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Clare Balding and guests share inspiring conversations while walking in the great outdoors.Fresh air and nature, wonderful views and uplifting chat, each week Clare hikes in a different part of our glorious countryside. Walking side by side is the perfect way to cover a huge range of subjects: literature, art, wildlife, nature, taking on personal or physical challenges, dealing with grief, confronting preconceptions about the kind of people who love to ramble. The conversations are as varied as the landscapes we find ourselves in. If there's a recurring theme, it's the accepted truth that 'solvitur ambulando' - 'it is solved through walking': The sense of wellness, the benefits to mental health, easy companionship, or sometimes just the sense of solitude that being alone in nature brings.Few things are better than going for a good walk. That's what we aim to share each week on Ramblings with Clare Balding.
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1
River Itchen - Hampshire
07-11-2024
22.22 MB
Clare explores the banks of the River Itchen in Hampshire with Andrew Simkins who has just completed walking around the coast and borders of England. It’s taken him eight years, and it’s been an extraordinary journey in more ways than one. His beloved daughter, Alice, died age 28 in 2016 and he discovered that devoting himself to the process of walking helped him deal with the grief; it gave him a feeling of solace and a sense of connection with her. When people asked him if he was walking alone, he would reply 'I’m often in the best of company’.This isn’t a sad episode of , though, it’s very much about the positive impact of walking even in the most awful circumstances, and Andrew is a cheery companion. The route Andrew is sharing with Clare isn’t part of the coast OR borders, but he explains that he chose to divert away from the coast at this point as the Itchen Way appealed to him so much. Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
2
Lise Wortley - Woman with Altitude
31-10-2024
22.26 MB
Clare meets ‘Woman with Altitude’ Lise Wortley who recreates the adventures of overlooked and forgotten female explorers. As Lise takes Clare on a walk around her childhood village of Boxford in Suffolk, she tells Clare why she doesn’t just follow in the footsteps of these incredible women but even wears the same kind of clothing and footwear. Her latest expedition, in woollen skirts and specially made hob-nail boots, was an attempt to climb Mont Blanc on the same route as the French adventurer, Henriette D'Angeville. In 1838 Henriette was the first woman to summit Mont Blanc unaided, in other words without being lifted across the tricky parts as a previous female walker had done. Lise's adventure didn't work out quite as expected and led to her taking a long and unexpected diversion up a completely different and less well known mountain.Find out more about Lise on her website: www.womanwithaltitude.com/Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
3
Alan Titchmarsh on the Isle of Wight
24-10-2024
22.22 MB
Alan Titchmarsh takes CB for his favourite stroll across Tennyson Down on the Isle of Wight. A keen and regular walker, Alan splits his time between the mainland and the Isle of Wight, and has a lot to share with Clare about this place that he loves. Best known as a TV gardener, interviewer and romantic novelist, Alan grew up in a family that took regular Sunday walks and as a young child developed an affinity for the natural world. Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
4
GM Ringway - a new 200-mile walking route
17-10-2024
22.25 MB
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Clare hikes along a section of the GM Ringway, Greater Manchester’s new walking trail. It’s a 200 mile route split into 20 stages, starting and ending in Manchester city centre. It goes around the edge of the county through all 10 boroughs of the region, and it’s linked with public transport so people can easily access the linear stages. Joining Clare as she walks part of Stage 6, which is Strines to Marple, is Andrew Read whose brilliant idea this was. He was awarded £250k of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to make it happen. The project also depends upon a legion of keen volunteers, several of whom join Clare for today’s walk. One of these is ‘Stage Guardian’ Roz Hughes who explains how important volunteer involvement is to keep the walk maintained in the long term. The starting point of the walk, Strines Station, was described in The Railway Children. Craig Wright joined the group to share his enthusiasm for this classic children’s book, and - while reading a short section - points out aspects of a view that can be recognised from Edith Nesbit's descriptions. Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
5
Arsenic and Fish Weirs on the Edge of Dartmoor
10-10-2024
22.09 MB
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Clare explores the Lower Tavy Valley in Devon with Sharon Gedye a physical geographer who's spent years discovering how the area's rich history has shaped its landscape and people.Sharon takes Clare on a circular walk starting on West Down, on the western edge of Dartmoor, heading down towards the River Tavy and eventually reaching Double Waters, the confluence of the Tavy and Walkham. On the way they see evidence of arsenic mines, copper workings and discuss long forgotten but fascinating fish weirs.
One of these, Sharon discovered with the help of court records, was the focus of an unlikely battle in 1280. Sharon is also interested in how humans shape landscape and how landscape shapes us. Thinking of her grandfather, she says: He was a quarry-man on Dartmoor and by picturing him working and polishing the granite, I feel closer to how he experienced the world. Also on the walk are two of Sharon's friends who bring their own areas of expertise to their interpretation of the area: archeologist Chris Smart, and heritage consultant, Andrew ThompsonSharon writes a blog which you can find at www.awalkinenglishweather.com They met at WhatThreeWords: grin.tend.negotiators / Grid Ref: SX479708Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
6
Amar Latif - President of the Ramblers in North Yorkshire
01-08-2024
22.26 MB
Voir la description
Clare and the ‘blind adventurer’ Amar Latif explore a circular route in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire. As the current President of the Ramblers, Amar is keen to promote the message that walking is for absolutely everyone, from all backgrounds and abilities. He lost most of his vision by the time he was 18 and found it very hard to accept. He began to believe that he wouldn’t be able to continue doing all the things he enjoyed but after spending a year of his university course in Canada, decided that travelling was definitely for him and went onto make a career out of it. He set up ‘TravelEyes’ a company specialising in tourism for blind and sighted people travelling together, including walking trips.One of his greatest adventures was walking 220 miles from the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua across to the Pacific Ocean, crossing a shark-filled lake and scaling a 5000ft volcano. Also on the walk are Rayyah McCaul, who is guiding Amar, and Ramblers volunteer and walk leader, Stephen Down. The Ramblers is a charity with around 100,000 members. Established in 1935, one of their main aims is improving access to the countryside for everyone to enjoy.Clare met Amar in Toft Gate Lime Kiln car park, at the top of Greenhow Hill, and completed a five mile circular walk.Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
7
Surrey - from Oaks Park to Kingswood
25-07-2024
22.26 MB
Voir la description
Clare meets the founders of Walking Post on a hike from Oaks Park to Kingswood in Surrey. Walking Post is a not-for-profit website run by friends who have designed, mapped and now share multiple walking routes around London, Surrey, Kent, Essex and beyond. Every walk is accessible by public transport, something key to web-designer Lucy Maddison who doesn’t own a car.The project has expanded from a personal project into what is now a free public resource, and even though Lucy and her friend, Emily Morrison, both have ‘proper’ jobs they even offer monthly walks to anyone who wants to come along. Find them at walkingpost.co.ukPresenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
8
Every Body Outdoors in Gloucestershire
18-07-2024
22.29 MB
Voir la description
Clare is in the Cotswolds this week with a fantastic group called Every Body Outdoors. They begin their walk in the village of King’s Stanley, Gloucestershire and complete a five mile circuit taking in a stretch of Stroudwater Canal, before heading up to the top of Selsley Common.Co-founded by Steph Wetherell, Every Body Outdoors is a walking group specifically aimed at plus size people who want to build confidence in the outdoors. Many had tried to join conventional groups but either didn’t feel welcome or had bad experiences. Another aim of the group is to work with outdoor brands and retailers to encourage them to provide better designed plus-size kit and clothing . Most technical gear, Steph says, stops at a size 16-18 and there’s little available above a size 20. The group has been so successful they’ve recently trained a group of volunteers who now lead plus size walks all around the UK. Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
9
Donegal with rock climber and mountain guide Iain Miller
11-07-2024
22.23 MB
Voir la description
In the second of two walks in the Republic of Ireland, Clare meets rock climber, mountain instructor and walking guide, Iain Miller, to explore a stretch of the wild, rugged and spectacular Atlantic coastline of County Donegal.They meet at what Iain describes as the most remote place in Ireland, An Port, and the route they take from there affords them views over what he says is Ireland’s last great wilderness including some ‘monster’ sea stacks.Iain is originally from Scotland, but has lived in Co. Donegal for years, making it his place of work as well as his – as he puts it – playground. The two are intertwined as Iain’s business involves leading rock climbing, hillwalking, and other outdoor adventures. The route he shares with Clare is more gentle coastal stroll than vertiginous technical climb but the experience and views are no less impressive.If you want to look at their location on a map, they met here: WhatThreeWords: ///simplicity.school.escalates Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
10
Donegal with Nikki Bradley - Adaptive Adventurer and Amputee
04-07-2024
22.28 MB
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In the first of two episodes recorded in the Republic of Ireland, Clare travels to Moyle Hill in County Donegal to meet adventurer and motivational speaker, Nikki Bradley. Diagnosed with a rare bone cancer at just 16 years of age, Nikki (now in her 30s) has defied expectations by living a very active life. She was the first person on crutches to climb four Irish mountain peaks, which took her 32 hours. She scaled the Sólheimajökull glacier in Iceland, and has completed the Fan Dance, one of the toughest endurance challenges in the UK including two ascents of Pen y Fan. Her latest enormous challenge has been to undergo a very unusual leg amputation. The damage caused by the cancer led to two hip replacements in her twenties, but her pain and discomfort continued so ultimately her medical team suggested a procedure known as a rotationplasty. Her upper leg was removed, and her lower leg was turned 180 degrees, raised and attached to the top of her thigh to become her ‘new’ upper leg. Her foot faces backwards at knee height, with the idea that it acts as the knee joint itself. It’s been emotionally very difficult coming to terms with her change of appearance and the pain associated with the procedures and rehab. But, in characteristic spirit, she has continued to push forward and after many months of recovery is now back walking again. Producer: Karen Gregor
Presenter: CB
11
Blowy Bamburgh Beach with David Almond
27-06-2024
22.28 MB
Voir la description
David Almond marks 25 years of his extraordinary book, Skellig, with a walk from Seahouses to Bamburgh in Northumberland. As he tells Clare, it's a landscape that has long inspired his imagination and writing. Skellig tells the tale of Michael, a young boy who befriends a magical creature - part owl, part angel – that needs Michael’s help to survive. The book has won multiple awards, been adapted for stage, film, radio and opera and translated into 40 languages. As they walk, David tells Clare how his childhood in the north-east shaped both his character and writing, and discusses why walking is a necessary pleasure. The stretch of coastline they’re exploring is rich with historical, religious and cultural significance and the entire region has provided inspiration for David’s writing over the years.They met at Seahouses Harbour and walked through sun, rain and wind to the most dominant man-made feature in the area - Bamburgh Castle.Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
12
Painting Bluebells in Shropshire
20-06-2024
22.16 MB
Voir la description
Clare walks to a glorious display of bluebells to capture them in watercolour in the company of artist Shelly Perkins.On a beautiful day in mid-May they set off into Mortimer Forest near Ludlow to find several acres of bluebells that stretch across high meadlowland. Shelly is an artist and while Clare is not known for her painting prowess, they take a moment to stop, take in the bluey purply haze and capture it in vivid watercolours en plein air. Clare and Shelly met at the Black Pool Car Park and hiked a roughly five mile circular loop through a conifer plantation, into open hay meadow with skylarks hovering overhead, and then onto a huge field full of bluebells. You can see their artwork on the instagram page: @bbcramblingsPresenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
13
Kingfishers on the River Frome with Nadeem Perera
18-04-2024
22.34 MB
Voir la description
Nadeem Perera is not your conventional image of a birdwatcher. In fact growing up in inner city London he was not raised as or encouraged to be a 'nature boy'. But dropping out of school as a troubled teen he had a revelation. One day he was sitting in woodland and saw a green spotted woodpecker in front of him and his passion for birds was born. Now he can be seen on BBC 1 on the One Show talking about birds and has moved to Bristol to further his career in wildlife presenting. He takes Clare for a walk along the River Frome starting in Eastville Park. It's a grey Winter's day but they are overjoyed to be accompanied along the river by kingfishers lighting up the landscape. Along the way he talks about the project he runs called Flock Together and about his passion for combining young people of colour with the outdoors and nature.
They walk from Eastville Park to Snuff Mills and the Stoke Park EstateProducer: Maggie Ayre
14
Walking at Night on the South Downs near Seaford
18-04-2024
22.28 MB
Voir la description
When author Annabel Abbs suffered a series of bereavements she found herself unable to sleep. Eventually she began getting up and walking around her garden and neighbouring fields around 3am. But when she heard about Caroline Whiteman who runs guided walks at night without head torches, she just had to go along on one. Caroline began the walks as an experiment in overcoming her fear of the dark. She has found other people keen to get out at night and experience the dark in a totally different way under her care and supervision. Although Clare is walking on a winter's night with barely any moon visible it's amazing how quickly the landscape lights up and the chalk cliffs stand out against the sea.
