Podcasts about outstanding natural beauty

Beneath the waves of West Wales lies a complicated network of relationships that determines not only who's belly rolling who, but which calf survives.  Join Katrin Lohrengel and her team at Sea Watch to search for one of the ocean's most loved and misunderstood creatures: bottlenose dolphins.  For the Welsh transcript of this episode please click here. [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.   Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.   Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor.   www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/  Production:   Host: Rosie Holdsworth   Producer: Marnie Woodmeade Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez Discover more:   Find out more about the dolphins in Cardigan Bay: www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/  Did you know , you can see dolphins from the shore at Cardigan Bay? Explore the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty's coastal walks:  www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/strumble-head-to-cardigan  Special thanks to Katrin Lohrengel for extra fact checking work and the whole team at Sea Watch.  Follow Wild Tales on your favourite podcast app or on Instagram @wildtalesnt. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected to our wild world, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk 

Send us a textJoining me on today's episode of The English Wine Diaries is Sibylla Tindale, co-founder of High Clandon Estate in the heart of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Sibylla and her husband, Bruce, founded the boutique vineyard, which sits on a chalky-limestone hill, 20 years ago with the aim of producing only aged vintage sparkling wine to rival – and even surpass – the best that France can offer. Each year the Tindales, who are originally from South Africa, celebrate the launch of their exquisite Cuvées with their flagship event: Art & Sculptures in the Vineyard ­– a summer exhibition of pieces dotted amongst their beautiful gardens, wildflower meadows, vineyard and atmospheric Glass Barn.  But as well as being renowned for its English Sparkling Wine, High Clandon has another claim to its name – recently, the trained noses of the Tindale's cocker spaniels Persephone and Juno, have snuffled out black Perigord truffles on the estate – the first find in the south of England and thought to be the second such in England as a whole, the other being at the late Duke of Edinburgh's estate at Sandringham in 2018. Find out more about their adventures at highclandon.co.uk or by following @highclandon on Instagram. With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.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 englishwinediaries.com.

Join us for a woodland wander with adventurer, author and tree lover, Al Humphreys. The 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year has cycled round the world, rowed the Atlantic and walked across India, but now focuses on pursuits closer to home. Pioneering the concept of microadventures, Al explains how exploring small pockets of nature in our neighbourhoods helps us to better connect with and care for the environment. He speaks of enabling young people to embrace wild places, and encourages us to take time to be curious and astonished as we discover new places on our doorstep. Don't forget to rate us and subscribe! Learn more about the Woodland Trust at woodlandtrust.org.uk Transcript 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: Today I am off to meet an author and adventurer, and there's a title you don't get to say, or indeed hear very much. He's the author of a whole ton of books, including Microadventures, which I want to talk to him specifically about, but also books called the Doorstep Mile, Local, There Are Other Rivers, Grand Adventures, Moods of Future Joys, Midsummer Mornings, Thunder and Sunshine, and I could go on and on. And I'm meeting him at a Woodland Trust site called Ashenbank Wood. It's a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is teeming with extraordinary wildlife. So we'll be talking a bit about the woods and a bit about the sort of adventures he's been on and the sort of adventures we might all be able to go on. Anyway, I'll let him introduce himself. Al: My name's Alastair Humphreys. I'm an adventurer and a writer and tree lover. Adam: Which sounds very exciting. So when you say you're an adventurer, what does that sort of mean? Al: Well, I was slightly hesitant to say that because I confess I feel more like an ex-adventurer, but I have spent pretty much all my career going off doing big adventures and then coming home and writing and speaking and making films about them. So they've gone ever smaller. I began by spending four years cycling around the world, I've rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, walked across the Empty Quarter desert, played my violin incredibly badly through Spain, and then gradually smaller onto what I call microadventures. So, encouraging people to find short, simple, affordable adventures close to home and squeezing around their busy daily lives. Adam: So that's interesting. You talk about the mini adventures. On a previous podcast we talked to the natural navigator, I don't know. Al: Ohh yes, Tristan. Well, he could tell you a lot more intelligent things than I can. He's great. Adam: No, but I think he took very much the similar view of yours. He went, I've done all these big adventures. But actually when you're doing these big adventures, it's all about tech, you know, and I needed satellite link ups and all sorts of stuff. And actually I wasn't, I was really looking at screens all the time. And he was going, the smaller adventures are actually much more revolutionary, because if you go low tech, that's a proper adventure. Just trying to find your way through a wood is a real adventure in a curious sort of way, even more challenging than doing something which sounds really flash. Al: Yes. And what Tristan's done fantastically is taking those skills from bigger journeys down to his literal daily life, hasn't he? If you, I get an e-mail from him, I think it's weekly or so and it just essentially says, where am I now and which way am I facing? And from his little clues in the local park, he can tell whether it's north, south, east, and west. Adam: Yes. No, you're right. I tried. I was very bad at that. And what I've learned, I've already forgotten. So tell me a little bit about why your connection to nature, then, how important that is to you, if at all. Al: So I had a nice, happy childhood growing up in the countryside, so as a kid I spent a lot of time running around the fields and woods and streams and things, so I suppose that hammers something deep into your subconscious, although you don't really notice it necessarily as a kid. Adam: Where whereabouts was that? Al: In the Yorkshire Dales. Adam: Ohh, God's own country. Amazing place. Al: Yes. Lovely part of the world. Yeah, so I really enjoyed that, and then my big expeditions, I've spent a lot of time in some of the world's really wild places and that's a fantastic backdrop to your adventures. But actually my – oh, and I also did a zoology degree. Although I found it incredibly boring, and now looking back I find it amazing that you can find something like that boring. But it's taken me stopping the big adventures, slowing down, paying attention to my local area to build a deeper connection with nature. And I don't know if that's partly just me getting old as well, I suspect there is an aspect of that. But whereas in my youth I was sort of cycling moderately quickly across continents and now pottering around small little parks and I have time to be astonished in a way that you don't necessarily when you're on a big A to B kind of journey. Adam: Yes, yes, there's the mechanics of getting you somewhere so challenging. Al: Yes, and you're on a mission. The mission is to go from A to B and not die, and to succeed. And that's all quite, and the backdrop of it all is this wonderful nature. But the things I've been doing more recently, then nature has come to the forefront. I'm not really doing any big, exciting mission. And therefore the paying attention to the small bits of nature and the changing seasons comes to the forefront. Adam: Yes, I did, I was just going to stop here. We're by one of the Woodland Trust sign posts about fungi and deadwood and the importance of that. We can talk a bit about that. But I was just thinking about what you said. I did an expedition across the Gobi in Outer Mongolia. I was working in Outer Mongolia, and it was, you're right, it was more interesting in retrospect. Because when I was there, we were just very concerned about the mechanics of the day. Getting through the day, making sure we weren't lost, getting food, all of that, rather than go ‘this is quite an interesting place'. Al: Yes. Adam: Whereas, because we didn't meander, you go, I think the importance of meandering and almost lost time, and in a way, I think, boredom. I mean, it was interesting to talk about kids, you know, I don't know if you've got kids, but I think there's a lot of pressure on people to keep the kids busy, get them to this class, to do this, do this, do this. Actually the importance of just going, you know, ‘they're bored now, they'll just go do something', is quite interesting. Al: Yeah. And I think that's a fantastic aspect of it, a bit of woodland like this, isn't it? Is to bring some kids here and essentially say there is nothing to do here, but equally you can do whatever you want. So go on, clear off. Off you go, go climb some of these trees, pick up some sticks, rummage around, see what you find. And that's the great thing of a woodland like this. Adam: Yeah. Do you have kids? Al: I do, yes. Adam: Well, how old are they? Al: Well, they are entering the dreaded teenage phase. So the um, it's really interesting, actually, because they're completely addicted to their screens and that would be their preferred choice would be to live in a damp, dark, smelly cave and never emerge. But when I drag them by their hair kicking and screaming into a wood like this, they're grumpy for a couple of minutes and then I just say clear off, go away and then they love it. And there's a real physical and mental transformation that's clear, when you can, once they get out here. Adam: Yeah. So I think that's interesting. And as a parent and everything, I just wonder what your take is on trying to engage a younger generation with nature and whether that's difficult, how you do it and whether we should be doing that, is that a concern of us or just, you know, let people do what they want? Al: I think it's a massive, massive concern and I also think it's extremely difficult. These screens are deliciously alluring. That's how they're designed. You know, if I was a kid today, I'd love to be just scrolling mindlessly through a thousand videos of people falling off their bikes. If it's endlessly addictive. So I think it's very, very hard and being a parent is exhausting. It's quite easy to not bother with the kicking and screaming, going to the woods, but I think it's really, really vital to do and the reward of when you get them out is of seeing how transformative that is for them, but also for yourself is really good. So yeah, I think screens are a massive problem. I think the nature disconnection of our society is a huge problem, both in terms of our physical health, our mental health, but also with our ignorance to the decline of species and the loss of wild places. So I think it's an enormous problem. Adam: And I mean you know, you're a broadcaster, you create a huge amount of content yourself. So I think there's an interesting question about how to frame that, because I fear then talking about all the trees are disappearing and wildlife is dying and that it turns, well, everybody, but perhaps especially younger generations off. They go, well if it's that blooming terrible, well, I'd just rather be on my screen. So how do you get that tone right, do you think? Al: That's a question that I've been thinking a lot about, particularly over the last year or so. I've just finished writing a book, which is all about exploring your local area, and when I wrote the book, in the early months of it, it was very much a moaning, ranting disaster book that everything's doomed and that it's all ruined. But as I was reading through my drafts, I was thinking, geez, this is this is, well, no one's going to read it for a start. But also, it's not going to encourage anyone. But as the project went on, I realised that I didn't need to frame it like that, because I could look at it another way, which was how much I personally was loving getting out into these small pockets of nature, what benefits I was getting and how much I was enjoying it. And then the more that I personally enjoyed it, the more I start to become connected and the more I start to care and the more hopefully I start to take action. So I think you're exactly right to try and frame it as a positive thing of saying hey, get out into X, Y and Z for these fantastic reasons and then hopefully the fixing the planet part will take care of itself, once there's enough people enthused. Adam: Yeah, interesting. Well, look, we'll carry on, but I said we stopped at this post. So the many dead and decaying trees you find here play a vital role in Ashenbank Wood's ecosystem. And that's a theme you'll see in lots of Woodland Trust places where deadwood is actually allowed to stay. In fact, it's not just allowed to stay, it's positively encouraged because of the fungi and the invertebrates, and then all the way up to the different sorts of animals that can live off that. So what looks like sort of untidiness is sometimes a real sort of oasis of life. Al: And this woodland here was completely smashed by the huge hurricane in 1987. So I think more than most woodlands, there's a lot of fallen down trees in this wood, which I suppose previously would have been carted off and chopped up for firewood or something. Adam: So let's, I mean, we're walking down this idyllic sort of dappled light, coming through the canopy of the still full roof of this of this woodland. So this is really idyllic, but take me somewhere else. So tell me about those adventures that you've had in these distant lands. Were there any particular that stand out for any particular reason? Al: Well, given that we're talking about trees, I spent 10 weeks, I think it was, on the frozen Arctic Ocean, up near the North Pole, which was a fantastic expedition itself, but the small detail that sticks with me now is that to get up there, you fly to Canada, then you fly to some smaller place in Canada and the planes gradually get smaller and smaller and the safety regulations get more and more lax till you're on the plane with people with rifles and harpoons and stuff. But up to this tiny little community right up in the north of Canada and the people - I went to visit the primary school there in the morning just to chat to the kids about my adventures and stuff. And they were chatting about my adventures and they were, the little kids there were amazed that I'd never seen a polar bear. And my riposte to them was along the lines of but you've never seen a tree! Where they where they lived, there were no trees, literally none above the tree line, and that really struck me, what it would be like to grow up in a place with zero trees. I mean, you get polar bears, which is pretty cool, but I'd be sad to have no trees. Adam: Yes, yeah, yes. And what was their view of that? Do they go well, I've never seen that, don't miss. Or were they interested in that? Al: Yeah, well, I guess everyone's normal is normal, isn't it? You know, they're going to school on skidoos and things like that. And so, yeah, it's just fascinating to see the different people's views of normal in the world. And before I started my big adventures, one of the motivating factors for me wanting to go off around the world was that I found where I lived incredibly boring, as a lot of young people do. Oh my goodness, where I live is the most boring place in the universe. I need to go far, far away. And it took me going far, far away to realise that actually the stuff I'd left behind is pretty fascinating in its own way. If only you're willing to pay attention to it. Adam: Yes, gosh, it sounds almost like a line from one of Tolkien's books. There you do a long adventure to find true interest is nearer to home. So I know you've written lots of things, but you've got a book just come out. So yeah, tell me, what's that book about then? Al: So I've written a book that's called Local, and it's about spending a whole year exploring only the single Ordnance Survey map that I happen to live on. So, the whole of Britain's divided up into about just over 400 Ordnance Survey maps. So wherever you live, you could go to your local bookshop and buy your local map. And what I'm trying to do is encourage people to do that and to realise how much new, undiscovered stuff is on their doorstep. Woodlands, footpaths, hills, fields but also towns, villages. What's behind the industrial yards? Like a proper exploring curiosity to your own backyard. Adam: And how much area does one of those maps cover then? Al: It's the orange Ordnance Survey maps. They're more detailed. So it's roughly 20 kilometres by 20 kilometres. Adam: Right. So a fair amount. Al: It's a fair amount, but I've also in previous time spent a year crossing an entire continent, so in that sense it felt incredibly tiny to me. And when I began the project, I thought ‘this map is so small, it's going to be so claustrophobic and so boring'. But actually, by the end of the year, I realise, wow, actually it's enormous. I haven't even begun to cover everything on the map. Adam: So what sort of things did you find there that was a surprise to you, then? Al: So what I did every week, I would go out once a week for the whole year and my rule was to explore one grid square a week. So a kilometre square chosen at random and the random was really important because if it wasn't random, all I would do is just choose all the nice bits of woodland around my map. But by making it random, it sent me off to towns and suburbs and motorway junctions and all sorts of random stuff. And I discovered a few things. The first thing I discovered was how little I knew this area that I thought I knew very well indeed. The second thing that I realised was that, yeah, of course it's nice to go out to woods and hills and streams and stuff, but also I was surprised how much I loved the forgotten grid squares, the abandoned bits, the broken down, fallen down, behind the warehouse kind of landscapes. Like what's behind the supermarket car park? And I found in these forgotten edgelands a real sense of wildness and solitude that I didn't get in somewhere lovely. And this wood we're in now is lovely, but you're not going to get much solitude. There's a lot of dog walkers wandering around. And whereas if you're sort of behind some factory and some regenerating thicket, you think, wow, no one comes here. This feels adventurous. This feels wild. No one on the planet knows where I am. I'm only 20 minutes from a massive city, so I really was surprised how much I liked the forgotten corners of my map. Adam: Well, it sounds romantic the way you describe it, but behind a dumpster or a big factory? I don't really want to go there. Al: Why not? Adam: Because it's not pretty. It's probably got some unsavoury characters hanging around there. It might be more dangerous than crossing, you know, at some wild tundra, so it doesn't attract. I mean, but it does attract you, genuinely? Al: I think I'd have agreed with you entirely beforehand. It seems much nicer to come to a pretty woodland and stroll around there. What surprised me was how rarely I saw people when I was out and about, and we live in a very crowded country. I live in a crowded corner of the country, and yet once I was off meandering, once you're slightly off the beaten track, it felt like I often had the place to myself. In terms of being scared, I never had any problems at all. But I was very conscious that I'm a six-foot-tall white man who's quite good at running and that the countryside in general is not equally accessible to everyone. That really struck home to me in the year, how the sort of privilege I have of being able to essentially wander wherever I want. And the worst thing that's happened, someone will say go away and I go, oh, I'm terribly sorry and be all sort of posh and cheerful and it'll be fine and that's not fair, and it's not right that there's that inequality. Adam: I wonder what you feel because we're talking now, a little after there was a big fuss in newspapers about Kirsty Allsop as children or a child who went off travelling and I think he was 16 or something like that. And it raised the debate whether that's right or wrong and people have their own views, it raised the debate about adventure, what it is, how much freedom we should give younger people. And there were lots of comments, you know, look back a generation, my parents' generation, you know, people of 17, 18 were fighting in wars. You know, the idea of going on Eurorail doesn't sound that adventurous by comparison. But it does engage with the natural world, doesn't it? You've done very adventurous things. What do you think about our position on safety now? The sort of vibe about that? Al: I think a relevant aspect of that discussion what we're talking about today is if you look at the roaming distances that kids have from home and you can see statistical maps of this online of how far our grandparents are allowed to go from home, you know, they'd get on their bicycle with a pickled egg and off they'd go for a month and then come home for their tea. All that sort of stuff. When I was a kid, I was basically in the Yorkshire Dales. I was basically allowed to go wherever I wanted, and then I'd just come home when I was hungry. And of course, I had no cell phone. And then kids today would not be generally allowed that sort of thing, and they're kept very much closer to home. And I think that trusting young people in wild places is an important thing to do. Adam: Well, on that note of wild places and adventure, we talked a lot about maps and if you want to visit Ashenbank Wood and are looking for a map, it is grid reference TQ 675692, map reference explorer 163, and OS land ranger 177. Good luck with finding this particular wood. I hope you enjoy it. And until next time, of course, happy wandering. 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 are listening. And do give us a review and a rating. If you want to find out more about our woods and those that are close to you, check out the Woodland Trust website. Just head to the visiting woods pages. Thank you.

