Podcasts about North Downs

New energy infrastructure projects like solar and wind farms don't always go down well with local communities. But what if people living nearby got cheaper energy bills or even owned shares in the development? When asked about new energy infrastructure last month, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said he wants to "do deals with local people so they can see a benefit for their community". We find out how that could work for rural people.We visit Chapel Down on the North Downs in Kent. It's England's largest wine maker and still has ambitious plans for expansion, including planting more than 100 acres of new vines.More than 30 organisations have written to the Government to say the current system of farm payments is encouraging some farmers to tear up fields of permanent pasture, which could be managed to become species-rich meadows.And how do you harvest walnuts? We go along and take a look.Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons

After the summer break, Steve, Elliot and Ryan chat about their summer races, Ryan chats about his win at North Downs 100 and we also discuss upcoming future races in the now busy Hong Kong trail race calendar. www.trahk.org https://www.centurionrunning.com/races/north-downs-way-100-2024

Send us a Text Message.The one with the plan

Art could either get his taxes in on time or get back to The One Ring using Strider Mode. The choice was obvious. Here's a bonus session where he embarks on his journey to uncover new evils lurking in the North Downs. Join us on our Discord: https://discord.gg/tQGJVsrnNp Follow us on Blue Sky and X @BlackLodgeRPG Recorded on 3/19/24 Free League: www.freeleaguepublishing.com Intro Theme: Dances and Dames by Kevin MacLeod. In session music provided by Tabletop RPG Music: www.patreon.com/tabletoprpgmusic Maps by Lion Banner Games: https://foundryvtt.com/creators/lionbanner/ 00:00:00 Introduction and recap 00:02:35 Start of the journey 00:49:51 Arrival to the North Downs 00:55:08 Heading into the North Downs 01:16:47 Combat 01:33:34 End of combat and wrap-up

Today's guest on The English Wine Diaries is former tech executive and now co-founder of Pelegrims Skincare, Jérôme Moisan  Born and raised in rural Brittany, Jérôme moved to the UK after he met his English wife, Laura, at university and they settled in the town of Maidstone in Kent, where they are surrounded by vineyards stretching along the North Downs. Having seen the success that companies, such as Caudalie, had achieved in his native France – and with the English wine industry now booming – Jérôme went about looking to establish an independent skincare business that would celebrate the success of English vineyards.Two years ago, he joined forces with Alex Verrier, a young entrepreneur, who had previously worked on a skincare brand formulated in Margate and together they created Pelegrims Skincare – low intervention, active formulations made using extract from the skins, seeds and stalks of English grapevines. To find out more about Pelegrims visit pelegrims.com, or follow @Pelegrims on Instagram and facebook. This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40. ----------------------Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at thesouthernquarter.co.uk.

This month for the umpteenth time I found myself on the North Down Way, in Guildford to be precise, "the thinking man's Woking" for Ultra Challenges North Down Challenge, a race that was supposed to have rain at 5pm, then 3pm, and eventually had rain about an hour after the start.Part of a hikey joggy end to the year with SVP50, Thames Path Challenge, Swindon 50K and NYC Marathon to go I needed this one, after two DNFs in recent races with my broken brother. I was 3-10 going into this so needed to pick up the pace and get it done.So, naturally, that is exactly what I did, despite the weather, and the wrong shoes.

Paco Versailles s

Paco Versailles s

Çok İyidir, Çok Severim'in arayı açmadan gelen altıncı bölümünde Caner Eler ve Onur Erdem, Dünya Kupası izlediklerini sandığımız son bir ayda radarlarına takılan eserleri beğenimize sunmaya devam ediyor. 90'lar Amerika'sında bir Harrier Jet kazanma fırsatını gören gencin dava sürecini anlatan "Pepsi, Where's My Jet?" belgeselinden yola çıkarak en sevdiğimiz jetler, aksiyon sinemacılığı ve tabii ki Tom Cruise övgüsü derken kendimizi favori gizli servislerimizi düşünürken buluyoruz. Ayrıca Onur Erdem'in yanlışlıkla izlediği Katakulli serisinden iki film ve sonrasındaki toparlanma süreciyle beraber ikili bizi kötü yapımlardan korumak için birkaç uyarıda bulunuyor. Öyle ki John Goodman'ın rol aldığı "Canavar Yolu No: 10" filmini izlemeyeceğimizden emin olmak için sonunu söylüyor ve biraz da iyi şeylerden bahsetmek üzere Sıcak Kafa'ya geçiyorlar. Zevklerin çatışmasında Onur'un Recep İvedik serisine Caner'in Pedro Almodóvar seçkisiyle cevap verdiği sohbetimiz, The Banshees of Inisherin, Ratatouille ve Stutz'a kadar uzanıyor. Son olarak The Ringo Jets, Eugene McGuinnes, The Gentle Waves, The Dolly Rocker Movement, North Downs, Peace ve Evdeki Saat ile müzik turumuzu tamamlıyor ve yedinci bölümün yolunu gözlemeye başlıyoruz.

In a special episode of the podcast, host Rowan Hooper visits Newlands Corner in the North Downs in southern England, the site of one of the oldest and most significant populations of wild yews growing anywhere in the world.Yew trees are familiar from churchyards and are also revered by pagans and shamans. They can live for many hundreds of years. The grove at Newlands Corner is an exceptional ecosystem, with yews over 1000 years old, but they are declining, losing their needles and slowly dying. Rowan meets arboreal scientist Geoff Monck of Treecosystems, who specialises in surveying and restoring arboreal ecosystems.The cause of the decline in ancient yews has many factors, but the impact of nitrates in rainwater and in run-off from crop fields is perhaps the most important. Rowan hears how nitrates are changing the way the wood wide web operates, and how we might be able to fix it. New Scientist podcasts are freely available. Subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We look at this deep dive into (re)learning ancient wood craft techniques to create something beautiful, unique and long lasting in a community driven methodology. Se more about Barn Club, A Tale of Forgotten Elm Trees, Traditional Craft and Community Spirit here, published by Chelsea Green. Barn Club A Tale of Forgotten Elm Trees, Traditional Craft and Community Spirit, reviewed This book begins with a paean to the values of having some tech free time, and getting back to traditional methods and ways of working. At times the author finds himself admiring joints and worked pieces of wood made centuries ago that are still serving the purpose for which they were created. It is truly impressive the craftsmanship and skills that our ancestors did possess when working with wood. The author also recognises that some of these skills have been lost and, at times, it is not always clear how to achieve the techniques that used to be applied so readily. The book itself is a journey, while also a celebration of the elm tree and its unique style of wood colouration and markings. As elm has been devastated over the last few years it was certainly information to learn more about this, as well as the techniques used to get long, large workable cuts of wood from trunks and branches of elm. This may be a book to read at the weekends and on long autumnal and winter nights. However it is not a complete back to basics approach and the author does recognise the value of, at certain points, using modern tools for some parts of the process. This seems like a wholly sensible approach. The goal here is to work with wood, not to make the process long and unenjoyable. A great book, and we enjoyed it, even if we don't plan to make anything on the scale of what was created for Barn Club! More about the book Natural history meets traditional hand craft in this celebration of the elm tree and community spirit. When renowned craftsman Robert Somerville moved to Hertfordshire in southern England, he discovered an unexpected landscape rich with wildlife and elm trees. Nestled within London's commuter belt, this wooded farmland inspired Somerville, a lifelong woodworker, to revive the ancient tradition of hand-raising barns. Barn Club follows the building of Carley Barn over the course of one year. Volunteers from all walks of life joined Barn Club, inspired to learn this ancient skill of building elm barns by hand, at its own quiet pace and in the company of others, while using timber from the local woods. The tale of the elm tree in its landscape is central to Barn Club. Its natural history, historic importance, and remarkable survival make for a fascinating story. This is a tale of forgotten trees, a local landscape, and an ancient craft. This book includes sixteen pages of color photographs, and black and white line drawings of techniques and traditional timber frame barns feature throughout. Perfect for fans of Norwegian Wood and The Hidden Life of Trees. More about Robert Somerville Robert Somerville grew up in rural Kent during the 1960s. A childhood spent in the woods and hills of the North Downs and the orchards and marshes of the Little Stour valley inspired his deep love for the natural world. After studying engineering and architecture at the University of Cambridge, Somerville went on to run a design and building business in Devon, utilizing local wood, stone and earth. Upon moving to Hertfordshire with his wife, Lydia, Somerville began working with local woodland owners and foresters to source local elm timber and then build and raise timber frames by hand, with the help of volunteers known as the Barn Club – a group formed to teach, practice and celebrate skilled rural craftsmanship. Somerville lives with Lydia and the youngest of his three children in their self-built eco-house in an idyllic smallholding. See more book reviews here.

