February 20, 2025 • 21 mins
One of the simple pleasures in life is getting outdoors for a walk, taking in the world around you with some fresh air and then nipping into a cosy pub for a well earned treat.
Claire Hickinbotham takes you on some of our favourite walks from our book ‘100 Great Pub Walks’ and finds out why caring for our planet, is necessary for the good of the humble pint.
From floodplains to fens, from peatlands to pubs, discover the work that goes on to look after our planet.
Click here to read these episode notes in Welsh
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by Starling Bank. Peatlands are essential for people and the planet in lots of incredible ways - they act like natural sponges, storing more carbon than all of the world’s rainforests put together. And they’re a habitat for a whole host of wildlife. And they act as flood defences in the face of climate change.
Starling Bank have been funding the National Trust’s work towards saving our peatlands since 2023, supporting projects that’ll restore and protect over 400 hectares of the UK’s precious peatland – that’s 372 football pitches. Find out more about Starling and the National Trust’s conservation work: https://www.starlingbank.com/about/partnerships/starling-and-the-national-trust/
Production
Host: Claire Hickinbotham
Producer: Jack Glover Higgins
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez
Discover more
2025 marks our 130th birthday. In each chapter of our history, we've adapted to the needs of the day. Now, it’s time for a vision that takes us into the future. Our new strategy sets out our aims and ambitions for the next decade and beyond. Find out how we are restoring nature, ending unequal access to nature and taking action here.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/who-we-are/our-strategy
Learn about our peatland habitats and the work we’re doing to protect them here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/our-cause/nature-climate/climate-change-sustainability/preserving-our-peatland
Pick up a copy of 100 Great Pub Walks by visiting https://shop.nationaltrust.org.uk/national-trust-100-great-pub-walks.html or by popping into your local bookshop.
For more on wetlands, including Peat bogs, floodplains and fens, check out our friends at the Wetland Wildlife Trust https://www.wwt.org.uk/discover-wetlands/wetlands
Find out how the climate is affecting the taste and cost of our beer.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-67078674
Find your local People, Planet, Pint here; https://small99.co.uk/people-planet-pint-meetup/
Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If yo
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (00:53):
Hello and welcome to the National Trust
Podcast. I'm ClaireHickinbotham. Before we start
this episode, I'd like to letyou know that from April, the
National Trust podcast ischanging to bring you more
immersive stories from historyand nature. Look out for our new
name and more by giving thisshow a follow in your favourite
podcast app.
Today we're out walking throughthe hills of Oxfordshire, the
(01:14):
wetlands of Wicken Fen, thevalleys of the Upper Conwy
catchment and the MourneMountains in Northern Ireland.
That's quite some trek for asingle walk. So join from the
comfort of your home and findout what unites all of these
unique and wonderful landscapes,and how caring for the natural
world is playing a role in thecost and taste of our pints.
(01:41):
I've come today for a bit of awalk that I'm familiar with. So
I’m at Coleshill, which is avillage in Oxfordshire, and it's
somewhere I walk a lot with myblack lab buddy.
Great rolling hills. Views tothe white Horse at Uffington.
The Ridgeway. And at the otherside of the estate the land
drops down towards the Thamesand it's that direction I'm
(02:04):
going to walk first.
I'm meeting Richard, who looksafter the countryside here, and
he's going to explain about someof the work that they do.
We've got to head up through thevillage. So up the hill past the
National Trust owned cottages.They're all chocolate box.
They're all beautiful. One ofwhich is the Radnor Arms, an
(02:24):
amazing little pub with cosynooks and crannies in it.
And we're going to have a littlestop there later because it
features actually in 100 GreatPub Walks, a book from the
National Trust. And we're goingto go on one of those walks. And
hopefully at the end of the day,Richard is going to take me back
to the pub and have awell-earned pint.
(02:48):
We've walked up from theColeshill Estate office through
the village, past the RadnorArms, the pub a lovely little
spot to meet Richard Watson,who's one of the countryside
team that looks after thelandscape here.
Hi, Richard. Nice to meet you.
RICHARD WATSON (03:02):
Good morning, lovely to meet you!
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (03:03):
I'm assuming you're Richard with
binoculars around your head andwellies on your feet. You are
well equipped.
RICHARD WATSON (03:09):
I am.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (03:09):
This is such a lovely part of the world
to call your office.
RICHARD WATSON (03:12):
It is. It's fabulous. We're lucky here
because we've got the Cotswoldsto the north of us. And then
people go down towards kind ofDorset, Devon and stuff for the
holidays. But it's a bit of aforgotten corner here. But
actually, as you can see, it'sbeautiful, lovely rolling
countryside with the RiverThames, to the north of us here.
