Shaun Leonard, director of the Wild Trout Trust talks with the guys about the challenges facing our native trout and what makes them so incredible and able to adapt to conditions worldwide. Our rivers aren't in a great shape, although as Shaun recalls they were once much worse, and it isn't in fact all pollution and run-off. The Wild Trout Trust are involved in improving habitats for wild brown trout (and therefore other fish) around the country through adding in woody debris, removing physical barriers and educating land managers and the general public.

The conversation then turns towards how we can help and the huge variety of citizen science projects out there - from counting flies to collecting water samples, there is something for everyone to get involved with. We've provided links to some of those below.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links
- Wild Trout Trust
- Angling Trust Water Quality project
- Outfall Safari information
- Wild Fish SmartRivers
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here


The Hosts

Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

This week, Richard and Richard are joined by Mark, former Army Chaplain, Church of England minister and farmer, for a thoughtful conversation about faith, farming, and mental health in rural Britain. From Normandy beaches to North Oxfordshire fields, they explore the links between the military and the land, the quiet role of the rural church, and why resilience matters more than resistance. With humour, honesty, and a touch of birdsong for Armistice, CountrySlide welcomes its newest recruit: the Padre of the Countryside.As we head into winter life can get more isolating, depression can set in and the unpredictability of life can become harder to face. Please check in with those around you and seek help if you need it.

As we head into winter life can get more isolating, depression can set in and the unpredictability of life can become harder to face. Please check in with those around you and seek help if you need it.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links
- 5 Steps to Mental Wellbeing
- Yellow Wellies - Mind Your Head
- Gamekeepers Welfare Trust
- Mental Health and Wellbeing in Forestry
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here


The Hosts

Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

Following on from the high level conversation last week, we offer you respite from the effects of nights drawing in and the clocks changing with imagery you never knew you wanted and stories which explain a lot about our hosts. There's also some useful intelligence included about how waterproof fabrics really work, comfortable and durable boots which actually last and some of our plans for the future ("useful" in the loosest sense of the word).

The Patreon only aftershow is dominated by Callum's account of nearly dying on a marsh for a pittance and the latest instalment of Prideaux's tales from North Wales - folk are different around here (in the best ways)

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links
- Brandecosse website
- Women in Waders Calendar
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here


The Hosts
Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

Nigel Vardy is an outdoorsman in every sense of the word; he grew up in the Peak District fishing for his dinner and hunting for his tea and exploring the woodlands around his home. He is now an accomplished mountaineer, adventurer and motivational speaker who recounts how he lost his fingers, toes and nose to frostbite after the weather closed in on an attempt to summit Denali in Alaska.

Richard P and Nigel talk through topics ranging from sizing footwear with no toes, the crossover between mountaineering and field sports, respect for our countryside and wildlife, and the psychology of recovery.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links

- Nigel's website
- Frostbitten on Amazon Prime
- Nigel on social media: X, Facebook, Instagram / more rural Instagram and Youtube
- Buxton Mountain Rescue Team
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here


The Hosts
Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

We catch up with Richard, Callum and Richard after a couple of weeks apart and explore what £35 million could achieve if spent on improving things for British wildlife. Richard P talks about some of the current funding available and the Pittman-Robertson act, whilst Richard N champions gathering baseline data and Callum provides a parent's perspective.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links
- Richard Prideaux's Mast Year article
- Lemur article
- Pittman-Robertson Act
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here


The Hosts
Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

We welcomed 2 guests on this weeks episode, Cat Frampton and Richard's mother A.A Prideaux.

Cat talks with Richard and Richard about the England Peat Map released in May 2025 and the problems and errors which have designated reservoirs, walls, hedges and rocky outcroppings as deep peat. We did record for a full hour with Cat, but due to technical issues it sadly only recorded Negus and Prideaux for the last 45 minutes and then blank space where once there was informative content from Cat. Don't worry - we'll invite her back on with a more stable connection!

For the second half of this episode Richard Prideaux interviews his mother about rural life in the 60s, 70s and 80s - they talk about the number of people, nature of community, poverty, and a few anecdotes from Richard's childhood.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links
- Cat Frampton website
- Cat on X
- AA Prideaux website
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here


The Hosts
Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

The gang are back together and taking every detour available. They shatter our image of Richard Negus, take us down a tangent around the perceptions of traditional management activities vs modern land management and question whether Callum's job is in fact real - hair and makeup for the double decker bus please!

Finally we talk about favourite trees, from historical Oaks to rare Black Poplar and the trees which hold meaning. If you have a favourite tree or species of tree we would love to hear from you!

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here


The Hosts
Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

The Mullet is our small rural business and marketing advice mini-series, brought to you by Richard P and Callum of CountrySlide.

Gareth from Wales (which isn't on another planet as Callum likes to believe) has written in asking whether it is too late to build up a brand for his hobby business and transform it into a real money maker.

Callum and Richard weigh up the pros and cons of turning something you love into a job and discuss what Gareth could do to develop his love of walking sticks and wood carving into something more substantial.

If you have a question, please DM us or send an email on contact@countryslide.co.uk

This week Callum couldn't make it so we've brought in a stunt double in the form of Poor Producer Amy. Together the Richards and Amy talk about the signs of Autumn - everything from bats to hedges, fruits to frosts!

The trio also discuss a recent article about the decline of birds and the state of wildlife recording overall.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links
- Amy on X and Instagram
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here


The Hosts
Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

This week we interview Matt (Aspect Forestry and Rural Management) and Nick (Kilmaha Forestry) about what actually happens in forestry and the moves in the last 20 years away from bare monocultures and towards more diverse and sensitive plantations.

We cover every stage of forestry and the consideration taken for nature, from planting and selective weeding through to after care and harvesting of timber with minimal ground damage, and the benefits of using timber over other Carbon expensive materials like steel and concrete.

