Former Countryfile co-presenter and 2019 Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards For Excellence compere, Julia Bradbury, sat down with reporter Jess Ward to discuss things Manx. The outdoor enthusiast is currently working on filming that features great walking destinations across the island. She talks about her warm welcome here.

Julia touched down in the Isle of Man once again and soon got stuck into celebrating its talent, culture and showcasing a variety of its special outdoor treks.

Charming her audience at this year’s Awards, the Dublin-born television presenter helped shape the electric atmosphere where individuals, small businesses and corporations received recognition for contributing to the community or standing out in their fields.

And there was no stopping Julia, who spent the day after the lively event visiting and filming numerous Manx locations soon to be shown to thousands of people from across the UK and abroad.

The star has previously praised the island’s landscapes in ITV’s Britain’s Best Walks, a six-part series that aired in 2017.

’To come back and do a little bit more, but working with Visit Isle of Man now, is a real treat,’ she said.

’I always have a warm welcome and that’s the great thing about the Isle of Man.

’Everybody’s very proud of their Manx heritage and culture, which is lovely. I saw that when I was presenting the awards. There was a real energy in the room and a big sense of pride. Everybody’s very collaborative and friendly with one another and visitors.’

She called hosting the event a very positive experience.

’You hope that everybody in the room appreciates what’s happening and that they’re feeling as appreciated as they should be because the event is and was all about them - the community. It’s a nice thing to be involved in,’ she said.

Filming early the next morning, Julia and her crew from The Outdoor Guide (TOG) - a website set up by herself and sister Gina to provide information for walks in the UK - were joined by camera operator Matt Smith from The Camping and Caravanning Club (CCC).

The CCC is a UK not-for-profit organisation founded in 1901 and now represents over half a million members. Julia is its first female president.

The team was guided around the island by Andrew Foxon and Johnny Sayle from the Isle of Man Civil Defence Corps, which happened to pick up the Pokerstars Awards for Third Sector: Supporting our Community at the AFE.

Marine Drive in Douglas, several spots along the Millennium Way and the Raad Ny Foillan were the focus of their filming, which will appear on TOG, CCC and Visit Isle of Man.

’We wanted to make sure we hit as many of the beautiful spots on the island as possible,’ Julia said.

’Along the Millennium Way there is this gorgeous patch of woodland; I’m walking along by this stream with the sunshine popping through the leaves and for me I’m just in heaven. I can hear running water and I’m surrounded by ferns. I was saying to the crew: "Film the ferns! I want some fern-porn!".’

The previously-aired Britain’s Best Walks episode in which Dhoon Glen, Laxey Valley and Snaefell were shown off to millions on ITV ’was an immensely popular episode’ she said.

’People really loved it and I think there were a lot of ITV viewers who were perhaps quite surprised about the landscapes and the variety of landscapes that the Isle of Man has to offer.’

Julia’s fascination of the outdoors was cultivated early by walks in the Peak District with her father and being out in the garden for hours with her mother as a child.

As she’s spent more time outdoors, she has recognised the importance of the natural world and feels strongly about sharing this.

’I think we’ve definitely lost that connection with nature unfortunately, but the positive news is we’re starting to think about it again,’ she said.

’Everybody’s very talkative about climate change and climate destruction and the environment. With that conversation comes the natural world and our access and resources within that world. That all circulates back round to a connection and I think people are beginning to realise and understand that even if you do live in a city, what’s happening somewhere else in the world does have an impact.’

She reflected on her recent trip to Australia where she found that aboriginal people in Daintree Forest use spiders’ web to help coagulate their blood and for antiseptic purposes as well as using foliage for medicines.

’These things now are being explored more and more for modern medicines and if we just destroy them all, we’re going to have nowhere to go,’ she said.

’You have incredible peatlands in the Isle of Man and peatlands are incredibly vital for biodiversity on a global level and also they’re carbon sinks and they need to be protected. It’s something you perhaps don’t think about, but it’s there and we do need to start caring and nurturing our green assets.’

Having spent two action-packed days in the island, the mother-of-three returned to west London on Friday ready for her children’s bath time.

She added: ’I would say there is something very special about the Isle of Man and its culture. It’s just breath-taking, the natural environment here. You haven’t got your Unesco Biosphere status for nothing.’