So we're looking over the Thameskind of flood plain.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (03:30):
And a lot of what we can see dropping down
away in front of us is it's landthat the National Trust manages.
RICHARD WATSON (03:36):
It is. Yes. so, Buscot and Coleshill Estates
amount to 2700 hectaresaltogether. So, yes, a large,
area of land.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM: Unsurprisingly for Richard, the (03:46):
undefined
team and the millions that workoutdoors throughout the year,
things can get a bit wet.
But working out what to do inthe face of extreme and changing
weather conditions adds to thedaily challenge of looking after
the countryside.
A lot of the work that you doaround here, as we're looking
down at the Thames, havingclimbed up to the top of the
(04:08):
hill from the River Cole, henceColeshill, I guess, you're doing
a lot of work on the River Coleand in the Valley then around
the Thames, because Buscotvillage has the Thames running
through it doesn't it?.
RICHARD WATSON (04:20):
It does, so water is a key theme here, both
managing water in the winter orin the summer if there's big
storms trying to reduceflooding, but also then
conversely, in the summer duringdroughts, trying to keep more of
the water back.
Yeah. Managing the water is, akey theme for us and
increasingly so as the climateis changing, we're getting more
intense, weather events.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (04:44):
In the time leading up to meeting Richard,
there had been four major stormsin three months putting extra
strains on the landscape.
This has meant that the landRichard looks after alongside
tenant farmers has been subjectto intense flooding, causing the
farmers to lose an entire crop.
RICHARD WATSON (05:03):
So our farm tenants are finding it
increasingly difficult to growcereal crops. As you can see,
the one in front of us on thetop of the hill there was this
was down by the river. It wouldhave been under water on and off
since mid-September, right theway through.
So the farmers have either beenunable to plant the cereal crop,
or they did manage to get it inthe ground. And then floods have
come along and it's been underwater for several weeks, and
(05:23):
that would have killed it off.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (05:27):
The effects of climate change have been more
noticeable in recent times thanever before. It's not just the
dramatic images of damage we seein the news, but deeper and
longer lasting effects at thetop of our food chain.
While farmers are finding ithard to grow the crops they need
to keep the nation fed, thewonky weather is having a knock
(05:48):
on effect for the things we loveto treat ourselves with.
In a recent BBC news article,it's reported that the changing
climate is also having an impacton the taste and cost of beer as
well, with researchers fromCambridge University identifying
a growing problem with hotter,drier summers and more intense
(06:09):
winters.
It's in that direction towardsCambridge, where the next stop
on our pub walk begins.
A stone's throw from the Maidshead pub is Wicken Fen, the
oldest nature reserve in theNational Trust. At no other
place is it more noticeable totrace the fine lines between
(06:30):
what is good for looking afterour planet, versus the necessary
agricultural work needed to keepus ticking.
It's there that we meet AjayTegala, a ranger, helping to
restore some of the landpreviously lost to intense
farming practices.
AJAY TEGALA (06:48):
The Fens of East Anglia once spread for thousands
of square miles really, it wasthis vast area of reeds of
water, and wildlife. But overthe last sort of few centuries,
really, it's gradually beentamed and drained for
agriculture, for development.
So a lot of this happened in the1600s. A lot of land was drained
(07:10):
then and up into the Victoriantimes, because it's really good
for growing crops.
It's a really good place to feedthe nation from.
And of course we've gotCambridge nearby, so that's
growing.
So there’s all this pressure touse the land for man-made
pursuits. So over a period ofseveral years, literally, it was
all lost apart from less than1%. And Wicken Fen is part of
(07:31):
that less than 1% of originalFen.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (07:34):
Part of what made The Fens so attractive
for farming. It's peat richlandscape.
AJAY TEGALA (07:39):
Peat is very good for farming because it has a
high moisture content, and cropsneed water to grow, so it's the
perfect growing medium foragriculture.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (07:50):
Peat is a bit of an organic super
material, great for growing, buteven better at protecting our
planet.
Peatlands like Wicken Fen amountto just over 10% of the total
land in the UK.
Just that small amount holdsmore carbon than all of the
forests in France, Germany andBritain combined. There is,
however, a catch.
(08:10):
In order to stay effective atcapturing carbon, peat needs to
stay wet and undisturbed,something which historically
hasn't happened.
AJAY TEGALA (08:20):
When peat is removed from the environment,
whether it be perhaps beingploughed and getting sort of
whipped up into a dust, it canblow away because it's very
fine.
They used to be these big,thick, chocolate coloured clouds
years ago called fen blows. Wedon't get them so much now, but
occasionally we do.
