Country mouse hacks out with courtesy

Phone hacking aside, riders could do more to encourage considerate drivers when out on the roads

Country mouse, Country Life magazine
country mouse new

Gone for many, with the sad demise of so many village shops, is the local paper round. We certainly don't get a newspaper delivered anymore, and now that the shop at Petersfield station has also closed, I have to wait until I get into the office to see what our politicians and celebrities have been getting up to. The past week has been embarrassing, following the dreadful failings at the News of the World it's journalists writing about journalists.

In different circumstances, I've been responsible for a lot of hacking in my time and, often, it's left me afraid and fearful. For 30 years, I used to hack my horses or ponies along the road, first in the Cotswolds and then in Sussex, and, although the majority of cars would slow down, I found that you could predict, with some accuracy, by a car's make whether it would or would not.

Land Rovers were the best, followed by Volvo estates; you couldn't rely on a Range Rover, but could be pretty certain of a Mini. Vauxhalls and Fords were poor, but white vans were always the worst. However, the riders themselves could do better-it's not difficult to raise a hand in thanks, but too many don't. A little courtesy goes a long way these days, whether you're a rider or a journalist.

* Subscribe to Country Life and save 40%

Country Life

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.