Never mind the cold, join Sir Ian and get outdoors this winter

Now he is urging people to get outdoors, especially in the coming months, and take in the countryside around us.

"We are so lucky in this country to have fantastic places to visit. I was shocked to learn that 63 per cent of people in Yorkshire prefer to stay indoors during the colder winter months through fear of getting wet, while 30 per cent are afraid of being out in the cold, 31 per cent are put off by the wind and 31 per cent are put off by the snow," says Sir Ian. "I laughed when I heard that because I thought it was a joke, but it isn't."

The findings are from a survey by Bovril which also revealed that most failed to identify any British trees with only 17 per cent of those in Yorkshire able to spot the difference between trees and over half incorrectly identifying a beech tree as an oak tree.

"When I was at school we were always outside, going to camps. But Health and Safety has put paid to that. Now people have become lazy; people are scared to take children out because they might break something.

"We are becoming a very precious society and we need to get out there more."

Sir Ian is leading a Big Bovril Ramble encouraging Brits to get up and out during the winter months and learn more about the famous British countryside.

The ramble, held at Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire on November 6, is part of Bovril's Great Outdoors Revival which is donating 100,000 to the National Trust, helping to restore special outdoor areas across the country with a well deserved makeover. A shortlist of 79 National Trust sites in need of restoration have been drawn up (listed on www.bovril.co.uk/ revival), from across the nation and the makers of the beefy-fuelled drink are inviting the public to choose where the money goes.

Three National Trust sites up for nomination in Yorkshire need your vote. These include Nostell Priory and Parkland, who hope to reinstate access paths from the village of Wragby, to promote the route to walkers, cyclists and horse riders so that more people will visit; Malham Tarn Nature Reserve who would use the funding to build a glass-bottomed boat so that visitors can explore the undiscovered beauties of the lake and finally East Riddlesden Hall near Keighley would like to create a series of mown walkways in the fields attached to the land.

When not promoting the countryside Sir Ian is promoting his new book Botham's Book of the Ashes. He believes that the Ashes which start in Australia next month will help to improve cricket's tarnished image following allegations of match fixing against some Pakistani cricketers during their recent trip to England.

To see the full list of National Trust projects up for nomination and cast your vote, visit www.bovril.co.uk/revival from September 24. Voting closes on December 31 and the winning projects will be announced in January 2011.