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.

Care for our countryside

THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

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

NATIONAL ALLOTMENTS WEEK

MACRAMÉ PLANT HANGER

VIRTUAL ESCAPES: SUMMER LOVING • Celebrate August with a local challenge or burst of escapism

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

20TH ANNIVERSARY: RSPB HOPE FARM

ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL

FROM THE BOOKSHELF: WOODLAND WORDS • Get to know our woodlands better with these four fantastic books celebrate Britains trees

NINE TO SPOT: SUMMER ANIMAL TRACKING • Sometimes a little bit of detective work can help us build a bigger picture of the animals that surround us on our walks. Here are nine clues to find…

Wise buy

Podcast of the month

On the farm with Adam Henson • THE LOCKDOWN HAS BOOSTED LOCAL FOOD CHAINS

Sara Maitland • Marine mammal medics are always ready to rescue Britain’s beloved sea species

THE KINGDOM OF BUTTERFLIES • Between the shimmering sandflats of Morecambe Bay and the high crags of Hutton Roof lies a forgotten Eden, where birds and butterflies thrive in the meres and woodlands. Matthew Oates revisits his favourite place in England

LIFE ON LIMESTONE

PLIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLIES

NOW GO THERE • Where to go and what to do in Arnside and Silverdale, by Matthew Oates

The magical life of farm ponds • Jules Howard celebrates the fascinating flora and fauna to be found in a healthy farm pond – and reveals efforts to restore some of the many that have been lost across the country

FIELD GUIDE TO FARMLAND PONDS

Art of the field • Artist Kate Nicole has travelled across the globe, but it’s the fields and hedgerows near her childhood home that provide the inspiration for her charming botanical art

NOW PICK UP A PENCIL

JOHN CRAVEN • TOP-QUALITY FARMING NEEDS A CLEAR SHOW OF SUPPORT

LOCKDOWN REPERCUSSIONS • Wildlife crime, vandalism and fly-tipping have all increased during the Covid-19 lockdown, but the countryside has also experienced some unexpected positive developments. Noise and air pollution were hugely reduced and much wildlife flourished undisturbed. But with police focused on other matters and the eyes and ears of the public absent, raptor persecution has reportedly escalated, while conservation projects have halted. Mark Rowe reports

The great garden safari • Take an in-depth wildlife tour of your own plot and you’ll be amazed by the discoveries you make. Record the species on a ‘bioblitz’ and the data can be valuable to scientists too, says Megan Shersby

WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL I NEED? • It varies depending on the type of wildlife you plan to observe.

WHAT TECHNIQUES AND WHEN?

CASE STUDY: BIOBLITZ IN ABERGAVENNY

Confessions of a village shopkeeper • During the coronavirus lockdown, one freelance writer decides to volunteer in the local store and gets a curious and sometimes uncomfortable insight into the inner workings of the village...

HOW TO VOLUNTEER IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

Why we love THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER • How did these chalk cliffs on the Kent coast become a national symbol? Kathryn Ferry investigates

BIRTH OF AN ICON

PATRIOTIC PLACES • Iconic landscapes of the Home Nations

MAGPIE MYTH AND MAGIC • One for wrong and two for right, the truth about magpies is not...