ABSTRACT
This chapter explores ambiguities in responses to Cobbett's Rural Rides during the twentieth century. It discusses the notion of 'Cobbett Country', and association of the text with country writing and representations of agricultural landscapes. The chapter examines three distinct aspects of responses to Rural Rides. First consider the ways in which Rural Rides became a marker and reference point for particular types of Cobbett's writing style, exploring its influence on other literary journeys and 'state of the nation' critiques. Second look at 'rural rides' in the twentieth century, as people took to the saddle, making a case for the connection between modes of travelling and the kind of observation that could result from journeys on horseback, or on a bicycle. Finally discusses various attempts to re-enact Cobbett's travels, as writers and broadcasters used the device of 'rural riding' in the twentieth century to offer critiques of the contemporary countryside and agriculture.