They walked in a loop starting and ending at South Hill Barn Car Park BN25 4JQ near SeafordProducer: Maggie Ayre
15
Creaking Trees and a Full Rainbow at Innerleithen
28-03-2024
22.72 MB
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The beautiful Borders of Scotland is the location for Clare’s walk this week. She’s exploring the area around Innerleithen with Stewart Wilson. After a career in finance Stewart made a handbrake turn in his early 40s and became a tour guide and travel blogger. He says most visitors to Scotland bypass the Borders for Edinburgh or the Highlands and Islands but – in doing so – are missing out on gorgeous scenery and fascinating history. So today Stewart wants to share what it is about the Borders, and Innerleithen in particular, that should make people want to stop and explore. He grew up there in a family who, for generations, had worked in the textile industry. It’s a sector that has all but disappeared, apart from a few high-end makers, so the area has to try and develop a new identity. History, mountain biking, and of course hiking are all a draw, including the challenging long distance Southern Upland Way which passes nearby.Stewart begins today’s walk at Innerleithen Parish Church on Leithen Road. From there he then leads Clare over Leithen Water at Cuddy Bridge and, after a couple of stiff climbs through a forestry plantation with trees creaking in the wind, arrives at the disused relic of Kirnie Law reservoir. It's a great view point, which thanks to the rainy, sunny, sleety weather, created a full rainbow over the heathery hills beyond. It's a circular route that takes them back down to Innerleithen, just over five miles in total.Producer: Karen Gregor
Presenter: CB
16
On the Hoof with Hannah and Chico
21-03-2024
22.34 MB
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Clare joins Hannah Engelkamp and her donkey, Chico, for a ramble in the Dyfi Valley a few miles east of Machynlleth in Powys. On the way Hannah tells Clare about the extraordinary adventure she shared with Chico when they walked 1000 miles around the perimeter of Wales. She did this despite having no previous experience of donkeys, or horses, or any animals really. It took twice as long as she intended and was much harder than she ever imagined. The idea of 'carrot or stick' doesn't work, Hannah says, so the first thing she learned was when a donkey stops you just have to wait and stand and look and wait until the moment seems right to move off again. Hannah also tells Clare about her involvement with 'Slow Ways'. It’s a Community Interest Company whose aim is to map, improve, and promote walking routes between Britain’s towns, cities and villages. Clare and Hannah met at Grid Ref: SH 850 027, and walked a section of a Slow Way known as ‘Maccar One’ near Chico’s home at Dyfi Donkey Woods. Maccar One is 23 miles long and connects Machynlleth with Carno. Slow Ways are named for the first three letters of the place at either end of a route e.g. Mac for Machynlleth and Car for Carno.Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
17
The Wild Cliffs of St David's
14-03-2024
22.28 MB
Voir la description
A cliff edge walk at St. David's in Pembrokeshire with artists Jackie Morris and Tamsin Abbott who are creating a book of illuminated folk stories. Jackie is writing the words and Tamsin is creating original pieces of stained glass for the book's artwork. Jackie is an artist and writer possibly best known for her illustrations in The Lost Words, a large and beautiful book about language and nature. Tamsin is an established stained glass artist and illustrator inspired by the natural world.As they ramble along the coast, Clare hears about their new project - Wild Folk: Tales from the Stones - seven ‘fables of transformation and power summoned from the ancient stones beneath our feet’. Inhabiting the pages are selkies and salmon, a great white raven, a huge black fox and a woman who lives as an owl.Wild Folk doesn’t exist quite yet… It’s being crowd-funded and will be available in 2025.They began their walk at Whitesands carpark and walked cliff-side towards the Coetan Arthur burial chamber on St. David's Head. Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
18
Walking with resistance bands on the South Downs with Julie Ford
22-02-2024
22.28 MB
Voir la description
Clare joins PE Teacher Julie Ford for a bracing walk on the Seven Sisters near Eastbourne. It's a walk with a difference. Following a brush with breast cancer Julie was keen to keep fit but no longer wanted to go to the gym. As a passionate walker she was getting good exercise but needed to maintain her upper body strength. So through a process of trial and error Julie has created a way of walking with resistance bands. She takes Clare on a walk on the South Downs on a beautiful sunny Winter's day to show her how to tone her arms while she walks as well as to appreciate health and fitness in the outdoors.Producer: Maggie Ayre
19
We in Front!
15-02-2024
22.23 MB
Voir la description
A joyful hike up Castle Hill near Huddersfield with We In Front, an inspirational group of walkers.Leading the way is Errol Hamlet who, having retired, felt bored, unhealthy and wanted a new challenge. He spotted a neighbour out walking during the pandemic and decided to join her. Then, one by one, more people joined until they eventually had a decent sized group. Most are senior citizens from the local West Indian community and they can often be heard singing as they disappear into the countryside surrounding Huddersfield. As they walk Clare hears about Carriacou, the Caribbean island where nine of the walkers spent at least some of their childhood. Apparently everyone on that island knows someone in Huddersfield... the two places are closely linked. There's also an unexpected conversation about the niche hobby of bottle-top collecting...The group started today's walk at grid reference SE155152 from where they followed a circuitous route up to Castle Hill. Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
20
Clare's Highlights
25-12-2023
51.88 MB
Voir la description
Clare chooses some favourite moments from her year:Join brothers Manni and Reuben Coe who amble down to Hive Beach in Dorset on a calm summer's day. On the way they recall the emotional story of how Reuben, who has Down's Syndrome, was nurtured back to health partly by walking that very route. Head to Orkney where Clare battles 60mph winds in one of the wildest episodes we've yet recorded. Hike up Shutlingsloe with Frank Milner, in training to climb Kilimanjaro on his 82nd birthday. Hear David and Iain recall some youthful misadventures as they stroll along the cliffs towards Portpatrick on the remote Rhins of Galloway. And meet Sam and Roger by the waterfall in south Wales where their romance began thanks to an online walking group.Boff Whalley of Chumbawamba leads his Commoners Choir in song as they march up to Gaddings Dam in Calderdale. On the Thames Path, Tina and Cas share how their adopted son's way of coping with the world is by long distance hiking. The inspirational Halifax Hikers lead Clare on their favourite local route. And Ali Allen, in Herefordshire, takes time out from running her tiny walking shop to march with Clare up to a section of the Offa's Dyke footpath.Please scroll down to the 'related links' box on the page of the Radio 4 website for links to all these individual episodes.Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
21
Hope Valley with Anita Sethi
26-10-2023
22.19 MB
Voir la description
In 2019 Anita Sethi was on a trans Pennine train journey when she was racially abused by a man who later pleaded guilty to the offence. During the attack he told her to go back to where she belonged. Having been born and raised in Manchester Anita feels very strongly that the North of England is where she belongs and as a way of working through the shock and trauma of the incident she began a journey through the Pennines on foot beginning at the uplifting and positively named Hope in the Peak District. Clare joins her for a hike in the steep countryside to Edale taking in Mam Tor and Kinder Scout.Producer: Maggie Ayre
22
Boxing on the beach at Ainsdale
19-10-2023
22.26 MB
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Rose Mac moved to the North West from London a year ago and is constantly delighted by the nature and walking possibilities of her new home. Ainsdale Nature Reserve houses a rare species of sand lizard as well as natterjack toads. A walk through the pine woodland close to the town's railway station brings you out into beautiful sand dunes and a massive expanse of beach with views of Blackpool Tower to the North and on a clear day the Isle of Man to the west. Rose enthusiastically shows Clare her new home territory and gives her an impromptu boxing lesson on Ainsdale Beach. She says people are becoming increasingly drawn to exercising on UK beaches. Tai chi and yoga work particularly well outdoors and Rose says there's something magical about watching the sunset whilst exercising.
The long walk along the beach is a workout in itself because of the sand underfoot.Producer: Maggie Ayre
23
Oldbury on Severn and Inside Planet Earth
12-10-2023
22.84 MB
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Clare walks with Mike Gunton, the man in charge of Planet Earth III, another blockbuster series from the BBC’s Natural History Unit. Mike’s a passionate walker and he takes Clare on a favourite local route around Oldbury on Severn where he courted his wife, and once filmed a sequence in a graveyard about the grim sounding ‘burying beetle’. He also shares stories of his many years working with Sir David Attenborough, and what it’s like making some of the most beautiful and memorable TV shows of recent years. Oldbury on Severn is, as it sounds, near the banks of the longest river in the UK which runs 220 miles from its source in the Cambrian Mountains in mid-Wales to where it meets the sea at the Bristol channel. They meet at St. Arilda's Church and head off on a circular walk of around five miles ending back in the village, at the local pub. Map: OS Explorer 167 Thornbury, Dursley and YatePresenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
24
Out of Portpatrick on the Rhins of Galloway
05-10-2023
22.28 MB
Voir la description
On a beautiful late summer's day Clare and guests explore a coastal walk on a remote peninsula in southern Scotland - the Rhins of Galloway.Walking with her are Peter Ross, who runs a walking for health group, and Margaret Hughes who is one of the members. They start their hike in Portpatrick and head along the coast for a few miles before dropping down into Sandeel Bay and returning to Portpatrick on an inland path through woodland.Margaret is registered blind due to an acquired brain injury, and has had a tough time recovering. Walking is a huge part of her life, and Peter’s group plays a significant part in this especially as Margaret needs a sighted guide to help her along the way. This is the second of two walks on the Rhins of Galloway: last week's episode was with two friends who are taking what could be the longest, slowest route between Land's End and John O'Groats.Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
25
Into Portpatrick on the Rhins of Galloway
28-09-2023
22.16 MB
Voir la description
Clare joins two friends on what could possibly be the slowest walk between Land's End and John O'Groats. Hiking one week at a time (with a gap of several years when the Welsh coastline wasn't fully navigable) it's taken Iain McHenry and David Rowe 18 years to reach the coast of Dumfries and Galloway. That's where Clare joins them, on a beautifully sunny day, as they approach the village of Portpatrick on the remote Rhins of Galloway. This is the first of two episodes recorded in the area: next week Margaret Hughes and Peter Ross take Clare on a section of the Southern Upland Way, starting in Portpatrick and heading north. Producer: Karen Gregor
Presenter: CB
26
Sandstone Trail
21-09-2023
22.11 MB
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Sunshine and summer downpours on a hilly Cheshire hike with great views. On the way Clare hears from two friends about how walking has helped them cope with life changing events.Linda Ashworth only discovered walking after her children left home but it became a stress-relieving necessity when her husband suffered a serious accident. Her love of putting one foot in front of the other grew to such an extent that she went onto gain hill and moorland leadership qualifications and set up a business leading walks for ‘ladies of my age’.Tracey was diagnosed, age 40, with acute myeloid leukaemia. The treatment, she says, 'turned my bones to sugar' and she broke her back in five places. This left her unable to walk properly for years, relying on a mobility scooter to get her into the countryside. However, as she slowly recovered, she discovered rambling was a good way to rebuild strength, balance and coordination. To mark her 50th year she went with a group of supportive friends and family on a celebratory three day hike around the Lake District. Linda led the way.For today’s walk, Linda and Tracey take Clare along a section of the Sandstone Trail. It’s a 34 mile long route stretching from Frodsham in Cheshire to Whitchurch just over the Shropshire border. They started at grid ref SJ494526 and headed north. The map they used: OS 257 Crewe and Nantwich.Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
27
WalKington, Herefordshire
29-06-2023
22.16 MB
Voir la description
Ali Allen takes Clare for a sunny hike just outside Kington, a town she would like to be renamed 'WalKington' because it's such a magnet for ramblers.Ali runs a tiny walking shop where her dog, Roo, keeps a look out from the window display full of boots and socks and maps. She lived in Utah for thirty years, working as a nurse, but returned six years ago with no firm plan. Somehow she landed in the tiny town of Kington in Herefordshire where she opened her shop which now has a B&B above it, mostly serving ramblers trekking along Offa's Dyke. On today's walk she leads Clare up Bradnor Hill - crossing the highest 18 hole golf course in England - and onto a stretch of Offa's Dyke. On the way she shares her story of life and love in Utah, making a home back in the UK, and coping with rheumatoid arthritis which, despite the problems it causes, doesn't stop her outdoor adventures.The starting grid reference is SO297566
28
Training for Kilimanjaro in Cheshire
22-06-2023
22.26 MB
Voir la description
Clare joins a group of friends as they climb Shutlingsloe as part of their preparation for the much bigger adventure of trekking up Kilimanjaro later this year. Known as the 'Matterhorn of the Peak District' Shutlingsloe is around 500 metres high, where Kilimanjaro is closer to 6000 metres, but it's not a bad training ground with its steep incline as well as the reward of beautiful views from the top.Leading the group is former Royal Engineer, Sean Milner, who has arranged the Kilimanjaro trek for his adventurer father, Frank Milner, who plans to reach the summit on his 82nd birthday. Although unable to join the hike, also going up Kilimanjaro will be two of Frank's grandsons, making it a three generation event. The starting grid reference for today's walk is SJ 952 715 which is just by the Leather's Smithy pub in Langley, about 15 mins drive from Macclesfield. Producer: Karen Gregor
29
Tree to Tree Trekking
15-06-2023
22.19 MB
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Martin Hügi is taking an unconventional approach to his long distance hike from Land's End to John O’Groats. He’s planned the route so he can visit as many ancient and veteran trees as possible. It’s a busman’s holiday as his day job is with the Woodland Trust and it's their Ancient Tree Inventory, created in collaboration with the Ancient Tree Forum and the Tree Register, that he’s using to guide him. He’s taken a four month sabbatical from work and Clare is joining him in the early stages of his trek near Marlborough in Wiltshire.Producer: Karen Gregor
30
Riverside Rambling near Reading
08-06-2023
22.08 MB
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Two friends, Karen and Emma, who say they met when both were post-Covid slumped on the sofa and doing no exercise, take Clare for a walk along the Thames Path near Reading in Berkshire. Their friendship is based on walking and they’re notching up the miles, including the Grand Union Canal (188 miles), the Ridgeway (72 miles) and 150 miles of the Portuguese Camino.Karen says that “Emma has gone from a neighbour I sort of knew to my very best friend. We have laughed so hard together we could barely stand; we have howled with pain together; we have picked each other up when the other could barely go on; we have gotten so grumpy with each other that we could barely speak to each other but always found a way back to friendship”. Clare hears their inspirational story of building a supportive and healing friendship as they ramble riverside one morning in late Spring. They start at the end of the Kennet and Avon canal and walk for around 9 miles to Henley on Thames. This is a section of a long distance route the friends are completing, coast to coast, from Bristol to the Isle of Grain on the Thames Estuary.Producer: Karen Gregor
31
Brotherly Love in Burton Bradstock
01-06-2023
22.28 MB
Voir la description
Clare joins brothers Manni and Reuben Coe as they amble for a mile and a half to Hive beach at Burton Bradstock in Dorset. Reuben has Down’s Syndrome and enjoys short, slow walks something that Manni, a professional walking guide more used to long hikes at an active pace, has learned to enjoy. Manni lives between Spain and Dorset and, during Covid, was in Spain while Reuben was in a care home in the UK. This took its toll on Reuben who became isolated and lonely. It all came to a head when, one day, Manni received a text from Reuben saying simply “brother do you love me”. Manni knew this was a cry for help, and as soon as he could returned to the UK to visit Reuben who had become very depressed, insular and had stopped talking. As Manni puts it he “broke Reuben out of his care home” and went to live with him in the cottage where today’s walk starts. There he gradually saw Reuben’s mental health improve, and says that love, nature and walking was key to this. Producer: Karen Gregor
32
Ashdown Forest
25-05-2023
22.14 MB
Voir la description
The group Clare walks with see Ashdown Forest as a national treasure in its own right – and largely an unsung one. They think it’s remarkable that this ten square miles of open access land has survived, only thirty miles south of London. Estate agents in the past even described it as ‘Scotland in Sussex’. A local resident and podcaster Eka Morgan is keen to reconnect visitors from far and wide back to the natural world of Ashdown Forest. Many of the 1.5 million annual visitors don’t understand that it’s actually not a forest at all, but a heath – one of the rarest habitats in the world, rarer than tropical rainforest. So, she is using audio to tell stories of the Forest with a podcast.