So that happens. The soil islost. It literally blows away.
And at the same time, thatprocess releases carbon into the
(08:44):
atmosphere.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (08:44):
The draining of the Fens for farming
to gain access to more fertileland, to grow crops on, has been
described as the greatest singleecological catastrophe that has
ever occurred in England.
Part of the work Ajay and theteam are undertaking is
restoring as much peatlandhabitat as possible.
Not only is this helping totackle the carbon in the
(09:06):
atmosphere, but it's alsoallowing nature to thrive. And
when it can do that, thepositive outcomes keep on
growing.
AJAY TEGALA (09:15):
The drainage of the Fens had a-
Well, a catastrophic effect onbiodiversity and on nature. So
many things were lost. So we'vegot species that went extinct.
The swallowtail butterfly, forexample, hung on. at Wicken Fen
until the 1950s, but even theconservation work we were doing
here wasn't enough to sustain itbecause, wildlife needs a large
(09:35):
area.
So that's kind of what we'redoing here, is we're creating
wider space for nature to havemore room to spread and
colonize. And actually, one ofthe species that were lost 500
years ago was Britain's tallestbird, the crane.
They went extinct due to huntingand loss of habitat, loss of the
wetlands because they nest inremote, reedy spots where
they're undisturbed.
(09:56):
But a few years ago, they made acomeback to Wicken and they're
on the up. So it's been yeah, ahuge loss. But it's not
irreversible. And that's thebeauty of it.
I mean, Wicken Fen’s an amazingplace. So much history, so many
wildlife species recorded. Butit is just a little fragment in
a desert really surrounded byintensively managed land.
(10:17):
So much has been lost and asgood as Wicken itself is, it's
so small and it's almost like anupside down saucer.
It's kind of like a little moundsurrounded by lower lying
ground.
And that means that the water,by the nature of gravity, drains
away.
And so we're constantly tryingto keep it wet so those species
that need that wet environmenthave the habitat they need to
(10:38):
thrive.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (10:43):
When it comes to working with gravity,
one of the more challengingspots for peatland restoration
is on the side of a mountain.
And it's there where our nextpub walk takes place.
Around the peaks and valleys ofthe Mourne Mountains in Northern
Ireland are some stunning walksfor the more adventurous, with a
(11:04):
cosy rest stop, the HarbourHouse Inn and Macken’s Bar in
Newcastle.
Like Wicken Fen, the area iscared for by a team of rangers,
one of which is James Fisher,who has some unique ways of
keeping the peatlands healthy.
JAMES FISHER (11:21):
Whenever we look at the plants that are growing
here, it actually it would comeout is that as almost an acid
grassland or dry heath becausethere's so little water is
actually being retained by thedeep peat here.
So what we're doing in theerosion gullies is constructing
small timber dams. And where wehave shallower gradients we use,
(11:45):
bunds.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (11:45):
A bund is a type of embankment, sort of like
a dam that's designed to keepwater in one place.
The bunds that have been createdat the Mournes have been made
with some special help from somewoolly creatures.
JAMES FISHER (11:58):
The bunds themselves, which, it's really
interesting, we've beentrialling the use of sheep well,
to make the bunds.
These would normally be madefrom the coir, which is a
byproduct of that sort ofcoconut fibre.
If we can use the sheep woolwhich is from the sheep that are
actually grazing the site, it'sa good use of that wool.
(12:20):
And it's, it allows circularityto the process.
Whenever we install these dams,the water then collects behind
them. We're not trying to keepthe water on the mountain as
such, just to slow it enoughthat the surrounding landscape
then starts to wet up and we getthe regeneration of some of the
(12:41):
peat building plants, such asthe Sphagnum Moss and the
sedges.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (12:45):
By allowing these plants to grow and then
naturally decay in order to formthe peat, it’s hoped that this
can kickstart some organicregeneration, but it's a very
slow process.
JAMES FISHER (12:57):
Peat forms at something like a millimetre a
year, so you can imagine thelength of time it takes for any
sort of depth of peat toaccumulate.
But, over time, that forms athick blanket over the
landscape, which is why we callit a blanket bog.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (13:13):
The final stop on our pub walk takes us to
North Wales and the Upper Conwycatchment. The area accounts for
3% of the total land in Wales,which is roughly equivalent to
the size of the Isle of Wight.
With an area that vast, thereare too many great watering
holes and walks to mention fullybut aside from the physical work
of restoring the peatland withinit, Ranger Dewi Davis explains
(13:37):
that it's the connection withthe people in the landscape that
can really help to make adifference.
DEWI DAVIS (13:42):
The area that I work in is to the northeast of Eryri
National Park, also known asSnowdonia National Park, and
it's basically the rivercatchment of Afon Conwy. The
river Conwy.
