Lifestyle
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Where do our place names come from?
Britain's place names offer intriguing clues into local history and landscape. They are also a record of the waves of migration over the past several thousand years, with each group of people leaving their mark in the language. In the same way, settlers from England, Wales and Scotland created legacies in the names of the new lands they colonised in North America.
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Kit
We rate the latest hiking, open-water swimming and trail-running products
4 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Wing's of hope
Where have all the butterflies gone? Ahead of 2025's Big Butterfly Count, Richard 'Bugman' Jones looks at the fate of the UK's winged wonders and how we can all help to bring them back from the brink
6 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
How can I lower my cholesterol?
“Cholesterol is a type of blood fat, which is made in the liver. It’s found in some foods, too,” says Tina Dawson, lipid specialist nurse at cholesterol charity, Heart UK. “We all need cholesterol in our bodies to keep us ticking over, but too much in the blood clogs up arteries and leads to health problems.”
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
How are canoeing and kayaking different?
An easy way to remember the difference between kayaking and canoeing is the paddle. Canoeing involves sitting or kneeling in an open boat using a paddle with one blade. You paddle facing forward and propel the craft forward from one side. Whereas in a kayak, you sit down with your legs in front of you while propelling forward with a double-bladed paddle.
1 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
The caring garden
Poppy Okotcha turned her back on the jet-setting lifestyle of a top model for a more down-to-earth way of life. Fergus Collins meets the regenerative gardener and author to find out why
6 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Big business has a critical role to play in saving our woodlands
The public outcry that swept the nation after the mindless destruction of the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree that had stood for 150 years in a dramatic dip of Hadrian's Wall showed just how much we care about our heritage trees. But are we doing enough to safeguard them?
3 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Dawn of freedom
After the Supreme Court ruled to allow wild camping in Dartmoor National Park, now is the perfect time to exercise your right in Devon. Wild-camping novice Matt Havercroft enjoys a night under the stars
8 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN
While the origins of this hazardous tradition have been lost to the sands of time, the hot pennies are still flying in the small Devon town of Honiton every year, reveals Pat Kinsella
3 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Pigs are environmental engineers, not architects of destruction
A VIEW FROM THE FARM
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Why can't I sleep after exercise?
Exercise is the best medicine - for many, that includes improving their slumber. A 2021 study showed that regular physical activity can improve sleep quality and duration. An earlier 2013 study found that adults who exercised for at least 30 minutes a day slept an average 15 minutes longer than those who were sedentary, and that moderate-intensity exercise improved sleep quality in insomnia patients.
1 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Future-facing planning can help us build the 'model' villages of the future
My childhood holidays often included a visit to a compact and picturesque model village. My brother and I loomed delightedly down tiny streets like friendly giants, dripping ice cream on miniature tiled roofs.
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
TREE ‘OLDER THAN STONEHENGE’ FOUND
The 5,000-year-old tree dug up in Cambridgeshire offers a rare glimpse into Britain's past
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Do dogs get sunburnt?
We're used to slathering ourselves in sunscreen on hot, sunny days, but it turns out our four-legged companions are just as vulnerable to the sun's harmful effects. Dogs can suffer from sunburn just like we do, so it's important we're armed with the knowledge to better protect them.
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Safe haven
Risk, Scrabble, Bop It... not games night at the pub but the rescued seals at Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre. Melissa Hobson spends a day nurturing ailing pups on their road to recovery
7 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
CICADAS RETURN AFTER 30-YEAR ABSENCE
Once considered extinct, the New Forest cicada is back thanks to a new reintroduction project
1 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
What should I do if I'm stung by an Asian hornet?
Asian or yellow-legged hornets (Vespa velutina) can deliver a very painful sting widely described as being “jabbed with a red-hot needle”.
3 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
RACOONS AND PINK SALMON A THREAT TO UK WILDLIFE
Experts update the watchlist of invasive non-native species that could disrupt British ecosystems in the next 10 years
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Learn natural navigation
Navigating using nature's clues is a rewarding way to explore the countryside. Here's how to ditch the GPS and nurture a more engaging bond with nature
3 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Courgette, feta and broad bean quiche
Be the star baker at all your summer parties with this foolproof veg-filled recipe from celebrated Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
TOP 10 BRITAIN'S BEST BOAT TRIPS
Melanie O'Shea heads on a grand coastal tour to discover the UK's greatest island-hopping experiences
8 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
SARAH RUGGINS SMASHES RECORDS TO CYCLE THE LENGTH OF BRITAIN AND BACK
In a feat of remarkable mental and physical resilience, endurance cyclist Sarah Ruggins is now the fastest person to ride from John o’ Groats to Land’s End - and back again
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
THE ISLE OF WIGHT
Literary connections, remnants of prehistory and wide-open scenery. Ben Lerwill gets lost in the unique thrall of England's sunniest island
6 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
AT ONE WITH THE WILD
In her new book, expert forager Mo Wilde inspires us to get adventurous with nature's pantry
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
THE ROMAN MASSACRE THAT NEVER HAPPENED
New research debunks the theory of a slaughter at Maiden Castle
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
The best Channel Island beaches
The beaches of the Channel Islands offer white sands, solitude and unique wartime history. Here are Matt Baird's magnificent seven
2 min |
July 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Recording neighbourhood nature helps us protect wildlife - and ourselves
Recently, two otters appeared separately in our village. At the same time, three great white egrets - large, still-rare white herons - turned up, too.
2 min |
History Special 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Former industrial workhorses, canals now have a new lease of life
Thomas Telford is one of my great heroes - a Scottish shepherd’s son born in 1757 who was one of the first, and possibly the greatest, of a new breed of men who changed the face of Britain by criss-crossing it with canals, roads, railways, bridges, viaducts and aqueducts.
3 min |
History Special 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
NEW FOREST RESTORATION PROJECT TO BENEFIT UK'S RAREST REPTILES
The sand lizard, smooth snake and adder will get a habitat revamp in a large-scale heathland project in the New Forest National Park
1 min |
History Special 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
The legacies of the Romans are all around us
From Exeter to the Moray Firth, the Roman occupation made its mark on the British Isles.
2 min |