Ramblings BBC Radio 4
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- Society & Culture
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Clare Balding joins notable and interesting people for a walk through the countryside
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The Wild Cliffs of St David's
A cliff edge walk at St. David's in Pembrokeshire with artists Jackie Morris and Tamsin Abbott who are creating a book of illuminated folk stories. Jackie is writing the words and Tamsin is creating original pieces of stained glass for the book's artwork.
Jackie is an artist and writer possibly best known for her illustrations in The Lost Words, a large and beautiful book about language and nature. Tamsin is an established stained glass artist and illustrator inspired by the natural world.
As they ramble along the coast, Clare hears about their new project - Wild Folk: Tales from the Stones - seven ‘fables of transformation and power summoned from the ancient stones beneath our feet’. Inhabiting the pages are selkies and salmon, a great white raven, a huge black fox and a woman who lives as an owl.
Wild Folk doesn’t exist quite yet… It’s being crowd-funded and will be available in 2025.
They began their walk at Whitesands carpark and walked cliff-side towards the Coetan Arthur burial chamber on St. David's Head.
Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor -
Walking with resistance bands on the South Downs with Julie Ford
Clare joins PE Teacher Julie Ford for a bracing walk on the Seven Sisters near Eastbourne. It's a walk with a difference. Following a brush with breast cancer Julie was keen to keep fit but no longer wanted to go to the gym. As a passionate walker she was getting good exercise but needed to maintain her upper body strength. So through a process of trial and error Julie has created a way of walking with resistance bands. She takes Clare on a walk on the South Downs on a beautiful sunny Winter's day to show her how to tone her arms while she walks as well as to appreciate health and fitness in the outdoors.
Producer: Maggie Ayre -
We in Front!
A joyful hike up Castle Hill near Huddersfield with We In Front, an inspirational group of walkers.
Leading the way is Errol Hamlet who, having retired, felt bored, unhealthy and wanted a new challenge. He spotted a neighbour out walking during the pandemic and decided to join her. Then, one by one, more people joined until they eventually had a decent sized group. Most are senior citizens from the local West Indian community and they can often be heard singing as they disappear into the countryside surrounding Huddersfield.
As they walk Clare hears about Carriacou, the Caribbean island where nine of the walkers spent at least some of their childhood. Apparently everyone on that island knows someone in Huddersfield... the two places are closely linked. There's also an unexpected conversation about the niche hobby of bottle-top collecting...
The group started today's walk at grid reference SE155152 from where they followed a circuitous route up to Castle Hill.
Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor -
Clare's Highlights
Clare chooses some favourite moments from her Ramblings year:
Join brothers Manni and Reuben Coe who amble down to Hive Beach in Dorset on a calm summer's day. On the way they recall the emotional story of how Reuben, who has Down's Syndrome, was nurtured back to health partly by walking that very route. Head to Orkney where Clare battles 60mph winds in one of the wildest episodes we've yet recorded. Hike up Shutlingsloe with Frank Milner, in training to climb Kilimanjaro on his 82nd birthday. Hear David and Iain recall some youthful misadventures as they stroll along the cliffs towards Portpatrick on the remote Rhins of Galloway. And meet Sam and Roger by the waterfall in south Wales where their romance began thanks to an online walking group.
Boff Whalley of Chumbawamba leads his Commoners Choir in song as they march up to Gaddings Dam in Calderdale. On the Thames Path, Tina and Cas share how their adopted son's way of coping with the world is by long distance hiking. The inspirational Halifax Hikers lead Clare on their favourite local route. And Ali Allen, in Herefordshire, takes time out from running her tiny walking shop to march with Clare up to a section of the Offa's Dyke footpath.
Please scroll down to the 'related links' box on the Ramblings page of the Radio 4 website for links to all these individual episodes.
Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor -
Hope Valley with Anita Sethi
In 2019 Anita Sethi was on a trans Pennine train journey when she was racially abused by a man who later pleaded guilty to the offence. During the attack he told her to go back to where she belonged. Having been born and raised in Manchester Anita feels very strongly that the North of England is where she belongs and as a way of working through the shock and trauma of the incident she began a journey through the Pennines on foot beginning at the uplifting and positively named Hope in the Peak District. Clare joins her for a hike in the steep countryside to Edale taking in Mam Tor and Kinder Scout.
Producer: Maggie Ayre -
Boxing on the beach at Ainsdale
Rose Mac moved to the North West from London a year ago and is constantly delighted by the nature and walking possibilities of her new home. Ainsdale Nature Reserve houses a rare species of sand lizard as well as natterjack toads. A walk through the pine woodland close to the town's railway station brings you out into beautiful sand dunes and a massive expanse of beach with views of Blackpool Tower to the North and on a clear day the Isle of Man to the west. Rose enthusiastically shows Clare her new home territory and gives her an impromptu boxing lesson on Ainsdale Beach. She says people are becoming increasingly drawn to exercising on UK beaches. Tai chi and yoga work particularly well outdoors and Rose says there's something magical about watching the sunset whilst exercising.
The long walk along the beach is a workout in itself because of the sand underfoot.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
Customer Reviews
Excellent Podcast
I never even realised this existed until recently but I’m so glad be found it.
With Clare’s fantastic descriptions of the walks you can close your eyes and almost imagine being there.
It’s nice, relaxing and informative.
The perfect podcast.
Brotherly love
I found this episode very moving and thank goodness he got Rueben back. I also struggled in the pandemic and came close to a breakdown so easy to relate to their experience. Thanks for sharing your story.
Tresco
Wonderful relaxing time visualising those walks on the island on what is a grey, cold morning here in Somerset. Perfect with my early morning cup of tea. Your podcasts lift the spirits Clare - don’t stop walking !