It starts in the uplands ofsomewhere called Y Migneint and
it flows down all the way toConwy itself, where the famous
Conwy Castle is.
There's parts of the catchmenthigher up, certainly where it's
(14:07):
pretty idyllic, you know, it'sthe typical views and scenery of
a national park such as Eryri,the mountains are a bit more
rugged there.
But to the south and to theeast, and you've got this vast
area of peatland called YMigneint. And that's a focus, an
area of focus for our project,really, in terms of the
restoration of the peatlandthere.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (14:25):
Like the other rangers we have met on our
walks, Dewi and the team worktirelessly to keep the peatlands
wet and the water in places it'ssupposed to be.
DEWI DAVIS (14:34):
But none of that would or could happen on the
ground if we hadn't engagedwith, the community we're
working in.
You know, ignore the people atyour peril. has always been my,
sort of mantra in the project,because if you don't bring them
along with you, I'm paraphrasingAttenborough here, you know, if
they don't understand the workthat you're doing, and why, how
can they possibly care about itthemselves?
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (15:00):
For Dewi, there is a special connection
between the Welsh language and asense of belonging, with a
phrase taken from sheep farming.
DEWI DAVIS (15:12):
One of them, one of my favourites, really, is, the
notion of Cynefin. The notion ofit sort of translates across to
humans as well.
You belong to a Cynefin. This isyour Cynefin, your patch. You're
comfortable there. It's whereyou were born and bred.
And you know pretty mucheveryone there.
And you know the rhythms of theplace and all sorts so.
(15:32):
I think if you talk aboutCynefin, you truly understand
the concept of Cynefin not justfor farming, but for, from a
human perspective as well.
You're already there, some waywith some of our communities.
Some of the best time I've spenthas been in a farmer's kitchen,
just having cups of tea andtalking about everything but
work that sort of builds thattrust.
(15:54):
Then you can get on to the taskor the job, or the idea that
you've got and yeah, without thepeople, you don't get anything
done.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (16:08):
When it comes to connecting with people,
there are fewer places, moreperfect than the pub, and it's
there that local communityaction and care for our spaces
can grow.
Tom Cox looks after his localmeetup of a group called People,
Planet, Pint. It's a worldwidecollective started by Small 99
that aims to get people togetherand chatting about the world
(16:30):
around them.
TOM COX (16:31):
I like to think of it as a very inclusive community
for anyone who is interested orconcerned or just wants to talk
about sustainability, to kind ofcome along and talk about it.
It's got no specific agenda.We've got no topics that kind of
have to be discussed.
It just really is, just a spacefor folks to, to come and have a
(16:55):
chat.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (16:56):
Thinking about the environment and what
to do as an individual can oftenfeel a little bit of a daunting
task.
But Tom is confident that bygetting the conversations going
at the local and by making theplanet a little bit more front
and centre in our social lives,we can work together to achieve
our goals.
TOM COX (17:14):
I think I'm optimistic about, about people and kind of,
you know, People, Planet, Pintis an excellent example of how
people come together and talkabout these things and take
these problem seriously and, andthink of ways to solve the
problem.
I have absolutely no idea whatit's going to be like in five
years time.
But I am, always encouraged bythe amount of mobilization and
(17:36):
about the amount of passionatepeople that are out there trying
to create solutions to solve theproblem.
It’s too big of a challenge toreally predict where we're going
to be.
But I'm hoping at leastsocially, we'll be in a much
better place and we'll have alot more people mobilized and
focused on solving these issues.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (17:53):
Back home in Oxfordshire having just
finished our walk and comingback to the Radnor Arms for our
pit stop, Richard tells me aboutsome of the things that we can
do at home to help naturethrive.
RICHARD WATSON (18:04):
If you've got room to plant a small tree, a
birch or crab-apple or cherry orsomething like that then do.
That's great.
Provide, nectar, fruit, nuts,seeds for, birds and animals and
insects.
A pond is one of the best thingsyou can do for wildlife. So even
if that's just a bucket sunk inthe ground, with fresh water in,
then the water boatmen andinsects will, come to that
(18:27):
within a few days.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (18:28):
The journey from wise, an insect important
to saving our planet is a is ahuge leap, isn't it?
RICHARD WATSON (18:34):
It is.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (18:34):
But what you're saying is, actually,
these are the fundamentalthings. This is the stuff you
can do at home. And this is whatis going to start that positive
snowball effect, that chain ofevents that is going to have an
impact.
