BBC Countryfile Magazine

MY COUNTRYSID­E

The BBC presenter, anthropolo­gist and author discusses her zest for getting outdoors, her rewarding rescue dog and the magic of holloways

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Writer and BBC TV presenter Mary-Ann Ochota on wild camping on Dartmoor and ‘disrespect­ful’ litter.

Igrew up rural Cheshire and always felt most at home in the countrysid­e. I live in London now, but I escape whenever I can. I keep up my connection to the countrysid­e by exploring and writing about it – but it’s also deep inside me. The British countrysid­e is a dynamic place. It’s been shaped by all the people who came before us – 12,000 years of permanent occupation – and it’s still evolving. The traces of those human histories are there to spot, if you know the clues to look out for. I love exploring on foot, usually with my dog Harpo at my side. I’m a Hillwalkin­g Ambassador for BMC and a #GetOutside champion for the Ordnance Survey. Map in hand, rucksack on my back, fresh hills and fields before me, enticing me on – that’s what makes my heart sing. I’m also game for horse riding, camping, mountain biking, climbing, scuba diving – anything that gets me outside. Holloways, those sunken tracks that drop you into a hedgerow tunnel, are magical. I love the feeling of having feet planted in the earth with a canopy of green above, walking the old ways. Some holloways are medieval – others are probably prehistori­c. You’re walking in the footsteps of the ancestors. There’s a natural instinct to be tribal, but it does a disservice to both town and country when we default to clichés. We’re a small island and I can get to incredible wilderness areas in a few hours travel from the city. The urban/rural divide is more about mindset than geography. I’d love to make more paths accessible. Not everyone can clamber stiles, but that shouldn’t stop them from accessing the countrysid­e. I’d also stop people throwing litter around in the countrysid­e. It does my head in! I walked some of the Yorkshire Three Peaks trail with a friend and we spent the day

picking up sweet wrappers. It’s not just about the impact on the environmen­t or how it looks – fundamenta­lly, it’s disrespect­ful. Andrew Price, a bushcraft expert in

South Wales, is my rural hero. We met on a Time Team shoot, and now we’re pals. His extraordin­ary knowledge of British plants and fungi opens my eyes to details I’d miss. The exploring bug doesn’t strike by accident. Getting excited about the outdoors has to be behaviour modelled by all of us. It’s about building confidence and skills and starting small. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every child learned the essentials, such as map reading and first-aid?

We’re facing serious challenges when it comes to planning, new developmen­t and revitalisi­ng rural communitie­s. We need to invest in skills and infrastruc­ture, such as farming apprentice­ships and high-speed broadband, so people can build businesses in rural communitie­s. Otherwise half the country will become toxic commuter belt and the other half will decay. Retraining our rescue dog Harpo was so rewarding. It took a lot of work and tenacity from both of us. You’re both learning how to communicat­e. The animal/human bond can make for an incredible relationsh­ip. While wild-camping with Harpo on Dartmoor, the mist descended and it was spooky and beautiful all at once. It felt as though time stopped. I’ve been chased by cows on a footpath. I’d released the dog, which is the safest thing to do, but it didn’t stop them charging us from the other side of the field. My Primus stove signifies freedom to go adventurin­g. When you’re up in the hills on your own after a glorious day’s walking, there’s nothing like a hot meal over a blue flame as the sun sets. If I were a British wild animal, I’d be an otter. Although I’m nowhere near as graceful in the water. Or out of it, for that matter! Cream or jam first on a scone is a trick

question. If it’s a fresh scone made with buttermilk, you don’t need to put anything on it and it’s delicious. So before you can get the lids off the pot of cream and the jam jar, the scone’s in my mouth.

“Map in hand, rucksack on back, fresh hills before me – that makes my heart sing”

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 ??  ?? Hidden Histories: A Spotter’s Guide to the British Landscape is out now (Frances Lincoln, £20)
Hidden Histories: A Spotter’s Guide to the British Landscape is out now (Frances Lincoln, £20)

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