This photograph was taken last weekend in wild bluebell woods in Wiltshire. It was one of those magical and memorable evenings. Memorable because of the atmosphere and the light. There were frequent bursts of the sort of bright piercing sunlight that appears like a surprise from behind the clouds and delights you each time, lighting everything up with an intensity which shows up each and every colour and shade.

Between the bursts of sunlight light almost dreamy white clouds floated across the sky in a calm manner. And occasional deeply dark clouds created a dramatic edge to the atmosphere. The woodlands were quiet and the bluebells lay thickly around the trees and up the hill. The flowers weren’t quite fully out but still looked magnificent. I have been walking in bluebell woods since a child and I am always amazed by the experience every year.

It was pleasing to see that the bluebells were native wild ones. It’s easy to tell the difference between these and the rampant spanish hybrid which isn’t good news for our woodlands. The native wild bluebell displays the familiar bowing stem with the flowers all sitting on the same side of the stem. The native wild bluebells also have the wonderful deep and varying shades of indigo which is missing in the hybrid.

Bluebells are notoriously difficult to capture in a photograph without using a colour lens (which I never use). But it’s always fun to try. After an hour I gathered the children and we headed home smiling and happy. The whole experience had been one of the simplest of pleasures, but one of the nicest I had enjoyed all week.

The bluebells are later flowering this year than usual and certainly in South Wiltshire look set to peak probably this coming weekend or next week and to continue flowering into early June. So there’s still time to go have some fun with a camera and walk for yourself.

Alison

Foot Trails NEW Bluebell Trail in South Wiltshire is available as a three night short break, Sunday to Thursday from just £285 per person. Full details available at

http://foottrails.co.uk/walking_holidays/wiltshire/a-bluebell-trail/

Please stick with me, this post is a little longer than usual. (May I suggest a nice cup of tea as you read?)

I strongly recommend the new Channel 4 TV features within the evening news program, Green and Pleasant Land. There have been a number of films to date which are examining and looking at the changing English countryside every day and they are a good watch for anyone with an interest in this topic.

The series is exploring the threats to the English countryside caused in the longer term by climate change and in the shorter term by seasonal change caused by extreme weather events.

The populations of birds, butterflies and trees have greatly reduced.

As with all things, the issues are deep and complex. With different numbers of experts and people experienced in these areas often having a difference of opinion.

The film on trees explores the rise in the last decade in particular of the numbers of diseases and pests which have attacked British trees. In the 1970′s it was the Dutch Elm disease which killed many Elm, about 25 million I think but in the last 10 years especially the number of different diseases and pests have dramatically increased.

A lot of good work is being done currently to find strains of saplings which are resistant to the Ash dieback which has affected trees this year. Other projects are also underway.

The film on birds with Bill Bailey is wonderful. It struck a cord with me. Bill has always loved birds since a child. When he talks about birds his face lights up and he looks really happy. He remembers his father giving him an Observer book of birds. I understand. I have similar memories of the Observer books my own father had, (I still have them all) and being taught by him to learn the names of the wild flowers on our farm and in the hedgerows. Some I have forgotten I’m sure, but this joy has stayed with me into adult life. And I try to teach my children now. I would never profess to be any expert, but I have gained a love and appreciation of all things natural.

Of course the countryside will ever evolve and ever change. Nothing stays the same. But some of the recent changes are concerning. I can recall the rural England of my childhood, growing up on the farm and I do recall some things which have changed. There are definitely less butterflies than in my childhood. This next one may be revolting to some but as a girl you could not walk across a field of cows with cowpats without swallowing one of the strange red flies which fed on the pats! There were just so many of them and walking across the field disturbed them so that they flew up in the air. I never see these flies now.

As a girl I learnt when certain things would flower with some accuracy, the bluebells for example or when the apples would appear. I could impress some of my city friends with such knowledge! Now it is near impossible to predict such things with any accuracy for there are many seasonal changes and variations. And I no longer know with certainty. No-one does.

I believe things are never all bad. And that by working in collaboration, businesses, farmers, people can help support the countryside and have a positive impact upon it. It just takes some big thinking and then some very detailed and focused planning.

