Fiona Busfield
Fiona Busfield is Green Gardens project officer for the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. Fiona grew up in Wales and is is married to Jason. They have two children, Heidi and Tom, and the family lives in Grassington.
What’s your first Yorkshire memory? I’d have been about six when my dad won a competition and the prize was, believe it or not, a flight in a hot air balloon. But not from anywhere in Wales, where we lived, it was to start in a car park in Grassington. So off mum and he went and they had a wonderful time just drifting across all the Dales, enjoying the spectacular views. The family were all deeply envious, and they came back with loads of pictures. There’s one snap of them sitting on a local bench and I’ve actually been to it, and sat there myself.
What’s your favourite part of the county – and why? The Dales. I’ve lived here for 15 years now, we’ve brought up our two youngsters here and we love it. There’s nothing better than the scenery, the kestrels wheeling above you when you go for a walk, the hedges, the hills and the dry-stone walls. It’s just perfect.
What’s your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend, out in Yorkshire? A long walk in the Dales, discovering a nice pub and having a good beer with some friends. If I can also find somewhere for a wild swim, that would be the icing on the cake.
Do you have a favourite walk, or view? It’s actually underground – in Gaping Gill, the second-largest natural cave shaft in the UK, and it would be after I’d been winched down those incredible 110 metres to the foot, through the waters of Fell Beck, where it turns into the tallest unbroken waterfall in Britain. Someone once told me that York Minster would easily fit into the chamber itself, and I can well believe it – it is vast. You look up, and there is a tiny chink of light, far, far above you. It is just breathtaking.
Which Yorkshire sportsman, past or present, would you like to take for lunch? It’s Alastair Humphreys, the
Dales-born adventurer, who is a complete inspiration. His ethos is that we can get out there and have adventures, even ones that take only a few hours.
If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’, what would it be? Catrigg Force, which is about a mile upstream from Stainforth. It’s almost entirely hidden from view and the waterfall is about six metres high. It descends into a lovely fresh pool, which is perfect for wild swimming. You are surrounded by lush greenery, and it’s in the middle of an ancient woodland.
If you could choose somewhere, or some object, from or in Yorkshire to own for a day, what would it be? Any piece of pottery made by Rachel Whitfield, from Settle. She makes these incredible pieces and uses natural materials that she finds in all sorts of places in the glaze. Dust, wool, all sorts of things. And the results are just incredible.
What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity? My time in the RAF took me to so many interesting and fascinating places, but there was never any point where I thought “I could settle here permanently, make a real home”. But as soon as Jason brought me to Grassington to meet his family, I knew it was a special place.
Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub? It’s our local, just down the road – The Helwith Bridge Inn, which has a coal fire, it’s next to the river and it serves brilliant pub grub.
Do you have a favourite food shop? Drake and Masefield, the butcher in Settle. They sell top quality meat. They support local farmers and suppliers, and they know precisely where it all comes from.