Countryside inspiration: to read, watch and listen to
Books, poems, podcasts, films and even the people we follow can change the way we see the countryside.
For Week 3 of Love Your Countryside, we asked people from across CPRE and our wider community one question:
What’s one book, podcast, television programme, film or other resource that has shaped how you think about or experience the countryside?
Their recommendations take us from childhood classics and nature writing to poetry, podcasts, documentaries and voices helping more people enjoy the outdoors.
Whether you’re looking for your next great read, something to listen to on a walk or simply a different perspective on the countryside, we hope you find something here that inspires you.
Books to get lost in
Recommended by Andrea Griffiths, Director, CPRE Kent
Watership Down by Richard Adams
‘As a child, there were many lovely books that helped shape my thoughts and feelings for the countryside, but most notable for me would be Watership Down by Richard Adams. I must have read it 100 times at least.
‘I don’t usually like books that anthropomorphise animals but I have always loved the stories of El-ahrairah and the unique Lapine language created for the book. Still today I can’t see a rabbit on the side of the road and not feel bad about its fear of the hruduil.
‘The book highlighted to me the beauty of wildflowers and fields and the vulnerability of wildlife and countryside, and that we should fight to give them a voice.’
Recommended by Jill Vaughan, Volunteering & Participation Manager, CPRE
‘Tim Winton’s Juice is a cli-fi novel set in a scorched, post-apocalyptic future where extreme climate collapse renders the countryside a devastated, hostile, ash-covered landscape – a consequence of greed and inaction.
‘It brings into sharp focus the natural world as a fragile life-support system that demands respect and moral protection. A real wake-up call that has stayed with me.’
Recommended by Anna Hayward, Volunteering Development Assistant, CPRE
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
‘It’s set in the US, but this story showed me that the countryside is a complex and resilient network where humans, ecosystems and the environment are all interdependent.
‘Through the eyes of the characters – people living in the countryside – the book highlights the need for thinking about the bigger picture, and thoughtful ecological stewardship.’
Recommended by John Sadler, Operations Director, CPRE London
Isn’t it a Beautiful Meadow? by Wolf Harranth
Note: this book is now out of print, but may be available in 2nd hand bookshops or online.
‘Isn’t it a Beautiful Meadow? is a picture book about a grassy meadow where children love to play but which is slowly swallowed up by development.
‘This book and The Kinks’ album The Village Green Preservation Society probably influenced my decision to work for CPRE London!’
Recommended by Maria Hutton, Individual Giving Officer, CPRE
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
‘The Secret Garden and Heidi are novels I read as a child and definitely shaped the way I see the countryside.
‘They’re all about the restorative influence of being outdoors in nature, and painted such a strong picture of countryside full of life and diversity that everyone should experience.’
Another vote for The Secret Garden…
Stephanie Gardiner, Engagement Trainee at Friends of the Lake District, also chose the childhood classic:
‘A book which opened up the wonder of the natural world from a young age is the timeless children’s classic The Secret Garden.
‘It is a story of self-discovery, positive thinking and connection, both in the forms of friendship and to nature. A key lesson which I took away and carry in my work and day-to-day actions is the cyclical nature of our natural world: if you tend for it, it will tend to you.’
Recommended by Jackie Copley, Campaigns Lead
Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
‘Roald Dahl stories were my favourite as a child, especially Fantastic Mr Fox and Danny the Champion of the World.
‘The dads depicted reminded me of my telephone engineer dad, who passed on his love of nature and beautiful countryside to me, family and friends.’
Recommended by Lola Karpf, Campaigns and Content Officer
‘I know I’m late to the party, but I’m absolutely loving Hamnet.
‘It’s making me reflect on the history and evolution of the countryside – where there were once more people and there are fewer now, and how we might revive rural economies in a sustainable way.
‘I’m also enjoying learning about women’s roles and feel very drawn to Agnes with her knowledge of herbs while I try to improve my own foraging skills!’
Recommended by Jeremy Smith, Head of Campaigns and Engagement, Friends of the Lake District
On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin
‘For someone born and brought up in Birmingham and whose experience of the countryside was limited to visits to the seaside, On the Black Hill showed me another side of the countryside: a place of hard work and austere beauty that is as worthy of protecting as any picture-postcard scene.’
Books to make you think
Recommended by Mariella Frostrup, broadcaster, journalist and President of CPRE Somerset
The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd
‘Nan Shepherd, the pioneering Scottish nature writer, is my touchstone – not for peak-bagging bravado, but the quieter art of simply looking.
