I was a bit of a tomboy when I was growing up – I’ve probably not changed much, either. I was the middle child between two brothers, so I didn’t have much choice really! I was born in Clapham, but we moved to the countryside when I was four. We lived in the Weald of Kent, near a village called Benenden, and had a fantastic garden that ran down to woods and a stream. It was a beautiful place to grow up.

It’s such a cliché, but I think, in those days, kids had a lot more freedom. There was a lot of swinging on ropes across the stream and falling in. I remember one day in particular, we got chased by a swarm of wasps. My brothers ran one way and I ran the other, and, to my great delight as a seven-year-old, the wasps chased my brothers, not me. I always had a healthy respect for nature, but that only confirmed it! For a while, my dad rented a seven-acre field with a pond, where three donkeys were kept, so we spent a lot of time up there, feeding them carrots. It was heaven for us.

I think there are huge psychological benefits to growing up in the countryside. I always remember the Wordsworth poem The Prelude, because we did it at school – it was about how a child who grows up in beautiful surroundings has a grounding they take with them for the rest of their lives. That’s so true. A country childhood is so different from growing up in an urban environment. I don’t think I realised that in any kind of intellectual way at the time, but in an emotional, instinctive way I appreciated being there.

My third novel was set in the countryside. It was very much inspired by my childhood, as well as my experiences as a psychiatric nurse. It’s about a rural family living in deepest Herefordshire, who all have mental health problems. I’m turning it into a script for a BBC film at the moment. I do believe getting away into the countryside can be a therapeutic experience. Being in such a beautiful, peaceful place does have an emotional effect.

I’m based in south London now, which is good because it’s got plenty of big green spaces. We live near Dulwich, where you can immerse yourself in Dulwich Woods, and the parks are really nice. I do miss the country and it’s always nice to get back to it – you feel refreshed. We do our best to create a balance between the country and the town for our family. My parents live in Shropshire, so we spend an awful lot of time up there. It’s one of the least populated counties in England and you can really get away from it all.

There are a lot of ancient hill forts in Shropshire and one of my favourite places is Nordy Bank. There’s a long walk up to an old hill fort, from which you can see most of the county. I don’t always like the walk, but the view is worth it. I also love the Lake District. When I was a student nurse, I used to go up there for a week at new year with a big group of college friends. We’d go climbing, sledging and walking, which was quite strenuous with a hangover!

I’ve always loved swimming in the sea. This year, I’ve been making a show for Dave called Big Splash, which is all about water and our quirky relationship with it. It’s given me the opportunity to do more wild swimming. On one of my favourite days, I went swimming with Bill Bailey in a lake in Cambridgeshire. If you’re swimming in a town pool, it’s all very structured and you’re sort of marshaled around. But there are places you can go and just dive in, in a lovely environment, where you’re surrounded by trees, not changing rooms. I’d recommend it.

I also took part in the Maldon Mud Race in Essex. There are about 400 competitors running down a 500m course of mud – and it’s absolutely horrible! It’s not even an ancient custom – it’s not been going for much longer than ten years, I think. I entered with Sean Lock and he finished the course by doing the backstroke, while I had to be pulled out of the mud.

We’re very good at recycling at home. I don’t think there’s much excuse really – it’s so easy now, with recycling sites and council bins on your doorstep. I try to support anything that helps look after the planet and stops things getting any worse. Obviously, you don’t want to leave your children some hideous industrial legacy, where it’s all too late. It’s hard to reverse the situation we’re in, but we need to educate people and get governments behind plans to improve things – from litter and recycling to carbon emissions. It’s important to maintain what we’ve got.

Jo Brand has appeared in numerous TV shows, including the BAFTA-winning Getting On, which she co-wrote, and will present Jo Brand's Big Splash on Dave in September. She is a contributor to CPRE's book Icons of England (Black Swan)