This month’s episode discovers the community of growers and gardeners in and around Bath. In recent years there’s been a resurgence with more people coming together to grow and share food, care for the land they live near or on - maybe in an effort to help communities tackle some of the challenges we’re all facing. 

Hamish Evans, co-founder of Middle Ground Growers tells me about their market garden, Weston Spring Farm, nestling just below Kelston Roundhill in Weston. They deliver organic veg boxes to 120 local households by bike. Their farm goes beyond sustainabilty and operates as a regenerative, agri-ecological model including a nuttery, coppice, wildflower meadow, bee hives, bird boxes and of course the fruit and veg beds. Soil health is improving, insects and birds are increasing and the local community is benefiting.

I meet with Emily Wright, Chair of Grow Batheaston who shows me around their Forest Garden. This is a small patch of land behind the Secret Garden in the heart of the village. A Forest Garden is a layered garden where everything has a benefit - whether it be edible, medicinal, or to our wellbeing. Everyone is welcome to join the growers club and the community planting club. There are also regular pop-up markets. Info can be found using the links below.

Finally I spend a day around the peace path in the heart of the Whiteway estate. Claire Loder talks about the origins of Bloomin' Whiteway with its annual Front Gardens Festival; Lucy Bartlett takes a group of us bug hunting and community worker Rachel Spence talks about creating the peace path and the hope that this piece of land is bringing to the community.

Credits

Music: Audionautix

Produced by Pommy Harmar

Links

www.bathscape.co.uk

www.middlegroundgrowers.com

www.facebook.com/MiddleGroundGrowers/

www.growbatheaston.co.uk

www.facebook.com/Grow-Batheaston

www.bloomingwhiteway.com

www.facebook.com/bloomingwhiteway

www.naturalbristol.wordpress.com

It’s September and it's time for Bathscape's wonderful annual walking festival!!

The episode begins with an interview on the top of Landsdown with Stephen Bird. Stephen has recently retired from being head of Heritage Services for BaNES Council. He is very enthusiastic walker and talks about his favourite walks in Bath, the joys of long distance walking and a sponsored walk between the three UNESCO World heritage sites of Avebury, Stonehenge and Bath. He gives us the benefit of his background in heritage and archaeology and brings to life the beautiful synergy of both the heritage and the landscape of Bath. 

Walking festival organiser Lucy Bartlett and I meet up to hear about what this year's programme has in store for us.

She also takes me on a preview walk around Bath City Farm, a magnificent place, not just for the animals, but also the woods, the fields, the ponds and the staggering views over Bath. The walk we went on has been planned with The `Cotswold National Landscape. It’s suitable for the whole family and takes place on the first day of the walking festival on September 10th.

The walking festival runs from 10th - 25th September 2022

Credits

Music: Audionautix

Photograph: www.bathnewseum.com

Produced by Pommy Harmar

Links

www.bathscape.co.uk/walking-festival/

www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk

www.bathcityfarm.org.uk

www.naturalbristol.wordpress.com

Back on land this month after two episodes on the water - this time we are exploring the wonderful world of meadows.

From Bath city centre, I walk up to meet with Anita Breeze and Chris Kinchin-Smith, two of the Directors of the Friends of Lyncombe Hill Fields where they show me their newly created meadows and the second UK site of a Tiny Forest!

I then walk over to Smallcombe Vale meeting Bathscape Manager, Dan Merrett on the way to find out from National Trust Assistant Ranger Issy Troth and George Cook, Avon WIldlife Trust, about seed collecting and the all important meadow plant Yellow Rattle.

In between, Team Leader of Bath Parks Project, Paul Pearce gives us his expert knowledge on meadow creation and the importance of increasing biodiversity in our landscape.

Credits

Music: Audionautix

Produced by Pommy Harmar

Links

www.friendsoflyncombehillfields.co.uk

www.bathnes.gov.uk

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk

www.naturalbristol.wordpress.com

July's episode is a fabulous exploration of the River Avon. Listen closely to see if we spot beavers!

Part 2 of our canals and river explorations takes us looking for beavers with Bevis Watts, CEO of Triodos Bank, ex CEO Avon WIldlife Trust.

Also we venture into Alison Peach's garden to see where otters come to visit from the depths of the river.

Anna Baker tells us about the Cleveland Pools Project where the fully restored pools will soon be open to the public and which from spring 2023 will be heated by a heat pump using river water.

Credits

Music: Audionautix

Produced by Pommy Harmar

Links

Ottercam YouTube Channel: Otters on Avon

• www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXwD4Dd5iruXPROYQwP8-w

Bevis Watts. River Journey, searching for wild beavers and finding freedom, Tangent Press, published 1st July 2022

• www.tangentbooks.co.uk/shop/river-journey
• www.clevelandpools.co.uk
• www.naturalbristol.wordpress.com

In a 2-part series of the canals and rivers of Bath, this month we paddle along the Somersetshire Coal and the Kennet and Avon canals, and find out how they contributed to the building of Bath.