If you would like to see the films yourself you can visit here

http://www.channel4.com/news/uk

Please do post your comments. I would love to see them.

Alison

It is the 1st of May. Did you know that today is May Day.

And it is my pleasure to talk about and encourage the celebration of this wonderful English day. A day which has its roots deeply embedded in country legend,folklore and English history.

The celebration of May Day as a festival goes back to pre-Christian times. A time when people believed in gods and spirits which are not as widely recognised today. If we go back in history to these times, several thousand years ago, it’s amazing and fascinating. So let’s glimpse back….

At this time England would have been covered widely in woodland and forest and men would have had to go into the forest to hunt for food and for life essentials. All people would have had a very close association with woodlands and forests. It would have been their natural habitat.

Sometimes I worry that in modern times people have become very fearful of being in woodland, when they are such special places.

Anyway, back to pre-Christian England. May day fell at the time of year when the long hard winter was over at last for the local tribes people. Food was becoming more plentiful again and the forest was springing to life with fresh green leaves and flowers. Can you imagine how wonderful this must have felt to an early tribe after the long winter!

So for early tribes when spring arrived in its glory, they wanted to give thanks. And they wanted to give that thanks to someone, to a god or spirit they believed to be responsible for this miracle. And the spirit they chose to give their thanks too was a spirit known in modern times as “The Green Man”. God of vegetation and plants.

Early tribes probably felt the winter in the forest was a desolate time and so when the forests sprung back to life they gave a spiritual meaning to spring.

The green man is often shown as a face surrounded by leaves and foliage. The face can be found dating back to the 11th century in some church carvings.

There are many other stories about The Green Man. Some even say elements of the story have found their way forwards in time to more modern day characters such as Peter Pan.

I love the thought of an ancient people celebrating the arrival of spring. The joy and happiness that they must have felt. The feeling of the warmth of a spring sunshine on their faces and the sight of flowers and leaves in the forest. The forest which gave them life, food and all they needed.

And we can still celebrate and rejoice in spring today. And the beauty, tranquillity and sense of wonder woodlands can give us. So here’s to the mysterious green man. Happy May Day.

Taking my children to school yesterday I saw the first bluebells of the season in flower in the woods. Ah my heart soared instantly! There is something special about the bluebell which brings smiles to faces and a sort of sigh, to people’s voices and a dreamy eyed look to their faces.

There are certain sights which we think of as being quintessentially English and I believe a woodland carpeted in bluebells and wild garlic in spring is one such sight.

On certain days when bright clear light falls through the gaps in the woodland canopy, the immense intensity of vibrant fresh greens mixed with the deepest of indigo blues is breath-taking and magical. And the subtle scent is unlike any other.

Although we know approximately when certain plants and flowers will bloom each year, nature and weather are always firmly in charge and there can be a little variance. It is a slightly later start to the bluebell season this year. I never feel this matters. There is always something to enjoy in the countryside!

Most bluebells are found in our ancient English woodlands. We call those ancient which date back to the 17th century.

Bluebells have been around a long time.

Here are some fascinating bluebell facts!

In the bronze age people used a bluebell glue to attach feathers to their arrows.

Bees can “steal” nectar by biting a hole in the bottom of the bell to reach the nectar!

And I love this one, legend says that a field of bluebells is woven intricately with fairy enchantments

And if you find yourself yearning for both fresh air and bluebells, take a look at our incredibly special new Bluebell Trail in South Wiltshire. With prices from £258 per person including a bottle of Champagne it’s a great way to celebrate and enjoy the spring! Hurry! Breaks are available for a few weeks only. You can read all about it using the link below. And enjoy some more photographs.

http://foottrails.co.uk/walking_holidays/wiltshire/a-bluebell-trail/

Get out and enjoy our beautiful bluebells. They flower for such a brief short time.   Warmly, Alison

I was hugely excited to be speaking as an inspirational speaker at the Wire (women in rural enterprise) national conference yesterday at Harper Adams University in Shropshire.

For those who may not be familiar with Wire, it is a organisation set up to help support and encourage women in rural areas of the UK to create, start and grow a business.

