Country Life's Octavia Pollock is riding in the Magnolia Cup, the race for female amateur jockeys which is one of the highlights of Glorious Goodwood. She tells the tale of what it's been like to take on this gruelling but hugely-rewarding physical and mental challenge.
Raymond Blanc's cookery school is running online cookery classes, with live advice beamed to your kitchen from Le Manoir aux Quat-Saisons. Octavia Pollock gave it a try.
The High Weald AONB's rolling landscape is the archetypal image many of us have of rural England. Octavia Pollock takes a look.
Cannock Chase is the smallest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Britain. Octavia Pollock takes a closer look.
Octavia Pollock takes a look at the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB, a landscape where the hands of Man and Nature have worked together for centuries.
Octavia Pollock takes a look at the magnificent Welsh coastal landscape of The Gower Peninsula, whose tales are as eye-opening as its beauty.
Adare Manor is no-expense-spared labour of love created by a billionaire owner — and it makes a wonderful weekend away, as Octavia Pollock discovered.
'Once, the BBC was filming here and the penguins would take apart the equipment and run away with it, always the most expensive bits.'
‘They know we’d never take them anywhere dangerous. They trust us so much.'
‘The louder people cheer, the faster they go. It gets faster and faster all week – or my nerves get worse!’
‘In my left-leaning youth, they would attend meetings, but my comrades voted to remove them. That was when I realised my time there was up – the chickens were very concerned about the Albanian question!’
Adrian Graham is passionate about his pets, which can live for up to 250 years and grow to the size of a rather tall man.
If you're looking to get into shooting, a series of lessons is the place to start —as Octavia Pollock has been finding out at the Cowdray Estate's Hownhall shooting school.
Octavia Pollock had never so much as held a gun before she decided to try clay pigeon shooting — she headed down to the Cowdray Estate's Hownhall Shooting School to give it a go.
Affectionate and loving he may be, but small-clawed otter Rudi has a purpose.
Octavia Pollock visits Camilla Naprous of The Devil’s Horsemen to find out more about the horses they train for film.
On estates such as Balmoral, The Queen’s home in Aberdeenshire, tough and shaggy Highland ponies are vital members of the stalking team when it comes to bringing deer off the hill. Octavia Pollock found out more.
Matthew Parris, the MP-turned-journalist/political commentator, keeps pet llamas at his home in Derbyshire. He spoke to Octavia Pollock.
Watching a polo match will give anyone who loves riding an urge to try it for themselves — Octavia Pollock went to the Cowdray Estate to give it a go.