‘The Living Mountain, describing her walks in her native Cairngorms over many years in clear-eyed, sensuous prose, reminds us that landscapes aren’t there for conquering, but co-habitation – and discovery isn’t about distance covered but depth of attention.
‘Curiosity, stillness, familiarity and an eye to the changing seasons can be their own rich reward.’
Recommended by Jake Fiennes, conservationist and author
The Making of the English Landscape by W.G. Hoskins
The Farming Ladder by George Henderson
‘The British countryside is ever changing and evolving; in the past it was policies and, in the future, it will be climate. Collectively we need to learn from the past to ensure that our thinking is resilient for the future whilst maintaining traditions, cultures, and communities. Collectively we must recognise that we need make some decisions which may be difficult whilst others will be more straightforward.
‘Two books that have helped shape my thinking on a future countryside are The Making of the English Landscape by W.G. Hoskin – a pioneering 1955 masterwork that taught readers to see the countryside not as a static natural backdrop, but as a historical document shaped by human hands, farming, and industry over centuries. The Farming Ladder is a classic 1943 agricultural memoir and instructional guide written by Cotswold farmer George Henderson. It details his transformation of a derelict, barren property into a highly productive, sustainable, and profitable enterprise.’
Recommend by Guy Shrubshole, Campaigner & author
The Theft of the Countryside by Marion Shoard
My book recommendation would be Marion Shoard’s The Theft of the Countryside (1980). A truly seminal work that exposed for the first time the damage that industrialised agriculture was doing to the English countryside. Before she wrote it, Marion Shoard worked for CPRE in the 1970s, where she became aware of how farmers and landowners – long seen as ‘custodians of the countryside’ – were now destroying it: ripping out thousands of miles of hedgerows, cutting down ancient woods and ploughing up wildflower-rich chalk downland. Shoard’s proposed solution – to make agriculture and forestry subject to the planning system – remains radical and unfinished business even today. Later, Shoard would write about land ownership and advocate for a public right to roam in England. Her writing and campaigning have long informed my own work on land ownership, access and land use, and how we can hold landowners to account. Marion Shoard’s books remain prescient and her lifelong activism an inspiration.
Recommended by Lewis Townsend, Communication Manager, CPRE
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
‘Braiding Sweetgrass brought me so much closer to the countryside, in all its wonder.
‘It draws an important distinction between ‘ownership’ and ‘belonging’, two concepts which are often dangerously conflated. It speaks of a relationship with land and nature that is respectful and reciprocal.
‘We’ve not got that balance right, which is why wildlife and ecosystems suffer. By giving back to the land, we can regenerate and restore it.’
Recommended by Sarah Eberle MBE, garden designer
The Landscape of Man by Geoffrey and Susan Jellicoe
‘The Landscape of Man reinforced the way I think about landscape. Jellicoe’s exploration of the relationship between people, place, culture and history gave context to ideas I was already developing.
‘It affirmed my belief that gardens should respond to their setting, carry meaning and create enduring connections between nature and human experience.’
Recommended by Roger Mortlock, CPRE CEO
Landscape and Memory by Simon Schama
‘I’m a big fan of Simon Schama’s history books, but this one nails for me the relationship we have with place as humans.
‘He’s a modern-day Renaissance man, so he comes at the importance of landscapes through so many different perspectives. I come back to it whenever I need reminding about what’s important.’
Recommended by Naomi Walker, Nature Recovery Officer, Friends of the Lake District
The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas
‘It’s a very well presented and informative book that looks at the way race, religion, class, economic status, culture and other aspects of ourselves can influence how we approach environmentalism, and that diverse voices are necessary for real change.
‘It also delves into how we are affected by things such as climate change to greater and lesser extents depending on our backgrounds, and that inequality actually perpetuates environmental collapse. 10/10.’
Recommended by Anna Hayward, Volunteering Development Assistant, CPRE
‘When I was stuck in a negative mindset about the future of the countryside, this book showed me the importance of thinking with an open mind about what’s possible.
‘It encouraged me to imagine positive alternatives, using inspiring examples from the real world.’
Book and film adaptation – recommended by Amy Everard, Centenary Events Lead
‘For me, the healing power of nature and the countryside has been one of the few places where I feel most present.
