Ben Fogle: Hebrides are Outer this world!
Visiting almost every corner of the globe has made TV host Fogle an even more committed environmentalist.. but it hasn’t changed his view on the best place on the planet, writes Maria Croce
TV personality and environmentalist Ben Fogle normally spends his time travelling to different corners of the world – so it’s been unusual for him to spend so much time at home in the UK.
But although he’s had his pick of the most exotic of locations over the years, he says his favourite place is in Scotland.
He first appeared on our TV screens 20 years ago on the BBC’s Castaway show, in which he was marooned on an island in the Outer Hebrides for a year.
And he says that’s still, to this day, his favourite place on Earth.
When pressed on his favourite bit of Britain Ben, 46, said: “I’ve always loved the whole British Isles, but to narrow it down – the Outer Hebrides.
“That’s where my career started 20 years ago.”
The documentary maker and travel writer moved with his wife Marina and kids Iona, nine and Ludovic, 10, from London to the nearby Chilterns just before lockdown.
Ben said: “So we were fortunate enough to have access to rural spaces and a vegetable patch.
“We talk about this disconnect that a lot of people have with rural Britain and a lot of people forget that rural Britain isn’t just national parks and campsites.
“I think it’s important that we see the true face of the countryside and I hope that post-lockdown, people will explore every facet – including farm life.
“Farmers get a hard time sometimes but they were key workers during lockdown and as a nation, it’s important we champion them.”
But it’s been an unusual experience for Ben during lockdown.
Ben added: “I saw it as a sort of reverse expedition. Usually I pack my bags and head off into the wilderness; this time I didn’t pack my bags and closed the door.
“I’ve experienced isolation, I’ve experienced lockdowns, but they’re usually in remote corners of the world and often on my own. So to have it with my family and with the nation was very new to me.
“As much as it was a difficult time for many, we tried to make the most of the unrepeatable family time.
“I’m not going to be able to recapture those months with my nine and 10-year-olds for many reasons. It was a different but quite extraordinary experience.”
Ben, who is a patron of charity Hearing Dogs, is used to motivating others through his work – and has words of wisdom for those struggling through the pandemic.
He said: “As a species, we’re habituated to routine. There are those that struggled to adapt to the routine of lockdown, and to them I would say, as long as easing continues, get out there.
“Reconnect, get back in shape, engage with wildlife, engage with people – responsibly, obviously.
“Then there are those that became habituated to lockdown, who are slightly fearful of going out, and to them I would say, small steps. Like anything in life, you have to ease yourself in – you can’t just open your door and waltz out, it depends on your character.
“On both sides, set yourself targets, set yourself carrots, to have something to be working towards. I worry that some of the nation either want to make too big a leap, or they’re too fearful even to make the first step.”
Seeing so much of the world through his career has developed Ben’s environmentalist views.
He added: “When you spend time in wild habitats you become acutely aware of cause and effect, and the impact your footprint has. When you pick some wood to make a fire, you see the marks that leaves behind, and the more that happens, the more you want to leave no trace.
“An expedition is like an artificial form of environmentalism, because you’re forced to reduce your consumption and value your resources.
“It doesn’t surprise me that Ellen MacArthur, who sailed around the world, became a keen environmentalist, because she spent all that time on her boat desalinating water, and having to rely on everything she had.
“One of the symptoms of modern commercialism is being a bit too wasteful. We don’t think about what’s going to happen because of fast food and fast fashion but I think it is starting to change.”
He agrees that environmentalism has become more politicised recently.
Ben said: “It has become politicised and I find that quite sad. I’ve been working in this medium for 20 years and have always remained apolitical, and it’s a shame people make assumptions according to your beliefs. It’s easy to
One of the symptoms of commercialism is that we have become a bit too wasteful
throw up your hands and abandon all hope, but I’m not one of those people, so I just carry on.
“I think the mainstream press sometimes listens to a minority of voices on social media and, just because they’re very loud, assume they’re the mood of the nation.
“From my experience, I don’t think they are, so that saddens me. The press have a greater responsibility not to just l listen to trolls and propagate – and almost validate – their voices.”
Ben is now backing a farming initiative in partnership with dairy co-operative Arla, to highlight the importance of eco-friendly muckspreading techniques, and produce a fragrance capturing the smells of the countryside.
He said: “Research from Arla has shown that 68 per cent of us have been missing the countryside during lockdown. So they’ve bottled its scent – think meadows, moss and freshly-cut grass.” He believes we should all work together to be more eco-friendly.
Ben added: “It’s impossible for seven billion humans to live on Earth without having an impact, so we need to make changes collaboratively. It would be much better for 100 per cent of us to make a 10 per cent change than 10 per cent of us to make a 100 per cent change, and find a sustainable way of changing our lifestyles gradually.
“There’s a bridge metaphor that I quite like. The bridge of consumerism is broken, and we know that, so we’re trying to fix it. Some people think we should just blow the bridge up, but then we’re left stranded on either side of the river. We should build a second, much more environmentally-friendly bridge, and only blow up the other bridge when we’re finished.
“If everyone on the planet put a penny in a pot, do you know how much money we’d make? That’s my approach to environmental messaging.”