Editor’s Note
Welcome
OUR ISLAND NATION OWES MUCH TO THE WATER THAT SURROUNDS
us and our rich seafaring heritage. For the inhabitants of Fair Isle, the ocean has been both a provider and an isolator, as you can read in our interview with seven of only 50 people who live happily in their wind-swept demi-paradise. However, for the Channel Islanders, at the other end of the country, the sea was the barrier to receiving proper protection from invasion during the Second World War. We look at the legacy of those days, which is evident in the occupying German Army buildings still visible all over the islands, which serve as a sober reminder of the hardship that conflict brought so close to mainland Britain. To complete our maritime theme, we look at the National Trust’s ongoing Neptune Coastline Campaign which, for 50 years, has been seeking to preserve our most beautiful coastline for our enjoyment forever. The iconic White Cliffs of Dover and the beautiful Gower Peninsula are just two of the 742 miles of coast now belonging to the Trust. In this issue we are also celebrating the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta, that has had such an influence on the way countries are governed around the world. Exactly what it is and how it came about is what we explore. And we’re raising a glass to the 50 years that the Landmark Trust has been saving small gems of historic buildings that might otherwise have dropped off the radar.
Discover Britain, Archant House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 1BB Tel: 01242 211 077, Fax: 01242 216 094 editorial@discoverbritainmag.com www.discoverbritainmag.com EDITORIAL Editor Sheena Harvey Deputy Editor Vicky Sartain Staff Writer Angharad Moran Art Editor Jeremy Bird ADVERTISING Account Manager Daniel Martin Tel: 01242 264 781; daniel.martin@archant.co.uk Account Manager Amy Stokes Tel: 01242 264 785; amy.stokes@archant.co.uk MANAGEMENT Specialist Managing Director Peter Timperley peter.timperley@archant.co.uk Lifestyle Managing Director Will Hattam will.hattam@archant.co.uk PRODUCTION Reprographics Manager Neil Puttnam Printing William Gibbons Ltd CUSTOMER SERVICES Enquiries and orders: Tel: 01242 216 002 Sylvie Wheatley; sylvie.wheatley@archant.co.uk Estelle Iles; estelle.iles@archant.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS UK Discover Britain, Unit 1, Tower House, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough LE16 9EF Tel: 01858 438 840, Fax: 01858 434 958 discoverbritain@subscription.co.uk www.subscriptionsave.co.uk Subscription rates: Subscribe for one year for £27 (six issues) or for two years (12 issues) for £54. For the latest offer see page 16 BACK ISSUES £4.50. Tel: 01858 468 811 Printed in England ISSN 0950-5245 © Archant Specialist 2015 News distribution: Seymour, 86 Newman Street, London W1T 3EX. Tel: 020 7396 8000
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SHEENA HARVEY Editor
go down to the seas again, for the call of “theI must running tide; Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied; And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying; And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying. JOHN MASEFIELD (1878-1967)
6 | APRIL/MAY 2015 discoverbritainmag.com
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Plemont Bay on Jersey Photo by Alan Lagadu/ GettyImages
ALAN HARVEY
Sea Fever