YOUR LETTERS
Have your say on rural issues.
I write this while the country is in the Covid-19 enforced lockdown. Living in the Brecon Beacons, feeling the wind in my hair and the freedom of the hills has become a great pleasure to me – one that has felt central to my wellbeing and sense of self in recent years.
But their open-access land is currently closed, and I cannot exercise there. Not only that, but I can’t quite reach them, even for exercise, without using the car, which would rightly be looked down upon and contravene lockdown law. So instead of consuming the vistas and open landscapes of the hills, I, like millions of others, have started walking locally, straight from my front door.
Where once I might have finished work and then found myself angsting over which hill I could most quickly reach, or which would give me the most spectacular sunset stroll, in the absence of choice I have just walked and contented myself with the path I have taken. And I have found that this brings great pleasures, discovering new footpaths, hazel-roofed holloways, damp meadows with curlews, quiet lanes, gently tinkling brooks, banks of mosses and so much more. In submitting to simply going truly local for my walks,
I have found a sort of peace descend, and a rediscovery of the sorts of spots in which I would have found magic as a small child.
It seems to me that Covid-19 will mean many changes in our society. How will weeks or months of lockdown affect how we use the countryside? How will our behaviour change, and might we travel and consume less, but experience more? And finally, how will BBC Countryfile
Magazine – which could sometimes be seen as encouraging people to experience (and value) the countryside beyond what is merely local to them – respond?
Sean Crawford, Brecon, Powys
Editor Fergus Collins replies:
Hello neighbour, from lockdown here in Abergavenny. I recognise exactly what you are saying about finding local treasures and magical experiences. We are producing a feature in our July issue where the whole magazine team will share our discoveries on our doorsteps. We have also worked hard to change the tone of the magazine to reflect the current situation – we can still bring the countryside and its wonders to every reader but we must place less emphasis on actually visiting these locations until after this crisis is finally over.