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.

Keeping in touch

THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

MARCH IN THE COUNTRY

SPRING EVENTS: SIX PLACES TO VISIT FOR GLORIOUS FLORA AND FAUNA • All events are subject to coronavirus restrictions – please check with the venue before leaving home

OPEN A BIRD CAFÉ

Countryfile on TV • BBC ONE, 14 FEB, 7PM

MOTHER’S DAY SPRING FLOWER ARRANGEMENT

ID GUIDE: URBAN ANIMALS • With so many of us confined to towns and cities, outings to local parks, gardens, churchyards and allotments have become an important part of our daily routines. Even in the busiest urban environments, wildlife thrives. Here are eight species to spot...

PARK PROTECTOR AWARDS 2021

FROM THE BOOKSHELF: ANIMAL HEROES • Four works of fiction featuring wild-creature characters that evoke the British countryside

THE SEASONAL TABLE: A TASTE OF MARCH • Spring is here. Daffodils and wild garlic line the stream edge, the geese are laying eggs all over the orchard and we work to a soundtrack of birdsong. Barrows of compost are emptied on to the raised beds, the herb patch is pruned, wigwams built and the first seeds of the year sown. Aside from the tired winter vegetables, there is little to harvest yet, so we forage a few gloved handfuls of wild nettles for dinner.

On the farm with Adam Henson • HOPE AS A NEW ERA IN UK FARMING DAWNS

Sara Maitland • Scotland’s southernmost point – the Rhins of Galloway – is a trove of unexplored wonders

THE UNSPOILT COASTS OF COUNTY DOWN • Helen Moat returns to the landscape of her childhood holidays to explore County Down by bike. There she finds the tranquil beauty of drumlins, sea loughs and mountains little changed in 40 years

SEASHORE FORAGING

MOURNE FOREST PARKS

NOW GO THERE • Where to stay, eat and visit in County Down, by Helen Moat

The great migration birdwatch • Spring is approaching and with it the first migrant birds will cross continents to breed in our woods and fields. But when can we expect to see the season’s first swallow, or hear a cuckoo? Dominic Couzens reveals the great bird migration timetable

STAR MIGRANTS • When and where travelling birds land in the UK (Routes are variable and have been adapted for clarity)

Cross-country on two wheels • Our countryside is often wilder and more challenging than we imagine, as Emily Chappell found when she accepted the offer of a weekend’s off-road cycling to the Welsh coast with veteran mountain biker Isla Rowntree

JOHN CRAVEN • POLICE TIGHTEN THE NET AROUND NIGHTHAWKS

BREXIT DEAL: IMPACTS • The UK has now left the EU single market and customs union and so, from 1 January 2021, the process for importing and exporting goods changed. The Brexit deal signed with the EU means new paperwork, new checks and new restrictions on products the UK trades with the EU. Mark Rowe looks at what it means for farmers, businesses and consumers

Rise of the shepherdess • Ever dreamed of a life watching your flock, striding sunlit hills while lambs gambol at your heels? Four women who chose a career tending sheep talk to Rosanna Morris about what their working lives are really like

SHEPHERDESS PROFILES

LAMBING SEASON

A BREED APART • Could the brilliance of the world’s most successful and tenacious sheepdog be explained by a form of canine autism? Dog behaviour expert Carol Price explains

A GENUINE WONDER BREED

IS YOUR DOG AUTISTIC? • Traits or behaviours suggestive of a more autistic dog-mind...