March 2024

BBC Countryfile Magazine

Your guide to the British countryside

BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
The Joy Of Seeing Red
“It’s over 30 years now since I heard on the news that the first chicks of reintroduced red kites had hatched in Britain. I lived then, as now, in the West Country, and was used to seeing buzzards regularly whenever I ventured up onto the moors. But
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
This Month’s Contributors
Nicola Chester, ‘Building more rural homes is vital’, page 28 “The situation has deepened into a crisis, fed by record house prices and stagnating wages.” Dixe Wills, ‘100 miles of Heaven’, page 32 “Virginia Woolf was a prolific walker in the Ouse Va
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
Spring Woodland Wildflowers
Widespread in the British Isles, the snowdrop is likely to have been introduced, although it might be native to the south-west of England. It is a bulbous flower, appearing from January in woods, churchyards and verges, and growing up to 30cm high wi
BBC Countryfile Magazine3 min read
March IN THE COUNTRY
Witness the golden moment when springtime begins. As the sun rises on March 20, daytime at last equals the night, and winter is over. Taking time to walk in the early morning is great for your health, boosting your mood and improving your sleep – so
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Nettles – Superfood With A Sting
Spring is the best time to pick nettles. Not only is the fresh new spring growth the most nutritious, the leaves also lack the gritty, calcium carbonate crystals which form in them after flowering. Nettles are an unsung superfood. High in protein, es
BBC Countryfile Magazine3 min read
John Craven
At the height of the Second World War, a group of remarkable experts came together for the first time. Their brief – an optimistic one – was to plan for a better future; to propose how the wilder areas of our countryside should be protected once the
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Cornish Eden
Tucked away in a tranquil corner of Cornwall’s Tamar valley, the 15thcentury Tudor mansion of Cotehele and its extensive grounds are a must-visit for lovers of spring blooms. Home to one of the largest daffodil displays in the country, Cotehele’s Daf
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Historic Huts Listed
Two concrete huts on the Northumberland coast are among hundreds of historic properties given listed status in 2023. These rare and still intact huts, complete with original fittings, played a key part in aerial defences during the Second World War.
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Stay In An Iconic Lighthouse
The Grade II-listed former home of one of Britain’s most celebrated naturalists is now available as a holiday let. Sir Peter Scott loved the lighthouse’s peaceful location in Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire, 10 miles west of Kings Lynn. He lived here fro
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
What To Watch SPRING DRAMAS
Last year’s most-watched drama, Beyond Paradise returns with more seaside mysteries as DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) and DS Esther Williams (Zahra Ahmadi) tackle strange cases in the Devon-set village. This six-part drama, filmed in Wales, star
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Bison Born In Kentish Woodland
A bison has been conceived and born in an English woodland – for the first time in around 11,000 years. Kent’s six-strong bison herd lives in the 200-hectare West Blean and Thorden Woods. Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust, which released four bi
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Secret Signs Of The Past
Which of the landscapes in your book means the most to you? My father came from the Solway, so it’s very special, personally, even though I’ve never lived there. It also matters to me because of the poet Robert Burns, who lived and died on the north
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Sycamore Gap
Hadrian’s Wall’s famous tree – illegally felled in September – may live on. The National Trust says cuttings of the tree that once filled the Sycamore Gap “are showing positive signs of being viable for propagating”. If the cuttings continue to thriv
BBC Countryfile Magazine3 min read
Adam Henson
A cross the country, a secret army is at work, coming to the rescue at times of crisis and springing into action when their communities are in danger. They don’t have the instantly recognisable blue lights and loud sirens of the caring, hard-working
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
‘Miracle’ Grape Harvest
British vineyards are toasting 2023’s bumper grape harvest – which smashed all records. WineGB, which represents British wine-makers, says the harvest yielded 50% more grapes than the previous record, set in 2018. The success is partly due to a mild
BBC Countryfile Magazine3 min read
Nicola Chester
“The walls of our small cottage are used to a squash and a squeeze, like many old rural homes: tales of one, or two-uptwo-down dwellings housing families of 12 (including second-generation married couples) still circulate from living memory. With a d
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
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BBC Countryfile Magazine6 min read
100 Miles Of Heaven
“My GPS tells me that the last bit is flat. Is that right?” I was sheltering under trees while a heavy shower passed over when this question was asked me by a fellow dampened hiker. The ‘last bit’ he was referring to was the Seven Sisters, the South
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
Now Go There
I took Walking the South Downs Way (Cicerone, £17.95), written by prolific walking-guide writer, the late Kev Reynolds. With photographs throughout, it includes historical nuggets, accommodation, things to see and refreshments, and clear directions s
BBC Countryfile Magazine6 min read
The comeback Kite
The hill above our house is a windmill for kites. They are a constant presence, circling like unloosed red sails, gliding with an insouciant, ragged elegance, formed by the sharp angles of long wings, the tilting counterpane of their fine, forked tai
BBC Countryfile Magazine6 min read
The Great Solar Debate
“When you come over that hill at Watlington, and you look over a whole swathe of lovely meadows and fields, you feel that you are coming home,” says Laura Reineke. “It is a little piece of heaven.” Reineke is referring to the rolling countryside to t
BBC Countryfile Magazine9 min read
Top 10 romantic Ruins
On the far north-eastern shore of Loch Awe you will find a small hummock cradled by mountains. On the hummock stands ruined Kilchurn Castle, an ancient and ramshackle tower that wonderfully complements the natural beauty of its surroundings. Original
BBC Countryfile Magazine6 min read
The Truth About Dogs
The leg of a roe deer, a sparrowhawk carcass, a bloated dead frog, poo… these are just a few of our Australian shepherd’s favourite things. It’s hard to stop our dog Dakota scavenging while out on a countryside walk – there’s often something dead or
BBC Countryfile Magazine2 min read
Wild London walks
In her 1850s poem In a London Drawing Room, George Eliot likens London to a “solid fog: far as the eye can stretch,” a “monotony of surface and of form, without a break to hang a guess upon.” More than 170 years on, England’s capital has much cleaner
BBC Countryfile Magazine4 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 righ
BBC Countryfile Magazine4 min read
Country Puzzles
answers at bottom of page 96 1. What is the name of this landmark, pictured above? □ a) Durdle Door, Dorset □ b) Worm’s Head, Gower □ c) The Needles, Isle of Wight □ d) Lindisfarne, Northumberland 2. Which woodland flower is also called pilewort? □ a
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Group editor Paul McGuinness Managing editor Joe Pontin Production editors Margaret Bartlett and Maria Hodson Creative design lead Stacey Black Creative designer Annie Sanderson Content and trends editor Daniel Graham Brand lead Robert Brock CEO Andy
BBC Countryfile Magazine1 min read
Spring Outside!
• Walk Scotland’s stunning West Highland Way • Follow England’s amazing ancient Ridgeway • Roam the hill that inspired a Lakeland legend Don’t miss our April issue, on sale 21 March ■
BBC Countryfile Magazine3 min read
Hush… It’s Spring!
As dark, chill winter gradually gives way to lengthening hours of daylight and warming temperatures, we find ourselves looking for signs that nature is responding to seasonal changes: especially emerging leaves and flowers. But as we go about our bus

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