CountrySlide

Are things actually getting worse in the countryside, or are we just noticing what has quietly disappeared?This week, Richard Prideaux, Richard Negus and Callum McInerney-Riley talk about access to the countryside, disappearing rural services and the difference between visiting rural Britain and actually living in it.Callum looks back at his earliest memories of fishing and how his relationship with the countryside has changed, while the two Richards compare that with growing up surrounded by rural life. From there, the conversation moves onto village shops, post offices, buses, unreliable postal services and the lack of resilience that comes with living somewhere where everything is spread further apart.Richard Negus then takes the scenic route through rural transport history and arrives at Sutton Hoo, Basil Brown and the question of whether one of Britain's most famous archaeological discoveries would have been quite so easy to make today.There are also detours into AI, long marriages, old branch lines, tiny trains, men in Lycra and the possibility that the modern countryside has replaced Basil Brown with baboons on Strava.Richard and Amy will also be at the APF Exhibition at Ragley later this month, so if you spot the hand painted sign, come and say hello.Links:Sutton Hoo, National TrustThe story of Sutton Hoo and the 1939 excavationRoyal Family anniversary messagesAPF Exhibition 2026Support SideCountryDISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

This week the gang try to hold it together, and after Callum’s cardigan, Richard Negus’ suspicious lighting and an unexpected Tim Curry impression, they eventually get onto the question of how children actually learn about the countryside and whether enthusiasm has gone out of fashion.Callum’s son taking a copy of The Field Junior into school sparks a wider conversation about field sports, conservation and what happens when teachers and parents are themselves increasingly disconnected from rural life. The three Richards - well, two Richards and Callum - talk about Natural History education, grandparents, letting children get muddy, learning where food comes from and whether enthusiasm is being quietly trained out of youngsters.Along the way there are childhood fishing trips, bird spotting from the car, deer stalking with a three-year-old, wildfowling misery, whistling children, an unexpected meat-and-pest-control tour, and Callum’s ongoing campaign to hand fishing rods to any curious child who happens to wander past.Essentially: how do you give children a connection to the countryside? Possibly by worrying less, letting them have a go and accepting that somebody is probably going to spill a pint of maggots.CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.You can contact us by email on: [email protected] Links- T-shirts are still available on - store.sidecountry.co.uk- Sign up to our newsletter - The Rural Register- SideCountry Network- Negus' book tour dates can be found hereThe HostsRichard Negus websiteCallum McInerney-Riley websiteRichard Prideaux websiteEdited and Produced by Amy Green for SideCountry NetworkDISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

After a few weeks off, Callum, Negus and Prideaux catch up on their summer activities. Negus has spent the hottest months of the year indoors writing his next book, while Callum has been catching absolutely nothing from a kayak, eating slightly furry muntjac and eventually earning the title of shark hunter after landing several sizeable tope in the North Sea.We also discuss alternative locations for nicotine pouches, becoming the fish and the wisdom of responding to a wildfire warning at sea by heading ashore and lighting a barbecue.CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.You can contact us by email on: [email protected] Links- T-shirts are still available on - store.sidecountry.co.uk- Sign up to our newsletter - The Rural Register- SideCountry Network- Negus' book tour dates can be found hereThe HostsRichard Negus websiteCallum McInerney-Riley websiteRichard Prideaux websiteEdited and Produced by Amy Green for SideCountry NetworkDISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

Richard Negus caught up with Jamie Blackett to talk about the new campaigning organisation he has set up to help Britain's ground nesting birds. They talk about some of the problems faced by ground nesting species, the changes which Jamie has seen on his own farm, and what Ground Cry intends to do to identify the gaps in current research, speak honestly about challenges, and support practical, evidence-led solutions.CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside. You can contact us on social media, or by emailing - [email protected] Ground Cry website- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi- Sign up to our Newsletter - The Rural Register- CountrySlide website- Negus' book tour dates can be found here- Land Use FrameworkThe HostsRichard Negus websiteCallum McInerney-Riley websiteRichard Prideaux websiteEdited and Produced by Amy Green for SideCountry Network. DISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

After a heady weekend of parties, pubs and car park shenanigans, we go through our highlights and experiences at The Game Fair 2026. Richard Negus found himself with the freedom of the fair, Richard Prideaux spoke to nearly everybody in attendance, Callum McInerney-Riley almost saved the day and George Browne had more costume changes than a pantomime dame. CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside. You can contact us on social media, or by emailing - [email protected] T-shirts are still available on store.sidecountry.co.uk- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi- Sign up to our Newsletter - The Rural Register- CountrySlide website- Negus' book tour dates can be found here- Land Use FrameworkThe HostsRichard Negus websiteCallum McInerney-Riley websiteRichard Prideaux websiteEdited and Produced by Amy Green for SideCountry Network. DISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.