‘The Outrun is a beautifully written memoir of the pull between Orkney, where Amy Liptrot grew up on a farm, and London, before she returns to Orkney and immerses herself in her past and nature to heal.’
Recommended by Mike Spencer, Head of Partnerships & Philanthropy, CPRE
Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval by Gaia Vince
‘On the face of it, this is a really intense, gloomy book.
‘But it gives me hope that, as a species, we can recognise that nothing – not even our seemingly timeless landscapes – is truly permanent, and that if we are bold enough to tackle the single largest problem on the planet right now, we might still be able to enjoy the beauty of the natural world for generations to come.’
Poetry and words
Recommended by JC Niala, Writer, Historian and Artist
‘I studied Edward Thomas’ ‘Adlestrop’ as a teenager when I was routinely traveling by train. The poem opened a lens I hadn’t known existed. Suddenly the passing countryside became something I could notice, attend to and maybe even dare to write about. Years later, arriving at Adlestrop for the first time, I lingered before walking anywhere, experiencing the strange collapse between the place, the poem and the journeys that have followed since.’
Recommended by Roger Mortlock, CPRE CEO
‘Laurie Lee is best known for his novel Cider with Rosie, which captures his childhood in the Slad Valley in Gloucestershire, up the road from where I now live.
‘But it’s his poetry that made me think about the transformative power of landscapes for the first time. Today you can walk through the valley and find his poems about the place in situ.’
Recommended by Aaliyah Gardner, Branch Manager, CPRE Staffordshire
‘Sphagnum Moss’ by Donald S. Murray
Published in The Guga Stone: Lies, Legends and Lunacies from St Kilda
‘I love this poem. I can so vividly imagine the textures and quiet stability of nature and it makes me feel closely connected to nature, even when living in the centre of a city.
‘It encourages us to slow down and engage with nature and the countryside, reminding us of nature’s ability to restore wellbeing and connect.’
Listen and watch
Recommended by Nicola Chester, author on nature and rural affairs
So much to choose from, but I’m going to go with Absolute Units, The Museum of English Rural Life podcast, hosted by Ollie Douglas and Joe Vaughan. I love it because it’s always entertaining and fascinating, but it connects the past with the now and the future in the countryside, and the rural with everything else, in so many ways. It’s a thought-provoking, deeply relevant conversation with all of that. And how can you argue with an invitation to ‘lo-fi clip-clops and bleats to relax to?’
Recommended by Anna Hayward, Volunteering Development Assistant, CPRE
From What If to What Next podcast
‘Rob Hopkins speaks to different thinkers and activists to consider how reimagining the future has been put into practice.
‘For countryside themes, Anna particularly recommends episode 96, ‘What if we had a Right to Roam?’, and episode 18, ‘What if a revolution in relation to land unlocked a revolution of the imagination?’‘
Recommended by Mike Spencer, Head of Partnerships & Philanthropy, CPRE
‘This ‘plodcast’ has two kinds of episodes: walking interviews with countryside personalities – often local experts and guides – covering ecology, nature, wildlife, biodiversity, rural jobs and skills, and more.
‘The second type is a ‘sound escape’: usually 10 minutes of immersive countryside soundscape with no dialogue.
‘Both are perfect mediums to bask in the beauty of our countryside and remember why protecting it matters so much.’
Documentary – recommended by Aaliyah Gardner, Branch Manager, CPRE Staffordshire
Ghosts of Coal by Athan Johnson
‘Ghosts of Coal, a short documentary created by young Staffordshire filmmaker Athan Johnson, explores the impact of the county’s mining industry and the remarkable recovery of former industrial landscapes.
‘These local stories of regeneration, community collaboration and environmental renewal inspire hope for the future and motivate me to keep working towards our shared goals.’
People to follow
Recommended by Fran Hughes, Website and Social Media Manager, CPRE Northamptonshire
Nick Wilson – The Disabled Adventurer
‘Nick Wilson is a wheelchair user, speaker and content creator who shares his experiences of navigating the outdoors, including recommendations for wheelchair-accessible trails.
‘He is passionate about making countryside and outdoor spaces more accessible, and is currently undertaking his 50at50 challenge to raise funds for all-terrain wheelchairs at outdoor venues across the UK.’
What inspires you?
We’d love to hear your recommendation too.
What book, poem, podcast, film, programme or person has changed the way you think about or experience the countryside?
Share yours using #LoveYourCountryside and tag CPRE.
