Five Rainy Day Dates For Lockdown Life

When the weather is sunny and warm, the air is balmy and the countryside and your gardens are bursting with new life, finding the joy in every day and sharing that with your muddy match can feel really easy. But what happens when the good weather breaks and you need to find a way to… Continue reading Five Rainy Day Dates For Lockdown Life

Virtual Date – Canoe paddle to camp in the wilderness

Experience the tranquil waters together, then set up camp for the night just as the sun goes down. This 360 virtual date experience has been hand picked out by our Muddy Matches founder, Lucy and it’s one well worth going a little further afield into the middle of true winderness for, especially for a chance… Continue reading Virtual Date – Canoe paddle to camp in the wilderness

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

Forraging for Food with James Burton

We spent an action-packed day with professional chef, mean shot and founder of Vallum Cooking, James Burton.  Based on a Northumbrian smallholding on Hadrian’s Wall (‘vallum’ refers to the deep ditch that runs alongside the wall), James is passionate about seasonal and locally-sourced food and, with his own rare breed Middle White pigs, the shooting… Continue reading Forraging for Food with James Burton

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

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

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

Frizbee Golf in Pembrokeshire

One of the things we have been interested in on this tour is weird and wonderful farm diversification projects so, when we heard about ‘frizbee golf’ on a farm in Pembrokeshire, we had to take a look. Richard and Dawn Lewis have been farming (beef, dairy and arable) at Slebech, near Haverfordwest, for nearly twenty… Continue reading Frizbee Golf in Pembrokeshire