edwards

4,000 spectators who ock to Coope ers Hill in Email aaddress:

Gloucestershire every year to watch competitive
cheese rolling. In fact, the traditionall and hotly
contested event appears to have been cancelled just
three times in the past 100 years, con ntinuing through
the Second World War and food ratio oning.
In a series of races, daredevil participants hurtle down
the hill after an 8lb Double Glouceste er cheese for no
other prize than the cheese itself and d the glory of
winning one of Britains wackiest con ntests.
cheese-rolling.co.uk
Alternaatively, you can enter the competition online
at: ww
ww.countryle.com/civecomp
Immediate Media Company Limited (Publishers of Countryle Magazinee)
would lovee to keep you informed by post, telephone or email of special oers
and promotions from the Immediate Media Company Group. If youd prefer
not to receeive these, please check this box
COMPETITION RULES: 1. Promoter: BBC Countryle Magazine 2. BBC
Competition Code: www.bbc.co.uk/competitioncode/ 3. Entrants must be
UK residents aged 18 years or older, excluding the Promoters employees.
4. Closingg date for entries is noon on 12 May 2017. Find the full terms and
conditionss on our website www.countryle.com/civecomp.

www.countryle.com
 Adam Henson
THE COUNTRYS FAVOURITE FARMER GIVES US HIS
MONTHLY GUIDE TO AGRICULTURE IN BRITAIN
SPRING TRADITIONS ON THE FARM
The worlds favourite season is
the spring. All things seem
possible in May Edwin Way Teale
ay is the time for ower shows, horse
M trials and the rst outdoor music
festivals of the year. Its also the month
when the whole of the UK enjoys two
Bank Holidays within the space of a few
weeks. But the longer days and warmer weather also
bring some very old annual traditions with their
roots in farming and the rural way of life.
FERTILE LIVESTOCK AND PRODUCTIVE LAND
The rst day of the month, May Day, is known around the
world as the International Workers Day. But in England,
the occasion goes back centuries and started as an
agricultural celebration to mark the fertility of the land
and the livestock. Before modern science and
technology improved arable growing and animal
husbandry, farmers had to put their faith in legend and
superstition. Spring was when crops were sown and
most livestock were bred. In the pre-industrial world,
good harvests and plenty of healthy animals to eat and
to sell really was a matter of life or death.
So a whole array of fertility rites and customs grew up
around ensuring virility and productivity. Even the
Romans held a festival at this time of year in honour of
Flora, their goddess associated with owers. The ancient
Celts called it Beltane and lit res on high ground in the
hope of bringing fruitfulness to the trees, crops and
livestock. In some places, cattle were herded between
res its thought that the smoke or ashes would protect
against disease. In the English tradition, people
gathered to sing, dance and display garlands while the
character of The Green Man, dressed in leaves, was an
obvious symbol of rebirth and new growth.
MAY MOP FAIRS
In May, hiring fairs were held in market towns all over the
country, providing labourers and servants with the
chance to come face to face with landowners in need of
14
Market town Mop Fair
in south England, 1935
new sta In many places, May Day was the traditional
spring date for this and anyone who was available for
hire would wear an emblem on their lapel or hat to
represent their preferred job. Shepherds wore a tuft of
wool, herdsmen displayed a hay stalk and milkmaids
would have a bunch of cow hair. Girls wanting to be
housemaids carried the strands from a mop, and its
thanks to them that these events became known as Mop
Fairs. If the employer was impressed with the man or
woman he met, then they would begin bargaining over
wages, working conditions and lodgings. The last hirings
like this took place around a century ago when proper
employment laws came in, but Mop Fairs live on today as
funfairs in many country towns.
TRADITIONS TODAY
The demands of modern agriculture mean that most
farmers dont have much time to follow or take part in old
May traditions. In fact, many of us dont even have the
chance to take a day o on the May Bank Holiday. But as
farming becomes an increasingly global industry, the
culture and heritage embedded in our upbringing takes
on a special meaning, with traditions such as morris
dancing and maypoles still welcomed by Britains farmers.
Photo: Sean May on, Getty
Ask Adam: What topic would you like to know more
about? Email your suggestions to editor@countryle.com
www.countryle.com
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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

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Sara Maitland
Most modern May traditions are far removed from earlier, earthier spring fertility rites
We seem to be
experiencing a
resurgence of
traditional
rural celebrations, and May
Day is at the centre of this
trend, with maypoles and
Morris dancing and May
Queens, and in the more
Celtic regions Beltane
res and other rituals.
The popularity of these
events has become so
great that Kingsbury
Episcopi, a small village in
the Somerset Levels, has had
to cancel its May Festival for
2017, which in the past has
attracted crowds of 5,000,
because the number of visitors
has created safety issues.
I have used the word traditional
in inverted commas because a
great many most of these
events, although billing
themselves as very ancient, are
revivals or even reinventions.
We know, of course, that these
spring celebrations did happen.
There are references to Morris
dancing as early as 1448,
although always in relation to the
Court or the Lord Mayor of
London. It does not seem to have
been danced in rural parishes
before the 17th century.
Dancing round trees, or poles
representing them, has a better
claim to great antiquity. In Joan
of Arcs trial in 1431, the judges
raised the tradition, implying it
was superstitious and possibly
pagan; but they abandoned that
line of attack when they realised
that all the village children did it.
It seems to have been a pan-
European tradition. However the
elaborate weaving or plaiting of
www.countryle.com
OPINION
Illustration: Lynn Hatzius
ribbons seems to have been
introduced in the late 19th
century through the merrie
England movement.
NEW TRADITIONS
Revivals and renewals are
perhaps inevitable, because the
loss of these traditions for
various reasons is also inevitable.
From 1649 to 1660 all such
festivities were forbidden by the
puritan Commonwealth and
were only revived when Charles 11
was restored to the throne.
The massive urbanisation of
19th-century Britain destroyed so
much rural culture and, despite
attempts at some sort of revival
at the end of that century, the
decline continued well into the
second half of the 20th century.
Now the rural traditions
business is booming. But the
traditions need their inverted
commas. For one thing, peoples
increasing prosperity and
COUNTRY VIEWS
mobility have created spectators
in place of participants.
In this sense, one of the few
remaining genuine folk
traditions is the Scottish
Hogmanay singing of Auld
Lang Syne; everyone sings
and dances, rather than
watching others perform,
and since Burns poem was
only written in 1788 (though
the tune is older) it has little
claim on pre-historic fertility
cults or solstice festivals.
Kingsbury Episcopi in
Somerset has fewer than 1,500
inhabitants, so who are these
5,000 visitors turning up for the
May Festival? They are certainly
not a community gathering to
encourage the crops, reassert
their ancient roots and conrm
their historic common identity.
Perhaps too many of us are
mawkishly sentimental about a
slightly bogus idea of rural
tradition; perhaps as religious
faith declines, people need this
sort of event as a substitute.
Sara Maitland is Perhaps they are all just looking
a writer who lives for a good day out and there is
in Dumfries and nothing wrong with that at all
Galloway. Her except that the modern versions
works include get entangled in health and
A Book of Silence safety rules, unecological car
and Gossip from miles and lets face it are
the Forest. distinctly prissy.
In the town of Kuldiga, Latvia,
people mark May Day by running
naked through the
streets at 3am.
Now how about
reviving that?
Have your say What do you
think about the issues raised here?
Write to the address on page 3 or email
editor@countryle.com
17
 D I S C O V E R B R I TA I N S

Theres nowhere quite like the Outer Hebrides the crystal-clear beauty of the
waters, the wide stretches of white sand, the rare isolation. Among all this is
wildlife galore a riot of eagles, otters, gannets, red deer, butteries and more.
If you seek pure nature, there is no better place to go, writes Mark Rowe

View of Harris on the Sound of Taransay,

Photo: Getty

Western Isles, Scotland. The Outer Hebrides

comprise a chain of 119 islands o the west
coast of Scotland, of which 14 are inhabited

18 www.countryle.com
www.countryle.com 19

erhaps its all the peaty soil that
P deadens natures background
chatter but the silence on South
Uist can be resounding. A mute
swan skims down on to Loch
Druidibeg and sails away, unrued,
its neck long and sti, its body still, as
if dragged along by an unseen
underwater pulley. A black-throated
diver ies low towards its nest, allowing
its ight feathers to leave momentary
rings on the water.
The inky waters are backlit by a setting
sun that throws a sensational collage of
colour and diamond-sharp shadows over
the anks of Beinn Mhr, the highest
mountain on the island.
South Uist is one of 119 islands
(14 inhabited) that comprise the Outer
Hebrides, an archipelago that runs
130 miles from north to south. They lie to
the west of the Minch and the Sea of the
Hebrides, which separate them from the
mainland and islands such as Mull, Rum
and Skye. They sit on the periphery of the
British Isles and its heartening to discover
that they look the part. Its late evening in
20
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT The machair habitat on
Harris brims with wildowers in May, including
buttercups, red clover, daisies and orchids; the
islands are swimming in shy otters; hen harriers
swoop low over the islands scouting for prey,
especially on Benbecula
late May and a half-light now prevails that
will all but fend o the darkness before dawn
creeps back at around 3.30am. I spot golden
plovers, pass a picked-clean sheeps skull.
Isolated homesteads appear to have been
dropped like pieces of Lego from the skies.
WILD AND FREE
At this time of year, the island wildlife is at
its richest: undisturbed by mass tourism,
thriving amid favourable habitats and on a
mission to breed. The spectacle is nothing
less than sensational; the islands really are
as good as anywhere to see and hear
wildlife in the UK; visitors are entitled to
feel rather short-changed should they fail
to see red deer, golden and white-tailed
eagles and otters.
I often watch UK nature documentaries
that spin yarns of the hours and days of
eort required to secure wildlife footage.
For heavens sake, I want to shout at the
screen, just go to the Outer Hebrides,
youll get everything you need there.
Take red deer: you may spot them while
THE LAND
SHIFTS FROM
DULL GOLD
TO A MIX OF
walking the hills but you are just as likely
to see them by the roadside, or from a
cosy cafe. The triangular otters crossing
trac signs are not just there for holiday
snaps: you have every chance of seeing
otters by the causeways that link the
southern islands.
For half an hour I make my way across the
SHAMROCK moors that surround Loch Druidibeg
towards the sea. Mountains behind me,
AND I enter a land of undulating atness, as
though unseen but gentle eddies are rolling
MALACHITE along underneath the surface, causing
elds to rise up like the crest of waves,
GREEN hiding the Atlantic Ocean until Im almost
upon it. The landscape slowly shifts from
a dulled golden monochrome to a mixture
Photos James Smith, Mark Hamblin, iStock / Getty
of shamrock and malachite green: the
moors are giving way to the long strips of
sea meadows and coastal grasslands
known as the machair.
LIVING CARPET
Largely comprising tiny shell fragments
topped with marram grass, the machair
bursts with wildowers as spring gives way
www.countryle.com
 Heather and blaeberry carpet the
boulder-strewn banks of Loch Druidibeg
on South Uist. Ben Mhoir casts its shadow
over the calm reective waters
 to summer. A single square metre can
contain up to 45 species: scaled up, you are
confronted with millions of bright red and
white clover, buttercups, harebells, vetches,
gentians and orchids.
The birdlife also diers
on the machair:
dunlin and ringed plover thrive here,
oystercatchers peep-peep their way
overhead and lapwings tumble earthwards
in a thrilling spiral intended to deter
predators. Raptors bide their time in the
moors and mountains, then suddenly
scorch down on to the machair in a
dramatic interaction of prey and avian
predators.
In all, more than 320 species of bird havee
been recorded on the Outer Hebrides
and at least 100 species breed here. Away
from Stornoway, y Ive rarely been out of
earshot of cuckoos, while gannets scythe
their way through oshore
waters and
sea lochs the length and breadth of the
islands. Extreme butteries are something g Food, too, is a revelation and a food trail
of a feature and the low use of insecticides
is a major factor in the wellbeing of species
such as the green-veined white in this
22
GANNETS rigorous climate. The common blue has
a Hebridean version thought to be the
SCYTHE largest of all of this species.
ANCIENT PRESENCE
THEIR WAY A bewitching sense of remoteness always
accompanies me through these islands:
THROUGH the beaches are unsurpassed by any other
in the UK and deliver many Robinson
OFFSHORE Crusoe moments where my footprints are
the only ones on the sand. Yet there is even
WATERS more to the Outer Hebrides than their
natural wonders. The ancient heritage feels
tangible, from Iron Age brochs to Celtic
chapels and beehive houses of age-old
provenance. Many croft houses stand
decaying, gently being dismantled by the
elements more than 150 years after they
were abandoned during the Clearances.
The rocks of Lewisian gneiss, at nearly
three billion years old, are among the most
Photos Alamy, Getty, / iStock
ancient our planet has to oer.
embraces community cafs run by
volunteers and chefs who take their fare
extremely seriously. You really have not
www.countryle.com

tasted salmon until you have eaten it here.
The islanders exude independent resilience,
warmth and hospitality, while Gaelic
language and culture is celebrated by young
and old. If you fall in tune with the Outer
Hebrides in May, the world has few places
more enchanting to oer you.
The inhabited islands of the Outer
Hebrides all have their own distinct
www.countryle.com
ABOVE Gearrannan Blackhouse
Village in Carloway on the Isle of
Lewis oers self-catering
accommodation in traditional
19th-century crofting
blackhouses, complete with
thatched roof and stone walls
Sand dunes and marram grass fringe
the beautiful beaches on Harris,
which stretch open and empty for miles
character and charm and all have secrets
waiting to be discovered.
LEWIS
In the south-west of Lewis youll nd the
region of Uig, a land of vast moors, high hills
and violently rugged coastal scenery. Deep
in the hinterland of Uig, and accessible
along boggy tracks, lies a hidden collection
of shielings, beehive-shaped dwellings
whose origins reach back into prehistory.
They are hauntingly located by a burn a
mile south of Loch Morsgail and only
visible when you are almost upon them.
(Grid ref: NB132200)
HARRIS
The beaches of South Harris are the
show-stoppers of the Outer Hebrides. A
mesmerising array of beaches radiates from
the Sound of Luskentyre with shell-sand
bays, shallow lagoons formed by tidal waters
and ever-changing dunes. By contrast the
lesser-visited east coast, known as The Bays
(Na Bigh), is a magnicent moonscape
where ice-moulded boulders burp up
23
 Located on the south coast of the island,
Castlebay is the main village on the Isle of Barra
through the ground. Isolated crofts here are
often home to excellent artists studios.
NORTH UIST AND BERNERAY
North Uist comprises so many freshwater
and sea lochs that it can be hard not to
see it as a jumble of islets loosely knitted
together. On the west coast lies the
RSPB reserve of Balranald. In spring,
the machair here is home to a sensational
array of wildlife: skuas and divers out at
sea and huge ocks of turnstone, purple
sandpiper, dunlin and sanderling huddle
on the shoreline. You will almost certainly
hear the rasping call of the corncrake, a
bird lost to so many places across the UK.
Dont overlook the perfect gem of nearby
Berneray, y where people often get hooked
by the solitude and sweeping majesty of
West Beach.
BENBECULA
Often described as more loch than rock,
Benbeculas atlands are interrupted by
the sizeable hump of Ruabhal, a 124m-high
hill (giving rise to the Gaelic name for the
24
ABOVE The distinctive rasping call
of the rare corncrake is carried on
the wind in Balranald on North Uist
OPPOSITE, TOP Bernerays white
sand West Beach and glittering
sapphire sea rivals the beauty of a
tropical paradise
island, Beinn Na Faoghla, or the mountain
of the fords). Easily climbed, Ruabhal
repays you with magnicent views up
and down the island chain . The anks are
nesting places for hen harriers: as the
chicks hatch, you may be treated to the
sight of a food pass, where the male hen
harrier passes prey in mid-air to its mate.
Short-eared owls frequently y over the
moors, hunting in broad daylight. Both
species are so common you may well
encounter them as you carry out mundane
chores such as lling the car up with petrol.
SOUTH UIST
Apart from its wildlife, South Uist has
much to oer
visitors. These include
the Big Garden (An Grradh Mr), an
eye-catching, walled, permaculture garden.
If youre self-catering, order a leg of hogget
(one-year-old) lamb from them. The
Photos: Alamy, Getty / iStock
Kildonan Museum meanwhile is one of
the worlds great small museums and
amounts to a haunting eulogy for Uist life
and culture. Check out the mattresses
made from seaweed.
www.countryle.com
ERISKAY
Hike around tiny Eriskays delightfully
lumpy roads and moors, photograph the
WANT TO MOVE THERE?
eponymous ponies and order a tight-tting The Outer Hebrides can easily enchant you communities welcome incomers,
Eriskay jersey at the excellent community and visitors have been known to make especially those keen to buy into Gaelic
shop. Whisky bottles retrieved from a impulsive life-changing decisions to culture and to respect traditional values.
shipwreck a saga told in the Ealing relocate here. There is usually work for key A three-bedroom house in Stornoway
workers teachers, doctors but for most costs around 160,000; a high-nish
Comedy Whisky Galore! can be viewed at
people, self-suciency and creativity is the detached four-bed 330,000; 250,000
the friendly island pub, the Politician. order of the day: running a croft, working in will buy you not only a house on any island
a shop, setting up a seasonal caf, or all but perhaps a caf or other business, too.
BARRA AND VATERSAY three. Well-run B&Bs universally thrive. The main caveat is weather: winter gales
Dont miss a curry from the outstanding The islands are fertile ground for arts can blow for 10 days without relenting.
Cafe Kisimul in Castlebay, ocially the and crafts types and low property prices Stay a couple of weeks in January as part
best curry house in Scotland. Right at the mean low overheads for start-ups. Local of your reconnaissance.
bottom of this island chain is Vatersay,
conjoined by a causeway to Barra. The
east-facing bay here is arguably the most
beautiful of all the sands you will encounter.
On a sunny day, the shallow waters resemble
the cover of a Caribbean travel brochure. CF

Mark Rowe spends spring wandering around

South Uist lochs. He is the author of Outer
Hebrides, The Western Isles of Scotland, from
Lewis to Barra (Bradt, 14.99).

www.countryle.com 25
 NOW GO THERE
Mark Rowes handpicked gems in the Outer Hebrides where to eat, sleep and ramble

WHERE TO STAY
2

Le
H
Kneep
6 Stornoway

Harris
CAMPSITE
1 Lickisto Blackhouse camping 9
Small but enchanting campsite in The Bays Tarbert
on South Harris. Pitches are separated by
1
wild grasses (glorious in summer). Freshly
baked bread available. 01859 530485;
www.freewebs.com/vanvon Bernary 4

BUDGET STAY
2 Galson Farm North Uist
Charming 18th-century farmhouse in the 5
north-west of Lewis oers rooms with views
of coast and moors. Excellent candlelit Benbecula
dinners and a warm welcome from the hosts.
01851 850492; galsonfarm.co.uk
Skye

B&B
3 Heron Point South Uist
Top-class B&B near the southernmost tip of

I ustrat on: www.sinclair-illustration.co.uk (Map for illustrat on purposes on y. Please consu t appropriate road/OS maps)
South Uist run by friendly owners. Views over
the loch, local art on the walls, shing and 3
breakfasts (owner Andy is a trained chef) are
superb. Lochboisdale, South Uist. Eriskay
01878 700073; heronpoint.co.uk
Vatersay
Barra Rum

SELF-CATERING COTTAGE
4 Sound of Harris
Book one of two stylish self-catering houses
with Harris tweed trimmings, oor to ceiling
windows and a Japanese soak tub. Sleeps
two. Sound of Harris near Leverburgh, South
Harris. soundofharris.co.uk
UPMARKET HOTEL
5 Langass Lodge
Langass Lodge on North Uist has mounted
stag heads, a cosy bar and snug rooms.
Stunning location by the loch of the same
GETTING
NG THERE
The most romantic option is CalMac ferry, which
oers
multiple route options. Two people plus car,
from 85-190. calmac.co.uk
Stornoway, Benbecula and Barra have ights
from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen,
operated by either Loganair (loganair.co.uk) or
Photo: Getty

name. 01876 580285; langasslodge.co.uk Eastern Airways (easternairways.com

( ). High
season fares range from 189-300 return.