This week we speak to Linn Sahlstrom following her recent win at The North Downs Way 100. Linn shares her experience of the hotly contested event and how she persevered despite dealing with various mis-haps including her own inner Pain Cave...You check in with Linn on Instagram @the_running_chiroYou can keep up to date with the podcast @paincave.podAnd you can connect with me @another.runnerHappy Running! 

A lowly relish salesman and his aristocratic friend turn detective to solve the mystery of a missing woman in the North Downs village of Unge. This original recording is an audio presentation by Jasper L'Estrange for EnCrypted: The Classic Horror Podcast. "The Two Bottles of Relish" by Lord Dunsany (1934). Please support my work... Researching, reading, re-reading, recording, mixing, uploading, promoting each of these short story audio presentations takes many hours - possibly more than you'd imagine. If you wanted to you could say thank you in the following ways: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/encryptedpod YouTube channel membership: https://www.youtube.com/c/EnCryptedClassicHorror/join One-off donation: https://ko-fi.com/encryptedpodcast You can now also say THANKS with a SUPER THANKS on YouTube! If you want to discuss the show or talk business, contact me: encryptedpod@gmail.com

Langley Vale Wood is a really special place. Created as part of the Trust's First World War Centenary Woods project, it's a natural living legacy for the fallen that symbolises peace and hope. Memorials offer space to remember in an evocative and moving tribute. As well as these important reflections on the past, the site has a bright future. Previously an arable farm that became non-viable, nature is now thriving, with butterfly, bird and rare plant numbers all up. Join site manager Guy Kent and volunteer David Hatcher to explore the ‘Regiment of Trees', the ‘Witness' memorial and Jutland Wood. Discover too how the site is being transformed into a peaceful oasis for people and nature and why some of these fields are internationally important. Don't forget to rate us and subscribe! Learn more about the Woodland Trust at woodlandtrust.org.uk Transcript Voiceover: You are listening to Woodland Walks, a podcast for the Woodland Trust, presented by Adam Shaw. We protect and plant trees for people to enjoy, to fight climate change and to help wildlife thrive. Adam: Hello! I've got to start by telling you this. I have driven to Langley Vale today and I've been driving through suburban London, really not very much aware of my surroundings, and you come up this hill and suddenly everything falls away and you burst out onto the top of the hill and it's all sky and Epsom Downs. And the racecourse is just ahead of you! And it dramatically changes. So, it's quite, it's quite an entrance into the Langley Vale forest area. I've come to meet, well, a couple of people here. I've drawn up next to a farm, I don't really know where they are, but it gives me a moment to tell you a little bit about the Langley Vale project which is amazing. It's a lovely thought behind it, because it is about honouring those who died in the First World War, and of course, there are many ways in which we honour and remember the people whose lives were changed forever during that global conflict. There are war memorials, headstones, poetry and paintings – and those man-made accolades – they capture all the names, the dates, the emotions and the places. And of course, they are vital in recording and recounting the difficult and very harrowing experiences from that conflict. But, what this venture, I think, wanted to achieve with its First World War Centenary Woods Project was a natural, living legacy for the fallen. Flourishing places that symbolise peace and hope, as well as remembering and marking the dreadful events of war, but doing that in the shape of nature and hope for the future. Both now and for many, many generations to come, providing havens for wildlife and for people – and I'm one of those people – and so it's a great project, it's in its very early stages, but it's a great opportunity, I think, to have a look around today. So, oh! There's two people wandering down the road there in shorts, I think they're hikers, I don't think they are who I am seeing. [Pause] Adam: So, Guy you're the site manager here, just tell me a little bit about the site. Guy: So, we are on the North Downs here in Surrey. It's a huge ridge of chalk that runs along southern England and down through Kent, it pops under the channel and pops up again in France. And this chalk ridge has got very special habitats on it in terms of woodland, chalk grassland, and we're very thrilled here that we've been able to buy, in 2014, a formerly intensively managed arable farm that was actually not very productive. The soils are very thin here on the hills the chalk with flints, so, pretty poor for growing crops, and we were very lucky to buy it as part of our First World War Centenary Woods project as England's Centenary Wood. Adam: So, tell me a bit about the Centenary Woods part of this. Guy: So, the idea of the project was to put a new woodland in each country of the United Kingdom, that being Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England. This is the England site, and it is the largest of the four sites. We've actually planted 170,000 trees here. We did go through a full Environmental Impact Assessment and this enabled us to find out where we could plant trees because there are some special habitats here, and there is a national character to the North Downs – national character being that much of the woodland is planted on the high ground and much of the lower land is actually open space, be that for arable use or pasture. Adam: This is a Centenary Wood, so, is this just an ordinary woodland planted in the name of those who died during the First World War? Guy: Yes. The difference is… one of the reasons this site was selected was because we do actually have history here from the First World War. We've got a number of memorials that I hope to show you today. One of which commemorates a day in January 1915. Lord Kitchener inspected 20,000 troops here that had gathered and recently joined, taking up the call to join his new army. So, there were many sorts of civilians here in civilian clothing. They got up at 4am in the morning, I'm told, to all assemble here for him arriving at 10am with his equivalent French minister, and they inspected the troops for a very short period of time because they had other troops to go and inspect nearby. But many of those 20,000 actually then ended up going over, obviously, over to the frontline and many were not to return. Adam: Shall we have a walk down? And what is there then to commemorate that? Are there, are these just trees planted in memory of that occasion, or have you got a sort of statue or something? Guy: Yeah, well, the Regiment of Trees as we're just about to see, as you go around the corner… An artist, we commissioned an artist called Patrick Walls who has actually created some statues for us replicating that event. So, we have men standing to attention carved out of sandstone… Adam: Wow, yes. Just turning around the corner here and you can see this, yes, individual soldiers standing proud of a field of, actually, white daisies just emerging made from that sandstone you say? Guy: Yes sandstone. Adam: Sandstone soldiers. We are just walking up to them now, but behind that is all, I mean, I'm assuming this is a statue, but a statue made of trees. Guy: Indeed, what you're looking at there Adam is a memorial that we've called Witness. It's actually created by an artist called John Merrill and it is made up of parts of oak trees that have been assembled and it's inspired by the World War One painter Paul Nash, who was a cubist artist, and a particular painting of his called ‘Trees on the Downs' and that's inspired by that. And we're very lucky to have included within the memorial part of an oak out of Wilfred Owen's garden. Adam: Wow! Guy: Yeah so it's constructed to look like trees that have been obliterated, effectively, on the frontline, very evocative. Adam: Yes, you get very evocative pictures of a single tree either, you know, scarred black or sometimes actually still alive in a field of chaos. Guy: That's right yeah. And that's kind of trying to illustrate that in our memorial here, and what you can do, the public can actually walk through it. We've got a couple of benches within it, actually, where people can sit and contemplate, and actually written on the inside of some of these beams that go up are actually excerpts from poems from First World War poets. Adam: So, this first statue we're actually standing by it's sort of transformed in the flow of the statue – so it comes out of the ground as a sort of textured rock and as you go up 5 foot, 6 foot the statue also transforms into a man, but this man is wearing a suit and flat cap, so is a civilian. Guy: Indeed, and that's kind of trying to illustrate the fact that many of them are just joined up and a number of them haven't even got their uniform yet. Adam: So, let's move on, ahead of us, there's this sort of city gent on the left but looks a bit grander, but on the right, there are obviously… these look like officers. Guy: Yeah, the best, how I can best describe this is, that we've actually got 12 statues here and they're actually sitting among standard trees that were planted. So, we've got birch here, we've got beech, we've got whitebeam and we've got maple. But, these statues, the twelve of them, are in four lines. The guys at the back have only just joined up and they haven't had their uniform yet. And what the artist wanted to illustrate was the fact that all classes joined up at the same time. So, we have a working-class guy with his flat cap down the end there, we have our middle-class guy here with his hat on, and then we have the upper classes as well – it's meant to illustrate that everybody was in it together and joined in. Adam: I thought this was an officer, but I can see from his insignia he's a corporal. Guy: Indeed, and if you look at the statues Adam, as we go nearer the front to where Kitchener would have inspected, they all put the guys at the front who had all their