There is something for everyone in The Countryman. Whether you are a country dweller, an urban nature lover, an amateur historian, or a budding naturalist, the variety of subjects covered is a real treasure trove. From the toad to the bumblebee, the cuckoo to the pheasant, the life cycle of the dragonfly, the attractions of the nightjar and the dove, the development of sheep breeds and the value of the cottager's pig - these are just some of the characters of the natural world as described by Johnny Scott. What are the origins of Oak Apple Day and when and where is it still celebrated? What do you know about Morecambe Bay shrimps or gulls' eggs - how do they make the journey from harvest to plate? What is a hag stone and what is its connection to a horse brass? Do you know what marl is and where would you find it? Answers to these questions and so many others are to be found within these pages. The author's acute powers of observation and fluent style enable him to convey his lifelong experiences and knowledge of the natural world in an informative but accessible way. His understanding of the origins of country customs and celebratory festivals is extensive, and his affection for them and all that the countryside has to offer shines through. Be prepared to be enlightened, amazed or amused - or probably all three!

Walking South Yorkshire is a collection of 30 circular walks, between 2 and 8 miles (3 and 13 km) in length, that explore the ancient woodland and rural visitor attractions around Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley. Attractions visited include: Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wentworth Castle Gardens, Stainborough Park, Cannon Hall Museum, Old Moor RSPB Reserve, Monk Bretton Priory, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Worsbrough Mill, Rockley Blast Furnace, Wentworth Woodhouse, the Waterloo Pottery Kiln, Catcliffe Glass Cone, Graves Park Animal Farm, Roche Abbey and the Chesterfield Canal. Written by local walker, Rob Haslam, each walk features detailed route directions, combined with a thorough insight into the county's rich, yet little-known, heritage of ancient woodland. All walks can be reached by public transport from Sheffield, Meadowhall, Rotherham and Barnsley, feature Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps and information on public transport, car parking, history, refreshments and terrain.

'In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.' - Margaret Atwood. Through evocative passages and quotes inspired by the countryside, this stunningly packaged book offers a rare opportunity to slow down, step back and receive the natural restorative power of nature. The contemplative words will transport you to a space of quiet reflection as you simply sit... and be. 'Soon will the high Midsummer prompts come in Soon will the musk carnations break and swell Soon shall we have gold-dusted snapdragon Sweet-William with his homely cottage-smell And stocks in fragrant blow Roses that down the alleys shine afar And open, jasmine-muffled lattices' ... - Mathew Arnold, 'Thyrisis: A Monody to Commemorate the Author's Friend, Arthur Hugh Clough.

A blank journal that captures the beauty of the great outdoors and the spirit of adventure!

The cover sports a gorgeous woodcut-style illustration of a vintage camper van making its way through a lush forest. Inside, the pages are lined for easy writing and feature full-color spot illustrations. This journal is sure to spark creativity and wanderlust in journalers and nature lovers around the world.

• Great for bullet journaling, note-taking, goal tracking, and list-making; or use as a daily planner, gratitude journal, or travel log!
• A great add-on gift or self-purchase for writers, artists, and outdoor enthusiasts
• 5 x 7 1/8-inch paperback journal with debossed cover and lay-flat binding
• 192 lined pages with full-color illustration throughout

Walking guide to the Snowdonia National Park, with 20 best routes chosen by the park rangers. Each walk varies in length from 2 to 10 km and can be completed in less than 4 hours. 20 best routes chosen and written by National Park rangers Walks from 2 to 10km Detailed description for each walk with highlights clearly marked on the map along with an accompanying map and photographs General information about the National Park plus basic advice on walking This and the Snowdonia National Park Pocket Map (ISBN: 9780008439224) are the perfect companions for exploring this superb walking area of North Wales.