26 www.countryle.com

Park Facilities:
Childrens recreational area and large
adventure playground.
Family friendly lounge-bar.
Disabled-friendly wet room and WC facilities.
Laundrette facilities, including ironing.
Shops and restaurants within walking
distance of the park.
Our secure boat storage facility makes sailing
and shing on Oxwich Bay that much easier.
Barrier access and CCTV security systems.
www.greenwaysleisure.co.uk All facilities are compliant with health and
Oxwich, Swansea SA3 1LY safety requirements.
ased on the beautiful
coast of the renowned
Gower peninsular
(the rst designated area of
outstanding natural beauty).
Family owned 4 star Visit Wales
graded holiday park offering
holiday homes for sale, camping
and residential lodges. David
Bellamy Gold award for the past
3 years running (2015/16/17),
Platinum Loo of the Year award
also 3 years running (2015/16/17).
Tourism Swansea Bay best
campsite award for the last two
consecutive awards ceremonies.
Greenways of Gower is one of
Gowers nest holiday parks
and campsites. Greenways of
Gower is a family-run and family-
oriented holiday park, designed
for the comfort and convenience
of families. Whether you fancy
owning your own little piece of
paradise, or simply wish to camp
under the stars in your tent, at
Greenways of Gower you can get
away from it all!
At Greenways of Gower we offer:
High-quality static caravan holiday homes
and holiday lodges for sale for holiday use
by private owners.
An 11 month open holiday season.
High quality camping facilities in our
meticulously maintained campsite.
Luxury residential lodges overlooking
Gowers renowned Oxwich Bay. (Last two
residential pitches available shortly).
DISCOVER
EXPERIENCES
From coasteering to kite-surng, the Outer Hebrides
are one vast, open if rather wild playground.
Cyclists (visitouterhebrides.co.uk
( , then search
for Hebridean Way Cycling Route) and walkers
(
(www.hebrideanway.co.uk ) have their own
long-distance routes to follow from Lewis to
Barra. Other superb walks are located in the
North Harris Hills and the coast of Lewis while
cyclists eulogise about the quiet lanes of the
South Lochs on Lewis.
A LOCAL SPECIALITY
6 Abhainn Dearg Distillery
Take a tour of the Abhainn Dearg (Red River)
distillery, atmospherically tucked away in a
valley in remote Uig on Lewis. This smattering
of unprettied barn buildings looks exactly how an
illegal whisky distillery of years gone by might
have done. Charismatic owner Marko Tayburn
proudly declares that all ingredients from the
plough to the bottle are sourced on the island.
01851 672429; abhainndearg.co.uk
ESSENTIAL KIT
Bring binoculars and patience. High winds can
cancel ferries and ights while wi- and mobile
signals are elusive. Life is slower here. People
rarely turn up late its just that we dont always
turn up on time, is how one shopkeeper put it.
28
Anglers (shhebrides.com
( ) can pick from
2,000 shable lochs while Clearwater Paddling on
Barra (01871 810443; clearwaterpaddling.com)
oers enchanting kayaking trips to uninhabited
islands. A good local guide such as Chris Ryan of
Out and About Tours (01851 612288; tourguide-
hebrides.co.uk) can take you hill walking or reveal
archaeological sites. Boat tours visit oshore
islands such as the Monachs and the Shiants or
venture to St Kilda.
READ
Tir AMhurain
The denitive
photographic record is
Tir AMhurainn (Land of
the Bent Grass), Paul
Strands elegiac collection of images of 1960s
life in South Uist. A more contemporary account
is Adam Nicolsons Sea Room: An Island Life,
a deeply personal account of his inheritance
of the Shiant Islands.
EAT AND DRINK
7 Digby Chick
Guinea fowl lollipops and pigeon breast with
Stornoway black pudding are among eye-
catching oerings
at this charming restaurant
in Stornoway. The best choice for a high-class
meal. 01851 700026; digbychick.co.uk.uk
8 40 North
Fine-dining takeaway food from this superb
croft kitchen on Lewis. Tempura prawns vie
with smoked beef and pork. 01851 710424;
www.40northfoods.co.uk
Look out for a similar, unrelated, venture, Croft
36 on South Harris. croft36.com
9 Hebscape
Wonderful gallery, walls decorated with
stunning landscape photography by Darren
Cole whose partner Chris Griths a master
baker serves white chocolate cookies to
munch while overlooking Loch Tarbert.
01859 502363; hebscapegallery.co.uk
PhotO Alamy,
www.countryle.com
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 BBC Countryle Magazine takes you on dozens of thrilling journeys
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D I S C O V E R B R I TA I N S

TR
REASS RE ISL D
Theres nowhere quite like the Outer Hebrides the crystal-clear beauty of the
waters, the wide stretches of white sand, the rare isolation. Among all this is
wildlife galore a riot of eagles, otters, gannets, red deer, butteries and more.
If you seek pure nature, there is no better place to go, writes Mark Rowe

View of Harris on the Sound of Taransay,

Photo: Getty

Western Isles, Scotland. The Outer Hebrides

comprise a chain of 119 islands o the west
coast of Scotland, of which 14 are inhabited

18 www.countryle.com www.countryle.com 19

Enjoy our magazine on...

Helston Town Band leads the procession to The
Faddy, the tune for all four Flora Day dances, which
legend has it has never been written down.

32
 $ WRJH HU I
H )XUU\ ' QFH 
Every May, thousands of people take to streets of
Helston for a Cornish festival thats bigger than
Christmas. Ian Vince explains the strange
fascination of an ancient rite
Photos: Mike Searle

33
The focal point of Flora Day is the Furry Dance.
The name is said to derive from the Cornish word for
fair. Youngsters wear all white for the Childrens
Dance, with the boys also sporting their school ties
 n earthy sweetness hangs
A in the early morning air
of the old Cornish town.
It is a little before seven,
and we make our way
through car parks and back lanes
to the town centre, where the
doorways and windows of every
shop and home are framed with
owers and foliage. Not just display
windows, but delivery doors,
coaching inn arches and back alley
gateways; every entrance and exit is
wearing its own spring garland. The
perfume of bluebells blends with
the coconut bouquet of gorse and
the green scent of cut stems. The
transformation began as the shops
closed last night and it will all be
gone by tomorrow. Today is special.
As the hour is struck by the town
clock, a bass drum booms in the
distance and the faraway strains of a
brass band bounce o granite walls,
echoes mixing together, wafting in and
out of musical focus down the streets.
All eyes are on the towns Guildhall as
the days proceedings begin with the
Early Morning Dance.
Im in Britains most southerly town,
Helston, for its
annual Flora Day,
a celebration so The Midday
old that nobody
has the faintest Furry resembles
idea when it
started, although nothing so much
most will oer a
vague pre- as a self-propelled
Christian label
for it. The roots of
guided garden
Flora Day run
deep in Helston party
its a day the whole
town is involved in, an occasion almost
everyone celebrates because, as any
Helstonian will tell you, Flora Day is
bigger and better than Christmas.
Families get together, migrs
return, friends catch up with one
another and joining them, up to
30,000 tourists descend on the town
of just 11,000 souls. Although an
internationally famous occasion, it is
the local importance of Flora Day that
clears calendars in its honour with
unusual urgency; Andrew George, the
towns former MP, famously didnt
www.countryle.com
ABOVE Tourists and locals alike are drawn to Helson for the annual Flora Day celebrations
cancel his regular participation to
attend his 2015 general election count.
Nationally, it raised eyebrows, but any
SPRING AROUND
Helstonian would nod their head and HELSTON
agree. You cant miss Flora Day. Helston lies to the north of Cornwalls Lizard
Peninsula. Its a stunning area for wildlife
A HOP AND A SCRAPE blessed with ne beaches, beautiful villages,
A column of young couples dance up such as the harbour community of Cadgwith,
the street to turn at the top and dance and the Mediterranean-like turquoise waters
back again. Its a simple set of steps of Kynance Cove. May is a perfect time to
that are the same for each of the days visit Cornwall. At this time of year, make
four dances; the Early Morning at 7am, sure you seek out the sub-tropical paradises
the Childrens on the north shore of the Helford River in
Dance, the Midday adjacent valleys, Trebah and Glendurgan.
Furry and the Here, tender and exotic plants collected
Evening Five from around the world thrive in the
oClock Dance. sheltered micro-climate.
Featuring a little
hop and an
South of the wooded ria of the Helford
River, Goonhilly Downs is home to some of
offbeat scrape of
the shoe, this
the largest areas of lowland heath in the UK
and includes the exceptionally rare Cornish
delicate and
courtly dance is
heath. At Britains most southerly point at
Lizard Point, you will nd the fascinating
maintained for
three miles and
Lizard Lighthouse Heritage Centre, and a
charmingly undeveloped alternative to
drifts in and out of touristy Lands End, where Cornish choughs,
shops and homes all along the route. peregrines, fulmars and the occasional
The Early Morning dancers repeat gannet wheel around the sky and the clis
their performance in the Five oClock. are alive with wildowers.
The Midday Furry is arguably the
centrepiece of the day its certainly
when the most extravagant frocks are
worn and Helston resembles nothing
so much as a self-propelled guided
garden party but the Seven and Five
(the Early Morning and Evening
dances), as one participant put it to
me, are where you can dance in the
company of friends and family
Helston people.
35

ABOVE Local business dress their doors and windows with celebratory garlands of owers
A highlight is the Childrens Dance,
which starts at 10am and is the largest
of the day with about 1,200 youngsters
aged between 7 and 18 taking part.
All are dressed in white, the boys
wearing their school ties, the girls in
headdresses adorned with owers in
their school colours. It is so large, it
takes two bands to provide the music,
and 20 minutes to pass.
ORDERLY QUEUE
Back at the Early Morning, the ladies
dance by in oral summer dresses,
their gloved ngertips held gently by
their partners,
dressed in white
shirt, striped tie The Blue Anchor
and dark annel.
And the dress has been serving
code is nothing
compared to the
breakfast with
social order that
dictates exactly
beer since 7am if
where and when
you dance.
you can handle it
For dancers in
the Midday traditionally the province
of the towns gentry the men are
elevated to morning suits and top hats,
while the ladies wear exquisite, oor-
length oral ballgowns and Ascot-
grade millinery. To dance in the
Midday, you must be ocially invited;
and to be in the leading four of any of
the dances, you must be Helston-born.
For an internationally renowned event,
it remains a very local aair.
Spontaneous applause ripples down
the street as dancers pass in the wake
of the town band. For the band, these
36
are the rst steps of a 16-mile walk and
of nearly 1,000 refrains of The Faddy,
the rousing tune that accompanies the
dances. They play, so the legend goes,
music that has never been written
down, to keep it unique.
CELEBRATING NEW LIFE
Part of the enduring appeal of Flora
Day is that you end up in the same
places as last year and see some of the
same people. Im not Cornish but I
used to live here, in a at above a fudge
shop with ne views of the days events.
Much of the day was spent on the
streets, browsing
at the market or in
the Blue Anchor.
An amazing
brewery and pub,
the Blue Anchor
has been open
since the 15th
century, but also
since 7am this
morning, serving
breakfast with
beer if you can handle it. Many try,
and this inevitably takes its toll by the
late afternoon, which underlines the
original purpose of Flora Day a
celebration of new life that sprang
from an era where lives were often
brutish and short and any excuse for
merriment was taken to wild extremes.
Over an hour later and the dancers
are still going, half-way round the town
at the foot of a steep slope in an area
known as St Johns. A narrow road
clings to the contours behind a granite
wall and I watch as they bob down the
Turn the page to explore more May festivals with ancient roots
slope, still managing to look rened,
but we arent the only ones watching.
A rabble regards them from the top of
the hill, peering over the wall. As soon
as the dancers pass, Helstons less
genteel tradition the Hal-an-Tow is
announced in a cacophony of whistles,
drums, horns and rowdy chants.
WILD SIDE OF THE FLORA
The Hal-an-Tow is kind of historical
pageant, spring ritual and mummers
play rolled into one and sprinkled
with Cornish nationalism and some
good-natured jibes at the English.
The event has at its heart an old-
fashioned tale of good versus evil.
It features St George and the dragon,
Robin Hood and Little John, St Michael
(Helston and Cornwalls patron saint)
and the Devil, St Piran (Cornwalls
unocial patron saint) on his millstone
and, for good measure, marauding
Spaniards from the Armada. It proved
a little too rowdy for the delicate
Victorians and was banned until 1930.
The day starts early for the Hal-an-
Tow revellers. They harvest sycamore
branches from the woods and on their
return, join the cast of characters of
the pageant to tour the town with
rattles, drums, whistles and horns,
garlanded with bits of tree and owers
and carrying Green Man banners.
They arrive at their rst performance
for 8.30am and continue to tour the
town, singing and acting at ve venues.
The Hal-an-Tow is a raucous
counterpoint to all the formality of the
ocial dance, but the whole day has
the same pagan roots and is as much
fun and just as utterly confusing as the
words of the Hal-an-Tow refrain.
Hal-an-Tow, Jolly rumble O
For we are up as soon as any day, O
And for to fetch the Summer home
The Summer and the May, O,
For Summer is a come, O,
And Winter is a gone, O. CF
Helstons Flora Day 2017 takes place on 6 May.
Ian Vinces writings on landscape,
ancient customs and strange days are
inspired by the stories of Cornwall, his
home for 20 years. However, he has
proven too English to dance the Furry!
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Ascot is transported to Helston for
the Midday Furry; St George sees o the dragon at Hal-an-
Tow; the arrival of the Jack in the Green (centre) is heralded
by a bearer of Saint Pirans banner, the Cornish standard.
MAY DAY
2
STRANGE MAY DAY REVELS
1 THE HUNTING OF THE EARL OF RONE,
COMBE MARTIN, DEVON.
Possibly one of the strangest things to happen in
Britain, this event is based on a ctional chapter
of history, this year held from 26-29 May.
A fool and a hobby horse, accompanied by
grenadiers, search the village for the Earl of
Tyrone. He is nally captured, mounted on a
donkey and paraded through the village,
repeatedly shot and revived, shot one last time,
taken to the beach and thrown in the sea.
2 OBBY OSS, PADSTOW, CORNWALL
On 1 May two groups of dancers - each lead by a
stylised Oss the Old Oss and the Blue Ribbon
www.countryle.com
3
Oss dance through the town, attempting to
catch young maidens. The two osses meet at the
maypole, then return to their respective stables
at The Golden Lion and the Padstow Institute.
3 JACK IN THE GREEN, ROCHESTER
SWEEPS FESTIVAL, KENT
In the 17th century the making of garlands for May
Day inspired so much competition that the
greenery eventually covered the entire person
who became a 9-foot tall Jack in the Green.
Recently revived after the Victorians tried to kill it
o,
a number of Jack in the Green events are
re-emerging in the 21st century. The Rochester
Sweeps festival runs from 29 April until 1 May.
4
4 CASTLETON GARLAND, PEAK DISTRICT
Elements of beating the bounds, Oak Apple Day (a
commemoration of the restoration of Charles II in
1660) and traditional spring festival all appear to
collide in this colourful ceremony, usually held on
29 May. A beehive shaped head-dress, covered
with wildowers and greenery, is worn over the
head and shoulders of the Garland King, who is
dressed in Stuart costume. There is a parade and
dancing, accompanied by girls from the village
school. The Garland, now separated from its
wearer, is hoisted up the church tower and
Photos Alamy, Getty
impaled on the pinnacle. Maypole dancing rounds
o the big day. The tune used for the procession
is similar to that of Helstons The Faddyy.
38
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 WILD PEOPLE: EDWARD THOMAS
Natures poet
A century ago, war took the life of Edward Thomas, one of Britains greatest nature writers.
But his luminous poetry and prose attracts admirers to this day. Anna Stenning tells his story
dward Thomas is often
E remembered as a war poet,
and for the sadness that
aicted him for much of his
life. Yet his writing is often
concerned with the happiness he
found in nature and rural places.
His countryside books and poetry
display an almost religious devotion
to the life of the elds and hedgerows. mentor to the tramp poet WH Davies.
Born to Welsh parents, Thomas had
a happy-go-lucky childhood in a house
full of boys and animals, folk song and
Arthurian legends. His home
was in Victorian Wandsworth,
southwest London, yet at a
young age he became enthralled
by the writings of Richard
Jeeries,
a squires son from
Wiltshire, who wrote about
hunting, shing, wildlife and
country people.
On the edges of London, the
young Thomas began to explore
nature, and visited family in the
countryside around Swindon,
Glamorgan and west Wales. ABOVE Though raised in London, Edward Thomas was inspired was told that he was killed by a
These experiences were the
origin of Thomass rst collection
of countryside essays, The
Woodland Life, published in 1897, when
Thomas was 19 years old.
Inspired by this early writing success,
Thomas rejected a career alongside his downs of Hampshire.
father in the civil service. By the time
he was 20, he was married and writing
books and literary reviews to order.
From 1897 to 1917 he published more
than two dozen books, including travel,
nature writing, biography and ction.
His disposition and demanding work
led to his rst depressive episodes.
Regularly walking 25 miles in a day
seems to have soothed his mind.
Calming us with its space and
patience, he wrote, the country
40
relates us all to Eternity. We go to it
to escape ourselves.
He had a talent for humour, displayed
in an occasional penchant for bawdy
folk songs. Far from being a reclusive,
misanthropic nature writer, he was a
popular member of many artistic
circles, including the Dymock poets in
Gloucestershire, and was a friend and
From 1905, Thomas lived on a farm in
Sevenoaks, Kent, with his wife and
children. He and his family later moved
by the countryside, and loved the Hampshire Downs
to Steep, near Peterseld, attracted by
the progressive Bedales community
there, and he grew to love the easterly
POETIC ENCOUNTERS
In his 30s, Thomas met two people who NOW READ THOMAS
rescued him from severe depression by The South Country, by Edward Thomas, introduced
convincing him to take up poetry: the
young writer Eleanor Farjeon, and the
American poet Robert Frost. There
followed just over two years of fruitful
work that sealed his legacy. Between
December 1914 and January 1917,
Thomas completed 139 poems. This
was enough to be regarded as the
source of a new lyric style that
inuenced many subsequent poets.
Poet Laureate Ted Hughes described
him as the father of us all.
In 1915, aged 37, Edward Thomas
enlisted in the Artists Ries. He felt no
hatred for the Central Powers, but was
obliged by his sense of duty and the
need to support his family. His earlier
explorations allowed him to teach
map-reading with the regiment.
He wrote poetry right up to his
departure for the front lines, which
often conveyed the impact of
mass mobilisation on the
countryside. At the front, he
served as a forward observer for
the Royal Garrison Artillery. His
war diary notes that blackbirds
began their alarm calls once
shelling stopped, and that
yarrow had started to colonise
his dug out.
He was killed on Easter
Monday, 9 April 1917, during the
Battle of Arras. His wife Helen
blast wave from a shell, with no
mark on his body, but a recently
unearthed letter from his
commanding ocer Franklin
Lushington reveals he was shot clean
through the chest.
To the end, Thomas sought to
understand mans place in nature. CF
by Robert Macfarlane, Little Toller, 2009.
Edward Thomas: The Annotated Collected Poems,
introduced by Edna Longley, Bloodaxe Books, 2008.
Dr Anna Stenning is a writer, academic
and editor of Edward Thomas: A
Miscellany (published by Galileo on
25 May) living in Herefordshire.
www.countryle.com
 WILD PEOPLE

