Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside

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Anna Jones uncovers the stories of people caught up in the battles of British rural life.

Farmer's daughter and rural affairs journalist Anna Jones uncovers the personal stories of individuals caught up in the culture wars raging under the surface of British rural life.

The British countryside is often portrayed as a green and pleasant land - a rural idyll. But under the surface, rural culture wars rage: the Right to Roam, veganism, rewilding. Anna Jones is a farmer's daughter who has worked as a rural affairs journalist for almost 20 years. In this series she uncovers the personal stories of individuals caught up in these battle grounds.

BBC Radio 4 LW

Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside: 3. Right to Roam

3. Right to Roam

BBC Radio 4 - Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside, 3. Right to Roam

Rural journalist Anna Jones meets the man who built the 'iron curtain of Somerset'.

We've been squabbling over how much access we should have to land that’s owned by someone else for over ten thousand years - and it's left its mark on our landscape.

The British countryside is often portrayed as a green and pleasant land - a rural idyll. But under the surface, rural culture wars rage: the Right to Roam, veganism, rewilding.

Anna Jones is a farmer’s daughter who has worked as a rural affairs journalist for almost 20 years. In this series she uncovers the personal stories of individuals caught up in these battle grounds.

In this episode she visits a field near Frome where there’s a fence that’s come to be known as the “iron curtain of Somerset”. The man who built it says it’s protecting his private property from damage. The people who used to enjoy walking around the field are furious.

But according to Dr Jeremy Buchardt, a landscape historian at the University of Reading, this is an ancient grudge that's left its mark on our landscape.

Presented by Anna Jones
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons and Anna Jones

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside

3. Right to Roam

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