Ramblings

Clare Balding walks with the actor, and passionate bird-watcher, Samuel West around one of his favourite birding spots, the RSPB reserve at Rainham Marshes in Essex.Currently in rehearsals for a West End production of Uncle Vanya, Samuel West takes a day off to share with Clare Balding his deep love of birding.He's drawn to birdlife because, he says, it reflects human-nature so well, "birds interact with the world through colour and song, both of which we - as humans - really get."A trip to Kenya at the age of 14 ignited this passion; "In Britain, birds were 3 inches long and brown.. in Kenya they were 7ft tall and couldn't fly, or bright blue... they were easy to tell apart... that's where it all started".Producer: Karen Gregor.

Clare Balding continues her series of wildlife walks with a visit to the Irish Coast. Today it's "Ramblings reunited", as she is joined again by Irish naturalist and broadcaster Eanna Ni Lamhna and her husband John Harding. Clare Balding last walked with her on a 'holiday hike' in the Wicklow mountains in September 2002. Today expert naturalist and broadcaster Eanna, takes her on a beautiful tour of the diverse wildlife havens of her home city, Dublin. They dig for lugworms and talk Ulysses in Sandymount strand. They discover the unlikely winter stopover of flocks of thousands of Brent geese - Fontenoy Football Club (the geese have a taste for the well mown turf!)On they walk to Ringsend Nature Reserve. In this a wonderful elevated wooded area, built on reclaimed builders rubble, they find a haven for linnets, goldfinches, blackbirds, wrens, curlews and egrets in the surrounded by wonderful views of the Dublin mountains and city spires.As they walk, they revisit their walk, conversations and friendship built in the rainy Wicklow Mountains ten years ago, and explore how much their lives, and their walks, have changed since Clare's last visit.

Environmentalist and well-known broadcaster Eanna Ni Lamhna takes Clare into the fabulous walking country of the Wicklow Mountains. She's a mine of information on many subjects and keeps Clare entertained as they climb - to be rewarded by a view of the lakes of Glendalough.

In this series Clare Balding is going on wildlife walks around the UK. Today Clare meets taxidermists and life long friends Dave Astley, Mike Gadd and James Dickinson. They follow Mike's daily route along the river Wharfe in West Yorkshire to observe the rich variety of local animals, insects and birds. Taxidermists might not be the first people who spring to mind when you think about wildlife-lovers. However, the intimate knowledge of the anatomy and behaviour of birds and animals that a successful taxidermist needs, can only be developed through detailed observation of the natural world. So for a taxidermist a walk can become a valuable research trip.Dave, James and Mike are three of the UK's leading taxidermists. They have worked with exotic animals, repaired museum specimens of extinct creatures and worked with international British Fine artists. They've even created mythical beasts. Over 20 years the trio have worked and walked together. Clare joins them to find out more about their close and unusual friendship. Clare accompanies them along the banks of the river to find out about their techniques and the motivation behind their trade. Is it macabre as many might think? On the walk they share their unique insights into viewing the natural world. They seek out kingfishers, wrens and fritillary butterflies. They share stories from behind the scenes of Britain's thriving, but little known world of taxidermy. They also discuss the profession which they feel is still misunderstood.Producer: Lucy Dichmont.

In this series of Ramblings Clare Balding is going on wildlife walks around the UK. Today she is in Richmond Park in London with internationally renowned sculptor and artist Nicola Hicks M.B.E. Nicola's work focuses on animals sculpted in straw and clay and drawn on huge sheets of paper. Dynamic and distinctive, it has gained wide critical and public acclaim. Her statues of a dog in Battersea Park and a giant beetle in Bristol have become local landmarks.Twenty years ago, Hicks grew tired of the pressures of the London art scene and decided to make her artistic love of wildlife a reality. She decided to move her growing family to Cumbria and become a sheep farmer. It was steep learning curve with many joys and setbacks. As Clare and Nicola explore the surprisingly rich wildlife habitats of Richmond Park, she discusses her acclaimed artwork, her deep love of British countryside and wildlife and the highs and lows of adapting to rural living. Having just taken the decision to sell the farm and the rolling hills to return to London for good, Nicola shares with Clare her excitement and sadness at the transition. Can you really find walking and wildlife satisfaction in London? Nicola shows Clare how, she passionately believes, you can find natural beauty, insects and animals as rich and diverse as that in the countryside.Producer: Lucy Dichmont.