The Cherry Trees by Edward Thomas

The cherry trees bend over and are shedding,
On the old road where all that passed are dead,
Their petals, strewing the grass as for a wedding
Photo: Alamy

This early May morn when there is none to wed.

www.countryle.com 41
42 www.countryle.com

The spring sunshine gives a
glorious glow to beds bejewelled
with lime-green Euphorbia
palustris and bronze-orange
Euphorbia grithii Fern Cottage.
www.countryle.com
GARDENS
Spring
BLOOMS
Celebrate the new season by
bringing a carnival of natural
colour to your green spaces,
with spectacular planting ideas
from Gina Prices gorgeous
Oxfordshire garden
By James Alexander-Sinclair Photos: Clive Nichols
pring is denitely in the air you
S can sense it everywhere. In our
gardens, the new season is like an
inating balloon that we know will
soon burst and we will be
spattered with sunshine and owers.
If you want to truly appreciate this
phenomenon, then there are few places
better to go than Pettifers in Oxfordshire.
The house, owned by Gina and John Price, is
mellow stone and the garden is sublime.
The couple came here about a quarter of a
century ago they were not gardeners but
were full of enthusiasm and excitement. The
house fronts onto a village road but the back
garden rolls elegantly away into open
countryside. Gina remembers walking
through this place and thinking I can make
something of this, in spite of the fact that I
knew nothing at all.
That initial naivety has been replaced not
only by a wonderful sense of design and
plantsmanship, but also an eye for the
unusual. Like many of the best instinctive
gardeners she picked it up as she went
along, helped by friends who gave advice, in
particular Diany Binney (then chatelaine of
Kiftsgate Court in Gloucestershire), who
visited twice a year in the early days.
Diany did not hold back with her
opinions. She stood by one border and
pronounced: What a damn dull border:
just a lot of aquilegias, and not even
special ones! It was quite upsetting, but
43
 1 The statuesque, bottle-shaped
yews in the parterre tower over
naturalised massing of dierent
narcissi, nudging into a jewelled
scattering of snakes head fritillaries
(Fritillaria meleagris) in the grass.
As the bulbs fade, the surrounding
borders spring into life for the rest
of the summer.

2 When late spring is on the verge

of early summer, the tennis-ball
sized spherical magenta owers
of Allium Purple Sensation rise
through the foliage of later plants
and echo the deep purple blooms
of tulip Curly Sue. This sort of
colour-repetition is aways eective
in borders, as it carries the eye
into the furthest corners.

1 3 Two sorts of euphorbia glint in

the sunrise: at the back, the livid
green marsh spurge, Euphorbia
palustris, and in front, the striking
orange Euphorbia grithii Fern
Cottage. Both are fabulous
spring-foliage plants guaranteed to
give zip and pep to any border.

4 This is an amazing sight to greet

a early riser: a glowing tapestry of
spring plants from epimediums and
dicentras to the foliage and owers
of hellebores. Lots of contrast
culminates in that lovely tiered
2 3 wedding cake tree, Cornus
controversa Variegata.

BELOW Gina Price took on the
task of transforming Pettifers
despite little technical
knowledge. Support from
gardening mentors and a
willingness to experiment has led
to todays spectacular result
she was usually right.
As well as enduring the scathing honesty
of her friends, Gina visited a lot of other
gardens looking for inspiration and ideas.
She is happy to point out little homages,
such as the diamond-shaped path, which
mirrors that at York Gate (near Leeds, now
owned by gardening charity Perennial) and
the small walkways through the borders
that were inspired by Margery Fish, whose
garden at East Lambrook Manor in
Somerset is still open to the public.
NORTHERN EXPOSURE
The garden at Pettifers faces north, which
many would consider a disadvantage, but in
the eyes of a glass half-full kind of
gardener, it can be seen as an opportunity
to grow a whole new range of plants.
When we arrived, this garden was mostly
one big lawn with three big yews, a couple of
narrow borders and soil that was truly
appalling, explains Gina. Things have
changed since then, as years of regular
mulching has transformed the soil and the
borders are now generously proportioned
and stued with well-chosen plants.
As you move down the slope, more
wonders are revealed. One lawn is studded
with so many crocuses that it is tricky to nd
somewhere to tread without crushing
something. These will be succeeded by
narcissi and snakes head fritillaries.
Next are the four yews that have become
this gardens trademark they are clipped
into a unique, informal formality (if you
know what I mean): part bottle, part blast-
furnace, part elephants trunk. We started
this part of the garden about 15 years ago:
the yews were left over from a hedge so are a
sort of serendipitous afterthought.
Any garden, no matter how clever the
design, will revert to a muddle of weeds and
overgrown shrubs in a very short time if it

44 www.countryle.com
 GARDENS

www.countryle.com 45
 5

46 www.countryle.com
 GARDENS

5 A drift of daodils bloom

beneath a wedding cake tree. In
spring the plants are still slightly
separated its too early for the
full-blown entanglement of summer.
The emerging leaves of trees and
later perennials add a lettuce-
coloured freshness to the garden.

6 Diamonds of granite setts are a

distinctive feature of the garden at
York Gate near Leeds. They work
just as well here as you walk from
the house through deep red Black
Parrot tulips, which go beautifully
6 with the drystone walls.

7 Later in the season, this bed is

is not looked after. There is no danger of this full of the peonies which Gina has
happening: it is constantly cosseted not only collected, but even now it does not
by Gina but also by the brilliant Polly disappoint, with a magnicent
Stevens, Pettifers full-time gardener. display of hellebores. These happily
Together they lavish the garden with a hybridise with each other, so one is
sort of tough love plants are coaxed and never quite sure what colour ower
encouraged but if something does not work a seedling will produce.
properly, then there is no place for
sentimentality. Gina has the courage to rip James Alexander-
out imperfections and start again. The Sinclair is a garden
result of this determination and conviction designer based in
is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon Oxfordshire. He writes
no matter what the season. CF for Gardens Illustrated
and BBC Gardeners World Magazine,
VISIT PETTIFERS Gina Prices garden is open to visitors 7 and is also a member of the Royal
by appointment. For information, go to pettifers.com Horticultural Society Council.

6 SPECTACULAR SPRING FLOWERS

GEUM PRINSES TULIPA MAGNOLIA LEUCOJUM FRITILLARIA TULIPA

JULIANA GAVOTA SPECTRUM AESTIVUM MELEAGRIS DEIRDRE
A startling orange to A dapper ower that A handsome variety GRAVETYE Best in a slightly A slightly shaggy-
get the season goes well with all the good for the smallish GIANT heavy soil, the snakes owered tulip with a
started. Will ower for fresh greens of spring. garden. Magnolias are The snowake is a head fritillary stylish contrasting
weeks given a bit of In a container you pretty trouble-free later and taller version naturalises well in green stripe. In
sunshine. Dead head could team them unless we have a late of the snowdrop water meadows. Plant borders or containers,
regularly to ensure with wallowers frost, so keep them (although unrelated). as bulbs in the tulips are best planted
longer owering. and Iris reticulata. sheltered. Good in a woodland. autumn time. in about November.

Turn the page for 10 spring gardens to visit ...

www.countryle.com 47
 GARDENS
10 SPRING GARDENS TO VISIT
1 8
2 3
4 5
1 DODDINGTON HALL & GARDENS
Well known for its collection of daodils, plus
lots of walks. Open Sundays, Wednesdays and
bank holiday Mondays from 16 April, noon to
4.30pm. Entry to house and gardens 10
(gardens only: 7).
Lincolnshire LN6 4RU. 01522 694308,
www.doddingtonhall.com
2 BODNANT
Possibly the best spring garden in Wales, with
sheaves of daodils (as you would expect), plus
National Collections of both magnolias and
rhododendrons. Open daily, 10am to 5pm.
8.50 (RHS and NT members free).
Bodnant Road, Tal-Y-Cafn, Colwyn Bay
LL28 5RE. bodnantgarden.co.uk
3 HODNET HALL
Lots of lakes and woodlands for walking as
well as a Camellia garden and some wonderful
plant collections. Open Sundays and bank
holidays, noon to 5pm. 7.
Near Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 3NN.
01630 685786, www.hodnethallgardens.org
Photo: Alamy, Dave Peake
4 BLICKLING ESTATE
Sitting under blue skies, amid glorious open
countryside, this is a ne estate with lots of
48
6 7
10
things to do. Amazing daodil banks and a
beautiful Orangery Garden. Open daily, 10am to
5.30pm. 14.95 (garden only: 8.95). NT
members free.
Aylsham, Norfolk NR11 6NF. 01263 738030,
nationaltrust.org.uk/blickling-estate
5 GREAT DIXTER
If you have not yet visited here, your life remains
unfullled. This great garden has something for
everybody, no matter when you visit. Open
Tuesday to Sunday and bank holiday Mondays,
11am to 5pm. 12.10.
Northiam, East Sussex TN31 6PH.
01797 252878, greatdixter.co.uk
6 CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN
Tucked between the river and the bustle of the
Kings Road, this garden was founded in 1673.
A haven among the trac. Open daily except
Saturdays, 11am to 5pm. Entry 10.50.
66 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HS.
chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk
7 ELTHAM PALACE
Although less than 100 years old, this palace
feels as if has been there for ages. It is
surrounded by 19 acres of gardens, old and new.
Open daily except Saturdays, 10am to 6pm.
9
Entry 13.60 (English Heritage members free).
Court Yard, Eltham, Greenwich, London
SE9 5QE. english-heritage.org.uk
8 NYMANS
At its best in springtime there are bulbs,
bluebells, cherry blossom, camellias and
magnolias in abundance. Open daily, 10am to
5pm. Entry 13.20 (NT members free).
Handcross, Haywards Heath, West Sussex
RH17 6EB. nationaltrust.org.uk/nymans
9 TREMENHEERE
A spectacular sculpture garden with some
staggeringly good art and a fantastic collection
of tender plants. Open daily, 10am to 4pm. 8.
[Note the garden is unfortunately not suitable
for disabled visitors.]
Near Gulval, Penzance, Cornwall TR20 8YL.
01736 448 089, tremenheere.co.uk
10 COTON MANOR
A lovely, family-run garden with water gardens,
meadows, classic borders and an amazing
bluebell wood. Open Tuesday to Saturday, noon
to 5.30pm, plus Sundays and Mondays on bank
holiday weekends. Entry 7.
Coton, Northamptonshire NN6 8RQ.
01604 740219, cotonmanor.co.uk
www.countryle.com
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JOHN CRAVEN
WILL SIMPLIFIED RULES FOR DEVELOPERS HARM WILDLIFE?
ts a small, striking-looking
I (and, for developers,
troublesome) creature with
mighty powers. For years the
mere presence of great
crested newts has been able to
delay or even stop multi-
million pound building
projects right across the UK.
But not for much longer.
The Governments
environmental adviser Natural
England is rolling out a plan to
give enhanced legal protection
to the species, which is classied
as rare across Europe. Its a
scheme that, at rst sight, seems
contradictory because it will
allow builders to potentially
destroy all but the great crested
newts most important habitats.
SIMPLIFIED SYSTEM
If we focus too much on
protecting individual newts, the
whole population may be lost,
says Rob Cameron, the
protected species reform
manager at Natural England.
So here comes the second and
crucially important part of the
plan developers will have to
foot the bill for improving great
crested newt habitats in a much
wider area beyond the one they
are concreting over.
Until now, individual licences
have been issued on a site-by-site
basis for tracking down,
removing and then excluding the
newts before any work can begin
an expensive, inecient
process. There have even been
allegations of great crested
newts being deliberately
Photo: Getty
imported onto controversial
sites to impede construction.
www.countryle.com
COUNTRYFILE ISSUES
much habitat is damaged, to
help the newts elsewhere.
It will radically improve our
knowledge of this species so we
can better plan the conservation
eort,
says Cameron. We can
accept losses on development
sites because the new system
will provide a really substantive
gain overall.
WILDLIFE-FREE ZONES
The project, broadly welcomed
by conservationists, would link
habitats together across the
country, allowing great crested
Great crested newts are strictly protected in the UK. But new
rules for developers could see some populations destroyed newts to move freely and giving
their survival a better chance.
But the Wildlife Trusts do have
some reservations. Steve
The mere presence of Trotter, their Director England,
tells me: This approach has
great crested newts been given the green light
nationally before the pilot
has been able to delay project has been completed.
Will enough compensatory
building projects habitat be created to make up
for building over areas that are
important for this rare species
Natural England says it wants and will it be in the right place?
to create more habitat for newts We dont want new housing
while simplifying the licensing estates to be wildlife-free zones.
system for developers. It will What are the thresholds for
carry out a three-year survey of deciding a colony is so important
150 districts where great crested it should be left in place? And are
newts are most prevalent, there enough people with the
mapping out all their signicant right expertise to manage and
populations across the UK, monitor the new approach?
assessing the impact of While we do have these
development and proposing concerns, we will still be working
conservation strategies. with Natural England to do our
From this, developers will get a best to ensure the roll-out of this
better picture of newt hot spots. new approach is a success.
Should they get the go-ahead to
build, local authorities will Watch John on
impose charges on them on a Countrylee on Sunday
sliding scale, dependent on how evenings on BBC One.
51
 BEHIND THE HEADLINES
WHAT ARE TIDAL LAGOONS?
tidal lagoon project in
A Swansea Bay for clean,
renewable energy has
been backed by the
Government-commissioned
Hendry review. Environmental
groups have cautiously but
not unanimously endorsed
the project. Costing 1.3billion,
if it goes ahead it could lead to
the roll out of full-scale
schemes in UK waters. So how
do tidal lagoons work and how
important might they be in
helping us meet targets to cut
carbon emissions?
The tidal lagoon scheme
A 9km U-shaped breakwater would be
built across Swansea Bay, creating a
lagoon. At lower states of the tide, the tidal
lagoon looks like a typical rubble mound
breakwater, of the type usually seen
around marinas or harbours. At high tide it
is more or less submerged.
As tides rise and fall the lagoon would ll
and empty. Gates would hold back the
water from entering or leaving until the
SWANSEA
11.5km2
SWANSEA Tidal lagoon
BAY
Bank of turbines
52
By Mark Rowe
An artist's impression of the
'rubble mound' breakwater,
forming the edge of the lagoon
How does it work?
optimal point. Once opened the water
would rush though the gates, turning a At high tide water is released into the lagoon,
bank of 16 six-metre tall hydro turbines in turning the hydro turbines to generate energy.
Tidal lagoons are more ecient than barrages,
the breakwater to generate 350mw of which only generate power using 'outow' water.
electricity enough for 150,000 homes.
The turbines would generate electricity
both when the tide ebbs and ows. The BREAKWATER
Bristol Channel is favoured because of its Estuary
high tide
tid Tidal
unusually high tidal range, which at 15m is Turbine lagoon
among the highest on the planet.
At low tide the captured high tide water in
the lagoon is released, and the rushing
outow water passes over the turbines, turning
them again and generating further energy.
BREAKWATER
Estuary
Photo Image courtesy of Andritz Hydro
low tide
9km Tidal
Breakwater Turbine lagoon
BRISTOL CHANNEL
www.countryle.com

