Country Life

In 2018, Mark Ashley-Miller bought a boat. There's nothing unusual in that, but there is in what happened next: he decided to sail around the coasts of Britain and Ireland, visiting every single harbour in the British Isles. And unlike most people who have such pipe dreams, he actually did it.

The journey is now over, and we're delighted that Mark joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast to talk about his five years at sea, the 9,000 nautical miles he's sailed, and the 300+ harbourmasters he visited in the course of his epic journey.

As well as talking through the inspiration for his trip, Mark talks about his favourite places on the route, the most hospitable harbourmasters, those who were rather frostier... and the one who immediately threw Mark and his crew the keys 'to go exploring' the local area before cracking open the Irish whiskey for a night of revelry. He also talks through the day he had to be rescued by the RNLI, and the few harbours that he wasn't able to make it in to — and why.

Mark has written a book about his experiences, which is available to order now with all proceeds going to The Seafarers' Charity. You can find out more about Mark and his journey at his website or see his Instagram page.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Mark Ashley-Miller

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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Jules Perowne — CEO and founder of Perowne International — is one of the most respected voices in the luxury travel industry, working as a consultant and PR guru for some of the most famous hotels in the world, including Gleneagles, Claridges and dozens more around the globe.

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Now, she's also becoming a podcaster alongside the actor Richard E. Grant, presenting the newly-launched Hotels with History show. It's a podcast which looks at some of the most storied places to stay, telling tales of war, celebrity scandals, legendary parties and shocking moments that turned buildings into landmarks.

We're delighted that she joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast to talk about Hotels with History, the world of top-end travel, the places which should be on your list for travel in 2026 and even a few of her pet peeves — including the horrors of 'a bathroom designed by a man'.

You can listen to Hotels with History wherever you get your podcasts, and find out more about Jules's work by following her on Instagram.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Jules Perowne

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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For most of the last 2,000 years, the white-tailed eagle — or sea eagle — has been one of the most common birds of prey in Britain.

That all ended in horrendous fashion from the late 18th century onwards. Shooting, poisoning, egg collection, a mania for taxidermy and more combined to see this majestic creature — affectionately dubbed the 'flying barn door — hunted to extinction in Britain. The last bird is thought to have been killed in 1918.

Fast forward a century and they are now one of the great success stories of nature. Starting with four chicks brought to RAF Kinloss in June 1975, a 50-year effort led by the RSPB but supported by a string of other organisations has seen populations restored from the Highlands to West Sussex. The RSPB have celebrated this milestone with the making of a film, Return, which tells the full story, and we're delighted that two of the — conservationist Dave Sexton and musician Alice Boyd — joined the Country Life Podcast to talk to James Fisher about how it all came together.

It's a wonderful, inspiring story which shows just what can be done by committed experts, backed by long-term thinking, and is a must-watch for anyone with even a passing interest in wildlife and nature. As of August 29 it's now available to watch on the RSPB's YouTube channel.

You can find out more on the RSPB website — rspb.org.uk — about white-tailed eagles themselves, the making of the film and Alice's hauntingly beautiful music which captures the beauty and majesty of these great creatures.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guests: Dave Sexton and Alice Boyd

Producer and Editor: Toby Keel

Music: Alice Boyd and JuliusH via Pixabay

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If you are a person who lives in the UK, and you like standing in, or nearby, rivers, there’s a good chance you will have heard of Farlows. It is one of the great outdoors companies of the UK, a place for all fishermen and women to obsess over rods and reels while they tell themselves that they would catch way more fish if they could just buy a bit more gear.

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We were joined on the podcast this week by Robin Philpott, group CEO of Farlows and Sportfish, to talk about the business, fishing and the state of our waterways, because while the newspapers have only been covering the pollution crisis for the past few years, the people on the rivers of this country have been sounding the alarm for a decade.

When you think about it, who better to keep an eye on our rivers than the people who spend their time standing on or nearby them? Falling catch numbers, murky water and low levels have been plaguing this most ancient sport for a long time, and if there’s one thing an angler has in spades, it is patience when it comes to making a fuss.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Robin Philpott

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Robin was more than forthcoming about the work that Farlows and other fishing businesses are doing to raise the alarm and help protect our rivers, from investing in more sustainable business practices to creating Sportfish Rivers Month, a grassroots campaign that saw anglers spending the month of July cleaning and improving the health of our rivers. After all, if there’s no fish, there’s no fishing.

It was a fascinating chat with a business leader in a sector very close to Country Life’s (and this host’s) heart. We hope you’ll enjoy listening.

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Hedges are fascinating because they are like buildings. They are pretty much everywhere in rural England, Scotland and Wales, and yet do we ever really stop and think about what they are and what they do?

One man who thinks a lot about what they are and what they do is Richard Negus, a professional hedgelayer and writer from Suffolk. His recent book, Words from the Hedge: A Hedgelayer's View of the Countryside aims to shine a light on these great green structures that define and demarcate our green and pleasant land.

Not only are they important for nature, Richard says, they can also tell us much about the history of rural England from Enclosure all the way to the agricultural policies of the post Second World War era.

As well as laying hedges with his trusty billhook and chainsaw, Richard's work also sees him meet plenty of unusual but crucial conservationists that work in East Anglia, and his hands-on approach gives him a perspective on rural affairs that might be considered 'different' to those making policy in Westminster. The countryside is an idiosyncratic place, but Richard tries his best to explain why things are the way they are.

He's also a podcaster himself, so if you enjoyed this episode, check out the CountrySlide podcast, and you can read his articles on Scribehound, The Critic, Country Life and elsewhere. But first, listen to this engaging and entertaining chat.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Richard Negus

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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Ken Follett is a man who doesn’t really need much introduction, but introduce him I will anyway. Thirty-eight books written. 197 million copies sold in 80 countries and in 40 languages. Very popular across the world — and even in China and Brazil, according to the man himself.

