Shows / Ramblings
Ramblings
Clare Balding and guests share inspiring conversations while walking in the great outdoors.
Fresh air and nature, wonderful views and uplifting chat, each week Clare hikes in a different part of our glorious countryside. Walking side by side is the perfect way to cover a huge range of subjects: literature, art, wildlife, nature, taking on personal or physical challenges, dealing with grief, confronting preconceptions about the kind of people who love to ramble.
The conversations are as varied…
Episodes
- Ramblings
Boxing on the beach at Ainsdale
Rose Mac moved to the North West from London a year ago and is constantly delighted by the nature and walking possibilities of her new home. Ainsdale Nature…
- Ramblings
Oldbury on Severn and Inside Planet Earth
Clare walks with Mike Gunton, the man in charge of Planet Earth III, another blockbuster series from the BBC’s Natural History Unit. Mike’s a passionate walker…
- Ramblings
Out of Portpatrick on the Rhins of Galloway
On a beautiful late summer's day Clare and guests explore a coastal walk on a remote peninsula in southern Scotland - the Rhins of Galloway. Walking with her…
- Ramblings
Into Portpatrick on the Rhins of Galloway
Clare joins two friends on what could possibly be the slowest walk between Land's End and John O'Groats. Hiking one week at a time (with a gap of several years…
- Ramblings
Sandstone Trail
Sunshine and summer downpours on a hilly Cheshire hike with great views. On the way Clare hears from two friends about how walking has helped them cope with…
- Ramblings
WalKington, Herefordshire
Ali Allen takes Clare for a sunny hike just outside Kington, a town she would like to be renamed 'WalKington' because it's such a magnet for ramblers. Ali runs…
- Ramblings
Training for Kilimanjaro in Cheshire
Clare joins a group of friends as they climb Shutlingsloe as part of their preparation for the much bigger adventure of trekking up Kilimanjaro later this…
- Ramblings
Tree to Tree Trekking
Martin Hügi is taking an unconventional approach to his long distance hike from Land's End to John O’Groats. He’s planned the route so he can visit as many…
- Ramblings
Riverside Rambling near Reading
Two friends, Karen and Emma, who say they met when both were post-Covid slumped on the sofa and doing no exercise, take Clare for a walk along the Thames Path…
- Ramblings
Brotherly Love in Burton Bradstock
Clare joins brothers Manni and Reuben Coe as they amble for a mile and a half to Hive beach at Burton Bradstock in Dorset. Reuben has Down’s Syndrome and…
- Ramblings
Ashdown Forest
The group Clare walks with see Ashdown Forest as a national treasure in its own right – and largely an unsung one. They think it’s remarkable that this ten…
- Ramblings
The Thames Path in Oxfordshire with Freddie
When Freddie was adopted by Tina and Cas he was not in a good way. The first three years of his life left him with anxiety, trauma and PTSD. Tina and Cas…
- Ramblings
Great Alne, Warwickshire
Retirement villages, recently made very famous by the Thursday Murder Club series of books, are becoming a popular choice for older people who want to, and can…
- Ramblings
Hiking with Hounds
Walking your dog in the countryside can be tricky: What if you need to cross a field of cattle or horses? Should you let your dog off the lead or keep it on?…
- Ramblings
To the Ring of Brodgar
On a windy hike from the Stones of Stenness to the Ring of Brodgar, Clare discovers Orkney's standing stones are as impressive and mysterious as Stonehenge…
- Ramblings
High Winds & Hail on Orkney
Clare explores the wild and stormy west coast of mainland Orkney in the company of beachcomber, conservationist and former Polar-guide, Martin Gray. Their plan…
- Ramblings
Four Waterfalls Walk, South Wales
Sam and Roger met through a walking group on social media. Both were already keen walkers and Sam posted on the Walking In Wales page looking for a walking…
- Ramblings
An Art Walk in the Forest of Dean
Sara Rickard takes groups of local people on a walk through the forest to write, draw and take photographs and simply observe their surroundings. Canopy Arts…