15m tidal range
among highest
on the planet
Benets
LOW CARBON
The Hendry review says tidal lagoons can
be an important low-carbon source of
electricity generation for the UK.
Projections suggest that 10 lagoons could
provide 10% of UK electricity generation
and cut carbon emissions by 36%.
GUARANTEED SUPPLY
Tidal power generation is predictable and
less subject to the vagaries of weather
than wind or solar energy and so has
fewer concerns around intermittency.
The Swansea lagoon would produce
power for about 14 hours a day. "It's
proven technology, there are many such
projects around the world," said Andy
Field, spokesman for Tidal Lagoon Power.
LOCAL IMPACT
Supporters claim the lagoon would create
2,000 jobs and improve the local
environment cycle paths would be built
on the walls and a sailing and canoeing
centre would be set up inside the lagoon.
BETTER THAN SOME
ALTERNATIVES
Environmentalists have said that tidal
lagoons could be signicantly less
environmentally damaging and more cost
eective and powerful than tidal barrages
(which would impound sea water), that
lagoons would not directly impound
inter-tidal areas of the estuary, and that
they may even oer potentially signicant
wildlife habitat.
...What happens next?
The Government will decide later this year whether to go ahead with the scheme. The project at
Swansea Bay is viewed as a small trial lagoon from which lessons and problems could be
identied, before full-scale projects were rolled out around the UK.
The Hendry review proposes that, after completion of the Swansea lagoon, a two-year
moratorium be imposed on similar projects while its environmental impacts are assessed.
But the Wildlife Trusts in Wales want an eight-year pause to cover two sh-spawning cycles.
www.countryle.com
Would generate
350 megawatts
of power
Disadvantages
SUBSIDIES
The Government subsidises renewable
energy through a guaranteed price for the
producer, although fossil fuel producers
also receive subsidies. Tidal Lagoon
Power is asking for a guarantee of 168
per megawatt hour for the Swansea Bay
lagoon, compared to about 80 set for
onshore wind and 92 for Hinkley C.
Tidal Lagoon Power says subsidy for
Swansea would cost households about
30p on their energy bills annually over the
rst 30 years. If all proposed tidal lagoons
were built, it would add 8 to 9 to the
average annual household energy bill.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
The vast inter-tidal area of the Severn
estuary provides food for over 50,000
waterfowl on major migration routes.
The Wildlife Trusts in Wales says the
scheme will lead to substantial loss of
mudats and have called for continual
high-level monitoring. The RSPB says the
lagoon could aect the ecosystem of the
Severn estuary and the ecologically highly
valuable inter-tidal areas. It wants to
monitor silt movement, disruption of bird
populations and impacts on sh stocks.
"The Swansea lagoon may be a useful
test-case for this technology," said RSPB
senior policy oce Mark Robins. "But any
renewable scheme must work in harmony
with nature. The Severn estuary is a vital
part of a European-wide network of
wildlife sites; a crucial staging post for
migratory birds and sh."
NEWS
Provide enough
electricity for
150,000 homes
TIDAL LAGOONS
IN THE UK
If Swansea were to go ahead, ve
other full-scale projects have been
outlined at Cardi, Newport, Colwyn
Bay in North Wales, the Cumbrian
coast and Bridgwater Bay in
Somerset. The 3,000mw-generating
Cardi lagoon would cost 9bn and
contain 65 square km of water.
OCEAN AND WAVE
PROJECTS IN THE UK
A tidal stream power scheme in the
Pentland Firth uses technology akin
to underwater wind turbines.
Marine Current Turbines has installed
a tidal energy system at the mouth of
Stangford Lough. And Carnegie Wave
Energy has approval to build the rst
commercial wave energy project
connected to the national grid in
England, o Hayle in Cornwall.
The potential for similar projects has
been studied elsewhere in the UK but
some planned schemes have been
cancelled after the companies
involved went into administration.
Pentland Fith
West Cumbria
Stangford
Lough
Colwyn Bay
Swansea
Cardi
Newport
Hayle Bridgwater Bay
Proposed tidal lagoons Ocean power sites
53
 Spring delights
ON YOUR DOORSTEP
Out the back door, across the ring road, past the sewage works and beyond the
industrial estate, Rob Cowen discovers a daily dose of the sublime in the edge-land of
his hometown, where the dawn chorus is in full song and hares dart among the pylons
Illustration: andylovell.co.uk
pring has long been my high point of
S the year. Everywhere you look there
is an assertion of life. A promise
made good. New, green blood runs
riot through old branches; the
warming earth erupts with shoots and the
landscape is bedecked with full, rich, lime-
green leaves and bee-busied owers. All of it
tells us to borrow from Ted Hughes the
globes still working. But to enjoy this
season and engage with its wealth of wildlife,
you dont need to travel to far-ung
destinations or nature reserves. There are
adventures to be found
right on our doorsteps.
Only the other day I rose
Edge-lands are
early to watch hares. probably not what
Dressing with the lights
o, trying not to wake my most of us picture
wife and kids, I hopped
down our stairs, pulled on when we think of
boots and struck out for
the edge-land about a mile the countryside
away from my home.
The world was still cloaked in calm, pre-dawn
dark; no car stirred. The air, thick with blossom
nectar as yet untouched, smelled as fresh as
new linen.
INTO THE BORDERLAND
Over the ring road, cutting down through
backstreets, I started to feel the familiar pull of
this marginal space, wedged between town and
country. There were glimpses of it through the
car-cluttered cul-de-sacs a deeper density to
the darkness beyond the streetlights.
54
Past the housing estate at the bottom of the
road, I paused for a moment at the disused
railway, now a cycle path, which acts as a high
water mark for the sprawl. This is the towns
limit. Beyond, patterns of the urban landscape
dissolve into something other: a kind of
wildness. Between this point and where the
ground rises again into countryside proper,
there exists an overlooked borderland of
bramble and hawthorn, of old common and
tatty eld, holloway, pylon, wood, river and
pasture gone to seed. To the left is a mesh of
allotments and a sewage works; to the right,
rough meadow and an
industrial estate.
As morning ared in the
east, I felt the same shiver
of excitement I always do
when I cross over into it.
The rst time I saw a
hare in this unlikely
setting, I naively presumed
it had to be a rabbit. I
couldnt quite believe that
this wily lover of wide-ranging corneld and
cropland would tolerate being so close to a
town. Then I watched its sandy brown shape
rise onto those gangly legs, extend its long,
Indian ink-dipped ears, and shoot across the
scrubby eld I was standing in.
Part of my disbelief was down to
appearances. Edge-lands are probably not
what most of us picture when we think of the
great British countryside. Inglorious, often
riddled with relics of infrastructure, these
spaces where human and nature intermesh
www.countryle.com

are constantly in a process of collision,
collusion and negotiation. In many ways they
are the antithesis of the kind of breathtaking
scenery that might grace the cover of this
magazine, but chances are youll know and
perhaps love one of your own. Maybe its where
you played as a kid or just a spot you dash to
with the dog after work, but with 80% of the UK
living in the urban environment, edge-lands are
almost certainly your closest green space.
And they can be gateways that provide a daily
dose of the sublime, if were only alive to it.
SPRING FROM NOWHERE
But edge-lands also provide important pockets
of biodiversity for the non-human world. In this
patch of ground, 15 minutes walk from my
home, Ive recorded not just hares but roe deer,
tawny owls, sparrowhawks, buzzards, swifts,
kestrels, woodpeckers, rare moths, butteries,
badgers, foxes and the
rst hedgehog Ive seen in
more than a decade. Hares are
Once, on a dull Tuesday,
I watched an otter nosing notoriously shy,
for trout along the river.
These places are common
solitary creatures,
in every sense of that word,
but still seem all the richer
congregating in
for it. Because of their
proximity, we can get to
spring to mate
know them in amazing
detail throughout the changing seasons and
the dierent times of day. Sitting, touching,
sensing, smelling a place, revisiting and
returning as the year turns is an act that roots
us, restoring a vital relationship with the bigger,
living world that lies outside our day-to-day,
self-obsessed lives. Its something worth
getting up early for.
By the time the sun had fully risen over the
hare eld, I was ensconced in a wildower-
braided eld border, half-hidden by a
blackthorn, in the shadow of a pylon. The birds
were in full voice: threads of song wove
together, lifting and lilting, refrains and solos
the wrens trilled and there was the rusty
wheel squeak of great tits. I could make out a
warbler somewhere and, intermittently, the
thick ute-notes of blackbirds. You tend to
focus dierently in such a place. Once, sitting in
this same spot, I noticed the eld had turned up
a piece of clay pipe, like a thin hollow bone.
I stared at it for a while, thinking about whose
jaw it was once clamped in, wondering about
the layers that lay in the mud beneath my boots.
Turn the page to explore Robs seven favourite signs of spring
www.countryle.com
SPRING ON YOUR DOORSTEP
Its one of the amazing things about even
seemingly insalubrious settings in Britain
every square of soil inch holds its histories.
A BRUSH WITH HARES
When the rst hare appeared it seems to send a
ripple through the soft, spiky tips of the young
wheat. I lifted my binoculars, quietly. Then
another materialised some distance away.
Heads popped up intermittently between
feeding, meaning I got a great look at those
dog-like faces, those ranging, twitching ears
and bulging, goat eyes staring my way. I stayed
as still as possible, for hares are notoriously shy
creatures, normally solitary but congregating
in the spring to mate. For 20 minutes or so, I
watched both breakfasting and high-kicking
around each other in circles. At one point, as
they drew closer, one stood full height for a
good three minutes, looking glorious, framed in
the sun as the whizzes and
whistles of birdsong rang
all around. It was only after
it had ducked back down
and vanished in that mad,
dashing, blurry burst of
speed hares casually slip
into, that I realised there
was a huge grin on my face;
one that reappeared the
rest of that day whenever I
thought of them.
Watch hares live like this and you can
understand why they have remained the
embodiment of the most vivacious of seasons in
our myth and culture for millennia. Practically
invisible in autumn and winter, hares seem to
spring from nowhere at the point the dead
earth comes to life again with greenery,
dashing and mating freely amid burgeoning
crops. Its hard to overstate how signicant this
would have seemed to societies entirely
dependent on arable farming, but an Egyptian
hieroglyph points the way. The symbol of the
hare denotes, simply, existence itself.
A glimpse of such sheer existence can be just
as powerful today. Brief, yes, but enough to get
me through a long day at a desk. I recommend
everyone tries their own daily dose, right now,
as the earth comes alive. CF
Rob Cowen is an award-winning writer and author.
His book Common Ground was shortlisted for the
Portico Literary Prize, Richard Jeeries Society Prize
and Wainwright Prize 2016 and selected as a Book
of the Year in the Sunday Express and Times.
57
MY FAVOURITE SIGNS OF SPRING
FLOWERS
From sweet-scented blossoms and the
rst snowdrops and violets to that
egg-yolk yellow of erupting daodils,
spring is one long ower frenzy. Keep an
eye out for primroses, the porcelain-
looking leaves of garden magnolias and,
later, that aqueous wash of light-streaked
bluebells in full bloom.
BEES
Attracted by the owers, spring also sees
our most loveable pollinators emerging.
Bumblebees on the hunt for nectar
lumber between bursts of colour; likewise
honey bees and solitary bees thrum
through our meadows and anywhere
where the foods plentiful. Its a pleasure
to hear the warming drone again.
BUTTERFLIES
With increasing sunlight and food, early
spring migrants to these shores include
some of our best-loved butteries, such as
the painted lady. Small tortoiseshells,
commas, the peacock, brimstone and
some red admirals all overwinter here and
emerge from hibernation. Encountering a
buttery on a wall, beating its wings and
basking, can be a beautiful spring sight.
BADGERS
My rst really memorable encounter with
wild animals was being taken to watch
badgers as a boy in the scrappy ground
behind my childhood home. Spring is
perfect for such sorties as badger cubs
start to shake o the cabin fever of months
underground by making their rst playful
forays in April and May. Look for signs of a
sett in daylight, then return pre-dawn, sit
quiet and stay downwind.
BIRDS
As anyone without double-glazing will tell
you, the brightening skies of early spring
herald a mighty crescendo of a dawn
chorus. Step outside and youll likely hear
birdsong at this time of year, and its a
sound that brightens any commute.
Theres much nest-building too; expect to
see many species zipping about with
beaks full of building materials.
BABY WILDLIFE
Lambs may be the cute poster boys,
tottering around on unsteady legs or
gadding about the elds like hooligans, but
many wild species take advantage of the
calmer, warmer weather ahead to raise
their young. Look out for baby fallow deers,
squirrels, coot, foxes, mallards, hedgehogs
and, in puddles and ponds, the darting,
inky squiggles of tadpoles.
WILD GARLIC
Growing thick through woodland and up
river verges and under bridges, the
unmistakable garlic-scented ramson or
wild garlic scents many a spring stroll.
Its the dream ingredient for the forager;
wild garlic is delicious when cooked in
butter and turned with pasta, or blitzed
into pesto with Wensleydale and walnuts.
Photos: Alamy, Getty, Naturepl.com
 Book your memorable
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 HIKING FOOD

f you love walking in the countryside

I as much as I do, there is little better

than packing up a rucksack and
heading out for a day in the hills.
A full days hike is hugely improved
with a decent picnic, and you need
food that both fuels you and delivers
on the avour front.
The key to a good walking picnic is
to take fare that tastes as good, if not
better, eaten at room temperature
rather than hot or chilled. It also
needs to travel well, rather than get
squished or become soggy. I like to
take a lunchbox with compartments
for separating savoury from sweet,
and also a couple of nutritious snacks
that I can keep in bags in my coat
pocket to combat hunger pangs.
Turn the page for ve recipes that
would make up my perfect lunchbox.

HIKING FOOD
As a general rule, the longer your walk
the more thought you should put into
your walking fuel. After all, the energy
to power us forwards (and upwards)
derives only from the food we put into
our mouths. With that in mind, here are
a few tips when thinking about what to
put in your lunchbox.

Perfect lunchbox You are after food that fuels, so

high-energy carbohydrate foods are
best for long hikes. Try to ensure you
consume plenty of slow-release
Delicious, nutritious fuel for walkers to keep carbohydrates in the form of whole
your energy levels high on the trail grains, pulses or natural sugars.
Combining a lean protein, such as
Photographs: Jason Ingram Words: Genevieve Taylor chicken, with a slow-release
carbohydrate such as wholegrain
pasta means the energy is released
even more steadily, so you dont get
highs and lows in your energy levels.
Dont binge eat. Snacking as you go
helps keep energy levels on an even
keel, so its great to have one or two
healthy high-energy treats tucked into
your pockets for easy access.
Hydration is vital, so take plenty of
uids. Plain and simple water quenches
thirst much more eectively than zzy
drinks that are loaded with sugar.
Finally, make sure your food is
genuinely tasty. Season it properly,
just as you would if you were at home.
That way you are much more likely to
actually nish it.

61
3DVWD VDODG ZL FKLFNHQQ
SHVWR DQG PR]]DUHD
Wholegrain pasta is a great slow-release
fuel to keep you going all afternoon. You
could, of course, use ready-made pesto in
this tasty salad, but if youve never made
your own pesto, I urge you to give it a ago. It
only takes a quick whizz in the food
processor, and the avour is so vibrant.
Ingredients Serves 2
For the pesto:
50g pine nuts
50g bunch basil, leaves and stalks
25g parmesan, freshly grated
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste
salt and freshly ground pepper
For the salad:
1 heaped tsp plain our
300g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut
into 3cm cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
150g wholegrain pasta
250g cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 ball mozzarella, torn into bite sized pieces
salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
1. To make the pesto, set a small frying pan
over a medium-high heat and add the pine
nuts. Toast for a few minutes until golden
brown and smelling nutty, then tip into a
Salted smoky nuts
These nuts are so easy and incredibly
moreish and just the thing to have in a little
bag in your pocket for on-the-go nibbling.
Ive used a mix of nuts for variety, but feel
free to use your favourites. This is a very
easy recipe to double up if you want to
make more. They will keep well in an airtight
tin for a good week or so. They also make a
rather fabulous bar snack.
Ingredients serves about 4-6
50g of pecans 1 tbsp olive oil
50g of cashews 1 tsp smoked paprika
50g of almonds 1 tsp sea salt akes
50g of walnuts
1. Preheat oven to 180C (fan temp)/ Gas 4.
2. Spread the nuts out over a large roasting
www.countryle.com
food processor and whizz until ground.
Roughly tear the basil stems and leaves,
trimming the stalks only at the very ends if
they are really thick, and add to the food
processor, whizzing until nely chopped.
Add the parmesan, garlic, olive oil and
lemon juice, and season with salt and
pepper. Scrape into a mixing bowl (large
enough to toss the salad in) and set aside.
2. For the salad, sprinkle the our on to a
plate, season well with salt and pepper, then
toss the chicken in the our to lightly coat.
3. Set a frying pan over a medium-high heat
and add the oil. When its hot, tip in the
chicken. Spread it out in a single layer, and
fry until crisp and golden, turning a couple of
times until its cooked all the way through
about 15-18 mins. Remove the chicken and
put on a plate lined with a couple of sheets
of kitchen paper to drain any excess oil.
4.While the chicken is frying, cook the pasta
according to the packet instructions
about 12 mins at a hearty boil. Drain the
pasta into a colander, then run briey under
cold water to cool before draining really well.
Tip into the mixing bowl, and toss through
the pesto until its evenly coated.
5. Add the cooked chicken, tomatoes and
mozzarella and toss together. Pack into your
lunchboxes, and chill until you are ready to
hike. And dont forget to pack a fork!
This salad will happily keep in the fridge
overnight if you want make it ahead.
tin. Bake in the oven for 10 mins.
3. Remove from the oven and stir through
olive oil, paprika and salt, then return to the
oven for another two mins. Remove from
the oven and allow to cool on the tray before
packing into an airtight container, which
should keep them fresh for at least a week.
HARD-BOILED EGGS
WITH SESAME DUKKAH
I think hard-boiled eggs make the perfect
picnic food nutritious, easy to carry and
conveniently packaged in their own
wrapper. They do benet, however, from
something to gee them up in the taste
department. A little salt and pepper is
good, but this little Egyptian nutty spice
mix, called dukkah, will lift your egg to the
next level. You can make it in moments,
much less time than it takes to boil the
eggs, and it will keep in a sealed tub for a
good few weeks.
Ingredients Makes enough for 4 eggs
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
1 heaped tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp chilli akes (optional)
2 tbsp aked almonds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
pinch of sea salt akes and freshly-ground
black pepper
1. Add the cumin, coriander and chilli (if
using) to a small, dry frying pan and set
over a medium heat. Toast for a minute or
so until they smell fragrant then tip into a
spice mill or pestle and mortar and grind.
Tip into a small bowl.
2. Add the almonds and sesame seeds
to the pan and toast them for a minute or
so. Tip on to a board and chop nely
before adding to the spices along with a
pinch of sea salt akes and a good grind
of black pepper. Stir well to mix, then add
heaped teaspoons of your mixture to
squares of foil and wrap them tightly,
allowing one teaspoon of dukkah per egg.
Pack into you lunchbox alongside your
ready-cooked egg.
63

HOMEMADE MAPLE AND
OAT GRANOLA CLUSTERS
Homemade granola is a fantastic thing to
make for breakfast but it also travels
really well. Packed with high-bre oats,
coconut our and full of natural
sweetness from maple syrup and
cranberries, it also makes a great snack
to have in your pocket to munch as you
walk. This recipe makes a good-size
boxful that would serve 4-5 for breakfast,
or more as a snack. Provided you keep it
in an airtight box, it will last for several
weeks at room temperature.
Ingredients
250g oats
150g mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame,
sunower seeds)
100g dried cranberries (or raisins)
150ml maple syrup
1 egg white
3 tbsp coconut our
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
nely-grated zest of 1 orange
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (fan temp)/
Gas 4. Line a large roasting tray (approx
40cm x 25cm) with baking paper.
2. Stir all the ingredients together in a
mixing bowl, tip onto the baking tray and
spread out in a shallow layer without
pressing down too rmly.
3. Bake in the oven for about 25 mins,
until the granola is golden brown. Turn the
tray around halfway through cooking if
your oven cooks unevenly. Allow to cool
completely on the tray, then break up into
clusters. What you dont take with you
can be stored in airtight containers.
www.countryle.com
High-protein chocolate
DQG KD]HOQXW RZQLHV
Chocolate brownies are generally a big hit
but these have the added bonus of being
just a little bit more nutritious than a regular
version, thanks to a secret ingredient. Its
actually a tin of cannellini beans, but sshhhh,
nobody will notice.
Ingredients Makes 12 generous brownies (cut
into 16 if you prefer)
400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
300g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
75g butter, cut into cubes
3 large eggs
150g soft brown sugar
75g plain our
2 tsp baking powder
Half tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp vanilla extract
100g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (fan
temperature)/ Gas 4. Grease and line a
25cm square baking tin with baking paper.
2. Add the drained beans to the bowl of a
food processor and whizz until they are
ground to a ne crumbly paste.
3. Add two-thirds of the chocolate to a
HIKING FOOD
heat-proof bowl, along with the butter and
set over a pan of barely simmering water,
making sure the base of the bowl is not in
contact with the water. Allow to melt, stirring
together until combined.
4. Once the chocolate and butter have
melted, pour into the food processor and
crack in the eggs. Whizz together to a really
smooth puree. Then add the sugar, our,
baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and
vanilla and process together until smooth.
5. Pour the brownie mixture into the
prepared tin, levelling with a table knife.
Finally scatter over the hazelnuts and the
rest of the chocolate.
6. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes
until the top is set and the brownie is just
starting to come away from the edge of the
tin. Allow to cool in the tin, before removing
and cutting into squares. CF
Genevieve Taylor is a self-confessed
greedy girl and lifelong outdoors lover
who writes and presents about food.
Her many recipe books include How to
Eat Outside, Stew! and A Good Egg.
64
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 BBC COUNTRYFILE MAGAZINE
AWARD WINNERS 2017
Our readers have spoken! Meet the winners of our annual awards, including
the countrys greatest national park and very best pub
Words: Maria Hodson

he votes are in, and its now time to unveil the HOLIDAY DESTINATION OF THE YEAR, NOMINATED BY ANITA RANI

T results of the BBC Countryle magazine

awards. Across the 12 categories, 56,000 votes
were cast in tightly fought contests. Wed like to
thank this years experts, our exceptional
nominees, and all who voted. Its fantastic to see such
enthusiasm and support for Britains rural treasures.
PRIZES Our winners receive a beautiful inscribed wooden plaque, along
with two tickets to this years Countryle Live show. Second-place
winners receive two tickets to the show.
HOW IT WORKS We appoint an expert in the relevant
eld to oversee each category. Our expert reviews the
previous 12 months and nominates ve prominent
achievers in that year. Our readers then cast their votes
online and by post. The nominee with the most votes wins.