Step into the heart of an ancient woodland as we explore Ashenbank Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest rich in history and teeming with wildlife. Woodland has stood here for centuries, but this haven is under threat. A proposed tunnel project, the Lower Thames Crossing, could harm the irreplaceable ecosystem and ancient trees here. Jack, leader of our woods under threat team, explains what's at stake and the challenges and strategies involved in trying to maintain a delicate balance between development and nature. A decision on whether the project goes ahead is due from Government in May 2025. We also meet estate manager Clive, who delves into Ashenbank Wood's history, tells us more about why ancient woodland is so important and shows us the unusual approach of strapping deadwood to trees. Don't forget to rate us and subscribe! Learn more about the Woodland Trust at woodlandtrust.org.uk Transcript 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: Today I am at a site of Special Scientific Interest in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is teeming with extraordinary wildlife, and I'm told you can stand in the shadows of gnarled veteran trees and even spot some shy dormice, rare bats, and woodland wildflowers if you're there at the right time of year. But it is also a site under threat. National Highways propose to build a new tunnel linking Essex and Kent under the River Thames, and many feel that that will create a threat to the trees and wildlife here. So I've come not just for a walk, but to chat to experts and the first is the man responsible for coordinating the Woodland Trust response to big infrastructure projects and to chat to him about how infrastructure and nature can live hand in hand.  Jack: So I'm Jack Taylor, I'm the programme lead for the woods under threat team at the Woodland Trust.  Adam: Brilliant. And we're at Ashenbank Woods?  Jack: We are indeed.  Adam: Good, OK, sorry, yeah *laughs* I know I should sound more sure, we are at Ashenbank Woods.  Jack: I think its full title might be Ashenbank Woods SSSI, site of special scientific interest.  Adam: Oh right yes, yes. And we're going to see a bit later a colleague of yours, Clive, who will tell us more about the details of this woodland. But the reason why I wanted to talk to you first as we walk through, what is a lovely, actually dappled, dappled bit of woodland here is about your role in protecting places like this from development because, so what, what is your job?  Jack: Yeah, it's beautiful. That's a good question *laughs* what is my job? I I suppose the the base of it, the basis of it, the foundation really is about trying to protect ancient woods and ancient and veteran trees from forms of development, but also from other threats outside of that as well. So non-development threats like air pollution, pests and diseases, deer overbrowsing. Most of my work does focus on working within the development sector and trying to protect against those development threats.  Adam: Right, and you're the project lead.   Jack: Yeah.  Adam: When I first saw that, I thought you meant you're the project lead for this woodland, but you are not. You are the project lead for all development threatening woodlands throughout the UK. This is an extraordinary, I mean that's quite a job.  Jack: Yeah, it's it's a lot. There are a lot of threats to have to deal with across the UK because we're always building always sort of growing as a nation. We always need sort of new forms of infrastructure and new sort of housing. We recognise that. But all of that does come with the added impact of having threats on our ancient woods and ancient and veteran trees, so we have a team of myself and my my wonderful team of four as well.  Adam: Alright. Yeah, it's not big.  Jack: No, it's not big, but they they are enthusiastic and they're great at what they do.  Adam: So this is quite a political area because we've got a new government which has promised to improve lots of things, get the country working, build lots of homes. I think, I think the Prime Minister only recently talked about, you know, we're going to get spades in the ground, we're going to be doing stuff. Well, is it your job to stop all of that, I mean, or how do you balance what needs to be done for the country and what needs to be done to protect woodlands?  Jack: Yeah. So it's so none of this is really about stopping development from from happening and we we have to be sort of quite clear that that's not what we're set out to do as an organisation. It's about trying to ensure that where development is happening. It's not going to impact on our most important and our most valuable woods and trees and that's why we do have a focus specifically on ancient woodland, but and then also on ancient and veteran trees as well, because we know that for the most part, there are lots of really valuable woods and wooded and wooded habitats and trees that are plenty sort of valuable and important. But we know that ancient words and ancient and veteran trees are likely to be our most important sites. We have to focus on protecting those. So we do have to object to some developments where we think the harm is gonna be too great, but we're never really looking to stop them from happening, unless the harm is too great.  Adam: OK. Which way?  Jack: Umm, I think right.   Adam: OK. So one of the things I've noticed before, I mean, when I was following the HS2 debate, was politicians were going ‘it's fine, it's fine, it's fine. We'll cut this down, we're going to replace them. I tell you what, we'll do you a deal, we'll plant two for every one we cut down.' On the face of it that sounds reasonable?  Jack: OK. Yeah, not to us.   Adam: Why not?   Jack: Well, I think if you're, if you're looking at ancient woodlands and ancient and veteran trees, you're looking at something that is an irreplaceable habitat. There is no sort of recreating that habitat in in one space again, once it's been lost and the reason for that is these things take centuries to evolve and develop to create those sort of vital links between animals, plants, fungi, the soils as well. So ancient woodlands are especially important for their soils. So you can't really just take those soils and put them elsewhere because once that happens you completely disturb the relationships that have built up over centuries within them. And ancient and veteran trees, so you're talking about trees that for the most part are going to be centuries years old. How do you how do you replace centuries of development creating these wonderful sort of niche habitats for different parts of our ecosystems?   Adam: And is it, you said quite clearly that it's not your job or the Trust's job just to stop development, just to sort of blanket go, ‘hey, stop building' so is it about going, ‘don't build here' or is it about saying, ‘if you're gonna build here, this is how to do it with the least amount of impact'? What's the sort of your approach?  Jack: Yeah. In some cases it is about saying not, not building here. It depends what we're dealing with, I suppose so it's different if you're dealing with, say, housing developments or leisure facilities as opposed to something like rail infrastructure or road infrastructure, which is quite linear in nature, so they can only really go in one place to deliver its purpose, whereas housing is not as locationally dependent.  Adam: I see. So you feel you've got a better argument if it's a housing project, cause you can go, ‘put it somewhere else', but the train journey from A to B has to sort of go through this area. You're you're on a loser there are you?  Jack: Well, sometimes, but there are there are ways of of getting around sort of kind of impact. I mean it doesn't have to go absolutely sort of A to B in one way. You can think very carefully about the design to try and minimise impact on ancient woods. You can also look at alternative solutions, engineering solutions like tunnelling for example, so HS2 is a good example of that. The Phase One section which is going ahead between London and Birmingham, they actually put in a tunnel under the Chilterns, which saved about 14 hectares of woodland saved these three really good prime areas of ancient wood. And of course the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty came into that in a way, and they were trying to protect that also. But that was one solution to stop wildlife and nature being harmed.  Adam: Right. So that's, was this, were you involved with that?   Jack: Yeah, yeah.   Adam: Amazing. So how difficult was that to get that that project through and try to avoid the destruction of all that woodland?  Jack: Well, a lot a lot of destruction still is happening from High Speed 2. So about 20 hectares of ancient woodland has been destroyed at this stage now. A lot of the sort of preparation works for the Phase One section, that London to Birmingham bit, are now complete. So it it was difficult, but it it the way in which we were involved is we really brought ancient woodland to the table and put it at the forefront of considerations and and gave it a voice I suppose. It's not that it wasn't being looked at at all, but not nearly to the degree that we thought it needed to be looked at. And so we sort of kind of introduced that idea of well look, there's ancient woodland here, you need to be thinking carefully about the design and, you know, you think you're talking about halving the impacts on ancient woodlands from from our sort of kind of involvement and involvement of other conservation organisations in there as well.  Adam: So a lot of it is trying to say, to make the argument, but also to raise the profile of that argument,   Jack: Sure.  Adam: To bring, population and say this is actually a loss. You know, cutting it down is is a loss. So how much harder or easier has it got for you to make that argument?   Jack: Well, do you know, interestingly, I I would probably say that projects like High Speed 2, where there is such a big argument around the ancient woodland has raised the profile of ancient woodland itself. That's one of the sort of silver linings of that project for us, it's put sort of ancient woodland on the map in terms of habitat that needs to and is worthy of protection. So I think a lot of people now understand ancient woodland a bit better and what it is. There's still lots of awareness to do, you know, people just think of ancient woodlands as bluebells, big large oaks and it's not quite there. I mean, they're all so kind of varied in their nature and geographically across the country, but it's got people thinking about them.  Adam: So that was something of a success, although I know more complicated than just ‘yes, we won that'.   Jack: Sure, yeah.   Adam: Any areas you feel you really lost that, you know, keep you up at night, you go, that was that was a failure and you know, we've lost that woodland?  Jack: Yeah. I mean, there've been, there've been some over the years. Back in 2012 a a large quarry was built on an area of woodland called Oaken Wood in Kent, probably taking about out about 30 to 35 hectares of ancient woodland which is massive, massive amounts, I mean, you're talking about in the region it's like 40 to 50 football fields and and and we're actually dealing with another threat to that woodland from an expansion of that same quarry. So yeah, you know that that one is one that gnaws gnaws at us, is that, you know, we don't want to see that happening anymore.  Adam: Are you getting more optimistic that you know the public are more on your side that this is at least something that plays in policymakers' decisions now?  Jack: I I actually think the public have always really been on our side. I think if you ask the the general public, they would probably say to you, we do not want to see ancient woodlands subject to any loss or deterioration, whatever the cause.  Adam: Yeah, I think you're right. But they also say, yeah, but we like cheaper housing and want better transport links so.  Jack: Yeah. Well, I mean the Lower Thames Crossing, which is going to be affecting this site that we're in now, Ashenbank Wood is sort of a prime example of that the the intention of that project is to relieve traffic congestion on the existing Dartford Crossing.  Adam: Which I think actually I can hear in my headphones this, although we are, I mean it looks beautiful, there's quite a lot of background traffic noise. So we can't be that far away actually from from transport, from big roads. So explain to me you say this this particular site, Ashenbank Woods which is a site of Special Scientific Interest, so it's not just any old woods, this is a really special place, is under threat. What is the threat here?   Jack: So the threat here is partially there will be some loss to the wider SSSI ancient woodland in the area when you're losing sort of kind of, Ashenbank Wood itself is not going to be subject to much loss, although there is a cycle route diversion going through the woods that might impact on some of its special features.  Adam: Oh one second just, we've we've just turned off the path, we're just, oops crawling under some trees. I don't quite know why we've come, we we seem to have chosen the most difficult route. Well, it is beautiful because we've come off the path right into a magic dell.   Jack: There we go.  Adam: Oh, look, there's obviously some, I think, probably some kids have built a sort of camp, tent out of fallen branches. OK, so sorry so I understand that this is under threat from development, the the development plan though is what? What are they trying to do here?  Jack: So so what they're doing is they're building a new crossing further to the east of Dartford Crossing, but that's going to involve connecting...  Adam: A river crossing, a tunnel?  Jack: Yes a river crossing.   Adam: But it's a tunnel.   Jack: Yeah, it's a tunnel.  Adam: Why would that? That's that's great, surely?  Jack: Well, the tunnel goes under the Thames. But in order to connect the A2/M2 to the to the sort of tunnel portal, they're going to be going through a lot of ancient woodlands as a result. So just down the way Clay Lane Wood is one that's going to be heavily impacted by by the proposals, you know several hectares of ancient woodland loss there, but in terms of our wood itself, you're you're gonna have impacts on some of the veteran trees from some of the works that are required in here. But you're also sort of increasing the traffic around the area on A2/M2. And as you can hear, there's already quite loud background noise from the traffic. If that becomes louder, it further reduces the suitability of this habitat for a lot of species.  Adam: Right. So what are your, what are you doing?  Jack: Well we're campaigning against it for one thing. So we've been campaigning against it since 2016, trying to bring those bring those sort of impacts down as far as possible. At this point in time, I would probably say that it's unfeasible, that it could go ahead without causing loss or damage to ancient woodland and veteran trees, and that's something that we have to oppose as an organisation. So we're working with other environmental NGOs, conservation orgs like RSPB, Buglife, Wildlife Trust, CPRE to to oppose this scheme.  Adam: So, and if people want to keep an eye on the sort of campaigns you're running, and the sort of live issues around the country, where can they get that information?  Jack: They can go along to woodlandtrust.org.uk/campaigns and they'll be able to find out about what we're doing in terms of campaigning for protection of ancient woods and veteran trees. We've got a really great campaign at the moment, all about protecting ancient and veteran trees and we're stood in in front of one of these at the moment, we call them Living Legends.   Adam: Right OK, what a lovely link, because I I was gonna say you've brought me to a stand. It looks like a sculpture this, so what, so let me just briefly describe this. I mean, it's a hollowed out tree. There's, it almost looks like there's 3 or 4 bits of different trees supporting each other, and you can go hide in the middle. I mean, there's, I'd, I couldn't spread my arms in the middle, but I mean almost, you know, there's probably, I don't know, 4 or 5 foot wide in the middle. It's most extraordinary. What is this? What's going on here?  Jack: So I would probably say this is an ancient ash tree. As trees sort of grow older, they they have to sort of kind of allow their heartwood to to rot away because that's what keeps them sort of stable and secure and in doing so that creates really important habitat for wildlife. And so this is what has happened to this ash tree effectively, its heartwood has sort of rotted away, it's still got this kind of all important surrounding ripewood to be able to support the rest of the tree.  Adam: That's extraordinary. So the the, the, the wood at the centre of the tree, the heartwood has gone?  Jack: Yes, yeah, yeah, cause it it's not it's not really useful for for trees at that sort of point. It's it's no longer the part of the wood that's carrying the sort of the water and nutrients up the tree. That's what the sort of outer ripewood does. So the heartwood decays away as they as they grow older.  Adam: And that's just ash trees is it?  Jack: No, that's that's pretty much all. Yeah.  Adam: How ignorant am I? OK, fine. OK. I didn't realise that that happens to all trees. And it looks like that would cause an instability problem, but this looks actually fairly fairly stable, it's fine.  Jack: It it's it's actually it's actually the other way they do it because it allows them to remain as stable as possible. And I I mean this one it doesn't, it doesn't look in the best sort of structural condition does it, but they need to do that for their sort of physiological condition because if they have if they're trying to support too much sort of heartwood then it affects the trees energy balances. And I mean that there's actual sort of scientific things here between the kinetic and the potential energy in a tree and why why they do this but all old trees do it and in turn it creates this amazing habitat, so you can see all these little holes in the in the sort of kind of inside wood and the decaying wood as well, where insects have sort of burrowed into it, where birds would be, woodpeckers, you know would be would be accessing that as well.   Adam: Yeah. Amazing   Jack: Amazing structures, aren't they?  Adam: And so I'm going to meet now, one of the people responsible for actually managing woods such as Ashenbank, and he's waiting for me a bit further into the woods.  Clive: OK, I'm Clive, Clive Steward, I'm one of the estate managers for the Woodland Trust working in the South East.  Adam: So what is important about this site? What makes this wood special?  Clive: What makes this site special is that it's ancient woodland or partly ancient woodland, but it's also managed as a wood pasture or has been managed as a wood pasture in the past, and because of that habitat it has lots and lots of old trees and old trees is very important in terms of what they support in terms of dead and decaying habitats.  Adam: Right, so well we're standing by this extraordinary ash tree, I mean, it's extraordinary that there's an ash tree at all, given ash dieback, but it's extraordinary for all sorts of other reasons. But is ash a big part of this woodland?  Clive: In terms of its name, Ashenbank, you you think it should be but but it's it is a component of the site but it's not, the majority species is not ash.   Adam: What is this site then?  Clive: So mostly sycamore and we're in the northern part of Ashenbank where we've got a lot of sycamore and we've got some really big old sweet chestnuts, but there are lovely old oak trees and hornbeam trees.  Adam: Right. And so when we talk about ancient woodland, it's always worth, I suppose, explaining a bit about what we mean because clearly will go, well, that's old. But old for trees can be a whole different sort of thing. So how, what, what, what do you mean when you're talking about ancient woodlands?  Clive: Well, when we say ancient woodland ancient woodland is defined as areas which have been permanently wooded since 1600AD. That's the sort of the the the date.  Adam: Oh right, I didn't realise it was that precise.  Clive: Well, it well, yes, it's roughly when big old estates used to produce maps, so they discovered paper and started drawing maps of what they owned but prior so before this this, the assumption is that if it's wooded then it would have been wooded ever since the Ice Age retreated but managed by mankind for for thousands of years.  Adam: So we're, we're assuming actually that ancient woodland is all it's probably been here since the Ice Age?  Clive: Yes. Yeah.  Adam: So that's why I mean that's it's worth I think pausing on that because it's why when we're talking about ‘oh, we'll have to destroy a bit of woodland for a tree, for a road' sorry, we're talking about taking away a bit of the landscape, which has been there since the Ice Age probably. So that's quite a big deal to have done that.  Clive: Yeah, yeah. It is. It is. Yeah. The the other part of Ashenbank, which is the bit we're in is a more recently wooded area, probably about 200 years old. I have a a map here which is not good for a podcast, but I can show you a map.  Adam: Go on go on, we can describe this. Hold on. I'll hold the microphone and you can describe what we're seeing. So go on, yes.  Clive: So we have a a map here of Ashenbank Wood dating from 1797, which shows the woodland it used to be. I have another map showing the wood as it is today. So here's a map from a couple of years ago, but we're we're actually up here, which in the 1797 map shows fields. And now, now, now it's woods. So so basically, what's happened this Ashenbank used to be owned by Cobham Hall, which is a big estate to the east of Halfpence Lane, so this used to be partly of Cobham Hall Estate and in 1790, as many of these big old estates houses used to do, they used used they they employed a landscape architect to make their their grounds nicer as it were. So it wasn't Capability Brown, but it was a chap called Humphrey Repton who worked on this site from 1790 to about 1880, when he died 1818 when he died. And he landscaped the estate and the view from the house over to here looking west to what is now Ashenbank Wood was obviously important to him. So they actually planted a lot of these big old chestnuts which we walked past, which date from 200 years ago.  Adam: Which is very nice and we often hear about cutting trees down and looking at old maps going ‘oh, we've lost all that wood', here's an example of the reverse to actually that's a good nature story.  Clive: Yeah, yeah, definitely it is. Yes. As you get older, as they get older, these trees there are microhabitats which develop rot pockets, branches fall off, they they rot, big holes develop and that that's these microhabitats which are home to what's called saproxylic species.   Adam: OK, that's a new word, saproxylic?  Clive: Saproxylic. So saproxylics are are basically insects and beetles and flies which only exist in dead and decaying wood. So if these big old trees weren't around, they've got nowhere to live.  Adam: Right, which is why it's useful to have deadwood on the ground. It's not so, it looks untidy, but actually that's often the richest place.  Clive: Indeed. Yeah, yes, but often, but often these insects and beetles are actually in the living tree, not in the in the horizontal, dead and dying stuff. And it's the living trees, which are are why this habitat is so important.  Adam: But I thought you said you said they're living in the living trees, but but saproxylic means they're living in the dead trees?  Clive: But within these big old trees, there are these rot holes and pockets and little microhabitats within the tree...  Adam: Yes, which are dead and that's where they live?   Clive: Where they live yeah that's right.  Adam: Right OK. Yeah, very interesting. OK, very interesting. Now, there's also, I knew I was told, but I'm completely confused by, an idea that I'm told that goes on here of strapping deadwood to live trees. Did I did I misunderstand that?  Clive: No, no, you you didn't misunderstand it. No.   Adam: OK and you're going to show me where this is ?  Clive: Yep. Shall we shall we go, we'll we'll walk there, have a look.  Adam: Alright. Brilliant. So you've taken me to this tree, a very substantial tree, but next to it, this is the a bit of, what, you better explain, because this is really odd and I don't really understand what I'm looking at.  Clive: Right. Well, going back to 1999 when High Speed One was being built, they took out three hectares of Ashenbank Wood along with lots of other woodland in the area. And fortunately, somebody had the idea of of suggesting that we could save some of those big trees they felled and reerecting them against living trees to help them degrade and and become part of the habitat.  Adam: So I mean to describe this, we've got a very big tree. What sort of tree is this?  Clive: So you've got a big, big oak tree.  Adam: That's a big oak, and next to it is 6, 12, I don't know, 30 foot, 40 foot high dead tree, bit of bark. But it's it's not like a small, it's a 40 foot bit of bark which you have propped onto the living tree. Why is it better to have done that than just to leave it on the ground?  Clive: Well, it's about these microhabitats. So I mean, it's not just propped up it's actually strapped to it, so it's actually quite secure.  Adam: It is secure, that's y your health and safety hat on.  Clive: We had to make sure it was strapped up, but vertical dead or decaying wood is equally as important as horizontal, dead and decaying wood.  Adam: OK. Is it different? What, does it do different things?  Clive: The wood doesn't but it attracts different insects and species so that that that's why so. But in most in most woodlands you'll see deadwood as being felled trees which are lying or windblown. You don't often see dead vertical trees.  Adam: I've never seen that.  Clive: Well, they're often well, they're often felled and taken out for firewood or something but they are important as as a sort of microhabitat for these saproxylics. That that's purely why.  Adam: So the saproxylics which are insects which live on deadwood prefer, some prefer the high rise living of the vertical tree rather than the low level bungalow type living. But what what sort of, do you do, don't worry if you don't know, but do you know which insects prefer living vertically?   Clive: I I don't know that.  Adam: You don't. Somebody will, somebody will.  Clive: Yeah somebody will. But if you look at that tree, you'll see that it's a there's a there's a U-shaped crook 2/3 way up and in that there's there's a there's a hole which has probably got water in it. So water gathers from rain and that's that that little microhabitat will be, something will live in it. And if that was horizontal, it wouldn't be there.  Adam: Right, yes, yes. Well that I think this must be, I mean, we've been doing this for a few years. I've never seen that. So that is amazing. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. So I know that the history of this site goes back quite a long way, not just the natural history, but the human history as well, and am I right in saying there's quite quite a lot of sort of Bronze Age heritage here?  Clive: Well, we've got a Scheduled Ancient Monument which has been dated to between 2000 and 1500 BC, which is a big burial mount and it is scheduled and it's, you know, English Heritage monitor it and we have to make sure it's free of trees and it's there to see.  Adam: Right. Wow. And it's interesting you talk about it's there to see because we came and parked in the Woodland Trust car park. Free parking, as is normal in Woodland Trust places, first time though a full car park. We are here midweek during the day. I was surprised to see it's full so talking about visitors, this is clearly a, I mean have I just come at a weird time, have they all come to see the Woodland Trust podcast being made, it's right, it's a popular site. That always feels like contention to me because I know you want to encourage people to come, on the other hand, coming in a sort of, destroys a bit of what we see. How much of a problem are the level of visitors?  Clive: Well, we basically have a path network through Ashenbank Wood which we maintain, we mow, we make sure it's open and safe. So most people walk on those those paths which steers people around the the wood, as it were, so and we we don't stop people from walking off the path but most people don't cause it's, you know, nettles or brambles or whatever. It's difficult to do.  Adam: Right, yes. And keeping dogs on the lead and everything. You've been with the Trust for a long time, haven't you, really. What sort of change have you seen in the the the debate around the natural world in your time here?  Clive: That's a big question.  Adam: Have you, I mean, sort of, it assumes you have seen a change, you might not have seen a change. I mean I the reason I ask it is because it feels to me it's gone up the political agenda, that it's not just, you know, people dismissively talking about crazy tree huggers and let them onto their own thing. It's become more mainstream. Do you think that that's it's become more optimistic, do you think it's become more pessimistic, do you think, you you know, it's become more informed, I suppose?  Clive: Well, I think there's a growing recognition that ancient woodland is a special habitat, but it hasn't quite gone far enough to get total protection. But I think there's a growing realisation that ancient woodland is special and we need to look after it. And I think the politicians probably do understand it, but maybe can't quite make that move to legislate against total protection.  Adam: Yeah. And I think that's part of the Living Legend campaign that the Woodland Trust is organising, isn't it?  Clive: Definitely is. Yeah. Yeah, very much so.  Adam: Well, there were two websites we talked about today. So if you want to get involved in a local campaign, search for ‘Woodland Trust campaigns' and you can find out more about the attempts to get better legal protection for ancient and veteran trees by searching for the Living Legends campaign and of course I hope you get a chance to visit Ashenbank Woods yourself. So until next time, happy wandering.  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 are listening. And do give us a review and a rating. If you want to find out more about our woods and those that are close to you, check out the Woodland Trust website. Just head to the visiting woods pages. Thank you. 

