My country memories: Alex James

Alex James in a black suit smiling at the camera.

'I always thought I’d end up living by the sea but, being based on a farm in the landlocked Cotswolds, I couldn’t be further away if I tried. My grandad used to run a guesthouse in Bournemouth and, after he died, mum, dad, my little sister Deborah and I went to live there. The surrounding countryside was spectacular. I think Dorset is a very underrated county – it has some breathtaking scenery such as the Ministry of Defence land on the Isle of Purbeck where we’d often go walking as a family. My parents are big walkers and I’ve grown to love this pastime as well – the only problem for me is that with five children of my own – Geronimo, who’s seven years old, Artemis and Gallileo, five, Sable, three, and Beatrix, one – there’s not much time for it as everything has to be done at running pace.

'The best part of growing up in Bournemouth was being right on the Jurassic Coast. My favourite beach was Kimmeridge and during the winter, on every first Sunday of the month, my parents would take my sister and me there to meet family friends. We’d pile up all the driftwood and debris that had gathered on the shore over the past month, have a giant bonfire and cook jacket potatoes and sausages on it. The coast is just as beautiful off-season, if not more so. I find bright sunny days rather boring and prefer the seaside when it’s moody, overcast and cloudy. There is a pleasant melancholy about a grey beach.

'I didn’t ever dream of living in the countryside. By the time I was 15 all I wanted to do was leave Bournemouth for London. Then when I was playing in Brit-pop band Blur in my 20s I travelled the world, but as I got older I started to appreciate the country and felt its gentle pull. My wife Claire and I bought our farm near the village of Kingham in Oxfordshire by fax while we were on our honeymoon in Italy. It was not only the start of a new life together, but a whole new way of living for us. I didn’t  know anybody in the area then – although "Cider with Rosie" has always been my favourite book, Laurie Lee’s Cotswolds was a very different place to what it is today. We were drawn there because Oxfordshire is where Claire and I fell in love. Although we met in London, our relationship really unfolded on weekends away in the country, and so it holds many happy memories for us.

'When I decided to go into farming I thought that I was retiring: I didn’t have any idea that I was about to go from the easiest job in the world to the hardest. I used to go for picnics in the countryside and think, "Isn’t this pretty?". But now I realise that every blade of grass is there for a reason. We moved here eight years ago and it’s really exciting to see the trees that we’ve planted starting to bear fruit. We have 200 acres, a herd of Gloucester cattle, as well as pigs, sheep and hens including some interesting breeds such as Silkies. Being here is very grounding. I suppose that’s why it’s become the natural habitat of so many ageing rockers; after years of living out of a suitcase there’s a huge yearning to put down roots, and what better place to do that than on a farm?

'My mum is a country girl and still knows more about cows than I do, while my dad is great on birds. Though I’ve learned so much in the past few years about nature and farming, the more I know, the more I realise there is to discover. The best thing about living in the country is just stepping outside your door every day. If you want to see something particularly beautiful, you only need to get up early. In the city so much happens at night, whereas in rural areas the most exciting times are at sunrise and sunset, when the soundtrack and the lighting are amazing.

'I’ve travelled all over the world and flown above all kinds of landscapes in Europe, and I can honestly say that the British countryside is the prettiest there is. With its hedgerows and fields, it’s a jewel. The more time I spend here, the more I find I want to stay. Its draw for me is immense, to the extent that I don’t want to go on holiday any more because I miss the farm too much. Once you’ve felt the rhythm of the seasons and fallen under their spell, the rural way of life becomes completely absorbing, and almost impossible to leave.'

Now a writer and award-winning cheesemaker, Alex James became famous as the bass player in the band, Blur. He is judging the Ambition AXA Awards to find the UK's most gifted and driven young people announced on 30 November 2011. www.ambitionaxaawards.com