A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY
PLACES TO GO, THINGS TO DO, IDEAS TO T RY
BACK FROM THE BRINK…
The survival of red squirrels has been precarious since the Victorians introduced their larger grey cousin to the UK. These out-competed the reds for food in many parts of the country and spread fatal squirrelpox. The Highlands have remained a safe haven, thanks to landowners, wildlife organisations and the Ministry of Defence, whose recent initiative at Kirkcudbright Training Centre, attracting pine martens to the site, drove out encroaching greys. Signs from the 2023 Great Scottish Squirrel Survey have also been encouraging, with nearly 1,200 sightings in October alone. Glimpsed a red squirrel near you? Record it at scottishsquirrels.org.uk.
HAVE A GO…
Nettles have been used to make sustainable textiles since medieval times, their long stalk fibres strong and fine enough to weave into a lustrous, smooth material similar to linen.
Workshops at Chichester’s Weald & Downland Living Museum will take you through the basics of this heritage craft, gathering nettles, extracting the fibre and spinning it to use for your own weaving, knitting or crochet projects. wealddown.co.uk
MEET THE MAKER
Ling is the founder of Paper by Dragonfly, creating blooms out of paper, wire and a little glue from her Wirral studio. I’m on a mission to encourage people to look more closely at wild flowers. I want everyone to experience the wonder of nature and build an emotional connection to it.
Sustainability is really important to me. I have a special interest in the origins of colour and pigment, and often cook up plant and vegetable matter to create my own natural dyes, inks and stains.
Making paper flowers is an enchanting and mindful realm. Connecting to nature and absorbing myself in my craft has helped me to recover from burnout. It’s the perfect escape from the rigours of daily life.
Anyone can do it. My background was in sales and management before I set up a design business. I now share the art of creating paper flowers through day and evening classes, as well as selling kits so you can make them at home. paperbydragonfly.com
OF THE BEST... waterside cafés
WAVECREST CAFÉ, PEMBROKESHIRE Walk through the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and get delightfully waylaid at this spot at West Angle Bay (wavecrestangle.co.uk).
THE SOUND CAFÉ, ISLE OF MAN Watch dolphins play in the strait as you enjoy a kipper sandwich on the southern tip of this Crown Dependency (thesound.im).
WATCH HOUSE CAFÉ, DORSET Tuck into crab sandwiches, looking out at the golden West Bay cliffs (watchhousecafe.co.uk).
SOUTHSEA BEACH CAFÉ, HAMPSHIRE Go for a dip, then sip tea by South Parade Pier (southseabeachcafe.