Joining Eka on the walk are Tom Forward a wildlife guide and bird mimic, James Adler of the Conservators of Ashdown Forest and Kari Dunbar, whose new job focuses on raising dog owners’ awareness of the impact of dogs in wildlife habitats. In memory of James Adler Chief Executive Officer Ashdown ForestProducer: Maggie Ayre
33
The Thames Path in Oxfordshire with Freddie
18-05-2023
22.29 MB
Voir la description
When Freddie was adopted by Tina and Cas he was not in a good way. The first three years of his life left him with anxiety, trauma and PTSD. Tina and Cas discovered that walking is a great way of relieving some of the symptoms and in the six years he has been with them they have already completed several long distance routes including the West Highland Way - twice!
They are currently walking the Thames Path - 185 miles of the river from sea to source in preparation for walking the Portuguese Camino this Summer.
Clare joins the family on a stretch of the Thames Path in Oxfordshire. Meeting at Wallingford just over the border from Berkshire they follow the path to Dorchester-on-Thames as Freddie talks about his knowledge of trees and plants and introduces her to his amazing assistance dog Garlic.Producer: Maggie Ayre
34
Great Alne, Warwickshire
30-03-2023
22.2 MB
Voir la description
Retirement villages, recently made very famous by the Thursday Murder Club series of books, are becoming a popular choice for older people who want to, and can afford to, live within a supportive community environment but still retain their independence. For this episode of , Clare is walking with Stephen Walsh and his partner, Pat, who live at Great Alne Park retirement village not far from Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. Along with the village’s visiting fitness instructor, Tania Skerritt, they lead Clare around a four mile route directly from the centre of the village into the local countryside.Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
35
Hiking with Hounds
23-03-2023
22.03 MB
Voir la description
Walking your dog in the countryside can be tricky: What if you need to cross a field of cattle or horses? Should you let your dog off the lead or keep it on? Is it best to poo-pick or ‘stick and flick’ in a remote area? Steve Jenkinson has a unique job, having studied the psychology of people and their pets he now works with a range of organisations helping them develop a harmonious relationship with dog walkers who use their land. He lives on Orkney where Clare met him and his dog, Teal, for a coastal walk which passes by the Broch of Gurness. This Iron Age settlement is around 2000 years old and is on the north eastern edge of Orkney’s west Mainland. The St. Magnus Way, a 58 mile long-distance walking route passes by. This is the third of three consecutive walks that Clare recorded on Orkney where she explored its landscape, rich history and archaeology. Presenter: CB
Producer, for BBC Audio in Bristol: Karen Gregor
36
To the Ring of Brodgar
16-03-2023
22.03 MB
Voir la description
On a windy hike from the Stones of Stenness to the Ring of Brodgar, Clare discovers Orkney's standing stones are as impressive and mysterious as Stonehenge. Her guide is Sandra Miller from Historic Environment Scotland. Their route takes them past the Watchstone and across the Brodgar Peninsula which has a fresh water loch on one side, and a salty one on the other. Sandra, born and brought up on Orkney, shares her love of the landscape and its history on a dramatic wintery day of high winds and hail storms. This is the second of three consecutive Orkney walks within this series of , next week Clare is off to the Broch of Gurness.Presenter: CB
Producer, for BBC Audio in Bristol: Karen Gregor
37
High Winds & Hail on Orkney
12-03-2023
22.05 MB
Voir la description
Clare explores the wild and stormy west coast of mainland Orkney in the company of beachcomber, conservationist and former Polar-guide, Martin Gray. Their plan to walk along the cliffs between Yesnaby and Marwick Bay were stymied by consistently high winds of around 60mph. Instead they watched the churning ocean at Yesnaby, drove to the Bay of Skaill for a walk along the rocky beach, then headed up to Birsay for a very slightly more sheltered walk to the Earl's Palace. This is the first of three consecutive Orkney walks. Next week Clare is with Sandra Miller of Historic Environment Scotland walking from the Stones of Stenness to the Ring of Brodgar.Presenter: CB
Producer, for BBC Audio in Bristol: Karen Gregor
38
Four Waterfalls Walk, South Wales
08-03-2023
22.28 MB
Voir la description
Sam and Roger met through a walking group on social media. Both were already keen walkers and Sam posted on the Walking In Wales page looking for a walking companion for a walk she wanted to do. Roger offered to go with her... and the rest is history. Reader, they got engaged. They take Clare on one of their favourite walks in Waterfall Country in the Brecon Beacons in South Wales on a beautiful frosty sunny February day.Producer: Maggie Ayre
39
An Art Walk in the Forest of Dean
02-03-2023
22.48 MB
Voir la description
Sara Rickard takes groups of local people on a walk through the forest to write, draw and take photographs and simply observe their surroundings. Canopy Arts was set up during Covid when the artists who live in the forest found themselves especially isolated and now runs monthly or fortnightly walks for both seasoned artists and walkers who want to be creatively inspired by the magical atmosphere of this part of the world. Sharon who moved there a year ago is fascinated by what she calls the edgeland that this area is. Sandwiched between the River Severn and the River Wye, the Forest of Dean is actually in Gloucestershire but sometimes feels as though it should be in Wales. It has a long history of free mining and Foresters are traditionally independent in spirit. Clare taps into her own artistic side and joins the group painting with feathers, writing about the landscape and rubbing gravestones.Producer: Maggie Ayre
40
Villagers' Walks around Timsbury
17-02-2023
22.51 MB
Voir la description
Clare joins three walkers from the village of Timsbury in Somerset who have created several books detailing100 walks for local people to enjoy in the area. Peter Bradshaw, Larry Cunningham and Sue Fraser stress the books are very much a community project with any proceeds going back into the village. On an extremely wet and windy winter day they take Clare from the village centre around the valley to explore the area's little known coal mining history. All the former mines are obviously closed and the slag heaps are now covered over rich green hillocks which make for safe and easy walking.Producer: Maggie Ayre
41
The Icknield Way
09-02-2023
22.29 MB
Voir la description
David Falk is Green Access Manager on the Public Rights of Way Team for Suffolk County Council. He works hard to encourage people to enjoy walking in the beautiful Suffolk countryside. Along with fellow walker former local radio presenter Leslie Dolphin he takes Clare on a walk along part of the Icknield Way starting at Stow Country Park just north of Bury St Edmunds. . It is claimed to be the oldest road in Britain (5,000 years old!). This section goes through a large pine forest and open heathlands and is lovely walking terrain.Producer Maggie Ayre
42
The Hills are Alive! Commoners Choir in Calderdale
02-02-2023
22.95 MB
Voir la description
Boff Whalley is best known for Tubthumping with the band Chumbawamba but now he’s a core member of the Leeds based Commoners Choir which he founded. They sing about the world around them, about inequality and injustice, and they also love to walk. Cath Long, a fellow member, wrote to to ask Clare to join them on a hike in the South Pennines near Todmorden in Calderdale, West Yorkshire. So, on a chilly, wet and blustery Saturday in early January, they met by the Shepherd’s Rest pub and headed into the hills to ramble and sing. Boff created a choir manifesto, and one aim was to 'rehearse until we're brilliant' and they really are. Their Skelmanthorpe Flag Song, which they performed at the historic Basin Stone, was heard by fellow walkers at least two miles down in the valley. On a circular hike, which began and ended at the pub, they stopped off at Gaddings Dam, often described as the highest beach in the UK, where some choir members took the plunge and sang out from the wind-blown waves of the reservoir.Grid Ref for start of walk: SD 945 231Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
43
The Trundle Sussex with Harriet Thomas
06-10-2022
23.18 MB
Voir la description
The final listener's walk of the series is with Harriet Thomas who wrote to the programme to invite Clare to share her regular walk to The Trundle near Goodwood Racecourse in West Sussex. When lockdown struck and Harriet decamped from London to be near her elderly father she began walking regularly. Sadly her father passed away in Spring 2020 and Harriet kept up the walking as a way of processing her grief. She never returned to London and now immerses herself in the Sussex landscape on her daily rambles. They meet and start out from near the village of West Dean and do a 6 mile circular walk that takes them up to The Trundle an ancient hillfort that provides a spectacular view down into Chichester and beyond to Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.Producer: Maggie Ayre
44
Halifax Hikers
29-09-2022
22.28 MB
Voir la description
Clare goes to Halifax to walk with a group of Muslim men who came together to support each other to become mentally and physically fitter through walking in the countryside around Halifax. One of the things the group enjoys about their town is the ability to be out into beautiful countryside within ten minutes - albeit up some very steep hills! The group's leader is Zaheer Khalil. He is passionate about the benefits of fresh air and walking. He also believes walking is a way of connecting with other people outside of their immediate community. They are a group of professional men who started to find their lives becoming stressful, unhealthy and at times overwhelming. The walks have helped them come together to keep fit and also share problems. They are all passionate about their town and keen to give back to the community in many different ways. They are proud of Halifax's industrial heritage, the contributions made by their elders and their own place in its history.
Their walk begins and ends at the town's magnificent centrepiece The Piece Hall. All together it's 6.2 miles and takes them from the town centre up Trooper Lane to Beacon Hill before they walk along the ridge and drop down into Shibden Valley through the grounds of Shibden Hall, former home of Anne Lister (Gentleman Jack). After a break at the Shibden Mill Inn nestled amongst the trees by a stream, another steep climb takes the group up Lee Lane to Ploughcroft, which offers another panorama of Halifax. There is then a gradual descent back towards the town centre, via Claremount and North Bridge, finishing off in the opulent Georgian splendour of the Piece Hall plaza for the guys' customary chai and samosas.Producer: Maggie Ayre
45
Epsom Downs & Langley Vale Wood
22-09-2022
22.37 MB
Voir la description
Listener Jo Forrest got in touch inviting Clare to walk with her and a group of fellow walkers with T1 Diabetes who discovered the beautiful lush landscapes around Epsom Downs Racecourse during their lockdown walks. Jo, Chiara, Nicole and Denise are keen to share awareness of Type 1 Diabetes and how they manage it in their every day lives. Their walk takes them beyond the racecourse to Langley Vale Wood scene of Lord Kitchener's inspection of the troops in 1915. Wooden sculptures of the soldiers haunt the landscape and even on a Summer's day the stillness and solemness make for a poignant reminder of the Fallen.Producer: Maggie Ayre
46
Nightjar Impressions near the Hampshire Hangers
15-09-2022
22.06 MB
Voir la description
A sunny hike, with added party tricks, in the pretty countryside around East Worldham. Led ably by members of Walk Alton, Clare discovers the beauty of this part of east Hampshire.Every episode in this series has been suggested by a listener. Helen Dudley and Ian Fleming from Walk Alton wrote to the programme and invited Clare to discover more about this very active organisation and the national scheme to which it belongs, Walkers Are Welcome. For its small size, a population of around twenty thousand, Alton has a disproportionately large number of walking groups and two walking festivals, all run by committed volunteers. Today’s route is around 7 miles long and starts in the village of East Worldham, two miles east of Alton. They follow the map south, along part of the Hangers Way (hangers are very steep, wooded slopes) to Binswood, an ancient area of woodland managed by the Woodland Trust. Next they head to Shortheath Common, an important area of heathland, before looping back via another part of Binswood and returning to East Worldham via King John’s Hill. Joining them en route is Elinor Newman of the South Downs National Park who discusses a rare habitat known as 'quaking bog', and surprises everyone with her uncanny impressions of both nightjars and beetles. Scroll down on the Radio 4 webpage to the 'related links' section for more info.Presenter: CB
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Karen Gregor
47
Dovedale with Caravan
08-09-2022
22.28 MB
Voir la description
Clare walks with a listener known as Caravan, who spent six years living homeless in the Peak District, an area he knows well thanks to his love of outdoor pursuits.This series of is being led by its listeners, people who have written to the programme with a story and a walk that they want to share. Caravan (not his real name) emailed to tell us about his experience of prolonged homelessness over thirty years ago. Central to his survival was the Peak District where he found both physical shelter, by way of railway stations, and also a feeling of sanctuary and anonymity during the most difficult years of his life. They recorded this walk just after the intense July heatwave which meant their planned Kinder Scout hike was inaccessible, closed due to the risk of wildfires. Instead they met in the village of Hartington and followed a route through Dovedale. Presenter: CB
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Karen Gregor
48
A Stunning Hike around Malham Cove
01-09-2022
22.74 MB
Voir la description
Our listeners are taking over and guiding Clare on every walk of this new series. Today’s adventure is led by three women who all qualified as mountain leaders in their 50s. Linda Moran, Angie Jaleel and Bev England explain why they wanted to take their love of the outdoors to a professional level by gaining qualifications later in life. Linda wrote to and asked Clare to join them on one of their adventures, so - on a July afternoon, not long after the intense heatwave - they set off on a challenging six-mile hike around Malham in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Starting at Malham Car Park, they walked towards the dramatic, natural amphitheatre that is Malham Cove before ascending the steps that rise alongside it. After a steep climb they arrived at the top and - as they were making their way across the gappy, wobbly limestone pavement - watched a natural drama unfold as crows failed to guard their nest against a persistent and hungry peregrine falcon.From there they rambled east along part of the Dales High Way, taking in Gordale Scar (full of climbers scaling the almost sheer cliffs) before completing the loop via Janet’s Foss waterfall. Grid Ref for Malham Car Park: SD 899 627Presenter: CB
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Karen Gregor
49
Tresco with Mike Nelhams
10-06-2022
22.26 MB
Voir la description
Mike Nelhams has recently retired as Head Gardener of the beautiful gardens on Tresco but remains very active and involved in island life. He meets Clare off the boat from St Marys and takes her on a tour of the island explaining the appeal of life on one of the most beautiful islands in Britain. They walk through the gardens observing the red squirrels which were introduced ten years ago on the request of Prince Charles who owns the island leasing it to the Dorrien-Smith family. They are responsible for the upkeep of the gardens as well as managing life on the island where there's a thriving tourist industry that sees visitors returning year after year.