The variety of businesses is wide and diverse. There are soap makers, chocolate makers, burger makers, consultants, accountants, lawyers, travel and tourism and service businesses.

There are start up courses providing essential and important information for those first starting out on their journey into business and enterprise (good idea) and the national conference aimed at helping those considering starting up but also those who have started. Perhaps to grow their business or create a fulfilling job.

11 years ago I was starting out in business for the first time with Foot Trails. An idea which had come to me as a flash of inspiration some years before that, after an 800 mile journey across France.

I was determined to shake up the tourism industry and show how fun, inspirational and indulgent walking could be. Foot Trails followed.

It would have been fantastic to have support from an organisation like Wire right back at the start. But it has played a key milestone in my own development.

So I was very honoured to take the floor and speak about my journey with Foot Trails. A journey which continues of course. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that it is the most exciting and fulfilling times I have ever experienced.

It made me really smile inside reading different messages sent to me after the conference. If this was a podcast you wouldn’t hear yourself think right now. The buzz and atmosphere of fired up business women was electrifying!

Well done Wire. Well done for the effort you make in supporting rural business women. And for the part you have played in so many wonderful rural business stories.

Alison

For information about Wire visit www.wireuk.org

Last week I had a great experience as I was invited to join BBC Radio Wiltshire for two different interviews during English Tourism Week.

For the first I traveled to the South West of the county near Tisbury (a beautiful corner) to join Alan, the owner of a country pub I’ve worked with for ten years. As the chancellor George Osborne was delivering his budget Alan and I were getting ready to talk to Marie Lennon about the value of rural tourism to the UK economy and what English tourism week meant to us both.

One of the questions Marie asked me was why Foot Trails works with other rural businesses like Alan’s. I believe country inns and country pubs provide the best experience for enjoying and exploring rural England. I also believe that partnerships are crucial to success.

As rural tourism is worth £17 billion to the UK economy (The Countryside and Land alliance published their report last week to co-incide with the budget) this is a very significant figure and industry.

For the second interview Marie and I donned our walking boots and head out over the countryside and fields of South West Wiltshire. We were lucky to have a clear dry day (no snow here) and although it was a little squidgy underfoot we could take in the beautiful views as the countryside swept out ahead of and on towards Salisbury.

I didn’t realise at the time that I was to be Marie’s first guest on her new “Ramblers Anonymous” feature. Marie and I talked about what I love about walking in Wiltshire and she asked me how my walking days had begun. My response will probably surprise many people.

If you would like to listen to my interviews you can find them here for 7 days

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p015flqy

And go to 1 hour 50 of the show

And on Marie Lennon’s Wild about Wiltshire show

http://t.co/QSNfkCdSva

And go to 43 minutes 40 of the show

Alison

Our fabulous new rural walking holiday for spring 2013, A Bluebell Trail, has certainly been hitting the headlines recently!

A week or so ago, the travel editor of the Mail on Sunday recommended the new break to readers, and yesterday the Guardian included it in their top ten breaks to enjoy in the UK.

If you would like to find out why A Bluebell Trail is creating such excitement, please visit

http://foottrails.co.uk/walking_holidays/wiltshire/a-bluebell-trail/

and to read the full article from the Guardian, please follow the link below

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2013/mar/13/late-easter-spring-breaks-uk?CMP=twt_fd

Did you watch BBC Countryfile last night? It was a special episode to celebrate the program’s 25th anniversary and was guest edited by Prince Charles. It’s available to those anywhere in the world via BBC I-player if you missed it.

The program has done a fantastic job in raising awareness of rural issues in both a sensitive and very real way.

Last night the Prince was keen to demonstrate the great skill of hedge laying and to show how challenging life can be for those who farm in the uplands of the UK.

Upland farmers often experience isolation (something which I have experienced myself as a young budding entrepreneur, and can destroy confidence) and wages are very low. The average upland hill farmer receives £16 000, some receive an income as low as £8 000.

So what, some might say. Well our farmers do a terrific job and British farming standards are amongst the highest in the world.

Farmers are dedicated people doing a job which many people would find very tough or be unwilling to do. Family farmers are out in all weathers, work long hours, which are physically as well as mentally demanding. Thank god there are people prepared to dedicate their lives to farming, breeding livestock and providing us with great quality food.