BRITPOD goes Cotswolds! Diese außergewöhnlich schöne Region im Südwesten Englands wird nicht ohne Grund das "Herz Englands" genannt: Wohlhabende Londoner haben hier ihren Zweitwohnsitz. Die Cotswold Hills mit ihren romantischen Villages und Häusern aus honigfarbenen Steinen wurde als "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" klassifiziert. Unsere Abenteurer Claus Beling und Alexander-Klaus Stecher entdecken eine Region mit einzigartiger Kultur, Natur und Geschichte. Erster Stop für Tea & Scones: Das wunderschöne Boutique-Hotel "No.38 The Park" in der Ortschaft Cheltenham. Weiter geht es mit dem Mietwagen (Tipp: Automatik-Getriebe buchen, mit links zu schalten ist sonst ziemlich schwierig) zum berühmten Cheltenham Racecourse: Seit 1815 werden auf dem riesigen Gelände des "Nottingham Hill" Pferderennen veranstaltet. Auch der legendäre Jockey Dick Francis begeisterte hier das Publikum und hatte das Privileg, auf den königlichen Pferden von Queen Mum ins Rennen zu gehen. Nach einem Reitunfall konnte er den Sport nicht mehr ausführen und sattelte um zum Autor: Bereits sein erstes Buch wurde ein Weltbestseller. Alexander und Claus ziehen weiter in die Altstadt von Cheltenham und entdecken ein weiteres Highlight: "The Promenade and Long Gardens" - unter hohen Ulmen und Kastanienbäumen laden kleine Geschäfte, Book Stores, Cafés und Restaurants zum Flanieren ein. -- WhatsApp: Du kannst Alexander und Claus direkt auf ihre Handys Nachrichten schicken! Welche Ecke Englands sollten die beiden mal besuchen? Zu welchen Themen wünschst Du Dir mehr Folgen? Warst Du schon mal in Great Britain und magst ein paar Fotos mit Claus und Alexander teilen? Probiere es gleich aus: +49 8152 989770 - einfach diese Nummer einspeichern und schon kannst Du BRITPOD per WhatsApp erreichen. -- Ein ALL EARS ON YOU Original Podcast.

Following on from last episode's climate-conscious look at wines grown beside the seaside, Jason assembles a flight (pun intended) of seven wines that hale from high places, where cool air and steep, free-draining slopes go some way towards mitigating the higher temperatures that otherwise put way too much bang in your Bourboulenc and vavavoom in your Viognier… First up; it's creamy, it's toasty and it's a big deal in the Big Apple… it's Crémant de Jura from the Tissot vineyard at Arbois. Pure Chardonnay and bottle-fermented. You want high? The mousse alone will take you to a new one! Secondly, whether skiing on the slopes or chillin' in the chalet, Jacquère is the grape to which all Alpine aspirants inevitably gravitate. Domaine de l'Idylle's Cruet from the Tiollier family vineyard above Isère, has a low ABV but more zing and fruit than Julie Andrews on the Mehlweg. The hills will very definitely be alive after just one bottle. Thirdly, Nathalie Margan's highly-regarded Chateau La Canorgue Blanc wears its 13.5 ABV very lightly. ‘Uplifting, apricot and white peach flavours,' it says on the Yapp Brothers website; ‘Go high or go home,' says Jason. ‘Salut!' says David, who isn't about to go anywhere. Our high flyers' fourth wine and first red is a fresh and spicy Pinot Noir from Domaine Girard. It's from Malepère in the Languedoc, but the Pinot Noir makes it a Pays d'Oc. Okay, Doc? Berry, spice and minerality are all beautifully balanced, which is more than can be said for David who is beginning to wonder where he left his parachute. After such dedication to the dizzying heights that wine-making can achieve, it's only right that our two lofty lovers of wine should find themselves in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Monte Ventoux, feared by cyclists and revered by oenophilists alike is the home of a magnificent, blackberry, pepper and spice confection from Yves Cheron. It may be one of the steepest stages of the Tour de France, but with a bottle of Terre Sauvage in your saddle bag, you're free-wheeling all the way from Florence to Nice. For their final tasting, David and Jason cross the Atlantic and climb to 1000 metres above the city of Mendoza in the heart of Argentina's wine-growing region. Tinto Negro from Jeff Mausbach and Alejandro Sejanovich is medium bodied and light on the oak. And at 13.5 ABV you don't need to say ‘Goodbye,' to bright, complex flavours, just say ‘High!'

An Expat, Jim Swan, and Outstanding Natural Beauty Dan Szor is an expat, a native of New York City who has found a permanent home in the Cotswolds of England, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with rolling hills, flowers, and fruits. With a background in finance, Dan found whisky as a side passion, one he converted into a full-time role in the early 2010s by starting the Cotswolds Distillery.  In Part 1 of our conversation, Dan and I discuss his inspirations - the hedonistic time in Paris getting exposed to whisky through the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and La Maison du Whisky, the barley revelation, and meeting Jim McEwan, that wizard of whisky whose time at Bruichladdich inspired Dan long before a distillery was in the cards.  There's a lot to talk about on the Cotswolds, so we'll have a part two coming out next week to talk more about the distillery itself and the truly excellent single malts coming out.  Thanks everyone for listening, and thank you to Dan for entering the Whiskey Ring! _________________________________________________________ If you haven't joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring There are 2-3 more spots available at the $25/month bottle share club level.  If you haven't yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website.  Cotswolds Distillery Cotswolds Distillery Website Cotswolds Distillery Instagram Cotswolds Distillery Facebook Cotswolds Distillery on Twitter/X Cotswolds Distillery on YouTube Cotswolds Distillery on LinkedIn Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, BAXUS BAXUS Website BAXUS on Instagram BAXUS on Facebook BAXUS on Twitter/X BAXUS on LinkedIn Thanks to our Lead Sponsor, Black Button Distillery  Black Button Distilling Website Black Button Distilling on Facebook Black Button Distilling on Instagram

Where wolves? James attempts to answer that question with a midnight excursion to Cannock Chase. This Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is home to a range of distinctly unnatural creatures. We're talking lycanthropes, black eyed children, numerous UFOs and at least one pigman. In fact, there are many reports of uncanny incidents in Cannock Chase, James went all the way to Staffordshire to investigate. Alas, our intrepid loreboy encountered a much more human phenomenon. SAUCINESS WARNING: This episode contains references to a grown up activity. One that takes place at night, in car parks. Pay and Display (without the pay) if you know what we mean... Join us for another Loremen Live in Oxford on 25th May: https://oldfirestation.org.uk/whats-on/loremen-podccast/ This episode was edited by Joseph Burrows - Audio Editor. LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod

The family of a "kind-hearted and much-loved” man who died after a town centre assault have said they will fight for justice.The 33-year-old was put on life-support after being attacked twice within the space of two days in Chatham. Also in today's podcast, fire crews have been called out to a number of blazes in Kent in the last 24 hours. Sadly a cat has died in one house fire in Canterbury which is believed to have been started accidentally. A decade-long battle to get a landowner to clear up his farmland in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is facing yet another delay.Maidstone council first started enforcement action  over the 14-hectare plot  after it found the land littered with broken vehicles and waste. The KentOnline Podcast has been told more companies should employ people with learning difficulties - after a social media post of a Sheppey woman went viral.Shelley Harris has Down's syndrome and was pictured learning her role at Asda in Sittingbourne.And damning comments about one of Kent's up-and-coming towns have sparked debate - after visitors called it dirty and run-down.It comes less than a month after The Sunday Times described the seaside town as the best place to live in the south east of England.

