Keen to find out a bit more about the Lake District’s Search and Rescue Dogs Association (SARDA Lakes), we arranged to meet Les Telford, one of the handlers, in a car park in Keswick and follow him to Buttermere, where their weekend training was taking place. A nail-biting journey then ensued as we tried to… Continue reading Training with SARDA: the Search and Rescue Dogs Association
Tag: country dating
Abseiling in the Lake District
Think outdoor activities in the Lake District and you might be conjuring up images of wet school trips with ill-fitting waterproof gear and soggy sandwiches. Okay, so the Lake District isn’t known for its tropical climate, but Johan and Emma Hoving, founders of outdoor activity and holiday company, RiverDeepMountainHigh, strongly believe that with the right… Continue reading Abseiling in the Lake District
Spying on Salmon
We came across the Philiphaugh Salmon Viewing Centre by chance when we saw the new log-cabin tea shop they have just built next door and thought we’d kill some time and grab a cuppa. Our mobile country home obviously caught the eye of the owner of the Philiphaugh Estate, Sir Michael Strang Steel, and he… Continue reading Spying on Salmon
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
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
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.
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
Muddy Matches at BASC HQ
Having met a couple of people who work for BASC over the weekend we decided it might be nice to pay them a visit at their office since we were practically passing the door. It was great: we met up with Jane who gave us a tour (they’ve got cool offices based around a converted… Continue reading Muddy Matches at BASC HQ
Chinese Whispers
Those of you keeping an eye on what we were up to in Wales would have seen that we went to the Plough Inn in St Asaph to hold a Pub Social. To quote us in our itinerary, “apparently this pub is a farmer’s hotspot”. Err…it wasn’t…far from it, in fact! We’re not sure how… Continue reading Chinese Whispers
Green Shoots North Wales: Shooting for Conservation
On Saturday, we spent a very interesting day with Alex Hatton from the BASC initiative, Green Shoots North Wales, to find out what their aim was and what work was being done. Background to BASC and the Green Shoots Initiative BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) is the largest and oldest shooting association in… Continue reading Green Shoots North Wales: Shooting for Conservation