Episodes

• 2021

• Urban Ambling in Cultural Coventry

  A fascinating wander through Coventry, the 2021 UK City of Culture. Ian Harrabin is a Trustee of the City of Culture so is the perfect guide to lead Clare Balding along a richly historic urban route. He is also Chair of the 'Historic Coventry Trust' which is running a host of projects designed to preserve, and make more accessible, some of the most interesting and little known parts of the city. The walk began at Nauls Mill Park, Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AR. Map: OS Explorer 221 Coventry & Warwick. Grid Ref for Nauls Mill Park - SP 328 796 Producer: Karen Gregor
  June 10, 2021

  26 min

• Mallerstang in Cumbria with Debbie North.

  Debbie North uses a motorised wheelchair and is a powerful advocate for making the countryside accessible for all. Debbie had always been a keen walker but, in her 40s, was diagnosed with spinal degeneration. Very quickly she became a wheelchair user yet made the decision that this wasn’t going to stop her accessing the countryside that she loves. Today she takes Clare on one of her favourite rambles in Mallerstang. It starts at The Thrang, south of Outhgill. Although officially at the eastern edge of Cumbria, the walk is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Their destination is the 'Water Cut' stone sculpture which overlooks some of the area's most beautiful and expansive scenery. Grid Ref for start of walk: NY783004 OS Map: OL19 Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley Producer: Karen Gregor
  June 3, 2021

  25 min

• Tales of International Adventure on a Walk in Somerset

  Bex Band was not an outdoorsy person, but one day she decided to hike the length of Israel. Whilst there she noticed very few women walking the 1000km National Trail so, on her return, decided to do something about it. She set up Love Her Wild, an organisation that encourages women to become more adventurous. The community now has over 25,000 members. On today’s walk, she takes Clare for a loop around King Alfred’s Tower near the Stourhead Estate, not far from Shepton Mallet in Somerset. As they walk, Bex discusses her forthcoming book; why women need encouragement and support to access the outdoors; and the other adventures she’s completed including kick-scooting the length of the United States. Car Park Grid Ref: ST749354 King Alfred’s Tower Grid Ref: ST746351 OS Map: Explorer 142 Shepton Mallet and Mendip Hills East Producer: Karen Gregor
  May 27, 2021

  26 min

• Screenwriter Kay Mellor at Harewood in Leeds

  Kay Mellor is one of our most successful screenwriters. On today's ramble she takes Clare on her favourite route at Harewood House in her home city of Leeds. En route they discuss The Syndicate, Kay's hit drama series on BBC One and the iPlayer, which tells the story of a group of people who have won a huge amount of money on a lottery. Kay also discusses how walking helps her in the writing process, her desire to nurture more new writers, and how she started directing her own work. The walk they do is on land which is free to enter, but there is a charge to enter the main house and grounds of Harewood. They met at Grid Reference: SE 325 431 by large iron gates. Producer: Karen Gregor
  May 20, 2021

  26 min

• Rhiane Fatinikun of Black Girls Hike in the Peak District

  Rhiane Fatinikun takes Clare on one of her favourite walks in the Peak District. Starting in Edale they take in Hollins Cross, Lose Hill and Mam Tor. Rhiane set up Black Girls Hike to provide a safe space for black women to explore the countryside. It’s been such a success that there are now three branches: in the North West, the West Midlands and London. As she tells Clare, it’s a way of building confidence and increasing diversity in the outdoors. It's an exhilarating and challenging walk, made more so by the changeable weather they had on the day... from bright sunshine to snow and strong, biting wind. We started at the main car park in Edale, which is near the railway station (station grid ref: SK 123 853) Producer: Karen Gregor
  May 13, 2021

  25 min

• Cressida Cowell in West Sussex

  The best-selling author Cressida Cowell takes Clare for a nostalgic walk near Chichester in West Sussex. As well as writing the whoppingly successful ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ series, Cressida created ‘The Wizards of Once’ books which draw upon her childhood memories of roaming across the South Downs. She grew up in London but during school holidays would visit her grandparents where she found the freedom of the Sussex countryside intoxicating. Clare and Cressida walk for roughly six miles on a route known as The Trundle Loop, which begins and ends in the village of Charlton. Grid Ref for start of walk: SU 888 130 Producer: Karen Gregor
  May 6, 2021

  25 min

• Stained Glass in Minsmere with Arabella Marshall

  Glass artist, Arabella Marshall, takes Clare for a walk at Minsmere in Suffolk. Their focus is an old chapel ‘bleak and broken’ which provided Arabella with the inspiration for a major work of art: a new stained-glass window fitted into one of the ruin’s old apertures. It’s a striking modern feature in the abandoned building. The idea came to her when out walking which, alongside her artistic practice, is the thing she loves best in life. She says rambling alone provides creative inspiration and a space for problem solving. Producer: Karen Gregor
  March 25, 2021