Steve Tonkin is the Dark Sky Advisor to Cranborne Chase National Landscape, in Wiltshire. Cranborne Chase is a designate Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that, since 2019, has been recognised as an International Dark Sky Reserve.Steve can pinpoint 4 October 1957 as the first became aware of dark skies. His family were, at the time, living 8 miles outside Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and his father took him outside to see if they could see Sputnik which had been launched the previous day. It was his first time looking up at a pristine dark sky and it triggered a life-long passion for astronomy which has made him aware of the effects of light pollution, and he has been raising the issue with anyone who will listen for the last 30 years.After a first career as a telecommunications engineer, he did a BSc in Human Environmental Studies, then postgraduate work in technology policy, before training as a teacher. He taught physics, maths and astronomy in a variety of settings for 35 years, before retiring from teaching to concentrate on astronomy outreach activities. He has written several books on practical astronomy, has a monthly column in BBC Sky at Night Magazine, and is a regular speaker on astronomical topics.Starting with a programme he made for BBC Radio Bristol in the 1980s, Steve has long been an advocate of reducing light pollution. He supported the Cranborne Chase's International Dark Sky Reserve bid as a volunteer, taking sky quality readings and supporting the stargazing evenings by giving talks and showing people the night sky. His primary task as Dark Skies Advisor is to continue and consolidate the good work that has already been done and strengthen the Cranborne Chase's standing as an International Dark Sky Reserve.Light pollution is a global issue. The pollution itself is known to affect human health and wildlife behaviour and that is before considering the wasted energy involved in sending light upwards instead of downwards to where it is required. To take a Biophilic approach to the design of lighting is to reduce light pollution with direct and indirect benefits to nature.Steve explains that there are 21 International Dark Sky Reserves across the world that have been recognised as being of distinguished quality. He explains that these spaces are not about no lights but about the right light in the right place at the right time to preserve the area for heritage, educational and enjoyment purposes.Dark skies are relative. A truly dark sky is defined by Steve as one in which the Milky Way galaxy casts a shadow. In the context of Cranborne Chase, it means the ability to see the Andromeda galaxy with the naked eye. Steve expresses his excitement at being able to see something that is 2.5 million light years away and has been visible to earth since before humans were even around and was visible to all humans ever until light pollution started to be introduced 200 years ago.Steve explains in some detail why it is important to take account of the circadian rhythm of light and darkness and how there is always a negative effect of introducing artificial light. He discusses the impact on the reproductive cycle of birds and relates that 8 to 10 million birds a year are killed by lit communication towers.Moving to humans, Steve tells of studies linking light pollution to · increased susceptibility to cancer;· increased incidence of obesity, diabetes and hypertension due to the impact of poor lighting on leptin levels (leptin being the hormone that tells you if you feel full); · the impact of the wrong sort of light on mental and physical health; and · the huge reduction in insect life (both pollinators and composters) and its impact on food production.Across a wide range of examples Steve explains how the wrong light can have disastrous consequences. He introduces the idea that not all light is the same and sets out what to look for in order to achieve healthy lighting.Steve enumerates the five principles of responsible lighting:1. if lighting doesn't have a clear purpose, don't do it2. lighting needs to be targeted3. don't use light brighter than is needed for the task4. use as warm colour as possible (i.e. low colour temperature)5. only have lighting on when it is neededThis leads to a fascinating discussion of lighting design, how it has improved over the last 30 years and of ways to achieve better lighting solutions.Listening to Steve, you learn that Dark Sky movements are not just to keep astronomers happy. It is really a heading that focusses thinking on lighting design and the health and environmental benefits of biophilic lighting design.https://darksky.org/Darkskies.ukhttps://darksky.uk/https://britastro.org/dark-skies/THE DARK SKY MANIFESTO - JOHAN EKLÖFPublisher: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/447865/the-darkness-manifesto-by-eklof-johan/9781529116106Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Darkness-Manifesto-pollution-threatens-ancient-ebook/dp/B0B41NCKRY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Have you got a copy of the Cities issue of The Journal of Biophilic Design (you can purchase a copy directly from us at the journalofbiophilicdesign.com or Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you'd like to, thank you x*due to bereavement at the JBD HQ there has been a delay in the final editing, many apologies. But like a late flowering bloom, there is much to be learnt from this podcast, and we are incredibly grateful for Morgan and Greengage's expertise and patience. xCredits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts. Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsnLinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesign

Rebranding Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to National Landscapes to reflect their natural beauty and important role in climate change, conservation and wellbeing.We head to the rocky shores of Anglesey for our bird of the month. The purple sandpiper is a wader that likes our winters!Are you away for Christmas? Who's looking after the hens? We hear from the Cosy Hen Co in Monmouthshire providing Hennels, or hotels for poultry! And earthy paints - we meet an artist from Powys who has taken her love of the natural world and started a business making paint from soil

Soft fruit growers say they are scaling back future investment plans because retailers are not paying enough for their produce. That's according to British Berry Growers - the industry body representing the majority of British berry farmers. It's just recently held meetings with supermarkets after a survey of members found 80% of those who took part felt they 'no longer have a partnership with UK supermarkets.' It seems Hollywood has become enamoured with the idea of regen-ag, with a slew actors and activists declaring that it is the answer to tackling climate change. We hear from former actor, Ian Somerhalder, whose the Executive Producer of "Common Ground" and "Kiss the Ground". And are you familiar with Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or AONB's? Apparently not that many people are. Now, the AONB's across England and Wales are all coming under the simpler banner of National Landscapes. Presented by Anna Hill Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Find out about New School, Canterbury, situated on an idyllic site in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, surrounded by an organic farm, 10 minutes South of Canterbury. New School is a Steiner Waldorf Primary School and Kindergarten that inspires a love of learning and that has each child's wellbeing at its heart.--More about the school: www.newschoolcanterbury.co.uk--Got an interesting story to tell, or want to find out how to advertise on our podcast, contact Canterbury Community Company: www.facebook.com/canterburycommunitycompany-- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A look back on some of the best bits from Farming Today over the past five days. The government is consulting on whether landowners and farmers in English national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty should be allowed to convert barns into housing without planning permission. Scientists research how much crops can be deprived of water without affecting their growth. And the shooting season for red grouse gets underway. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

The government has launched a consultation on whether farmers in English National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty should be allowed to convert barns into housing without planning permission. A conservation scientist shares his vision for 2050 in trying to reach net zero carbon emissions. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

In this episode, Louise and Michelle chat to Darren Evans from Green Runners and Dan Thompson from the Running Out of Time Climate Relay about how we can be more mindful of the planet as we canicross, with travel, kit, food, and speaking out. Running Out of Time 2023 is a 2000km relay from Ben Nevis to Big Ben which aims to supercharge awareness of the climate crisis; change attitudes; and inspire action NOW to reduce carbon emissions and reach net zero. The relay launches on 10th June and will travel through most of Britain's major cities and a range of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty before reaching Big Ben on 11th July (Big Ben's birthday). There is also a canicross leg. You can save 33% until 26th May by using the code EARLYBIRD https://thegreenrunners.com/ https://running-out-of-time.com/route/  

Celebrating 50 years of The Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Peter Purves' Preston memories, Lancaster's Olive Branch and Whalley's Cafe Autisan.

Peatland restoration targets in Wales are to be tripled to increase biodiversity - a move welcomed by delegates at an international conference in Aberystwyth this week. We hear about the campaign to designate the Cambrian Mountains as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. After 17 years in the role, the Chief Vet for Wales, Christianne Glossop retires. And the golf club in Powys clearing its scrubland to encourage rare butterflies Photo: Pearl Bordered Fritillary. Photographer: Ben Williams.

Increased rainfall and storm intensity are hugely important characteristics of global temperature rises and the way land is managed can have an enormous impact on our ability to reduce flood risk. In this programme we're talking about natural flood defences and ways to manage water flows in the landscape. ffinlo Costain talks to Chris Uttley, the Stroud Valleys Natural Flood Management Officer for Stroud District Council, and Tom Johnstone, the Strategic Climate Change, Green Infrastructure and Catchments Officer for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. (The AONB's landscape and nature recovery report can be downloaded here, and Tom can be contacted at Tom.Johnstone@denbighshire.gov.uk) https://twitter.com/ffinlocostain https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-uttley-b00996a2/ https://www.stroud.gov.uk/environment/flooding-and-drainage/stroud-rural-sustainable-drainage-rsuds-project/natural-flood-management https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-johnstone/ https://www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk/ https://www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Landscape-Nature-Recovery-ENG-Interactive.pdf mailto:Tom.Johnstone@denbighshire.gov.uk --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/farmgate/message

