Meeting the challengesHow do you balance living and working in the AONB with caring for the countryside? Three people give theirviews on the way ahead for agri-environment schemes, sustainable tourism and saving our beesHenry Robinson, farmer and Deputy President <strong>of</strong> the CountryLand & Business Association“The challenge now facing agriculture, the next greenrevolution, is to get the balance between how we look after theenvironment and producing food that will be needed for ninebillion people worldwide.My family has farmed in Gloucestershire since 1911, and we’ve1,046 acres, including arable, woodland and pasture. Throughfunding from agri-environment schemes I’ve had the opportunityto pursue numerous wildlife-friendly measures on land taken out<strong>of</strong> cereal production, for example creating wild bird food coverand 6km <strong>of</strong> floristically enhanced wildflower margins.Following this round <strong>of</strong> the reforms <strong>of</strong> the CAP, there is goingto be less money available for agri-environment schemes fromGovernment and the EU. That could mean fewer wildlife-friendlythings happening in the <strong>Cotswold</strong>s, where around two thirds <strong>of</strong>land is under agri-environment schemes. So we need to fundthese initiatives differently, using the private sector.I think biodiversity <strong>of</strong>fsetting, or payments for eco-systemsservices, are the way forward. That means, if you have cause todamage a piece <strong>of</strong> the environment, for example by buildinghouses in a field on the edge <strong>of</strong> a town, you have to <strong>of</strong>fset thatdamage by making good an environmental improvement to someland elsewhere. Farmers can then be funded to do that. It willbe a complicated system to set up and decisions I might make,dedicating land to biodiversity <strong>of</strong>fsetting, would tie up futuregenerations <strong>of</strong> my family too. But we need a system that valuesthe environment as well as the food production required t<strong>of</strong>eed the world.”Jill Coombe, Director Three Ways House Hotel, Mickleton“We feel very lucky living in the <strong>Cotswold</strong>s, it’s a beautiful area,and we are very aware <strong>of</strong> the need to look after it. There is a wellwornsaying that when someone visits a place, all they shouldleave behind is their footprint – we believe that very much andtry to encourage sustainable tourism.We have run Three Ways House Hotel – home <strong>of</strong> the famousPudding Club – since 1995 and we recently reached gold statusin the Green Tourism Business Scheme. We’re always working toimprove our ‘greenness’ and it touches everything.It’s not just about recycling glass, it’s about encouragingvisitors to get out into the countryside and experience all thereis to do. We’ve started a library <strong>of</strong> books about the <strong>Cotswold</strong>s,to increase guests’ knowledge and introduce them to more locallandscapes, history and wonderful things like the legacy <strong>of</strong> theArts & Crafts Movement.We’ve run <strong>Cotswold</strong> walking weekends with the excellent<strong>Cotswold</strong> Wardens for 17 years and in 2014 we would like todo more countryside-related breaks – painting flowers andlandscapes, photography – which don’t have a high impacton the environment.It’s so vital that people work together. We’ve linked up withplaces like Hidcote Manor, Kiftsgate Court Gardens, <strong>Cotswold</strong>Woollen Weavers and <strong>Cotswold</strong> Country Cycles, and we use localsuppliers wherever we can. We aim to continue strengthening tieswith local tourism providers and suppliers.There’s always room for improvement, for us and everyone,to enhance visitor experiences in ways that are sustainable.”www.threewayshousehotel.comPaul Evans, Meadows and B-Lines Officer, Buglife“The value <strong>of</strong> natural pollinators to UK agriculture is c. £510million, however more than two thirds <strong>of</strong> UK pollinators arein decline. Of the 24 species <strong>of</strong> bumblebee in Britain, six areendangered and the short-haired bumblebee has recently becomeextinct, although it is being re-introduced.Causes range from increased use <strong>of</strong> pesticides, to loss <strong>of</strong>wildflower-rich grasslands. Of the 97 food plants that bumblebeesprefer, 76% have declined in the past 80 years.There’s plenty we can do to ‘Get Britain Buzzing’. Buglife’sB-Lines project, piloted in Yorkshire and extending