Our challenge now is ensuring that enough of the younger generation want to enter farming.

The program also whipped up a little nostalgia for me. I grew up on three different farms. As a young person I enjoyed some aspects of farm life, but wasn’t very impressed at the time with the fact that I couldn’t get anywhere under my own steam and I felt miles from anywhere. I was constantly finding mischief, (temptation was everywhere!) either for hanging out of trees by my ankles (deemed dangerous!) or for the fact that all my friends who visited often left covered in mud as I had persuaded them to explore with me. My poor mum was forever embarrassed to be handing back muddy children and their muddy clothes and shoes in a plastic bag to bemused smart looking parents in nice cars.

But reflecting as an adult it was a fantastic upbringing. I had freedom in abundance, acres of fields and woodlands to explore and roam, and fantastic life lessons in biology, maths, nature and life and death. I think it was the perfect pre-requisite to going into business for myself, although didn’t know that at the time.

Rural issues are still very real. And I hope that Foot Trails and I can help to do a small something to contribute towards the raising of awareness of issues.

So well done BBC Countryfile on 25th years, an excellent program,  and here’s to the next 25.

Alison

I was out walking in the woods at the weekend when I heard a really awful shrill cry. Thinking it may have been an injured bird I went to walk on.

The next set of screams I heard can only be described as blood curdling. I thought it was a dog, injured and in pain and clearly there was no way I was going to leave any animal in the sort of state the creature who had made the sound, sounded in.

As I ran through the woods my heart was pounding heavily, not sure of what I would find. And the shrill screams became more frantic.

As I approached a wire fence I could see a Muntjac deer caught awkwardly in the wire fence and terrified, with a small terrier dog attempting to, well, yes. I don’t think I can condone or recommend what I did, but testing the dog’s reaction and nature as best I could, I pulled it off so David could free the deer.

It wasn’t easy holding onto the dog. It was less easy for David to try and convince the struggling and distressed deer that it needed to be pushed backwards to escape the tight grip of the wire. But he did it and it bounded away.

That left the stray dog. Who by now seemed oblivious to the trouble he had caused and was happy to have my scarf tied onto its collar as a make-shift lead to be lead away. He seemed to have no idea of which way was home so that wasn’t going to work. In fact, he seemed quite happy to be out for a stroll! Eventually we found someone who knew his owner and had been looking for him so all ended well in the end.

Why am I sharing this story? Well, it was just one of those things which happened and I wanted to share the story with you. It had been amazing to be so close to a deer. Muntjac are the smallest deer in the UK and they are often called the “barking deer” (I see why). When alarmed they give an almost blood curdling scream many confuse for a fox or dogs.

Knowing Muntjac deer aren’t native to our lands I did some further research when I got home. The Muntjac were bought to England from China,  to Woburn in the 1970,s and escaped and have bred.

Some people do hate the Muntjac deer as they can be very destructive to our tree bark. But I was just left in a renewed awe of nature and I’d had a pretty distinct reminder of how harsh the lessons and ways of nature can sometimes be.

Last Sunday arrived clear and bright.The sun was out.

The day just had the sense of promise about it.

Certainly one of the best days we’ve had for a while.

I was back in South Wiltshire’s Chalke valley with David to walk with Nigel and Nicki (Foot Trails Trail guides).

Even as we drove along the Wylye valley and towards the Chalke valley we were transported back a decade ago. It was South Wiltshire’s distinctive countryside and delightful chalke valleys which first captivated both of us and inspired the idea for Foot Trails.

We lived not far away at the time and have memories of picturesque and peaceful days strolling through chocolate box villages of thatched cottages and brick cottages with clear chalk waters swirling and gurgling past.

Nicki and I were lost in conversation but David and Nigel spotted these rather handsome deer in the field.

As we strolled up the gentle slope the sight of Salisbury’s tall spire came into view across the fields. South Wiltshire’s countryside is so distinct and beautiful. It was great to enjoy beautiful weather, great company and stunning scenery. All the things we aspire to achieve on a Foot Trail.