Lying next to the River Avon just inside the Cotswolds, Avoncliff Wood is no ordinary wood. The site hosts one of the biggest trials in the UK to find biodegradable alternatives to plastic tree guards. As if that wasn't enough, it's also a living laboratory, revealing how ash dieback will really affect nature. Site manager Joe gives us a special behind the scenes tour to learn more. We also meet volunteer wardens Kay and James, and catch up with TV presenter Alice Beer who lives nearby. 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: Well, I've changed trains at Bath Spa for what appears to be a very small train which is taking me to Avoncliffe. Now, in fact, the train conductor has told me the platform is so short when I get there only one door is going to open. He came through asking “Is anybody getting off?” and I'm the only one, the only one. Well, I have to tell you, the station here is straight out of a 1930s style Agatha Christie film, that's what it screams to me. Beautiful signs, beautiful flowers, the River Avon just almost next door to the station, a great looking pub and down at the end of the platform one single man who I'm assuming is Joe Middleton with the Woodland Trust, site manager here and the guy who's going to show me around. Joe: So, welcome to Avoncliffe Wood in the Avon Valley just in between Bath and Bradford-on-Avon. We just crossed over the famous Avoncliffe Aqueduct and just followed the River Avon until we hit even Avoncliffe Wood which carpets the side of the valley across this area of the Cotswolds AONB, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, right at the southern end of the Cotswold AONB. Adam: There's very little woodlands right here, so what's going on in this first field? Joe: So, we're just at the edge of our woodland creation. So we bought 20 hectares, about 40 football pitches, of ancient woodland – untouched for generations – and to buffer that, to try and expand carbon storage and fight climate change and the ecological decline we're seeing we actually bought another 10 hectares, another 20 football pitches, worth of agricultural fields essentially and meadows which were very intensively grazed and we've planted that up with over 5,000 trees to try and get the next generation of trees in here. Adam: Wow, okay so shall we go through, have a look? Thank you. Joe: So just next to us as you can hear the birds singing away, there are blackbirds, robins and blackcaps in there. There's one acre, here, just on the right-hand side, which was actually planted up 25 years ago by a neighbour. So, the very small one acre square now 25 years later is teeming with you know 30-40 foot birch trees, willows, hazels and hawthorns, full of cherry blossom and hawthorn blossom, and birds nesting, tweeting, and insects buzzing all around us! It's quite rare these days! So hopefully we think everything we planted up here, all 5,000 trees would look like that in 25 years. A proper young woodland. Adam: And you've clearly, I mean, they're not uniformly planted so there's a big patch in the middle which you've got nothing and they seem to be done in clumps, so why have you done it like that? Joe: Do you want to know what that patch in the middle is? That's a sledging lane. Right well so we carried out community consultation when we first bought the woodland. We asked all the locals, we said look there's this really lovely kind of big expanse of fields all around the wood, we want to buy it, we want it to, you know, fight climate change, we want to try and do our bit for wildlife. And they said whatever you do leave us a sledging lane because when it snows here this hill is perfect for tobogganing down. Adam: laughs you see I thought it was going to be for some really technical reason! You need to do that for a very specific reason, I didn't realise it was gonna be sledges. Joe: There are also wide rides, you know, big areas that people can walk through. We've created a really good path network in here as well in some areas and natural regeneration so there are areas unplanted and there are areas purely for tobogganing fun in the middle of snowy winters. Adam: And why not? It's very important. Now, the thing that we can see in this immediate field is a lot of tree guards and well I'm also standing by a little sign which says biodegradable tree shelter. I always call them tree guards, but this was called tree shelter. Now that is not by coincidence. The tree guards are a huge issue, aren't they? Joe: Yeah, I mean with governments pledging to plant millions if not globally billions of trees to fight climate, you know hold onto carbon, stop floods, we have to be able to do it without using oil-based plastics. For the last 35 years people have just, every tree that's gone in you know, not every one, but most trees that've gone in have been planted with a giant plastic tree guard which doesn't biodegrade, it litters, it causes microplastics, and people… Adam: And are they reusable those plastic guards? Joe: They are to a certain degree, they're not easy to recycle, there are some better recycling schemes now just starting. But actually, probably one in three are reusable. But a lot of places are too far to go and get them, people don't bother they get left and derelict and are expensive to go and collect every single one, especially when you're planting hundreds of thousands. So the biodegradable alternative is the absolute key. Find something that naturally, you know, biodegrades away back into the soil, doesn't harm anything, it doesn't use oil. Adam: Right, I'm just going to go up to… So, this is a biodegradable one? Joe: Exactly. Adam: It looks sort of yellowish and quite canvas-like but it's very it's very firm, it doesn't feel, I mean that feels a sturdy old thing this. Joe: Yeah so, we've got 5,000 trees we put in. We are using some old recycled plastic ones, so we've been given a few, but actually we've got 16 different types of biodegradable alternatives to plastic here. So, they range from cardboard, you know, made from paper or mulch to biodegradable plastics, which the jury is out on at the moment, to actually resins and oils from things like cashew nut shells and pine resin. We've got a train coming past us! Train noise Two and a half years ago, when we planted the 5,000 trees in all these biodegradable guards, we launched something called Big Climate Fightback, a big Woodland Trust campaign to bring people out to help plant trees and do their bit. And actually, we ended up with over 250 people arriving one Saturday – spades in hand – on the trains in all the train stations. And the people in Bath, and Bristol and Bradford-on-Avon must have thought “what on earth is going on?”, with over 250 people arriving with spades on the platforms. And they came in here, they planted trees en masse – school kids, families, local groups. Everyone came here to try and plant trees and with that we, you know, told people about the problem of plastics and we've basically now got one of the biggest sites in the UK for trialling an alternative to plastic – to try and protect these trees so they get to five, seven years to get to a good height where they're no longer susceptible to browsing by deer, by rabbits, by voles, which is the main reason the shelters and guards are here to protect them. Adam: And correct me if I'm wrong but there is a sort of school of thought saying well don't use any guards. I mean it's now sort of established practice that you've got to use a guard otherwise the tree won't survive, but there is this sort of vague thought we never used to use guards in the distant past, so why have we suddenly got obsessed with them? Joe: I mean deer numbers are higher than they've ever been, it's a huge amount of browsing by deer with no natural predators, so it's complicated, that is the simplest answer, but putting up a giant 6-foot fence is probably you know the other solution which is in a lot of cases, depending on size, it can be much more economic, more practical. Very small areas – probably not massive areas, but medium sized – deer fencing is probably the answer, but then you've still got rabbits and voles you've got to fence out. So, doing nothing, over-planting, natural regeneration – we've got an area if you look up to the edge of the woodland we've left the buffer zone of about 20-30 metres around lots of this woodland, all around it, with nothing, we've just fenced it off and we're just going to allow the woodland to expand – every one of those berries and those nuts and seeds that drops into the ground will hopefully just have a, you know, wild natural generation. Like Knepp with a huge rewilding – that hope of what happens there doesn't happen as easily here but can take a long time. Hopefully that will establish woodland itself, but it may take 50 years. At the moment we've got a climate emergency on us and amongst us, so we have to do something now so planting trees is a very good quick solution. Adam: A huge issue because if we are planting for ecological reasons what we don't want to do is every tree comes with its own polluting plastic. I mean that's not the future. So, the answer to that question may well lie in the thousands of experiments you're carrying out in this field we're standing in. Joe: Absolutely. Adam: Right, well I've stopped us walking. We better… I better get my steps in. So, let's carry on. Where are we heading to now? Joe: So, we're gonna go and find our two volunteer wardens in a minute. Adam: So, we've got two volunteers hard at work. I can see just up the hill a bit. Joe: So, this is James and Kay who are both our two volunteer wardens. They've been working now replacing broken, rotted, fallen biodegradable tree guards, replacing the trees as they die as well, and these two have been working hard to help keep an eye on them for the last few years for us. Adam: It's got them hard at work! Joe: They are incredibly hard at work. Hey guys how you doing? Kay and James: Alright? Hi! Hello. Adam: They do have you hard at work! So Kay and James, so first of all before we get to what you're actually doing, why have you been doing it? What's your interest? Why did you volunteer to do all of this? Kay: Well, you've been a volun… a member of the Woodland Trust for about 25 years. James: Well, it's about 35 years now. Kay: Since this is really on our doorstep, this is a perfect opportunity to get really involved with the Woodland Trust. Adam: James, I mean, you've been a Woodland Trust member for a very long time. And, ah the debate around trees has changed enormously. Hasn't it? James: It has, and I am glad that people have suddenly valued trees. I was in the military but, before that, I was out of Kent, out near Canterbury and my uncle was a farmer with orchards and basically from the earliest days I knew about the trees, the names of trees. The pollards at the end of the field as windbreaks, the various wetland trees down in the floodplains around the Romney Marsh area. But I already had a fascination for the massive oaks, the spectacular deciduous trees on the horizon I think made this this countryside look like it does, so British, and so English, with these gorgeous round shapes, compared to a lot of conifers you see in all the European places I've been to. Adam: Okay, talk me through a bit about what you're actually doing here – I mean, you know, hammer in hand I can see. Kay: Hammer in hand, we're replacing some of the tubes that haven't stood up to the wind and the rain. We found that circular rather than rectangular and… Adam: works, circular works… Kay: circular works, because otherwise if it's square they act as a flag, especially cardboard ones. When they get wet, they just disintegrate – as you can see there's lots of bare sticks around here, so yeah, we're going through and replacing them with circular ones. Adam: Fantastic, now I know that the local community were very involved with the Trust, sort of when the Trust took over and sort of designed this site. Tell me a bit about what the local community feel. Kay: That was a great day. We had two schools frog marched in, and yeah, with their teachers and staff and they planted the whole area, which was lovely – they were naming the trees as they were planting them. I know the whole village got involved with planting 5,000 trees over a progressive few weekends and subsequently James and I have been replanting the failures. Adam: And James I mean very clear how engaged you are with this sort of issue but to tell me about the feelings then of the local community and what they what they felt when Woodland Trust first came here and how involved others are apart from you two. James: So, I'm very pleased that people are actually accepting, on the whole, that their backyard has been filled with trees and shrubs which are growing up for their children's lifetime. Kay: We have had some objections to this, but they haven't given their reason why. I assume it's because it's used when we do get snow, which is very rare, it's the sledging field. The Woodland Trust have kindly left a gap for sledging but then they moan that the grass is too long so you can't please everyone all of the time. Adam: But when it was first thought about, and I think it's really interesting isn't it, that you say the community are largely behind this, but I think if others are listening to you now where they may be talking about a woodland on their doorstep created by the Woodland Trust or their own sort of organisation – I wonder what people's first reaction, what were their concerns and hesitancies that you heard about that may have been overcome? Kay: People don't like change do they? And at the moment it's, yeah, it doesn't look picture perfect with the stakes and the guards on, but you've got to envisage what it will look like in 10-15 years' time. You've only got to look at the hedgerow, which is behind us now, and at this time of year which is beginning of May, it's absolutely gorgeous. The blossom's out, the fresh burst of the leaf is so colourful and vibrant, what's not to like about having a wood on your doorstep? And we were very lucky. Adam: Okay, well brilliant, well thank you very much. Look I don't want to disturb you anymore but that's brilliant. Thank you very much. Kay: Thank you! Adam: So, we're gonna head up now to the ancient woodland. Now this is certainly unique in any of the Woodland Trust sites I've been to, because normally the Trust actively encourages people to come in, but this is the only site I've been to where the ancient woodland bit you stop people from coming. Oh, look this is… Joe: This is our nifty little fenced area which… Adam: We're going through the barbed wire so just be careful going… So, explain to me why you've unusually actually kept the public out of the ancient woodland. Joe: Ash dieback really is becoming a huge problem across a lot of woodlands I manage. I manage about 30 woods across the West Country and every one of them has large amounts of ash that really grows really well on these sort of limestone soils and in these hills around the Mendips, the Cotswolds. Gosh there's a huge Buzzard just soaring over the edge of the woodland there. So, ash dieback is killing off essentially all our ash trees. Estimates vary at the moment. You know recently it was about 95% and then people said it was around 60%. So, the latest estimate is that about 60% of our ash trees will die over the next 50 years. How fast they die is the worrying thing but when we bought the wood in 2019 ash dieback was blowing across the landscape. It is a fungal disease. It naturally spreads. It came over from Asia originally in infected stock of nursery trees being planted out. So, no one's been able to plant any ash for the last three years. It's now being reported all the way from the east of Great Britain, all the way to the west, every year, until it's spread and spread and spread now our mature ash trees – whether they're in a hedgerow, along roadsides and country lanes, whether they're in woodlands – ash trees are essentially dying en masse, and this is killing off everything that lives and breathes on those ash trees. Adam: And the reason you're keeping the public out is because the trees are dangerous, are they? They might fall? Joe: Yeah exactly, so where you have a path or road or property you have to maintain, you know, what's reasonably practical safety for people to be able to walk under it. We realise if we were to create a load of paths, allow a load of people into now what is a fantastic ancient woodland, but it has never really had any paths in, it's been undisturbed for generations – over 100 years now – we don't think anyone set foot in it. So, we didn't want to create any paths because we didn't want to fell any trees, so we've kept it shut and all the locals have seemed to have bought into that and are really pleased this is just a woodland for wildlife. They're happy enough to walk around the fields where we've created woodland. Adam: And is it also something of a laboratory to see what happens to ash dieback? If you really don't step in and try and do anything? Joe: Exactly yeah, so, in so many woodlands across Britain because of the large amount of public footpaths, people are having to fell for health and safety reasons, so there's not very many examples where if no one goes in and nothing happens, what happens to that wildlife? Does it also dramatic- dramatically decline, with the trees losing? Or are there some winners? So, are there some decay species? Some fungi species? Some insects, beetles that love decay rotting wood that increase? So we don't really know. So, this site we've turned into a living laboratory, this is a unique case of where we are monitoring the species within the wood, how they react to ash dieback over time. Adam: We're now going into the bit of ancient woodland which the public are locked out of and so we have got this big “keep out, closed due to ash dieback” (sign). Joe: You have exclusive access! Adam: Brilliant, now I gotta say, I mean I've got to take a photo of this because this is a sea of amazing plants. I'm really, I want to be careful where I tread, I don't want to disturb anything. Because I'm completely ignorant, what are these plants? Joe: Can you smell it? Adam: Yeah sure, it's extraordinary! Joe: This is wild garlic. Adam: Is that what it is? Joe: Ramsons are all in flower at the moment and now we can see for literally, well, hundreds of metres is the white snowy tops of these wild garlic flowers that are just coming up across the thick green leaves and when there's no path in sight you have to be careful where you tread. So, luckily wild garlic's quite prolific, so we'll tread carefully, but an undisturbed wood looks like this. It's like a sea, or a carpet of sort of snow. Adam: That is extraordinary, isn't it? Yes it is a sea of snow and that's the advantage of actually having undisturbed places. Is that it, I mean, yeah sea is exactly what it looks like. These sort of white foaming tops to the rolling green waves of vegetation. Quite amazing. Joe: All you can make out are the occasional tracks of foxes, badgers, stoats, weasels, that have gone through it, maybe the odd deer as well. But insects seem to be declining catastrophically. The ideal analogy is, you know, people used to drive around even in the 80s and you get windscreens splattered with bugs and insects. It just doesn't happen anymore and that massive decline of insects, it's unknown the reason, it probably doesn't help with, you know, when people are using lots of pesticide sprays across the countryside, along with climate change, but as all those insects decline so do our birds that feed on them, so are our bat species – so they're not fat enough to basically get through the hibernation and then when they come out of hibernation and the young are born there are just not enough insects so they don't make it through the summer essentially, and they don't have another generation that makes it. So, yeah, bat species are declining at the moment, so that's one of the first things we've noticed, and well ash are declining en masse. There were a lot of these species of ash that we're monitoring that are all dying en masse. Adam: I mean so that, I mean, …you're telling me all these terrible things Joe: Yes, I know. Adam: But I mean that's important it's still amazing landscape still isn't it? Joe: Absolutely. Adam: And that's always been true with woodlands. That decay brings its own new life and decaying trees are very important parts the of the ecosystem, but even given all of those challenges that you talk about are there any, are there any high points, any reasons for optimism? Joe: Well, wild garlic's obviously doing really well in this particular wood! But there will be some species that do, really, there will be some species of butterfly that you know do really successfully with the increased amount of light. But one of the best success stories, the best things you can do to feel positive about it is to go back out into those fields, plant the trees, the next generation, so that if some of these woodlands do suffer for whatever reason then we've got far more woodland habitat. We need to increase our woodland cover from about 13% to 20% fast and then if we get 20% – we've got the shrubs, we've got the tree species, got the rewilding areas – to be able to provide those homes for the species that aren't doing so well. That's the key I think is to plant the next generation, get there quickly. Our woodlands have a fantastic history and have been managed over time. This is just the next phase in the management to basically keep an eye and ensure our guardianship secures for that next generation in the next 50-100 years. Adam: Well I'm going to leave Joe to smelling his wild garlic, because TV presenter and journalist Alice Beer, who I used to work with, I know lives not that far from this woodland. Now I know she's out and about today so I'm going to call her on her mobile to discuss what the countryside around here means to her and her family. Okay, so just Alice first of all we should explain a bit about our history, so everybody… Alice: Oh must we tell everybody? Do you think we should? Adam: I think we should share a little bit. I used to open letters on Watchdog which was a massive massive programme at the time and I can't, do you remember how many people watched it? I can't Alice: Well I don't know I'd come to watchdog from That's Life and That's Life, which was before you were born Adam I'm sure, had 15 million viewers in its heyday and I think Watchdog was around 7 million viewers, which now is completely unheard of, but then you know it was just 7 million people watching it and more importantly 7 million people putting pen to paper. No emails, pen to paper, and thank God Adam Shaw was in the post room! Adam: Yes I was opening the 7 million letters with one or two other people and Alice was much more senior, so we would come to pass those stories onto Alice and of course, you are now, what's your official title? Alice: I suppose I'm actually probably daytime television presenter but I'm far too much of a snob to say that! I kind of dip in and out of various things trying to still help the little guy or pass on information. Adam: You have a regular spot on a very big programme, This Morning? Alice: Well, This Morning, yes, it's every day, it's now two and a half hours, they keep extending it! I am waiting for it to bump up against the Six O'Clock News soon! But This Morning it was, “can you do a piece on brisk walking and the health benefits”, as a result of some survey that came out, so here I am for the second time today brisk walking and broadcasting at the same time which is fantastic! Adam: Very good! Don't trip over! You've got a couple of dogs with you haven't you as well? Alice: I have, I've got Stanley who's my five-year-old schnoodle and his girlfriend Tilly and there are times when they become quite amorous in the long grass but I'm going to try and keep it clean for your sake! Adam: I knew you when we used to work in Shepherd's Bush in London, but you are now a country girl aren't you? Alice: Yeah, wellies welded to my feet! I grew up in suburbia and in North London suburbia and the countryside wasn't really important to me, but my parents took me out, took me and my sister out walking quite a lot. There was always “shall we do the walk through the woods”, “should we do the walk through the bluebell woods” which is slightly longer or “should we go up and round” which involved the hill. So, there was always a consciousness of walking in the countryside as a pleasant thing to do, but as we've got older, the countryside has become more important to me and we have been doing that thing, my partner and I have been doing that thing where we're trying to move out of London and we've settled on this beautiful village, beautiful functional village not far from Malmesbury in Wiltshire, which is where I am now, walking alongside the River Avon. So not too far from Avoncliff and the same body of water sort of flowing past me which is rather nice. Adam: How lovely. I know, I've seen you on This Morning as you're talking about wellbeing, and in terms of actually, with your consumer journalist hat on talking about the gadgets you could buy to help with wellbeing and having lights I think that show, sort of, natural light. I mean, how important do you feel it's been for you and your family during these rather difficult times to have access to nature and the outside? Alice: It's been everything to me. Everything. I've got teenage girls in fact it's their birthday today, their 19th birthday today, so for them probably it spells isolation for them because they didn't grow up in the countryside, or this this particular part of the countryside, so you know this means being away from their friends, but for myself and my husband it's been, it's been really important. For me to leave the house and walk in space because in London everything has felt very close and very claustrophobic and I'm mentally not good at that at all! So, I'm incredibly lucky to be able to breathe and give myself sort of mental and physical space away from other people. I was able to work from here, so I did sixty live broadcasts from, in effect, my back garden during lockdown. Adam: It's really interesting that you talk about your girls sort of feeling a sense of isolation because they came from the city and now are in a very rural area. I often find that it's a curious thing to get one's head round because really the nature debate about sustainability and trying to be better for the world is often very strongly led by young people. Alice: Oh it's theirs, it's completely their campaign! But I'm not sure that they associate it with, I mean, I feel like I'm treading on dangerous territory speaking, you know, putting words into their mouths because they're both very eloquent, quite passionate girls. I feel that I'm not sure that they would stand out in a field and say “we must protect this”. Probably coming from the city, they feel more that they see stuff, they see things going into bins, they see landfill, smoke, pollution. So, they see the big preservation of our world from a city perspective, probably more than standing in a field and thinking “oh this must never have, you know, thousands of houses built on it”, which is what probably makes me panic as much as anything. Adam: Do you get a sense of a change in people's attitudes in the way they behave, I mean, I think people talk about the need for ecological sustainability. I see amongst my friends and family, I have to also be careful about what I'm saying, I see less actually willingness to change personal behaviour than a willingness to say it's important, but they don't do an awful lot. Do you see that real difference? Alice: I'm a huge hypocrite, but I am now suddenly, it was probably about six months ago I was putting something in the bin, and it sounds like a strange Greta Thunberg epiphany, but it slightly was. I was putting some plastic in the bin, and I was trying to clear out a room and I was thinking this is going nowhere! This can't be recycled. This has to go underneath the ground, and this is not going to break down. I had a sort of panic about the fact that well if I was doing this and everyone was doing this and though I sort of have had that epiphany and I am changing my behaviour, and nothing particular triggered that, apart from me clearing out a bedroom and realising I had too much stuff. You know, which is odd, but you know, in terms of the big picture in the world I think it's very hard to make individuals feel responsible when we see big companies not taking responsibility. It's that sort of, well what difference is little me gonna make? And I've sort of had that, well I'm going to make a difference, so I will. I've had that moment and I think we have to all have that moment and I'm just about to fall into the River Avon, which could be interesting! I'm trying to encourage the dogs to have a drink. There you go guys, come on, look Tilly have a drink! Yeah well they're sort of having a drink, but I'm the one that's most likely to go in here. Adam: Well look, Alice, I feel split because I quite like the sound effect of you going in to end this, it'd be a great end wouldn't it! But on the other hand not a great way of re meeting after all these years. Look I will let you get on with your walk but thank you very much, thanks a lot. Alice: Thank you, thank you. Adam: Well, let's leave Alice Beer there and indeed all our friends at Avoncliff Woods. I do hope you enjoyed that and if you want to find a wood near you, you can go to the Woodland Trust website, woodlandtrust.org.uk/findawood and you can find a wood that's local to you. So that's woodlandtrust.org.uk/findawood. I do recommend you do that. Until next time happy wandering! 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. Why not send us a recording of your favourite woodland walk to be included in a future podcast. Keep it to a maximum of 5 minutes and please tell us what makes your woodland walk special, or send us 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.