Clare Balding is walking with dogs (and their owners) throughout this series of Ramblings.Prog 6 - Whitley Bay with Barry StoneIn this week's programme Clare Balding meets author Barry Stone, his partner Paul and their dog, Bonzo the black Lab. Barry's childhood was coloured by the secret of his father's homosexuality and alcoholism; both parents had been traumatised by their experiences during the second world war and Barry had a deep personal struggle in coming to terms with his own sexuality. Over the years he attempted to write his story - eventually burning one manuscript of 300,000 words - and it was only at his mother's funeral that he was struck by the need to write through the 'voice' of Brucie (his childhood pet dog). The resulting book, a semi-autobiographical novel called 'Barking at Winston' was initially self-published with local distribution but was quickly picked up commercially and is now selling successfully around the country.Barry and Paul take Clare on a favourite local walk through Whitley Bay to the village of Holywell. Starting at Barry's childhood home, the place where Brucie first came into his life, they head down to the beach and then the promenade of Whitley Bay sea-front. From there they turn inland and walk through Holywell Dene - a beautiful and peaceful area of ancient woodland - before heading home.Producer Karen Gregor.

Clare Balding is walking with dogs (and their owners) throughout this series of Ramblings.Prog 5: Pen Farthing on Dartmoor Pen Farthing is a former Royal Marine; while serving in Afghanistan he rescued an Afghan fighting dog which he named NowZad after the village where his unit was based. He brought NowZad back to the UK (which in itself required military-style planning) and when he left the Marines started a charity which runs a shelter in Afghanistan for stray and abandoned animals. The central aim of the charity is to catch, neuter and release stray dogs to prevent the population growing yet further. Pen lives in Tiverton in Devon and, for this edition of Ramblings, he takes Clare Balding on a wild walk across Dartmoor. Accompanying them is Patchdog (a massive Afghan Kuchi) and Maxchap (rescued from Iraq). Sadly Nowzad is a little old for such a long walk, but his story is central.Producer Karen Gregor.

Clare Balding is walking with dogs (and their owners) throughout this series of Ramblings.Prog 4: Larkhall, South Lanarkshire.This week Clare Balding travels to Larkhall in South Lanarkshire to meet Scott Cunningham. A veteran of some of Britain's long-distance walks (including the West Highland Way, the Pennine Way and the Southern Upland Way) as well as the bagger of multiple Munroes, he never walks without the dog, he describes as his 'best-mate', Travis. On this walk around the Larkhall area, he describes the intensity of their relationship and the joy of his companionship. This will be a particularly moving walk for Scott, as Travis - who is a guide-dog - is retiring the following day, and a new dog, Milo, will take over. Scott was awarded an MBE last year for his achievements, which include raising over £150,000 for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Producer Karen Gregor.

Clare Balding is walking with dogs (and their owners) in this series of Ramblings. Programme 3: Alnmouth, Northumberland If you go walking with a dog, something extraordinary happens: complete strangers will talk to you. Sometimes this doesn't go any further than a regular 'good morning' but occasionally strong friendships are formed. On this week's Ramblings Clare Balding goes walking in rural Northumberland with Kelly Smith and her friend Carolyn Ryan. They met while dog-walking and struck up a close friendship which is mirrored by the incredibly strong connection between their dogs: Mel the Border Terrier and Kizzy the Lurcher.The walk begins in Kelly's kitchen, where her partner (the author Val McDermid) explains why a Border Terrier was such an obvious choice of dog for this neck of the woods. Then (leaving Val behind to make bacon sandwiches for their return), Clare, Kelly and Carolyn head down to the beach for a bracing, uplifting walk. Kelly and Carolyn explain how their friendship works, and how - despite an initially difficult start their dogs are now inseparable.Producer Karen Gregor.

Clare Balding is walking with dogs (and their owners) in this new series of Ramblings. Prog 5: Dartmoor with Alex Lyons who is a search and rescue dog handler.Alex Lyons is a dog handler with the Tavistock-Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team. He and several members of his team - and their dogs - take Clare for a wild, wet and windy walk on Dartmoor. Clare sees how the rescue dogs work, and asks why anyone would want to spend their leisure time doing a voluntary job which is exhausting and occasionally upsetting. The answer? A sense of fulfilment, the opportunity to spend time in beautiful and remote countryside, and - of course - the joy of working with highly trained and intelligent dogs (who make their presence felt, and heard, throughout the programme). Producer Karen Gregor.