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Mary-Ann Ochota

Anthropologist, broadcaster, author

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cover of the book The English Path. it is illustrated with a painting of a curving track through fields. It shows the author's name Kim Taplin and says Introduced by Mary-Ann Ochota — The English Path
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front cover artwork of book showing the title, Secret Britain on a green landscape with archaeological features like standing stones — Signed copy of Secret Britain
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BOOK BUNDLE: Secret Britain & Hidden Histories — Signed BOOK BUNDLE: Secret Britain & Hidden Histories
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Big hill, lush evening, good vibes in Winchester.

Big hill, lush evening, good vibes in Winchester. I'm speaking tomorrow at the National Landscapes conference, then staying on for a meeting with Natural England. #landscapesforthefuture

❓️but does anyone actually know what we mean when we're banging on about landscapes?

In hot and sweaty London with @cpre today to talk

In hot and sweaty London with @cpre today to talk to a bunch of people about how we become the Clean Energy Superpower @ed_miliband wants us to be.

Crucially - how do we get businesses, warehouses and farms to stick solar panels on their roofs? How do we change the landscape so everyone benefits from the sun shining on their roof? How do we minimise the amount of land being taken out of food production to become a solar farm instead?

How do we get the job done for the nation, at the same time as listening properly to local communities getting clobbered with lots of infrastructure? The govt published their solar roadmap yesterday so there’s a lot to percolate through. Can we disperse solar panels so a village has a field’s worth that powers a couple of thousand houses, rather than being surrounded by panels and security fences that power the region?

Yes, we need to make efficient use of the grid infrastructure (pylons, substations etc) but mega solar farms are so jarring that they risk not just breaking a few eggs but killing all the chickens.

For many (most?) people, the biggest factor they’ll feel in the near future is - have my bills gone down? Put panels on the GP Surgery roof and you can afford a new practice nurse, panels on a factory and everyone gets a raise, panels on a school and a new Teaching Assistant can be hired. and - incidentally - we don’t need to rely on Russian oil and gas, we’re tackling climate change and we can restore nature at the same time. Save the world while you sleep? Install solar panels and a battery.

I love listening to clever people who care about the future. It might be the raging heatwave, or its the warm and fuzzies. Either way, energy transition is HOT rn 🔥

*and yes, modern slavery in the supply chain is an issue we need to fix pronto ☠️

The countryside can and should be as diverse and p

The countryside can and should be as diverse and progressive as anywhere else in our country. Countryside places have always been places of many faiths, many backgrounds and many stories. There’s space for temples, mosques, chapels, synagogues in every landscape, in every national park, in every community. I know it to be true. As President of @CPRE the Countryside Charity that’s 100 years old next year; As an anthropologist & researcher into the historic landscape. And as a *human* I know it to be true. I’m thrilled that @south.lakes.islamic.centre is being built in Furness in the Lake District - a space for faith and community. It doesnt exist yet but it's already needed and loved. This is a future countryside I’m proud to be part of.

This bunch of farmers are innovative, future-focus

This bunch of farmers are innovative, future-focused and optimistic. They're regenerative farmers - ie they farm in a way that builds healthy soil, promotes water and nutrients to cycle through a healthy ecosystem, and they produce delicious and nutritious food. They aim to leave the land in a better state than when they began. And if you do it right you can make a decent living too. No pity party, no waiting for government bailouts. Just getting on with future-focused land-and-nature-and-community-and-people regeneration.huge thanks to @carboncalling2025 for the privilege of joining you, hosting sessions and learning LOADS. 💚🌾🐂
Co-Founders & awesome persons @renisons_farm @lizgenever

Planning to get outside and enjoy the longest day?

Planning to get outside and enjoy the longest day? See the sunrise? Or sunset? Great.
💚 Spread the pressure - you don't need to go to a famous site to have a special time - find local alternatives @megalithic_portal
🌷 Leave No trace
🐕 keep the floof pooch on a lead - birds and hares are nesting in the grass.
🚜 Park responsibly- never in passing places or in field gateways
🌄 make sure the only fireball is the one in the sky. Leave the stoves, candles and BBQ trays at home. Otherwise you could easily cause a fire. Like, really easily. And no, your 1lt bottle of drinking water won't put it out.
🌞 enjoy

@right.2roam @cpre @nfulife @archaeologyuk @the.stone.club

It's honestly very interesting Signed copies at w

It's honestly very interesting
Signed copies at www.maryannochota.com
Or your local bookshop