Northumberland Coast
Oh, the beauty of this coast: ne sand beaches arc along the
North Sea; spectacular castles stand guard on the shoreline;
natural glories, pretty villages and jolly pubs abound. Puns
and seals enthrall visitors on the Farne Islands, and frazzled
urbanites unwind while inhaling the calming monastic airs
of Lindisfarne. A magical mix of mystery and merriment.
Second place: Mull, Inner Hebrides
For those seeking remote wildlife wonders, this is the real deal.
The second-largest island of the Inner Hebrides oers
gorgeous bays, rocky peaks and verdant slopes. Its home to
white-tailed eagles, red deer, and otters. Dolphins, minke
whales and basking sharks can all be sighted in its waters.

66 www.countryle.com
 ANNUAL AWARDS

NATURE RESERVE OF THE YEAR, NOMINATED BY BRETT WESTWOOD

Abernethy Forest
This large nature reserve of ancient Caledonian pine
overlooked by the snow-capped Cairngorm mountains has
been described as unmissable. With mountain, moorland
and forest, here one can spy siskins, crossbills, red squirrels
and the Loch Garten ospreys.
Naturalist Brett Westwood says: Who wouldnt be
seduced by the sunlight ltering through ancient pines, the
promise of capercaillies, crested tits and pine martens, all
against the majestic backdrop of the Cairngorms?

Second place: Farne Islands

These small islands o the coast of Northumberland once sheltered the
7th-century saint St Cuthbert but today are a magnet for birdspotters.
Brett Westwood said: The island oers
the closest seabird encounters
youll ever have. Go in early summer when chick-rearing is at its best.

NATIONAL PARK OF THE YEAR, NOMINATED BY JOHN CRAVEN

Yorkshire Dales
The characterful Yorkshire Dales claim the top spot this
year, with readers displaying great aection
for this wild and
craggy limestone landscape. Replete with waterfalls and hay
meadows, stone villages and broadleaved woodland, the
park has recently expanded to cover 840 square miles.
Our expert John Craven has known these rolling valleys
since boyhood, and its clear that thousands of voters also
have fond memories of time spent here.

Second place: Peak District

Britains rst national park oers
stark beauty and mile upon mile of
trails. The area is ripe for exploration and its highest peak, Kinder Scout,
is both a ne geographical feature and a signicant site in rural history.
In 1932 over 400 walkers trespassed on its haunches, paving the way for
public access and the eventual creation of all our national parks.

LANDMARK OF THE YEAR, NOMINATED BY DAME FIONA REYNOLDS

Conwy Falls
Plummeting 15m into a cavernous pool, Conwy Falls in the
heart of Snowdonia National Park has long been a popular
site for visitors. The surrounding woodlands are imbued
with magic and wildlife, including polecats and a wide
variety of fascinating birdlife.
The Conwy itself is a salmon river and the enchanting
gorge of Fairy Glenn is just a short distance away.

Second place: Lundy

Lovely Lundy, o the coast of Devon in the Bristol channel, just beat the
Photo Getty, Alamy

Lake District in a close contest for second place. This small beautiful
island provides a haven for wildlife and has the UKs only marine reserve,
making it a very special place indeed.

www.countryle.com 67
 BOOK OF THE YEAR, NOMINATED BY FERGUS COLLINS


Fingers in the Sparkle Jar
Chris Packhams evocative memoir of his
boyhood has enraptured readers. Recalling the
the summers of his youth, Packham brings to life
his unhappy, lonely childhood and touching
relationship with his kestrel.
Our editor Fergus says: Chris Packhams
moving and painfully honest account of a troubled 1970s
childhood alleviated in part by magical encounters with
wildlife has clearly connected with a wide audience and is
a deserving winner of this award.

Second place: The Outrun

Another personal memoir, Amy Liptrots account of her journey from
alcoholism in London to salvation in her Orkney homelands pays tribute
to the healing power of nature. It has already garnered several awards.

GARDEN OF THE YEAR, NOMINATED BY JOE SWIFT

Inverewe Gardens
This sub-tropical paradise overlooking Loch Ewe in Wester
Ross captured our readers imaginations and just pipped
Trebah to the post to claim the coveted title.
The beautiful garden was created by Osgood McKenzie in
1862, and enjoys mild temperatures brought in by the Gulf
Stream. Transformed from the original scrub willows and
rock, its 49 acres bloom with amboyant plants from around
the world, making it a must-visit.

Second place: Trebah Garden

Another sub-tropical delight, coastal Trebah near Falmouth in Cornwall
has its own beach on the Helford River, a towering gunnera jungle and a
lake within a hydrangea valley. Enormous exotic plants loom over
winding paths to create a magical environment for all the family.

COUNTRY PUB OF THE YEAR, NOMINATED BY PETE BROWN

Crosskeys Inn, County Antrim

The oldest thatched pub in Ireland was once a coaching stop
on the old road between Belfast and Derry. A stone-built
cottage constructed in the 1650s, the Crosskeys today is a
merry place renowned for its traditional music, Guinness
and Irish whiskey and clearly has a devoted following.

Joint second place: The Stein Inn, Isle of Skye and The Earle Arms,
Norfolk
An extraordinary nish, with both the Stein Inn and the Earle Arms
receiving exactly the same number of votes, leaving them tied in joint
second place. Skyes oldest pub, The Stein Inn oers
breathtaking wild
Photo Alamy

waterside views. The Earle Arms in Norfolk is a foodies heaven, and a

ercely guarded secret among its loyal patrons.

68 www.countryle.com
HERITAGE SITE OF THE YEAR, NOMINATED BY BILL BRYSON

Durham Cathedral
Well. What a whopper. This category saw a landslide of votes
for the magnicent cathedral, which has stood resplendent
on the banks of the River Wear for nearly 1,000 years.
At 66m tall, the central tower oers splendid views of the
surrounding landscape. The cathedral attracts millions of
admirers every year, who come to marvel at its ne Norman
features and stone vaulted ceiling. Bill Bryson says I am
delighted that Durham Cathedral has won. It is
unquestionably one of the most beautiful
and inspiring buildings anywhere.

Second place: Skara Brae

Despite its remote location on
Orkney, the pre-historic settlement
of Skara Brae has many fans. This
stone-built Neolithic settlement
was uncovered by a storm in 1850,
and comprises eight surviving
houses, complete with stone
furniture, that date back 5,000 years.
 Explore the best of the UKs
footpaths and National Parks

If you are looking for days out in

Cheshire, then Abbeywood Gardens
has lots to offer, including acre upon
acre of woodland, six acres of
informal and formal gardens, plus

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you can relax and enjoy the
atmosphere in our Garden Cafe.

350 guidebooks 2km wildlife walk, incorporating

New Forest, Cotswolds, South Downs, 27 acres of woodland.
Young seven-acre arboretum with rare
Dartmoor, Snowdonia, Cairngorms, deciduous and evergreen tree species.
Northumberland, Lake District, Stunning views of the Utkinton Hills.
Yorkshire Dales... Relaxed diner serving home-grown
and local quality produce.
explore the world! Functions space for weddings and events.
Childrens outdoor play area.

Abbeywood Gardens is the perfect place to while away an hour or two,

celebrate a happy event or spend time relaxing in our Garden Cafe.
www.cicerone.co.uk
e-books and e-routes available 25% OFFER
Why not get automatic updates Abbeywood Estate, Chester Road, Delamere, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 2HS
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for your guidebooks.... 01606 889477/888116 | info@abbeywoodestate.co.uk
for longer articles and advice

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 WILDLIFE SUCCESS OF THE YEAR, NOMINATED BY SHEENA HARVEY

Eurasian Beaver
Our readers celebrated Eurasian beavers returning from
extinction in the UK after 400 years. Reintroduced in
Scotland, the beaver has received ocial recognition as a
native species following the success of a trial on the
Knapdale Estate in Argyll, and in England, a wild breeding
population has appeared on the River Otter in Devon.

Second place: Short-haired bumblebee

These vital pollinators are struggling, and readers commended the
eorts made to return this native bee species to south-east England.

READER PHOTO, NOMINATED BY NAOMI WILKINSON

Towering Storm by Nigel Hodson

Voters were swept away by this enthralling scene of a
monster wave rising up against the harbour wall in
Porthcawl. The power of nature is made apparent
by the huddled little gures of humans in the foreground.
Its a striking image thats bursting with drama.
Photos Alamy

Second place: Owl on the Prowl by Ron Baber

A stunning shot of a short-eared owl in ight, capturing its focused
gaze and powerful wingbeat.

www.countryle.com 71
 OUTDOOR BRAND OF THE YEAR, NOMINATED BY DIXE WILLS
Pramo
This British manufacturer of high-performance and
comfortable outdoor clothing has raced to rst place as our
reader favourite. Our expert, green travel writer Dixe Wills,
says: Pramo are deserved winners in the Outdoor Brand of
the Year category.
They create fantastic hard-wearing gear and do so while
caring for the environment and oering
training and
employment to some of Colombias most vulnerable women.
Second place: Sprayway
Manchester-based outdoor specialists Sprayway were highly
commended by voters for their stylish clothing and equipment for
climbing, walking, hiking and general earthy adventures.
Photos Alamy
72
BEACH OF THE YEAR, NOMINATED BY HERMIONE COCKBURN
Embleton Bay
Northumberlands coast garners another endorsement with
this win. Stretching for miles, this enormous sandy silver
beach is dominated by the epic ruins of 14th-century
Dunstanburgh castle on its southern tip.
Fringed by dunes, with ample birdwatching opportunities,
the bay is perfect for family outings or long walks.
Second place: Balephuil Bay
A beach to call ones own This remote paradise on Tiree in the Inner
Hebrides has miles of white sand and turquoise sea, and, thanks to its
location, a high likelihood of having it all to yourself.
Flanked by low dunes and machair habitat, the beautiful bay harbours
corncrakes as well as free-roaming cattle and is a mecca for surfers.
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 May

Great
days out www.countryle.com/walks

WILDLIFE WONDERS
May bursts with colour and life and our wildlife photographers know the best
walks to see some of the nest spring spectacles
crown copyright 2016 OS Photo: Ross Hoddinott, Laurie Campbell

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

www.countryle.com/walks 75
 CONTENTS
Your handy guide to this
months Great Days
y Out

p78
p86

p85

p82
p81
p76 p88
p90

OTTER SPOTTING
Chilbolton Cow Common
Hampshire, p76
Six more otter sites
Nationwide, p79

CAPTURE THE COAST

Marloes Peninsula
Pembrokeshire, p81

WETLAND WANDER
Cley/Salthouse Marshes
Norfolk, p82

TREETOP DWELLERS
Formby WALK: Chilbolton Cow Common, Hampshire
Merseyside, p85

SEABIRD CITY
THE OTTER SPOTTER
St Abbs Head You are more likely to see an otter today in the UK than ever before, yet
Berwickshire, p86 their elusive nature still makes them a dicult spot, says Simon Cooper
y companion made
THE WEALDEN WAY
Marlpit Hill
Kent, p88 M a fairly passable
imitation of Edvard
Munchs The Scream when I
told her what time we
FOCUSING ON THRIFT needed to meet for some
Bedruthan Steps otter spotting. Im not sure
Cornwall, p90 pre-dawn was what she had
in mind, but Imogen was true
WILDLIFE to her word and we met in
PHOTOGRAPHY the early hours of a May
morning, when most sensible
Learn more with a course people were still in bed.
Nationwide, p92 Given our heroic eorts
to
beat the arrival of dawn, we had
hoped to be rewarded with
decent weather. Instead, it was
cold, with the added bonus of a
sideways drizzle. We had no
choice, however the two
hours before dawn and the two
hours after dusk are the best
times to spot otters. And it
was not as if the British weather
was going to deter them. Lets
face it, if you had a coat of
waterproof fur that was 200
times denser than the hair on a
human head, youd laugh in the
face of a bit of rain.
On the plus side, and in spite
of the cloud, the fading moon lit
our way across the common,
the yellow ag irises, thrusting
sedge grasses and buttercups
faintly discernible alongside
the path. Ahead of us was the
bending river a wide, shallow,
silver ribbon the banks
marked with deep, muddy
ditches where the cattle come
to graze and drink the name
Chilbolton Cow Common
is as relevant today as it was
in medieval times.

76 www.countryle.com/walks

Chilbolton Cow Common is a
great place to spot otters, but
keep an eye out for kestrels,
owls, red kites and egrets too
A SENSE OF SCALE
Otters breed all year round and
you are as likely to see one in
the depths of winter as you are
at the height of summer. For
me, that is their fascination
they are constantly among us,
but such is their private nature
that we rarely see them. It is
remarkable when you consider
they are the UKs largest
semi-aquatic mammal. An
adult otter will easily tip the
scales at 11kg, measuring well
over a metre in length from
nose to rudder, as otter
Photos: Philip Hartley, Simon Cooper, Getty
acionados like to call the tail.
As we turn downriver o the
well-trodden Test Way, the
going gets tougher. The cattle
havent made it easy for us. You
need well-tted wellingtons for
the boot-engulng mires, an
www.countryle.com/walks
ABOVE The majority of an otters diet is made up of sh, but they also eat birds, small mammals and frogs
BELOW Entry and exit points to the river, know as slides, are a clear sign of otter activity
ability to take uneven ground
in your stride and an
acceptance that you will return
home with muddy trousers. But
thats the price you pay for
venturing into otter territory.
AND THEN SUDDENLY,
FROM SOMEWHERE
UPRIVER, THERE COMES
A RASPY COUGH
Twenty-ve years ago, this
walk would have been
pointless. The English otter
population was on the brink of
extinction after half a century
of agricultural chemicals
leaching into the rivers and
polluting the food chain.
Thankfully, following the ban of
these chemicals in the early
1990s, water quality increased
and the slow-road to recovery
began. Fish populations
returned to the rivers and lakes,
and as a
result you are
more likely to
see an otter
today than
at any time
in the past
sixty years.
SIGNS OF LIFE
It doesnt take long for us to
come across the rst signs.
Otters are a great help to
anyone who wishes to track
them as they are creatures of
habit and follow the same
routes, travelling as much on
GREAT DAYS OUT
Photo tip
The hour before dusk and
dawn, as otters are on the
move, is the best time for
photography. They have poor
eyesight but acute hearing, so
choose your spot, keep still
and wait. Adjust your camera
for low light and set it with a
fast shutter speed. A
telephoto lens is a good idea.
Otters are out in all weathers,
so you should be as well.
land as they do in water.
Crouching down beside the
riverbank, I use a torch to point
out a muddy, semi-circular
slide into the river, the wet dirt
embedded with ve-clawed
footprints where the otters
have hauled themselves in and
out of the water. Otter
droppings, or spraints, are
often used to mark territory.
We spot some, telling us that
that they were here recently, no
longer than a day ago.
Imogen was evidently worried
about me using a torch, but she
neednt have been. As long as it
is used discreetly, the bright
light wont spook otters; they
are notoriously short-sighted.
However, we both keep really
quiet and talk only in whispers
otters have acute hearing.
77

Similarly, I dont worry about
the sound of our squelching
feet these creatures are
used to the cattle creating a
similar commotion.
Our progress is slow, but
deliberately so because
otters, whether they are a lone
dog (male) or a mother with
pups, travel many miles in a
night. Chasing them down is a
pointless aaair. You are better
THE ROUTE
CHILBOLTON COW COMMON
1 TO THE RIVER
Drive to Joys Lane in
Chilbolton and leave your car
in the free car park. Follow the
Test Valley Way through the
common until you cross the
footbridge over the River Test.
2 IN THEIR TERRITORY
Turn left along the bank of the
river, walking downstream for
350m to the edge of the
common. This is prime otter
territory, so be alert.
3 A PAIR OF PONDS
Turn right away from the river
along the path. After a few
78
Otter expert and sherman Simon
Cooper gets close to Topaz the otter
o
nding their regular routes
and hoping your paths cross.
A BURST OF LIFE
In all likelihood, youll hear an
otter before you see one, so
we mostly wait and listen. The
ancient sedge grass tussocks
make comfortable seats as
we watch the sky turn from
gunmetal grey to pinkish
silver dawn is here. The rain
minutes you pass two ponds,
both popular with otters.
4 PASSING THE TEST
Continue north-east along the
path, keeping the river to your
left before re-joining the Test
Way at a footbridge.
5 BOG UNDER FOOT
Return towards the car park
and re-cross the footbridge,
turning right downstream to
explore the opposite bank of
the River Test. The going is
often boggy, so wellingtons are
essential. This is a 1.5 mile walk,
so be sure to take your time.
at New Forest Wildlife Park in
south-west Hampshire
gradually fades to nothing.
A barn owl takes a last turn
above the common in search
of unwary prey. And then
suddenly, from somewhere
upriver, there comes a raspy
cough. I signal to Imogen to
keep quiet, motioning towards
the river as the cough gives
way to splashing.
All of a sudden, this sleek,
dark, wet creature appears
4
3
half swimming, half wading
through the shallow water,
moving in that strange,
lolloping way that otters do as
their backs rise then fall with
each motion. Opposite us, he
or she, I cant tell which, pops
out of the water on to a grassy
promontory. Like a cat, the
otter busily grooms its fur and
paws. After a few minutes,
it stops, head still, nose
twitching, one half-groomed
leg poised in the air.
REFLECTION
Whether the otter caught wind
of our scent, or the rising sun
reminded it of the daytime
safety of its holt, I dont know,
but with one uid movement, it
had disappeared into the river.
Retracing our steps in the
light of the morning, thoughts
of the early start vanished as
we revelled in the magic of
what we had just witnessed.
Simon Coopers The
Otters Tale explores
the behaviour of otters
through the seasons.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
5
2
Photos: Simon Cooper, Alamy, Getty / iStock
1
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AND SHARE
THIS ROUTE
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 GREAT DAYS OUT

SIX OTHER OTTER SPOTTING SITES

GUIDE
How to use the
ViewRanger app

Weve partnered up with

RANWORTH BROAD, NORFOLK
For the chance to see otters from the water, join a
Norfolk Wildlife Trust boat trip and explore the River
Bure valley. Marsh harriers and kingshers can also
be seen. norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/whats-on
AUGHTON WOODS, LANCASHIRE
This remote ancient woodland on the banks of the
River Lune is described by the Lancashire Wildlife
Trust as a hotspot for otters.
lancswt.org.uk/wildlife/reserves
Viewranger, the go-to app for
online walking routes.
If you would like to access a
route using your smartphone or
tablet, heres what to do:

1. Download a QR code reader

from your app shop on your
device. Where you see this icon
you can use ViewRanger.

