BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN There is a remote farm up on Dartmoor twelve miles from where I live where I was taken last summer on a hot Saturday afternoon by a friend. We were accompanied by two fellow fathers from our sons’ sports club. One of the fathers is a diminutive fellow who I never much liked and with whom I found I had little in … Continue reading The Cathedral of Scrumpy
BY CSM STAFF WRITER Crop yield is an important agricultural metric that determines the amount of produce per land unit that ultimately gets on our tables as food. Needless to say, it has a direct impact on global food security constantly threatened by conflicts, natural hazards, economic shocks, and a growing population. By 2050, there will be an estimated 9.8 billion people, and to provide … Continue reading Strategies for Navigating Productivity Hurdles and Maximising Crop Yields
BY GARY BAXTER So, Dear Friends, it seems offgen offwatt or just off-whatever-they-want-to-call-the-bollox have finally come to their senses over Thames Water. The shareholders have told them to f off as well. ABOUT BLOODY TIME! Your clown of a CEO thought he could get away with the sewage pumping, or is it dumping? You thought your clients would foot the bill for your total incompetence. … Continue reading Notes from the Actual Countryside
Every summer since 1970, music enthusiasts from across the globe have converged on the picturesque countryside town of Glastonbury. While this quaint Somerset village largely goes unnoticed for most of the year, come summer it’s the ultimate destination for both music fans and pagans alike as Glastonbury Tor forms the heart of many summer solstice celebrations. Glastonbury Festival is, of course, renowned for its stellar … Continue reading The Environmental Impact of Glastonbury Festival
BY GARY BAXTER You may think that my Notes from the actual countryside rants are nothing but rants but believe me they convey the true strength of feeling in the British Countryside. We really are getting more than just a little bit pissed off out here in the sticks! We are tired of the townie rabble. Chavs and spivs dressed up as ‘doctors’ or TV … Continue reading Notes from the Actual Countryside
Spending time in the great outdoors is one of the joys of living in or visiting the British countryside. When you’ve got kids in tow, it opens up a world of opportunities for fun family adventures. Here are 7 ideas for making the most of the fresh air with your little ones. Go on a Nature Walk Let the kids take the lead on a … Continue reading 7 Fun Things to Do in the Countryside When You Have Kids
BY MARK CRUDGINGTON In 2023, the HSE released its “Opinion on the Annex 15 dossier proposing restrictions on lead in ammunition.” As is often the case with reports from government organisations, the authors seem to opt for verbosity where brevity would suffice. One can easily lose enthusiasm while wading through a swamp of jargon that offers little substance. Regrettably, I’ve squandered a significant portion of … Continue reading HSE and Steve Barclay to Close Churches and National Trust Buildings?
BY GARY BAXTER As I sit in a loading bay I am currently stewing over a video that I had sent to me the other day by Squire Blacktop of a river keeper on the Test, one of this country’s best trout chalk streams who is being completely savaged by the absolute clowns at Natural England who are telling him that his conservation work is … Continue reading Notes from the Actual Countryside
BY BEN O’ROURKE In the summer of 2023, United Utilities was named one of the country’s top polluters. Newspapers published charts ranking it alongside other water companies. Pubgoers sipped at frothy pints while spewing about scummy spills and angry activists and celebrities took to social media to fume. In days, there were few people in the country who hadn’t heard about the scandal. Not long … Continue reading The Haweswater Report
BY GARY BAXTER As I sit in a hotel at Dartford near that poxy bridge watching traffic and more bloody rain falling I decide to have a look at social whatever they call it this week to find EVERY 6 ARTICLES that money grabbing lot the RSPB are busy rattling their tin for funds. This time with pictures of English Partridge and more claims our … Continue reading Notes from the Actual Countryside
BY SARAH GREENWOOD A response to ‘Labour wants to fully ban fox hunting’ as seen in the newspapers of late. Obviously, the Labour Party hasn’t learned any lessons from its recent history and appears hellbent on making the same mistake that Tony Blair made and came to regret. It appears only Blair regrets anything, because the current wannabe cabinet possesses what they say they don’t … Continue reading Labour’s Countryside Bunkum
BY GARY BAXTER Last week I went to see Charlie Jacoby at a gathering of likeminded folk not too far from home. It was nice to see so many people there for an evening of fun. While there I was described as the second most angry falconer and field sports enthusiast in the country. Well I know I have much displeasure with those utter dipsticks … Continue reading Notes from the Actual Countryside
BY BERT BURNETT I read the Times article below with an equal mix of amusement and incredulity. (Please click on image to read) Now no doubt it will be farming practices which get the blame rather than thieving BBC presenters. When things start to disappear that’s the easy way out. Of course, we all know that there is something more obvious going on. In the … Continue reading Vanishing Kestrels & Baffled Scientists
BY BERT BURNETT We keep hearing this soundbite … “Scotland is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, and our country’s biodiversity has been altered by centuries of habitat loss, fragmentation and management changes.” But where is this decline taking place? It’s not on managed moors be they Highland, Perthshire, Angus or Southern. These areas abound with a complete package of waders, … Continue reading RSPB Fails & Anti-Shooting Bluster
BY MARGARET ASHWORTH I am not sure if I have ever seen a stoat. Since we have been in Lancashire I have glimpsed one or two animals which could have been stoats but at a distance they could equally have been weasels. Many people will know the unhelpful saying: one is weasily identified, while the other is stoatally different. This is a weasel (Mustela nivalis): … Continue reading On Stoats
BY MARK CRUDGINGTON Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, DEFRA Dear Mr Barclay , I am a master gun maker who has for the last 18 months been communicating with your predecessor concerning the proposed ban of lead in rifle and shotgun ammunition against which I am totally opposed. I have also communicated with DEFRA, the HSE, my MP, The Prime Minister and various organisations. In … Continue reading An Important Letter for Steve Barclay
BY JIM WEBSTER A growing number of people in the charity sector have been complaining about banks. I’m not talking about banks ‘unbanking’ people they disapprove of. Although why usurers, whose profession is frowned upon by all the world’s major religions, have suddenly become the guardians of decency, is beyond me. I’m more talking about the problems charities have had getting any sort of service … Continue reading Adopting a Charitable Attitude
BY BERT BURNETT Dear Editor, Something is fundamentally wrong in ‘conservation’ circles. We have seen huge increases in raptor populations over the last half a century, some species the highest ever recorded. Kites, buzzards, goshawks and sparrowhawks are all on the rise. We have raptor lobbyists claiming eagles are in trouble through persecution when in fact their numbers have apparently risen by approximately 35-40 pair … Continue reading Raptor Agitprop, Wader Persecution
BY ROGER WATSON In China it appears you can take the peasant out of rural areas, but you cannot stop them being a peasant. Early in the last decade China initiated a project to move 250 million people from rural areas to the cities; from shanties and small houses to the high rise apartments that characterise so much of their urban environment. In fact, since … Continue reading Urban Peasants
BY GREG LATHAM This is the result of my day on the Hill last Thursday: The gentleman who shot the stag first came to me in 1993. So, he has been coming to stalk deer in Scotland for the past 30 years. Over that time, he has rented self-catering accommodation, hotel accommodation and, for the last fifteen years or so, a Highland Lodge. Always bringing … Continue reading Deer Stalking Notes
