On Nature: Unexpected Ramblings on the British Countryside

On Nature: Unexpected Ramblings on the British Countryside
Литагент HarperCollins

A diverse and entertaining collection of writing examining and celebrating the British Countryside, from falconry to foraging and from the musings of a nighttime angler to tips for seasonal drinking.LANDStuart Maconie (Radio 2) on hill walking / Wainwright walksNick Small (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) how to get nature into your garden, no matter how urban it isRichard King (Loops magazine editor) on the Winter Solstice and on the Summer SolsticeJohn Wright (www.wild-food.net/ on the basics of getting started in foragingBill Drummond (Damsons in Distress)Dan Kieran (Crap Towns/I Fought The Law) on falconryRIVER / INLAND WATERSJohn Andrews (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) on winter pike fishingJon Berry (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) writing about the night from a fishermen's perspective, the sounds, shadows, the hallucinatory effects of sleep deprivation when the sun risesCOASTLINEIan Vince (The Lie of the Land) on the Jurassic coast and fossilsMartin Noble (British Sea Power) the Exmoor to Dartmoor coastal walkNick Hand (http://www.slowcoast.co.uk/) on what you see when cycling the entire coastline of the UKMichael Smith (BBC4 Drivetime) on the coastline in the north of EnglandISLAND LIFESarah Boden (The Observer) on fleeing London to move and become a sheep farmer on Eigg

Caught by the River

On Nature

Unexpected Ramblings on the

British Countryside

Stuart Maconie • Bill Drummond • Tracey Thorn

Martin Noble • Charles Rangeley-Wilson

Chris Yates • Ian Vince • Cheryl Tipp

Ceri Levy • John Wright

And Others

Contents

Cover (#ufaccbd79-f25c-59a9-8cba-bd4b00b100d4)

Title Page (#ud56df14d-4471-5f0d-afe1-14f25efc5ad8)

Introduction

A Chain of Ponds – Chris Yates

The Falconer’s Tale – Dan Kieran

Wainwright Walks – Stuart Maconie

How to Tell the Difference between . . . Swallows, Swifts and House Martins

Oysteropolis – Michael Smith

On the Road to Damascus – Bill Drummond

How to Catch Trout – Charles Rangeley-Wilson

Name that Tune – Cheryl Tipp

Drinking the Seasons – Mark Dredge

Reclaiming the Language – Paul Evans

How to Tell the Difference between . . . A Primrose and a Cowslip

How to See Wildlife – Colin Elford

Two Moors Walk – Martin Noble

The Night Fisher – Jon Berry

How to Bird – Ceri Levy

To the Greenhouse – Tracey Thorn

Hidden Truth in the Lie of the Land – Ian Vince

Deeper than the Wind – Dexter Petley

Hush – Robin Turner

How to Tell the Difference between . . . Frogs and Toads

Eating the Landscape – John Wright

Bracken – Mathew Clayton

Winter Pike Fishing – John Andrews

The Lazy Naturalist – Nick Small

Cycling Round the British Coast – Nick Hand

How to Tell the Difference between . . . Grasshoppers and Crickets

Living on a Remote Island – Sarah Boden

Radnorshire Annual – Richard King

Waterfall Staircase – A. Harry Griffin

Author Biographies

Copyright

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Introduction

How can you get the most out of Britain? Although a strange question, it was one we at Caught by the River found ourselves asking. We wondered – after having immersed ourselves in the great modern chroniclers of the countryside such as Deakin, Yates, Macfarlane and Mabey – how you could apply the subtle magic of their books to your life. You might love great angling writing but how do you actually read water? You know the blue tit from the blackbird in your back garden but what’s the best way to start birding? What’s edible and growing freely in your local area? And how on earth do you do the Wainwright Walk?

With those questions in mind, we were inspired to answer them in a book. On Nature – the follow-up to our previous collection, Words on Water – would be a ‘How To’ guide to the British Isles, written by the people who understood the landscape the best. We asked a list of Caught by the River contributors (and a fair few people whose work we admired but had never met before) if they were interested in writing about their particular field of interest. The book would be a beautifully written user’s guide to our country. From foraging to fly fishing, birding to brewing, On Nature would offer pointers, primers and pertinent lessons from those in the know, passing knowledge to those willing to learn.