elsewhere, aimsto create a network <strong>of</strong> flower-rich grassland. It would be great ifcommunities, wildlife organisations and councils could help us toidentify where best to place B-Lines in the <strong>Cotswold</strong>s, and identifyfarmers and landowners to take it forward.Good habitat for pollinators in the <strong>Cotswold</strong>s includeswildflower meadows, limestone quarries, and gorse-clad hillsidesand south-facing slopes with bare earth that suit mining bees –and these sites need to be monitored. Estates also do good work,like the Upton Estate [near Edge Hill] where there are superbwildflower arable margins and the large garden bumblebee thrives.We want to encourage local communities to develop insectpollinator-friendly environments, in schools or looking afterwildflower-rich roadside verges. Gardeners can help by reducinguse <strong>of</strong> pesticides and never using them when plants are in flower;also choosing species easy for pollinators – double or multipetalledflowers may be tricky for bees to access. Spring andautumn are <strong>of</strong>ten difficult for bees, so aim for plantings thatflower through the seasons.” www.buglife.org.ukMost hauntedAs nights draw in the ghosts come out!It’s claimed a phantom coachand horses occasionally drawup at the entrance gates to thedrive <strong>of</strong> Woodchester Mansionnear Nympsfield. And few woulddispute that a Victorian Gothic pilehidden in a valley, mysteriouslyabandoned mid-construction in1873, provides the perfect settingfor such a tale.Further reports have notedmusic resonating eerily through themansion, a white lady gliding alongthe upper floors, and a Victoriangent floating around the chapel. It isconsidered one <strong>of</strong> the most hauntedbuildings in England and, if you dare,you can go ghost hunting here on‘paranormal nights’.Historic <strong>Cotswold</strong> backdropseasily lend themselves to many morespooky stories and when better totell a few than as the nights draw in?Many revolve around residents<strong>of</strong> the area’s great buildings, likeFrancis Lovell whose wails are saidto echo through the ruins <strong>of</strong> 15thcenturyMinster Lovell Hall. Lovellhad supported the wrong side in theWars <strong>of</strong> the Roses and legend saysthat, fearing punishment, he hadhimself locked into a secret chamber.Alas, his faithful servant either diedor turned treacherous and stoppedbringing him food, so Lovell starved.Charles I, who stayed atPainswick Court House in 1643,famously haunts its environs withhis cavaliers as they prepare forbattle. After the king’s execution,his headless ghost returned to the<strong>Cotswold</strong>s for the funeral <strong>of</strong> ColonelNathaniel Stephens <strong>of</strong> ChavenageHouse, Tetbury, and carried <strong>of</strong>f hisbody – retribution for Stephens’involvement in the regicide.Happier spectral activity atSnowshill Manor, Broadway, hasbeen ascribed to the shade <strong>of</strong> formerowner Charles Paget Wade, come tocheck on his eccentric collection <strong>of</strong>treasures. And no one can blame aspirit for lingering amid the elegantarchitecture <strong>of</strong> Georgian Bath – butwho exactly is the beautiful singinglady in the Royal Crescent? JoinGhost Walks <strong>of</strong> Bath (Thurs, Fri, Satnights) to find out more.Or let a top-hatted EdwardCharnel take you on a BloodyBourton Walking Tour (Fri, Satnights) to hear about the darkerside <strong>of</strong> this picture-book village andperhaps the most unusual ‘ghost’<strong>of</strong> all – a vanished brick from earlierbuilding work that trips unsuspectingvisitors to a tearoom.Bloody Bourton Walking Tour, www.thebloodybourtontour.jimdo.comGhost Walks <strong>of</strong> Bath,www.ghostwalks<strong>of</strong>bath.co.ukWoodchester Mansion,www.woodchestermansion.org.ukChavenage House.4Issue 29