THE TARKA TRAIL, DEVON ISLE OF SKYE, SCOTLAND

This 180-mile trail follows the journey of the
eponymous otter from Henry Williamsons classic
book Tarka the Otterr. Passing a number of water
bodies between Exmoor and Dartmoor, keep a look
out for a huge variety of wildlife. devon.gov.uk
Join the International Otter Survival Fund on the
Isle of Skye and learn how to track and spot
otters in their natural habitat. There are regular
trips for small groups or individuals running
between Monday and Friday. otter.org
2. Open the app on your device
and hold your phone above the
printed QR code. It then does all
the work!

3. The app will take you

THE WELSH WILDLIFE CENTRE, TEIFI
MARSHES, PEMBROKESHIRE
This wetland reserve sits on the banks of the River
Tei in Wales. With a hide set in the middle of the
wetlands, its a great place to see otters.
welshwildlife.org/visitor-centres/the-welsh-
wildlife-centre
through to this walk in the
ViewRanger app, so that you
can carry the route around with
you in your pocket.
And youre ready to go!
STRANGFORD LOUGH, NORTHERN IRELAND
Northern Ireland has one of the healthiest
populations of otters in the UK, both inland and
along the coastline. Strangford Lough, an
extensive National Trust property, is one of the
best places to see them.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/strangford-lough

www.countryle.com/walks 79
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to Coast Walk are on the doorstep, with many
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hiking or cycling, with the bonus of returning
home to a delightful, comfortable cottage, where
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judith@catholecottages.com
01748 886366
catholecottages.com

WALK: Marloes Peninsula, Pembrokeshire
CAPTURING THE COAST
Drew Buckley roams the south-west shoreline of Wales with his camera
in tow, discovering clitop
wildowers, diving gannets and basking seals
ne of the nest
O THE ROUTE
stretches on the
Pembrokeshire
coastline, the Marloes
Peninsula takes in a long
sandy beach, dramatic
rock formations and
clitops
of wildowers.
Charismatic choughs whirl
through the air, kestrels
hover and, out at sea, grey
seals and porpoises play
alongside diving gannets.
1 SAND IN SIGHT
Unlike most of the 186-mile
Pembrokeshire Coast Path,
this section of the trail is
relatively at. Start at the
National Trust car park
accessible by local bus then
head south to Marloes Sands.
2 CLIFFS IN BLOOM
This mile-long curved stretch
Photos: Drew Buckley
of golden sand, backed by tall
sandstone clis,
is dotted with
www.countryle.com/walks
5.5 MILES | 3.5 HOURS
5 island of Skomer In spring, this
4 large colony of nesting puns.
DOWNLOAD
AND SHARE
THIS ROUTE
stony outcrops and rock-
pools that brim with life. Keep
an eye on the tide times as
access to the beach is limited.
Heading north, your clitop
journey ourishes with insects
and wildowers look out
for thrift, scabius, heather,
sea campion, ox eye daisies,
gorse and many more.
GREAT DAYS OUT
Wooltack Point is home to an array of animals,
including the oystercatcher its striking red bill is
used for breaking into shellsh such as cockles
4 LAND ADRIFT
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Further along the coast at the
Deer Park, gaze across the
turquoise seas towards the
refuge becomes home to a
5 FLYING FINISH
At Wooltack Point, admire the
1 acrobatic choughs, stonechats
and peregrines, then follow the
3 2 coast path back to the start.
Photo tip
For the best contrast in your
photos, keep the sun on your
3 SHIPWRECKED left or right. Side lighting
From your vantage point, maximises depth, captures
youll be able to see a small details in highlights and
bay, Albion Sands, named shadows and helps to keep a
after the Albion steamboat balanced exposure throughout.
that ran aground in nearby
Jack Sound in 1837. Parts of Drew Buckley
the ships engines still remain is an award-winning
today and can be seen poking landscape and wildlife
from the sand at low tide. photographer.
81

WALK: Cley and Salthouse Marshes, Norfolk
WETLAND WANDER
Reedbeds and grazing marshes are the ideal habitat for photographing bird life, says David Tipling
ay is a great month
M for spotting birds,
making it a window
of opportunity for wildlife
photographers. For me,
there are few places better
than Cley and Salthouse
Marshes in Norfolk. Swaying
grasses hum with the song
of reed and sedge warblers,
while noisy avocets rear
newborn chicks on the
muddy ground. This is
an arrival and departure
lounge for migrating birds,
82
and wherever you look the
wetlands teem with life.
1 AERIAL ACROBATICS
Collect a permit from the
visitor centre next to the car
park, before setting out on this
at but often muddy circular
walk. Just a few steps away
is Bishop Hide, my favourite
spot at Cley Marshes for
photography. Out across the
scrape (muddy depression)
avocets will be conspicuous.
Scan the reeds for marsh
Photographic encounters with bearded
tits are always memorable this individual
was a real show o as he swayed to
and fro on a reed in the breeze
harriers. Their high-pitched territorial displays, or song
cries may alert you to the
male as he calls the female
from above. Dropping his prey
ights, will oer a tricky
photographic challenge. The
next stop is Babcock Hide
towards the nest, she will often overlooking Watling Water.
catch the meal in an impressive Avocets may be breeding here,
show of mid-air acrobatics. but also keep an eye out for
migrant waders.
2 SONG FLIGHTING
Back on the path, the grazing 3 BIRDS ON THE BEACH
marsh on your left supports Leaving the hide, turn left
Photos: David Tipling
breeding wading birds such towards the sea. The many
as lapwings. Look for little dykes here can be good for
egrets in the dykes and sedge photographing patrolling
warblers in the reeds their dragonies. For a longer all-day
www.countryle.com/walks
 GREAT DAYS OUT

walk, continue towards

Salthouse where the infamous
Cookies Crab shop will be hard
to resist for lunch. On the
beach, I sometimes linger to
capture passing sandwich
terns or perhaps a migrant
whinchat or wheatear along
the fence. The sea pools on
your left often buzz with birds,
while yellow-horned poppies
provide a colourful foreground
for landscape shots.

4 EAST BANK TO WEST

The path soon reaches the ABOVE Cley Marshes designated as a nature reserve in 1926 is Norfolk Wildlife Trusts oldest reserve
northern end of East Bank. For BELOW A barn owl hovers above the grazing marshes using hearing as much as sight to locate its prey
a worthwhile detour, head
inland along the embankment.
Singing reed warblers can be
photographed from the path
and bearded reedlings give
away their location with noisy
ping calls. Return to the beach
and continue to West Bank,
which oers great views of
the photogenic 18th-century
Cley Mill. Turn left and follow
Beach Road inland.

5 HIDE AND THEN SEEK

The last stop is the Daukes
Hide complex a collection of
three bird shelters. The rare
garganey and migrating rus
may be on show. Reed buntings
can often be seen from the
boardwalks, while at dawn and THE ROUTE IN ASSOCIATION WITH
dusk barn owls hunt over the 4.5 MILES | 3 HOURS
grazing marsh. Back at the
visitor centre, relax with coee
and cake on the viewing deck.

Photo tip
For close bird encounters, take 4
advantage of the hides. Do not
ignore the landscape: it may be
at, but the big skies, reeds and 3
pools oer bags of photographic
potential. Be patient and wait for 5
the birds to come within range
before taking your shot.
1
2
David Tipling
is a wildlife
DOWNLOAD
photographer and
AND SHARE
author who lives on
THIS ROUTE
the Norfolk coast.

www.countryle.com/walks 83
 ldlife oer so much m
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DAY OUT: Formby and the Sefton Coast, Merseyside
TREETOP DWELLERS
From scampering red squirrels to miles of empty beaches, the Merseyside
coast is a photographers playground, says Craig Easton
pring in Formby means
S asparagus, sun-struck
sand dunes and deep,
dark pine forests. The National
Trust-owned woods are also
one of the few habitats in
England where the native red
squirrel can still be seen.
Running quickly from branch to
branch in the tops of the trees,
Photo: Craig Easton
these usually elusive creatures
www.countryle.com/walks
dont appear to be frightened of
human beings, and often venture
down to the ground. Dawn is the
best time to spot them, and its not
uncommon to see the rodents
scapper across the path in front of
you. The short Squirrel Walk (1/2
mile) takes about 30 minutes, but
often lasts much longer as you
observe the squirrels funny little
habits. To photograph in this low
light, youll need a long lens, high
ISO, quick reactions and patience.
Though many visitors come to
this area for the squirrels, I love
leaving the forest for the beach. In
spring, the contrast between the
shade of the trees and the bright
dunes is scintillating. There are 21
miles of the Sefton Coastal Path
to explore, stretching north to
Southport and south to Liverpool.
GREAT DAYS OUT
Watch for sculptor Antony
Gormleys Another Place 100
cast iron gures facing out to sea.
And in May and June, sample the
areas infamous asparagus while
walking the Asparagus Trail.
Craig Easton
is known for his
dramatic landscape
work and portraits.
85
 WALK: St Abbs Head, Berwickshire
A WILD TIME IN SEABIRD CITY
Take your camera on to the coastal clis
seabirds, splashes of pink thrift and maybe even otters, says Laurie Campbell
This picture was taken in May, early in the breeding
season. After a period of courting, the pair of fulmars
settled on a sheltered ledge on the sea cli
aucous seabird
R colonies, ancient
grassland rich in
rare plants and butteries, a
sheltered freshwater lake
with wildfowl and dragonies
theres so much to discover
at St Abbs Head.
Winter light can be great for
photography, highlighting the
contrast between the
peninsulas red rock and the
stormy North Sea, yet it feels
eerily empty without the
seabirds. By early summer,
however, they are back in force
and the headland is throbbing
with life. May is an ideal time for
photographing the spectacular
vistas and delicate details.
1 OFF TO THE VIEWPOINT
Start and nish at the National
Trust for Scotland visitor
centre just west of the shing
village of St Abbs. Walk down
86
of southern Scotland to capture thousands of nesting
the road, turn left and follow the
path through deciduous
woodland up to a viewpoint.
2 KITTIWAKENING
Here you will gain your rst
sight of the seabird city. Pause
to take in the headland covered
with kittiwakes, fulmars and
guillemots. Then take the path
heading north, climbing
gradually uphill towards
the lighthouse and foghorn
of St Abbs Head.
3 LIGHTHOUSE HILL
Its hard to take your eyes o
the seascape to the right, but
the grassland at your feet is
ancient, unimproved and
exceptionally rich in plant and
insect life. Look out for the
nest-mounds of yellow
meadow ants, owers of purple
milk vetch and, by late May,
the little white stars of sea
sandwort. The pink splashes of
thrift are very photogenic
against a backdrop of blue sea.
4 NUNNERY POINT
Beyond the lighthouse, the
clis form an amphitheatre and
the noise of thousands of
screeching seabirds hits you
like a physical force. The
kittiwakes are particularly loud.
The remains of volcanic
eruptions form enormous
oshore rock stacks, their tops
packed tight with guillemots.
Look closely and youll see
razorbills among them. On
windy days, fulmars hang in
the air like kestrels. This is the
place to photograph seabirds.
They arent as accessible as
on the Farne Islands, but the
grandeur of the setting shows
the birds in context. Stay as
long as you need to catch
every available light.
5 HAVE A WILD THYME
Head downhill to the old jetty at
the shoreline. At low tide, vast
kelp beds are revealed, their
fronds the perfect harbour for
marine animals. The clis
stretch on and on, full of wild
promise that inspires
exploration. But for now, head
south to Mire Loch, stopping to
smell the wild thyme and wood
sage, and keeping an eye out
for signs of otters and badgers.
6 EDGE OF MIRE LOCH
Follow the path along the
eastern side of the loch.
Theres a sense of tranquillity
here, enhanced by the songs of
warblers and the scent of
gorse. A world away from the
noisy clitops, its a place for
close-ups: cowslips, early
purple orchids, maybe a
stonechat or green-veined
white buttery resting on a
cuckoo ower. Later in the
summer, the rare northern
brown argus buttery feeds on
abundant rock rose. Its one of
the many reasons to return, as
you follow the path uphill, then
back along the road to the
visitor centre and tea room.
Photo tip
Focus on fulmars: These
tubenose seabirds, related to
the albatross, are an ideal
species for improving your ight
photography skills. They are
predictable, so watch closely
and anticipate their behaviour
to help plan your photo.
Laurie Campbell
has dedicated over 35
years to photographing
the Scottish landscape.
www.countryle.com/walks

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS
5 4
OTTER
Scotland is a stronghold for
this solitary mammal. As
many live on the coast, they
are often called sea otters but
are, in fact, the same as the
inland freshwater species.
GREEN-VEINED
WHITE BUTTERFLY
Widespread throughout the
British Isles, this buttery
likes damp, grassy places,
much like the cuckooower,
one of its favourite foods.
Photos: Laurie Campbell
www.countryle.com/walks
GREAT DAYS OUT
STONECHAT
This dumpy little bird has a
russet chest that is brighter in
males. It loves to perch on
gorse and is named for its
sharp call, which sounds like
stones knocking together.
6
3
PURPLE MILK-VETCH
Astragalus danicuss is a
low-growing perennial that
favours the north-eastern
coast of Britain. Its racemes of
pea-like blueish purple owers
bloom in June and July.
FULMAR
Swooping low over the waves
and nesting high up on cli
ledges, the fulmar rarely
strays far from the coast.
To deter predators, chicks
projectile vomit a smelly oil.
87
 WALK: Marlpit Hill, Kent
A WAY THROUGH THE WEALD
Sarah Medway trains her lens on secretive deer and gamboling lambs in bluebell woods and pasture
his short circular
T
walk begins in Marlpit
Hill on the northern
edge of Edenbridge, Kent.
Once at the heart of the
medieval Wealden iron
industry, the area is now
tranquil farmland. Discover
babbling brooks, tributaries
of the River Eden, ancient
bluebell woods and the site
of a Saxon manor.
1 SWANNING AROUND
The walk starts on Swan
Lane, near Marlpit Hill
allotments, passing through
the original swan-topped brick
pillars of Swan Lane Farm.
In spring, look for frolicking
lambs in the elds, before
crossing a tributary of the
River Eden at a turnstile.
2 MAGICAL WOODLAND
Turn left after the kissing gate
and follow a pleasant line of
oak trees through elds of
arable farmland, interwoven
with streams and brooks.
A tripod and wide-angle lens
helped capture this misty dawn
over the pasture of Marlpit Hill
88
The walk briey pops out
onto Pootings Road, east of
the village of Pootings, before
returning to farmland.
As you pass alongside a
stream and an enchanting
woodland shaw of hazel and
birch trees, look out for deer
a great photo opportunity.
3 THE UNLUCKY MANOR
Head through a stile that leads
to a eld bordering Broxham
Woods. With the trees on your
left, follow until a footbridge
crosses into this ancient
woodland, which is carpeted
with bluebells in spring.
On leaving the woods, take
the footbridge and turn
immediately left, following the
hedge line to the driveway of
Broxham Mano
The restored moat on the
left is all that remains of the
13th-century manorhouse that
twice burned down. As the site
was considered unlucky, the
house was eventually rebuilt
opposite it in the 18th century.
THE ROUTE
3.5 MILES | 2.5 HOURS
2
5 4
1
4 NO CHEESE PLEASE
The walk meanders through
arable farmland and scattered
ponds, rich with Wealden clay
and blooms of cuckoo ower.
Listen for mewing buzzards
and the high-pitched little bit
of bread with no cheese song
of yellowhammers.
5 KISSING GOODBYE
The walk continues through
another bluebell wood and
stream before coming to an
end at the kissing gate.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
3
DOWNLOAD
AND SHARE
THIS ROUTE
Photo tip
A wide-angle lens will make the
most of capturing bluebell
landscapes. In spring, the leafy
woodland canopy may restrict
the light, making your camera
exposures longer. Use a
portable, lightweight tripod to
eliminate camera shake.
Sarah Medway is an
outdoor photojournalist
who loves exploring Kent
and the south coast.
Photo: Sarah Medway
www.countryle.com/walks
 Wildlife of
the Hebrides
dazzling with the experts
STUNNING
Discover the wild
delights of one of the
UKs most beautiful
and remote corners
with expert naturalist
Steve Dufeld.
Ancient Castle, Stately Home & Gardens

for more details, call 01903 882173

or visit www.arundelcastle.org Outer Hebrides
7 days from 1,195
Countl
less Blooms and a
Profu
usion of Colour
Enjoy an explosiion of colour at
arundel caastles tulip festival and
allium exttravagaanza. One of the REQUEST OUR BROCHURE
biggest displays of tulips in the
country will
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Please check th
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 WALK: Bedruthan Steps, Cornwall
FOCUSING ON
SEA PINKS
Wildowers provide the perfect foreground for a
sunset over the sea, says Ross Hoddinott
ornwall is home to
C some of the most
impressive coastline
found anywhere in Europe.
Rugged, wild and imposing,
Bedruthan Steps in the
countrys north is the
jewel in the crown.
This craggy section of coast
is easily accessible from
Newquay. Begin at the National
Trust-run Carnewas car park
where there is a cafe and
toilets. From here, join the
coast path and walk north.
STEP INTO THE PICTURE
Many of the clis around
Bedruthan Steps exceed 70m,
gifting far-reaching and
spectacular views along the
Cornish coast. In stormy
weather, massive waves crash
against large sea stacks that
rise from the beach below.
While at low water, a broad
and inviting beach is revealed
during spring and summer
the sands can be accessed
by a steep staircase.
This is a great place to walk
and the perfect environment to
spot wildlife. Look for common
lizards basking on walls and
fence posts, while stonechats
nest among the gorse, and
kestrels and peregrines patrol
the sky. Bedruthan Steps is
synonymous with spring
owers, making May one of the
best times of year to visit the
area. Thrift, one of the most
dominant owers, carpets
large swathes of the cli tops.
Nicknamed sea pinks, these
Photos: Ross Hoddinott
densely packed plants are
hugely photogenic.
90
With the thrift forming a beautiful
pink carpet in my foreground, I waited
for the golden light of the setting sun
to bathe the Cornish coast
A SHIFT OF LIGHT
When in bloom, sea pinks
provide a colourful and
interesting foreground to
wide-angle views of the coast.
A focal length in the region of
16-35mm works well, allowing
you to capture the owers in
context with the landscape
that surrounds them. Crouch
down among the clumps of
thrift and ll your foreground
with pink. Stay safe, though,
and avoid getting too close to
the edge of the cli.
This is a location best shot
just before sunset, when warm
light bathes the clis. Wander
along the coast path and look
for a good vantage point you
dont need to go far. Enjoy the
sound of the waves lapping
against the rocks below and
wait for the light to turn golden
as it dips towards the horizon.
Photo tip
If you wish to take frame-lling
close-ups of basking lizards, or
the coastal ora, try using a
close-up lter/diopter, an
inexpensive attachment that
improves focus on your lens.
Lizards are very sensitive, so
move into position slowly.
Ross Hoddinott
is one of the UKs leading
wildlife and landscape
photographers.
www.countryle.com/walks
 GREAT DAYS OUT