Tresco has its own micro-climate and is on the Gulf Stream that makes ideal growing conditions for exotic plants from South Africa and New Zealand.Producer: Maggie Ayre
50
St Mary on the Isles of Scilly with Will Wagstaff and Lucy McRobert
10-06-2022
22.31 MB
Voir la description
Starting her walk overlooking the harbour outside the Star Castle Hotel once a Civil War fortress Clare hikes around the largest of the Isles of Scilly in the company of Will Wagstaff and Lucy McRobert. Will came to the island in 1985 and began giving walking tours which he has done ever since pointing out the variety of flora and fauna encouraged by the mild climate. Lucy McRobert came to St Marys three years ago with her keen birdwatching husband and infant daughter. Lucy is now just as keen a birder and like every islander has different roles including taking care of stranded seal pups each winter. As they take in the diverse landscapes of this small island they discuss the appeal of life there.Producer: Maggie Ayre
51
Happy Valley
26-05-2022
22.17 MB
Voir la description
Today’s walk starts at Happy Valley in the Mourne Mountains about thirty minutes inland from the coast of County Down. Clare is walking with Kelly Hargie who, for very personal reasons, launched Wild Women Events as a way of encouraging female walkers to explore the countryside of Northern Ireland. Kelly has long understood that escaping into the wild helped her greatly with postnatal depression and recovery from injury and she wanted to share this discovery with like-minded women.
From Happy Valley they head steeply up towards the 7th highest peak in the Mournes, Slieve Meelmore, partly alongside the Shimna River. This is the second of two back-to-back hikes in the Mournes, recorded on the same day. The first walk was broadcast last week and began – in great contrast to today’s route – at Bloody Bridge.Grid Ref for their starting point: SB 379 857Presenter: CB
Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol: Karen Gregor
52
Bloody Bridge
19-05-2022
22.67 MB
Voir la description
In the first of two back-to-back hikes in the Mourne Mountains Clare walks from Bloody Bridge near Newcastle, on the coast of County Down, up into the hills. Led by Alex Rose of the Northern Ireland Young Walkers, they begin at a stone sculpture which – from a certain angle – look like a human face in profile. This is the Smuggler’s Head which helps to tell the story of the ‘Brandy Pad’ a local smuggler’s route. It’s a history-rich which continues by following the Bloody Bridge River, so called because bodies thrown into the water, following a massacre during the 1641 rebellion, turned it blood red. Soon they’re climbing steeply up to one of the Mourne summits, Chimney Rock, partly following an old quarry-rail track used to bring granite down to sea-level. The Northern Ireland Young Walkers were formed in 2005 as a way of getting more youthful hikers out and about. It’s such a successful club that people don’t like to leave, so the age range has widened as the members have aged.The second Mournes ramble – recorded on the same day - will be broadcast next in the series. It starts at a place whose name couldn’t be more of a contrast: Happy Valley. Grid Ref for Bloody Bridge Car Park: SB472822Presenter: CB
Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol: Karen Gregor
53
Mousehole to Lamorna with Jane Johnson and Abdel Bakrim
12-05-2022
22.25 MB
Voir la description
Having grown up in Cornwall Jane Johnson has a deep love of the landscape of the south west. She and her husband Abdel take Clare on a coastal walk along steep rocky footpaths that offer breathtaking views of the Cornish coastline around the Lizard to Lands End. It's a favourite walk for the couple who often see dolphins, whales and basking sharks along the way. They tell Clare the story of their extraordinary meeting in the foothills of the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Morocco and how a near death experience for Jane while climbing led to a love affair with a Berber restaurant owner who tried to rescue her. Seventeen years on the couple live mainly in Cornwall but try to divide their time between there and Morocco. Jane is a writer and publisher while Abdel is now developing his artwork.Producer: Maggie Ayre
54
Oliver Jeffers in Outer Space
05-04-2022
22.13 MB
Voir la description
In the first of a new series, Clare is in Derry-Londonderry to meet the celebrated children’s author and artist, Oliver Jeffers. As part of a free nationwide arts project called Unboxed, he’s created a 10 kilometre sculpture trail, designed as a scale model of the solar system. It starts at Bay Road Park and runs alongside the River Foyle. The trail, ‘Our Place in Space’, is there until 22 May 2022 before moving to Belfast, Cambridge, and the North Down Coastal Path.Oliver says he’s a ‘pretty serious rambler’: he walked everywhere when he lived in New York City, and once led three-day hikes in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York.Explaining his inspiration for the project, he says: “If we could look back at Earth from the vastness of the solar system, what would we feel? Wouldn’t squabbles look stupid from Saturn? Wouldn’t violence seem senseless from Venus? Forget about ‘Us’ and ‘Them’, from the perspective of Pluto, it’s just US!”Oliver Jeffers collaborated with the Nerve Centre and Professor Stephen Smartt of Queen’s University Belfast to design the trail which has its own free interactive App to download.Grid Ref for their starting point: NV 611 818Presenter: CB
Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol: Karen Gregor
55
The Saxon Shore Way in Kent
31-03-2022
22.23 MB
Voir la description
Colleen Thirkell and her husband Richard have been walking stretches of the Saxon Shore Way with their friends Bev and John. In autumn 2020 Colleen fell seriously ill with a rare reaction to a flu jab. She was unable to walk and spent months in hospital. But she has slowly recovered and part of her rehabilitation has been to get out walking with her friends again. They invited Clare to walk one of the final stages of the 168 mile route they have been walking together when time has allowed. The ramble takes them from the village of Hamstreet to Appledore on the edge or Romney Marsh. Along the way they talk about their love of walking together as a group and how Colleen's recovery was aided by the thought of being outdoors with friends and family again.Producer: Maggie Ayre
56
Old and New Winchelsea with historian Dr Matthew Green
24-03-2022
22.78 MB
Voir la description
The walk begins on the shingle at Winchelsea Beach - the possible site of the drowned city that was engulfed by waves in the 11th century. Crossing the marshy fields inland Clare and Matthew climb the steep hill to the gate of the rebuilt and fortified town of Winchelsea that was once a thriving wine port. They walk through the town passing open wine cellars as they go. The town was built on a grid system and as with similar towns in France and Italy it became known as a medieval Manhattan. Trade with European ports in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal was vibrant and it was said that in the Middle Ages Winchelsea was close to becoming the wine capital of Europe. Fierce fighting took place between its citizens and bands of marauding pirates from across the Channel to protects its wealth and prosperity.
Dr Matthew Green specialises in walking as a way of understanding history and gives wine and gin tours in London. He says he prefers to try and understand how people lived and felt at the time they were living rather than to focus on the politics and conflicts of the past.
Crossing into fields on the south side of Winchelsea they walk over buried streets of houses, a hospital and the market place down to the stone towngate on the road to Icklesham.
Having submerged the original town, the sea then played another cruel trick on Winchelsea. Large deposits of shingle amassed meaning ships could no longer enter the harbour. Trade dwindled and the town declined. Only around a third of the original settlement remains.Producer: Maggie Ayre
57
Around Dulwich Woods with Floella Benjamin
18-03-2022
22.61 MB
Voir la description
Baroness Floella Benjamin DBE joins Clare for a walk around one of her favourite woodlands in London. Starting in Dulwich College where her mother worked in the laundry and later her son attended, Floella and husband Keith head off into the woods on a rainy March day. Their walk takes them up from the College past the Golf range and into the woods where parakeets dart among the trees shrieking and providing a dash of bright emerald green on a grey day. Along the way Floella talks about her life and all her achievements.
She was born in Trinidad and emigrated with her family in the 1960s settling in London. After leaving school she worked in a bank before becoming an actress and then getting her break into children's television in Play School. The education and wellbeing of children is one of her greatest priorities and she is hugely proud of all that she has achieved in this field.
The walk takes them along routes she has walked for many years from when her own children were small. She and Keith are great walkers and love to hike in the Lake District but when that's not possible, a walk in these woods is a sanctuary in the middle of the city - a place to relax, think and destress.Producer: Maggie Ayre
58
95 Ethels in the Peak District
10-03-2022
22.03 MB
Voir la description
From the Redmires Reservoirs near Sheffield, Clare walks up to Stanage Edge ('stone edge') a gritstone escarpment in the Peak District. Angela Lawrence and Anna Jorgensen are Clare's guests and are retired fell-runners (an accident with a vacuum cleaner ended Angela's running career) but their passion for the hills of the Peak District, which they have run across many times, remains undimmed. They have simply slowed down a little, and are now committed walkers. They wrote to to suggest that Clare hike with them up to Stanage Pole. Along the way, on a beautiful, clear-skied day, they take in stunning views, a sociable lunch in a stone bothy, and tell Clare about another of their passions: Argentine Tango. During the walk they also talk about the "Ethels". In honour of the pioneering environmentalist, Ethel Haythornthwaite, 95 hilltops have been classified by the countryside charity, CPRE, as 'Ethels'. Clare, Angela and Anna delve into Ethel's fascinating life-story as they immerse themselves in the scenery that inspired her. The Ethels were recently created following an idea from Doug Colton.The Grid Reference for Redmires Reservoirs is SK265858. Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
59
After Eunice - Guarlford, Worcestershire
03-03-2022
22.2 MB
Voir la description
Clare explores a rural route near the Worcestershire village of Guarlford. Storm Eunice has just left, Franklin is underway and the River Severn is up so this is a last-minute change to the planned walk. Originally Clare and her guest, poet Catherine Swire, had planned to hike the first stretch of the Monarch's Way which runs along the banks of the Rivers Teme and Severn in Worcester but flooding has pushed them a little further south. Catherine has recently published her first book of poetry, 'Soil', which takes the theme of historic trauma and explores how it is etched on our landscape. Worcester was the site of the first proper skirmish, and the last battle, of the English Civil War, something featured within Catherine's work. The Monarch's Way is a long distance path which traces the very indirect escape route - from Worcester to Suffolk - of Charles II after his loss at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Guarlford (not on the Monarch's Way) is about two miles east of Great Malvern, and a good mile and a half west of the River Severn - hopefully far enough to keep their feet dry. The grid reference for their starting point in Guarlford is SO 813 453. The map is OS Explorer 190 Malvern Hills and Bredon HillPresenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
60
Walking in all weathers with nature writer Melissa Harrison.
21-02-2022
22.42 MB
Voir la description
Writer Melissa Harrison celebrates the joy of walking in every season of the year and in wet and dry weather. Given that we can count on it raining on many days of the year it's a good thing to learn to love being out in it. Melissa has written a book about rain and discovered that there are hundreds of different words and expressions for weather from around Britain. Clare and Melissa do a circular walk from Gidleigh on Darmoor to Scorhill and Shovel Down. Dartmoor is a place that holds a strong pull for Melissa dating back to childhood. She returns often to walk this wild country where stone circles and rocky tors dot the landscape.Producer: Maggie Ayre
61
To the World's End, north Wales
17-02-2022
22.19 MB
Voir la description
Clare hikes through the Eglwyseg Valley in north Wales with two very different characters: Guy Kennaway and Hussein Sharif. The two men became family when Guy’s son married Hussein’s sister. Guy wanted to get to know Hussein better and show him a different side of Britain, so he suggested they go on a long walk. A book followed, ‘Foot Notes’, which describes both the adventure they had attempting to hike forty miles and their developing understanding of each other’s lives and experiences. Clare, Guy and Hussein walked for around three sodden, sleety miles through the Eglwyseg Valley to World's End at Grid Reference SJ229479Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
62
The Golden Road, Pembrokeshire
03-02-2022
22.08 MB
Voir la description
Clare explores part of a challenging route in the Preseli Hills taken by hardy cattle drovers who, over generations, would walk herds of two to three hundred animals from Pembrokeshire to livestock markets in London. With her is Nick Gammage who, in the summer of 2021, spent 17 arduous days completing the entire 250 mile trek. They begin their walk at Grid Ref SN075321 and head east along one of the most popular walks in the area, the Golden Road, which stretches for seven miles along the length of the Preselis. Nick spent childhood holidays in Pembrokeshire and remembers hearing stories of the Welsh Black cattle and their drovers. In the rain, steam could be seen rising from the hot animals whose feet were shod to protect them on their journey. Now retired and looking for new adventures, he decided to set himself this challenge which he started with a broken toe, and a tent which he hoped he wouldn’t have to use.Presenter: CB
Producer: Karen Gregor
63
The Slate Island of Seil
07-10-2021
22.06 MB
Voir la description
Clare crosses the famous ‘Bridge over the Atlantic’ for a ramble on the island of Seil. Her guide is the writer, educator, and director of the Scottish Centre for Geopoetics, Norrie Bissell. Geopoetics is described as “creatively expressing the earth” and is critical of the western way of thinking which separates humans from the rest of the natural world. Norrie has also published a novel, ‘Barnhill’, about George Orwell’s final years on the relatively nearby Island of Jura where he wrote 1984. Approximately twelve miles south of Oban, Seil is a small island separated from the mainland by the narrowest of sea channels. It became known as one of the ‘slate islands’ thanks to its slate rock deposits which were quarried and used to ‘roof the world’. Norrie and Clare begin their walk on the mainland side of the bridge, at Grid Ref NM 785 196.Please scroll down to the 'related links' box on the webpage for more info.Presenter: CB
Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol: Karen Gregor
64
Off the Beaten Track on the Island of Iona
04-10-2021
22.14 MB
Voir la description
Clare is walking on the beautiful island of Iona in today’s . One of the Inner Hebrides, Iona is just three miles long by around a mile wide yet punches well above its weight both in terms of scenery and history. Her companion is David Allaway: a keen photographer, founding member of the island’s craft co-operative and a volunteer fire-fighter he also runs guided walking tours. Beginning and ending at the ferry terminal, they circumnavigate the coast at the north end of the island.See the 'related links' box at the bottom of the webpage for more info about David Allaway.Presenter: CB
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Karen Gregor
65
Slippy Rocks and Otter Spotting on the Island of Mull
23-09-2021
23.01 MB
Voir la description
Clare takes on a challenging coastal route from Lochbuie to Carsaig on the island of Mull. Her guide is Wendy Lloyd who – like most islanders – has several strings to her bow. As well as working for Christian Aid, farming pigs on her croft, and hosting visitors in a yurt, she is interested in helping people navigate pilgrimage walking routes across Mull and over to Iona. She tells Clare about all of this as they attempt a long and arduous hike across slippy rocks and through shoulder-high bracken but the rewards are immense with spectacular scenery and obliging wildlife. Scroll down to the foot of the webpage to the 'related links' box where there is further information available.Presenter: CB
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Karen Gregor
66
The Turquoise Sea and White Sands of Ardnamurchan
16-09-2021
22.25 MB
Voir la description
Clare explores a remote and beautiful stretch of coastline between Portuairk and Sanna Bay on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. Ardnamurchan's far coastline is the most westerly part of the British mainland and has some of Scotland’s most gorgeous beaches. Sanna Bay, in particular, is an expanse of white sand and turquoise seas with views that stretch across to the inner Hebridean islands of Rum, Eigg and Muck. Her guide is Dee Heddon, a Professor of Theatre at the University of Glasgow. She co-created the ‘Walking Library’, a project that brings together walking and reading; and she’s recently launched a new study to explore how creativity and walking have become more connected during the pandemic.Scroll down on the webpage to the 'related links' box to find out more about Dee's projects.Presenter: CB
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Karen Gregor
67
White Stags and Kidney Donation in Fife
09-09-2021
22.28 MB
Voir la description
Clare is in Fife hiking with John Fletcher who, in 2009, was the first man in Scotland to donate a kidney to a stranger. In another pioneering first, he launched Britain's first commercial deer farm back in 1973. Their route begins on John's farm in Auchtermuchty, surrounded by rare white stags. Walking brings John great joy and he - along with a fellow kidney donor, and a renal nurse – takes Clare on one of his favourite rambles. See the 'related links' section at the bottom of the webpage for a list of organisations, including the NHS blood and transplant website.Presenter: CB
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Karen Gregor
68
A Sunny Stomp on the Pentland Hills
02-09-2021
22.8 MB
Voir la description
Clare hikes with the inspirational adventurers Hazel and Luke Robertson on the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh. They are mountain leaders, polar explorers and public speakers with many personal experiences to draw upon. Hazel spent four years of her childhood growing up in Canada and Alaska, which developed her love of the outdoors. At the age of 30, Luke became the first Scot to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole. This was in 2016, just two years after major brain surgery. Both are originally from the North East of Scotland, but now live in Edinburgh from where they run their company 'Everyday Exploring'. They've chosen to take Clare on one of their favourite local walks: Starting at Bonaly (Grid Ref: NT 211 674) they head up White Hill and onto Capelaw hoping, first, for views across the three bridges that span the Firth of Forth and then a broader view taking in more of the Pentlands range. See the 'related links' box on the webpage for more information about what's been discussed in the programme.Presenter: CB
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Karen Gregor
69
Urban Ambling in Cultural Coventry
10-06-2021
22.92 MB
Voir la description
A fascinating wander through Coventry, the 2021 UK City of Culture. Ian Harrabin is a Trustee of the City of Culture so is the perfect guide to lead CB along a richly historic urban route. He is also Chair of the 'Historic Coventry Trust' which is running a host of projects designed to preserve, and make more accessible, some of the most interesting and little known parts of the city. The walk began at Nauls Mill Park, Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AR. Map: OS Explorer 221 Coventry & Warwick. Grid Ref for Nauls Mill Park - SP 328 796Producer: Karen Gregor
70
Mallerstang in Cumbria with Debbie North.