<strong>Cotswold</strong>s Discoverer – just the ticket!From just £10 a day, you can enjoy unlimited travel throughout the <strong>Cotswold</strong>s by bus and train with the<strong>Cotswold</strong>s Discoverer ticket. Freelance journalist Alison Hughes and her friend Ruth Edy took a return day tripfrom Oxford to explore the Fosse WayHaving decided to visit three townsalong the Fosse Way – Moretonin-Marsh,Stow-on-the-Wold andBourton-on-the-Water – we beganour journey on the 8.58am trainfrom Oxford, arriving in Moretonjust in time for a quick c<strong>of</strong>feebefore visiting the WellingtonAviation Museum.Gerry Tyack, a former RAF engineerand founder <strong>of</strong> the museum, wason hand to point out fascinatingartefacts such as a canvas bathused for washing in the desert and atable made from bits <strong>of</strong> a Concordejet engine. More poignant were thephotos and paintings <strong>of</strong> wartimeMoreton and surrounding area:German POWs digging out the snowat Little Rissington, Polish refugeechildren grouped together outside aschool and a painting <strong>of</strong> Americantanks lined up in the main square.Gerry has created a museumwith soul, bringing to life thesedramatic times. Twenty years ago,he founded the RAF Moreton-in-Marsh Association and chose for itsmotif the <strong>Cotswold</strong> <strong>Lion</strong>. A Moretonman through-and-through he hasdedicated his life to preserving thislittle bit <strong>of</strong> social history.Next we took the bus to Stow, aquintessential <strong>Cotswold</strong> town thathas a few surprises too. Well knownfor its role in the English Civil War –there are reminders in the names <strong>of</strong>local hostelries, The King’s Arms andThe Royalist Hotel (reputedly theoldest inn in England…no really!)– Stow is also now home to the<strong>Cotswold</strong> Cricket Museum, which isproving to be a great attraction.Even for cricket novices like methe museum is impressive – the array<strong>of</strong> blazers, signed bats and othermemorabilia is quite extraordinary.A photo from 1859 shows a teamsetting <strong>of</strong>f from Liverpool, on thevery first overseas tour, in flat caps,spotted shirts and bow ties – a far cryfrom modern-day ‘pyjamas’. There isa corner where you can watch TVfootage<strong>of</strong> great events and listento radio interviews with cricketingicons such as Fred Trueman and DonBradman; there is a quiz for childrenand a shop with cricket-related items(Ruth purchased a rather nice bag),and a café.There is no shortage <strong>of</strong> eateries inStow, from hotels like the Grapevineto Huffkins tea-rooms. But as it was abeautifully hot summer day we optedfor a flowery courtyard <strong>of</strong> a tea-room,Sheep Street, for lunch.Stow is a place to potter around– take one <strong>of</strong> the little alleyways,formerly used to herd sheep into themain square, and you will discoverone-<strong>of</strong>f shops selling vintage clothes,jewellery and pottery. The church withits peal <strong>of</strong> eight bells <strong>of</strong>fers a respitefrom the busy shops.Our lunch break over, it was timeto hop on another bus to our nextdestination – Bourton-on-the-Water.It is almost an obligation to dangleyour feet in the gentle River Windrushon such a hot day – ice-cream isalso required, good thing there is noshortage <strong>of</strong> that here!Plenty <strong>of</strong> things to see, too.We selected the Model Village[see page 6], then intrigued by thename ‘Dragonfly Maze’ we crossedthe road and made our way to theentrance. Designed by Kit Williams<strong>of</strong> ‘Masquerade’ fame, this is noordinary maze. Fourteen flagstoneshold 14 clues that, when you find thecentre, will help you to discover thedragonfly.Ticket to rideWe had just enough energy andtime for a cream tea before hoppingon our bus back to Moreton in orderto catch the 18.07 train to Oxford.To quote another pair <strong>of</strong> day-trippers,we had both had “a grand day out”!Alison and Ruth travelled with a one-day <strong>Cotswold</strong>s Discoverer ticket (£10for adults, £8.50 concessionary, £5 for a child) along the Fosse Way, usingthe Great Western Oxford to Moreton train and the 801 Pulhams Coaches(hourly service) between Moreton and Bourton. Their timetable was:8.58 train departed Oxford9.35 arrived in Moreton10.00 Wellington AviationMuseum opened11.10 bus to Stow11.25 arrived in Stow for 3hr visit14.25 bus to Bourton14.37 arrived in Bourton for3hr visit17.35 bus to Moreton18.00 arrived Moreton18.07 train to Oxford18.55 arrived in OxfordAlison says: “You do need to plan ahead to make the most <strong>of</strong> your day –check bus and attraction opening times, and estimate how long you wantto spend in each place.”One-day and three-day <strong>Cotswold</strong>s Discoverer bus/rail tickets areavailable through all UK rail stations and participating bus companies.For further details and itinerary suggestions, go towww.escapetothecotswolds.org.uk/discovererAll images: Alison HughesFind out more at: www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk www.escapetothecotswolds.org.uk www.cotswoldsruralskills.org.uk 5
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