BBC Countryfile Magazine

“The first long-distance footpath I ever attempted was the Offa’s Dyke Path. One autumn, with my now-wife, I tried to walk the entire 177-mile route in two weeks, camping on the way. Well, after 14 days we staggered to Kington, about halfway. We’d o

Autumnal leaves in a riot of rich rusts, deep ochres and vivid golds frame the spectacular Falls of Clyde in Lanarkshire, Scotland. These vibrant shades are the leaves’ hidden colours; when summer sunlight fades, trees gradually stop producing chloro

At 2am on Sunday 25 October, the clocks go back – ‘spring forward, fall back’ is one way of remembering it. It’s tempting to take advantage of this ‘extra’ hour by staying in bed, but why not mark the occasion by venturing outside instead and seeking

Say this phrase on harvesting your first conker of the season and good fortune will come your way for the rest of the year. Produced by the stately horse chestnut tree, these lustrous, mahogany seeds are a valuable source of food for deer and other m

“Every year, sometime between 15 March and  the end of that month, I hear a sudden haunting bubbling sound somewhere overhead. I am filled not only with joy but also with excitement: the curlews are back. Curlews are short-distance migrants – they co

And suddenly, there it was. Between fields, straddled by trees and a fence, and riddled with badger setts, a prominent earth bank and ditch: Offa’s Dyke. All around us, the wooded hills of the Ceiriog Valley rose, tapestried with ochres, umbers and s

From 757 to 796 Offa reigned ruthlessly, expanding his Kingdom of Mercia by harrying neighbouring rulers and marrying his daughters to them. He established the penny as England’s monetary unit, facilitating international trade by giving it the same s

Make a detour to these falls, where the River Ffyddion forms a dashing 21m cascade into a rocky chasm. dyserth.com/waterfall.html Crossing Offa’s Dyke path is an ancient, possibly Bronze Age axe-traders’ route, used subsequently by drovers, that wend

“If you’re okay with this, we’ll just go in here,” Ben says, indicating the shoulder-high sea of bracken that fringes both sides of the logging track. We dive in, feeling our way cautiously on the uneven ground while parting the green wall with our a

It’s raining hard and the forest air is sweet and winey with decay. I’m walking with Nick, an old friend and former PhD advisor, emeritus professor of the history of science and amateur mycologist. For the past 15 years I’ve accompanied him on autumn

Black smoke would have once filled Corvedale valley in the Shropshire Hills. Centuries ago, the land was mined for coal and ironstone and smelted in blast furnaces. Today, nature has reclaimed the landscape and all is green, quiet and clear. But in

A journey across moorland in the north of England can feel like travelling through a great wilderness. Often, over the autumn and early spring months, if the conditions are right (dry, with a breeze and the ground still damp underfoot), there may be

The first sight of a Thames sailing barge is mesmerising. Her long, low hull is immediately impressive, but the rig catches the eye and leads it towards the sky. Initially, the sails seem enormous, heavy and unwieldy, yet as one watches, the beauty o

With its long sandy beaches, yawning valleys and rugged, towering cliffs, the landscape of North Devon’s Hartland Peninsula is alive with drama. Little wonder that the area has starred in film productions for many years, the latest of which is Daphne

Home to more than one million people, the Black Country is a swathe of housing estates, shopping centres and office blocks spread across the West Midlands metropolitan boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. Yet seen from a satellite

Comprising the three Devonian seaside towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, Torbay’s geopark is home to Kents Cavern (pictured), one of Europe’s most important Stone Age sites. The oldest remains found here include cave bears, woolly mammoths and a

Hembury Woods on the fringes of Dartmoor is at its very best on a misty autumn morning. These mists, created by the graceful River Dart and held in place by the canopy of trees, enhance the beauty of this ancient and peaceful place. Add in milky colo

Sessile oakwoods cloaked most of north-west Wales’ valleys and hillsides until, in recent centuries, they were felled for farming and boat-building and replaced with fast-growing coniferous plantations. Fortunately, remnants of the ancient forests s

Most who visit Borrowdale will tell you two things: it is one of Britain’s most spellbinding landscapes, and it’s wet. Both are true. In fact, the valley receives an average of 3.5m of rainfall every year, making it one of the wettest places in the

What brings you here at this time of year – the trees in their autumn colours – has to be imagined away to visualise this place as it once was. Built between 150 and 50BC, Oldbury Camp – one of the UK’s largest hillforts – was designed to make use o

Stately spruce woods dominate Achray Forest, part of the larger Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, but at this time of year it’s the golden glow of larch and venerable broadleaf trees that make these woods really special. Coppiced oak, alder, hazel, willo

“The sides of the valley were rich in pasture and the crests heavily covered in beechwoods… For weeks on end the trees moved in the wind with a dry roaring that seemed a natural utterance of the landscape. In winter they ringed us with frozen spikes,

Even if you ignore the four-mile National Trust circular trail to wander at will, you can’t miss the gnarled bark and contorted branches of Petworth’s impressively aged tree specimens. The park blends into the surrounding countryside with its windin

Meander quietly through Mortimer Forest, straddling the Shropshire/Herefordshire border, and you might spot one of the rarest sights in the world. Living within this 1,029-hectare wood, two miles west of Ludlow, is an animal that doesn’t exist anywh

By: Julia Amies-Green Where: Ashwick, Exmoor “Banks of lush greenery and frothy white flowers lining this lane in Exmoor look idyllic and, for me, really evoke the English summer.” By: Simon Woodley Where: Fulwell Quarry, Sunderland “Taken with a

Nick Hayes tells a story of trespass that reveals deep truths about our society. This is a challenging book – it tackles lazy assumptions of race, class and the pre-ordained power of those with the luck to be born into land-owning. His digging into t

With tawny woodlands, rolling farmland and friendly villages plus magnificent Castle Howard, the Howardian Hills offer a spectacular autumn escape See for miles with our selection of wonderful hill walks from around the country Roam the ancient gle

“I could have written novels and learnt languages in the time I’ve spent gawping at the property website Prime Location. I’ve got a lovely house already, I just can’t help myself. One of my friends lives in the most beautiful Georgian manor house you