- Ramblings
Villagers' Walks around Timsbury
Clare joins three walkers from the village of Timsbury in Somerset who have created several books detailing100 walks for local people to enjoy in the area…
- Ramblings
The Icknield Way
David Falk is Green Access Manager on the Public Rights of Way Team for Suffolk County Council. He works hard to encourage people to enjoy walking in the…
- Ramblings
The Hills are Alive! Commoners Choir in Calderdale
Boff Whalley is best known for Tubthumping with the band Chumbawamba but now he’s a core member of the Leeds based Commoners Choir which he founded. They sing…
- Ramblings
The Trundle Sussex with Harriet Thomas
The final listener's walk of the series is with Harriet Thomas who wrote to the programme to invite Clare to share her regular walk to The Trundle near…
RamblingsHalifax Hikers
Clare goes to Halifax to walk with a group of Muslim men who came together to support each other to become mentally and physically fitter through walking in…
- Ramblings
Epsom Downs & Langley Vale Wood
Listener Jo Forrest got in touch inviting Clare to walk with her and a group of fellow walkers with T1 Diabetes who discovered the beautiful lush landscapes…
- Ramblings
Nightjar Impressions near the Hampshire Hangers
A sunny hike, with added party tricks, in the pretty countryside around East Worldham. Led ably by members of Walk Alton, Clare discovers the beauty of this…
- Ramblings
Dovedale with Caravan
Clare walks with a listener known as Caravan, who spent six years living homeless in the Peak District, an area he knows well thanks to his love of outdoor…
- Ramblings
A Stunning Hike around Malham Cove
Our listeners are taking over Ramblings and guiding Clare on every walk of this new series. Today’s adventure is led by three women who all qualified as…
- Ramblings
Tresco with Mike Nelhams
Mike Nelhams has recently retired as Head Gardener of the beautiful gardens on Tresco but remains very active and involved in island life. He meets Clare off…
- Ramblings
St Mary on the Isles of Scilly with Will Wagstaff and Lucy McRobert
Starting her walk overlooking the harbour outside the Star Castle Hotel once a Civil War fortress Clare hikes around the largest of the Isles of Scilly in the…
- Ramblings
Happy Valley
Today’s walk starts at Happy Valley in the Mourne Mountains about thirty minutes inland from the coast of County Down. Clare is walking with Kelly Hargie who…
- Ramblings
Bloody Bridge
In the first of two back-to-back hikes in the Mourne Mountains Clare walks from Bloody Bridge near Newcastle, on the coast of County Down, up into the hills…
- Ramblings
Mousehole to Lamorna with Jane Johnson and Abdel Bakrim
Having grown up in Cornwall Jane Johnson has a deep love of the landscape of the south west. She and her husband Abdel take Clare on a coastal walk along steep…
- Ramblings
Oliver Jeffers in Outer Space
In the first of a new series, Clare is in Derry-Londonderry to meet the celebrated children’s author and artist, Oliver Jeffers. As part of a free nationwide…
- Ramblings
The Saxon Shore Way in Kent
Colleen Thirkell and her husband Richard have been walking stretches of the Saxon Shore Way with their friends Bev and John. In autumn 2020 Colleen fell…
- Ramblings
Old and New Winchelsea with historian Dr Matthew Green
The walk begins on the shingle at Winchelsea Beach - the possible site of the drowned city that was engulfed by waves in the 11th century. Crossing the marshy…
- Ramblings
Around Dulwich Woods with Floella Benjamin
Baroness Floella Benjamin DBE joins Clare for a walk around one of her favourite woodlands in London. Starting in Dulwich College where her mother worked in…
- Ramblings
95 Ethels in the Peak District
From the Redmires Reservoirs near Sheffield, Clare walks up to Stanage Edge ('stone edge') a gritstone escarpment in the Peak District. Angela Lawrence and…
- Ramblings
After Eunice - Guarlford, Worcestershire
Clare explores a rural route near the Worcestershire village of Guarlford. Storm Eunice has just left, Franklin is underway and the River Severn is up so this…
- Ramblings
Walking in all weathers with nature writer Melissa Harrison.