STONECHATS NEST AMONG

THE GORSE, AND KESTRELS AND
PEREGRINES PATROL THE SKY

www.countryle.com/walks 91
 1 TOP 6 WILDLIFE
PHOTOGRAPHY
COURSES
Learn the secrets of nature
photography with one of these
six fantastic British wildlife
workshops, says Sian Lewis
Otters
1 Argyll and Bute, Scotland
2 elusive wildlife sighting. Unless,
of course, you have the help of
Philip Price of Loch Visions.
Hell give you a rundown of their
behaviour and how to track
them, before teaching you the
art of capturing the charismatic
beasties as they frolic in
the lochs of Argyll and Bute.
199 for a weekend workshop.
lochvisions.co.uk
2 Puns Farne Islands,
Northumberland
Playful puns are one of our
favourite birds, and theres
nowhere better to see them
than the rugged Farne Islands,
Northumberland. Up to 70,000
puns nest here in the summer
snap these charming birds
up close with a Photographers
on Safari workshop.
89 for a full-day workshop
photographersonsafari.com
Butteries Stratford-upon-
3 3 Avon, Warwickshire
If the beautiful minutiae of the
animal world are your thing, sign
up to Wild Arenas buttery
workshop for an introduction to
macro photography. Capture
some of the 250 species that it
about the Stratford Buttery
Farm and learn to use dierent
lenses to immortalise their
delicate colours. This course is
suitable for wheelchair users.
99 for a full-day workshop.
wildarena.com
92
1
2
6
4
5 3
Red Deer Bradgate Park,
4 Leicestershire
Ever seen stunning photos of
stags rutting against a golden
dawn and wished they were
your own? Natures Lens cant
guarantee the sunshine, but
they can teach you everything
else about photographing red
deer join a workshop this
October as the rut begins.
325 for a weekend workshop.
natureslens.co.uk
Underwater
5 Skomer, Pembrokeshire
Snorkel on the waves at the
Skomer Marine Conservation
Zone, Pembrokeshire. Andy
Davies teaches you how to
take great photos of everything
from jewel-like anemones
to inquisitive grey seals.
220 for a weekend workshop.
andydavies.info
Birds of Prey
6 Welshpool, Powys
Falconers with trained barn
owls, long-eared owls and other
birds of prey are on hand to
help instructors Mark Sisson
and Danny Green teach the
basics of shooting captivating
portraits of these majestic
birds in stunning settings.
99-140 for a full-day workshop.
natures-images.co.uk
Sian Lewis favourite
moment behind the
lens was meeting the
Farne Islands adorable
resident puns.
www.countryle.com/walks
 GREAT DAYS OUT

4
Photos Getty, Alamy, Andy Davies

5 6
www.countryle.com/walks 93
IMAGE: MELISSA NOLAN

Support our latest appeal at

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RECEIVE  OFF MEMBERSHIP

with the code mammal10
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For evidence-based conservation

 READER IMAGES
YOUR GREAT DAYS OUT IN PHOTOS
Share your best photos of the British countryside with us and you could see your image
in print or online and win a great prize. Send your images to Your Photos, BBC Countryle Magazine,
Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN or email photos@countryle.com

Photo
of the
month

TIDAL MIRROR FINE AND DANDY

By: Ashley Hemsley
Where: Cow Gap, Sussex
While on a walk near
Beachy Head, I noticed a
beautiful reection as the
tides slowly began to fall.
I set up my camera on one
of many rockpools to try
to capture the beauty
unfolding in front of me. This
was taken mid-afternoon,
as the sun was shining just
out of frame.
By: Julia Amies
Where: Winsford,
Somerset
Up close and inside the
seed head of an old
dandelion. The hidden
kingdom, as I like to call it, is
a fascinating and beautiful
new world that, without the
aid of a macro lens or
magnifying glass, we would
otherwise overlook.

THE PRIZE This months winner receives an Aquapac 100% Waterproof Camera Case, ideal for protecting your
compact camera while at the beach and even underwater. Waterproof and sand-proof, the TPU optically clear LENZFLEX
lens window also allows you to take high quality photographs, no matter how wet the conditions. Comes with adjustable
neckcord. www.aquapac.net

www.countryle.com 95
 HIDDEN GEM
By: Keith Powditch
Where: Ashdown House,
Berkshire Downs
Ashdown House is ever
peaceful, a National Trust
hidden gem. It looks to me
at its most imposing in
winter, with a crisp frost and
low early morning sun
backlighting the scene.

GLEN COLD
By: Tricia Brown
Where: Buachaille Etive
Mr, Glen Coe, Scotland
After a heavy overnight
snowfall, I woke to a lovely,
very frosty morning and
headed to Glen Coe where I
managed to get some lovely
photos with the new snow.

FROSTY FIELDS WATERS MEET FALLOW FELLOW

By: Andrew Fletcher By: John Dear By: Tony Preston
Where: Reeth, Swaledale Where: Trent Lock, Where: Bolderwood,
A hard frost was forecast so Derbyshire New Forest
I drove here in the dark and I took this in winter at Bolderwood is a terric
waited for rst light. This the spot where the River place for deer. I had only
spot looks towards Calver Trent, River Soar, Erewash been there 10 minutes when
Hill and the River Swale can canal and Craneet canals the gorgeous one came up
just be seen at the bottom meet, forming a border to me as if to say please
of the photo. I love the between Nottinghamshire, photograph me; I am the
shapes of the drystone walls Leicestershire and greatest. And he is.
and patchwork of elds. Derbyshire.

96 www.countryle.com
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Lazy days BOOKS TV FILM LETTERS KIT PUZZLES
FILM
MOODS, MUD AND MYSTERY
Dont miss this powerful family drama set on a Somerset farm after the recent oods
THE LEVELLING
WRITER/DIRECTOR: HOPE DICKSON LEACH
MAY 12 RELEASE, NATIONWIDE
A beautiful and brooding drama set in
Somerset in the aftermath of the 2014
oods. Clover (Ellie Kendrick) returns
home following the death of her brother
Harry to discover the family farm in
disarray. Her alcoholic and emotionally
unavailable father Aubrey (David
www.countryle.com
May
Reviews editor: Maria Hodson
Troughton) soldiers on relentlessly,
refusing to discuss the circumstances
surrounding Harrys death.
As Clover struggles to piece both the
events of that evening and the farm back
together, the demanding reality of farming
life is depicted in detail the grinding
mud, the mechanisation, the sacrices
required for survival. The challenges of
managing a dairy herd in a climate of
depreciating milk prices and bovine TB
David Troughton plays struggling
dairy farmer Aubrey in The Levelling
are presented without fanfare or
romanticisation. All the while the
landscape seems in mourning dreary,
sodden yet frequently spectacular.
Deft direction, powerful performances
and striking cinematography combine to
create an atmospheric and excellent
drama about farming and family in Britain
today. Its a tremendous debut from
writer-director Hope Dickson Leach.
Maria Hodson, production editor
99

Book
of the
month
BOOK
THE RULE OF THE
LAND: WALKING
IRELANDS BORDER
GARRETT CARR
FABER & FABER, 13.99
Landscapes are inscribed with many
kinds of lines suitable for adoption by
peripatetic scribes. Watersheds and
rivers, A-roads, coastlines and
FILM
KING ARTHUR: LEGEND
OF THE SWORD
12 MAY RELEASE, NATIONWIDE
Director Guy Ritchie presents the story
of King Arthur as an all-action,
st-pumping blockbuster, with an
A-list cast and graphic wizardry.
Forget lutes, braids and whimsical tales.
This is a rough and gritty Arthurian
adventure of blood and stone, steel
and violence, starring Charlie Hannam,
Jude Law and Eric Bana.
100
A lorry is searched on the border of
Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State, 1925
biographical life-lines will all provide
stories aplenty, not least because they
are conduits of human connections;
conductors of compelling themes.
But borderlines exist to interrupt
human narratives. They are ruled to
divide. So a book about a border walk
has to work on the weak links: the gaps
and irregularities where topography
and borderers outwit political history.
The Rule of the Land d appears as
CHILDRENS BOOK
IT STARTS
WITH A SEED
WRITTEN BY LAURA KNOWLES,
ILLUSTRATED BY JENNIE WEBBER
PUBLISHED BY WORDS & PICTURES 12.99
Its never too soon to start getting
children enthusiastic about nature.
Through charming, gentle rhyme and
lovely illustration, this story of how a tiny
sycamore seed becomes a magnicent
tree will surely start weaving its magic in
young minds. Its a genuinely delightful
book about the life cycle of a tree, and
of the animals that rely on it for their
fears rekindle that the softened
distinction between north and south will
reset as a hard divide. The ostensible
mission is to compile a map of the
border and its associated features and
the book does include maps of a
suitably idiosyncratic nature. For
instance, Barry McGuigans route to
rst club shares a cartographic spread
with sketched roadblocks and
observation towers marked OB the
authors acronym for military features
related to Operation Banner.
But this book is less about
mapmaking than the dualities inherent
in a border journey. Its like reading two
parallel versions of the same story, and
goes well beyond the obvious North/
South, Protestant/Catholic dualities.
Estates are paired with bungalows;
landlords with tenants; soldiers with
civilians. A passage about the
agreement that re-opened border
crossings explores the ingenious word
pairings peace process, weighted
majority, power sharing and more
that helped to nd common ground
between two sides imprisoned by
polarities. This is a poignant, funny,
memorable read, layered with ideas.
Nicholas Crane, BBC presenter
livelihood and shelter.
Children can spot a plethora of
wildlife in its leaves, on the ground, and
burrowing beneath its roots through the
seasons all the usual suspects are
here: foxes, rabbits, birds, butteries.
The use of the word arboreal in the
text, by far the trickiest word here,
reects the books factual realism it
doesnt patronise while explaining the
trees importance within our delicate
ecosystem to its young readers.
This book is a treasure for budding
naturalists, and one that grown-ups
wont tire of endlessly re-reading.
Rachael Stiles
www.countryle.com

TV
COUNTRYFILE
BBC ONE, 6.30PM, SUNDAYS
7 May In this compilation programme
focusing on tales from the riverbank,
Ellie Harrison looks at various
conservation projects and classic
footage of elvers (baby eels), giant
otters, the bullrush harvest and
a bat safari.
14 May Countrylee heads east to
Suolk to catch up with the Wildlife
Trusts campaign to create a vast
new nature reserve in the Broads
National Park, which would be the
biggest land purchase in the charitys
55-year history.
21 May The team are in the Clyde
Valley in Lanarkshire. It was once
known as the Fruit Basket of Scotland
with thriving orchards and large
numbers of fruit growers. Countryle
examines its juicy history as well
as seeing how that heritage is being
kept alive. With any luck, it will all
be in full blossom.
GIFT BOOK
MINDFUL
THOUGHTS
FOR WALKERS
ADAM FORD
LEAPING HARE PRESS, 5.99
From epic long-distance walks to a
short stroll in your lunch break, walking
gives us chance to free the mind and
enables us to understand our place in
the world of nature, writes Buddhism
and Hinduism lecturer Adam Ford.
This beautifully illustrated pocket-sized
book encourages the walker to pause
for thought and simply be in the
moment. Ford explores how walking
can improve our mental health and
reects on how walking in natural
environments awakens our senses.
Ford also encourages walking for the
sake of walking as a way of
momentarily leaving the busyness of
daily life behind.
Carys Matthews
www.countryle.com
Q&A
A SURPRISE AROUND EVERY CORNER
The Yorkshire Wolds Wayy airs on BBC Two in June. Here, presenter
Paul Rose reveals why he loves this particular walking route
Q: You have walked several of
Britains long-distant paths what
makes the Yorkshire Wolds Way
distinct and special?
A: I spend my life working in the worlds
most remote and challenging
environments. I love the truly wild places
and am willing to pay the physical and
emotional cost of those huge journeys.
Typically when I am home in England I
still nd myself looking for physically
demanding activities big walks, runs,
bike rides, canoeing and climbing. But
when I walked the Wolds Way I instantly
loved the sense of ease and peaceful
beauty. There is a beautiful surprise
around every corner. Nobody was more
surprised than me that a walk this
rewarding could be so easy. Im hooked!
Q: What were your highlights?
A: My absolute favourite moment was
riding a vintage penny farthing. I loved it
so much that I bought one and I ride it
every day!
Its hard to pick just a few highlights. I
rowed across the Humber in a traditional
Humber gig, I re-created a David
Explorer Paul Rose stayed closer to
home for his Yorkshire Wolds Way walk
LAZY DAYS
Hockney painting, learned how to y a
glider, caught moths using Victorian
methods. I camped at Bempton Clis
with a few hundred sheep and enjoyed
a cuppa and cake with the locals at
Thixendale There was so much to do!
Q: Did you encounter any challenges
on the walk?
A: I was gripped by riding the penny
farthing. The seat is nose high, the
pedals are xed to the front axle so
when I pedalled I found that I was in a
wrestling match with myself as I fought
the eect
of pushing the pedals into
the steering. Sitting so high made me
feel that I would surely go over the
handlebars and there are no brakes!
Q: What does country walking do for
you personally?
A: Country walking oers
so much
reward for a small amount of physical
and emotional eort
that it brings me a
true state of plenitude. The movement,
sense of pace, sights, sounds and
smells with regular stops at those
terric cafes bring my life in balance.
Photos: Getty, 2016 Warner Bros,
101
As seen o
tryle
n Coun s
n Diarie DOG WALK
WA KE
KERS
RS IT
ITS
TS EASY
E
TO DO TTHE
TO HE RIGHT
RIGHHT TTHING
HING
Autum

Steve Jenkinson, advisor to the Kennel Club and TV presenter, Jules Hudson
S
d
discussed the Microscopic Menaces inside dog poop. Leaving poop is very
da
angerous to sheep and cattle, costing farmers millions. Steve said When you
make it easy for people to do the right thing, it works! The Dicky Bag is an airtight,
lighttweight, soft, robust, neoprene portable bin, thats machine washable. The bag
attachees to you or the dog using the karabiner, belt loop or velcro strap. This month also
get a 6.550 shoulder/waist strap for free, use voucher code FREE-79 on our website.
You cant see it, you cant smell it, leaving your hands free to enjoy your Idyllic dog walk.

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01637 874 849

Your countryside
Share your views and opinions by writing to us at:
Have your say, BBC Countryle Magazine, 9th Floor, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN; or email editor@countryle.com,
Tweet us @CountryleMag or via Facebook www.facebook.com/countrylemagazine
RIVER RUIN FROM RUN OFF?
I would like to know what Adam
Henson thinks about the large
amounts of slurry that is spread on
the land for dairy production. The
spread of liquidised slurry gets into
all the water courses and many are
concerned about this pollution.
Six miles of the river Tei have
been wiped out by an apparent
large discharge of slurry. Numbers
of sea trout and salmon are 50%
down on the river Towy.
Our local river the Taf has been
hit much harder. Fishermen are
seeing salmon and sea trout crash
in numbers. Looking in the water,
we see a lack of invertebrates.
No hatches of y life any more, not
many dippers either; when in the
past they were always lots. No large
numbers of minnows and other sh
fry; therefore kingshers are no
longer a common sight.
Natural Resources Wales might
consider nitrogen sensitive zones
but the NFU are already lobbying
against this.
Farming is part and parcel of our
countryside but farmers have a
responsibility to ensure this
pollution does not happen.
Keith Jones,
Whitland,
Photos: Alamy
Carmarthenshire
www.countryle.com
LAZY DAYS
HAVE YOUR SAY ON RURAL ISSUES
*We reserve the right to edit correspondence.
Letter
of the
BE A GOOD OWNER month
What a stroke of luck. I have just
subscribed to BBC Countryle Magazine,
which coincided with our family adopting
a lovely black labrador from a rescue
home and my rst issue (March)
happened to be dog-themed.
Henry, our labrador, is middle-aged. He
has a few health issues, some treatable,
some sadly not. Although he has only
known us for a short while, he is totally
loyal and loving. He adores his walks and
the article by Gwen Bailey was most
useful as were the other doggie articles.
Many years ago Barbara Woodhouse
(dog trainer) famously stated there are However, I do see evidence of dog
no bad dogs, only bad owners. How true owners being irresponsible which angers
that is. One of your readers, Jan me as it gives all of us a bad name.
Bateman, mentions deer-chasing dogs John Gordon Williams, Blackpool
and bags of dog excrement in the
countryside. Since exercising Henry, Editor Fergus Collins replies:
I have discovered some lovely walks Im glad the March issue was so timely.
locally and met many responsible dog Good luck with Henry. Youll nd more
owners who all pick up after their dog. dog-related articles on countryle.com
THE PRIZE
Marchs letter of the month wins a super-bright, rechargeable head torch worth
49.95. The Radiant 250 Rechargeable Headlamp from Nite Ize has a brilliant,
250-lumen beam and ve lighting modes, including a red bulb for night walks.
Charge the lithium polymer battery via USB in around two hours. For more
information call 01539 721032 or go to www.whitbyandco.co.uk
DOGS AND LIVESTOCK Act 1953 states Your dog must not
I was disappointed that your dog worry (chase or attack) livestock
walking tips article (March 2017) (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses
failed to emphasize the law and poultry) on agricultural land,
concerning dogs on farmland and so keep your dog on a lead around
around livestock, as the majority of livestock. As we are very close to
dog walkers seem to be completely the start of lambing season and
unaware of their legal obligation. most of the countryside is
The Dogs (Protection Of Livestock) agricultural land and not a massive
103
 Rise of the boar
I have just received my March issue and see a
picture of a wild boar piglet with a warning to
keep your distance. I have friends who walk in the
Forest of Dean and have been chased by wild
boar. This is a frightening experience and they
have considered carrying pepper spray for
protection. The boar can appear without
warning from undergrowth and become
aggressive. Their numbers have now grown and,
as there are no predators, will continue to do so.
Lets hope wolves wont be introduced by some
bright spark to control the boar.
Lesley Brewer, Newbury, Berkshire
Kevin Caster of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust replies:
Boar are massive beasts but, as with all wildlife, they wish to avoid conict
as its risky and a waste of energy. Often we may misread a situation and
perceive aggression when it is actually self-defence. There is of course a
chance someone could be hurt, in the same way cattle or even our own
Exmoor ponies could hurt someone, but its a risk we take to enjoy the
reality of a living forest. Boar numbers are managed and the population
level will settle but we will always be arguing about what that level should be.

country park, I think this is a
serious omission.
Also, it would help to clarify that
National Parks, such as the Lake
District, Yorkshire Dales,
Snowdonia and so on are still
predominantly agricultural land.
They are not country parks even
though they have park in the title!
Im a horse owner; my horses
eld has a footpath running
through it. Most dog owners
crossing the eld dont seem to
understand their rights of access
for themselves and their dogs
begin and end on the footpath.
The rest of the eld is private
property, not a park for their dogs
to run loose and chase sticks and
balls in because the horses were
at the other end of the eld so I
thought it was safe. Its not safe
and its also illegal.
Jo Stubbs, Nottingham
Editor Fergus Collins replies:
Photos: Alamy
when on walks in order to avoid
unpleasant confrontations with
livestock and people. We have
published several articles on the issues
surrounding dogs and farm animals
and these can now be found at
countryle.com
HORSES ON ROADS
I could not believe the reply from B
Chapman towards the Horses on
roads debate (February). I live in
the beautiful Tyne Valley in
Northumberland, and although
not a horse rider myself, I do drive
a car and often meet horse riders
while driving in the rural area. I
always slow down and give horse
riders as wide a berth as possible.
It is often the inconsiderate
drivers who do not slow down who
alarm the horses and cause
accidents. B Chapman claims
horse riders should be banned
from roads as they do not pay road
tax! Does he/she also extend this
road tax but are often involved in
many more accidents than horse
riders? Roads are not the
prerogative of car drivers and we
should all be more tolerant of other
road users and their needs.
Heather Bland, via email
GREEN LIVING
I was interested to read your piece
about how we can be greener in the
March issue, as I like to try to nd
ways of helping the environment.
I would love to be completely
green like my sister, who runs a
smallholding in Wales with her
partner and kids and even has
compost toilets. But, living in
Surrey in a village, its not possible.
Saying that, it was reassuring to see
we do a lot of the things mentioned
in the piece out of habit.
It was nice to see the issue being
highlighted and showed, with a little
bit of eort,
we can all do our bit.
Keep up the good work.

