Crossing the Alps on horseback and gap years in Mongolia, with Louis D Hall
The writer and adventurer Louis D Hall joins the Country Life podcast to talk about his latest book, In Green, as well as his charity the Big Hoof.

Most people have friends who text them about going to the pub. If you're Louis D. Hall, you've got friends who'll text you about crossing a mountain range, sailing the Atlantic or coming face to face with remote tribes in Mongolia.
This is all in a normal day (or week's) work for Louis. Most recently, he's trekked on horseback from Italy to Cape Finisterre in Spain, in a journey that spanned more than 100 days. He wrote about it in his book, In Green: Two Horses, Two Strangers, A Journey to the End of the Land, which is out now in all good bookshops.
The route from Siena to Cape Finisterre
We're absolutely delighted that Louis joined James Fisher on the Country Life podcast to talk about all these adventures and more. From his upbringing in rural Scotland, he's spent years covering the world and ending up following some of the least-travelled worlds that the planet has to offer.
And he’s also the founder of the Big Hoof charity, an organisation that supports charities with a focus on mental health, wellbeing and child welfare. Organising treks that have spanned more than 6,000km in five different countries, it does great work in not only raising money, but making horseriding and trekking more open and accessible.
Suffice to say, Louis lives quite the fascinating life. I would highly recommend listening in to find out more.
• Listen to Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Listen to Country Life podcast on Spotify
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
• Listen to Country Life podcast on Audible
Louis's latest book In Green: Two Horses, Two Strangers, a Journey to the End of the Land is out now.
You can find out more about The Big Hoof here
Episode credits
Host: James Fisher
Guest: Louis D. Hall
Editor and producer: Toby Keel
Music: JuliusH via Pixabay
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
-
'Knoll offers a masterclass in the adaptability of grass': The Dorset garden that went from tourist attraction to specialist nursery
Tilly Ware visits Knoll Gardens in Dorset, which offers a masterclass in grasses and how to make your garden stay beautiful for longer.
-
This converted mill is the epitome of bucolic beauty and its grounds were masterminded by one of the finest garden designers alive today
Hunworth Mill is the very picture of bucolic bliss, with exquisite gardens created by Arne Maynard.
-
The finest wines available to humanity, and how to buy them, with Beth Pearce
Beth Pearce MW, head of buying at Flint Wines, joins the Country Life Podcast
-
Levison Wood: Trekking the Nile, near-death experiences and why nothing beats a cup of tea and a piece of toast
The adventurer, explorer, writer and film-maker Levison Wood joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
-
Bruce Hodgson: Artichoke's founder on catflaps, carpentry and the future of crafts
Bruce Hodgson, one of Britain's best furniture makers and carpenters, joins the Country Life Podcast.
-
The truth about P.G. Wodehouse: Robert Daws on playing England's greatest comic writer
The actor Robert Daws starred alongside Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in Jeeves and Wooster back in the 1990s, and the work of P.G. Wodehouse has been part of his decades-long career ever since. He joined the Country Life Podcast.
-
Marcus Janssen: The man behind Schöffel on Chelsea Lifejackets, bagging a 'MacNab' and recognising the best of the British countryside
Marcus Janssen of Schöffel joins the Country Life podcast.
-
Corinne Fowler: Exploring the hidden history of the British countryside, one walk at a time
Professor Corinne Fowler joins the Country Life Podcast.
-
Steve Backshall on sharks, quicksand, and getting his fingertips eaten by piranhas
The adventurer, broadcaster, scientist and writer Steve Backshall joins the Country Life podcast.
-
Hannah Bourne-Taylor: Saving swifts, naked protests and the bird that nested in my hair
The campaigner and writer Hannah Bourne-Taylor joins the Country Life Podcast.