  25 min

• Walking in Sound: Ellie Williams in North Somerset

  Sound Recordist, Ellie Williams, takes Clare for an audio-rich wander at Abbots Pool in North Somerset. Walking, she says, is as essential to her as food and sleep and – whether she’s recording, or not – she’s always super-aware of the richness of the sounds around her. En route she contemplates why her profession is still so male-dominated and how it can be opened up to more women. Grid Ref for Abbots Pool Car Park: ST 537 730 Producer: Karen Gregor
  March 18, 2021

  25 min

• Big Cats! Rick Minter in Gloucestershire

  Do big cats roam the British countryside? It’s a long running debate, one that’s never far from the headlines. A few years ago on Ramblings, Clare saw what she described as an “enormous black cat” on a walk near Ross on Wye. Several newspapers followed this up, as did the ‘Big Cat Conversations’ podcast which is hosted by Rick Minter: he set up a camera trap close to Clare’s sighting and made contact with Ramblings. So, for today’s walk, Clare and Rick explore the area around Selsley Common in Gloucestershire and discuss why he’s so sure big cats do exist in rural Britain. Grid Ref for the layby where we parked: SO830027 Producer: Karen Gregor
  March 11, 2021

  25 min

• Reading the Landscape with Mary-Ann Ochota: Pegsdon Hills

  How many times have you been out for a walk and spotted intriguing shapes in the landscape? Your instinct tells you that these dips, hollows, lumps, bumps and oddly shaped stones aren’t natural features, but what on (and under) the earth are they? Mary-Ann Ochota is an anthropologist who writes about these curious archaeological forms and how to understand them. In her book, Hidden Histories, she shows how anyone can become a landscape detective, and start to read the history of the countryside from the clues around them. On today’s Ramblings she takes Clare Balding for a walk around the Pegsdon Hills on the Hertfordshire-Bedfordshire border, and through 6000 years of British history. Grid Ref for where we parked: TL133301 Producer: Karen Gregor
  March 4, 2021

  26 min

• From Solicitor to Sculptor: Simon Gudgeon in Dorset

  Simon Gudgeon is one of our leading sculptors, but he didn't practice his art until his mid 40s. He'd worked as a solicitor, a photographer, and a landscape gardener before, one day, picking up a lump of clay to see what he could create. It wasn't long before he knew that sculpting was all he wanted to do. His distinctive creations, often inspired by the natural world, are showcased at his own venture, Sculpture by the Lakes in Dorset. Set in 26 acres and featuring over 40 lake and riverside works of art, establishing Sculpture by the Lakes proved a financially risky labour of love. Simon tells his story to Clare Balding on a walk from the historic St. Nicholas Church in Moreton, to his home at the sculpture park in Pallington, Dorset. Grid Ref for St. Nicholas Church: SY805892 Grid Ref for Sculpture by the Lakes: SY786912 Producer: Karen gregor
  February 25, 2021

  25 min

• Oscar winner Gareth Ellis-Unwin on his local riverside route in Berkshire

  The Oscar winning producer of The King’s Speech, Gareth Ellis-Unwin, takes Clare on one of his regular rambles from Pangbourne in Berkshire to Goring on Thames in South Oxfordshire. Gareth had an unusual route into film-making and now works with the charity, ScreenSkills, which is trying to make it easier for people of all backgrounds to join the industry. Walking - Gareth says - is vital for the creative process, and he has a lot bubbling under: including a project about the extraordinary Georgian explorer, Lady Hester Stanhope. We started in Pangbourne at Grid Ref: SU636767 and walked along the Thames Path to Goring on Thames. Our final landmark was Goring Lock, Grid Ref: SU596808 Producer: Karen Gregor
  February 18, 2021

  25 min

• Anneka Rice on the Thames Path in London

  Anneka Rice is a self-declared obsessive rambler who says she feels out of sorts if she doesn’t walk every day. Today she takes Clare on her favourite route along the banks of the Thames where she discusses how the river ‘tethers’ her, something she needs following a childhood that left her feeling ‘untethered’. Anneka became a household name in the 1980s thanks to the TV series Treasure Hunt, which followed her zipping about in a helicopter and racing against the clock to find clues on behalf of studio-bound contestants. Next came Challenge Anneka where she led groups of volunteers in the creation of community-based projects. At the height of her TV success, she took time out to study at Chelsea College of Art and now spends much of her time painting. Clare and Anneka start the walk at approx Grid Ref: TQ215764, and walk along the Thames Path in the direction of Kew Gardens, then return on the opposite side of the river ending at Dukes Meadows Bandstand, Grid Ref: TQ214767 Producer: Karen Gregor
  February 11, 2021

