From growing up in a racing yard to commentating in the King’s Coronation procession and fronting the Olympics and Wimbledon, Clare Balding’s life has been extraordinary. Now, she has written her debut novel based on a character who relocates from London to a struggling farm in Monmouthshire. Discover more about Pastures New as well the secrets from behind the scenes of her 30 years in broadcasting…
About ‘Pastures New’
Sometimes home is where you least expect it…
Alex has perfected the art of dodging responsibility during her almost 40 years — until an unexpected letter turns her life upside down.
She’s inherited a crumbling sheep farm in deepest, wettest Wales. This was not her life plan. Not at all. Now, her closest companion is a grumpy Welsh terrier, she’s speed-reading An Idiot’s Guide to Farming, and her arrival has set the village gossip mill spinning. With the farm near collapse and its community now relying on her, Alex sets out to uncover the truth behind her mysterious inheritance. Then she can finally get back to the carefree life she thought she wanted.
But as secrets surface, Alex finds her heart pulling her in a direction she never saw coming. Will she pack her bags – or has she landed exactly where she’s meant to be?
About Clare Balding
Clare grew up in the countryside surrounded by horses and dogs. Her autobiography, ‘My Animals and Other Family’, won the National Book Award for Autobiography of the Year. Clare has also written a bestselling series of children’s books set around a girl and her horse.
A keen rider, Clare competed as an amateur flat jockey during her teenage years, winning Champion Lady Rider in 1990. After an English Literature degree at Cambridge she became a journalist. Alongside her award winning sports broadcasting and coverage of major Royal events, Clare hosts her much loved Ramblings series on Radio 4, taking her across the British Isles exploring its landscape and its storytelling.
A passionate campaigner for equality and women’s sport, Clare was awarded a CBE for her services to Sport and Charity in 2022, which she was honoured to receive at Buckingham Palace