RICHARD WATSON (18:46):
Yes. The experts say that actually, if you add up
the area of all our gardens inthe UK, then it's much greater
than the area of other naturereserves. So by all of us doing
a little bit in our garden, wecan help wildlife that will help
with climate change as well.
And it can be a real positive,exciting journey and you can
share it with your children,your grandchildren.
You know, we all live to see,insects and things. And so yeah,
(19:07):
it's really great to have thewildlife in our garden.
We can all provide a bit ofspace. We can all help do our
little bit, and then at acumulative scale and it starts
to make a really big difference.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (19:17):
That's a wonderful idea. And I think we
can all raise a glass to that!
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the National Trust
(19:38):
Podcast.
If you like what you've heardand would like to join me on
more walking adventures, thenyou'll love our new podcast,
Nature Escape.
Each episode, we will beexploring a natural landscape
from the comfort of whereveryou're listening and hearing
from experts about how they carefor our favourite places.
And from April, the NationalTrust podcast is changing. Look
(19:58):
out for our new shows for natureand history and keep up to date
with all things podcast byvisiting
nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts.
I look forward to joining younext time for me, Claire
Hickinbotham. Goodbye.
Hello and welcome to the National Trust
Podcast. I'm ClaireHickinbotham. Before we start
this episode, I'd like to letyou know that from April, the
National Trust podcast ischanging to bring you more
immersive stories from historyand nature. Look out for our new
name and more by giving thisshow a follow in your favourite
podcast app.
Today we're out walking throughthe hills of Oxfordshire, the
(01:14):
wetlands of Wicken Fen, thevalleys of the Upper Conwy
catchment and the MourneMountains in Northern Ireland.
That's quite some trek for asingle walk. So join from the
comfort of your home and findout what unites all of these
unique and wonderful landscapes,and how caring for the natural
world is playing a role in thecost and taste of our pints.
(01:41):
I've come today for a bit of awalk that I'm familiar with. So
I’m at Coleshill, which is avillage in Oxfordshire, and it's
somewhere I walk a lot with myblack lab buddy.
Great rolling hills. Views tothe white Horse at Uffington.
The Ridgeway. And at the otherside of the estate the land
drops down towards the Thamesand it's that direction I'm
(02:04):
going to walk first.
I'm meeting Richard, who looksafter the countryside here, and
he's going to explain about someof the work that they do.
We've got to head up through thevillage. So up the hill past the
National Trust owned cottages.They're all chocolate box.
They're all beautiful. One ofwhich is the Radnor Arms, an
(02:24):
amazing little pub with cosynooks and crannies in it.
And we're going to have a littlestop there later because it
features actually in 100 GreatPub Walks, a book from the
National Trust. And we're goingto go on one of those walks. And
hopefully at the end of the day,Richard is going to take me back
to the pub and have awell-earned pint.
(02:48):
We've walked up from theColeshill Estate office through
the village, past the RadnorArms, the pub a lovely little
spot to meet Richard Watson,who's one of the countryside
team that looks after thelandscape here.
Hi, Richard. Nice to meet you.
RICHARD WATSON (03:02):
Good morning, lovely to meet you!
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (03:03):
I'm assuming you're Richard with
binoculars around your head andwellies on your feet. You are
well equipped.
RICHARD WATSON (03:09):
I am.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (03:09):
This is such a lovely part of the world
to call your office.
RICHARD WATSON (03:12):
It is. It's fabulous. We're lucky here
because we've got the Cotswoldsto the north of us. And then
people go down towards kind ofDorset, Devon and stuff for the
holidays. But it's a bit of aforgotten corner here. But
actually, as you can see, it'sbeautiful, lovely rolling
countryside with the RiverThames, to the north of us here.
So we're looking over the Thameskind of flood plain.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (03:30):
And a lot of what we can see dropping down
away in front of us is it's landthat the National Trust manages.
RICHARD WATSON (03:36):
It is. Yes. so, Buscot and Coleshill Estates
amount to 2700 hectaresaltogether. So, yes, a large,
area of land.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM: Unsurprisingly for Richard, the (03:46):
undefined
team and the millions that workoutdoors throughout the year,
things can get a bit wet.
But working out what to do inthe face of extreme and changing
weather conditions adds to thedaily challenge of looking after
the countryside.
A lot of the work that you doaround here, as we're looking
down at the Thames, havingclimbed up to the top of the
(04:08):
hill from the River Cole, henceColeshill, I guess, you're doing
a lot of work on the River Coleand in the Valley then around
the Thames, because Buscotvillage has the Thames running
through it doesn't it?.
RICHARD WATSON (04:20):
It does, so water is a key theme here, both
managing water in the winter orin the summer if there's big
storms trying to reduceflooding, but also then
conversely, in the summer duringdroughts, trying to keep more of
the water back.