Welcome back to ElecSoul, This recording was taken on location from the of outstanding beauty, Malvern UK, I used Denon Prime Go https://www.denondj.com/prime-go & my trusty Mevo https://www.mevo.com/pages/mevo-camera Start video camera, camera to see if this magical location would inspire my music selection. About Malvern: 

 Great Malvern is an area of the spa town of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the eastern flanks of the Worcestershire Beacon and North Hill, and is the historic centre of Malvern and includes its town centre. Sir Edward Elgar, British composer and Master of the King's Music, lived much of his life around Malvern and is buried in Little Malvern Roman Catholic churchyard. I hope you enjoy the show as much as I did recording it. Message me if you'd like to connect or collaborate on future music projects. Tracklist: Aggayu - (U)nity feat Pedrito Martinez & Lauren Desberg https://enniostyles.bandcamp.com/track/aggayu I Can't Stand the Rain - Akua Allrich feat Nicholas Payton https://enniostyles.bandcamp.com/track/i-cant-stand-the-rain Heaven's Here - Robert Glasper https://robertglasper.bandcamp.com Falling (feat. Anti Lilly) - Awon, Phoniks https://awonandphoniks.com/track/falling-ft-anti-lilly Summertime (Can't Wait For It) - John Parm, Loveni, Nancy Khadra https://johnparm.bandcamp.com/track/summertime-cant-wait-for-it Freckles (Bluestaeb remix) - Modha, Bluestaeb, James Chatburn https://modha.bandcamp.com/track/freckles-feat-james-chatburn-2 Thank You Master (For My Soul) - Sons of James, Rob Milton, DJ Harrison https://freshselects.bandcamp.com/album/everlasting I been - Def Sound https://defsound.bandcamp.com/track/i-been Power (Kaidi Tatham Power-Up remix) - Yoru, Kaidi Tatham https://shop.rudimentaryrecords.com/track/power-kaidi-tatham-power-up-remix Silver (Who Stole The groove?) - Marc Moulin https://www.discogs.com/release/348827-Marc-Moulin-Silver la la la that's how it goes (Jordan Rakei Remix) - Honne https://soundcloud.com/hellohonne/la-la-la-thats-how-it-goes-2?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fhellohonne%252Fla-la-la-thats-how-it-goes-2

A recording of a beach on a relatively busy day during the July 2020 Covid lockdown at Scratchy Bottom in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England. For many, this month was the first time they were able to go beyond their immediate neighbourhood, and popular spots like this became very busy, very quickly. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Sizewell C consents manager Stephen Mannings and head of regional affairs Tom McGarry talked to NCE former features editor Nadine Buddoo and current features editor Sotiris Kanaris about EDF Energy's efforts to alleviate concerns about the project's environmental impact.   Like Sizewell B, the proposed nuclear power station Sizewell C will be located within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. For the construction of the new power station, Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) land will also be needed. For these reasons, local communities and environmental groups have raised concerns over the environmental impact of the project.   During the podcast discussion, Stephen and Tom run through several measures devised to minimise the construction phase's environmental impact. They also talk about the proposed plant design changes aiming to preserve a specific area of habitat and lower disturbance to wildlife.   EDF Energy has also invested in creating new habitat, the Aldhurst Farm, which Stephen explains in more detail on the podcast.   The Engineers Collective is powered by Bentley Systems. Around the world, engineers and architects, constructors and owner-operators are using Bentley's software solutions to accelerate project delivery and improve asset performance for transportation infrastructure that sustains our economy and our environment. Together, we are advancing infrastructure.

Linda Aspey lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, a rural area of south-central England. Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1966, the Cotswolds covers 787 square miles (2,040 km2) and, after the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national parks, is the third-largest protected landscape in England.That she'd be living in an Area of Outstanding National Beauty is very fitting when you consider Linda's passionate love of Nature and her drive to protect it. Something she started doing with a passion in early 2018 when she started studying the climate and ecological crisis when she became painfully aware of the scale of the damage we humans are doing to our world, and what needs to change if we and other life forms are to continue.The knowledge she gained she has brought into the work she does with individuals, teams and organisations who want to make meaningful & positive impacts in a rapidly changing world.There are no clear answers but a growing number of people are calling for change, looking at ways to respond and building stronger communities to help us through these unprecedented times.Her work with leaders, teams and organisations on facilitating conversations around regeneration and sustainability gives them – and herself – genuine hope that we can turn the corner.Linda has worked with all kinds of people from a variety of sectors and organisations, from small to large, new to old, informal to formal, who've all created opportunities and faced challenges; some unique, some similar.This includes coaching leaders to get clear on their purpose, develop their skills and lead themselves and others well. She's met people stepping courageously into the unknown, sometimes even when they have a deep-down sense of inadequacy – and helped them overcome seemingly insurmountable fears, often permanently.Linda has seen how some meetings have killed off ideas before they've even been born and how great meetings have fostered connection, energy and results. She has helped leaders begin the transition towards sustainable, regenerative business practices, building a better future for all.Her background in mental health and well-being has helped her help others to develop their resilience on many levels.She has spoken at numerous international and national conferences, led masterclasses, and designed and delivered many interactive events online. And she has taught, qualified, supervised and supported many others in doing this work, learning from each and every one of them.A keen advocate of high professional standards in coaching, Linda launched and led BACP Coaching, the coaching division of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy in 2010 of which she is an awarded fellow. From 2013-2018 she chaired and led the 50-strong panel of executive coaches at the Centre for Entrepreneurs.Linda is the originator of a systemic conversation framework – ‘With the Earth in Mind' – for facilitating coaching, leadership, team and community explorations around climate change and the environment.She is a global faculty member of Time to Think, one of 25 people worldwide who teach and qualify Coaches and Facilitators in the Time to Think approach developed by Nancy Kline.She also delivers keynotes on thinking cultures, climate psychology, climate coaching & climate leadership, and as a committed member of Extinction Rebellion, Linda delivers public talks and trainings on the climate crisis and nonviolent activism.