webbing, all their uniform already, and as we move back through the lines it was less and less uniform and equipment. Adam: It's very evocative, I have to say, it's much more emotional than I thought it would be. Shall we go over to the sculpture? Guy: Yes let's. Adam: So, this is called ‘Witness'. Guy: So, this is ‘Witness' yes, and this is… John Merrill created this, he's got a yard in Wales where he works wood of this size. As you can see, it's quite a structure. Adam: So, yes as you say this size… So, I'm very bad at judging, six… I am trying to think, how many six-foot men could you fit under here? Six, twelve, I dunno thirty foot high? Was that fair? Guy: I tend to work in metres, I don't know about you, but I'm going to say about six metres at its highest point. Adam: So, it's made of, sort of, coming into it… it's… actually, it's quite cathedral-like inside. Small but is that a fair description? Guy: Yeah, I think so. Adam: *inaudible* Now, every second tree here has a line of First World War poetry etched into it rather beautifully. Do you want to read just a couple out for us? Guy: Yes… so here we have one saying: “And lying in sheer I look round at the corpses of the larches. Whom they slew to make pit-props.” [editor: Afterwards by Margaret Postgate Cole]. “At evening the autumn woodlands ring with deadly weapons. Over the golden plains and lakes…” [editor: Grodek by Georg Trakl]. Adam: Amazing, it's an amazing place. There are a couple of benches here and these are… Guy: These are the names of the poets. So, we have W Owen here, we have E Thomas, J W Streets, M P Cole, amongst others. Adam: Very moving, very moving. Okay, well it's a big site isn't it, a big site. So, where are we going to go to next? Guy: Well, we can walk through now Adam, we can see a new community orchard that we planted in 2017. Adam: So, we've come into, well a big part of, well there are a huge number of trees here. So, is this the main planting area? Guy: Yes, this is the main planting area. There are approximately 40,000 trees in here. Adam: We're quite near a lot of urban areas, but here they've all disappeared, and well, the field goes down and dips up again. Is that all Woodland Trust forest? Guy: That's right, what you can see ahead of us there is actually the first planting that we did on this site in 2014, on that hillside beyond. Adam: 2014? So, eight, eight… Guy: Eight years old. Adam: [laughs] Thank you, yes mental maths took me a moment. So, the reason I was doing that, is that they look like proper trees for only eight years old. Guy: It just shows you that obviously, you think that when we're planting all these trees now – that none of us will perhaps be here long enough to enjoy them when they're mature trees, but I think you can see from just by looking over there that that woodland is eight years old and it's very much started to look like a woodland. Adam: Very much so, well, brilliant. Well, very aptly I can see, starting to see poppies emerging in the fields amongst the trees. They do have this sort of sense of gravestones, in a way, don't they? They're sort of standing there in regimented rows amongst the poppy fields. So, where to now? Guy: So, we'll go to Jutland Wood, which is our memorial to the Battle of Jutland. Adam: The famous sea battle Guy: Yes, it was the largest battle of the First World War which raged over two days, the 31st of May to the 1st of June 1916. We're going to meet our volunteer, lead volunteer, David Hatcher now, who's been working with us on the site for a number of years, and he's going to tell you about this memorial that we've got to the Battle of Jutland. Adam: Right, I mean, here it's, it's different because there are these rather nice, actually, sculpted wooden stands. What are these? Guy: Yeah, these are… actually commemorate… we've got what we call naval oaks. So, we've got a standard oak planted for each of the ships that were lost in that particular battle and we've also, between them, we've got these port holes that have been made by an artist called Andrew Lapthorn, and if I can describe those to you, they are sort of a nice piece, monolith of wood with a porthole in the middle of…, a glass porthole, that indicates how many lives were lost and it has the name of the ship. Adam: So, this is HMS Sparrowhawk where six lives were lost, 84 survivors, but HMS Fortune next door, 67 lives lost, only ten survivors, and it just goes on all the way through. Guy: As you walk through the feature Adam, the actual lives lost gets a bit more, bigger and bigger, and by the end it's… there were very few survivors on some of the ships that went down, and they are illustrated on these nice portholes that commemorate that. Adam: And this is all from the Battle of Jutland? Guy: Battle of Jutland this is yeah. Adam: And just at the end here HMS Queen Mary, 1,266 lives lost, only 20 survivors from 1913. Very, very difficult. [Walking] Guy: This memorial, actually illustrates…, is by a lady called Christine Charlesworth, and what we have here is a metal representation of a sailor from 1916 in his uniform. And that faces the woodland here, where you can see ancient semi natural woodland that would have been here in 1916. So, this sailor is looking to the past and our ancient woodland. If we look to the other side of the sailor, we have a sailor from 2016 in his uniform and he's looking in the opposite direction, and he's looking at our newly planted trees – looking to the future. Adam: Let's walk through here, and at the end of this rather… I mean it is very elegantly done but obviously sombre. But, at the end here we're going to meet David who's your lead volunteer. So, David, so you're the lead volunteer for this site? And, I know that's, must be quite a responsibility because this is quite a site! David: That's very flattering - I'm a lead volunteer - I have lots of brilliant colleagues. Adam: Really? So, how many of you are there here? David: About seven lead volunteers, there are about one hundred volunteers on the list. Adam: And what do you actually do here? David: Ah well it's a whole range of different things. As you know this was an intensively farmed arable site. And there were lots of things like old fences and other debris. It was also used as a shooting estate, so there were things left over from feeding pheasants and what have you. Adam: Right. David: A lot of rubbish that all had to be cleared because it's open access land from the Woodland Trust, and we don't want dogs running into barbed wire fences and things like that. Adam: And it's different from, well I think, almost any other wood. It has this reflection of World War One in it. What does that mean to you? David: Well, it actually means a lot to me personally, because I was the first chairman of the Veteran's Gateway. So, I had a connection with the military, and it was brilliant for me to be able to come and do something practical, rather than just sitting at a desk, to honour our veterans. Adam: And do you notice that people bring their families here who have had grandfathers or great grandfathers who died in World War One? David: Yes, they do and in particular we have a memorial trail in November, every year, and there's a wreath where you can pick up a little tag and write a name on it and pin it to this wreath, and that honours one of your relatives or a friend, or somebody like that, and families come, and children love writing the names of their grandpa on and sticking it to the wreath. Adam: And do you have a family connection here at all? David: My father actually served in the, sorry, actually my grandfather served at the Battle of Jutland. Adam: Wow and what did he do there? David: He was a chief petty officer on a battleship, and he survived I am happy to say, and perhaps I would never have been here had he not, and all of my family – my father, my mother, both my grandfathers were all in the military. Adam: And do you remember him talking to you about the Battle of Jutland? David: He didn't, but what he did have was, he had a ceremonial sword which I loved, I loved playing with his ceremonial sword. Adam: Gotcha. And you are still here to tell the tale! [Laughter] David: And so are all my relatives! [Laughter] Adam: Yes, please don't play with ceremonial swords! [Laughter] That's amazing. Of course, a lot of people don't talk about those times. David: No. Adam: Because it's too traumatic, you know… as we've seen how many people died here. David: Yes. Adam: Well look, it's a relatively new woodland and we're just amongst, here in this bit, which commemorates Jutland, the trees are really only, some of them, poking above their really protective tubes. But what sort of changes have you seen in the last seven, eight odd years or so since it's been planted? David: It's changed enormously. It's quite extraordinary to see how some trees have really come on very well indeed, but also a lot of wildflowers have been sown. We have to be very careful about which we sow and where because it's also a very valuable natural wildflower site, so we don't want them getting mixed up. Adam: So, what's your favourite part of the site then? David: Ah well my favourite part…, I'm an amateur naturalist, so there's the sort of dark and gloomy things that are very like ancient woodland. We call them ancient semi-natural woodland. So there is Great Hurst Wood which is one of the ancient woodlands. Adam: Here on this site? David: Yes, on this site. It's just over there, but we have another couple of areas that are really ancient semi-natural woodland, but actually, I love it all. There's something for everybody: there's the skylarks that we can hear at the moment; the arable fields with very rare plants in; the very rare fungi in the woods. Actually, that line of trees that you can see behind you is something called the Sheep Walk, and the Sheep Walk is so-called because they used to drive sheep from all the way from Kent to markets in the west of the county, and they've always had that shelterbelt there – it's very narrow – so they've always had it there to protect the sheep from the sun, or the weather, or whatever. And it's the most natural bit of ancient woodland that there is, even though it's so narrow and it's fascinating what you can find under there. Adam: And I saw you brought some binoculars with you today. So, I mean, what about sort of the birds and other animals that presumably have flourished since this was planted? David: It's getting a lot better. The Woodland Trust has a general no chemicals and fertiliser policy and so as the soil returns to its natural state then other things that were here before, sometimes resting in the soil, are beginning to come up. We, I think, we surveyed maybe 20 species of butterflies in the first year… there are now over… 32! And there are only 56 different species over the country, so we have a jolly good proportion! We have two Red List birds at least here – skylarks and lapwings nesting. It's all getting better; it's getting a lot better under new management. Adam: [chuckle] Fantastic! Well, it's a real, a real joy to be here today. Er so, we're here in the Jutland woodland. Where, where are we going to next do you think? Where's the best place…? David: We're going to have a look at one of the wonderful poppy fields. Adam: Right. David: Because the poppies come up just as they did in Flanders every summer and it's, it really is a sight to behold. Adam: And is this peak poppy season? David: It's just passed… Adam: Just passed. David: So, we hope they are still there and haven't been blown away. Adam: It would be typical if I have got here and all the poppies have gone. Forget it, alright, let's go up there. So, well this is quite something! So, we've turned into this other field, and it is a field, well never in my life have I seen so many poppies! Mainly red poppies, but then there are…, what are these amongst them? Guy: Yeah. So, what you can see is a number of species of poppies here. The main one you can see, it's the red Flanders poppy. Adam: And is this natural or planted because of the First World War reference? Guy: No, it's mostly…, we did supplement this with some…, we've actually planted some of these poppy seeds, but most of them are natural and it's a direct result of the fact that we continue to cultivate the land. One of the most important conservation features we have here on site is rare arable plants. Bizarrely, these plants were once called arable weeds, but when intensification of farming began in the mid-20th century, the timing of ploughing was changed, the introduction of herbicides, all these things meant that these so-called arable weeds actually became quite rare and they were just hanging on to the edges of fields. What we've been able to do here is to continue to cultivate the land sympathetically for these plants and we now have much, much better arable plant assemblages here. We have rare arable plants here now, that mean that some of these fields are of national importance and a couple of them are of international importance, but a by-product of cultivating the land every year for these is that we get displays of poppies like this every year. Adam: And when you cultivate, you're talking about cultivating the land, you're planting these poppies, or what does that mean? Guy: No, it's almost like replicating the fact…, it's as if we're going to plant a crop, so we actually plough the field and then we roll it as if we're going to prepare a crop. Adam: But you don't actually plant a crop. Guy: No, no exactly. And then we leave it fallow and then naturally these arable plants tend to actually populate these fields. Poppies are incredibly nectar-rich, they're actually quite short-lived… Some of you may know poppies that grow in your garden, and they could be out in bloom one day and completely blown off their petals the next day. They don't, like, last very long, but they do pack a powerful punch for nectar, so definitely invertebrates… Because we don't use chemicals here anymore which would have been used constantly on this farm – and what that means is that many of these arable plants, they require low fertility otherwise they get out-competed by all the things you'd expect like nettles, docks and thistles. So as the land improves so will hopefully arable plant assemblages making them even more impressive than they already are. Adam: But actually, as the, as the soil improves isn't that a problem for things like poppies ‘cause they'll get out-competed by other plants which thrive better? Guy: It's a fair point, but what is actually crucial – is that to actually increase biodiversity in these fields it actually requires low nutrients. In terms of a lot of these fields, as well, we have, from years of chemical application, we have a lot of potassium, we have a lot of magnesium in them, and they have a lot of phosphorus too now. Magnesium and potassium tend to leach out of the soil so they will improve naturally, phosphorus tends to bind the soil and sticks around for a long time. So, we're trying to get these chemicals down to acceptable levels to make them more attractive for rare plants and therefore increasing biodiversity. Adam: Well, it is, it is like a painting and I'm going to take a photo and put it on my Twitter feed. I just, [gasp] so if anyone wants to see that, head over there. But it is beautiful, properly beautiful. I mean, so we were walking by this extraordinary painting of a poppy field to our right. It's a site which has been revolutionised because it was all arable farming less than a decade ago. What has that done for biodiversity here? Guy: Well, as we can imagine these fields, it's quite difficult to imagine them as we walk through them now, but these would have all been bare fields that were basically in crop production and there's clearly been an explosion of invertebrate activity here. We've got increasing butterfly species every year, our bird numbers are starting to go up, but also importantly we've got certain areas where habitats are being allowed to develop. So, we have a former arable field here that is now developing, it has been planted up with hazel coppice in a system we call ‘coppice with standards', where we plant… Adam: Coppice with standards? Guy: Coppice with standards yeah. Adam: Oo, well very grand! Guy: It is! It's an old forestry practice where they planted lots of hazel trees that would have been worked and then periodically in amongst them, there will be oak trees that would be allowed to grow longer and then harvested at a later date. What this has meant is that we've got long grass now that is growing between these trees and that's making it much more attractive for small mammals on site. Adam: Like what? What sort of small mammals? Guy: Things like voles, wood mice, field voles, these sort of things that make sort of tracks and sort of tunnels within the grass. And what that has meant is, as we go up the food chain is, that that's become more attractive now on the site for raptors. A nice story from two years ago - we have a volunteer that works with us who is a BTO bird ringer, and he sort of approached us to say “you've got barn owls nearby and your site is starting to develop nicely. How do you fancy putting up some raptor boxes to see if we can attract them in?” So, which was great, and we managed…, the local bird club donated some barn owl boxes, we put the barn owl boxes up in this field we have just talked about – the hazel coppice field – and the expert said “well they probably won't nest in it this year. They'll come and have a look…” Anyway, we put it up…, two months later… it was being used and we were able to ring those three chicks that came from that and they've been breeding ever since. Adam: Wow, how amazing! Must be very heartening to be working on the site which is growing like that so quickly. Guy: It is, it's amazing and when you consider that we're within the M25, we're very close to London, but we've got this site that is growing and it's only going to get better as we manage it sympathetically for the wildlife that it hosts. Adam: We're just coming round the bend and back to almost where we started into this field of standing soldiers amongst the growing trees, and the cathedral-like tree sculpture there which will take us back to the beginning. So we've just done a little tour… Guy: Yeah, Adam: So, I dunno half an hour, 40 minutes or so. Presumably, we skirted the edges of this… Guy: You certainly have Adam! It's a fraction of the site. We are 640 acres in size and we're just at the top part of it. This area that we've largely walked around today is very much focused on World War One and our memorials, but much of the rest of the site is, actually, is quite a bit quieter, there are fewer people around and the focus is definitely more on wildlife. Adam: Yes, well, it has been an amazing trip, I have to say, I've been to lots of different Woodland Trust woods all the way up the country, to the far stretches of Scotland. I have to say I think this is my favourite. It's quite, quite a site! And the memorial is done really tastefully and fits in with the landscape. I think this is quite, quite a site for you to manage, it's quite a thing. Guy: It's incredible and we are just so proud of it and we just can't wait to be able to open our car park and invite people from further afield, and not just locals who get to enjoy it as is the case at the moment. Adam: Absolutely. Well look, thank you! It started this morning, bright sun, it looked like I shouldn't need to bring a coat then all of a sudden, I thought “Oh my goodness”, we're standing under a completely black cloud but it has not rained, it is not raining, we're in running distance of the car so… Guy: Somebody's looking down on us Adam, at least for a couple of hours. Adam: They are indeed, well thank you very much! Voiceover: Thank you for listening to the Woodland Trust Woodland Walks. Join us next month when Adam will be taking another walk in the company of Woodland Trust staff, partners and volunteers and don't forget to subscribe to the series on iTunes, or wherever you're listening to us, and do give us a review and a rating. And why not send us a recording of your favourite woodland walk to be included in a future podcast? Keep it to a maximum of five minutes and please tell us what makes your woodland walk special. Or send an email with details of your favourite walk and what makes it special to you. Send any audio files to podcast@woodlandtrust.org.uk and we look forward to hearing from you.

