Wilding – the film

Just seen it this evening. I can highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t yet seen it and is interested in the subject

I watched it a couple of weeks ago, really enjoyed it. I have read the book also, and it is very good and well worth a look.

I thought the film quite nicely covered the salient points in the book, as you would hope.

All in all quite inspiring, and hopeful

Reading the book at the moment, other half also bought me the illustrated book for my birthday. Massively enjoying it and as we’re local and have been walking there regularly for years, it makes the context fascinating. The writing is excellent, too. Will wait until I’m finished before I watch the film.

Also read the Pinkbike article on the BPW extension and rewilding the other day, that sounds great, but I found the comments section (as far as I could be bothered to read) almost exclusively bitching about the ticket prices a bit disheartening.  I shouldn’t have expected any different really, but you’d hope for a bit more appreciation of nature and biodiversity from mountain bikers.

I’ve seen a couple of Countryfile pieces about that project, and it does lift the spirits to see what they’ve achieved. On a smaller scale, the River Bybrook that runs through Ford and Castle Combe, both about four-five miles from me, Ford being where my dad was born and grew up, has otters and beaver, the beavers a fairly recent release. I haven’t been them, yet, but I have seen a small tree that’s got clear toothmarks on a branch hanging down into the water, between two existing man-made weirs.

I think the plan is to let the beavers do their thing, build dams to keep the water levels up, because there are trout in the river, then ultimately remove the man-made structures.

Hopefully, one day I might get to see the animals while I’m walking along the river, something I never, ever thought I’d see in my lifetime.

If your ever in Sussex its really worth a visit and even better if you camp (the campsites really lovely).  We have been quite a few times (although trickier now as its a child free campsite) and its a magical magical place.  If you grew up in the countryside it kinda feels like that magical version of it that existed when you were small, full of rustling bushes and bugs and butterflies.  Also two pretty good pubs nearby and a fancy fancy farmshop now.

I saw this a few weeks ago, great film and an amazing project!

“6inches of Soil” is another great film following three types of regenerative farms/projects, and imo a more sustainable and compromisable future than the project the knepp estate is doing.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt31139218/

The estate I live and work in started regenerative farming about 18 months ago and the negativity from other farmers in the area is absolutely huge.

The section in Wilding when they talk about the pigs sticking to unploughed sections of the estate is quite obvious in the village I live in – Mole hills in all the gardens and verges, but not in a single field of pasture. Hopefully this will change over the coming years.

It’s all great until a Stork shits on your panoramic roof half way up the A24.

The fly in a flock (herd?) above the road sometimes and it takes your brain a while to calibrate the distance, they’re massive things. We’re used to Jurassic Herring Gulls but these are a step up.

I think you’ve just won the first world problem definition game – “Rewilded stork defecates on Tesla – Sussex man appalled”

‘Likes post above’

‘inserts laughing emoji x3’

I really enjoyed the film, my partner loved the book but I couldn’t get on with it, felt very repetitive to me and seemed to need to keep going over the same point again and again. I think the film provided the editing that was missing from the book. I’ve not read the illustrated book but looking at it briefly I got the impression too that it had benefited from editing

If you go there when it’s wet and they warn you it’s muddy believe them! My partner abandoned her footwear half way around! :-)

If your ever in Sussex its really worth a visit

Thanks, I am definitely going to give it a visit now.

And I will make sure that it’s not after a spell of wet weather!

Take binoculars for looking at the Storks. And don’t miss out on the bird watching hut looking over the lake

In the cinema or streaming?

We went to the cinema but it was on limited release ‘art house’ showings at the time. It was also randomly shown in our local Vue for one screening with absolutely no local marketing.

I saw it here

Cinema Schedule

It’s a small cinema in a council owned library complex

Ahh.. not showing anywhere near me. I saw a link to say it’s available on Amazon Prime. I’ll take a look later, looks good.

I was staying at a friend’s farm last summer and, not long before leaving, spotted a hardback copy of The Book of Wilding, signed something like To ***, Keep up the good work,  Isabella Tree. We’ve chatted about his plans for the farm before but I didn’t have time to find out what good work she was praising him for. I shall quiz him in a few weeks….

Something that I don’t think was really touched on in the film but was in the book was the discussion around people’s ideas of where relatively exotic or rare wildlife will live.

There is an idea that eagles for example live on remote rocky outcrops but there were examples of sea eagles nesting in willow trees in the Netherlands wilding project. Given the chance, they will live in these areas, but of course they have been driven to the extremes by human activity and persecution. There was also the fact that nobody in living memory had ever seen such creatures other than in remote areas, therefore that was what they were thought to prefer. All very interesting stuff

I live by a remote field that currently has a motley herd of cows and calves. It is really interesting to see how they behave together, especially exploring the wooded area they can access. It’s a long way from a wilding project but neither is it just a grassy field, and it’s not hard to imagine their behavior in a more autonomous situation

There was also the fact that nobody in living memory had ever seen such creatures other than in remote areas, therefore that was what they were thought to prefer.

They did touch that subject in the film, they gave the example of peregrine falcons which they said that most people assume nest on cliff edges or very tall buildings when in fact they are happy to nest in trees. I can’t remember what the other example was.

Ah, probably popped to the kitchen at that point for snacks. Should have pressed pause

But yes, an interesting line of thought.

Years ago I stayed in the outskirts of Brisbane, my host told me to look in the ditch running between the houses at first light, which I duly did. Not 2m from me was a platypus, happy as Larry in suburbia.

Ah no, my mistake, I have just remembered – it was in the question and answer section with Isabella Tree after the film when they talked about peregrine falcons nesting in trees, not the actual film.

The interview with Isabella Tree after the film was probably about half an hour long and really interesting. I don’t know if most cinemas show it but I did find it helpful.

Edit : I have just checked and yes all the cinemas seem to be showing the Q&A session after the main film. It’s 20 minutes long apparently

https://www.picturehouses.com/movie-details/014/HO00014584/wilding-q-a

The interview with Isabella Tree after the film was probably about half an hour long and really interesting. I don’t know if most cinemas show it but I did find it helpful.w

The cinema I watched it in gave it as an optional extra with a mini break between the main film and interview. They also had a live q&a with local green party rep – the film was shown as part of a local green festival the council had organised.

@blokeuptheroad

Prime was offering a rental only at £9.99, YouTube have it as a purchase at £9.99

Must see this film. I really enjoyed the book as it’s so well researched and is such an important subject. Thanks for the heads up