The Outdoors Fix throwback: James Rebanks, author and shepherd

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton.

The Outdoors Fix throwback: James Rebanks, author and shepherd

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton.

Emma Holland sitting in a glade near Birchen Edge in the Peak District

As there are now more than 60 episodes of The Outdoors Fix, and while I’m working on a new series, I thought I’d help you pick out some of my favourite conversations from over the years with these throwback episodes.

In this episode, I’m revisiting my conversation with James Rebanks. James is a shepherd, farmer and the author of the bestselling books The Shepherd’s Life, English Pastoral and The Place of Tides.

James lives in the Matterdale Valley near Ullswater in the Lake District and his family has farmed in that stunning area for hundreds of years. He owns a large flock of Herdwick sheep, some belted Galloway cows, pigs and chickens.

While the outdoors has been a pretty constant feature in his life, James is now making wildlife a bigger part of it through his calls for farming to become more sustainable and nature friendly.

I spent a morning with James exploring his beautiful farm and seeing the changes he’s implementing – we then recorded the episode in an old sheep barn!

Liv and James Rebanks waving in a selfie

I wanted to find out more about James’ outdoors life, the realities of being a farmer and shepherd, and why he thinks it’s so important to have nature thriving alongside farming.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast and follow @TheOutdoorsFix on Instagram for photos and videos from all my outdoor recordings.

Thank you and enjoy this throwback episode of The Outdoors Fix.

The award-winning The Outdoors Fix podcast is available on all podcast platforms. You can find more than 60 episodes in our archive.

The Outdoors Fix is kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.

You can find photos of all the podcast guests on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

Liv and James Rebanks waving in a selfie
James Rebanks standing by a beck on his farm
James Rebanks episode image for The Outdoors Fix podcast. James stands by a beck on his farm.
A bothy at sunset in Scotland

This episode of The Outdoors Fix was kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.

This episode of The Outdoors Fix was kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.

This episode of The Outdoors Fix was kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.