CountrySlide

SideCountry Network

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation, wild food and life in the British countryside. Hosted by Richard Negus, Callum McInerney-Riley and Richard Prideaux.

  1. 5d ago

    95: Cheeseburgers and Old Tools

    This week, CountrySlide comes from somewhere between the burger van and the chainsaw demonstrations at APF 2026. Richard Prideaux is joined by forestry contractor and SideCountry writer Nick Adams for a wander around the 50th anniversary show at Ragley Estate, where the machinery is enormous, the fish and chips cost £16.50 and somebody appears to be selling a 16-foot shovel. They compare APF with the Game Fair, consider the financial commitment involved in some seriously expensive forestry machinery and attempt to record a podcast while seemingly every chainsaw manufacturer in Britain starts a demo nearby. Along the way there are broken brush cutters, George Browne attempting to handle tools, a chance meeting with a Richard Negus fan, Nick's latest SideCountry article, beavers, strange Warwickshire road names and the discovery that the forestry world is small enough that somebody at every stand appears to know somebody else. All recorded with the 'gentle' background ambience of petrol engines, tannoys and two men waiting for their cheeseburgers. You can contact us on social media, using the messaging system on patreon or emailing - contact@countryslide.co.uk Links -APF Exhibition -Forestry Contracting Association -Nick Adams: Rewilding Is No Panacea -Morakniv Woodcarving Knife 106 -Grizzly Peak Enterprises axe scabbards - T-shirts are still available on - store.sidecountry.co.uk - Sign up to our newsletter - The Rural Register - SideCountry Network - Negus' book tour dates can be found here DISCLAIMER Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

  2. Sep 25

    94: Moths, Myths and Big Cats

    Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide and mental health. This week, Callum considers building a moth trap, Richard Negus explains the existence of "hyper moth season", and Richard Prideaux admits to a surprisingly strong dislike of small dusty insects. From there, things drift into some of Britain's stranger countryside folklore. There is the Owlman of Cornwall, Cornish knockers, Hangman's Hill, Black Shuck, the Essex Serpent and the question of why some parts of the country seem to accumulate far more weird stories than others. Eventually they arrive at the modern rural legend that refuses to disappear: big cats in the British countryside. Were panthers and other exotic cats genuinely released decades ago? Could any still be out there? And if they were, wouldn't one of the country's gamekeepers have found one by now? Patrons also get the aftershow, featuring an accidental rally stage in an ageing Freelander, lions roaring beside a Suffolk marsh and Callum having a professionally awkward moment while photographing a politician. Useful links: The DPJ Foundation The Farming Community Network RABI Samaritans Butterfly Conservation: How to make your own moth trap Butterfly Conservation: Finding and recording moths Support SideCountry DISCLAIMER Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

  3. Sep 18

    93: Posties, Pubs and Public Transport

    Are things actually getting worse in the countryside, or are we just noticing what has quietly disappeared? This week, Richard Prideaux, Richard Negus and Callum McInerney-Riley talk about access to the countryside, disappearing rural services and the difference between visiting rural Britain and actually living in it. Callum looks back at his earliest memories of fishing and how his relationship with the countryside has changed, while the two Richards compare that with growing up surrounded by rural life. From there, the conversation moves onto village shops, post offices, buses, unreliable postal services and the lack of resilience that comes with living somewhere where everything is spread further apart.Richard Negus then takes the scenic route through rural transport history and arrives at Sutton Hoo, Basil Brown and the question of whether one of Britain's most famous archaeological discoveries would have been quite so easy to make today. There are also detours into AI, long marriages, old branch lines, tiny trains, men in Lycra and the possibility that the modern countryside has replaced Basil Brown with baboons on Strava. Richard and Amy will also be at the APF Exhibition at Ragley later this month, so if you spot the hand painted sign, come and say hello. Links: Sutton Hoo, National TrustThe story of Sutton Hoo and the 1939 excavationRoyal Family anniversary messagesAPF Exhibition 2026Support SideCountry DISCLAIMER Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

  4. Sep 11

    92: A Pint of Maggots and a Good Education

    This week the gang try to hold it together, and after Callum’s cardigan, Richard Negus’ suspicious lighting and an unexpected Tim Curry impression, they eventually get onto the question of how children actually learn about the countryside and whether enthusiasm has gone out of fashion. Callum’s son taking a copy of The Field Junior into school sparks a wider conversation about field sports, conservation and what happens when teachers and parents are themselves increasingly disconnected from rural life. The three Richards - well, two Richards and Callum - talk about Natural History education, grandparents, letting children get muddy, learning where food comes from and whether enthusiasm is being quietly trained out of youngsters. Along the way there are childhood fishing trips, bird spotting from the car, deer stalking with a three-year-old, wildfowling misery, whistling children, an unexpected meat-and-pest-control tour, and Callum’s ongoing campaign to hand fishing rods to any curious child who happens to wander past. Essentially: how do you give children a connection to the countryside? Possibly by worrying less, letting them have a go and accepting that somebody is probably going to spill a pint of maggots. CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside. You can contact us by email on: contact@countryslide.co.uk  Links - T-shirts are still available on - store.sidecountry.co.uk - Sign up to our newsletter - The Rural Register - SideCountry Network - Negus' book tour dates can be found here The Hosts Richard Negus website Callum McInerney-Riley website Richard Prideaux website Edited and Produced by Amy Green for SideCountry Network DISCLAIMER Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

  5. Jul 24

    88: Dank Memes, Kidney Beans and R.S. Surtees

    After deliberations about who could make a difference as Prime Minister in a one month stint, Callum, Negus and Prideaux reveal their specialist subjects. We're not talking the thing they do best at work, nor what they excelled in at school (if anything at all). No, we are talking about the random things that they have more knowledge than they should about! Also find out more about Bingo cards, T-shirts and where you can meet up with us at The Game Fair if you are going!   CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside. You can contact us on social media, or by emailing - contact@countryslide.co.uk Links - T-shirts and Game Fair bingo cards will be available on store.sidecountry.co.uk - You can meet us at The Game Glutton (stand T1526) at the Game Fair, 10am on Saturday! - Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time) - If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi - Sign up to our Newsletter - The Rural Register - CountrySlide website - Negus' book tour dates can be found here - Land Use Framework The Hosts Richard Negus website Callum McInerney-Riley website Richard Prideaux website Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.   DISCLAIMER Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

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CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation, wild food and life in the British countryside. Hosted by Richard Negus, Callum McInerney-Riley and Richard Prideaux.

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