By Charlie Gladstone This is a short series about people who live and work outdoors. In this remotely-recorded lockdown series I talk to people who have chosen to live as close to nature as possible; from a forager to an environmental artist and from a warden on a remote island to a shepherd, these are the voices of the outdoors.
Our thoughts this winter, across our businesses, are focused on getting our guests and customers outdoors. I believe that winter is every bit as good as summer and that our relationship with the colder and darker months has become weirdly soured.
Autumn and winter last for about half the year, so we might as well try to make the best of them.
So here’s a short piece on my favourite kit -indoor and outdoor- for winter.
Roger Phillips is a mushroom maestro and one of the most respected foragers in Great Britain.
In 1975 he began his life’s major work, photographing an encyclopaedic collection of world plants and he has since written 20 additional volumes with combined sales of 4.5 million copies worldwide.
In 1989 Charlie & Caroline Gladstone, SGI co-founders, upped sticks in London and moved to Glen Dye, Kincardineshire to raise their family.
They would go on to quite literally write the book on The Great Outdoors, and have always championed and befriended those who carve a life out for themselves in the countryside.
With a great exodus now taking place in our cities, these are the stories of those who call the countryside their home.
We asked them to speak about their favourite month in the country.
Tree-watching is a very under-rated hobby.
We tend to pass trees by, acknowledging them as part of the landscape, and paying more attention to wildflowers or wildlife. But once you start to recognise trees and to really observe them, they are every bit as fascinating and rewarding.
Chickens. They’re everywhere. No, seriously!
As least twice a day I get up from my desk and head outside to wave my arms around in a fashion similar to tai-chi in attempt to usher chickens safely back into The Walled Garden.
Charlie is here to talk to us about what he sees as the personal benefits of walking and then standing still.
As a retired (for now) runner and an incredibly active (in mind and body) person, we’re excited to hear Charlie speak on these subjects.
Rachel, the estate manager at Glen Dye, says that we should all hail the small but mighty Leatherman, so we asked her to tell us why…
When people ask me where I’m from, I tell them I’m from Flintshire. And yet, to my dismay, the response that I’m most often met with is, “where on earth is that?!”.
Asparagus season is here! There’s so much that I love about these alien-like green spears that wind their way up through the soil when the sun shines. At Hawarden, their arrival is a true celebration of spring.
Join Charlie, Caroline and Flash on one of their favourite days out, near Glen Dye, Scotland.
To mark to launch of our brand new, and brilliant, Farm Shop Campsite in Hawarden, here are our favourite tents, as tried and endlessly tested by us.
Natasha Lloyd, a Medical Herbalist, details 5 spring plants to forage with de-toxifying and replenishing properties.
Join Charlie, Caroline and Flash on a walk around the Charr Loop, Glen Dye.