Kent is a county in southeast England and one of the leading areas for wine production in the UK. A range of still wines are made, predominantly whites from cool-climate German-developed crossings such as Ortega and Bacchus. However, as is the case for other parts of southern England, the county's traditional method sparkling wines made from the Champagne grape varieties can often reach very high levels of quality.Simpson's Wine Estate is owned and run by husband and wife team Charles and Ruth Simpson.The Simpsons already own and run vineyards in France, they are now producing some top quality wines on the North Downs in Kent and have won numerous awards including a Platinum at the Decanter World Wine Awards for their Roman Road Chardonnay.Simpsons' Wine Estate is located in one of the sunniest corners of the British Isles, and they have further safeguarded their vines against extremes in climate by selecting sloping vineyards that face almost due south, ensuring heat accumulation in the day, and excellent cold air drainage at night. The maritime influence is also crucial to the success of their vines: they are less than eight miles from the coast on three sides, which helps insulate the fruit against intense variations in temperature.In December 2015, Champagne Taittinger announced it was buying a vineyard in Kent and would produce an English sparkling wineThere are around 50 vineyards. Kent is known colloquially as the Garden of England. Cereal crops and fruit orchards are much more common than vineyards, at least for the moment.The same geological layer on which Champagne is situated surfaces in the North Downs in the north of the county. Other vineyards are situated on slopes of the Greensand Ridge plus other areas of the soil type of the same name. The greensand forms a thin strip around the Weald, a diamond-shaped area between the chalk ridges of the North and South Downs. Around two dozen Kent vineyards are situated within this area. Broadly speaking, the northeastern quarter of the Weald corresponds to the southern half of Kent. Soils here can feature varying degrees of sand, shale and clay. The Weald has been promoted as a candidate for its own Protected Geographic Indication.Largely due to climate change, considerable interest has been shown by Champagne winemakers in the long-term potential of Kent. In 2017 Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger planted the first vines for his Champagne house's new venture Domaine Evremond. However wines are not due until the late 2020's.Remember to hit the follow the podcast and as always if you have found listening to this podcast valuable, leave a review! https://simpsonswine.com/ We would love you hear from you! Reach us on: Instagram lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

