Two Ways to Earn Your Boots
A forestry dispute, a very old campfire, and the uncomfortable truth that tribalism isn't something other people do
Richard Prideaux
I'm a forager, woodsman, wild foodie, outdoor safety & skills instructor, podcaster. North Wales.
At The Top Of The Year
Today is the longest day. The shortest night. The top of the year. And the quiet insult of midsummer is that the light starts retreating the moment we arrive.
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The Dark Art of Rural Nicknames
Why are the names we have for other people so often something we would rather they didn't hear?
Three Things Learned By Being Kicked By A Tree
Writing about your own injury is self-indulgent and dull, but there are few things to be said about rural healthcare.
Too Small a Country for This Much Driving
Wales looks small on the map, but try crossing it. A short drive can become a minor expedition, and that says rather a lot about rural life, roads, and assumption.
The Dangerous Bit At The Top
A cardiac arrest on a Welsh ridge, an RAF Sea King hunting through the mist, and the question of why we consistently underestimate the mountains on our doorstep.
January's Small Larder
January looks empty but it's lying. The hedgerows are still feeding us if you know where to look - and our ancestors worked out the same tricks thousands of years ago.
The Many Countrysides of Britain
We talk endlessly about the rural–urban divide, yet miss the truth that matters most: the countryside itself is split. Some counties thrive, others merely endure - and until we face that disparity, we’ll keep misunderstanding the places we love.
Whose Land Is It Anyway?
The push to create more National Parks raises important questions about who - and what - the countryside is for.
The Year the Woods Overflowed
This autumn the woods have gone into overdrive: acorns hammering rooftops, orchards collapsing under fruit, hedges dripping with berries. A mast year once fed pigs and fuelled wars - what do we make of nature’s unruly glut today?
The Rise and Fall of Quiet Wild Camping
This summer’s ‘fly camping crisis’ was no accident. Sell the countryside as a stage for freedom and people will act accordingly - social media granting a licence no code of conduct can contain.
The Overton Window of the Outdoors: Politics and Policy in the Wild
Some activities in the British outdoors draw nods of approval - others, polite discomfort. The difference often has less to do with law or impact, and more to do with an unspoken code of what nature-loving is supposed to look like.