August 2023

BBC Countryfile Magazine

Your guide to the British countryside

BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Hope And Happy Times
We see a lot of negative stories in the press about the state of our countryside, our wildlife and our rivers. And with good cause; there is a lot to deal with and, as a country, we’re not tackling the challenges fast enough. However, there are many
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
This Month’s Contributors
John Craven, ‘Natural agents of rewilding’, page 52 “Bison and pigs are ‘ecosystem engineers’… they create the conditions for other wildlife to thrive.” Tanya Jackson, ‘Reviving a river’, page 54 “Just a year after its completion, the river is home t
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min readInternet & Web
How To Contact Us
To subscribe or for subs enquiries: Domestic telephone: 03330 162112 Overseas telephone: 01604 973720 Contact: www.buysubscriptions.com/contactus Post: BBC Countryfile Magazine, PO BOX 3320, 3 Queensbridge, The Lakes, Northampton NN4 7BF To talk to t
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
August In The Country
Near the small village of Dinas Mawddwy in Gwynedd, the River Dyfi runs over moss-covered boulders as streams of sunlight illuminate Pen y Bont waterfall. Located in Snowdonia National Park, this is a watery landscape, where the Dyfi is joined by the
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
Step Back In Time
All is quiet in the Suffolk market town of Framlingham. But then, the whirr of an arrow, the clash of clubs on shields, the bellow of a knight. Thankfully, you are not under attack – rather, the town’s 12th-century castle is putting on a show. Visit
BBC Countryfile Magazine4 min read
Summer Butterflies
Our commonest blue, occurring in various grassland habitats, including road verges and industrial wasteland. It’s hard to separate from other blues, especially the brown females. If it attacks another butterfly, it’s a male brown argus, not a female
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Yarrow And Honey Mule
SERVES 4 GLUTEN-FREE AND DAIRY-FREE • 4 tbsp yarrow leaves, taken off the stem and chopped (optional)• 1 tsp lemon juice• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger (optional)• 125ml vodka, plus 1 tsp• 100ml yarrow flower syrup (below)• 1 tbsp honey• 400ml sparkling
BBC Countryfile Magazine3 min read
A View From The Farm Adam Henson
The days are long and hot, the air is full of dust and the fields are alive with the to and fro of machinery. The harvest is underway and while it’s the busiest time of the year for Britain’s arable farmers, it’s also the season when agriculture is o
BBC Countryfile Magazine3 min read
Nicola Chester
With the devastating news earlier this year that farmland birds have declined the most steeply, out of all the birds of Europe we are losing, it is easy to feel powerless. Our dependence on pesticides and fertilisers (combined with other factors in i
BBC Countryfile Magazine7 min read
The Pennine Way
Quite simply, the Pennine Way is Britain’s most iconic National Trail – a 268-mile trek along the spine of England, traversing three National Parks and the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Over 15–20 days, Pennine Way walkers will c
BBC Countryfile Magazine4 min read
Pennine Way Stages
16 miles (26 km) Catch the train from Manchester or Sheffield to Edale and let the adventure begin! Forget any notion of easing your way into the trail; the first day is a tough climb up on to the Kinder Plateau, characterised by peat hags and eroded
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Try 3 Issues For Just £5
RRP £16.50 PAY JUST £5! • Get your first three issues for just £5 – just £1.66 per issue • Continue to save 30% off the shop price, paying only £11.55 every three issues • Free UK delivery direct to your door in our new paper wrapping • Never miss an
BBC Countryfile Magazine5 min read
Freshwater Swims For Families
Water has a magical hold over us. While mountains and valleys, trails and woods each offer a breathtaking experience of their own, there is something about water that has an unrivalled ability to calm the soul and ease our minds. The benefits of wild
BBC Countryfile Magazine5 min read
Slow Worm Wonder
The slow worm is curiously named. While it might not be the swiftest of movers, Anguis fragilis is no slouch, and no more a ‘worm’ than it is a snake, for which it is often mistaken. Instead, it is a species of lizard that has evolved without legs. A
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
John Craven
Bison roaming wild in a Kent woodland and curly-coated pigs rooting in the open grasslands of Dorset are playing vital roles in returning two areas of countryside to the way they were thousands of years ago. It is a spectacular ‘take’ on the concept
BBC Countryfile Magazine5 min read
Reviving A River
It is a still, sunny spring day in Goldrill Beck, a meandering river in the Ullswater Valley in Cumbria’s magnificent Lake District. Cradled by mountains, this Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is slowly waking up after winter. Brown and whi
BBC Countryfile Magazine6 min read
Finding Hope In Nature
A scientist, naturalist, photographer, writer and TV presenter, Megan McCubbin is best known for appearing on Springwatch (and later Autumnwatch and Winterwatch) during the Covid pandemic with her step-father Chris Packham. Unable to explore the wide
BBC Countryfile Magazine9 min read
Top 10 best Beaches
Also known by its Scots Gaelic name, Am Meallan, this beach takes some effort to get to but rewards every step of the journey. Located almost as far north-west as you can go on mainland Scotland – in one of the least populated parts of the country –
BBC Countryfile Magazine5 min read
Lazy Days
Francis Pryor tells the fascinating story of turning a denuded Fenland landscape into a wildlife haven BOOK BY FRANCIS PRYOR BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING, £27.99 (HB) Archaeologist and historian of landscape and culture Francis Pryor embeds this fascinating
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Your Days Out… In Photos
