Steaming in
Yesterday I looked up how much it'd cost for a family of four to take a return rail trip from Sussex to South Wales in a few weeks' time. The result: almost £300, roughly six times what it'd cost in petrol. Realising I can't justify the extra expense was a sad moment, because despite enduring weekly commuter rail travel in to London, I still love the romance and leisurely pace of long-distance train journeys.
I'm not alone. 2025 has been dubbed the year of the 'Rail Renaissance'; and both long-distance rail and heritage steam journeys are as popular as ever — among passengers and spectators alike. A few years ago I took a return trip from Guildford to Dartmouth, and all the way there people stopped, stared, waved and grinned as the Dartmouth Express chugged past. (Well, all except one lad near Paignton, who greeted us with a hilariously solemn middle-finger salute. Teenagers, eh?)
So I wasn't a little surprised to see Lonely Planet put a rail trip on their list of top things to do in 2025: they picked out the Bentham Line from from Leeds to Morecambe, which makes its way across some of the most beautiful places in the Yorkshire Dales. Glorious — and passable both by steam train and normal, 21st century equivalent. You can see Lonely Planet's full list of 2025 things to do here.
Quiz of the Day
- 1) In which county would you find Nunney Castle?
- 2) On which body part would you wear a sabot?
- 3) Cricket bats are traditionally made with which type of wood?
- 4) In which year were MOT tests introduced in the UK?
- 5) Which poet wrote The Divine Comedy?
Nice ice
Richard Bloom is one of our favourite garden photographers. Now he can be one of yours too.
'I saw the demonstrations; I went out and spoke to farmers'
At the Oxford Farming Conference last week, Defra Secretary Steve Reed spoke of his shock at ‘the size of the black hole we were left to fill,' writes Annunciata Elwes in this week's Country Life print edition. 'I’m sorry if some of the action we took shocked you… But stable finances are the foundation of the economic growth needed’ after ‘a decade of chaos’.
Without once using the phrase ‘inheritance tax’ in his address — words no doubt already dreaded in Westminster — he alluded to the furore over family farms in the Q&A afterwards, when he explained his belief that farmers aren’t angry about the new tax alone, but a whole slew of issues in a long-struggling industry.
‘I saw the demonstrations; I went out and spoke to farmers,’ he said. ‘The thing that struck me was how many people were saying “this is the final straw”. It was on the placards.
'It wasn’t just about one issue, although I recognise people are angry. This is a sector crying out to be recognised and respected and heard. This Government can use its power to work with the sector to tackle some of those deep problems.
‘In the short term,’ he added, the measures taken will be ‘difficult, but in the long term, they benefit everyone — people, businesses and the economy. I know things are tough, but we’ve all got to get through this period as we have a brighter future.’
Mr Reed promised that the UK’s ‘farming roadmap will be the most forward-looking plan for farming in our country’s history; the blueprint that will make farming and food production sustainable and profitable for the decades to come’. You can read Annunciata's full piece in the January 15 issue of Country Life.
Italian Spring
At a loose end in April? Country Life is running a Spring tour of the Italian Riviera with contributors Charles Quest-Ritson, author of the RHS Encyclopedia of Roses, and writer and lecturer Kirsty Fergusson. 'As spring awakens, the villages and coastal resorts of this beautiful part of Italy begin to emerge from their winter slumber, embracing the soft warmth of the new season,' writes Tiffany Daneff.
If that alone doesn't convince you, bear in mind that the wisteria, irises and roses will be looking at their finest, that you'll get a private visit to La Mortola and a special visit to Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini, dubbed ‘Italy’s most beautiful landscaped park’. The tour runs from April 7–11 and costs £4,995 each including flights (£4,845 without flights); single supplement is £700. Places can be secured with a £900 deposit. To book, telephone 01280 430175 or visit www.fineandcultural.com
Nature 1 GPS 0
Laura Parker's piece on how animals find their way back home is utterly fascinating. Read it here.
That's it - we're back tomorrow
Quiz answers
- 1) Somerset
- 2) Foot (it’s a clog)
- 3) Willow
- 4) 1960
- 5) Dante
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'One of the truly great gardens of the world' is at risk of having its vistas and tranquility blighted foreverThe views from Rousham, the birthplace of the English landscape-garden movement are at risk of development plans for the nearby former RAF Upper Heyford Air Force base get the go-ahead.
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The wisteria clad cottage where Noël Coward and Ivor Novello held court at the height of their fameThe 17th-century Follejon Cottage just outside Windsor was a perfect escape from the city for Noël Coward and his circle of friends. As it goes on the market, Penny Churchill takes a look.
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What’s better than a date with Ali MacGraw? Tending to your wax jacket, according to Steve McQueenThis is the story of the world’s most useful jacket.
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Our never-ending interest in magic and the occult, from Elizabethan England to Donald Trump's presidencyAs Haddon Hall’s rooms, complete with historic witches' marks, are transformed into exhibits that explore witchcraft and evil spirits, Lotte Brundle explores our continued fascination with the supernatural.
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England and the 1966 World Cup — which was stolen and later recovered by a dog called PicklesIn celebration of the footballing talents of Country Life's guest editor Sir David Beckham, we look back at the summer of 1966, when the England national team was on top of the world.
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Dire Straits' bassist John Illsley reveals why he swapped the recording studio for the art studio — and his consuming passionsJohn Illsley rose to fame as the bassist of the Dire Straits, but nowadays you're more likely to find him in an art studio.
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At the Bonneville Salt Flats, the only currency is speedCharlie Thomas reports from Speed Week, and talks to those with a bad case of 'Salt Fever'.
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This watch was worn by the first woman to swim the English Channel, changing the horological world forever. Now it's going under the hammerThe early Rolex Oyster was worn by pioneering cross-Channel swimmer Mercedes Gleitze in 1927.
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'If your boyfriend makes carbonara with pancetta or bacon, break up': Tom Parker Bowles on how to make a classic carbonaraGetting to grips with a Roman classic.
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Sophia Money-Coutts: My family WhatsApp is already banging on about Christmas arrangements. Can I leave the group?Where are we spending Christmas? Who gets the best bedroom, and whose turn is it to cook?
