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.

History uncovered

COUNTRYFILE on TV • What to watch on Countryfile this month*

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BBC Countryfile Magazine

Home among the hedgerows • Immerse yourself in the beauty of spring with a subscription to BBC Countryfile Magazine

Special • NATURE | TRAVEL | NEWS | VIEWS

Britain’s best archaeological finds • Wherever you walk in Britain, beneath your feet there may lurk remnants of a long-vanished civilisation. History buff Dixe Wills goes on a tour of his favourite discoveries

NEW FOREST RESTORATION PROJECT TO BENEFIT UK’S RAREST REPTILES • The sand lizard, smooth snake and adder will get a habitat revamp in a large-scale heathland project in the New Forest National Park

GOSHAWKS SPREAD THEIR WINGS • After bouncing back from extinction in the UK, research shows this elusive ‘phantom of the forest’ is expanding its range

A NEW NATIONAL FOREST TAKES ROOT • Project will see 20 million trees planted in England by 2050, to benefit people and wildlife

HUNDREDS OF DINOSAUR FOOTPRINTS FOUND ON SKYE • Rare fossilised tracks give scientists remarkable new insights into the lives of two dinosaur species

The Plodcast • Tune your ears into our podcast this June

THE COTSWOLD OLIMPICKS • Britain’s Olympic history began in the time of Shakespeare with an extravagant crowd-pleasing event supported by royalty, discovers Pat Kinsella

OTHER EVENTS IN MAY

THE ROAD MOST TRAVELLED • Author Rob Cowen takes a personal journey along the Great North Road, through history, place and memory

Bakewell tart • This traditional crowd-pleaser started life as a spin-off from the luxurious Bakewell pudding, says food historian and author Neil Buttery

Former industrial workhorses, canals now have a new lease of life

The legacies of the Romans are all around us

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Guernsey’s West Coast • As the Channel Islands celebrates 80 years since being liberated, we walk Guernsey’s rugged western coast and encounter a land of unique beauty and Nazi-era relics

NOW GO THERE • Matt Baird on where to sleep, drink and visit in Guernsey and Herm

THE SECRET PIGEON SERVICE • Secret spymasters. Daring espionage. The story of how homing pigeons helped liberate Western Europe in the Second World War is a remarkable tale of resistance, reveals Gordon Corera

ANIMALS DURING WARTIME • Pat Kinsella picks some of bravest animals that served in 20th-century conflicts.

TOP 10 BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC GARDENS • The UK is blessed with more historic gardens than you can shake a rake at. Here are Dixe Wills’ favourites

Go with the flow • Turn off Scotland’s North Coast 500 and you’ll find Europe’s largest blanket bog, a magical land that’s just gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Richard Baynes gets up close to the Flow Country

THE SUTHERLAND CLEARANCES • How notorious evictions altered the Flow Country’s landscape

WHERE TO GO IN THE FLOWS • Richard recommends places to see, eat and sleep

JOURNEYS THROUGH THE PAST • Music, muskets and gunfire! Matt Baird joins the Worcester Re-enactors for a day of historical role play at the city’s Living History event

Back to the future • The Second World War revolutionised British agriculture – could a similar reset help us navigate today’s climate and nature crises? In the second of our farming series, Nicola Chester asks what we can learn from the ‘national...