“You can’t live here. There are no shops,” my friend Jen stated. We were sitting in the van belonging to the pub I lived in, the Golden Cross, Slough, waiting for my parents who had an interview for t

Up through the dappled oak grove, across a tinkling stream and out into open fields. It’s a lunchtime walk I do a lot, living here in West Yorkshire’s lush Upper Calder Valley. Recently, I’d been skir

There was a time when almost every arable field in England was bounded by a hedgerow. It has been estimated that between 1750 and 1850, around 2,000 miles of hedgerow were being planted every year, li

Under the surface of Greater Manchester Mayor’s ambitions to drive forward rail transport in the region

We have just had a relaxing autumn break in Wiltshire and Somerset. Travelling from home in the Midlands on a Sunday we had a steady journey to Devizes Camping and Caravanning Club site. We had pre-bo

On a leisurely weekend break, the last thing I expected to be wearing was a hard hat with a headlamp, a battery pack and a pair of wellingtons. But there I was, fully togged up – along with seven othe