Swimming
In town, you usually have to pay for the pleasure of a few lengths in a heavily chlorinated pool, but in the country, the bracing waters of British lakes (such as Coniston Water, Cumbria, above), rivers and beaches offer a far more wholesome experience.
Food
It’s possible to pay a small for tune for a punnet of blackberries and a bag of mushrooms from Borough Market, but in hedgerows and woodland they are up for grabs. Depending on the season, you can take your pick of Nature’s bounty—sloes, wild garlic, chestnuts and crab apples all offer the flavour of the countryside.
The night sky
Planetarium? Heavens, no! In the absence of light pollution, the night sky in many parts of the country reveals celestial wonders. As well as a chance to learn to tell the Plough from the Sickle, astronomical study offers the perfect cover for a furtive Cohiba—not to mention any other nefarious activities you may want to keep from your host/spouse/parents.
Flowers
Cow parsley and daffodils might not combine the scent and sophistication of roses and peonies, but they have a capacity to evoke the pleasures of our ever-changing seasons. Better still, rather than costing £20 a bunch, they are free to anyone with a pair of secateurs happy to spend a few hours browsing verges, fields and hedgerows—but be aware of which are protected and don’t take too many.
The views
この記事は Country Life UK の September 02, 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は Country Life UK の September 02, 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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Under the Cornish sun
From the late 19th century, artists attached themselves like barnacles to Cornwall's shores, forming colonies that changed both art and the lives of local people
The contented garden
George Plumptre returns to the garden of the American artist John Hubbard and finds it basking in comfortable maturity
Safe havens of the West
Wildlife and people alike can thrive in four magnificent estates in Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon
A bit of light relief
Why paler hues are back in favour
A wop bop a loo bop a lop bam boom
As he prepares for another season on the fly, our correspondent considers what it is about fishing that has long enthralled the great and the good-from Coco Chanel to US presidents, Robert Redford and Eric Clapton
Walking with giants
On a meander around the mighty summits of Dartmoor, Manjit Dhillon recalls tales of warring giants, complex marriages and clotted cream
Romancing the stone
His walls are works of art, but it is Tom Trouton's innovative trees, fruits and even newts that set him apart as a master of dry stone
Claws for celebration
Caught in a pincer movement? Feeling the need to scuttle away? You're not the only one: Helen Scales gets under the shell of the UK's crabbiest crustaceans
Why we love (and hate) the A303
Sometimes, it is the journey we remember, rather than the destination. Julie Harding travels the long, winding-and sometimes frustrating road to the West Country, taking in the sights along the way
A valley of delightful beauty
In the first of two articles, David Robinson considers the medieval abbey at Hartland, beginning with its nebulous origins as an ancient religious site associated with the cult of St Nectan
