GREAT RAILWAY ADVENTURES

Climb aboard a train this summer and journey through some of Britain's most majestic countryside, from Scotland's Highland coast to the quiet hills and vales of the Cotswolds

Explore the Isle of Man

Nestled in the Irish Sea, this enchanting Unesco Biosphere Reserve is a place where people and nature entwine to create stories to last a lifetime

Walk in CONQUEROR COUNTRY

Almost 1,000 years ago, on these now sleepy fields, war raged. Sam Pyrah explores the idyllic 1066 Country Walk, through countryside once plundered by invading Norman troops

Wildflowers on wheels

Cycling botanist Leif Bersweden toured Britain's best sites searching for wild plants, hoping to understand them, the dangers they now face, and why so many of us have become disconnected from the beauty at our feet

MOVING MOUNTAINS

Unfit and suffering from depression, Sabrina Pace-Humphreys found lasting joy in running in the countryside. Now a champion of ultramarathons, she helps other black runners to enjoy Britain's wild places

MONEY-SAVING TIPS FOR COUNTRYSIDE EXPLORERS

As the cost of living rises, travel writers Julie Brominicks and Dixe Wills offer their top tips on how to enjoy outdoor holidays without breaking the bank

Regeneration game

Under pressure to make ends meet, many farmers drive their land hard, which can take its toll on the health of the soil. But on their Lakeland hill farm, Sam and Claire Beaumont use less intensive, wildlife-friendly methods to raise livestock - and their earnings, writes Karen Lloyd

Pirate queens

Swashbuckling outlaws Anne Bonny and Mary Read are finally taking their rightful place in pirate history. Immortalised in sculpture, they are now looking for a shorebound home, says Rosanna Morris

THE COLERIDGE WAY

It's 250 years since the birth of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the great poet and lover of nature and landscape. Ben Lerwill celebrates by exploring a spectacular hiking route named in the poet's honour, through the lovely hills of West Somerset

Diving for silver

The sight of hunting gannets plunging into the sea at speed is one of the greatest natural spectacles in Britain. Shetland wildlife photographer Richard Shucksmith admires the dramatic lifestyle of our largest seabird

DISCOVER ISLE OF WONDERS

With spectacular chalk cliffs, sandy bays and a natural harbour fringed by precious heathlands, Dorset's Purbeck peninsula is lavishly gifted with natural beauty

Keeping traditions afloat

In her Dorset workshop, boatbuilder and teller of stories Gail McGarva makes traditional wooden vessels, the old-fashioned way

Leading light

Many a boat was dashed to pieces on Bell Rock in the North Sea, until a beacon was built to guide sailors to safe waters. The world's oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse remains the finest achievement of visionary engineer Robert Stevenson, born 250 years ago this month

Sara Maitland

A day on the beach offers freedom, beauty and childlike fun, whatever your age

Saving our seagrass forests

What if a habitat could capture carbon faster than a rainforest? Neutralise an acidifying ocean? Stop plastic in its tracks? Provide homes for thousands of species? As Countryfile's Plant Britain campaign focuses on conservation on our coasts this year, Sophie Pavelle explores the wonders and opportunities that our dwindling seagrass forests can offer us

THE HEBRIDEAN COAST THAT STOLE MY HEART

"Breathtaking scenery, unspoilt beauty and wide-open skies"

Phantoms of the forest

A powerful, secretive hunter haunts our forests - the goshawk. Film-maker James Aldred has spent hundreds of hours discovering the hidden life of this master of stealth

Should the royals rewild their land?

Green campaigners are urging the Royal Family to help Britain restore nature and tackle climate change by rewilding its vast estates - but some locals are sceptical. Richard Baynes finds out why

Insect Eden

With 134 miles of paths through drifts of wildflowers abuzz with bees and butterflies, the John Muir Pollinator Way is both a beautiful walking route and a way to help revive Britain's insect population, reports Sheila Sim

Sara Maitland

A new GCSE in natural history will empower the future caretakers of our planet

DISCOVER ROYAL THAMES

From its spring in the Cotswolds, a wild river winds past dreaming spires and palaces to the city and the sea. Ben Lerwill marks Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by exploring the rich, regal heritage of a great river

Life, loss and hope

With many of the UK's plant and animal species threatened with extinction because of human actions, it's easy to feel downhearted. In his new book, Peter Marren explores our complex role as both predator and protector of the natural world – and reveals that none of us are powerless

AN OAK FOR THE AGES

Since prehistoric times, a giant tree had slumbered in the Fenland soil, until, in 2012, a farmer stumbled across it. Now, skilled craftsmen have transformed the oak into a 'Table for the Nation', as a jubilee tribute to the Queen, writes Rosanna Morris

A view from the farm Adam Henson

WHY COUNTY SHOWS ARE A DELIGHT OF SUMMER

A taste of June

STRAWBERRY, LEMON CURD, MASCARPONE & PEPPER SANDWICHES

A life in colour

Floral meadows surround the old house at Benton End in Suffolk. Once, though, this was one of England's most beautiful country gardens, created by plantsman and artist Sir Cedric Morris, whose life was as colourful as his plants. Now there are plans to renew the house and grounds as a vibrant centre for art and gardening, writes Twigs Way

Golden wonders

They are so common we take them for granted. Many gardeners wage war on them. But these wildflowers are marvels of natural design, vigorously well adapted to life in all its forms. Phil Gates celebrates the dandelion

Spring into song

Spring's blend of optimism, fertility and new life has always stirred people into song. Duncan Haskell takes us on a lyrical journey through the melodies of the season

NEW NATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR 2022

Are you inspired by spending time in a place where nature flourishes? Then put pen to paper and let your creativity flow in this year's nature-writing competition

Fawn rising

This spring, new roe deer fawns are born in quiet woodlands across the countryside. Adele Brand describes a fawn's first year of life, and asks why farmers and some naturalists are worried by the growing numbers of deer