Writer Melissa Harrison celebrates the joy of walking in every season of the year and in wet and dry weather. Given that we can count on it raining on many…
- Ramblings
To the World's End, north Wales
Clare hikes through the Eglwyseg Valley in north Wales with two very different characters: Guy Kennaway and Hussein Sharif. The two men became family when…
- Ramblings
The Golden Road, Pembrokeshire
Clare explores part of a challenging route in the Preseli Hills taken by hardy cattle drovers who, over generations, would walk herds of two to three hundred…
- Ramblings
The Slate Island of Seil
Clare crosses the famous ‘Bridge over the Atlantic’ for a ramble on the island of Seil. Her guide is the writer, educator, and director of the Scottish Centre…
- Ramblings
Off the Beaten Track on the Island of Iona
Clare is walking on the beautiful island of Iona in today’s Ramblings. One of the Inner Hebrides, Iona is just three miles long by around a mile wide yet…
- Ramblings
Slippy Rocks and Otter Spotting on the Island of Mull
Clare takes on a challenging coastal route from Lochbuie to Carsaig on the island of Mull. Her guide is Wendy Lloyd who – like most islanders – has several…
- Ramblings
The Turquoise Sea and White Sands of Ardnamurchan
Clare explores a remote and beautiful stretch of coastline between Portuairk and Sanna Bay on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. Ardnamurchan's far coastline is the…
- Ramblings
White Stags and Kidney Donation in Fife
Clare is in Fife hiking with John Fletcher who, in 2009, was the first man in Scotland to donate a kidney to a stranger. In another pioneering first, he…
- Ramblings
A Sunny Stomp on the Pentland Hills
Clare hikes with the inspirational adventurers Hazel and Luke Robertson on the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh. They are mountain leaders, polar explorers and…
- Ramblings
Urban Ambling in Cultural Coventry
A fascinating wander through Coventry, the 2021 UK City of Culture. Ian Harrabin is a Trustee of the City of Culture so is the perfect guide to lead Clare…
- Ramblings
Mallerstang in Cumbria with Debbie North.
Debbie North uses a motorised wheelchair and is a powerful advocate for making the countryside accessible for all. Debbie had always been a keen walker but, in…
- Ramblings
Tales of International Adventure on a Walk in Somerset
Bex Band was not an outdoorsy person, but one day she decided to hike the length of Israel. Whilst there she noticed very few women walking the 1000km National…
- Ramblings
Screenwriter Kay Mellor at Harewood in Leeds
Kay Mellor is one of our most successful screenwriters. On today's ramble she takes Clare on her favourite route at Harewood House in her home city of Leeds…
- Ramblings
Rhiane Fatinikun of Black Girls Hike in the Peak District
Rhiane Fatinikun takes Clare on one of her favourite walks in the Peak District. Starting in Edale they take in Hollins Cross, Lose Hill and Mam Tor. Rhiane…
- Ramblings
Cressida Cowell in West Sussex
The best-selling author Cressida Cowell takes Clare for a nostalgic walk near Chichester in West Sussex. As well as writing the whoppingly successful ‘How to…
- Ramblings
Stained Glass in Minsmere with Arabella Marshall
Glass artist, Arabella Marshall, takes Clare for a walk at Minsmere in Suffolk. Their focus is an old chapel ‘bleak and broken’ which provided Arabella with…
- Ramblings
Walking in Sound: Ellie Williams in North Somerset
Sound Recordist, Ellie Williams, takes Clare for an audio-rich wander at Abbots Pool in North Somerset. Walking, she says, is as essential to her as food and…
- Ramblings
Big Cats! Rick Minter in Gloucestershire
Do big cats roam the British countryside? It’s a long running debate, one that’s never far from the headlines. A few years ago on Ramblings, Clare saw what she…
- Ramblings
Reading the Landscape with Mary-Ann Ochota: Pegsdon Hills
How many times have you been out for a walk and spotted intriguing shapes in the landscape? Your instinct tells you that these dips, hollows, lumps, bumps and…
- Ramblings
From Solicitor to Sculptor: Simon Gudgeon in Dorset
Simon Gudgeon is one of our leading sculptors, but he didn't practice his art until his mid 40s. He'd worked as a solicitor, a photographer, and a landscape…
- Ramblings
Oscar winner Gareth Ellis-Unwin on his local riverside route in Berkshire
The Oscar winning producer of The King’s Speech, Gareth Ellis-Unwin, takes Clare on one of his regular rambles from Pangbourne in Berkshire to Goring on Thames…
- Ramblings
Anneka Rice on the Thames Path in London
Anneka Rice is a self-declared obsessive rambler who says she feels out of sorts if she doesn’t walk every day. Today she takes Clare on her favourite route…