My trip north to northern fields, moors, forests, and the streets of Glasgow for COP26’s Green Zone, is mainly in pictorial form. There’s much to glean from between the lines, beyond the pic, and if you click the links. (refreshed May 2026)
Updale
An old friend puts me up for the night in Swaledale. We talk about curlews and 30 years working in land. I buy cheese at Settle as an offering to my upcoming rural conversationalists. Then to Malham. A picturesque landscape worthy of a National trust postcard – which is what much of it is.
For some, it’s less about unprofitably pushing to produce food, but more about letting the land ‘express’ itself, which in turn then turns a better profit. Farming on, and between the gritstones, is a new vibe gripping some farmers in this area.
Cross moor
There’s more hen harriers on grouse moors than people know. Natural England’s ‘raptor fieldworker’ and some birders at Druids Hide near Masham were delighted by 7 ring-tails coming to roost; with a peregrine razzing them up to boot. A piece in the Guardian here (Dec 21) on the place.
Shooting north
A wild windy day to shoot the breeze and some ‘wild’ pheasants while garnering intel as to what people think on the ground. “When’s this steel shot coming in?” was heard in the pub at the end of the day.
Face to face
Always good to chew the cud face-to-face. Especially after a year of observing online shenanigans and wilting in soulless webinars. Rewilding is wanting bed fellows but may have left it late in the day. Obtuse yes? Contact me if you want the intel.
Forestry habitat
Doddington North forest is England’s largest area of recent new planting. Though few have heard about it. There’s also plenty of natural regen, snipe and kestrels. Talking of sniping, Twitter can be a tough place to ‘ground-truth’ some reality issues, which are generally best appreciated on site.
[spot Doddington’s snipe over spruce]
Into a street Cop
How fascinating to interact with activists as they challenge both environmentalists and XR. Later a farmer ‘bombs’ a Sainsburys sponsored event, mavericks, politicos embrace enviro, Leaf labelled greens at Tesco. While hydrogen powered JCB tractors close in, youngsters voice lines to be heard and drummers vent their anger.
This 60 sec #voxpop caught me out: ‘what will the UN do about us cooking on toxic smoke charcoal?’ My 60 sec COP outtake is about building trust on an ability to collaborate and move beyond the doom-laden stuff.
“To explain the science behind climate change, have a debate…we are not here to educate people”
Climate Fresk
Langholm revisited
From city station to open road (hybrid) car to revisit an Scottish community buy-out of land near Langholm. A place I’m well acquainted with – see here (Langholm Partnership Project) here (Join the Dots) and here.
Community-led wildlife in wild places while meeting what statutory nature designation demands, is a brave journey for Langholm in southern Scotland. Listen to the podcast here via BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Pennine to post
Finally across the Pennines to sum up for an online ornithological BOU conference on ‘Birds and people: from conflict to coexistence’ (resultant commentary and research paper from the event here).
I realise we all need a tad more time to read behind pictures, think between the lines or even unpack popular soundbites.
“men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely”
Thomas Macaulay, 1830
ends
Addendum – some of these subjects are covered in my two part podcast with Chair of Natural England – Tony Juniper – Part 1 – here (from food strategy to hen harriers) Part 2 – here (from beavers to badgers)
[This blog is dedicated to my dear father – countryman, hunter-naturalist, forester – who died this month aged 84. He suffered from depression and took his own life]