Share your best photos of the British countryside with us and you could see your image published in print or online and win a great prize. Email your images to photos@countryfile.com By: Jack Davey Where: Berkeley, Gloucestershire “While walking, I s
BBC Countryfile Magazine5 min read
Your Countryside
Share your views and opinions by writing to us at: Have your say: BBC Countryfile Magazine, Eagle House, Bristol BS1 4ST; or email editor@countryfile.com, tweet us @CountryfileMag or via Facebook facebook.com/countryfilemagazine *We reserve the right
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Nature’s Philosophy
Nocturnal birdsin sibilant causerieForest creaturesin distant revelryWhile nature’s blanketdims their rivalryAnd stills the airto peaceful reverie How brief is this tranquillityAs hostile meetings indarkened shrubberyRemind, if only momentarilyThat m
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
Country Puzzles
answers at bottom of page 91 1. Which animal is also known as a pinniped? ◻ a) Eagle ◻ b) Seal ◻ c) Fox ◻ d) Deer 2. ‘Awst’ is the word for August in which language? ◻ a) Cornish ◻ b) Manx ◻ c) Welsh ◻ d) Scottish Gaelic 3. Which historic county cele
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
Countryside Crossword
1 Coast where land begins (8) 5 A mountain of Snowdonia – test out cooling appliance (6) 9 When e.g. bluebells are at their best (5) 10 Traditional farm crop protector – cow’s carer, perhaps (9) 12 Iberis, a popular garden annual or perennial – sweet
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Editor Fergus Collins Deputy editor Joe Pontin Margaret Bartlett and Maria Hodson Art editor Tim Bates Multimedia editor Annie Sanderson Outdoors editor Daniel Graham Group digital editor Carys Matthews Digital editor Tanya Jackson Brand lead Robert
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Canalside Strolls
www.countryfile.com/walks OS map images: © Crown copyright Ordnance Survey Photo: Alamy ■
BBC Countryfile Magazine3 min read
Ellie Harrison
I’m fortunate in that I have never had to trumpet that I “know my rights” and certainly, I know perfectly well not to dance with even the edges of the American legal system, but when I visited the spectacular Californian coast recently, I felt genuin
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Next Month Carmarthenshire
• In search of David Hockney’s Yorkshire landscapes • Top 10 National Trust country houses • Ordnance Survey mapped walks in glorious Lakeland Don’t miss our September issue, on sale 22 August ■
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
01 Hampshire Eastleigh
7.5 miles/12km 4.5 hours Moderate 96m SCAN HERE to access this route on your mobile device For more walks and days out visit countryfile.com In association with Opened in 1710, the Itchen Navigation is a straightening and controlling of the River It
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
04 Wrexham pontcysyllte
10.5 miles / 16.9km 6 hours Moderate 273m SCAN HERE to access this route on your mobile device For more walks and days out visit countryfile.com In association with This spectacular circular walk, which links the Pontcysyllte and Chirk aqueducts of t
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
03 Gloucestershire Gloucester Docks
5.6 miles/9km 3 hours Easy 10m (return) SCAN HERE to access this route on your mobile device For more walks and days out visit countryfile.com In association with This walk starts and ends at Victoria Dock in the north-east corner of the main Glouces
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
02 Hertfordshire Tring
7.6 miles/12.2km 4.5 hours Moderate 117m SCAN HERE to access this route on your mobile device For more walks and days out visit countryfile.com In association with This walk follows the Grand Union Canal from Tring to Berkhamsted, and then returns t
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
05 Lincolnshire/leicestershire Woolsthorpe By Belvoir
7.8 miles/12.5km 4.5 hours Moderate 119m SCAN HERE to access this route on your mobile device For more walks and days out visit countryfile.com In association with This walk on the Lincolnshire-Leicestershire border takes in the disused Grantham Cana
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
06 Greater Manchester Marple
6 miles/9.6km 4 hours Moderate 207m SCAN HERE to access this route on your mobile device For more walks and days out visit countryfile.com In association with The enchanting Peak Forest Canal puts on a real show at Marple, in the south-east of Greate
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
07 West Yorkshire Saltaire
2.9 miles/4.7km 1.5 hours Easy 55m (one way) SCAN HERE to access this route on your mobile device For more walks and days out visit countryfile.com In association with The longest canal in Britain built as a single waterway, the Leeds & Liverpool Can
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
08 Cumbria Sedgwick
3.7 miles/6km 2 hours Easy 54m SCAN HERE to access this route on your mobile device For more walks and days out visit countryfile.com In association with This canal-side walk is different, in that it follows a waterway with no water. The Northern Rea
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
10 Stirlingshire Falkirk Wheel
4.2 miles/6.8km 2.5 hours Easy 76m SCAN HERE to access this route on your mobile device For more walks and days out visit countryfile.com In association with Span engineering history from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the 21st century on this time
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
09 County Armagh Scarva
5.9 miles/9.5km 3.5 hours Easy 35m (one way) SCAN HERE to access this route on your mobile device For more walks and days out visit countryfile.com In association with Running north to south through gentle Armagh countryside, the 20-mile Newry Canal
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
This Month…
There are thought to be some 5,000 miles of navigable canals and rivers in Britain, 2,700 miles of which are connected to form a vast waterways network. In England and Wales alone, this liquid labyrinth is supported by 1,582 locks, 55 tunnels, 2,949

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