Jesus, forgive us when our greed leaves other people poorer. As we grow in our friendship with you, Teach us what it means to be generous, And help us build the kind of world where everyone has enough. Amen. For more information about Keep Praying, visit canterburydiocese.org/keep-praying Backing music by James Bowden

Jesus, forgive us when our greed leaves other people poorer. As we grow in our friendship with you, Teach us what it means to be generous, And help us build the kind of world where everyone has enough. Amen. For more information about Keep Praying, visit canterburydiocese.org/keep-praying Backing music by James Bowden

Jesus, forgive us when our greed leaves other people poorer. As we grow in our friendship with you, Teach us what it means to be generous, And help us build the kind of world where everyone has enough. Amen. For more information about Keep Praying, visit canterburydiocese.org/keep-praying Backing music by James Bowden

Jesus, forgive us when our greed leaves other people poorer. As we grow in our friendship with you, Teach us what it means to be generous, And help us build the kind of world where everyone has enough. Amen. For more information about Keep Praying, visit canterburydiocese.org/keep-praying Backing music by James Bowden

Jesus, forgive us when our greed leaves other people poorer. As we grow in our friendship with you, Teach us what it means to be generous, And help us build the kind of world where everyone has enough. Amen. For more information about Keep Praying, visit canterburydiocese.org/keep-praying Backing music by James Bowden

Jesus, forgive us when our greed leaves other people poorer. As we grow in our friendship with you, Teach us what it means to be generous, And help us build the kind of world where everyone has enough. Amen. For more information about Keep Praying, visit canterburydiocese.org/keep-praying Backing music by James Bowden

Bio written by her friend:   “Sam, 47, has an interesting and diverse background, having Indian and English heritage and growing up between the UK, USA and Middle East.    Over the past few years she has set herself multiple challenges raising money for charity or just doing for fun.    In 2019, Sam set herself 12 challenges:  Cold Water Swimming Championships 10K Winter run Climbing one of the more challenging routes up Snowdon Swimathon (5k swim) Great Northern SwimRun (Lake Windermere) Selkie Henley Classic - night / dawn swim SwimRun Tooting Bec Running a half marathon Not drinking any alcohol for 28 days Marathon run North Downs 50k walk Trekking two marathons in two days through the desert   Unfortunately in late 2020, she was diagnosed with stage four cancer which was a huge blow to her, her family and friends. I certainly thought that would be the end of her adventuring and it felt immensely sad.    However Sam has a remarkable positive energy and outlook on life and has been determined to carry on as normal.    This year, while managing ongoing cancer treatment, she has already completed the Arcticbear swim challenge over winter, the 100km jurassic coast walk challenge, the great north 5km swim in lake Windermere, the lake Windermere trail walk challenge, The Selkie Henley classic 2km upstream swim at dawn, and Henley mile swim (I've probably missed more!).    I have been lucky enough to share some of these adventures with her and have learnt so much along the way.    From learning to enjoy those precious moments in the outdoors or in the water, to persevering even when things seem impossible.    I think a lot of your listeners would benefit from hearing her story, knowing where she has come from, what she is battling today and her vision for the future.”     New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Hit the subscribe button so you don't miss out.    The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons.    Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and subscribe - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.   Show notes Who is Sam Living inLondon with her husband and 2 boys Not being sporty growing up but enjoying spending time in the outdoors Moving to America at 8 years old Being put off running at a young age Going to boarding school in the UK Spending time abroad with family How her parents met Studying psychology and music at university  Not following her passion at a young age Meeting her husband and moving to London Having her children at 39 and 42 Asking herself - What am I doing with my life? Needing to get her life back on track How having children changed her priorities  Loosing her identity Signing up for a 100k walk from London to Brighton Getting to the half way point… Mind over matter and how it has played a huge part in her life especially in recent years Being inspired by Dr. Joe Dispenza  Learning to believe in herself again Needing to make a lifestyle change Setting out in 2019 to do 12 challenges Cold water…. The challenges of lockdown and not being able to swim The power of consistency Planning 12 challenges at the end of 2018 Wanting to be prepared  Involving her family in the training and the challenges Doing something that she's not good at The South Down's 50k Walk and taking on the desert Doing events with Ultra Challenge Going through woodland at nighttime Dealing with the heat of the desert 2020 and the challenges faced Wanting to make a career change Being diagnosed with breast cancer  Stage 4 cancer and being given all the options Going through the menopause in 3 weeks Getting back into cold water and how it helped  Starting treatment at home Taking on a 5k swim in Lake Windermere Balancing life, challenges, family and treatment Making sure the children are aware of what's going on The next 2 challenges… Wanting to take on a relay swim across the channel! Putting the group together Swimming for an hour at a time Getting swimming lessons Connect and follow with Sam Final words of advice for other women Do things that bring you joy  Believe you can do it   Social Media   Website: walkingwithsam.com    Coaching Website: www.samanthaturner.co.uk    Facebook: @samantha.turner.1042    Linkedin: @samantha-jane-turner    Fundraising pages with details about her challenges:   www.justgiving.com/Samantha-Turner22   www.justgiving.com/fundraising/samantha-turner42  

Today on The English Wine Diaries, my guest is Nick Wenman, from Albury Vineyard in Surrey. Running a vineyard was a very early dream from Nick. When he  was 17, he won the school economics prize, he chose the World Atlas of Wines and Spirits for the headmaster to present to him as a prize on speech day . It wasn't until some time later, following a career in the IT industry, that Nick was able to fulfil his dream by planting his first vines on the southern slopes of the North Downs in the Surrey Hills, in 2009. Albury is committed to producing organic fruit without the use of chemicals and is also one of only four or five vineyards in England to follow biodynamic principles. The wines have won numerous awards and are enjoyed by royalty.  "We had a great start because we were lucky enough to have our very fist wine, our Silent Pool rose, served on the royal barge as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations."We talk about the benefits of holistic winemaking and the growth of organic farming, the challenges of growing grapes in England and running a generational business. To find out more about Albury's latest releases and events at the vineyard, follow @alburyvineyard on Instagram and Twitter or visit: alburyvineyard.com.Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at thesouthernquarter.co.uk.

From Stonehenge festival 1984, my childhood on the North Downs, folk-customs and megaliths - A journey through the four seasons of the year through the eye of the unmanifest ever ever-present fifth season of our imagination.

The North Downs could have been an empty land, but the demands of game design made it a bustling and frightful place with many different factions. Does it work? Let's talk about it! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lotrobyf/message

The one where I needed to plug my laptop in whilst recording, creating an annoying electric hum I couldn't remove

This week my guest is Chris White, CEO of Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, right in the heart of the Surrey Hills. The land Denbies sits on  was once a pig farm, before Chris's father, Adrian, was advised by neighbour Professor Richard Selling that the bowl shape of the land was the same as countryside in Champagne and the unique characteristics of the North Downs landscape were perfect for winemaking. Initially planting just 30 acres of vines in 1986, the vineyard has since grown to a sprawling wine estate of over 600 acres, including a visitors centre, three restaurants and a state of the art eco-hotel. Making 700,000 plus bottles of wine in a good year, Denbies is one of the largest wine producers in the UK and consistently wins plaudits for its still, sparkling and dessert wines.Denbies is now open for outdoor tours and al fresco dining. For more information and to book visit denbies.co.uk. You can follow Denbies on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.  Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.  Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at thesouthernquarter.co.uk.

