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.

Realising a dream

THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

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

DARK SKIES FESTIVALS

THE SEASONAL TABLE: NETTLE TEA • First forage of the season

THE COAL CANAL WAY, SOMERSET • 10.6 miles

HOW TO FIX A ZIPPER • Mending zippers on your outdoor kit may well be the most satisfying of all home repairs. Here’s how to do it.

COMMON SEAWEEDS OF THE BRITISH COAST • From microscopic phytoplankton to forests of kelp, seaweed is a valuable food source for wildlife and provides important shelter for many marine creatures. A late winter’s walk is the perfect time to get to know these nine species.

Shrove Tuesday

Adam Henson • SHEEP FARMING IN GOOD SHAPE AS LAMBING BEGINS

Nicola Chester • Rural evictions prompt the summoning of an old spirit of resistance

ASSYNT • Embark on a walking, fishing and wildlife-watching adventure among the mountains and lochs of this enchanted region of northern Scotland

NOW EXPLORE ASSYNT FOR YOURSELF • Where to stay, visit, eat and drink by Fergus Collins

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Sisters of the snows • Were snowdrops first brought to Britain by the nuns and monks of medieval abbeys? Phil Gates explores the mysterious origins of spring’s first fair maids

SNOWDROP HOTSPOTS TO VISIT

OUR HISTORY IN STONE • The rocks that form the bones of our countryside reveal much about our islands’ tumultuous history. Christopher Jackson tells the geological story of Britain – in six stones

JOHN CRAVEN • COULD FERMENTED PROTEIN REPLACE FARMING?

RSPB BIRD CRIME REPORT • Persecution and poisoning of birds of prey remains high, according to the 2021 RSPB Bird Crime report – which lays most of the blame on the shooting industry. Mark Rowe reports

Signs of the times • Bursting with colour and wildlife, verges might one day form a national network of linear nature reserves… if spared the strimmer. Sussex artist Nessie Ramm champions the beauty of the roadside verge by painting wildflowers on road signs

NESSIE’S FAVOURITE ROADSIDE FLOWERS • As well as her beloved cowslips, these are Nessie’s top wild blooms

HOW TO PAINT FLOWERS • 10 tips from artist Nessie Ramm

Wild at heart • Actress Jenny Agutter discusses the landscapes of her work, the life of E Nesbitt and elemental thrills

Fall and rise of the elm • Tall and elegant, the English elm once graced our countryside in its millions, until disease struck it down. But all is not lost. Conservationists now hope the elm will be reborn, thanks to the work of scientists and volunteers, discovers Rob McGowan

CLASSIC COUNTRY WALKS • Our most iconic landscapes are rightly famous for their breathtaking beauty and drama. From Britain’s highest peak to tumbling falls and deep gorges, here are classic walks to complete

MOUNTAIN WITH ITS HEAD IN THE CLOUDS • The ‘malicious mountain’, the ‘mountain with its head in the clouds’ – Britain’s highest peak has a number of daunting epithets, but come prepared and you will be rewarded with some of the greatest views in the country, assures Fergal MacErlean

THE ROOF OF CYMRU • There are six routes up Yr Wyddfa, the most popular of which is the well-graded Llanberis Path. However you get there, the views of the surrounding mist-shrouded mountains are astonishing, says Julie Brominicks

ISLAND OF...