"Look at it this way"

Benedict Cumberbatch has explored some hopeful geographical stories for a new documentary which is now available to view on YouTube. There are some accompanying teacher resource and other materials to download if you are interested in using some sections with students.

A cross-posting from my GCSE Natural History blog. BBC's Countryfile yesterday came from the Westacre Estate. It sits in the Nar valley in West Norfolk, just a few miles from where I live. The River Nar is a chalk stream and flows within a few hundred metres of my house. On iPlayer. The estate manages 8500 acres in a large block, running up towards Gayton near King's Lynn.  A walking map is also available. The website provides details on their activity. Henry Birkbeck - used the estate for shooting and with farming and agriculture over one hundred years ago. Alex Birkbeck showed the presenters around the estate. He is the estate Manager. He took over when he was about thirty. The main house was sold off (to Anthony Gormley) in 2010. Rewilding efforts are taking place in the wet woodland areas of the estate. The drought affected this activity. There are lots of ponds on the estate (over 250) which help with water management and the biodiversity of the estate, particularly ...

I'm currently reading Nicholas Crane's new book on the history of Britain's footpaths: how they came about originally following the drowning of Doggerland , and were then refined by successive waves of change: horses, the Roman invasion etc. It's a dense and scholarly work, with plenty of points of interest and relevance to geographers exploring the connections between people and the landscape. He's taking his book on the road in a series of talks, with three confirmed so far. Here's the description for his talk at Stanford's book shop at the end of the month . He's also speaking in Exeter and Stamford. Walking is a cornerstone of British identity and the most popular form of exercise in the UK. But how much do we know about the paths that we walk? What is their history? Why do they follow the routes that they do? Are they permanent? Can we designate more of them?​ The Path More Travelled is a coast-to-coast history of footpaths from the stone age paths...

  A cross-posting from my Geography in/on Film blog. Check it out! A new film called 'Our Land' explores land ownership in the UK and the role of trespass. Free tickets are funded through the BFI Escapes initiative. Our Land dares to tread where few have trespassed before, asking the timely question of who has the right to roam in the English countryside? The UK is a wild and beautiful place, but the vast majority of it is off limits to the general public, with 92% of land and 97% of all rivers in England not legally accessible. At the same time, it is a landscape shaped by centuries of inheritance and tradition, with land held and cared for by families across multiple generations. Our Land takes us to the heart of the ‘Right to Roam’ movement as it embarks on a provocative trail of mass trespass, campaigning and education, while also exploring landowners’ concerns around environmental protection and the danger such widespread access could pose to a landscape already  under th...

A lovely short film...

Thanks to David Alcock for sending me details of this event.  It's a lecture to be hosted by Bradford Grammar School with Professor Jurgen Neuberg from Leeds University. It will take place on Monday the 27th of April at 6pm. Scan the code to book your ticket(s).