Animals-and-Pets
BBC Countryfile Magazine
What are the world's most famous archaeological hoaxes?
The temptation to pull the wool over the eyes of experts has often proved strong, particularly where there is money to be gained or reputations to be tarnished. Here are some of the most famous archaeological fakes.
2 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Birth of a nation
Hastings, Agincourt and Waterloo are ingrained in our national psyche, but was a largely forgotten battle in Wiltshire more significant in shaping England and the English? Author Rupert Gavin tells Fergus Collins about King Alfred's last desperate roll of the dice at Edington
7 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Which dog has its own clan tartan?
What did Agatha Christie, Queen Victoria and Sir Alec Guinness have in common? Each of them owned a Dandie Dinmont terrier - an affectionate, intelligent breed developed in the border regions of Scotland and England.
1 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
What's the best position to sleep in?
As I type this, we're enduring that rare thing in the UK: a heatwave. It can make life uncomfortable by day and unbearable at night. It also makes you acutely aware of how you sleep and begs the question: is there an optimum sleeping position to maximise shuteye?
3 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
NOW GO THERE
Where to stay, eat and what to do along the Northern Ireland Seafood Trails
3 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
HAMMER HURLING AND CABER TOSSING
Reputedly inspiring the modern Olympics, Highland Games are strenuous, centuries-old sporting celebrations of Scottish culture
3 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Which is Britain's biggest slug?
Slimy, silent and surprisingly elusive, Britain's - in fact, the world's - biggest land slug is a creature of the night. The ash-black slug (Limax cinereoniger) is a remarkable nocturnal gastropod known not just for its impressive size but also for its climbing skills and secretive woodland lifestyle.
2 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
How can I stay fitter for longer... without going to a gym?
Imagine staying fit and mobile for life without setting foot in a gym – no workout apps, no high-intensity classes, no expensive equipment, just simple, joyful movement woven into your daily routine. That’s what happens in the world’s Blue Zones, five regions where people routinely live well into their 90s and even over 100, remaining active, independent and free from chronic disease. So what’s the secret? It’s natural movement built into everyday life.
3 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Was beer really weaker in the past?
Beer is one of the oldest and most widely consumed drinks, with profound social, economic and cultural significance in human history. It is commonly believed that, particularly in medieval times, weak (low-alcohol) beer was consumed in vast quantities because it was safer to drink than water, which was often contaminated. Since then, the story goes, the alcohol content has increased - but how true is this?
1 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Northern Ireland's seafood trails
For an island nation, we can be unadventurous consumers of seafood, but food-lovers in Northern Ireland are keen to change all that. Margaret Bartlett samples fruits of the ocean on a harbour-hopping tour
10 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Leaving a trace
PFAS can repel water, oil, sweat, dirt and heat, making them ideal for outdoor gear. But what about the impacts of these 'forever chemicals' on the environment and human health?
8 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
STUDENT DISCOVERS A REMARKABLE NEW PREHISTORIC SPECIES
The 145-million-year-old fossil found in Dorset reveals a mammal that lived alongside dinosaurs
1 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
With bird flu on the rampage, citizen scientists have a major role to play
Though it has largely dropped out of the headlines, a virus that triggered an unprecedented global wildlife emergency is still on the rampage, prompting scientists to call for urgent action to prevent further ecological disaster. The virus is question is avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.
2 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Church bells still chime to the social rhythms of British life
The ringing of church bells is a deeply familiar, joyful and poignant soundtrack to British life. But I've never given much thought to who produces the sound, or how. Finding out a little more, my love has only deepened.
2 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
COULD WHITE STORKS RETURN TO LONDON?
Conservationists ask residents for their views on mooted plans to reintroduce these long-legged birds to the capital
1 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
TOP 10 SECRET WALKS
Cascades, coves and caves: Pat Kinsella shares his favourite hikes to hidden corners of coast and countryside
6 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
What are the UK's scariest footpaths?
You know a path is dangerous when it's preceded by a sign saying: 'Not recommended'.
1 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
UPLAND OF MY FATHERS
David J Shaw's arresting imagery takes us to the world of Welsh upland farmers, where dedication to the land is unwavering and traditional methods are subject to the environmental and economic pressures of today
3 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Supermodels of the canine world
Some dog breeds are so elegant they look as if they've been painted by one of the great masters.
2 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Agricultural careers are more diverse than ever before
I recently found myself in one of the most impressive venues I've ever seen. The Guildhall in Worcester is a truly breathtaking Georgian landmark, with its richly painted Italianate ceilings, chandeliers and walls lined with portraits of the good and the great. But I wasn't there to admire the surroundings.
2 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
BIRDSONG AND SUPERPOWERS
Wildlife cameraman and presenter Hamza Yassin's new book inspires us to discover natural wonders
2 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Eccles cakes
Rich and sweet, these pastries from Lancashire have been bestsellers for more than 200 years
3 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
DIVERS EXPLORE A 17TH-CENTURY WARSHIP BENEATH THE CHANNEL
A new dive survey reveals surprisingly intact remains of a Royal Navy vessel wrecked off the Kent coast in 1703, including cannons, muskets and swords
1 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Partners in grime
Headlines about the nature emergency might paint a bleak picture, but a network of sanctuaries powered by dedicated volunteers across the UK is giving wildlife a second chance. James Fair visits an animal rescue centre in Herefordshire and discovers new hope
6 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
ENDANGERED ANGELSHARK SPOTTED IN WALES
Renewed hope for the species as rare, pancake-flat shark witnessed in Cardigan Bay for the first time since 2021
1 min |
September 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Growing pains
The Government has found itself the focus of angry protests over a number of its key conservation, planning and farming decisions. Has it misread the room or is it making necessary choices? Fergus Collins looks at a year of life under Labour
1 min |
August 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Regional accents are a source of pride, but they're in danger of fading away
Regional accents and dialects are long-held loves of mine - vocabulary, grammar, idiom and slang, rooted in a particular place.
2 min |
August 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Shareholders are paid billions but sewage still flows into our waters
On the River Nidd, as it flows through the Yorkshire town of Knaresborough, there is a large natural pool between two weirs that has been a popular spot for wild bathers for many years. Because of pollution, however, the water is sometimes not even fit for dogs to swim in.
3 min |
August 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Inheritance tax controversy
The farming inheritance tax changes have faced some of the biggest protests of all Labour's new measures. But is the backlash justified? We crunch the numbers
2 min |
August 2025
BBC Countryfile Magazine
TREES ARE EVOLVING TO FIGHT DEADLY ASH DIEBACK
Natural selection is enabling trees to resist a fungal disease that has decimated forests across Britain and Europe
1 min |