03-06-2021
22.29 MB
Voir la description
Debbie North uses a motorised wheelchair and is a powerful advocate for making the countryside accessible for all. Debbie had always been a keen walker but, in her 40s, was diagnosed with spinal degeneration. Very quickly she became a wheelchair user yet made the decision that this wasn’t going to stop her accessing the countryside that she loves. Today she takes Clare on one of her favourite rambles in Mallerstang. It starts at The Thrang, south of Outhgill. Although officially at the eastern edge of Cumbria, the walk is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Their destination is the 'Water Cut' stone sculpture which overlooks some of the area's most beautiful and expansive scenery.Grid Ref for start of walk: NY783004OS Map: OL19 Howgill Fells and Upper Eden ValleyProducer: Karen Gregor
71
Tales of International Adventure on a Walk in Somerset
27-05-2021
23.18 MB
Voir la description
Bex Band was not an outdoorsy person, but one day she decided to hike the length of Israel. Whilst there she noticed very few women walking the 1000km National Trail so, on her return, decided to do something about it. She set up Love Her Wild, an organisation that encourages women to become more adventurous. The community now has over 25,000 members. On today’s walk, she takes Clare for a loop around King Alfred’s Tower near the Stourhead Estate, not far from Shepton Mallet in Somerset. As they walk, Bex discusses her forthcoming book; why women need encouragement and support to access the outdoors; and the other adventures she’s completed including kick-scooting the length of the United States. Car Park Grid Ref: ST749354
King Alfred’s Tower Grid Ref: ST746351
OS Map: Explorer 142 Shepton Mallet and Mendip Hills EastProducer: Karen Gregor
72
Screenwriter Kay Mellor at Harewood in Leeds
20-05-2021
23.32 MB
Voir la description
Kay Mellor is one of our most successful screenwriters. On today's ramble she takes Clare on her favourite route at Harewood House in her home city of Leeds. En route they discuss The Syndicate, Kay's hit drama series on BBC One and the iPlayer, which tells the story of a group of people who have won a huge amount of money on a lottery. Kay also discusses how walking helps her in the writing process, her desire to nurture more new writers, and how she started directing her own work. The walk they do is on land which is free to enter, but there is a charge to enter the main house and grounds of Harewood. They met at Grid Reference: SE 325 431 by large iron gates.Producer: Karen Gregor
73
Rhiane Fatinikun of Black Girls Hike in the Peak District
13-05-2021
22.25 MB
Voir la description
Rhiane Fatinikun takes Clare on one of her favourite walks in the Peak District. Starting in Edale they take in Hollins Cross, Lose Hill and Mam Tor. Rhiane set up Black Girls Hike to provide a safe space for black women to explore the countryside. It’s been such a success that there are now three branches: in the North West, the West Midlands and London. As she tells Clare, it’s a way of building confidence and increasing diversity in the outdoors. It's an exhilarating and challenging walk, made more so by the changeable weather they had on the day... from bright sunshine to snow and strong, biting wind.We started at the main car park in Edale, which is near the railway station (station grid ref: SK 123 853)Producer: Karen Gregor
74
Cressida Cowell in West Sussex
06-05-2021
22.87 MB
Voir la description
The best-selling author Cressida Cowell takes Clare for a nostalgic walk near Chichester in West Sussex. As well as writing the whoppingly successful ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ series, Cressida created ‘The Wizards of Once’ books which draw upon her childhood memories of roaming across the South Downs. She grew up in London but during school holidays would visit her grandparents where she found the freedom of the Sussex countryside intoxicating. Clare and Cressida walk for roughly six miles on a route known as The Trundle Loop, which begins and ends in the village of Charlton. Grid Ref for start of walk: SU 888 130Producer: Karen Gregor
75
Stained Glass in Minsmere with Arabella Marshall
25-03-2021
22.34 MB
Voir la description
Glass artist, Arabella Marshall, takes Clare for a walk at Minsmere in Suffolk. Their focus is an old chapel ‘bleak and broken’ which provided Arabella with the inspiration for a major work of art: a new stained-glass window fitted into one of the ruin’s old apertures. It’s a striking modern feature in the abandoned building. The idea came to her when out walking which, alongside her artistic practice, is the thing she loves best in life. She says rambling alone provides creative inspiration and a space for problem solving. Producer: Karen Gregor
76
Walking in Sound: Ellie Williams in North Somerset
18-03-2021
22.28 MB
Voir la description
Sound Recordist, Ellie Williams, takes Clare for an audio-rich wander at Abbots Pool in North Somerset. Walking, she says, is as essential to her as food and sleep and – whether she’s recording, or not – she’s always super-aware of the richness of the sounds around her. En route she contemplates why her profession is still so male-dominated and how it can be opened up to more women. Grid Ref for Abbots Pool Car Park: ST 537 730Producer: Karen Gregor
77
Big Cats! Rick Minter in Gloucestershire
11-03-2021
22.28 MB
Voir la description
Do big cats roam the British countryside? It’s a long running debate, one that’s never far from the headlines. A few years ago on , Clare saw what she described as an “enormous black cat” on a walk near Ross on Wye. Several newspapers followed this up, as did the ‘Big Cat Conversations’ podcast which is hosted by Rick Minter: he set up a camera trap close to Clare’s sighting and made contact with . So, for today’s walk, Clare and Rick explore the area around Selsley Common in Gloucestershire and discuss why he’s so sure big cats do exist in rural Britain.Grid Ref for the layby where we parked: SO830027Producer: Karen Gregor
78
Reading the Landscape with Mary-Ann Ochota: Pegsdon Hills
04-03-2021
23.32 MB
Voir la description
How many times have you been out for a walk and spotted intriguing shapes in the landscape? Your instinct tells you that these dips, hollows, lumps, bumps and oddly shaped stones aren’t natural features, but what on (and under) the earth are they? Mary-Ann Ochota is an anthropologist who writes about these curious archaeological forms and how to understand them. In her book, Hidden Histories, she shows how anyone can become a landscape detective, and start to read the history of the countryside from the clues around them. On today’s she takes CB for a walk around the Pegsdon Hills on the Hertfordshire-Bedfordshire border, and through 6000 years of British history. Grid Ref for where we parked: TL133301 Producer: Karen Gregor
79
From Solicitor to Sculptor: Simon Gudgeon in Dorset
25-02-2021
22.25 MB
Voir la description
Simon Gudgeon is one of our leading sculptors, but he didn't practice his art until his mid 40s. He'd worked as a solicitor, a photographer, and a landscape gardener before, one day, picking up a lump of clay to see what he could create. It wasn't long before he knew that sculpting was all he wanted to do. His distinctive creations, often inspired by the natural world, are showcased at his own venture, Sculpture by the Lakes in Dorset. Set in 26 acres and featuring over 40 lake and riverside works of art, establishing Sculpture by the Lakes proved a financially risky labour of love. Simon tells his story to CB on a walk from the historic St. Nicholas Church in Moreton, to his home at the sculpture park in Pallington, Dorset.Grid Ref for St. Nicholas Church: SY805892
Grid Ref for Sculpture by the Lakes: SY786912Producer: Karen gregor
80
Oscar winner Gareth Ellis-Unwin on his local riverside route in Berkshire
18-02-2021
22.2 MB
Voir la description
The Oscar winning producer of The King’s Speech, Gareth Ellis-Unwin, takes Clare on one of his regular rambles from Pangbourne in Berkshire to Goring on Thames in South Oxfordshire. Gareth had an unusual route into film-making and now works with the charity, ScreenSkills, which is trying to make it easier for people of all backgrounds to join the industry. Walking - Gareth says - is vital for the creative process, and he has a lot bubbling under: including a project about the extraordinary Georgian explorer, Lady Hester Stanhope. We started in Pangbourne at Grid Ref: SU636767 and walked along the Thames Path to Goring on Thames. Our final landmark was Goring Lock, Grid Ref: SU596808Producer: Karen Gregor
81
Anneka Rice on the Thames Path in London
11-02-2021
22.16 MB
Voir la description
Anneka Rice is a self-declared obsessive rambler who says she feels out of sorts if she doesn’t walk every day. Today she takes Clare on her favourite route along the banks of the Thames where she discusses how the river ‘tethers’ her, something she needs following a childhood that left her feeling ‘untethered’. Anneka became a household name in the 1980s thanks to the TV series Treasure Hunt, which followed her zipping about in a helicopter and racing against the clock to find clues on behalf of studio-bound contestants. Next came Challenge Anneka where she led groups of volunteers in the creation of community-based projects. At the height of her TV success, she took time out to study at Chelsea College of Art and now spends much of her time painting.
Clare and Anneka start the walk at approx Grid Ref: TQ215764, and walk along the Thames Path in the direction of Kew Gardens, then return on the opposite side of the river ending at Dukes Meadows Bandstand, Grid Ref: TQ214767Producer: Karen Gregor
82
Anita Rani on Hackney and Walthamstow Marshes
15-10-2020
22.28 MB
Voir la description
CB walks with Anita Rani on Hackney and Walthamstow Marshes. They also explore Walthamstow Wetlands, an internationally important nature reserve opened to the public in 2017. The Countryfile presenter recalls her outdoorsy upbringing in Yorkshire and how much she values London's green spaces. She also discusses her plans to write a childhood memoir; how appearing on 'Who Do You Think You Are' changed her life; and the intriguing story behind her choice of name for a new puppy.Clare and Anita started their walk in Millfields Park, Grid Ref: TQ353862Producer: Karen Gregor
83
Beachcombing on the Isle of Sheppey
08-10-2020
22.22 MB
Voir la description
Clare goes beachcombing on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent with author Lisa Woollett. Lisa is fascinated by what we throw away and how it reflects our changing lifestyles. Her new book ‘Rag and Bone’ tells the story of her discoveries in beachcombing and mudlarking and how it links to her family history: her great grandfather was a scavenger and her grandfather was a dustman. Clare and Lisa begin their walk (crucially, at low tide) at grid reference TQ954737.Producer: Karen Gregor
84
Buckinghamshire with Professor David Wilson
01-10-2020
22.23 MB
Voir la description
David Wilson is a well known criminologist and former prison governor. Clare meets him in the village of Wicken on the Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire border near to where he lives for a walk to the nearby village of Leckhampstead. This is one of David's regular routes. He has been walking around 50 miles a week since lockdown began in March. He does it to keep his weight down and to help process the horrors he often faces in his work dealing with murderers and serial killers. Clare talks to him about a case in his hometown in Scotland which he has recently written a book about. In it he reexamines the brutal murder of a young woman in 1973. Many people in the town believed the wrong man was tried and convicted. With the help of his sisters, David revisits the case and tracks down the man he believes to be the real killer. Producer: Maggie AyreThe route starts on OS Landranger 152 Grid Ref SP 745394 Wicken to Leckhampstead
85
Barry Farrimond, who plays Ed Grundy, on Dartmoor
24-09-2020
22.26 MB
Voir la description
Barry Farrimond, who plays Ed Grundy in The Archers, takes CB for an adventurous hike across Dartmoor. As they navigate the granite boulders of Wistman's Wood and scramble cross the West Dart River, Barry discusses the challenges of recording The Archers during lockdown, the knot he invented a few years ago (the Farrimond Friction Hitch) and Open Up Music, an organisation he co-founded to ensure that orchestras are accessible to young disabled musicians; this led to the establishment of the National Open Youth Orchestra, the world's first disabled-led national youth ensemble. Barry and Clare began their walk at Two Bridges, in the car park for Wistman's Wood: grid reference SX609750.Producer: Karen Gregor
86
The Mendips with Professor Alice Roberts
17-09-2020
22.2 MB
Voir la description
On a hot day, Clare and Alice Roberts walk from the village of Draycott in Somerset up through the Draycott Sleights Nature Reserve with views opening out across the Bristol Channel to Wales and across the Somerset Levels to Glastonbury Tor.
