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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No strings attached: A brief history of swimwear, from heavy skirts of linen linked to women's drownings, to the skimpy two-piece named after a nuclear weapons siteFrom knee-length numbers to a scandalous suit denounced by the Pope, the colourful history of swimwear has been brought to life by a glamorous London exhibition.
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A spectacular, light-filled home on the Isle of Wight where you can see the water from practically every windowPenny Churchill takes a look at the grand and impressive Fishbourne Quay House.
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No strings attached: A brief history of swimwear, from heavy skirts of linen linked to women's drownings, to the skimpy two-piece named after a nuclear weapons site
From knee-length numbers to a scandalous suit denounced by the Pope, the colourful history of swimwear has been brought to life by a glamorous London exhibition.
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Downtown Abbey is about to finish forever, and you're about to get a chance to see — and to buy — the costumes from the showDownton Abbey's exquisite costumes and props are going on show at a free exhibition ahead of a sale being held by Bonhams later this summer.
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Brideshead Revisited (again): The 10 scene-stealing British country homes from film and televisionWhat do an enigmatic Caped Crusader, a sopping-wet Mr Darcy and Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell have in common? Believe it or not, British country houses.
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Sophia Money-Coutts: Is it ever okay to throw your dog a birthday party?Sir Lewis Hamilton did it, so why not throw a birthday party for your canine companion, Sophia Money-Coutts asks.
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Tuning in with the past: Monk music will ring out for the first time since the Dissolution after medieval manuscript is rediscoveredBuckland Abbey once thronged with monks who sang for hours every day. Now, some of their newly rediscovered medieval music will ring out once more.
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Water you're waiting for? Britain's best heritage lidos were built to save swimmers from polluted seas full of potato peelings, oil and coal — and they're still in action todayThe seaside lido continues to offer safe swimming for holidaymakers irrespective of the tide, but they're also architectural gems worthy of our admiration.
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‘What a shame when a dinosaur disappears into the mansion of an oligarch rather than being displayed for all to enjoy’: The ethics of the dinosaur auctionFancy a stegosaurus in your living room? You can buy one at auction. But the latest luxury good is a paleontologist's worst nightmare.
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‘There is probably no sport in the world which is so misunderstood’: 75 years of Formula 1 according to the Country Life archiveOn the 75th anniversary of the first ever Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix, held at Silverstone Circuit, Rosie Paterson delves into the Country Life archives to look at how the magazine once spoke about motorsport.
