BBC Countryfile Magazine

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.

Freedom to roam

THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

NOVEMBER IN THE COUNTRY • PICTURES › WILDLIFE › PEOPLE & PLACES › COUNTRY KNOW-HOW › FOOD

LIVING WITH MAMMALS

Wise buy

Coventry Cathedral bombed to ruins

FROM THE BOOKSHELF: FABULOUS FORAGING FOLIOS • Identification, gathering and recipes

THE SEASONAL TABLE: A TASTE OF NOVEMBER • Join Kathy Bishop and Tom Crowford on their West Country smallholding

ROOM WITH A VIEW: CLIFF CAMPING EXPERIENCE

FIVE THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH

SPICED ENERGY BALLS

Brief Encounter

ID GUIDE: GET TO KNOW YOUR GEESE

On the farm with Adam Henson • ADAPTATION WILL BRING OUT THE BEST IN US

Sara Maitland • Our rivers are drowning in pollution – but we can save them if we set our minds to it

DISCOVER YORKSHIRE GOLD • With tawny woodlands, rolling farmland, friendly villages, stately homes and a magnificent castle, North Yorkshire’s Howardian Hills make a spectacular autumn escape, says Mike Bagshaw

THE HOWARDS: A YORKSHIRE DYNASTY

YORKSHIRE WILDLIFE

NOW GO THERE • Where to stay and what to do in the Howardian Hills, by Mike Bagshaw

WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS • Modern life and technology can make us anxious and unhappy. Neil Oliver finds a balm for the soul at some of Britain’s most atmospheric and venerable sites

NOW GO THERE

In search of... LOST SAINTS • In modern Britain, All Saints Day is eclipsed by the Halloween celebrations of the night before, but shrines to some extraordinary early Christians can still be found across the land. Julie Brominicks relates the tales of ancient spiritual heroes and travels to a remote Welsh valley where a holy guardian of nature once lived

SIX FORGOTTEN SAINTS TO TRACK DOWN

NATURAL HEALTH SERVICE • As casualties mounted during the First World War and supplies of sterile dressings ran low, an unlikely life-saver emerged: moss from Dartmoor. Anna Turns learns more about this invaluable plant

WHAT IS SPHAGNUM MOSS?

SPHAGNUM: PLANT OF LIFE

JOHN CRAVEN • THE NATION SHOULD KNOW THE COUNTRYSIDE CODE

“WE NEED MORE ACCESS” • Is the best of the English countryside hidden behind walls and fences? Nick Hayes has made secret forays on to private land across the country to expose just how little of it is open to the majority of the population

WIDER ACCESS

ON THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE • Once, a vast forest teeming with wildlife sprawled over the Western Highlands. Today, mere fragments remain. But at Loch Arkaig, ancient pinewoods are being restored to their former glory. Mark Sutcliffe marvels at the spectacle

MOSSES OF THE WILD WOOD

THE ARK OF ARKAIG • The rare Highland forest habitat nourishes a rich mix of species. Here are some of the most charismatic animals a lucky visitor might spot.

BRITAIN’S OTHER RAINFORESTS

Beyond the path • Walking saved Raynor Winn and her husband from despair – now she has written about finding a home, hope and true healing in nature

Ash to ashes • One of Britain’s most common and loved trees, the ash is succumbing to a deadly virus. Archie Miles looks at the latest news on the spread of ash dieback and its effect on the countryside

WHAT IS ASH DIEBACK?

SIGNS OF ASH DIEBACK

HOW ASH WAS USED

ASH FIELD GUIDE

HIGH HILLS, WILD BANDITS • Julie Brominicks braves the wild hills of south-east Snowdonia, an unforgiving landscape once roved by...