  25 min
• 2020

• Anita Rani on Hackney and Walthamstow Marshes

  Clare Balding walks with Anita Rani on Hackney and Walthamstow Marshes. They also explore Walthamstow Wetlands, an internationally important nature reserve opened to the public in 2017. The Countryfile presenter recalls her outdoorsy upbringing in Yorkshire and how much she values London's green spaces. She also discusses her plans to write a childhood memoir; how appearing on 'Who Do You Think You Are' changed her life; and the intriguing story behind her choice of name for a new puppy. Clare and Anita started their walk in Millfields Park, Grid Ref: TQ353862 Producer: Karen Gregor
  October 15, 2020

  25 min

• Beachcombing on the Isle of Sheppey

  Clare goes beachcombing on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent with author Lisa Woollett. Lisa is fascinated by what we throw away and how it reflects our changing lifestyles. Her new book ‘Rag and Bone’ tells the story of her discoveries in beachcombing and mudlarking and how it links to her family history: her great grandfather was a scavenger and her grandfather was a dustman. Clare and Lisa begin their walk (crucially, at low tide) at grid reference TQ954737. Producer: Karen Gregor
  October 8, 2020

  25 min

• Buckinghamshire with Professor David Wilson

  David Wilson is a well known criminologist and former prison governor. Clare meets him in the village of Wicken on the Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire border near to where he lives for a walk to the nearby village of Leckhampstead. This is one of David's regular routes. He has been walking around 50 miles a week since lockdown began in March. He does it to keep his weight down and to help process the horrors he often faces in his work dealing with murderers and serial killers. Clare talks to him about a case in his hometown in Scotland which he has recently written a book about. In it he reexamines the brutal murder of a young woman in 1973. Many people in the town believed the wrong man was tried and convicted. With the help of his sisters, David revisits the case and tracks down the man he believes to be the real killer. Producer: Maggie Ayre The route starts on OS Landranger 152 Grid Ref SP 745394 Wicken to Leckhampstead
  October 1, 2020

  25 min

• Barry Farrimond, who plays Ed Grundy, on Dartmoor

  Barry Farrimond, who plays Ed Grundy in The Archers, takes Clare Balding for an adventurous hike across Dartmoor. As they navigate the granite boulders of Wistman's Wood and scramble cross the West Dart River, Barry discusses the challenges of recording The Archers during lockdown, the knot he invented a few years ago (the Farrimond Friction Hitch) and Open Up Music, an organisation he co-founded to ensure that orchestras are accessible to young disabled musicians; this led to the establishment of the National Open Youth Orchestra, the world's first disabled-led national youth ensemble. Barry and Clare began their walk at Two Bridges, in the car park for Wistman's Wood: grid reference SX609750. Producer: Karen Gregor
  September 24, 2020

  25 min

• The Mendips with Professor Alice Roberts

  On a hot day, Clare and Alice Roberts walk from the village of Draycott in Somerset up through the Draycott Sleights Nature Reserve with views opening out across the Bristol Channel to Wales and across the Somerset Levels to Glastonbury Tor. Alice says she finds the ancient landscape fascinating and imagines the inhabitants of past centuries who would have lived on the small settlements on the Levels. Producer: Maggie Ayre
  September 17, 2020

  25 min

• Gloucestershire with Dom Joly

  Dom Joly, famous for Trigger Happy TV, takes Clare on a walk near to his home in Gloucestershire. Leaving the village of Winchcombe, they walk up Spoonley Hill to see the remains of a Roman Villa. As they walk, Dom talks about his love of walking, discovered later in life after he became a travel writer. Recently he walked the entire length of Lebanon where he was born. His book The Hezbollah Hiking Club is an account of the 27 day walk. And he has been an avid walker since moving to Gloucestershire. Produced by Maggie Ayre for BBC Audio in Bristol
  September 10, 2020

  25 min

• Joyful Highlights Part 6: Extreme Walking

  Clare Balding digs into the archives to find the most dramatic weather conditions she's recorded in; she also hears from those walkers who've had had the biggest adventures. The highlights include: Satish Kumar who covered 8000 miles when he walked from India to North America in the 1960s, to protest about nuclear arms; retired RAF officer, Lucy Newcombe, who has walked around the British coastline; and back in 2012 Clare found herself in the wildest of conditions on Dartmoor, luckily she was with a group from the Search and Rescue Dog Association. Please scroll down to the 'related links' box to click through to the featured programmes. Producer: Karen Gregor
  June 18, 2020

  25 min