Matt Baker – “The countryside made me”

In his first book, Matt Baker celebrates his rural roots and chronicles a year spent transforming the family farm. He chats to Margaret Bartlett about sheep, sketching and new beginnings

6 mins read

BBC Countryfile Magazine

Fungi Fascination

The mushrooms in our autumn woodlands are not only strange and intriguing, they and other fungi are vital to life on Earth. James Fair finds out more from biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake

6 mins read

BBC Countryfile Magazine

BURE THROUGH THE BROADS

WALK: River Bure, Wroxham, Norfolk | Follow a tranquil autumn river through quiet Norfolk villages to Wroxham, the ‘capital of the Broads’, before returning along the Bure Valley Railway. Anna Paxton leads the way

2 mins read

BBC Countryfile Magazine

CHALK STREAM DREAM

DAY OUT: River Itchen, Hampshire | Clear, quiet and unhurried, Hampshire’s iconic River Itchen glides with added lustre beneath the soft light of a low autumn sun, reveals Kevin Parr

2 mins read

BBC Countryfile Magazine

GOTHIC WHITBY

Yorkshire’s pretty fishing port is popular with tourists – but the town has a dark side. Explore misty ruins, whispers of witches, strange tragedies and a legendary vampire with Karen Ruffles

7 mins read

BBC Countryfile Magazine

HORSESHOE AMONG HILLS

DAY OUT: Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee), Denbighshire | Afon Dyfrdwy is the largest river in North Wales, but its wildlife is suffering. Julie Brominicks explores a project that aims to restore it to its natural state, before ambling its autumn banks

2 mins read

BBC Countryfile Magazine

Plant Britain BULBS FOR BEES AND BUTTERFLIES

Autumn is the ideal time to plant bulbs for an uplifting display of colour next spring and summer. But how do you choose the best flowers to benefit insect pollinators? Wild gardener and insect ecology expert Dave Goulson reveals his favourites

5 mins read

BBC Countryfile Magazine

THE CUMBRIA WAY

The 70-mile Cumbria Way is an epic walk through England’s most picturesque landscape. Provided you take your time, this spectacular, mostly lowland route is less testing than it might sound, writes Peter Elia

6 mins read

BBC Countryfile Magazine

GLEN FOR A QUEEN

CYCLE/WALK: River Avon, Tomintoul, Moray | Silver birch and mountain ash combine on the banks of this effervescent river, which carves and curv its way through some of the least-visited mountains in the Cairngorms, writes Fergal MacErlean

2 mins read

BBC Countryfile Magazine

Love, hope and ruin

In her new book, Nicola Chester chronicles a lifetime of joy in nature alongside unbearable losses to our wild world that she has witnessed, and that we must all fight harder to prevent

5 mins read

BBC Countryfile Magazine