Alice says she finds the ancient landscape fascinating and imagines the inhabitants of past centuries who would have lived on the small settlements on the Levels.Producer: Maggie Ayre
87
Gloucestershire with Dom Joly
10-09-2020
22.11 MB
Voir la description
Dom Joly, famous for Trigger Happy TV, takes Clare on a walk near to his home in Gloucestershire. Leaving the village of Winchcombe, they walk up Spoonley Hill to see the remains of a Roman Villa. As they walk, Dom talks about his love of walking, discovered later in life after he became a travel writer. Recently he walked the entire length of Lebanon where he was born. His book The Hezbollah Hiking Club is an account of the 27 day walk. And he has been an avid walker since moving to Gloucestershire. Produced by Maggie Ayre for BBC Audio in Bristol
88
Joyful Highlights Part 6: Extreme Walking
18-06-2020
22.26 MB
Voir la description
CB digs into the archives to find the most dramatic weather conditions she's recorded in; she also hears from those walkers who've had had the biggest adventures.The highlights include: Satish Kumar who covered 8000 miles when he walked from India to North America in the 1960s, to protest about nuclear arms;
retired RAF officer, Lucy Newcombe, who has walked around the British coastline; and back in 2012 Clare found herself in the wildest of conditions on Dartmoor, luckily she was with a group from the Search and Rescue Dog Association.Please scroll down to the 'related links' box to click through to the featured programmes.Producer: Karen Gregor
89
Joyful Highlight Part 5: Walking Advice
11-06-2020
21.93 MB
Voir la description
CB continues her exploration of the archives and finds a selection of entertaining highlights which give some good advice to walkers both experienced and novice.Writer, Simon Ingram, recommends walking at 'guide's pace' when climbing steep hills; bothy-bagger, Phoebe Smith, discusses the etiquette of staying in these remote shelters; and experienced long-distance walker, Jenny Walters, tells Clare how best to prepare when tackling a mammoth route.Please scroll down to the 'related links' box to click through to the programmes featured.Producer: Karen Gregor
90
Joyful Highlights Part 4: Singers & Writers
04-06-2020
22 MB
Voir la description
CB recalls her favourite walks with a colourful variety of writers and singers including Bill Bryson, Toyah Wilcox, folk duo Ninebarrow, and the choral group Werca's Folk. Clare has been walking on air since 1999, and for this lockdown series of highlights has been digging into the archives to retrieve some of her most memorable moments: Today she gets dressed with Bill Bryson, takes a lift across a small puddle with Toyah, discovers that Dorothy Wordsworth avoided marriage so she could continue walking, and hears from author Emma Mitchell about exactly why our mood is lifted when we spend time in nature.Scroll down to the 'Related Links' box where you can click through to all the featured programmes.Producer: Karen Gregor
91
Joyful Highlights Part 3: Landscape
28-05-2020
22.08 MB
Voir la description
In a joyful celebration of 20 years spent walking on air, CB digs deep into the exhilarating archives of to share the best moments from her favourite walks.This week's highlights showcase the diverse landscape that Clare has explored since the series began. From the Sands of Forvie in Aberdeenshire to the Wicklow Mountains in the Republic of Ireland via a moonlit night walk across the South Downs to the unique landscape of Alderney. Please scroll down to the 'Related Links' box to click through to the programmes featured today. Producer: Karen Gregor
92
Joyful Highlights Part 2: Health and Happiness
21-05-2020
22 MB
Voir la description
In a joyful celebration of 20 years spent walking on air, CB digs deep into the exhilarating archives of to share the best moments from her favourite walks. This week she explores the theme of Health and Happiness to discover how walking can provide a real boost to both our physical and mental health.The featured programmes include The Diamond Ramblers, a group who discuss their achievements with weight loss; the positive and uplifting Forget Me Not dementia group; and Dr. Kate Harding who persuades Clare to walk in silence, always a challenge, however this was an encounter that proved very meaningful for Clare and it's a walk she's never forgotten.Please scroll down to the 'Related Links' box to access the full programmes included in this edition. Many, many more are available on BBC Sounds.Walking for Spiritual Renewal
Mental Health Walking Group
Black Men's Walking for Health Group (now Walk4Health)
The Diamond Ramblers
Up to the Labyrinth on St. Catherine's Hill
'Forget Me Not' Dementia Group Producer: Karen Gregor
93
Joyful Highlights Part 1: Friends and Family
14-05-2020
22.22 MB
Voir la description
In a joyful celebration of twenty years spent walking on air, CB digs deep into the exhilarating and exhausting archives of to share her favourite walks. This week the theme is Friends and Family as Clare finds the moments that best illustrate how walking is a fantastic way of drawing people together. Please scroll down to the 'Related Links' box to click through to the programmes featured:The Nidderdale Way: Gouthwaite to Bewerley
Going Wild in the West Country
An Aussie Walkabout... in Norfolk
Hopetoun with the Monday Walkers
Reigate, Surrey (Refugees) Producer: Karen Gregor
94
Herefordshire Interfaith Group on the Malverns
26-03-2020
22.17 MB
Voir la description
CB walks across a section of The Malverns, from Hollybush car park towards British Camp, with members of the Herefordshire Interfaith Group. In a world that feels increasingly divided, this group draws together Muslims, Quakers, Buddhists, Bahá’ís, Methodists and more. It's a leisurely stroll, with many pauses to reflect and share readings on the themes of Pilgrimage and Nature. Note: when we walked this route, in early March 2020, it was affected by flooding in the lower lying sections.In this series, Clare has walked with people and groups of many faiths and none to discover how being in the natural world can affect our inner lives. Producer: Karen Gregor
95
A brand new waymarked walking route in South Wales
19-03-2020
22.14 MB
Voir la description
In one of the rainiest we've ever recorded, CB discovers a brand new waymarked walking route in South Wales which has been established on the path of an ancient pilgrimage. It's called the Penrhys Pilgrimage and connects Llandaff to Penrhys.As Clare hears, while walking (and getting soaked) along the final five mile stretch from Trebanog to Penrhys, a huge amount of work from local volunteers has gone into making this project happen. Penrhys is the site of an ancient well and a statue of Mary and already has a pilgrimage passing through from east to west (the Cistercian Way) but from March 25th 2020 this new route , running south to north, will be available to all comers, pilgrims or not. Please scroll down to the 'related links' box to find out more.(Please note: the launch events mentioned in the programme have now been cancelled due to Covid-19)Producer: Karen Gregor
96
Outdoor Counselling in Derbyshire
12-03-2020
22.09 MB
Voir la description
Psychotherapist, Dr. Ruth Allen, explains how outdoor counselling works. She takes CB on a walk near Kelstedge in Derbyshire to discuss the healing power of walking & talking. In this series of , CB is exploring the impact that walking in nature can have on our inner lives. She’s been up Glastonbury Tor with Druids, walked the Wilberforce Way with a Methodist minister, been on retreat in Winchester and rambled across the Malverns with the Herefordshire Interfaith Group. Scroll down to the 'related links' box for more information.Producer: Karen Gregor
97
Up to the labyrinth on St Catherine's Hill, Winchester
05-03-2020
21.99 MB
Voir la description
CB visits the ancient and mysterious labyrinth on top of St. Catherine's Hill in Winchester. Leading the walk is Brian Draper, who runs soulful retreats in nature.Throughout this series of Clare is exploring how walking affects our inner life. She is hiking with people of differing beliefs and none to discover how the simple act of being in the natural world can change how we feel. Today, she joins a retreat run by Brian Draper - you may recognise his voice from Thought For The Day on Radio 4 - who encourages the group to slow down and be a part of nature, and discusses the benefits this can have. Together they climb St. Catherine’s Hill to discover the meaning and purpose of labyrinths, a kind of spiritual maze-like path used for walking meditation. Scroll down to the 'related links' box for more information.Producer: Karen Gregor
98
The Wilberforce Way with Inderjit Bhogal
27-02-2020
22.03 MB
Voir la description
CB walks with Sikh-turned-Methodist, Inderjit Bhogal, along part of the Wilberforce Way in East Yorkshire. Inderjit created this long distance walking route to honour Wilberforce who led the campaign against the slave trade. They start at Pocklington School, where Wilberforce studied, and ramble canal-side to Melbourne Ings. Inderjit Bhogal has an extraordinary personal story: Born in Kenya he and his family fled, via Tanzania, to Dudley in the West Midlands in the early 1960s. He couldn’t find anywhere to practice his Sikh faith so started attending his local Methodist chapel where he became an unusual sight, a Christian worshipper in a turban. He went on to become a leading figure in the Methodist church and was awarded an OBE in 2005. He discusses feeling fearful while walking alone in the countryside, because of the colour of his skin, despite having lived here for over 50 years.Please scroll down to the 'Related Links' box for information about the guide book mentioned in the programmeProducer: Karen Gregor
99
Glastonbury Tor with Druids
20-02-2020
22.08 MB
Voir la description
CB explores Glastonbury with Druids Penny and Arthur Billington. Throughout this series of , Clare is finding out how walking affects our inner life. She is hiking with people of differing beliefs and none to discover how the simple act of being in the natural world can change how we feel. As Penny and Arthur explain, Druids live their lives closely connected to nature and the changing seasons. Glastonbury Tor and the surrounding area is steeped in rich mythology which draws Druids to what they regard as a sacred landscape.Producer: Karen Gregor
100
Steve Backshall & Helen Glover on Winter Hill
13-02-2020
22.25 MB
Voir la description
Steve Backshall and Helen Glover walk with CB on Winter Hill in Berkshire.Throughout this series of CB is exploring how walking affects our well-being. She is hiking with people of differing beliefs and none to discover how the simple act of being in the natural world can change how we feel. Today, she’s climbing Winter Hill in Berkshire with the Olympic rower Helen Glover and her husband, the wildlife broadcaster and adventurer, Steve Backshall. They spend their working and waking lives outside and know more than most how joyful and beneficial this can be. They had their first child, Logan, in 2018 and are expecting again very soon. They discuss how important they feel it is to raise children with a love of the outdoors, and all the benefits that brings.Producer: Karen Gregor
101
Ninebarrow in Dorset
28-10-2019
22.34 MB
Voir la description
Clare walks with Jon Whitley and James (Jay) La Bouchardiere, two childhood friends born and bred in Dorset who moved back there after university and began playing folk music. Jon’s father had run a folk club so it was in his blood so to speak as is the Dorset countryside.
When they started writing songs it was a natural process to incorporate the landscape and folklore of the county and this eventually led to them producing a book of the walks that they have enjoyed and written songs about. They perform as a duo called Ninebarrow, a hill near Corfe Castle.
