Hope in hidden places

“Some of the best places for holidays are those overlooked corners that you miss on the way to somewhere with better PR.

Take Wiltshire and Somerset, marvellous counties of ancient mysteries blithely bypassed on the roads to Dorset, Devon or Cornwall. And in this month’s magazine, Carmarthenshire – described by author Carwyn Graves as the place known to those heading to Pembrokeshire as “where the M4 peters out”. But a closer look reveals a trove of hidden loveliness: a wonderfully woven coast; little-walked hills and wooded valleys; cosy pubs; charming be-castled towns and some of Britain’s most glorious gardens.

Perhaps Carmarthenshire deserves to be Britain’s second Hope Spot, after Argyll in Scotland. Hope Spots are a global idea to focus love and resources on coastal and marine areas rich in wildlife and community to strengthen their collective resilience. I’m delighted that Argyll resident and relatively new Countryfile presenter Hamza Yassin joins us this month to tell us more about his hopeful homeland – and show off some of his great wildlife photos. If we can find hope for our landscapes, we can also do with finding hope for ourselves. And one way to cope with the demands of modern life may be to look to the distant past: our Neolithic ancestors may have some tips for living contentedly. Sam Pyrah takes us on a journey to a simpler existence.

Fergus Collins, editor@countryfile.com

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THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

Carwyn Graves, ‘Discover Carmarthenshire’.

“Be prepared for a visual feast of oak-ash woodlands along steep river valleys followed by broad vistas.”

Sam Pyrah, ‘Find your inner caveman’

“Not only were our hunter-gatherer ancestors biologically almost identical to us, they were highly capable.”

Hamza Yassin, ‘Hamza and the Hope Spot’

“The range of different species that lives here is phenomenal – it’s beautiful and it’s remote.”

Photo: Oliver Edwards, 4Corners Images, Alex Trowski