OverviewIn episode 68, listener Neil, asks about the history and traditions of the “crossing the equator ceremony”, plus additional questions about Cunard and P&O UK. Plus the latest cruise news from around the world.Support The ShowThis podcast is only possible thanks to our supporters, simply buying a coffee keeps us on air. It is just like shouting your mate a coffee, and we consider our listeners close mates.  https://bit.ly/2T2FYGXMaritime HistoryNeil in QLD asks “Hi Baz, it would be great if Chris could give us the history and tradition behind the “Crossing the Equator” ceremony that is observed on all ships when they do cross the line. I've participated in two myself (both off the coast of Africa while working on the original Love Boat) but never really understood the history of this bizarre ceremony. Thanks”Listener QuestionsJi in Singapore asks – Chris if you had to choose one Queen to sail on tomorrow would it be QM2, QE or QV and why?Sharon in QLD asks “Chris you mention P&O Aurora occasionally, what makes her so special, could you pick 5 favourite features?Cruise NewsFred. Olsen Cruise Lines' new flagship Bolette sets sail from Dover on scenic Maiden VoyageNew flagship Bolette had the white cliffs of Dover as her backdrop when she set sail on a scenic Maiden Voyage with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines on Monday afternoon (16th August).Bolette will offer scenic sailing of the Isles of Scilly's 140 islets, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty famed for its rock formations and long, sandy beaches, and the dramatic coastlines of the Channel Islands on her maiden three-night cruise.This milestone sailing follows an extensive refurbishment programme that has seen public areas revamped, cabins updated, new bathrooms installed and new carpets laid throughout.The project introduced popular Fred. Olsen venues the Morning Light Pub, The Bookmark Café, and The Oriental Tea Room, alongside many new additions to Fred. Olsen, including an all-weather pool, two-tiered theatre and The Auditorium.There will be opportunities for guests to tantalise their taste buds in new specialty dining venues. For a fresh, modern take on Indian food there is Vasco, named after the famous explorer Vasco Da Gama, who was the first European to reach India by sea. Meanwhile, Colours & Tastes offers modern Asian Fusion dishes.Plus, with fewer than 1,400 guests on board even at full capacity, Bolette will continue to offer the same small ship experience for which Fred. Olsen and their crew are renowned.Norwegian Prima Floats out. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), has announced that its game-changing new ship, Norwegian Prima, was floated out from her drydock at Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera (Venice), Italy, marking a major construction milestone and the first time the new vessel touches water.To celebrate the occasion, a commemorative coin was encased within Norwegian Prima in a traditional maritime ceremony presided over by Eamonn Ferrin, Vice President International Business, NCL and Antonio Quintano, Shipyard Director, Fincantieri.Norwegian Prima is the first of six ships in NCL's highly anticipated Prima Class, the Brand's first new class of vessels in nearly 10 years. At 294.1 metres long, 142,500 gross tons and with capacity for 3,215 guests at double occupancy, the vessel is designed to put guests first. Norwegian Prima boasts wide-open spaces, thoughtful and stunning design, and a variety of new experiences for the Brand.Laying claim to the title of the most spacious new cruise ship in the premium and contemporary categories, Norwegian Prima offers the most outdoor deck space and the most expansive accommodation of any new build. She boasts multiple NCL firsts, including Ocean Boulevard, wrapping around the entire deck over 4,087.7 square metres, allowing guests to connect to the ocean while enjoying alfresco dining and unique experiences such as Infinity Beach, where two stunning infinity pools are positioned to take in the vastness of the ocean with uninterrupted views, and Oceanwalk, where two glass bridges will make guests feel as though they are walking on air over the water.Dining is elevated on Norwegian Prima with the addition of Indulge Food Hall, NCL's first upscale open-air marketplace offering diverse menu items from a variety of eleven different culinary venues. In addition, Ocean Boulevard hosts three restaurants; Onda By Scarpetta, Los Lobos and The Local Bar & Grill.Meanwhile The Haven by Norwegian® on Norwegian Prima offers the Brand's most exclusive and centralised ‘ship within a ship' suite complex. Spanning eight decks of suites and public areas, it is accessible via private elevators and located at the aft of the ship for the very first time. Designed to be more open to the sea than ever before, every public area in The Haven will offer spectacular views, together with a stunning new infinity pool overlooking the ship's wake and a new outdoor spa with a glass-walled sauna and cold room.Commencing in the northern hemisphere summer of 2022, Norwegian Prima will offer bucket-list itineraries in Northern Europe with voyages from Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Copenhagen, Denmark giving guests the opportunity to explore the stunning Norwegian Fjords and Baltic Sea. She will then sail a 12-day transatlantic voyage from Southampton to New York via Scotland's Shetland Islands, Halifax in Nova Scotia and an extended overnight stay in Reykjavik, Iceland. Through the northern hemisphere autumn and winter, Norwegian Prima will offer a variety of port-rich Bermuda and Caribbean cruises from New York, Galveston, TX, Miami and Orlando, FL (Port Canaveral), including calls to Harvest Caye, the Company's private resort destination in Belize as well as NCL's private island, Great Stirrup Cay, in the Bahamas.Regent Seven Seas Cruises® has unveiled its new 2023-2024 Voyage Collection, featuring exciting new ports of call and immersive cultural experiences in iconic destinations throughout the globe, with reservations opening on 19 August 2021.Crafted to create memories and stories that last a lifetime, The World's Most Luxurious Fleet™ will sail an incredible 139 new voyages, with itineraries across Africa and Arabia, Alaska, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the South Pacific, Canada and New England, the Caribbean and Panama Canal, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and South America, as well as transoceanic crossings, and four mesmerising Grand Voyages to explore. Enjoying exquisite comfort and care onboard, with every imaginable luxury included, guests sailing with Regent on one of its exclusive Voyage Collection journeys will enjoy a truly unrivalled experience.Sailings range from seven nights up to the recently announced 132-night 2024 World Cruise and feature more than 129 overnight calls in unforgettable destinations such as St. Petersburg, Russia; Kyoto, Japan; Singapore; Lisbon, Portugal; and Bordeaux, France. The 2023-2024 Voyage Collection also boasts 15 new ports of call, including Vanuatu's Mystery Island; the majestic island of Syros in Greece; the captivating and untamed Lofoten Islands in Norway; and the charmingly colourful Puerto Banus in Spain.Four inspiring Grand Voyages have been thoughtfully curated for the line's most discerning guests:Grand Arctic Adventure, a 78-night sailing from New York to Barcelona;Grand European Sojourn, a 62-night journey from Stockholm, Sweden to Athens, Greece;Circle South America, a 67-night round trip commencing in Miami, Florida;and the Grand Asia-Pacific Journey, a breathtaking 59-night sailing from Sydney, Australia to Tokyo, Japan.Together with spacious all-suite, all-balcony accommodations and FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions in every port of call, voyage fares also include gourmet cuisine in a range of specialty restaurants and al-fresco dining venues, fine wine and spirits, entertainment, unlimited internet access, free valet laundry, gratuities, transfer between hotel and ship and a one-night, pre-cruise hotel package for guests staying in Concierge-level suites and higher.In addition, more than 25 voyages aboard Seven Seas Explorer®, Seven Seas Voyager® and Seven Seas Navigator® offer guests a FREE pre-or-post-cruise land program, along with NEW 4-night land programs on selected sailings.Unlock Hidden Magic: Disney Wish to Debut First-of-its-Kind Interactive Experience, Disney Uncharted AdventureDisney Cruise Line is taking classic storytelling into an all-new realm of immersive family fun aboard the Disney Wish with the debut of Disney Uncharted Adventure, a first-of-its-kind interactive experience that will lead guests on a journey from bow to stern and beyond the stars.Combining imagination, technology and the magic of a wishing star, Disney Uncharted Adventure will take guests on a multidimensional voyage into the worlds of iconic Disney and Pixar characters. Designed for families to play together, this fantastical journey will be a brand-new way to explore and experience the enchantment of a Disney cruise ship.Using the Play Disney Parks app — and with some help from their guides, Captain Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse — guests sailing on the Disney Wish will transform their mobile devices into an enchanted spyglass, a tool that allows them to magically set sail for the worlds of Moana, Tiana, Peter Pan, Nemo and more. The spyglass will be their key to unlocking adventures, solving puzzles, conquering quests and ultimately saving the day.The adventure will begin before guests even set sail. Leading up to a cruise on the Disney Wish, the app will reveal a special greeting from Captain Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse, who will help guests prepare for the journey ahead by highlighting the important role of the night sky in seafaring — particularly the ever-shining wishing star that lights the way.Once on board, guests will use their spyglasses to reveal never-before-seen views of the stars above, where enchanted constellations take shape as recognizable icons from Disney and Pixar stories. When the wishing star suddenly bursts and shatters, families will watch as its pieces are scattered across the sky, each landing in a far-off realm. Captain Minnie will need guests to help navigate the ship to these uncharted worlds to find the missing pieces of the wishing star.Guests will choose where to go next, charting a course toward adventurous locales such as Motunui, New Orleans, Never Land, Sydney and more. Each quest will take them on an expansive journey throughout the Disney Wish as they are prompted to seek artwork, signs and props that magically transform to bring the characters and settings of these story worlds to life all around them.The Disney Wish will sail its maiden voyage on June 9, 2022, followed by a season of three- and four-night cruises to Nassau, Bahamas, and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, from Port Canaveral, Florida.  Guests aboard the Disney Wish will unlock the ship's hidden magic during Disney Uncharted Adventure, a first-of-its-kind interactive experience. Using innovative technology like augmented reality and physical effects, Disney Uncharted Adventure will take classic Disney storytelling into an all-new realm of immersive family fun as guests embark on a multidimensional voyage into the worlds of Moana, Tiana, Peter Pan, Nemo and more. (Disney)Azamara® Unveils Full Fleet Voyages for Europe 2023Azamara – the boutique cruise line dedicated to Destination Immersion® experiences – is pleased to announce the launch of its Europe 2023 deployment across its full fleet of ships for the first time: Azamara Pursuit®, Azamara Quest®, Azamara Journey® and  new addition, Azamara OnwardSM. With 95 itineraries, including more than 35 country intensive voyages, Azamara will visit over 40 countries and 200 ports throughout Europe. Azamara will introduce new land explorations, further reinforcing the brand's commitment to bringing guests deeper into the heart of the destination. In addition to the release of Europe 2023 itineraries, Azamara has also opened remaining 2022 voyages of the newest member of their fleet, Azamara OnwardSM.Highlights of the 2023 Azamara Deployment include:Overnights and Late-Night Ports:Azamara guests can experience over 315 late nights in cities like Mykonos – known as “the Ibiza of Greece” – where guests can partake in the bustling night life and party scene; or Lisbon, Portugal, to enjoy a sunset cruise on the Tejo River or indulge in an assortment of tapas and wine in the city's Bairro Alto neighborhood for dinner. Azamara will also offer more than 75 overnights in popular European destinations, including Barcelona, to explore La Rambla boulevard for an evening of Catalan cuisine or an excursion at the Palacio del Flamenco for music and dancing; Bordeaux, take a quick drive through the Pessac-Léognan for an exclusive evening at the world-renowned Château de Rouillac; and Monte Carlo, to stroll among luxury yachts at Port Hercule and play a few hands of blackjack at the famed Casino de Monte-Carlo.Country-Intensive Voyages:Designed to provide travellers more time to explore a single country's hidden gems, Azamara's 2023 deployment will feature over 35 Country-Intensive voyages. These Country-Intensive itineraries will explore the most sought-after destinations in Europe, including Spain, Croatia, Italy, Norway, Scotland and more, allowing travellers to fully immerse themselves into the culture of each city. Azamara will also debut its highly anticipated Black Sea Intensive itinerary, where travelers can explore the history and wonders of ancient cities in Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine.New Pre- and Post-Land Explorations:In addition to several existing favorites, Azamara will introduce two exciting new land explorations for guests to extend their adventure before or after their trip:Aboard the Switzerland Glacier Express Train, the new AzAmazing Journey will transport guests through some of the most stunning scenery in Switzerland, crossing 291 bridges and passing through 91 tunnels within eight hours. Additional highlights include a full day excursion to the Alpine world on Mount Rigi to participate in a cheese making workshop, a sunset cruise in Lucerne, and exploring Zermatt, home to Matterhorn, one of the highest summits in Europe. This program is available from Bordeaux or Amsterdam.Travelers can also opt in for a Stay Local in Gran Canaria for a two-night program. Highlights include visiting the Bandama Crater, one of the largest extinct volcanic craters, followed by a stop in La Atalaya, the prime pottery-producing villages. A lunch of local specialties will be served at the Mirador Las Tirajanas hotel, located in the caldera of an ancient volcano. Also, a stop at La Fortaleza – one of the most relevant archeological settlements in the islands – to visit the sole coffee-producing plantation in Europe and a hands-on Mojo Sauce workshop.Culinary Sailing:Guests can book Azamara's Wine & Culture Voyage out of Southampton, England to experience the cuisine, beautiful architecture and spirit of Europe's top wine countries, including two days of wine production education in Bordeaux, France; Bilbao, Spain for a perfect day of sight-seeing and exploring the Guggenheim Museum; and eventually concluding the trip in Lisbon, Portugal to discover must-see highlights like the church of Igreja de São Vicente de Fora, which dates back to the 12th century, Museu Nacional do Azulejo and Torre de Belém.Sporting Enthusiast Voyages:For travellers looking to pursue their passion for sports, Azamara will include two voyages for the Grand Prix weekend on its Journey and Pursuit ships, starting May 25, 2023. Throughout the journey guests can enjoy ports that include Rome, Livorno, Monte Carlo, Marseille, Menorca, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, and Barcelona. Additionally, through its continued partnership with PerryGolf – the leading provider of international luxury golf vacations – Azamara's 2023 deployment will include 13 golf voyages, featuring play on marquee courses around the world.Seven Maiden PortsAzamara's 2023 deployment will bring guests closer to European destinations with smaller, unique ports that are only accessible to smaller ships, including:Alta, NorwayBrest, FranceCesme, TurkeyFredericia, DenmarkGothenburg, SwedenHeimaey, IcelandMariehamn, FinlandStar Clippers 2023 Mediterranean Preview2023 promises to be one of the biggest ever years for travel to Europe and the Mediterranean and demand is high. With all three beautifully elegant clipper ships sailing this historic and culturally rich region from April until October in 2023, Star Clippers is your key to uncovering all the sensational holiday treasures across the Middle Sea from Turkey to Portugal & Morocco and every surprising corner in between.Sail on voyages of 3 to 11 days, or longer when you combine cruises to create your very own destination focused adventure. With cruises beginning from numerous fascinating cities across the Mediterranean, you have a cavalcade of itinerary choices, including the Greek Isles and Turkey, the ever-enchanting Adriatic, the Amalfi Coast & Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Elba and the Rivieras, plus Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Or sail across the Atlantic between Europe and the Caribbean and ignite your true ocean explorer.Brochure available from leading cruise specialsist.MSC Celebrates one year back to sea. MSC Cruises has commemorated being back at sea for twelve months following the global industry's shutdown in March 2020 as a result of the global pandemic.One year ago on 16 August, MSC Cruises became the first major cruise line to resume operations for international sailings when MSC Grandiosa departed Genoa for a seven-night voyage in the West Mediterranean.This re-start was down to a range of local, regional and national authorities in Europe sanctioning a Health and Safety protocol that MSC Cruises had developed with an external panel of medical and public health experts designed for the wellbeing of guests, crew and communities that the Company's ships would call. A protocol that, eventually, set the standard for the industry and paved the way for more lines to restart. Twelve months on and more than half of the line's fleet is safely back at sea – sailing around the UK, both the Mediterranean Sea and Baltic Sea in Europe, North America and the Caribbean and the Red Sea in the Middle East. More ships are scheduled to resume operations in the coming weeks and months as part of the line's phased plan for returning the full fleet to operations by next year.Remarkably, MSC Cruises has forged ahead with its determined ambition for sustainable growth as it simultaneously returned ships to water.For the line, the past twelve months were a very busy year of return to service but it retained an undiminished laser-focus on the long-term future of the business and in a sustainable manner. Below are some highlights from the past year at MSC Cruises.Luxury Expedition Yacht Crystal Endeavor Makes its US Debut with New October Voyage from MiamiCrystal Expedition Cruises announced a nine-night Caribbean itinerary for new luxury expedition yacht Crystal Endeavor, featuring once-in-a-lifetime encounters on remote islands, calls in exclusive harbours typically only accessible to private yachts and sailboats, and the rare opportunity for U.S. travellers to embark from a close-to-home port and cruise aboard the state-of-the-art expedition yacht during her inaugural season.The new nine-night voyage, Expedition Yachting: Caribbean Mystique, will sail from Miami to San Juan October 25 – November 3, 2021, calling on Great Exuma and Man of War Bay, Inagua Island, Bahamas; White Bay and Great Harbor (overnight) on Jost Van Dyke, and Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands; Gustavia, St. Barts; and Saba, Netherlands; concluding in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Reservations open toda And more...Ethical Cruise T-Shirts Now available branded podcast t-shirts, cruise-tees and Christmas gifts or design your own in the studio. All using organic cotton, printed using green energy and plastic-free packaging! https://bit.ly/32G7RdhJoin the show:If you have a cruise tip, burning question or want to record a cruise review get in touch with us via the website https://thebigcruisepodcast.com/join-the-show/  Guests: Chris Frame: https://bit.ly/3a4aBCg    Chris's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisCunard  Peter Kollar: https://www.cruising.org.au/Home  Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2XvD7tF  Castbox: https://bit.ly/2xkGBEI  Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/2RuY04u  I heart Radio:  https://ihr.fm/3mVIEUASpotify: https://spoti.fi/3caCwl8  Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2JWE8Tz  Pocket casts: https://bit.ly/2JY4J2M  Tune in: https://bit.ly/2V0Jrrs  Podcast Addict: https://bit.ly/2BF6LnE  Hosted on Acast. 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With its beaches, rugged cliffs and imposing headlands, the Durham coastline is a dramatic landscape, stretching from Sunderland to Hartlepool in North East England. Today it's designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty owing to its Magnesian Limestone grasslands, wildflower meadows and ancient woodlands. But this coastline was once the site of several of Durham's last deep coal mines and notorious for its ‘black beaches' and heavily polluted landscape. In the late 1900s, after the closure of the pits, it was transformed in a multi-agency clean-up to remove well over a million tonnes of colliery spoil which had been tipped onto the coast. Today it's “a wonderful conglomeration of human and geological layers” says archaeologist and artist Rose Ferraby. Rose along with poets Katrina Porteus and Phoebe Power revisit this landscape which inspired a book of illustrated poems and prose as part of the National Trust's People's Landscape project which explores the role landscapes have played in social change. We hear from a former miner and a litter picker, discover beauty in an abandoned mattress, watch a butterfly through the lens of a child's camera, uncover a kaleidoscope of colours, catch up on memories of life working underground and wind-blow corn cockles above ground. Producer Sarah Blunt. Further Information: People's Landscapes https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/peoples-landscapes-explore-the-places-that-have-shaped-the-nation Durham Heritage Coast https://durhamheritagecoast.org/ Beach Cleans https://durhamheritagecoast.org/our-coast/caring-for-our-coast/beach-cleans/ Sea Change https://www.guillemotpress.co.uk/poetry/katrina-porteous-and-phoebe-power-sea-change Katrina Porteus, Two Countries (2014)

What kinds of trees should we plant to sequester the most carbon? Some recent studies have suggested that commercial forestry which grows conifers only acts as a short term carbon sink - but a new appraisal from Bangor University, working with the Govt of British Colombia and the University of Limerick argues that's not the case. Their findings show that over a timescale of a hundred years, commercial conifer forests planted today could be two and a half times more effective at locking away carbon than new broadleaved woodlands. DEFRA has announced extra funding for farmers and landowners in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We hear response to the new "Farming in Protected Areas" Programme. And for the last 25 years Hugh Lowe Farms in Mereworth, Kent have been supplying Wimbledon with strawberries. We visit the polytunnels to find out what it takes to grow a gland slam fruit. Presenter by Caz Graham Produced in Bristol by Heather Simons

Tim Haselden is Development Officer for the Mendip Hills AONB, responsible for an area covering 198 square kilometres – equivalent to 20,000 football pitches. Set up 50 years ago to protect our surrounding landscapes. AONB stands for  “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.” “AONB The Voice of the protected landscape. Naturally beautiful , nationally protected.” Originally […] The post 040 Draycott's Protected Landscape appeared first on Draycott Diaries Village Podcast.

The Government’s new immigration policy may lead to a threat to Britain’s food supply-chain because there won’t be enough workers to pick this summer’s crops. That’s according to the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee who’ve been commenting on the Government’s response to concerns they raised about this, in a report published back in December. The further easing of some lockdown restrictions will mean more of us can get away from home and enjoy a few days holiday, perhaps in the great outdoors. Visitor numbers are already increasing in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty so all this week we’re going to be talking about access to the countryside and some of the issues it raises. And we're counting fish. A multi-million pound project, Unlocking the Severn, is removing man made obstacles that get in the way of migrating fish on the River Severn. To see whether it’s making a difference an army of volunteers has been enlisted to count the fish as they swim upstream. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

England’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are under threat from ‘reckless development’ according to CPRE, the countryside charity, which is calling on the government to halt it. AONB’s are given extra legal protections to preserve some of the country’s outstanding landscapes, but it is possible to get permission to build in them. CPRE says that since 2012 the amount of land built on or earmarked for development has more than doubled. It's been an unusually dry and cold April. Charlotte Smith speaks to the BBC Weather Centre to find out why, and hears what it means for farmers. We visit a worm farm, and find out how worms are being used to process farm waste and provide nutrient-rich fertiliser at the same time. And seven UK fishermen have died in accidents over the past few months, and a campaign is being launched to try to prevent more deaths. Over the last decade there have been, on average, 6 fatalities every year. 85% as a result of fishermen going overboard into the sea. The Fishing Industry Safety Group’s Home and Dry Campaign wants boat owners and captains to carry out risk assessments, man overboard drills and to make sure crew wear life jackets. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

In this shorter episode I recorded a circular walk from home, checking up on an old beech tree in an area of woodland known as the Sussex Weald. This is the first outdoor pod for Unlocking Landscapes, with lots of natural soundscapes to enjoy: mud, ice, streams, bog and birdsong. The areas of interest here are: Woodland streams, known in this area as 'gills' Heathlands and plantations Wood ants Sphagnum moss bogs Ancient and veteran trees, especially beech (Fagus sylvatica) I'd love to know what you think  of this type of episode and if you'd like to hear more in future. Thanks so much for listening and I hope you enjoy. Daniel   Episode recorded and edited by Daniel Greenwood in the West Sussex High Weald High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: http://www.highweald.org/ Unlocking Landscapes website Unlocking Landscapes Twitter

Social media influence by governments and political parties is a growing threat to democracies according to the 2020 media manipulation survey from the Oxford Internet Institute. In the last year social media manipulation campaigns have been recorded in 81 countries, up from 70 countries in 2019 and most of the countries involved have deployed disinformation campaigns. The main author of the report, Dr. Samantha Bradshaw is on the show. GPS Grazing Collars How do you control where your animals graze if you can’t fit a fence to keep them contained to a certain area? Use a GPS grazing collar. This technology has been developed by Norwegian firm NoFence and uses GPS to track individual animals and stop them crossing boundaries that have been progammed using a mapping app on a smart phone. The collars emit a bleeping noise that gets louder as animals reach a virtual fence and will receive a small electric shock if they cross it (this is much smaller than one from an electric fence). Electric fences are expensive and difficult to fit in remote terrains and these GPS collars allow farmers to regularly change their grazing sites. We hear about the tech from UK manager of NoFence Synne Foss Budal and about the conservation benefits from Emma Wright from North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty who is trailing the collars in their upland pastures. Ubiquitous Connectivity and cybersecurity Late last year the World Economic Forum and the University of Oxford, released a report on the future of cybersecurity. They identified four emerging technology trends that could endanger security in the digital world within the next 5 to 10 years. In a series of reports Digital Planet’s Florian Bohr looks into each of these cybersecurity threats of the future. This week, we hear about how the sheer amount of digital connections between devices, services, and people is an inherent cybersecurity risk. (Image: Getty Images) The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Angelica Mari Studio Manager: John Boland Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz

Set in the West Midlands county of Staffordshire is a former Royal Forest called Cannock Chase. It is part misty, secluded woodland and part undulating moorland. As you head up to the north of this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the landscape becomes tame and you enter the Shugborough Estate, some 10km to the east...

Set in the West Midlands county of Staffordshire is a former Royal Forest called Cannock Chase. It is part misty, secluded woodland and part undulating moorland. As you head up to the north of this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the landscape becomes tame and you enter the Shugborough Estate, some 10km to the east...

