I’m a huge fan of Scotland. We took a family trip once, overlooking the Firth of Clyde, when I was about six, and I remember combing the beach every day, splashing around in sand pools and being fascinated with a stranded catfish we came across.
More recently, I’ve been lucky enough to stay with my mate Nicky Campbell and his wife, Tina, in Glenelg. It’s known as the gateway to Skye, but you really don’t want to leave there. It’s the location of Gavin Maxwell’s book, Ring of Bright Water, and it’s still a superb place to spot otters and all sorts of marine life. It’s always a different experience staying with friends somewhere; we went lobster-potting, took a ride on a RIB and had a wee dram overlooking Skye.
My son, Zephyr, is a little young to appreciate his surroundings, although he has travelled all across the country. He came with me when I was filming The Great British Countryside with Hugh Dennis. He was just 12 weeks old and I was still breastfeeding. It will be lovely to take him back to all these places when he’s older.
When we filmed Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast for the BBC [the 192-mile route from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire], I did a lot of training for it. I knew there would be many days when we’d be getting miles and miles underneath the boots, as it were, so I made sure that my fitness levels were up. It’s a true feeling of elation when you arrive in Robin Hood’s Bay.
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