The amphitheatre, set into the slopes of Streatham Common, is a great place to sit and gaze over the towers of Croydon towards the North Downs.

GB2RS NEWS Sunday the 29th of November 2020 The news headlines: Get on the air for Christmas 60th year for GB3VHF TX Factor 27 out soon The RSGB has announced its latest activity for the Get on the air for Christmas campaign with the NHS. The special construction competition has a prize of £100 and the winning entry will be featured on the Society’s website and in RadCom. If you’ve been making something during the autumn lockdowns or are preparing to be busy over the holiday season, why not plan to enter your project into this new competition. Projects can be hardware, software or a system and may be based on a kit. For further information see the Get on the air for Christmas at www.rsgb.org/gota4c. The 2m beacon GB3VHF will start its 60th year of operation in December. Located at Fairseat on the North Downs in Kent, the beacon is on 144.430MHz at a height of 205m ASL. It provides a propagation monitoring source that can reach across several countries. Find out more at www.gb3vhf.co.uk. Episode 27 TX Factor will soon be available. In this latest episode the RSGB’s General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB explains how the Society’s positive response to the spring and summer lockdown helped to boost awareness of amateur radio in the UK. Steve stresses the importance of the ongoing work needed to maintain the impetus. Bob, G0FGX and Mike, G1IAR get to grips with using an RF Shark openSPOT Hotspot for some mobile DMR action. Bob visits Don Field, G3XTT at his new QTH near Wells to see how the editor of Practical Wireless created some simple antennas to swiftly resume his on-air activities. TX Factor episode 27 is proudly sponsored by the Radio Society of Great Britain and can be viewed at www.txfactor.co.uk. The RSGB is looking for an experienced volunteer to fill the role of Convention Chair for the Society’s 2021 event. You will need exceptional organisational skills, good interpersonal skills, wide awareness of all aspects of amateur radio and good knowledge of RSGB policies and procedures. For other information, including how to find out more and to apply, see the RSGB website: www.rsgb.org/volunteers. Every year on 3rd of December the Information Programme for Disabled Radio Amateurs, which is part of the IARU, celebrates the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Some organisations put on special event stations with amateur radio activity, mostly with persons with disabilities participating using callsigns like HB9IPDA. The next RSGB Tonight @ 8 webinar is on Monday the 7th of December and is called “What next?”. Jonathan Mitchener, G0DVJ will give a jargon-free, wide-ranging talk about where amateur radio can take you, whether you are new to the hobby or returning after a gap. For further information about this and previous webinars, see www.rsgb.org/webinars. From the 1st of December, listen out for Youngsters On The Air stations around the world. Details on thirty-five of those stations can be found at https://events.ham-yota.com/. There are still some slots available to host the special callsign GB20YOTA during December if you have a youngster in your family or wider support bubble. You must be a Full licence holder and the calendar is shown on the GB20YOTA page on QRZ.com. To reserve an operating slot, contact Jamie, M0SDV via email to yota.month@rsgb.org.uk. Now the special event news Celebrating the Christmas Holiday Season, the Market Reef DX Association will be active on all bands and modes as OG1XMAS between the 29th of November and the 26th of December. QSL via Logbook of The World and Club Log. Members of Club Radio Durnal are active as OP19MSF until the 13th of December "to put the spotlight on Médecins Sans Frontières for its active role during this period of the pandemic". QSL via the bureau or direct. Now the DX news Ali, EP3CQ will be active as 6O1OO from Somalia, until the 15th of January 2021. Members of the Holy land DX Group will operate 4X7T from 0800UTC on the 25th and 1300UTC on the 26th of December. They will have three running stations on the 80 to 10m bands using CW, SSB and FT-8. The QSL Manager is Ros, 4Z5LA. Now the contest news Please remember to check before the contest for any new rules due to lockdown and social distancing, which may differ around the world. The RSGB strongly advises obeying your national and local government’s advice. This weekend it’s the CQ World Wide DX CW contest. The 48 hours run ends at 2359UTC today, the 29th. Activity is on the 1.8 to 28MHz contest bands. The exchange is signal report and your CQ Zone; for the UK that is Zone 14. As per tradition, December is a quiet month for contests, with no RSGB HF events at all. On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 2000 to 2230UTC. Both have the exchange of signal report, serial number and locator. Next weekend, the ARRL 160m contest runs from 2200UTC on the 4th to 1600UTC on the 6th of December. It’s CW only and the exchange is signal report, with American and Canadian stations also sending their ARRL or RAC section abbreviation. Next Sunday, the 6th of December, the 144MHz AFS contest runs from 1000 to 1600UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon starts its two month run on the 1st of December. Just exchange a signal report and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA & G4BAO on Friday the 27th of November. Last week represented a good example of how solar cycle 25 is progressing. We started the week on the 22nd with a solar flux index, SFI, of 88 and a sunspot number of 35. Just to recap, that doesn’t mean there were 35 sunspots, as we count each sunspot group as 10 and each spot as one. But, by Thursday, the SFI was up to 104 with a sunspot number of 40, and there were three large groups visible on the Sun. As well as pushing up the SFI, the spots have been very active on the solar flare front, with daily B- and C-class flares being emitted, although their effects on the ionosphere have been minimal luckily. With the CW Worldwide CW contest occurring this weekend, this SFI does bode well for HF propagation. With zero coronal holes appearing, at least on Thursday, and the possibility that the SFI could rise even further in the coming days, this looks like a good combination for one of the best CQWWs we’ve seen for a few years. An SFI of more than 100 virtually guarantees some F2-layer propagation on 10 metres. These openings may be short-lived as the MUF drops a little, but it is definitely worth keeping an eye on 28MHz at times, especially near noon on North-South paths. If you are planning to take part, it is a good idea to plan your activities using a tool like predtest.uk. Typically, on the higher bands, such as 20, 15 and perhaps 10 metres, you will work stations to the east of the UK in the morning. As noon approaches, propagation will swing south. And the afternoon will be optimum for contacts with the USA. For 40 and 80 metres, the opposite is generally true, where you should be looking for a night-time path between you and the station you wish to work. Even if you hear this broadcast on Sunday it isn’t too late to take part, as the contest runs until midnight. Do get on as there is usually a lot of activity and it is a great opportunity to increase your country score. And now the VHF and up propagation news. The background weather pattern is again looking like high pressure will predominate, with a good prospect for Tropo. It will be a typical spell of November quiet weather with frost and fog overnight, perhaps lasting through the day in a few places. This prevalence for cool moist air near the surface makes for good Tropo since you will often find the high pressure has produced a layer of warmer and drier air above the inversion. It's the contrast that changes the refractive index of the air and can create ducts for VHF/UHF DX propagation. We should point out that some models allow the high to collapse in the second half of next week, so it's worth following the daily forecasts as we go through the week. Just one minor meteor shower this week. The Phoenicids peaks on the 2nd with a variable zenith hourly rate, but its radiant is not visible from the UK. The Moon reaches maximum declination on Wednesday, so we have long visibility windows all week with falling path losses. 144MHz sky noise is moderate to low all week, but rising up to 500 kelvin on Tuesday. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