With increasing evidence for the benefits of being outdoors on physical and mental health we explore just how much of a difference if makes. Dr Ben Wheeler from the European Centre for Environment & Human Health, part of the University of Exeter, shares the latest findings from the international research being gathered in their Beyond Greenspace project.  Kate Drake shares her experience from the South Downs as the country's youngest National Park is working to help people discover the 'healing power' of this special landscape.Watch the first of their virtual walks hereFurther west, in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Stepping into Nature project is also making a difference as works with partners to provide activities that transform the lives for many. Jules Hammon, the project manager, tells us how. Our journey along England's south coast also takes in the beautiful National Trust Saltram. We speak to Becky Smith, who not only leads the Welcome team, but lives in the mansion. Inside Out is brought to you by Countryside Mobility, an initiative of the disability charity, Living Options Devon.  Support the show (https://www.countrysidemobility.org/about/donate)

Ian Marchant meets musicians inspired by the landscape of the Surrey Hills, including concert pianist Wu Qian, who found it terrifying when she first arrived from China aged 12. She soon learned to love the place and co-founded an international music festival which incorporates into its programme inspiring country walks in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Ian meets Julia and Henry Pearson, who help to run the festival and live in the picturesque village of Shere, with its thatched cottages and 'terminally cute' setting. They are music lovers and keen walkers, so the festival is a perfect fit. Since the programme was recorded in early March, the festival has been cancelled, but imagining the concerts in the 'cathedral in the woods' at Ranmore Church, is still a piece of 'enchantment'. Ian was born in this area and remembers being told that the view from Newland's Corner was the best in England. It was, in fact, what England should look like, according to his father. Ian now knows this isn't quite true, but it is how people all over the world picture the English countryside: rolling hills, woods, clear, babbling streams and a vista that extends to the English channel. Ian meets sound artist Graham Downall who has created music/soundscapes to reflect the locations of five sculptures which have been placed in the landscape, and he discovers that the tipple of choice at this festival isn't to be found in the Worker's Beer Tent, but in the sparkling white wine which is produced from the chalky slopes of Denbies Vineyard near Dorking. Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire: Dorset Council tops the UK waste recycling tables. Marten Gregory explains how our rubbish is handled and how our town's residents could do even better, ahead of his Shaftesbury talk. (00:27) Major change agreed for the charity supporting Shaftesbury’s hospital. The League of Friends will reform so they can raise more money. Alfred attended their AGM and heard how they have helped improve Shaftesbury’s mental health provision. (10:24) A new walking festival is planned for the Shaftesbury area. Organisers from the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty want our rambling route ideas. (21:20) Find out why Shaftesbury School’s headteacher wants the arts to play a bigger part in pupils’ lives. Alfred chats with Tim Farrer. (27:49) A Bafta winning TV wildlife producer is coming to talk at the Grosvenor Arms Hotel. Stephen Moss offers Alfred a preview of his event which focuses on Britain’s most-loved birds. (32.57)

Tracey and Roman Iwanczuk explain how they managed to build a Passivhaus on a sloping site in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Check out the show notes for more information.

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire: Artist Zara McQueen tells us about her love for Shaftesbury and how her cancer treatment has changed her art. Zara is exhibiting her work at the Shaftesbury Arts Centre Gallery until 5th November. (00:27) Bee expert Brigit Strawbridge plans a second Shaftesbury-set wildlife book and discusses her recent international award. It came as a surprise! (12:23) Shaftesbury area skies are recognised for stargazing as we’re named one of only fourteen Dark Sky Reserves on earth. Alfred chats with Amanda Scott of the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty about why this matters. (19:50) Which Shaftesbury streets needs an electronic sign to tell people how fast they are driving? The Town Council wants to know. (24:22) Sarah Williams quit banking to become a full time female adventurer. The motivational speaker and ‘Tough Girl’ podcast presenter previews her Shaftesbury talk inspired by   women who achieve. (29:19)  

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire: The boss of Shaftesbury’s new Italian restaurant shares his cooking credentials. We meet the man who will manage San Tonino on Mustons Lane. (00:26) Alfred meets Jack Lever, the Shaftesbury firefighter who will help you fight the flab in his new fitness facility. (06:50) As Shaftesbury plans its 2020 VE Day 75th anniversary commemorations we talk to Robert Mullins, who remembers hearing the bombs falling from his childhood home on Coppice Street. (13:02) Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty learns that our skies aren’t dark enough for Dark Sky designation. We hear how new streetlights could help them achieve this special status. (20:53) Pound Lane residents are pushing for a ‘bus gate’ to block off Mampitts Lane to through traffic but some locals living on The Maltings have opposed the proposal. (25:55)

Clare Balding is taking a poem for a walk on today’s Ramblings. 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.

In this episode we’re at Box Hill, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty just a short train ride from Central London. You’ll hear what makes this corner of Surrey so special for the cyclists, walkers and children that flock here every year, and discover how getting out into the countryside might be easier than you think.

Werewolves, UFOs, Bigfoot, British Big Cats, a hellhound, ghosts, plus a pig man, Black Eyed Kids and the Slenderman... Despite its status as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Cannock Chase seems to be somewhat of a magnet for weirdness! Sources and further reading: 'Werewolves in Staffordshire', BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2009/09/29/werewolves_in_staffs_feature.shtml 'Lee Brickley's New Book On The Pig Man Sheds Light On The Legend', Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/25/lee-brickley-pig-man_n_3654175.html 'British Bigfoot', Cryptomundo: http://cryptomundo.com/bigfoot-report/british-bigfoot/ 'A Critical Look At The Black Eyed Child Of Cannock’s Chase', Hayley Is A Ghost: http://hayleyisaghost.co.uk/cannocks-chase-black-eyed/ 'A British Slenderman? I Don’t Think So…', Hayley Is A Ghost: http://hayleyisaghost.co.uk/british-slenderman/ 'The Man-Monkey of Bridge 39', Man-Beast UK: http://manbeastuk.blogspot.co.uk/2008/04/man-monkey-of-bridge-39.html 'Black Eyed Child returns to haunt Cannock Chase', Birmingham Mail: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/black-eyed-child-returns-haunt-7846214 'Spooky Slender Men spotted in Cannock', Birmingham Mail: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/spooky-slender-men-spotted-cannock-8505191 "Fortean Traveller 87: Cannock Chase", Lee Brickley, Fortean Times 306, October 2013.

Clare Balding returns to her favourite county, Northumberland, to walk part of Isaac's Tea Trail, a thirty-six mile (58km) circular route, starting from Allendale. This long distance path, launched in 2002, was inspired by the tale of Isaac Holden, an itinerant tea seller and philanthropist who in Victorian times was a familiar figure on the rough tracks over Allendale Common and Alston Moor. Clare is accompanied on her walk by Roger Morris who devised and maintains the route, Andy Lees ,from The north Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and retired journalist Anne Leuchars, who blogs about the route and has walked it all . She explains why the area is her adopted home and the very special role Isaac played in the local community. The walk starts at Keenley Wesleyan Methodist Church and ends at Holden Hearse house. Grid Ref : NY803567 End ref at NY782523 Producer Lucy Lunt.

Helen Mark explores the Lincolnshire Wolds through the poetry of Victorian Laureate, Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The Lincolnshire Wolds are a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, remote and in some ways little-changed since Tennyson was born here, in the village of Somersby, in 1809. Helen meets dialect speakers, like Tennyson, whose 'first language was Lincolnshire'. She'll find out how he might have described the landscape and how it appears in some of his dialect poems. She meets some rare farm animals that would have been familiar to him and visits a rookery he describes in his famous poem 'Maud'. We'll hear direct descendants of those very rooks! Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery.

Ales of Outstanding Natural Beauty

With the urgent need for more housing, Britain's planning laws are under pressure like never before. Greenbelt land and even sites designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are being earmarked for development. So how far can we protect the countryside when the need for houses is so acute? Allan Urry reveals new figures on scale of the problem and investigates claims that the planning system is being stretched to breaking point. Reporter: Allan Urry Producer: Emma Forde.

This week on The Oh Beep! Geocaching Podcast we ask should there be a limit put on the number of caches you can hide? What is the oddest thing you've found while out caching? Feedback, News & Events and Video of the Week... Contact us at feedback@ohbeep.com, or go to www.ohbeep.com Last Week... Terrachache...3 days to find a sonic screwdriver Doctor Who's Sonic Screwdriver by sfcchaz. LC7R4 Whats the oddest thing you've found when out caching? For us it was ladies underwear.  Some of the answers from social media: UK Geocacher I have found two safes. Clearly taken to the wilderness to be ‘opened in private’ after their owners forgot the keys.  One was in Cambridge and the other in Reading. The only common denominator was me. They will never take me alive. Lisa George A pair of manikin legs! SangueG  lol, the mind boggles, but I found something very similar too :D ... What made our find funnier was what was next to it, what does Eore get up to? Was your find out in a wood?    Because of Geocaching... Feedback... From Corey Stevens - Here's a question for Dr. D(uck). If you were to create a cache that is rated a 5/5, what would it be like? From Scott Berks - Hey Guys, It's Scott Berks from the Chicago Geocacher Podcast, and one of the creators of going "full tangent" on a geocaching podcast. It's nice to hear (re: ep 22) that as we are on our way out, that tangents will continue on a geocaching podcast. Yes, you can steal that from us. The tangents made me laugh. Nice work! Dr.D(uck) your voice is great. I meant that as a complete compliment on my podcast. Along with your accent, it cracks me up. Don't change a thing. Question for Doctor D... Who's your doctor? Mine's Peter Davison. Although technically, my first episode was Tom Bakers last (Logopolis). So who is it technically? Tom or Peter? Discuss.(see how I created a tangent right there?) Great show guys. Sophie's absolutely adorable. Someone punch dad while on air for me. News & Events... Grub Over Yonderby Jacaru & Wemnog | GC4XHX0 | 12/04/2014 - The Peak District, United Kingdom Jacaru & Wemnog's Back To Basics Camping Eventby Jacaru Welcomes You To | GC4QM13 | 11/04/2014 - The Peak District, United Kingdom Northants Natters Sweet #16by gingermaceinuk | GC50V26 | 08/04/2014 - Northampton, United Kingdom FERRY MEADOWS RUMBLEby gladstone8 | GC4Z7YB | 12/04/2014 - Peterborough, United Kingdom BBH#76 Bordering on the Carelessby Simply Paul | GC49CTP | 14/04/2014 - Aylesbury, United Kingdom Anglo-Irish Meet & Greetby sarahmur | GC4YX0Q | 13/04/2014 - Saffron Walden, United Kingdom THE CUNNING CACHERS APRIL MEET.by The Teddies | GC50YTN | 08/04/2014 - Newbury, United Kingdom Other News... Dr Who enthusiast erects full-size Dalek in his Muddiford garden By NDJDawn  |  Posted: March 05, 2014 Story from The North Devon Journal A full-scale Dalek has appeared outside a cottage in Muddiford, attracting the attention of Dr Who enthusiasts across the county. Phil Stroud, 65, built the Dalek seven years ago as a project with Barnstaple Youth House and as an avid Dr Who fan celebrated the 50th anniversary by putting the character on display. The figure currently looks out onto the road, which has surprised many passers-by and it has even been registered on a geocaching website. "The Dalek has become like the camel statues on the motorway, I suppose it is a bit of landmark now," said Phil. "I built it with the youth house years back; it took a couple of months to build. And when there was a commotion about the Dr Who 50th anniversary over Christmas, I thought this would be the perfect time to put it on show. "I was a bit sneaky when I took the Dalek out of the garage, it was late in the evening and I had to bring the sculpture out in pieces and assemble it in the garden." "I originally put it outside thinking it would just stay for a few weeks. Now it has drawn so much attention, I suppose I'm stuck with it." Phil has been sculpting and creating props throughout his life and career, following his study of 3-D Design at the Guildford School of Art, he went on to create work for artist David Mach and even created a sculpture for the Imperial War Museum. The Dalek figure is functional and has been used for fundraising events in Devon with the Barnstaple Youth House, and it was even entered into a dancing competition. "I took the Dalek to a Dr Who themed dancing competition in Torquay a while back too and won a prize," said Phil. "We had the theme music and people saying 'exterminate', it was brilliant." "So many people have stopped by the house and asked me about it, one man even offered to buy it; of course I told him it wasn't for sale. But then he showed me a photo of one he was building himself which is great." "I will keep the Dalek in front of my house now for as long as I can." Treasure hunt for the Wolds project Story from The Louth Leader The community heritage project Down Your Wold is appealing for volunteers to help lay heritage related geocaches at various locations throughout the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Geocaching is known as a modern day treasure hunt where participants use their smart phone’s GPS system to navigate through clues to find a hidden container. Down Your Wold project officer, Sam Phillips, said: “The training sessions are open to people who would like to lay a geocache in their village or favourite Wolds walk. “It is hoped that the hidden treasure will encourage people to enjoy the countryside, explore our wonderful Wolds villages and learn more about the fascinating heritage of our local landscape.” Anyone wanting to be involved or interested to learn more is invited to attend one of four training sessions planned this April. The two hour training session will be provided by Mike Eckersley, Chairman of Market Rasen Walkers are Welcome. The session will include an introduction for beginners followed by an opportunity for volunteers to sign up to a location and become part of this exciting initiative. The training sessions will take place on the following dates; volunteers only need to attend one session - Wednesday April 9 Afternoon session in Walesby Village Hall at 1.30pm. Evening session in Nettleton Village Hall at 6.30pm. Friday April 25 Afternoon session in the Orchard Gallery at Gunby Hall and Gardens at 1.30pm. Evening Session in Hemingby Village Hall at 6.30pm. Parking is available at all venues and refreshments will be provided. For more information on Down Your Wold please visit www.down-your-wold.co.uk or call 01507 609740. The Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a nationally important and protected landscape, 216 square miles (558 sq km) was designated an AONB in 1973. Website... www.geocacherscompass.com - Created by Mark and Stacie Weber and Chris Farris.  You will not only find information here, but step-by-step instructions about how to Geocache and other related subjects. Video of the week... Cool Electronic Geocache - Geocachespoilers. http://youtu.be/h_rDId45aLc Limiting Cache Owner Hides Debate... For: Can help reduction of saturation in an area - allowing more opportunity for others Someone else may have an idea that works better in an area that has been monopolised by one person May make maintenance easier -  less caches to maintain could make it quicker and easier to do so It may help improve quality - why waste your limited hides on bad caches/locations If the limit is reached and the CO want's to put another cache out, then they archive one they already have out.  This releases an area for someone else.  It helps refresh areas for hunters. For every person who leaves the game because of such a rule, more will fill the void Against: People should be allowed to hide as many as they want - its their time, money and effort There are always ways around these things - multiple accounts, etc.  So, whats the point? If one listing site imposes this rule, then people will move to another that doesn't If its just about quality - finders can limit their search criteria (by favourite points for example) Without people willing to hide caches, there is no game - they should be encouraged, not discouraged Where is the evidence for reduced quality/maintenance resulting from the number of hides a CO has? Feedback on this: Tony Liddell Difficult one. I think not, provided you're prepared to keep up the maintenance Mark Pickard Agree with Tony Liddell with out co's the game would die! It amazes me the number of ppl with a 1000+ finds that don't own a single cache, surely it can't be a case of take take take all the time? But that's a different topic Karl Brydon Quality and maintenance is more important - no limit on good, well paced, interesting and maintained caches. All other caches should be limited to none Mark Pickard But then on the subject of maintenence, how difficult is it to carry a few spare logs around with you? I'm amazed that a large proportion of folk don't, I know for a fact I have a full log in 1 of my caches but a certain thing called real life has meant I haven't been able to get to it to replace it yet, and I appreciate it when they do get swapped for me as it gives me a little more time to go caching myself UKGeocacher Yes. Approx 10% of your total finds. This ensures that you know what makes a quality hide. Also 2 many maint becomes a problem Sarah Clark: I don't think there should be a limit but I do think COs need to be responsible. If you can't maintain what you have then you shouldn't be making new hides. the Monkey King: There shouldn't be a limit, otherwise there wouldn't be any more caches to find. On the other hand, if a CO is hiding really bad caches, then there should be a limit so as to improve the caches being hidden. More caches, better caches. Next Week... The first Oh Beep! pub quiz...

A very mellow show recorded in some glorious Spring sunshine to encourage us to get out there! A brief interview at The Outdoors Show with Evan Milner the project Officer for the Anglesey Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty about what could draw us self powered people to the island. Plus we talk once again to Gayle of Mick and Gayle Blogspot fame, who are currently walking from Kent to Cape Wrath. A completely different route up the UK and Gayle explains their preparations just before they left a couple of weeks ago.