Yeah. Managing the water is, akey theme for us and
increasingly so as the climateis changing, we're getting more
intense, weather events.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (04:44):
In the time leading up to meeting Richard,
there had been four major stormsin three months putting extra
strains on the landscape.
This has meant that the landRichard looks after alongside
tenant farmers has been subjectto intense flooding, causing the
farmers to lose an entire crop.
RICHARD WATSON (05:03):
So our farm tenants are finding it
increasingly difficult to growcereal crops. As you can see,
the one in front of us on thetop of the hill there was this
was down by the river. It wouldhave been under water on and off
since mid-September, right theway through.
So the farmers have either beenunable to plant the cereal crop,
or they did manage to get it inthe ground. And then floods have
come along and it's been underwater for several weeks, and
(05:23):
that would have killed it off.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (05:27):
The effects of climate change have been more
noticeable in recent times thanever before. It's not just the
dramatic images of damage we seein the news, but deeper and
longer lasting effects at thetop of our food chain.
While farmers are finding ithard to grow the crops they need
to keep the nation fed, thewonky weather is having a knock
(05:48):
on effect for the things we loveto treat ourselves with.
In a recent BBC news article,it's reported that the changing
climate is also having an impacton the taste and cost of beer as
well, with researchers fromCambridge University identifying
a growing problem with hotter,drier summers and more intense
(06:09):
winters.
It's in that direction towardsCambridge, where the next stop
on our pub walk begins.
A stone's throw from the Maidshead pub is Wicken Fen, the
oldest nature reserve in theNational Trust. At no other
place is it more noticeable totrace the fine lines between
(06:30):
what is good for looking afterour planet, versus the necessary
agricultural work needed to keepus ticking.
It's there that we meet AjayTegala, a ranger, helping to
restore some of the landpreviously lost to intense
farming practices.
AJAY TEGALA (06:48):
The Fens of East Anglia once spread for thousands
of square miles really, it wasthis vast area of reeds of
water, and wildlife. But overthe last sort of few centuries,
really, it's gradually beentamed and drained for
agriculture, for development.
So a lot of this happened in the1600s. A lot of land was drained
(07:10):
then and up into the Victoriantimes, because it's really good
for growing crops.
It's a really good place to feedthe nation from.
And of course we've gotCambridge nearby, so that's
growing.
So there’s all this pressure touse the land for man-made
pursuits. So over a period ofseveral years, literally, it was
all lost apart from less than1%. And Wicken Fen is part of
(07:31):
that less than 1% of originalFen.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (07:34):
Part of what made The Fens so attractive
for farming. It's peat richlandscape.
AJAY TEGALA (07:39):
Peat is very good for farming because it has a
high moisture content, and cropsneed water to grow, so it's the
perfect growing medium foragriculture.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (07:50):
Peat is a bit of an organic super
material, great for growing, buteven better at protecting our
planet.
Peatlands like Wicken Fen amountto just over 10% of the total
land in the UK.
Just that small amount holdsmore carbon than all of the
forests in France, Germany andBritain combined. There is,
however, a catch.
(08:10):
In order to stay effective atcapturing carbon, peat needs to
stay wet and undisturbed,something which historically
hasn't happened.
AJAY TEGALA (08:20):
When peat is removed from the environment,
whether it be perhaps beingploughed and getting sort of
whipped up into a dust, it canblow away because it's very
fine.
They used to be these big,thick, chocolate coloured clouds
years ago called fen blows. Wedon't get them so much now, but
occasionally we do.
So that happens. The soil islost. It literally blows away.
And at the same time, thatprocess releases carbon into the
(08:44):
atmosphere.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (08:44):
The draining of the Fens for farming
to gain access to more fertileland, to grow crops on, has been
described as the greatest singleecological catastrophe that has
ever occurred in England.
Part of the work Ajay and theteam are undertaking is
restoring as much peatlandhabitat as possible.
Not only is this helping totackle the carbon in the
(09:06):
atmosphere, but it's alsoallowing nature to thrive. And
when it can do that, thepositive outcomes keep on
growing.
AJAY TEGALA (09:15):
The drainage of the Fens had a-
Well, a catastrophic effect onbiodiversity and on nature. So
many things were lost. So we'vegot species that went extinct.
The swallowtail butterfly, forexample, hung on. at Wicken Fen
until the 1950s, but even theconservation work we were doing
here wasn't enough to sustain itbecause, wildlife needs a large
(09:35):
area.
So that's kind of what we'redoing here, is we're creating
wider space for nature to havemore room to spread and
colonize. And actually, one ofthe species that were lost 500
years ago was Britain's tallestbird, the crane.
