Hunter life.

I once had culture shock and it's a strange thing. I'd been in New York, drunk for a week, then came to my nobler senses to find myself on a freezing cold island in the North Atlantic. It must have been one of the Faroes. There was nothing to do. Nothing whatsoever and I was overwhelmed by feelings of boredom and pointlessness, I don't know how long I lasted because I lost sense of time but I got over it and when it was time to go I didn't want to leave, I wanted to ride the horse up the mountain again.

I see friends looking shocked when they arrive here at the farm from London for the day or the weekend and it's raining a bit. Their shiny trainers are ruined by the time they've walked up the garden path to the front door and they stand there shivering, horrified at the thought of hours and hours of nothing to do and bad weather.

There is nothing to do in the country. Nothing is likely to happen unless you cause it to. Cities are such buoyant, provocative places, always trying to distract you and make you spend your time on this or think about that but in the countryside you have to make all your own waves.

So they come in out of the cold and it's quiet and I let them enjoy the silence, taste the stillness, while I stoke up a fire and make a pot of tea. Pretty soon we're cosy, looking at the rain through the window, warming our toes with tea and buttery toast. The sun comes out and dazzles immaculate silver through a low window.

All weather conditions pose a problem in cities. Because there is never a 360º horizon in a city, you only ever get glimpses of the weather, the sky. In the countryside you eventually realise there is no such thing as a completely grey day: at least I haven't seen one yet. People always moan when it's not warm and bright and sunny but you don't necessarily see the most on a bright sunny day. The heavier the sky, the more colours of the grass, the trees, the flowers resonate.

People don't expect to enjoy the countryside in winter but the best days of all are in winter: clear skies where you can see forever; silent motionless frosts; exhilarating wind and rain. Conditions really prevail in the country, whatever they are.

All you need to enjoy the Best Countryside in the world at the most beautiful time of year is the right equipment. Enough layers to keep warm and something to keep rain off, Rain is nothing to be scared of - as long as you have the right clothes on.

I love winter walks. In summer, it can be hot and bothersome to do anything at all. Walking is quite a subtle pleasure but it is exquisite. It doesn't matter how cold it is when I step out of the door, soon I've worked up a good head of steam and I'm stripping off layers, breathing in huge lungfuls of air. I suppose we were built to walk and scramble and that's why it feels so good and it does: Walking makes me feel good. All the clutter and stress of day-to-day life to falls away in the bliss of solitude.

The British Countryside is the prettiest in the world, any time of year. I never know how long I'll walk for but when I do begin to make my way home. There will be one thing on my mind.

Is it just me, or does food taste better in the winter?