We meet a woman who runs pottery workshops from her boat and a man who illuminates the life of a 'continuous cruiser'.

Finally I hitch a ride on the back of Dan's bike to the Claverton Pumping Station where we explore the early industrial revolution and meet the machine which has pumped water up to the Kennet and Avon canal for two centuries. It dates back to the year Pride and Prejudice was published - 1813!

Bathscape Manager Dan Merrett and his daughter do the paddling while I drop a hydrophone into the water and listen to the birds! This is the life!

Music: Audionautix

Produced by Pommy Harmar

Links

Somersetshire Coal Canal Society - www.coalcanal.com

Jessica Styles - Insta and Facebook - @towpathpottery

Claverton Pumping Station - www.claverton.org

www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

www.naturalbristol.wordpress.com

This episode is all about trees!

We find out about Bath's plans for a series of tree trails and meet the trees in Hedgemead Park with tree enthusiast Fiona Bell.

Woodland Trust site manager Joe Middleton gives us his expert knowledge and experience with ash dieback.

And we go wassailing at Bath City Farm with 'January' played by Oliver Langdon from Kilter Theatre Company. Tom Sheppard, High Sheriff of Somerset and Cllr June Player, Mayor of Bath make an appearance.

For more information about Bathscape visit www.bathscape.co.uk

Credits

Music: Audionautix

Produced by Pommy Harmar

Links

• www.hedgemead.org/tree-trail
• www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
• www.bathcityfarm.org.uk
• www.kiltertheatre.org

This episode is all about farming. In fact it’s all about one farm, and we hear from 4 generations of people connected with the farm since its beginnings 105 years ago.

When the Ashcombe Estate was sold off in 26 lots in 1917, Marianne Brunt's grandparents bought Lot 4, Manor Farm Langridge. Our story starts with her as she grew up at Tadwick farm across the valley.

We then meet Rachel de Fossard whose family farmed there for 50 years, before meeting the current owners Donald MacIntyre and Jane Lipington. Finally Donald's daughter Laurie talks about her work on the farm.

We hear about the changes in machinery, how water was piped to the farm using a Ram (no, not a male sheep!), what life was like before electricity and just how harsh the life was before central heating.

Credits

Music: Audionautix

Produced by Pommy Harmar

Links

www.bathscape.co.uk

www.naturalbristol.wordpress.com

In this episode we look back at how we remember our ancestors and loved ones in Bath.

We start at the Bath workhouse burial ground where 3000+ people were buried in unmarked graves in a field on the Wellsway near St Martin's Hospital. We hear from Richard White from Bath Spa University who created the Walking the Names project and on that day, Bathscape had organised an event to plant more than 40 trees as one way to memorialise the people buried there.

John Payne tells us about the workhouse and how his great grandparents are buried up there. His leaflet From Workhouse to Hospital is available from Oldfield Park Bookshop and the Museum of Bath at Work. Proceeds go to the Burial Ground Appeal. He has also written a book called A West Country Homecoming - see link below.

Finally in our Expert Eye section, Dr Molly Conisbee, University of Bristol talks about the various ways we have marked death and remembered our loved ones over the centuries.

Music: Audionautix

Produced by Pommy Harmar

Links

• Dr Molly Conisbee, University of Bristol
• From Workhouse to Hospital leaflet by John Payne
• A West Country Homecoming, John Payne, Hobnob Press 2020
• Richard White, Walking the names Project
• www.bathscape.co.uk



Starting off season 2 with Visions of Bath, this episode has been inspired by Bathscape’s Views and Vistas project where volunteers are researching and monitoring historically important viewpoints and where appropriate, restoring or enhancing them.

We see the city from three different hill tops and I am joined by people who have worked or walked the land for decades.

Starting on Twerton Round Hill, Di Sheppard, Landscape Architect with Bath and North East Somerset Council gives an insight into why Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage site and introduces us to her favourite word palimpsest!

On Kelston Round Hill we meet Andy Dinham whose family has farmed in the South West since the seventeenth century, and Dick Bateman who has walked the hill 1400 times (both pictured). Billie Brocklehurst joins us from Brocks Outdoor Adventures for a cuppa!

I tramp up Little Solsbury Hill with Barry Cox, Cotswold Warden and we get ambushed by the boss of Bathscape himself Dan Merrett. Also making an appearance on the top is Nicole Daw, Cotswolds National Landscape, Rob Kendall, Cotswold Warden & Little Solsbury Commoner and John Bartram, Cotswold Warden & Chair of the Cotswold Way Association.

Credits

Music: Audionautix

Produced by Pommy Harmar

Links

• Bathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk
• Cotswold AONB - www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk
• Brocks Adventures - www.brocksoutdooradventures.com
• www.naturalbristol.wordpress.com

Season 2 is about to take off.....find out more in our short trailer!

For more information about Bathscape visit: www.bathscape.co.uk

Produced by Pommy Harmar