The Mix Sessions is a weekly global gathering of music fans bringing you the best in Electronica, Trip Hop, Drum & Bass and House. seansavage.ca All Socials: @themixsessions 1. Tub Of War - Wildgraves 2. Simplicity - Soma Sonic 3. To The Core - Kosa
4. Chasing Memories - Postmoderndisco
5. Occasional Magic (Sun Glitters Remix) - Yppah
6. Beyond A Mortal - Austra
7. EB vs FU (White Label D&B Remix) - White Label 8. Blame - Everything But The Girl
9. Juice It - Riohv
10. The Common Man - Ukweli
11. The Marquee Mile - Sean Savage
12. Vitebsk - Khotin MIX:REMIX
13. Holdin On - Powder Monkeys
14. Holdin On (Tim Haze Remix) - Powder Monkeys ONE TO WATCH
15. I Wanna Dance (Saison Remix) - Ivan Latyshev MINI MIX
16. All I Feel Is You (Sandy Rivera & C.Castel Deep Mix) - Natalia Safran 17. Rukas ft. Richard Judge - Tube & Berger
18. Stumble (ATFC Remix) - Janet Rushmore
19. A Better Way ft. Mone (Paulo Pietro Remix) - Northbound
20. Rubricks - Haakonsen
21. Kava Kava (Original Mix) - Dejo CLASSIC CUT
22. You Used To Hold Me ft. Xavier Gold - Ralph Rosario 23. Embers - Ded Sheppard 24. Nothin' - North Downs

The Mix Sessions is a weekly global gathering of music fans bringing you the best in Electronica, Trip Hop, Drum & Bass and House. seansavage.ca All Socials: @themixsessions 1. Tub Of War - Wildgraves 2. Simplicity - Soma Sonic 3. To The Core - Kosa
4. Chasing Memories - Postmoderndisco
5. Occasional Magic (Sun Glitters Remix) - Yppah
6. Beyond A Mortal - Austra
7. EB vs FU (White Label D&B Remix) - White Label 8. Blame - Everything But The Girl
9. Juice It - Riohv
10. The Common Man - Ukweli
11. The Marquee Mile - Sean Savage
12. Vitebsk - Khotin MIX:REMIX
13. Holdin On - Powder Monkeys
14. Holdin On (Tim Haze Remix) - Powder Monkeys ONE TO WATCH
15. I Wanna Dance (Saison Remix) - Ivan Latyshev MINI MIX
16. All I Feel Is You (Sandy Rivera & C.Castel Deep Mix) - Natalia Safran 17. Rukas ft. Richard Judge - Tube & Berger
18. Stumble (ATFC Remix) - Janet Rushmore
19. A Better Way ft. Mone (Paulo Pietro Remix) - Northbound
20. Rubricks - Haakonsen
21. Kava Kava (Original Mix) - Dejo CLASSIC CUT
22. You Used To Hold Me ft. Xavier Gold - Ralph Rosario 23. Embers - Ded Sheppard 24. Nothin' - North Downs

On today's podcast we have David Riley, a self confessed adventurer, ultra trail runner & founder of Peak Runners. David has a wealth of experience, starting out as a Fish Monger for 20 years, alongside practising martial arts before focusing on ultra trail running. We touch on some important topics, including his appreciation for nature, how he's dealt with bouts of depression to the launch his race series. David shares a brilliant story from the North Downs 100miler & useful advice surrounding nutrition & mindset. Ed really enjoyed speaking with David and, as a fellow adventurer & runner, we're certain you will enjoy the conversation as well! Follow David & Peak Runners Instagram: @trailrunneruk76 Facebook: @Peakrunners

Kingdom (feat. North Downs) - from the 2018 album Kingdoms In Colour on Counter Records.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1918, the Allies launched a concluding offensive on Meuse-Argonne, the US Army's largest and deadliest ever battle. Somewhere in the North Downs, meanwhile, Phyllis and Johnnie are still quite far from Folkestone. Written by Sarah Daniels Directed by Ciaran Bermingham Editor: Jessica Dromgoole.

With Aasmah Mir and guest presenter Konnie Huq are trumpeter Alison Balsom OBE, cycling blogger Jools Walker, self taught Fungi expert Geoff Dann and Joanne Barton who went from teenage alcoholism to becoming a doctor in A&E. Alison Balsom is having a break from travelling the world playing virtuoso trumpet in a new role as Artistic Director of the Cheltenham Music Festival; Jools Walker is a cycling blogger whose passion for two wheels has proved so infectious she has been able to blog full time; Geoff Dann's childhood in the North Downs inspired a life long interest in foraging, particularly for fungi. Self taught, he's survived to pass on some of his knowledge to us; Joanne Barton started drinking as a teenager after she experienced problems at home. Drug use followed, and she dropped out of school. In her late teens she managed to change her path and got a job which led to working in the care sector and inspired her to return to education and now she is an A&E doctor. JP meets listener Roger Wilson-Hinds who sings the praises of his Dad this Father's day weekend. We have the inheritance tracks of Quadrophenia actor Phil Daniels who chose Nature's Way by Spirit and I'm One by the Who. Producer: Corinna Jones Editor: Eleanor Garland.

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 Barrett Producer: Karen Gregor.

Walking around Newlands Corner in the North Downs, Louis Coke tells Wealth Manager’s Suzie Bliss why he loves the greenery of Guildford and why investment management is a good career option for the younger generation. They discuss some rocky investment holdings and cross paths with quite a few dogs on the way, some better behaved than others!

Listen to rail passengers, county council Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning Mike Goodman and Great Western Railway give their views on the enormous economic benefits of fully electrifying the North Downs Line to BBC #Surrey. It has been estimated that upgrading the last two sections of the Reading to Gatwick like would generate 8,000 jobs and almost £1.9 billion for the economy.

Cyclists have a strange fascination with riding up hills and it's definitely a pleasure/pain thing. Jack goes in search of the hill climb junkies, first at the Catford Hill Climb on Kent's North Downs, the oldest continuously held bicycle race in the world, and then to Abergavenny where a new course has revived the local cycling club's flagging hill climb event. Continue reading →

In the first of a 7 part series of quest pack review episodes, Branick, Rolfkrage, Pineleaf, and Mysteri talk at length about what makes the North Downs unique among zones, including discussion of the Fornost instance and our brand new Armchair Designer segment. Thanks for listening.

In the fourth in a series of listener suggestions for Ramblings, Clare Balding walks part of the ancient track of the Pilgrim's Way in Kent. Often thought of as a 'corridor', the county that travellers pass through en route to somewhere else, the Kent countryside has much to offer, as Clare discovers . Clare joins a group of friend who, since retiring, meet regularly to walk some of the 4,000 miles of footpaths that Kent has to offer. To date, the group have walked around half of these and today they follow the ancient Pilgrim's Way over the North Downs from Chilham to Wye. The Pilgrim's Way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent. Visited by tourists worldwide, Chilham is located in the valley of the Great Stour river. It is well known for its beauty and has been the location of choice for several film locations and tv dramas. The walk then goes on to Kings Wood, home in spring to the 'best bluebells in Kent' and also the location in the past for the HQ of England's secret underground army, the auxiliary units before ending at the historic village of Wye.