@quartobooksuk

I learned to scuba dive when I was living in Austr

I learned to scuba dive when I was living in Australia - and had the great privilege of completing my first open water dives on the Great Barrier Reef. When I returned to the UK i wasn’t sure how to continue scuba diving, but knew I wanted to. It was fun, adventurous, you got to see and experience places and creatures that most people never would. I discovered that UK diving was colder, often murkier and required a shedload more kit. But the adventure, the creatures and the community were also top drawer. I’ve had a few years off having kids and being too sleep deprived and time-poor to get my skills back sharp. But a few months ago I joined a local @bsacdivers club and found a lovely and supportive group of folk to help me back on the scuba journey. it’s still murky and cold. But it’s also still super fun. if you’ve ever been inclined to see what’s beneath the surface, go for it. There’s a great network of folk waiting to welcome you. #UKdiving #scuba #whatliesbeneath #marine #adventure

#healthateverysize #allmovementisgoodmovement

#healthateverysize
#allmovementisgoodmovement

I thought the debate about Fortress Conservation w

I thought the debate about Fortress Conservation was done - the idea that nature can only thrive if people are excluded. But it seems that this outfit didn't get the memo. I'm not an ecologist so can't speak about the mix of plants on the right hand side of the picture. But what I do see is...no people. People who currently live and rely on this land. Who are trying to grow food to feed their families, tackling unprecedented climate disruption that they definitely didn't cause and currently don't benefit from. If the right hand side showed a greened land with sustainable farming and people managing that land then fine, maybe I'd look in to donating. But as it stands, this looks like your £7 will add insult to injury to both land and people.
And if you're keen on stopping the boats, ask yourself where these folk might end up when the Fortress Conservation lot have put up the fences and chucked them off the land in the picture.

Yes, we need to restore nature. But with people, not instead of them.
If you want to donate maybe look instead at @practical_action or @coolearthaction - both doing fantastic work that empowers local people and tackles climate breakdown and biodiversity loss

At the southern end of the Ridgeway, there's an a

At the southern end of the Ridgeway, there's an amazing stone. Just sitting there in a field. Go hang out with it
#FyfieldDown
#Ridgeway
#Avebury

Not saying he's wrong, but...y'know. @nationaltrus

Not saying he's wrong, but...y'know.
@nationaltrust
@ridgeway_national_trail
#Uffington
#Oxfordshire
#Archaeology

Filming for @historyhit

Instagram post 18504435967025813

Instagram post 18504435967025813

O A K Did you know there are two types of nativ

O A K

Did you know there are two types of native oak tree in Britain? The English Oak aka Pedunculate Oak – has acorns with stems and leaves with *no* stem. The Sessile Oak has acorns with no stems but leaves *with* stems.
There are also a bunch of other oaks – turkey oak and holm oak to name a few. They’ll become more common as our climate warms and dries, as they’re more tolerant to heat and drought.
If you can, go give an oak a hug, or just a pat. If you can, get your nose in there and give the bark a good sniff. They smell delicious. Listen, touch, feel, look…and who am I to stop you giving it a lick, if you like. Your new oaky buddy will love it, I’m sure.

To get a rough age estimate of big, free-standing oak trees, give them a hug around their trunk – about 1.5m up. 2 hugs = 100-150 years old, 3 hugs = 250 years old, 4 hugs = 400 years old - it was likely a sapling when Elizabeth I was on the throne.

There are even older oaks - the oldest is more than 1000 years old! 😲😲🌳

O A K Did you know there are two types of nativ

O A K

Did you know there are two types of native oak tree in Britain? The English Oak aka Pedunculate Oak – has acorns with stems and leaves with *no* stem. The Sessile Oak has acorns with no stems but leaves *with* stems.
There are also a bunch of other oaks – turkey oak and holm oak to name a few. They’ll become more common as our climate warms and dries, as they’re more tolerant to heat and drought.
If you can, go give an oak a hug, or just a pat. If you can, get your nose in there and give the bark a good sniff. They smell delicious. Listen, touch, feel, look…and who am I to stop you giving it a lick, if you like. Your new oaky buddy will love it, I’m sure.

To get a rough age estimate of big, free-standing oak trees, give them a hug around their trunk – about 1.5m up. 2 hugs = 100-150 years old, 3 hugs = 250 years old, 4 hugs = 400 years old - it was likely a sapling when Elizabeth I was on the throne.

There are even older oaks - the oldest is more than 1000 years old! 😲😲🌳

Wild hair, wild heart. My tiny rewilding project c

Wild hair, wild heart. My tiny rewilding project continues...
Need to keep watering these little fellas this summer until they get going.
#nettles #nativetrees #drought

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Signed Books

The English Path £14.00
Signed copy of Secret Britain £19.99
Signed copy of Hidden Histories £19.99
Signed BOOK BUNDLE: Secret Britain & Hidden Histories £37.00

© Mary-Ann Ochota 2023-2025

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