Finally the guys talk about the industry as a whole and the impact that vilification of a sector can have on the mental health of the humans within it.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links

- The video launching the sector-wide mental health initiative
- Matt on X , bluesky and Aspect Forestry website
- Nick on X and Kilmaha Forestry website
- Forestry Contracting Association
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- Richard Negus interview on YouTube
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here

The Hosts

Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

Access to nature and an increase of arable land going into environmental schemes are the hot topics this week.

A recent study has shown that 42.3% of farmers across the UK reduced their cropped arable area to take part in agri-environment schemes for harvest 2025, with the majority being in the South East and East of England where less productive and marginal ground which is difficult to access with machinery are being put into schemes to improve profitability and help the environment.

Meanwhile a Labour-led all-party parliamentary group has released a report which concludes that there is not enough access to nature in England and calling for greater access to nature, particularly inland waters. There is also a push for improving accessibility of existing rights of way by removing stiles and replacing with inclusive alternatives.

Richard and Richard discuss these topics, the deeper meanings and their potential impacts on rural spaces and our wildlife.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.



Links
- Environmental scheme study
- Helena Horton's article about access to blue spaces
- More information on the All-party parliamentary group and their recent report
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here


The Hosts

Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

A download of information about the fantastic Hedgerow Fest in Ireland, what the recent changes in government could mean for rural communities, and how Wild Justice can sometimes be an ally.

Callum eventually turns up after a day of no signal and horse shenanigans to disrupt things!

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links

- Hedgerow fest
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- Richard Negus interview on YouTube
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here

The Hosts

Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

The Mullet is our small rural business and marketing advice mini-series, brought to you by Richard P and Callum of CountrySlide.

Whilst feeding us with Pheasant burgers hot off the grill at the Game Fair, Hugo asked how to tell when it's time to grow some balls and quit the day job to focus entirely on the side hustle/passion project/own business.

Whether your thing is smoking meat or laying hedges (or both) there are a few things to think about before throwing everything that you've got into it.

Hugo can be found on Instagram @thegameglutton

If you have a question for the podcast, please DM us or send an email on contact@countryslide.co.uk

After a month off from regular podcast recording, we've wrangled Richard N and Callum into giving us the lowdown on what they did over the summer holidays. Callum has been to France in search of fine food, family friendly lakes and adventures with his son. Meanwhile Richard has been learning more about the wider nature writing audience through his book tour.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links

- Richard P's wild camping article on Scribehound
- Hedgerow fest
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here

The Hosts

Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

The Mullet is our small rural business and marketing advice mini-series, brought to you by Richard P and Callum of CountrySlide.

This episode we answer a question from Danum Blades about how to get around the meta algorithm which appears to be slowing his growth on social media as a craftsman who makes and sells knives.

You can give Alan a follow over on @Danumblades

If you have a question, please DM us or send an email on contact@countryslide.co.uk

We sat down with Nick Von Westenholz CEO of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and had a conversation about what it has been like for him so far, the challenges facing rural wildlife and landowners and managers in 2025, the function of conservation organisations and plans for GWCT in the future.

This episode was recorded on the GWCT stand at The Game Fair with a backdrop of lively chatter and burgers being cooked.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links

- GWCT
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here

The Hosts

Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

A little bonus episode in the form of Richard interviewing Richard about hedgelaying and his book live on stage at FolkEast. There's even a little preview of what the audiobook might sound like!

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links

- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here

The Hosts

Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

Richard P sat down with Avian Sandercock - regular cohost of the Guns on Pegs podcast, ex-gin distiller, current gin drinker, woodland manager and proud Cornish man.

The pair talk about Cornwall's different coastlines and Avian's struggle to find local apple trees, experimenting with gin flavours - Clotted cream infused gin anyone?, and the realities of being in a syndicate shoot and managing a small woodland. The conversation flows from topic to topic like a river full of pools and gives vibes of a pub chat between friends.

This episode was recorded on the Guns on Pegs stand at The Game Fair with a backdrop of chatter, drinks and George Browne's faded Salmon shorts.CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links

- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- Avian's Instagram
- Avian's YouTube channel - A Year in the Woods
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here

The Hosts

Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

Farmer Clusters have been referenced more times than we can count in the last 38 episodes so we went straight to the source and arranged a conversation with Megan Lock and Lizzie Grayshon from GWCT who facilitate Farmer Clusters, work with waders, monitor wildlife and offer advice to farmers across the UK.

Richard Negus takes the helm for this interview and the three discuss Wild Quail, the problems facing our breeding waders, how the government could help, mapping hedgerow habitat and more.

This episode was recorded behind the GWCT stand at The Game Fair with a backdrop of rented van, low hum of generator and a spaniel who would rather be retrieving.

CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links

- GWCT on Instagram and X
- Farmer Clusters website
- Martin Down Farmer Cluster on X
- Megan on Instagram and X
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here

The Hosts

Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.

We interviewed Tim Bonner, Chief Executive at Countryside Alliance, and asked him about working in/around politics, upcoming policy and legislative changes which will affect shooting, what has changed in the last 20 years, the impacts of social media, and whether or not a cocker spaniel should be retrieving pink-footed geese. All bundled in with some light-hearted banter and chat.

This episode was recorded on the Countryside Alliance stand at The Game Fair with a backdrop of headache inducing orange carpet and background chatter.


CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.

Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk 

Links

- Countryside Alliance - on Instagram and X
- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)
- If you enjoy what we do, consider a one-off tip on Ko-fi
- CountrySlide website
- Negus' book tour dates can be found here

The Hosts

Richard Negus website
Callum McInerney-Riley website
Richard Prideaux website


Edited and Produced by Amy Green for Rural and Outdoor.