A Walk with Jonathan Dimbleby
As Patron of South Devon AONB 50th Anniversary year, what’s your view of the
Jonathan Dimbleby
importance of the AONB? I think they are extraordinarily important, as important as National Parks. As a Past President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, I have been acutely aware of the vital role they play in safeguarding our natural heritage. The South Devon AONB is a perfect example whereby the beauty of the South Hams is protected despite being in an area that is functioning, where people farm, live and run businesses. It’s that natural beauty that is so important to Devon’s economy as well as being spiritually and emotionally uplifting for those who live or visit here.
How does your enthusiasm for walking fit into this? Because walking is the cheapest way of enjoying this wonderful countryside. I’ve always enjoyed walking, for its impact on your physical well-being but also because I love being outside in the natural environment. I’m a solitary walker, or with one or two friends or family. I don’t like walking in large groups and I’m not a trekker or rambler. I love the opportunity it gives me to think, especially when I’m writing – it uses up much less financial energy than being in the shower which I find is my other best time for thinking!
I love the physical feeling of having completed a long walk. I’m a brisk walker. My wife is even brisker, she strides and I sometime struggle to keep up. I’m not a fair weather walker – I think Spring and Autumn are my favourite seasons but I’ll happily walk in foul weather – I don’t mind the sensation of water dripping down my nose. Indeed, I love the drama of bad weather especially at the coast. That said, walking in very hot weather isn’t much fun. I will also always walk with my dog Sam although at 16 years old he’s beginning to huff and puff just lately. My favourite time of walking is also in the late afternoon.
Do you have a favourite walk? Here at home in Moreleigh, I’ve four favourite walks that I can do by setting out from home. We’re quite high up here and on some of these walks you can see Start Point in the distance in one direction and Dartmoor in the other. Our local walks cross farmland and I often find that farmers are happy for you to do this if you ask nicely and keep dogs under control and close gates after you. Perhaps my all time favourite walk is the one from Little Dartmouth down to the coast path, around to the Castle and back up past the coastguard cottages. I also like the walk to Start Point from the car park and around Prawle Point. I love the dramatic nature of our local coasts but also the way the farmland sweeps down to the sea. If I were reborn, I’d be a Devon farmer by the coast.
As a former farmer, does that give you a heightened sense of what’s happening around you? Yes, it does. I love observing the different seasons and the impact they have on the natural environment. It makes sense of the year. I love looking at crops at their various stages of development and I also listen closely to weather forecasts and think of the ramifications they have for the farmer. I get very irritated with weather forecasters who assume that ‘rain is bad and sun is always good’. I love the smells of the countryside, especially of freshly mown hay or silage. I can happily tolerate the smell of manure although, I must say, I hate the smell of chicken dung from intensively farmed poultry. I’m quite impatient with people who think country lanes should never have dung on them.
What do you carry on a walk? A stick, not to lean upon but to hook things or brush vegetation out of the way or to clear away dog mess under a bush. I also like to swing my stick – I’m a swinging walker!
What do you consider is good walking etiquette? Not looking as if you’re dressed up ready to go to war! I’m always astonished by people who dress up almost in uniform to go walking whereas I’m very casual – scruffy Barbour, wellies and an equally scruffy hat.
I also think it’s good manners to greet fellow walkers with a ‘good morning or good afternoon’. Blanking others is always bad form but especially on a walk as we’re all out there for much the same reasons. It’s also good manners to be the first to step aside on a narrow path. Clearing up after your dog is always important as this can easily spoil it for others.
Closing farm gates after you is an absolute must – if you have to climb a gate, make sure you do it on the side with hinges. As a former farmer, I’ve repaired many a broken gate!
Being considerate of the countryside should always be your responsibility; it’s not yours but is to be shared with everyone else. Leave it as you would find it.
These are simple courtesy rules, which, on the whole, most people do follow.
First published September 2010 By the Dart