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BBC Countryfile Magazine - December 2025

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In this issue

Christmas on the farm
PLUS!
Midwinter walks, merry markets & cosy country pubs

Hand-picked presents
Gift ideas for nature lovers and walkers

Winter wonderland
The rural landscape where Jane Austen changed fiction

YULETIDE YORKSHIRE
Amble York’s medieval Shambles,take tea in Harrogate and visit Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal water garden

TOP 10 ROYAL RESIDENCES
Take a tour around Britain’s most majestic castles, grand palaces, country houses and regal urban abodes

Festive sporting events

Whether you watch, support or join in, venturing to a sporting event over the Christmas period will help blow away the cobwebs. Matt Baird picks his favourites from around the nation

2 mins

PINE MARTENS RETURN TO EXMOOR AFTER MORE THAN 100 YEARS OF ABSENCE

Devon Wildlife Trust releases the elusive woodland mammals in secret Exmoor locations

1 mins

CAMBRIDGESHIRE NATURE RESERVE RECORDS ITS 10,000TH SPECIES IN UK FIRST

The unusual six-belted clearwing moth is the milestone species recorded at Wicken Fen - thought to be the first UK nature reserve to reach this number

1 mins

FESTIVE JOY ON THE FARM

Amanda Owen's own nine kids play a huge role in her first children's book, Christmas Tales from the Farm

2 mins

ATTENBOROUGH BACKS AMBITIOUS WILDLIFE PROJECT

Sir David Attenborough gets behind the race to save a huge upland estate in Northumberland and restore it for wildlife

1 mins

MIDWINTER MERRIMENT OF OLD

Our Yuletide has its roots in Saturnalia, an ancient and sometimes raucous festival held to honour the Roman god of agriculture

4 mins

Camembert and spinach filo pastry slices

Kick off the festivities with this delicious vegetarian starter from chef and TV presenter Rick Stein

3 mins

Pylon proposals for the 'Great Grid Upgrade' spark protests

My belief is that we Brits have a proprietorial attitude towards the countryside.

3 mins

It's time to support the threatened British turkey industry

The festive season has arrived — so what better time to talk turkey? Britain’s poultry farmers work year round to source, order, raise and finish turkeys for the table, but it will come as no surprise to hear that Christmas is the peak period for the industry.

2 mins

Christmas in Yorkshire

Cosy pubs, treat-laden markets and a wealth of history: there are few better locations for a rural-yet-urban Christmas combo than York, Harrogate and Studley Royal, says Vivienne Crow

6 mins

Away in a manger

While most of us down tools and pick up the mince pies, a farmer's work doesn't stop for the festive break.

5 mins

TOP 10 ROYAL RESIDENCES

Castles, palaces and stately homes open a window into the history and private lives of the British monarchy

9 mins

Community spirit

Rural pubs across Britain are closing at an alarming rate - but local people are fighting back to save inns that have been at the hearts of their villages for centuries. Vivienne Crow orders a pint

4 mins

Manors and meadows

This December marks 250 years since Jane Austen's birth. To celebrate, Jack Watkins ambles around Chawton, where the writer penned novels that changed fiction forever

7 mins

A glorious haunting

They lived in the same village and shared the same dreams – just 60 years apart.

6 mins

The big questions answered

Across the UK, but particularly in the southeast of England, giant and featureless buildings are springing up.

10+ mins

Conquer fell running

Infamously tough yet famously friendly, the sport of fell running will take your fitness to new heights amid the wildest landscapes. Here's our beginners' guide

3 mins

Gift ideas for nature lovers

Find inspirational and thoughtful presents for all the family in our pick of top outdoor gear and a round-up of this year's best nature and wildlife books

2 mins

Your countryside

HAVE YOUR SAY ON RURAL ISSUES

1 mins

Toad numbers are in freefall.It's in our power to save them

After becoming engaged at Christmas in 1998, my new fiancé and I were confronted by an enormous toad on the way to meet the vicar.

2 mins

Read all Stories from BBC Countryfile Magazine

BBC Countryfile Magazine Description:

Publisher: Our-Media-Ltd

Category: Lifestyle

Language: English

Frequency: Monthly

Countryfile Magazine inspires you to explore forgotten corners of the great British countryside and provides knowledge of the people and wildlife that inhabit it. We want to tempt you into trying new things, seek out new places and make the most of Britain’s beautiful landscapes.