Happy New Year

It's the beginning of a brand new year and, at the Journal, we think it's the perfect time to get out into the great outdoors and blow away a few cobwebs.

So, in this month's magazine, we're celebrating all that's fabulous about our local countryside, from the rolling lowland hills of the Gog Magogs (page 16) to the atmospheric flatlands that are the Cambridgeshire Fens (page 29).

The Journal's Lisa Millard pulls on her walking boots on page 53. Joining members of the Cambridge Rambling Club, she takes a tour of the countryside around Comberton; you can recreate her route by following the map on page 57. And, if you want to look gorgeous while you're out and about, go to our special outdoor fashion feature on page 68 (the polka dot wellies are my personal favourite…).

On page 22, I meet Cambridge couple Grant and Shauna Hawthorne. Last New Year, they pledged not to set foot in a supermarket for a full 12 months: instead, they opted to get back to nature and start growing their own. A year on, they farm several acres of land in the hamlet of Snailwell, are running a home-grown meat business called Tiny Farmer, and say they are loving their new way of life.

Our new section – The Good Life – starts on page 47. Designed to help us all live happier and more eco-friendly lives, it contains everything from advice from a Cambridge life coach to a feature on keeping fit by jogging with a
canine companion.

And, if all that outdoor activity leaves you feeling a bit chilly, you can cosy up with a good, old-fashioned pantomime. Bringing warmth to the depths of British winter, pantos are taking place across the county this month: on page 80, we meet the cast of two am dram productions, a sparkling Aladdin and a laugh-a-minute Beauty and the Beast.

Whatever you do this January, I hope you enjoy reading the Journal – and have a very happy New Year.

Alice Ryan

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