My perfect day: Clare Balding
As well as presenting horse-racing and major sports events for the BBC, Clare Balding has a cult following with walkers for her Radio 4 show, Ramblings…
Where would you spend a perfect day?
Can I have two perfect days? On a day off I’d wake up at Kingsclere in Hampshire, where my parents, sister and brother-in-law live [her family owns Park House stables there]. I’d walk my Tibetan terrier, Archie, play with my nephews, JJ and Toby, who are two and three, and maybe go riding. In the afternoon I’d play golf at Sandford Springs on Watership Down. But I love working too – there’s an adrenalin rush when you’ve got a programme, and I love going live. Witnessing AP McCoy win on his 15th ride at this year’s Grand National was just fantastic. People will remember that race for years to come. Of course, when a programme’s finished, that’s even better.
Do you like walking in groups or alone?
On Ramblings I meet people who make walking so interesting, such as a geologist who tells me exactly why the landscape is as it is, or a night-time navigator, who finds the way by starlight.
Have you got a favourite piece of walking kit?
I can be pretty minimalist on Ramblings, as there’s always someone to remember the map. My boots have got more comfortable as time’s gone on, and a vest is vital, even if it’s sunny when you set off.
What’s the secret of walking and commentating at the same time?
Ramblings producer Maggie Ayre holds a microphone on a pole, called a boom, in front of me, and I always walk to the right with the person I’m interviewing on the left. This keeps the sound clear. One hazard is asking a question with a long answer on a steep hill – the interviewee may run out of puff before the end. And I’ve fallen over…
Has Ramblings changed your perception of footpaths and access to private land?
Landowners have got better at letting ramblers on to their property, and walkers have become more responsible about keeping dogs on leads and shutting gates. Walking across private land is a privilege, not a right, and shouldn’t be taken for granted. I don’t write a thank-you letter to every farmer whose land I cross, but I do want to say thank you for letting us walk there.
Have you found any surprising walks?
Nothumberland offers a coastal walk with castles, so there’s a wow round every corner. It’s like the Lake District rolled out. And Northern Ireland is wonderful – not just the Giant’s Causeway, but also the Ulster Way. There are mountains just like Table Mountain – you could be in Cape Town. North Cornwall out of season is another favourite. We have so many wonderful walks in the UK, it would take 10 years to do them justice.
You were a champion amateur jockey. Why is it still so difficult for women to race professionally?
In the amateur world of racing, eventing and show-jumping, riders own their horses, so they don’t have to ask for favours. Jockeys have to rely on other people for opportunities, and owners and trainers tend to have old-fashioned attitudes. It’s hard for women to get rides professionally, as men are seen as stronger – it’s a vicious circle. But I’m sure Hayley Turner will ride in the Derby on a horse that has a chance of winning.
You won the Royal Television Society’s Sports Presenter of the Year award in 2003. Is there an award you still crave?
I never think I’ve done the perfect programme, never think I’ve cracked it. Live TV is not easy and that’s why I love it. And it’s a fickle world, where you win awards one day and could be out of a job the next, so I’ve never craved awards. Well, maybe a Bafta.
Finally, the Ramblers is 75 years old. Do you have a birthday message for us?
Happy birthday, Ramblers! The best piece of walking advice I’ve had is that beyond 75 the trick is to walk further and faster than ever before. Yesterday I was with a walking group, all over 60, who do more now than when they first started walking as friends 30 years ago. Walking is simply the cheapest and most beautiful pleasure.
Interview by Susan Gray