They’re walking one of their favourite and oldest walks of coastline, a circular walk beginning and ending in Worth Matravers. OS Ref SY 974 777Producer: Maggie Ayre
102
Walking The Pipe in Shropshire
15-10-2019
22.34 MB
Voir la description
CB walks part of the Elan Valley pipeline: 73 miles of Victorian engineering running water from mid Wales into the city of Birmingham. Clare is walking with artist Kate Green who has spent the summer walking the pipe and getting to know people and places along the way. They're walking a stretch that runs around the town of Ludlow in the Welsh Marches. Joining them are Andy Holman who runs a horse rescue centre on his land which holds part of the pipelines, and Tim Hipkiss part of a group of walkers called the Laura Ashley Pate Spreaders who she encountered as they were walking the pipeline too.Producer: Maggie Ayre
103
Beeley Edge with David Blunkett
10-10-2019
22.42 MB
Voir la description
David Blunkett takes CB for a walk across Beeley Edge in the Peak District. Joining them are his wife, Margaret, and his guide dog, Barley. Despite being blind from birth, Lord Blunkett has always been a keen rambler and is President of his local Ramblers group. En route they encounter half a dozen cattle, which have to be navigated carefully as David once had three ribs broken by a cow which, he recalls, came towards him with a 'primeval bellow' and knocked him over. They also pass the lakes that supply the extraordinary gardens at Chatsworth House, including the Emperor Fountain built to impress a visiting Russian Czar... who didn't turn up.Scroll down to 'related links' for information about the local area.Location Producer: Tom Bonnett
Producer: Karen Gregor
104
The Highest Hill in the Cotswolds
26-09-2019
22.19 MB
Voir la description
Clare is climbing Cleeve Hill near Cheltenham in today’s . At 330 metres above sea level it’s the highest point in Gloucestershire, and of the Cotswold Hills. With her are Chas and Sue Howes who live at the foot of the hill, and have a strong connection to it. Until 2012 Chas was the Finance Director of a major international clothing company. When he left he spiralled into a severe depression, something he now realises he had suffered from for many years. He says the business world is still a place where it’s very difficult to discuss mental health issues. Cleeve Hill and Common have been something of a lifeline for Chas: alongside medication, walking and running on the hill have improved his physical and mental health. He is now a trustee of its conservation body which raises money to protect and improve the hill and its surrounding land. Details of organisations offering information and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline
Please scroll down to 'related links' for more information on the support available. Also for more information about Cleeve Hill.Location Producer: Tom Bonnett
(Producer: Karen Gregor)
105
LGBT+ Outdoor Adventures Group
19-09-2019
22.22 MB
Voir la description
CB is with a group of young LGBT+ ramblers who meet once a month to explore the green spaces close to Manchester. Run by The Proud Trust, the outdoor adventures group is for 18-25-year-olds and is designed to combat social isolation and build both confidence and physical fitness. They always meet within striking distance of public transport and, today, are starting on the Chester Road in Stretford which is a mile from Trafford Park station. From there they walk partly along the River Mersey to Chorlton Water Park. It’s a local nature reserve which was created during the construction of the M60 motorway, when gravel was excavated and the resulting pit flooded to create the lake. Please scroll down to 'related links' for information connected to the walk location and The Proud Trust.Location Producer: Tom Bonnett
(Producer: Karen Gregor)
106
Ricky Ross and Lorraine Mcintosh of Deacon Blue in Fife
12-09-2019
22.25 MB
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CB is joined by singers Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh of the band Deacon Blue to walk one of their favourite coastal routes in Fife. Starting at Elie they walk along the beach passing through the village of St Monan's ending in the picturesque fishing town of Pittenweem. Ricky and Lorraine have been married for over thirty years and perform together as part of the band, as well as having their own careers in broadcasting and acting. They say the secret to their enduring relationship is doing things together as a couple and sharing the same interests, one of which is walking. One of their favourite areas to walk is the East Neuk in Fife reputed to have some of the driest sunniest weather in the UK because of its sheltered position between the Rivers Forth and Tay.Producer: Maggie Ayre
107
Going Dutch in Dorset
20-06-2019
22.25 MB
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CB joins a unique family ramble in Dorset. She is walking from Osmington Mills to Weymouth with Simon Waley and his three Dutch sons-in-law. They are here, from their home in the Netherlands, for a three day hike along a stretch of the South West Coastal Path. Simon is British; he met and married a Dutch woman and moved to the Netherlands more than twenty five years ago. They have three daughters and each met a Dutch man. For the first time, Simon – a very keen walker, who regularly comes back to the UK – is bringing his three Dutch sons-in-law to experience long-distance British trekking. He says the culture of walking is very different in the Netherlands where every square inch of land has a specific purpose, there aren’t many public footpaths, and agricultural land is out of bounds. When people do walk, it’s usually in huge, organised groups along a network of rural roads. Simon wants his family to experience both the freedom of British walking and the unique delight of youth-hostelling, something they haven’t done before.Producer: Karen Gregor
108
Going Wild in the West Country
13-06-2019
22.22 MB
Voir la description
CB walks with sisters Georgina and Rebecca - both mothers of young children - who started a group called Go Wild Go West to help inspire other young families to get out and enjoy the outdoors. They have happy childhood memories of exploring and adventuring in nature and are concerned that children today are losing touch with the thrill of walking and playing outdoors. They take Clare on a circular route around from East Harptree in North Somerset. It's a walk designed to delight and entertain the children who build a den, climb trees and find a rope swing along the way. The children are free to roam and explore with the mums a safe distance behind.There are more walks and ideas for days out on their Facebook page GoWildGoWestThe walk is from East Harptree Woods up Smitham Hill and down Harptree CombeProducer: Maggie Ayre
109
Proud, Resilient & Native American in the UK
07-06-2019
22.22 MB
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CB meets a group of native American women who live and work in the UK. A sense of isolation and homesickness led them to the Rainmaker Gallery in Bristol seeking connection with other indigenous people. They now meet regularly. Clare joins them on a walk around Henley in Arden in Warwickshire and hears how despite different tribal affiliations, the common cultural and spiritual backgrounds they share bring great comfort to them thousands of miles from home. Leandra Nephin is from the Omaha tribe of Nebraska and grew up on the reservation there. Sarah Sense is a Chitimacha artist who met her husband while she was exhibiting her work at the Rainmaker Gallery in Bristol run by Joanne Prince, while Stephanie Pratt is an academic and art historian from the Dakota Crow Creek tribe. Melinda Schwakhofer is Muscogee Creek and through her artwork is attempting to reconnect with her culture from her home on Dartmoor.The walk: Start Henley in Arden Centre ending Preston Bagot Church. Distance approximately four miles OS grid reference SP151660Producer: Maggie Ayre
110
Clare gets lost in Lancashire
30-05-2019
22.22 MB
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Clare gets lost in the rain as she walks to meet two extraordinary sisters in their 90s. Both were code-breakers during WW2, and one invented the TV classic, Ask the Family.Pat Davies and Jean Argles both worked in espionage during WW2. Pat helped the Royal Navy intercept German Naval Traffic at coastal stations, while Jean was a code and cipher officer based in Cairo, then Italy. Throughout the war, their father was a Prisoner of War. He was Lt Colonel Cary Owtram who was in charge of the infamous Chungkai Japanese Prisoner of War camp. There, he found himself responsible for the wellbeing of thousands of other prisoners including those used to build the notorious Death Railway which featured in the film, Bridge on the River Kwai. Incredibly, Lt Col Cary Owtram managed to keep a secret diary which Pat and Jean have recently published: "1000 Days on The River Kwai" (scroll down to 'related links' to find out more). Following the war, Pat worked in TV. She produced University Challenge and the Sky at Night. She also devised and produced ‘Ask the Family’.
Pat and Jean grew up in the Dolphinholme area of Lancashire and have fond memories of walking, riding horses and fishing with their family. They still enjoy walking, although the routes they take are now understandably shorter than they once were.Producer: Karen Gregor
111
Here Comes the Summer - Feargal Sharkey
23-05-2019
22.25 MB
Voir la description
CB joins singer Feargal Sharkey for a river walk on the south London/Surrey border along the River Hogsmill one of just 200 chalk streams in the world. He's always been a rambler and is currently walking all of the river routes of London. He is often dismayed and pleased in equal measure at the state of our rivers as he is a passionate advocate for water health and quality.
The walk is part of the London Loop and starts from Ewell West Station and ends at Kingston upon Thames passing through Old Malden.Producer: Maggie Ayre
112
An Aussie Walkabout... in Norfolk
16-05-2019
22.16 MB
Voir la description
CB goes walkabout with a group of Australian women who call themselves The Norfolk Broads. They include a Colman, of mustard fame, and one ‘honorary Aussie’, actually a Texan who once dated John Wayne’s son. They’ve all ended up living in this eastern corner of England and have discovered fun and companionship by exploring their new home on foot. They walk a stretch of Norfolk’s Boudicca Way from Diss to Shimpling. On the way, Clare discovers what brought them here, how they've adapted to their new home, and how to pronounce local town names...
Producer: Karen Gregor
113
To the Lighthouse!
28-03-2019
24.72 MB
Voir la description
Clare is walking to a land-based lighthouse on today’s . Smeaton’s Tower was originally on the Eddystone Reef, twelve miles out to sea on Plymouth Sound but when it was replaced by a new structure in 1882, the Tower was moved onshore and now stands on Plymouth Hoe. Tom Nancollas is Clare’s guide. He has written a book - Seashaken Houses - which tells of his passion for lighthouses and their many extraordinary stories. Also joining them on the walk is Tom’s friend Michael O’Mahony. He joined Tom on two of his research trips to lighthouses, which, as he recalls, ended in an undignified fashion! On their walk, Tom discusses his fascination for lighthouses and a strange family coincidence that emerged unexpectedly during his research: he discovered an ancestor had visited Smeaton’s Tower before him – as part of the team who dismantled the tower and moved it to the mainland. They start their walk by the Devonport Column, take in interesting parts of Plymouth and its coastline and end at the distinctive red and white 'winning post' of Smeaton's Tower itself.If you're reading this on the Radio 4 webpage, you can scroll down to the 'related links' section to find out more, including about Tom's book.Producer: Karen Gregor
114
Walking a Poem on The Malverns
21-03-2019
22.32 MB
Voir la description
CB is taking a poem for a walk on today’s . Joining her is Jean Atkin, the newly appointed Troubadour of the Malvern Hills. Jean takes Clare, stanza by stanza, to each of the locations featured in one of her poems. Joining them is Peter Sutton who has translated into modern English the famous mediaeval poem ‘Piers Plowman’ which starts with the poet asleep on the Malvern Hills. Also walking is David Armitage who works for the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; he discusses the similarities he sees between the Malverns and some African landscapes, and shows Clare a field packed with the most extraordinary amount of ant hills.The Troubadour of the Hills is a project devised by the Ledbury Poetry Festival and the Malvern Hills AONB. If you're reading this on the Radio 4 website, please scroll down for some photos from the walk and some related links which you can follow to find out more.
115
A Creative Soldier
14-03-2019
22.19 MB
Voir la description
CB walks across Dartmoor with a former soldier whose retirement has taken him in a surprising direction.Andy Salmon is a former soldier who now runs creative events which he hopes will inspire peace and reconciliation. As the former Commandant General of the Royal Marines, Andy has much experience to draw upon. He spent 36 years in the Marines and served in many global conflicts. It might sound unlikely, but the ‘Journey Through Conflict’ events he now stages are a mixture of art, music and storytelling during which he and other former soldiers share their wartime experiences. In this edition of , he takes CB for a challenging walk across a section of Dartmoor – which is a significant training location for the Royal Marines - on the way, they discuss what led him into such an unusual retirement.If you are reading this on the webpage, you can scroll down to the 'related links' section to find more information about Andy's project.
116
A Cow Parsley Tattoo - Cambridgeshire
07-03-2019
22.22 MB
Voir la description
The writer, Emma Mitchell, takes CB for a walk around the woods at the back of her house in Cambridgeshire and explains why exposure to the natural world can have a mood-lifting effect on us all. While acknowledging that she relies on antidepressants and talking cures to prevent her depression from becoming overwhelming, she says that walking several times a week, even on days when she feels well, has a cumulative effect and helps to make the dips in her mood less vertiginous. She says “For me, taking a daily walk among plants and trees is as medicinal as any talking cure or pharmaceutical”. But it’s not just because she has a “fondness for looking at bonny bosky views” rather, she says “I am experiencing real physiological responses that affect my body and mind”. As they walk, Emma explains to Clare why they both feel their stress levels falling... it’s not just the physical act of walking, it could be, partly, because they’re breathing the volatile compounds and oils emitted by the plants and trees that surround them. Emma discusses this and other ideas that she explores in her book The Wild Remedy.She also talks about her cow parsley tattoo...If you're reading this on the Radio 4 webpage, please scroll down for photos from the walk of hibernating ladybirds, Annie the Lurcher and Emma's tattoo...
There is also a link to the Woodland Trust page for Reach Wood, where we walked. Also more detail on Emma's book. NB: If you are feeling emotionally distressed and would like details of organisations which offer advice and support, go online to bbc.co.uk/actionline or you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information 0800 066 066.Producer: Karen Gregor
117
Long dresses, cloaks and bonnets. Cumbria.
28-02-2019
22.13 MB
Voir la description
Why climb a snowy Cumbrian hill in a long dress, cloak and bonnet? CB finds out.It's all down to Dorothy Wordsworth, the sister of poet, William. In her own right Dorothy was a writer and a pioneering walker. Just over 200 years ago she and her friend, Mary Barker, became the first women to both climb and write about Scafell Pike in the Lake District. This wouldn’t have been easy in their long dresses, cloaks and bonnets. To mark this achievement the artist Alex Jakob-Whitworth and some friends decided to follow in Dorothy’s footsteps. They dressed in period costume and tried to get to the top of England’s highest mountain. It wasn't easy, as they tell Clare on today's walk, which starts in Seathewaite in Borrowdale and progresses up to Stockley Bridge, through the snowline, and beyond. Alex took on this challenge as part of a bigger project. If you are reading this on the Radio 4 webpage, you can scroll down the page to the 'related links' section to discover more about Alex, Harriet and The Wordsworth Trust.Producer: Karen Gregor
118
Gentle Slopes not Rolling Hills - Suffolk
21-02-2019
22.22 MB
Voir la description
Our original plan for today’s walk fell apart. David Bradbury had invited us to join his lunch-time walking group. Instead of eating a sandwich at their desks, he and his colleagues would make the effort to go for midday rambles which were bonding, supportive and great exercise. He says the group held him together when some difficult personal problems arose. But then David left the company and, therefore, his walking group. However, he remains a keen walker, so we kept our date to walk with him near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk. Instead of colleagues, he brought along his daughter, his mother and his friend, Ron the Human Google. Together, they take a circular route which starts at the Rushbrooke Arms in Sicklemere, passes Nowton Church which has some truly beautiful Flemish stained glass windows, plus views of the British Sugar factory and its huge plumes of steam. They bypass a shoot (quickly), and enter Nowton Park where there is a colourful totem pole which - uniquely - includes a wolf holding the severed head of St. Edmund himself. The walk ends back at the pub. Clare is quite certain that the landscape contains only gentle slopes. In Suffolk, David says, they are definitely hills.Producer: Karen Gregor
119
Old Maps and New Routes - Oxfordshire
14-02-2019
22.17 MB
Voir la description
CB starts the 20th year of by walking with a listener who is so committed to exploring the countryside that she creates and publishes her own walking routes.Elaine Steane ran out of walks, so decided to invent her own. She's published a number of books including Milestones to Millstones and it's a route from this that we follow today. It skirts the Oxfordshire/Berkshire border and takes in Mapledurham Watermill - a working Mill that not only produces its own flour but also supplies 140 local homes with electricity. The Mill became famous when it featured in the film version of The Eagle Has Landed; Michael Caine's signature is apparently carved somewhere into the building's wooden structure. Later on, we skirt past (but can't quite see) Hardwick House. This was the inspiration for EH Shepard's illustrations of Toad Hall in Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows. From there we head up into the Wild Woods, where we hear a reading from Wind in the Willows, before climbing a steep hill which takes us back to where we started at Whittles Farm. Elaine's love of mapping comes from her father. He was Harold Fullard, a renowned cartographer who was Editor of the Phillip's Modern School Atlas, the blue-canvas book that generations of school-children used to learn about the world. Elaine recalls earning a little pocket money by helping to create the index at home... it was a painstaking process. If you are reading this on the Radio 4 website, you can scroll further down to see links to Elaine's books, Mapledurham Water Mill and some photos of the walk. Producer: Karen Gregor
120
Aviemore, Scotland
16-10-2018
22.54 MB
Voir la description
Clare joins a group of recently graduated students of Agriculture from Newcastle University who are walking and canoeing along the Speyside Way from source to sea in memory of their friend Rob who was tragically killed in their final year. Their summer wild camping trip is a way to bring the group of friends together once a year to talk and remember Rob who was such an integral part of their university life.Producer: Maggie Ayre
121
Dartmoor, Devon
16-10-2018
22.11 MB
Voir la description
CB meets the writer Tom Cox for a walk on Dartmoor, the setting for many of his musings on walking and nature that are a humorous sometimes spooky take on the countryside and the creatures that inhabit it. His book 21st Century Yokel is full of Devon folklore, haunted landscapes and humorous observations about the people and animals he encounters. Their walk takes them from Manaton Church near Bovey Tracey up to Bowerman's Nose and Hound Tor, stopping off to pay their respects at the grave of Kitty Jay a 17th century farm girl along the way.Producer: Maggie Ayre
122
Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway
16-10-2018
22.16 MB
Voir la description
CB walks the final part of the Whithorn Way with a local group of walking enthusiasts. It's an an an ancient pilgrim route from Glasgow down along the west coast ending at the holy site of St Ninian's Cave on the southern tip of the peninsula looking towards the Isle of Man. Pilgrims have been making the journey for centuries until they were banned from doing so after the Reformation during the 16th century, but the tradition has been revived and with the restoration of the walking route, more people are expected to do the 146 mile route through some of Scotland's most beautiful but often overlooked landscapes.Pictured left to right: Ian Gemmell, a retired local vet from Whithorn, CB, Finn McCreath local farmer and trustee of the Wigtown Book Festival and Jessica Fox, former NASA storyteller.Producer: Maggie Ayre
123
Centurion Way, Chichester
27-09-2018
22.6 MB
Voir la description
CB hears the uplifting story of how walking helped a young man recover from a brain injury. At the age of 23, Matt Masson fell off a roof during a night out. He was in a coma for six weeks and, when he awoke, couldn't walk, talk or sit-up. When his voice returned, so did a determination to return to his previously active life. Walking formed a central part of his rehab; his first goal was to walk just 300 metres but by 2014 Matt had walked the Amsterdam Marathon which took 9 hours and 37 minutes. In this edition of , Matt and his mother, Anne, walk a stretch of the Centurion Way in Chichester and recall his many endeavours. The Centurion Way is a route between Chichester and West Dean which follows the line of part of the disused Chichester to Midhurst Railway. Producer: Karen Gregor.