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You would think that might be enough to retire on, but Ken is not interested in retirement. Rather he would like to talk about his latest book Circle of Days, which is about the building of Stonehenge and is out on September 23 (but is very much available to pre-order now).

Ken has long been the master of historical fiction, with his bestseller Pillars of the Earth adoring most bookshelves up and down the country. He joins the podcast to discuss his writing process, and how he combines his painstaking research with fiction to create his much-loved tales.

We also chat about cathedrals, the revival of Notre Dame, whether he’s played his own video game, a fictional dinner with Shakespeare, and his favourite place in the UK (the answer to which might just surprise you).

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Ken Follett

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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You would be forgiven that a trip to space might be one of the hardest things that a human being could do. But, it might actually be becoming a Master of Wine (MW). After all, more people have been to space than there are MWs.

One such master of the grape is Beth Pearce, the head of buying at Flint Wines, who took some time from her very busy schedule of finding, trying and signing off on some of the world’s finest wines to join the Country Life podcast.

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She was incredibly gracious in talking to me, a self-confessed wine idiot, about her career in the industry. From working at Majestic, to passing her exams to become an MW (who knew there were so many essays involved? Not me), to her work at Flint, buying some of the finest terroir-driven drops the world over and putting them on tables at the finest restaurants, hotels and private collections in the country. 

It’s amazing to hear just how much effort and skill is required in not only producing wines, but tasting them, pairing them, and presenting them. Thankfully, Beth absolutely knows her stuff, and not only gives us a peek behind the scenes of the wine-buying world, but also offers us some take-home advice on what we can do to drink better wine, as well as get ahead of the curve.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Beth Pearce

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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'There was a time when I couldn't walk down the King's Road without being mobbed,' chuckles Levison Wood. This is no brag, though: it's said with the bemusement of a man who was catapulted to fame after his plan to trek the length of the River Nile made him into an unlikely celebrity alongside today's crop of modern explorers.

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We're delighted that Levison joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast this week, to talk about how his early life roaming Staffordshire morphed — via a stint in the Paras regiment — into a career trekking the world, from the jungles of South America to the freezing mountains of the Himalayas. His books and documentaries — one of which became the most-watched factual TV programme in Britain in 2015 — have made him a hugely well-recognised face, and he tells the tale of how his thirst for adventure, and his fascination with connecting with people around the world, brought him to where he is today.

That fascination with people also underlies his latest book, The Great Tree Story. He happily admits that he's no botanist, and couldn't tell one species of tree from another: instead, this is a tale of how the lives of people have intertwined with the trees around them for millennia. Take the yew trees that dot churchyards around Britain, for example: they weren't planted after the ancient churches were built; instead, the churches were built at the sacred spots where the oldest trees stood proud.

It's a fascinating listen; you can find out more about The Great Tree Story here.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Levison Wood

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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What do catflaps and some of the finest carpentry in the land have in common? Bruce Hodgson, that’s what.

The man who founded Artichoke is our guest on the Country Life Podcast this week, talking us through the history of the brand, as well as his own personal journey as a craftsman, and what the future holds for heritage crafts.

Bruce’s journey to Artichoke wasn’t what we’d call traditional. After ‘being asked to leave’ school, and a brief stint in the army, he returned to the thing that made him happy as a child. But it wasn’t straight into the Country Life Top 100 for him — he spent 15 years working as a carpenter before Artichoke became synonymous with elegance, timelessness and quality.

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Bruce’s is a fascinating story, but he’s not done yet. Not satisfied with creating one of the country’s most well-respected interiors companies, he’s determined to put making and craftsmanship back into the spotlight.

Whether it’s little steps, such as re-framing woodworking away from being just ‘a hobby’ and to be taken more seriously as a career, to larger projects such as the Inspiring Makers conference, apprenticeships, work experience and the Artichoke School of Furniture, it’s clear that in Bruce, making has a fine champion.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Bruce Hodgson

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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Anyone who loves P.G. Wodehouse knows Jeeves and Wooster, Blandings Castle and the Oldest Member golf stories. But what of the man himself? His early life as a sensation on Broadway? His extraordinary seven-days-a-week work ethic? The truth about his attempts to flee the Nazis, scuppered by an unreliable car, before he was interned and pressured into making wartime broadcasts for the German regime? His later life in the US, and his sadness at never returning to the UK — even to collect his eventual knighthood?

These are some of the things that fuelled a conversation a decade ago between Robert Daws and Stephen Fry, which set Daws off on a road that will lead him to the stage at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh this summer, playing the role of P.G. Wodehouse in a one-man show, Wodehouse in Wonderland.

'Stephen mentioned that very few people know anything about P.G. Wodehouse the writer,' he said. 'They might know about the scandal around him in the Second World War, but apart from that, not really anything. And we thought there should be something.'

That led to Daws speaking to William Humble, a friend, collaborator, screenwriter and playwright who happened to have been working on an unproduced screenplay about Wodehouse. The play Wodehouse in Wonderland was ready within weeks, went on tour a couple of years ago, and is now back on stage at the Edinburgh festival to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Wodehouse's death.

We're delighted that Robert was able to join us on the Country Life Podcast to talk about Wodehouse's life and career, from his little-known start as a writer of smash-hit shows on Broadway — he was a huge success before he wrote a single word about Jeeves and Wooster — through to his final years living in the US.

Wodehouse in Wonderland is at Tabard in London from July 20-22 and at The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh from July 30 to August 25, 2025.

Episode credits

Host, editor and producer: Toby Keel

Guest: Robert Daws

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Back next week: James Fisher

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