Caroline Quentin
The actress and comedian discusses the joys of gardening, her fascination with slow worms and the critical importance of our national parks
“The marsh shimmered with thousands of cobwebs draped with dew drops”
Igrew up in Reigate, Surrey during the 1960s. At the time and – thanks to the green belt – still to this day, huge swathes of Surrey are rural. Certainly as a child in the early 60s, I always had access to fields, commons and woodland.
I now live in mid-Devon. I love to walk and am a keen birdwatcher. I also adore swimming in the sea and in freshwater lakes or rivers. And I’m a very keen gardener.
The most beautiful natural sight that
I have ever seen in Britain has to be the marshes at Walberswick in Suffolk, with an unseen bittern booming from its nest in the reed beds. To me, the outdoors mean peace and healing, both physically and mentally.
The ideal home, for me, is about
proximity to nature. A perfect house has a view of either rolling hills or rolling waves, birdsong and nights free from light pollution.
When it comes to happiness, it seems that humans fall into two very distinct
groups. There are those who love to be in an urban environment and those who are happiest in the countryside. I’m a country person, even though much of my working life is spent in cities.
To get away from it all, nothing beats being at home in Devon, in my greenhouse. I LOVE GARDENING. Nothing makes me happier than a day in the vegetable garden.
My most treasured memory of the
outdoors is of walking near Brancaster Staithe in North Norfolk with my husband and our then three-month-old daughter, strapped to his chest. We came across some marshland draped in thousands of cobwebs, each strung with dozens of dew drops – millions of tiny diamond necklaces, shimmering in the morning light. I cried at the sheer beauty.
In an ideal world, all children would spend
50% of their lives outdoors. Climbing, riding, swimming, walking, cycling, playing games, laying hedges, building dry stone walls, watching nature and growing food, learning about the natural world in the best possible classroom… the outdoors.
If I were a British wild animal, I would be
a slow worm. Not really a worm or a snake but a limbless lizard, they are beautiful creatures, basking in the sunlight, silky smooth and metallic bronze, like ancient, mythological serpents. They are a protected species and I think they are fascinating.
It’s very hard to pick a favourite place in
Britain. It’s rather like being asked to choose one’s favourite child! The Helford River in Cornwall, Mid Devon, where I live now, the Sussex Downs and the Surrey Hills where I grew up… The north Norfolk coast and the Suffolk coast, where my husband and I spent the early days of our relationship… As I grow older I spend more time writing. I’m currently writing a novel and for the past four years I’ve also written a regular column for Prima magazine. Whenever I’m stuck for inspiration, I put on my walking boots and head out on to Exmoor National Park.
As president of the Campaign for
National Parks, my message to the public is get out there and make the most of our beautiful national parks! They are national assets, protected for all to enjoy. We need to show people in power that we love national parks and will continue to do so in the future. Oh, and by supporting the Campaign for National Parks, of course! My favourite outdoor kit has to be my Meindl Bhutan walking boots.
Spring is my favourite season. Buds, baby birds, the acid green of unfurling leaves, and the promise of longer warmer days ahead.
If I had a magic wand I would make sure that our national parks are protected and preserved for future generations, while adapting to the demands of modern life.
So much of Britain is mysterious but I do find parts of Wales particularly haunting. Particularly the Gower.
As for whether cream or jam goes first
on a scone – I have coeliac disease, so all scones in my life have to be gluten-free. I don’t care what goes on top first as long as there is PLENTY of it!