124
The Hoo Peninsula, Kent
20-09-2018
22.58 MB
Voir la description
CB is walking in someone else’s shoes for this edition of . She’s joined, on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent, by the artist, Clare Patey and the author, Roman Krznaric. They are – respectively – the Director and Founder of The Empathy Museum. On their walk from Gravesend Station to the Cliffe Pools Nature Reserve, Clare and Roman describe one of the Empathy Museum’s projects: “A Mile in My Shoes”.Inspired by the saying: “Never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins” the project travels the UK, and the world, in a shipping container which is decorated as a gigantic shoe-box. Inside are rows of other people’s shoes, and audio-recordings of their own personal stories. The idea is that visitors wear a pair of shoes, and go for a walk, while listening to the shoe owner’s story. The stories range from a Herefordshire farmer discussing his search for love (you wear a pair of his old work boots to walk and listen) to a former sex worker (red high heels). For part of this walk, CB will wear a pair of fluffy pink slippers and hear a powerful tale.The idea behind the project is to expose listeners to the stories of people they wouldn’t otherwise meet, in order to promote empathy.
The project has a podcast – the link is further down on this web-page.Producer: Karen Gregor
125
Herefordshire
13-09-2018
23.13 MB
Voir la description
CB walks on Hergest Ridge in Herefordshire with Dr. Kate Harding, who has a moving story to tell. This is the second time Clare has walked with Kate. Their first ramble was around five years ago. The run-up to that recording had been stressful and Clare wasn't really up for it. She recalls - 'I was grumpy with the weather and grumpy with life. Not myself at all'.However, when Kate and Clare started that walk, Clare realised it was what she needed most. Kate's advice about the power of mindfulness resonated strongly. It's an encounter that Clare has never forgotten.Now, Clare is returning to Herefordshire to walk with Kate once more. However, Kate's circumstances have changed significantly. Last year, her husband killed himself. A consultant anaesthetist and specialist in intensive care, he had been suffering from crippling depression. Kate and her teenage children have, obviously, been left devastated. They had emigrated to New Zealand as a family of four. Shortly after Richard's suicide, they returned to Herefordshire, as three.Since Richard's death, Kate has become determined to highlight the higher than average suicide rate amongst the medical profession, and would like to see a swifter process of complaint handling by the General Medical Council. This is why she's chosen to walk again with Clare; as well as to celebrate Richard's life by walking in one of the places he loved the most, Hergest Ridge, where his memorial was held.Kate regards the openness and beauty of Herefordshire as something of a balm.NB: If you are feeling emotionally distressed following this broadcast and would like details of organisations which offer advice and support, you can access this site: bbc.co.uk/actionline Producer: Karen Gregor.
126
Cairngorms
21-06-2018
22.38 MB
Voir la description
A musical walk around the Cairngorms National Park with the self-taught composer, Alexander Chapman-Campbell. Alexander's latest album is inspired by a 650km pilgrimage through Norway in the summer of 2015. He had intended to have a break from composition but, en route and completely by chance, Alexander came across pianos in the farmhouses he stayed in, and the churches he visited. So began the instinctive process of creating an album, 'Journey to Nidaros' (Nidaros is the Cathedral in Trondheim, where his trek ended.) He recounts this adventure to Clare, as they walk in the Cairngorms National Park, a place that reminds him very much of Norway. Their walk is a five mile circular route around the Glen Tanar estate, near Aboyne, a village on the edge of the highlands, just 26 miles west of Aberdeen. Producer: Karen Gregor.
127
Laugharne
14-06-2018
22.43 MB
Voir la description
CB walks in beautiful sunshine with one of the longest standing groups we've had on . For over 30 years, Derek Fawcett and friends have met for an annual walk. They've known each other since they were at medical school and, despite going into different specialities, have retained a strong connection; they say this is best enjoyed while out walking. Today, they are in Laugharne in south west Wales. They follow a route from Laugharne Castle which takes in Dylan Thomas's former home. Thomas once described Laugharne as the 'strangest town in Wales' and based Llareggub in Under Milk Wood ('bugger all' spelt backwards) on the place.Producer: Karen Gregor.
128
Up to the Dashwood Mausoleum
07-06-2018
22.31 MB
Voir la description
CB walks to the extraordinary Dashwood Mausoleum, near High Wycombe, with Julia and Lee Clements and their daughter, Cerys. Cerys is nearly six years old and has cerebral palsy, so joins the walk in her off-road buggy. Together Julia and Lee discuss how they have adapted to life with a profoundly disabled child; Julia says she has become a 'fighter', especially for the right to give her daughter blended 'real' food, through the tube in her stomach, and not just formula milk which is the accepted norm. Lee says he once defined himself by his achievements at work, or in running marathons, or going for very long walks whereas, now, he values even the shortest of outings with Cerys - navigating kissing-gates, or pushing her weighty buggy uphill is a joy and a challenge in itself.Producer: Karen Gregor.
129
Church Stretton
31-05-2018
22.51 MB
Voir la description
CB is off to Little Switzerland in this week's programme, but she's not travelling far: Church Stretton, in Shropshire, earned its nick-name in Victorian times because of the area's Alpine feel. Her companions are Mark and Debbie, who met after both lost their spouses to cancer. Together with Ted, the wire haired Dachshund, they are attempting to complete every route listed in the book "50 walks in Shropshire". They have just passed the 20 mark. Today's walk takes them to the trig point of the Long Mynd, from there they retrace their steps back to the top of Town Brook Hollow and return over the top of Yearlet Hill and Ashlet Hill and back into Church Stretton.Producer: Karen Gregor.
130
Reigate, Surrey
24-05-2018
22.61 MB
Voir la description
Today Clare is walking in Surrey with a group of asylum seekers who are former detainees of the Gatwick Immigration Removal Centres. Alongside them are volunteers from "Refugee Tales" which is a project run by the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group; it involves monthly walks as well as an annual event which combines walking and storytelling. The idea, they say, is to "reclaim the landscape for the language of welcome". Over 50% of those held in Immigration Removal Centres are released back into the UK community though their cases may be unresolved, their living conditions precarious, and their future uncertain. These walks give the former detainees a chance to meet up with their friends, enjoy the countryside and - for just a few hours - forget their challenging and unknown future. Today the group is in Reigate. The group will walk from the station to the top of Reigate Hill, then along the North Downs ridge where there are views towards Gatwick and the detention centres. They then work their way back along the Pilgrim's Way, and return to the station.. All photos by John BarrettProducer: Karen Gregor.
131
Hembury Fort, Honiton
17-05-2018
22.55 MB
Voir la description
A chaotic and lively dog-walk on Hembury Fort near Honiton in Devon kicks off the new series. Nigel, the rebellious Golden Doodle, upstages CB and guests.Clare's human companions are Amy, Jenny, and Anna. They met at the school-gate and formed a strong bond that has helped them through many health challenges. Jenny's thyroid problems led unexpectedly to her launching a successful dog-walking business. They take Clare on one of their regular walks, across Hembury Fort near Honiton, and explain what friendship through walking means to them.Produced in Bristol by Karen Gregor.
132
Purton, Gloucestershire
29-03-2018
22.75 MB
Voir la description
CB takes a walk along the banks of the Severn in the company of the country's most prolific travel writers, Christopher Somerville who's also the walking correspondent of The Times. They begin their six and a half mile walk in the Gloucestershire village of Purton which lies on the east bank of the River Severn, Christopher's childhood village of Leigh is not far upstream. He talks to Clare about the role walking has played in his life and how it became a way that he could reconnect with his late father.The route can be found on OS Explorer OL 14 , map ref for the starting point : SO 684021Producer Lucy Lunt.
133
York
22-03-2018
22.64 MB
Voir la description
CB joins Gill Callow, a teacher from York who takes her on a favourite six mile route around the city. Walking has always been an important part of Gill's life; a joy to share with friends, a way to appreciate the wonders of the British countryside, a stress - buster from intense days in the classroom and now vital to help her come to terms with the loss of her partner, Martin. Gill talks to Clare about how she introduced him to the joys of walking , the long distance routes they tackled and the plans they had for the future. She finds walking a good way to remember him and the many happy times they shared.
Producer Lucy Lunt.
134
Black Men's Walking for Health Group
16-03-2018
22.29 MB
Voir la description
CB walks in the Peaks with Maxwell Ayamba, who founded a rambling group for other black men, from Sheffield, to help improve their health and well being. Clare joins the group as they leave the Moorland Discovery Centre and set off across the Moors. They explain to Clare how the group has helped improve their relationships as well as their health and Maxwell describes the art of riding crocodiles.
Producer: Lucy Lunt.
135
Crouch End to Bloomsbury, London
08-03-2018
22.55 MB
Voir la description
CB joins archaeologist, Charlotte Frearson and her dog, Indy, on their daily, five mile walk to work. A few years ago Charlotte was suffering from crippling anxiety, her doctor suggested medication or a dog. After detailed research Charlotte decided a whippet would be better than drugs and she bought Indy, short , of course, for Indiana Jones. Everyday they walk from their home in Crouch End, across London to UCL's Institute of Archaeology in Bloomsbury. It's hard to know who enjoys the walk more as Charlotte has the chance to reflect on the antiquities that might lie beneath their feet and Indy has the chance to hunt out tasty morsels on the pavement. As they take their favourite route from park to park Charlotte explains to Clare how Indy is now being assessed to be a Pet As Therapy dog, not just for her but for the students who sometimes find it easier to talk to him than their tutors.
Producer Lucy Lunt.
136
Aberlady Bay
02-03-2018
22.66 MB
Voir la description
Clare explores the beautiful beaches of Aberlady Bay, East of Edinburgh. She joins the pupils, parents and staff of Saltersgate school which supports children and young people who have additional learning needs. Mary Higgins is the outdoor learning teacher and she's discovered that for some pupils, a long walk on a Monday morning sets them up for the week. She's thrilled by how far and well they ramble and joy they derive from being outside whatever the weather. With special dispensation, some of the parents come along to explain to Clare the pleasure and benefit their non-verbal sons gain from this weekly adventure.
Producer: Lucy Lunt.
137
Greens Norton, Northamptonshire
22-02-2018
22.52 MB
Voir la description
CB joins Christina Edwards as she returns to her childhood home in Greens Norton, Northamptonshire, to retrace the walk she took most nights as a teenager, when suffering from anorexia. Christina lived with her mother in a small cottage on the village green. At seventeen Christina stopped eating and as she explains to Clare, as hunger would wake her in the middle of the night, she'd slip out of the house, always accompanied by their dog Jamie and set off on a long walk around the village to try and tire herself out and soothe her mind. Jamie would never leave her side as she strode across the fields and along footpaths, always listening to the same album on her Walkman, The Waterboys, This is the Sea.
Christina now lives in New Zealand with her husband and three children, she talks to Clare about the strength it took to overcome her condition and how she still needs to battle with it today.If you need support with eating disorders, help and support is available. Visit the BBC Action http://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/a-zProducer Lucy Lunt.
138
Stanton Moor and Robin Hood's Stride from Winster
15-02-2018
22.52 MB
Voir la description
CB joins comedian Ed Byrne as he takes her for one of his favourite walks in the Peak District; to Stanton Moor and Robin Hood's Stride from Winster. They discuss how he became an enthusiastic hill walker and a passionate Munro bagger. Munro bagging is the ideal hobby for Ed as it combines a love of the outdoors and his nerdy desire to tick things off lists. Ed and Clare compare notes on their passion for kit, walking clothing and gadgets.
The route for their seven mile walk can be found on OL 24 , grid reference SK241605.
Producer Lucy Lunt.
139
Listeners' Walks: Stoke-on-Trent
19-10-2017
22.46 MB
Voir la description
CB meets a group of five friends from Stoke on Trent who have been walking The Two Saints Way www.twosaintsway.org.uk , a route that's taken them from Chester to Lichfield. All retired or semi-retired professional women, they all have very personal reasons for taking this pilgrimage. They like to mark various stages of the walk with a song, taking it in turns to decide on the type of music required for the particular location. They are accompanied by Buddy, a Border Terrier cross Jack Russell who has been with them for every step of the way. They women call themselves The Fast Girls Walking Group on account of the brisk pace they like to keep, so Clare will not be dawdling as they explain to her their love of their home town and why they believe The Potteries are wrongly overlooked as a great walking area.
The route can be found on OS Explorer 258 Stoke on Trent and Newcastle Under Lyme . The walk takes them from Stoke Minster to Lord Sutherland's Monument.
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Producer: Lucy Lunt.
140
Listeners' Walks: Isle of Man, Kallow Point
12-10-2017
22.49 MB
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CB continues her exploration of The Isle of Man by travelling south to walk the coastal path from Kallow Point to the Sound. She's joined by locals Jane and Peter Gunn and archaeologist, Andrew Foxon. Despite the wind and rain setting in, there are still wonderful views to be had of the Calf of Man and Jane explains the many vagaries of living on the island, she appears to know everyone or at least all those they meet en route.Producer: Lucy Lunt.
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Podcast BBC Radio 4 Ramblings with Clare Balding,
une émission Divers, Personnalité
Animateurs des émissions BBC - Radio 4Podcast BBC Radio 4 Ramblings with Clare Balding,
une émission Divers, Personnalité
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