The article was about controlling dogs to bicycle riders who also dont pay Annette Palin, Surrey

104 www.countryle.com
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 Spring walking kit
The sun is shining, the birds are tweeting and its time to hit the trail!
Reviews Daniel Graham, Maria Hodson (MH), Carys Matthews (CM) and Joe Pontin (JP). Photography Steve Sayers
THREE OF THE BEST AFFORDABLE BOOTS
With many walking boots now priced at 160 or more, Daniel Graham tests three pairs that cost 130 or less
ALTIPLANO PRIME
TEXAPORE MID W
Jack Wolfskin, 130
0800 965 37546, www.jack-wolfskin.co.uk
A high-cut boot with a comprehensive
tread, the mid-weight Altiplano Prime is
a great option for trekking in Britain
from the lowland paths of the Cotswolds
and East Anglia to the rugged
mountaintops of the Scottish Highlands.
A cushioned hiking sole complements
the highly breathable and fast-drying
Circuliner lining, maximising comfort,
while the suede leather provides strong
durability. A series of metal hooks and
eyelets span the length of the boot,
meaning the laces can be tied rmly
around your ankle, increasing support
and reducing the chances of injury. Like
many modern day hiking boots, the
Altiplano Primes can be worn straight
from the shop, though it is advisable to
start with a few short walks before
heading out for a long day in the hills.
VERDICT Comfortable from the o this
is a hardy boot great for long days out.
108
WANDERER WP
Keen, 119.99
00800 44 55 44 55, www.keenfootwear.com
Attractive and traditional-looking, these
mid-heightt boots are comfortable
from the moment they are put on,
particularly for a wide foot. The soft
ankle cu provides both support and
exibility, while the metatomical footbed
design cradles your arch and, along with
the dual compound rubber sole, reduces
impact on the bottom of your foot.
Made from waterproof leatherr and
suede, with the addition of a
waterproong membrane, wet weather
will be kept at bay, while the hydrophobic
close mesh material that lines the inner
boot allows for breathability (in
particularly hot weather, the padded
interior may induce a little sweating).
The Wanderers are mid-range boots in
many senses price, height, weight and
durability yet their impressive comfort
pushes them above other boots.
VERDICT Flexible and well padded, an
impressive boot for most British walks.
BORA GTX
Scarpa, 110
0191 296 0212, www.scarpa.co.uk
Lightweight, exible and relatively
inexpensive, the Bora GTX is a great
boot for newcomers to the trail. Secure
around the ankle and roomy around the
toes, you will feel at home straight away,
especially on short walks in the
countryside. A water-resistant suede
and Cordura upper combines with a
GoreTex lining g to allow your feet to
breathe while remaining dry from
downpours, and the Energy L outsole
gifts good traction and durability y for
when the way become muddy and wet.
Weighing a little over a kilogram per pair,
this mid cut boot is ideal for gentle trails,
though may also function as summer
footwear on slightly tougher terrains. To
keep you boots in good condition, Scarpa
recommend that you use their HS12
proong, rubbing the cream into nicks
and scus whenever they appear.
VERDICT Light and unfussy, the perfect
entry level boot for undemanding trails.
www.countryle.com
 LAZY DAYS

5 WISE BUYS
FOR WALKERS Product of
Trovat T-Shirt
Mammut, 35 the month
An excellent technical
T for walkers, made from a Plan to roam the countryside with
a fabric designed to feel a tent on your back this summer?
dry even when you are
perspiring in warm
weather. MH. 01625
508218, mammut.ch

Keb Padded Hoodie

Fjllrven, 210
This lightweight, close-tting
jacket is comfortable and XENON UL 2 TENT
functional. Made of a durable FORCE 10, 300
polyester bre. 0046 854518688 This two-person tent replaces the
Zip O Pant, Haglfs, 1100 (Sweden), fjallraven.co.uk outstanding Nitro Lite 200. The
Stylish trousers with a layout is identical but F10 have
close t, in excellent, made some savings on materials,
bringing the cost down by a
stretchy Climatic fabric T3 Light Hiker socks whopping 150. At this new price an
that keeps your legs at a Lorpen, 16 excellent four-season tent
comfortable temperaturee. These ligghtweight and becomes much more a aordable
Zip o the lower half in hott breathab ble socks are but is it still up to scratch?
weather. JP. 0046 226 ideal for summer hikes. Well, it may not look ash, but the
670 70 (Sweden), haglofss. The blennd of bres Xenon UL 2 scores highly on almost
com/gb/en encouraages cooling, everything. Like its predecessor, it is
keeping your feet dry designed to withstand severe
and com mfortable. DG. weather and sailed unappable
through a long weekend of strong
winds and rain during my test.
It does show a slight gain of around
270g in weight but at 1.65kg, it is
still viable for solo ventures.
Zigzag weatherproof map And if there are two of you, there is
Yellow Publications, 7.99 plenty of space. The layout allows
Weatherproof card maps lots of headroom with a
printed in a concertina generous 1m or so between the two
format that makes them poles. The inner tent is 1.3m wide at
blissfully easy to consult the shoulders, plenty for a pair of
quickly when you are on the sleeping mats. Unlike many
move. JP. 01208 76106, backpacking tents, the porch is
yellowpublications co uk
yellowpublications.co.uk k genuinely big enough for two large
rucksacks. Finally, on a welcome
practical note, there are 10
good-sized pockets four on
either side and two in the ceiling.
Surge Jacket VERDICT: Light, strong, spacious,
Montane, 300 practical and good value, this
Walking in all weather excellent tent is an outstanding
conditions is comfortable in Womens Wilderness 60+15 choice for backpackers. JP.
this hardy yet lightweight Rucksack Berghaus, 140. More backpacking tents tested
mountain jacket. Incredibly Camping on the trail? This at www.countryle.com/gallery/
waterproof with breathable reelatively aordable pack has backpacking-tents
fabric, the adjustable hood all the rooom your need, and a
and hem help to ensure a comfortable harness to Go online For more detailed reviews
good t. CM. 01670 522 30, spread the load. JP,
P 0345 of these and other outdoor gear
montane.co.uk 607 2477, berghaus.com products, go to countryle.com/country-kit

www.countryle.com 109
 Country puzzles
RACK YOUR RURAL BRAIN WITH THESE WILD AND WONDERFUL GAMES

COUNTRYSIDE QUIZ answers at bottom of opposite page

c) Pin
d) Puing

9. Who wrote Ode to a

Nightingale?
a) William Blake
b) John Keats
c) William Wordsworth
d) Philip Larkin

10. The Greek goddess Maia

was the mother of which
messenger god, who is also
the patron of herdsmen?
a) Zeus
b) Dionysus
c) Hermes
d) Prometheus
Unshorn pedigree Dalesbred yearling
rams make an impressive sight 11. Which song features the
lyrics: Its just a spring clean
1. Whats another name for a 3. A healthy dormouse 6. Which spiky shrub with for the May Queen.
yearling sheep that has not weighs about how much the Latin name Cragaegus a) Stairway to Heaven
yet been shorn? when it wakes up from monogyna is traditionally b) Fields of Gold
a) A gummer hibernation? known as May? c) Smoke on the Water
b) A hogget a) 5g a) Hawthorn d) Mull of Kintyre
c) A roo a) 20g b) Blackthorn
d) A broomie a) 40g b) Firethorn 12. What is the term for a
a) 50g d) Giant rhubarb private party of morris
2. When not in season in the dancers who are performing
UK, asparagus is usually 4. What did people nickname 7. Which of these will not be for fun, not to an audience?
imported from Peru, which is King Charles II after he lifted allowed in the gardens at this a) A brew
roughly how far away? the Puritans ban on May months Chelsea Flower b) A tinny
a) 2,000 miles Day? Show? c) A hop
b) 4,000 miles a) The Merry Monarch a) Bird tables d) An ale
c) 6,000 miles b) The Mad Monarch b) Marigolds
d) 8,000 miles c) The Mirthful Monarch c) Gnomes 13. What is it that sshakes
d) The May Monarch d) Children under 10 Shakespeares darling
buds of M May?
5. Who became the oldest 8. Puuns return to the a) Careeless
Briton to climb Everest in Far e Islands o the cuckoos
May 2009? Nortthumberland b) Rough
R
a) Chris Bonington coasst in May. What winnds
b) Ranulph Fiennes is the
e term for a c) Angel
c) Doug Scott baby y pun? brreath
d) George Mallory a) Pia d) Thankless
T
b) Puer
youthh

110
 LAZY DAYS

COUNTRYSIDE CROSSWORD
CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS
by Eddie James
APRIL
ACROSS ACROSS 1 Roebuck
1 Exchange a tapering riding 5 Carrot 10 Stag 11 Sable
whip (6) 12 Meon 13 Crooks
5 Canal features ... two odd 14 Roseland 15 Purslane
tracks (8) 17 Unripe 19 Inkpen 21
9 Berkshire town on Thames Nose ring 23 Sheep pen
Path in Datchet, once (4) 26 Rootle 27 Skua 28
10 Scottish resort to prohibit sh Churr 29 Rows 30
farm, initially (5) Radish 31 Orkneys.
11 Some corn or maize is the DOWN 2 Otterburn 3
average standard (4) Bugloss 4 Casts 6 Acers
12
2 Sullen but keen to incubate 7 Rambler 8 Thorn 9
eggs! (6) Aberdeen Angus 16 Awn
13
3 Use horn wildly to throw an 17 Ups 18 Pendle Way 20
equestrian (7) Piebald 22 Root-run 24
15
5 Clumps of grass knelt on in Hiker 25 Packs 26 Rarer.
church? (8)
17 A Lakeland fell in MARCH
Carmarthen? Absurd! (3,3) 29 Fertilizer ingredients plant 14 Town on Solent Way is ACROSS 8 Cream
19 Falkirks rst low-weight container has moved (6) somewhat marshy, then (5) 9 Frogspawn 10 Run
series of canal locks (6) 16 Grasp its a sort of crop grown 11 Weevils 12 Cur
21 Horse possibly hunts, etc. (8) DOWN between two main crops (5) 13 Fleeces 15 Thistle
23 Village on Thames Path Trail 2 Cautley Spout, say after wall 18 Canal walkers might get high 17 Green-ngered
produces roast, say, pork joint (7) collapsed (9) on these! (9) 22 Hackles 24 Cats ear
24 Disease a aecting sheep 3 Annual April endurance hike 20 Compost-lled container for 25 Ure 26 Conival 28 Tip
farmer nally involved in study on Dartmoor or in tents (3,4) e.g. greenhouse tomatoes (7) 29 Harvester 30 Manse.
(6) 4/8 Beastly thing associated 21 Pink-red meadow ower DOWN 1 Scarify 2
25 Underground part of plant with May Day a favourite topic main cop out (7) Reindeer 3 Smew 4
that burns brightly? (4) of conversation (5,5) 22 Shape of a da aodil ower Coniston 5 Isis 6 Radcot
26 Willow twig I put in rose 5 Protective parts of footwear and maybe bugle? (7) 7 Snorted 9 Flees 14
arrangement (5) stuck out impertinently? (7) 23/26 Milk container not Creel 16 Inert 18 Fastnet
27 Select ground-breaking tool (4) 6 Environmental organisation allowed? Rapidly produce large 19 Eventing 20 Choughs
28 After end of week, nothing starts to work with farmers (3) quantities! (5,3) 21 Crupper 23 Cherry 24
changes for Powys market town 7 I enter a dierent
equine racing 244 A surcingle? Parts reversed Covert 26 Chew 27
(8) venue (7) (5) Lamb.

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 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

SPRING MUST-HAVES
If youre looking for something useful, fashionable or just beautiful this spring,
here are some great ideas for your home and garden

1 2 3

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5. ADOPT A BEEHIVE
A delightful box of bee related goodies including a
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6. ROSYBEE PLANTS FOR BEES
At Rosybee, we only sell plants proven to attract the most
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To advertise here please phone George McMillian on 0117 300 8544 or email George.McMillian@immediate.co.uk

UK HOLIDAY IDEAS

BATH & WEST

COUNTRY WALKS
Guided and self-guided walking holidays

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Cruise the Monmouth and Brecon Canal,
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The Tudor Arms

18th Century family
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mile from the
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Heron and Otter are self catering cottages situated on the

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 COUNTRYFILE DIRECTORY
PRODUCTS

for sales/enquiries or FREE brochure call - 01423 500442

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 STARGAZING
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Start your exciting astronomical adventure with Stargazing Live
magazine. Join the team on location Down Under, then begin to
unravel the mysteries of the Universe with our essential beginners
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 Nobody knows a
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 Next month
Dont miss your June issue on sale 12 May

THE PEAK DISTRICTS GREAT HOUSES

Discover the history of some of Britains nest stately homes all set
in the dramatic landscapes of our oldest national park
Photos: Alamy, Paul Colley, Jason Ingram

RISE OF THE MEADOW AQUATIC MARVELS GARDEN FEAST

How volunteers in Explore the freshwater world Inspiring recipes to make the
Monmouthshire are bringing with some of Britains nest most of your crops from the
life and colour to the elds sh photography glorious garden at Great Dixter
www.countryle.com 121

Caroline Quentin
The actress and comedian discusses the joys of gardening, her fascination with
slow worms and the critical importance of our national parks
grew up in Reigate, Surrey during the
I 1960s. At the time and thanks to the
green belt still to this day, huge swathes
of Surrey are rural. Certainly as a child in
the early 60s, I always had access to
elds, commons and woodland.
I now live in mid-Devon. I love to walk
and am a keen birdwatcher. I also adore
swimming in the sea and in freshwater lakes
or rivers. And Im a very keen gardener.
The most beautiful natural sight that
I have ever seen in Britain has to be the
marshes at Walberswick in Suolk,
with
an unseen bittern booming from its nest in
the reed beds.
To me, the outdoors mean peace and
healing, both physically and mentally.
The ideal home, for me, is about
proximity to nature. A perfect house has a
view of either rolling hills or rolling waves,
birdsong and nights free from light pollution.
When it comes to happiness, it seems
that humans fall into two very distinct
groups. There are those who love to be in
an urban environment and those who are
happiest in the countryside. Im a country
person, even though much of my working
life is spent in cities.
To get away from it all, nothing beats
being at home in Devon, in my greenhouse.
I LOVE GARDENING. Nothing makes me
happier than a day in the vegetable garden.
My most treasured memory of the
outdoorss is of walking near Brancaster
Photo:Telegraph / Russel Sach 2016
Staithe in North Norfolk with my husband
and our then three-month-old daughter,
strapped to his chest. We came across
some marshland draped in thousands of
cobwebs, each strung with dozens of dew
drops millions of tiny diamond necklaces,
122
my c ou n t r ysi d e
The marsh
shimmered with
thousands of
cobwebs draped
with dew drops
shimmering in the morning light. I cried at the
sheer beauty.
In an ideal world, all children would spend
50% of their lives outdoors. Climbing,
riding, swimming, walking, cycling, playing
games, laying hedges, building dry stone
walls, watching nature and growing food,
learning about the natural world in the best
possible classroom the outdoors.
If I were a British wild animal, I would be
a slow worm. Not really a worm or a snake
but a limbless lizard, they are beautiful
creatures, basking in the sunlight, silky
smooth and metallic bronze, like ancient,
mythological serpents. They are a protected
species and I think they are fascinating.
Its very hard to pick a favourite place in
Britain. Its rather like being asked to choose
ones favourite child! The Helford River in
Cornwall, Mid Devon, where I live now, the
Sussex Downs and the Surrey Hills where
I grew up The north Norfolk coast and
the Suolk
coast, where my husband and
I spent the early days of our relationship
As I grow older I spend more time writing.
Im currently writing a novel and for the past
four years Ive also written a regular column
for Prima magazine. Whenever Im stuck for
inspiration, I put on my walking boots and
head out on to Exmoor National Park.
As president of the Campaign for
National Parks, my message to the public is
get out there and make the most of our
beautiful national parks! They are national
assets, protected for all to enjoy. We need to
show people in power that we love national
parks and will continue to do so in the future.
Oh, and by supporting the Campaign for
National Parks, of course!
My favourite outdoor kitt has to be my
Meindl Bhutan walking boots.
Spring is my favourite season. Buds, baby
birds, the acid green of unfurling leaves, and
the promise of longer warmer days ahead.
If I had a magic wand I would make sure
that our national parks are protected and
preserved for future generations, while
adapting to the demands of modern life.
So much of Britain is mysterious but I do
nd parts of Wales particularly haunting.
Particularly the Gower.
As for whether cream or jam goes rst
on a scone I have coeliac disease, so all
scones in my life have to be gluten-free.
I dont care what goes on top rst as long as
there is PLENTY of it!
www.countryle.com
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