They went extinct due to huntingand loss of habitat, loss of the
wetlands because they nest inremote, reedy spots where
they're undisturbed.
(09:56):
But a few years ago, they made acomeback to Wicken and they're
on the up. So it's been yeah, ahuge loss. But it's not
irreversible. And that's thebeauty of it.
I mean, Wicken Fen’s an amazingplace. So much history, so many
wildlife species recorded. Butit is just a little fragment in
a desert really surrounded byintensively managed land.
(10:17):
So much has been lost and asgood as Wicken itself is, it's
so small and it's almost like anupside down saucer.
It's kind of like a little moundsurrounded by lower lying
ground.
And that means that the water,by the nature of gravity, drains
away.
And so we're constantly tryingto keep it wet so those species
that need that wet environmenthave the habitat they need to
(10:38):
thrive.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (10:43):
When it comes to working with gravity,
one of the more challengingspots for peatland restoration
is on the side of a mountain.
And it's there where our nextpub walk takes place.
Around the peaks and valleys ofthe Mourne Mountains in Northern
Ireland are some stunning walksfor the more adventurous, with a
(11:04):
cosy rest stop, the HarbourHouse Inn and Macken’s Bar in
Newcastle.
Like Wicken Fen, the area iscared for by a team of rangers,
one of which is James Fisher,who has some unique ways of
keeping the peatlands healthy.
JAMES FISHER (11:21):
Whenever we look at the plants that are growing
here, it actually it would comeout is that as almost an acid
grassland or dry heath becausethere's so little water is
actually being retained by thedeep peat here.
So what we're doing in theerosion gullies is constructing
small timber dams. And where wehave shallower gradients we use,
(11:45):
bunds.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (11:45):
A bund is a type of embankment, sort of like
a dam that's designed to keepwater in one place.
The bunds that have been createdat the Mournes have been made
with some special help from somewoolly creatures.
JAMES FISHER (11:58):
The bunds themselves, which, it's really
interesting, we've beentrialling the use of sheep well,
to make the bunds.
These would normally be madefrom the coir, which is a
byproduct of that sort ofcoconut fibre.
If we can use the sheep woolwhich is from the sheep that are
actually grazing the site, it'sa good use of that wool.
(12:20):
And it's, it allows circularityto the process.
Whenever we install these dams,the water then collects behind
them. We're not trying to keepthe water on the mountain as
such, just to slow it enoughthat the surrounding landscape
then starts to wet up and we getthe regeneration of some of the
(12:41):
peat building plants, such asthe Sphagnum Moss and the
sedges.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (12:45):
By allowing these plants to grow and then
naturally decay in order to formthe peat, it’s hoped that this
can kickstart some organicregeneration, but it's a very
slow process.
JAMES FISHER (12:57):
Peat forms at something like a millimetre a
year, so you can imagine thelength of time it takes for any
sort of depth of peat toaccumulate.
But, over time, that forms athick blanket over the
landscape, which is why we callit a blanket bog.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (13:13):
The final stop on our pub walk takes us to
North Wales and the Upper Conwycatchment. The area accounts for
3% of the total land in Wales,which is roughly equivalent to
the size of the Isle of Wight.
With an area that vast, thereare too many great watering
holes and walks to mention fullybut aside from the physical work
of restoring the peatland withinit, Ranger Dewi Davis explains
(13:37):
that it's the connection withthe people in the landscape that
can really help to make adifference.
DEWI DAVIS (13:42):
The area that I work in is to the northeast of Eryri
National Park, also known asSnowdonia National Park, and
it's basically the rivercatchment of Afon Conwy. The
river Conwy.
It starts in the uplands ofsomewhere called Y Migneint and
it flows down all the way toConwy itself, where the famous
Conwy Castle is.
There's parts of the catchmenthigher up, certainly where it's
(14:07):
pretty idyllic, you know, it'sthe typical views and scenery of
a national park such as Eryri,the mountains are a bit more
rugged there.
But to the south and to theeast, and you've got this vast
area of peatland called YMigneint. And that's a focus, an
area of focus for our project,really, in terms of the
restoration of the peatlandthere.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (14:25):
Like the other rangers we have met on our
walks, Dewi and the team worktirelessly to keep the peatlands
wet and the water in places it'ssupposed to be.
DEWI DAVIS (14:34):
But none of that would or could happen on the
ground if we hadn't engagedwith, the community we're
working in.
You know, ignore the people atyour peril. has always been my,
sort of mantra in the project,because if you don't bring them
along with you, I'm paraphrasingAttenborough here, you know, if
they don't understand the workthat you're doing, and why, how
can they possibly care about itthemselves?
