Adventurer Fogle’s greatest challenge: the wilds of Henley!
TV ADVENTURER Ben Fogle has rowed across the Atlantic, scaled Everest and raced across Antarctica to the South Pole, but no feat has prepared him for his next challenge.
In an unexpected move, the 45-yearold is relocating wife, Marina, and their two children, son Luca, nine, and daughter Iona, eight, to the countryside, where they will let farm animals roam freely in their home.
‘I’m super excited. We’re going to have lots of animals but none for eating,’ he tells me. ‘We are largely a veggie family these days. There will be plenty of chickens but all of them will be on our beds rather than on our plates. We’ll use the chickens’ eggs to make lots of cakes.’
Having bought his first West London property with the help of cash left to him by the late Tatler social editor, Peter Townend, he has now purchased a period cottage outside Henley-on-Thames, in Oxfordshire, which they will move into early next year.
‘I’m looking forward to building our own little wild utopia in the countryside. We’ve been wanting to spend more time in the countryside for a long time.’
Fogle, whose animal-loving father Bruce founded The London Veterinary Clinic, adds: ‘More green space and time away from the city effectively means we will have more quality time together when I am not travelling for work. That will have a good, positive impact on us as a family. My in-laws live around there, too.’
The TV star and author shot to fame on the TV series Castaway in 2000 and has since presented series that have taken him all over the world — though none of his exotic locations, it would seem, has inspired him to adopt the likes of llamas and alpacas.
Speaking ahead of his Tales From The Wilderness tour, which starts next month, he says he’s excited to get his hands dirty. ‘It’s got a big garden so I’m looking forward to getting my fingers green working on creating a beautiful garden.’