Author: Andrew Mitchell

The Graffiti Project

Some time ago we heard about the Graffiti Project at Kelburn Castle in Fairlie, Ayrshire, and decided that we had to stop off there on our Muddy Marathon. To put you in the picture, Kelburn Castle is home to the tenth Earl of Glasgow and is said to be the oldest castle in Scotland to… Continue reading The Graffiti Project

Haggis Making

Well we couldn’t go to Scotland without learning a bit more about the legendary haggis, could we? Some say that the haggis is a four-legged Highland creature, which has two short and two long legs to help it run around the hills. Now we don’t want to disappoint any American tourists by discussing whether that… Continue reading Haggis Making

Gundog Training in Worcestershire

The morning after the Winter Wonder Ball, we headed off to Tenbury – the mistletoe capital of the UK – to meet Pip Kendrick, who set up her own business, Sporting Saint, manufacturing and supplying gundog training equipment. She also introduced us to a local friend of hers, Jeremy Sharp, who runs a gundog training… Continue reading Gundog Training in Worcestershire

Worcestershire Young Farmers Winter Wonder Ball

Fellow Muddy Matcher, Christina, is from Worcestershire and got us involved with the Young Farmers’ Winter Wonder Ball at the Three Counties Showground, near Malvern.  When we eventually found it – no thanks to SatNav, which nearly got thrown out the window on our fifth journey through Malvern rush hour – we were amazed by… Continue reading Worcestershire Young Farmers Winter Wonder Ball

Wiggly Podcasting

Our trip to Wiggly Wigglers, a Herefordshire natural gardening company, was a late addition to an already full itinerary but we had heard that its founder, Heather Gorringe, was a really interesting woman, and decided we could probably squeeze something else in before we collapsed of exhaustion. It was well worth the effort. After developing… Continue reading Wiggly Podcasting

A Day on a Mixed Farm

Exactly midway through our tour, we spent the day ‘helping’ Christina’s friend’s brother on his mixed farm in Priors Hardwick, Warwickshire.  We’re not sure how much help we were, but it was damn good fun! At 23, Hugh Darbishire is back on the family farm after finishing college and bursting with ideas. But it’s not… Continue reading A Day on a Mixed Farm

Making Ice Cream at Red Lion Farm

We went along to Red Lion Farm, a family-run dairy farm in Haughton, Staffordshire, to find out how they make their delicious ice cream.  We pulled up outside a very smart Scandinavian-looking log cabin (their shop and tea-room) and were met by Alison Hollinshead, who runs the business with her mother and father.

Speed Dating at Harper Adams

We had a great night at the speed dating evening at Harper Adams. There were around fifty people keen to get involved, ranging from freshers to fourth-year students, and some veeeery positive answers on the cards they had to fill out about the people they chatted to. We’re convinced that some of them will be… Continue reading Speed Dating at Harper Adams

Fighting for Fordhall Farm

Following on with our theme of the lengths to which people will go to stay where they feel they belong, there is no story more inspiring than Charlotte and Ben Hollins’ battle against the odds to save their family farm and the way of life that their father believed in so passionately. When we arrived… Continue reading Fighting for Fordhall Farm