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (15:00):
For Dewi, there is a special connection
between the Welsh language and asense of belonging, with a
phrase taken from sheep farming.
DEWI DAVIS (15:12):
One of them, one of my favourites, really, is, the
notion of Cynefin. The notion ofit sort of translates across to
humans as well.
You belong to a Cynefin. This isyour Cynefin, your patch. You're
comfortable there. It's whereyou were born and bred.
And you know pretty mucheveryone there.
And you know the rhythms of theplace and all sorts so.
(15:32):
I think if you talk aboutCynefin, you truly understand
the concept of Cynefin not justfor farming, but for, from a
human perspective as well.
You're already there, some waywith some of our communities.
Some of the best time I've spenthas been in a farmer's kitchen,
just having cups of tea andtalking about everything but
work that sort of builds thattrust.
(15:54):
Then you can get on to the taskor the job, or the idea that
you've got and yeah, without thepeople, you don't get anything
done.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (16:08):
When it comes to connecting with people,
there are fewer places, moreperfect than the pub, and it's
there that local communityaction and care for our spaces
can grow.
Tom Cox looks after his localmeetup of a group called People,
Planet, Pint. It's a worldwidecollective started by Small 99
that aims to get people togetherand chatting about the world
(16:30):
around them.
TOM COX (16:31):
I like to think of it as a very inclusive community
for anyone who is interested orconcerned or just wants to talk
about sustainability, to kind ofcome along and talk about it.
It's got no specific agenda.We've got no topics that kind of
have to be discussed.
It just really is, just a spacefor folks to, to come and have a
(16:55):
chat.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (16:56):
Thinking about the environment and what
to do as an individual can oftenfeel a little bit of a daunting
task.
But Tom is confident that bygetting the conversations going
at the local and by making theplanet a little bit more front
and centre in our social lives,we can work together to achieve
our goals.
TOM COX (17:14):
I think I'm optimistic about, about people and kind of,
you know, People, Planet, Pintis an excellent example of how
people come together and talkabout these things and take
these problem seriously and, andthink of ways to solve the
problem.
I have absolutely no idea whatit's going to be like in five
years time.
But I am, always encouraged bythe amount of mobilization and
(17:36):
about the amount of passionatepeople that are out there trying
to create solutions to solve theproblem.
It’s too big of a challenge toreally predict where we're going
to be.
But I'm hoping at leastsocially, we'll be in a much
better place and we'll have alot more people mobilized and
focused on solving these issues.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (17:53):
Back home in Oxfordshire having just
finished our walk and comingback to the Radnor Arms for our
pit stop, Richard tells me aboutsome of the things that we can
do at home to help naturethrive.
RICHARD WATSON (18:04):
If you've got room to plant a small tree, a
birch or crab-apple or cherry orsomething like that then do.
That's great.
Provide, nectar, fruit, nuts,seeds for, birds and animals and
insects.
A pond is one of the best thingsyou can do for wildlife. So even
if that's just a bucket sunk inthe ground, with fresh water in,
then the water boatmen andinsects will, come to that
(18:27):
within a few days.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (18:28):
The journey from wise, an insect important
to saving our planet is a is ahuge leap, isn't it?
RICHARD WATSON (18:34):
It is.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (18:34):
But what you're saying is, actually,
these are the fundamentalthings. This is the stuff you
can do at home. And this is whatis going to start that positive
snowball effect, that chain ofevents that is going to have an
impact.
RICHARD WATSON (18:46):
Yes. The experts say that actually, if you add up
the area of all our gardens inthe UK, then it's much greater
than the area of other naturereserves. So by all of us doing
a little bit in our garden, wecan help wildlife that will help
with climate change as well.
And it can be a real positive,exciting journey and you can
share it with your children,your grandchildren.
You know, we all live to see,insects and things. And so yeah,
(19:07):
it's really great to have thewildlife in our garden.
We can all provide a bit ofspace. We can all help do our
little bit, and then at acumulative scale and it starts
to make a really big difference.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (19:17):
That's a wonderful idea. And I think we
can all raise a glass to that!
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the National Trust
(19:38):
Podcast.
If you like what you've heardand would like to join me on
more walking adventures, thenyou'll love our new podcast,
Nature Escape.
Each episode, we will beexploring a natural landscape
from the comfort of whereveryou're listening and hearing
from experts about how they carefor our favourite places.
And from April, the NationalTrust podcast is changing. Look
(19:58):
out for our new shows for natureand history and keep up to date
with all things podcast byvisiting
nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts.
I look forward to joining younext time for me, Claire
Hickinbotham. Goodbye.
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