Introducing our Countryside Day keynote speaker, local author Nic Wilson

Nic Wilson, Keynote Speaker at our upcoming 2025 CPRE Hertfordshire Countryside Day, has kindly provided this short introduction.

Our event on Saturday afternoon 11th October celebrates the countryside with various activities and workshops including a guided tour of Knebworth House Estate gardens and the opportunity to learn more about our work protecting, promoting and enhancing Hertfordshire’s countryside. Book your free ticket here – everyone is welcome to attend but you will need to book in advance.

Book your free ticket

Hertfordshire’s Wildlife and Landscape, by Nic Wilson

I moved to the chalklands of North Hertfordshire nearly 23 years ago, having spent my first three decades living in the sand and mudstone landscapes of Warwickshire, Cheshire and County Durham. But it wasn’t until I stopped full-time teaching in Cambridge in 2009, that I started to explore the local landscape and its wildlife.

As a car-less mum, I spent hours walking with my young children to nursery, playgroup and friends’ houses, and my local journeys gave me the opportunity to meet some of the plants and animals that call Hertfordshire home – the old man’s beard, black squirrels and nuthatches that I’d often see (or hear) on my daily trips along the snickets and back alleys. I began to collect stories about how these species were connected to the history and geology of the area, and from these local tales my nature memoir Land Beneath the Waves was born.

It can be hard to feel positive about the natural world when it faces so many crises. And in Land Beneath the Waves, I do delve into local history to find out what species and habitats we’ve lost over the centuries and what this might mean for our future. But I also feel very strongly that we still have incredible wildlife and landscapes here in Hertfordshire to explore and enjoy, and I feel privileged to be able to write about these in my monthly Guardian country diaries.

There is so much wonder, beauty and knowledge in meaningful relationships with the natural world and you don’t need to journey far to find it. From itinerant pavement plants and the local production of medical compounds from deadly nightshade (a plant that escaped cultivation and now lurks in the verges), to one of the world’s largest trees facing extinction by superfires, injuries inflicted by squirting cucumbers, our forgotten fame for nightingales, and Hertfordshire’s deep-time origin as a land beneath the waves, my book explores the amazing natural history stories that surround us.

I believe the best relationships with local nature – like all good relationships – are reciprocal. For me, a keen awareness and love of the natural world provide inspiration and support, while also fuelling my desire to celebrate, cherish and improve our green spaces. And there are so many ways to get involved. I’ve been volunteering on my local Wildlife Trust reserve now for six years. I’ve learnt so much (how to lay hedges, coppice trees, scythe the wet meadows) and made so many friends in that time. I also help organise a community nature network group, encouraging local folk to support wildlife in their gardens and running events such as bat walks, dawn chorus walks and moth breakfasts.

Joining local nature and countryside charities is another fantastic way to get involved, as is gardening for wildlife by avoiding peat-based composts and pesticides, campaigning for better laws to support biodiversity and encouraging neighbours to create access to their gardens for wildlife like hedgehogs. If we all spent a little more time appreciating and supporting the nearby wild in whatever ways we can, we’d benefit from a deeper connection to our surroundings and Hertfordshire’s wildlife would have a better chance of thriving in the future.

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About CPRE Hertfordshire

Would you like to get involved in protecting and enhancing your local green spaces? Consider volunteering with CPRE Hertfordshire – see our current vacancies, including our hands-on Hedgerow Planting Volunteer role.

CPRE Hertfordshire is the only charity dedicated to protecting, promoting and enhancing Hertfordshire’s countryside. We campaign to protect Hertfordshire’s beautiful landscapes and natural environment for future generations. You can support our work by becoming a member – its quick and easy to join online – making a donation, or buying our merchandise including Nic Wilson’s new book Land Beneath the Waves.