'The beginnings of a bitter-sweet commission: a mistle thrust's egg, heralding a brief but very welcome return to spring... This year has been in such a hurry, at times almost tripping over itself in its keenness to reach autumn, and now she's here.' Highly respected illustrator Anna Koska is best known for her drawings of fish and fruit and is widely celebrated by food journalists and restaurateurs. In this mindful, artistic journal, Anna celebrates the natural world; the changing of the seasons, the blossoming of flowers and the ripening of fruit. Working in watercolour, pen and ink, oils and luscious egg tempera, Anna's illustrations are reproduced in beautiful detail and they are accompanied by her musings and observations of objects, engaging us in the everyday realities of her artistic practice. Anna sources inspiration from the flora and fauna in the fields and forests surrounding her home in East Sussex. Her illustrations root us in nature, allowing us to pause to admire and appreciate the beauty and significance of everyday occurrences - whether she is drawing wasps feasting on apples fallen in the orchard, or trying to capture the cerulean blue of a winter sky. In this book, image and narrative text are wedded to create a beautiful journey through the seasons, taking time to appreciate our surroundings. 'It started with my favourite fish, a red mullet, all bronze, copper, gills and scales. Then mackerel, coloured like a Scandi sky. Soon enough, I was seduced by a sketch of figs and Anna's alluring tones.' Allan Jenkins, Observer Food Magazine.

"I have long since ceased to be surprised at how often incidents in my village end up with someone in the river..." My Village in the Valley is a quiet unassuming place where, on the whole, very little happens. Until, that is, we all get together to tackle aggressive drivers, disputed footpaths, yapping hearthrugs and the ubiquitous village fete. In my Village in the Valley, nothing is ever simple ... Original comedy from TV and radio scriptwriter Michael Bartlett (The Archers, BBC Radio Drama)

Handy little full colour map of Peak District National Park. Detailed mapping and visitor information to the National Park along with a selection of photographs. Map at a scale of 1:120 000 (1cm to 1.20km, 1.9 miles to 1 inch). This small map gives a great overview of the Peak District National Park, and is the perfect companion for exploring this beautiful area of England. Clear, detailed mapping Key park, tourist and travel information Ideal for planning visits to the National Park Index to help locate and plan your trip Information on the Pennine Way, Stanage-North Lees, caving activities and other places of interest Discover more about the walking routes at this National Park with the Peak District Park Rangers Favourite Walks (ISBN: 9780008439125).

This beautiful, full-colour journal gives would-be naturalists a way to explore their natural world and contemplate their places in it. Easier than reading Thoreau and more fun than a field guide, Wild Calm is the ideal companion to anyone searching for a stronger connection to nature.

Ben Law's incredible sense of the land and his respect for age old traditions offers a wonderful insight into the life of Prickly Nut Wood. Having travelled to Papua New Guinea and the Amazon, observing age-old techniques for living in, working in and preserving forests and woodland, Ben Law felt compelled to return home and apply his learnings to a 400-year-old plot of woodland near where he grew up - Prickly Nut Wood. This is the story of how he came to know and love his woodland, how he lived off the land, how he coppiced and hedged and created charcoal, how he puddled and built shelter, and finally how he carved out his famous, characterful woodland home that Kevin McCloud has cited as his favourite ever Grand Design.

This beautifully packaged facsimile of Edith Holden s original diary is filled with a naturalist s masterful paintings and delightful observations chronicling the English countryside throughout 1906. As one of the few true records of the time in print, the handwritten thoughts and paintings contained in The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady transport readers to a more refined, romantic, and simpler time. Capitalizing on the current Downton Abbey inspired appetite for Edwardian-era ephemera, fashions, and society, this reproduction brings readers back to a time in which propriety, civility, and an appreciation for the natural world reigned. This souvenir of a bygone era serves not only as a calming touchstone, but a reminder that as long as we choose to see it, we are still surrounded by beauty and grace. Presented to retain the charm and beauty of the original volume filled with Holden s hand-drawn illustrations of the English countryside s flora and fauna through the changing seasons of the year, as well as handwritten notes, observations, and quotations, The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady makes a lovely addition to any home s library or side table.

Interest in the environment has never been greater and yet most of us have little knowledge of the 4 billion years of history that formed it. This book explains the principles of geology, geography and geomorphology, and shows how a basic understanding of geological timescales, plate tectonics and landforms can help you 'read' the great outdoors. This is a highly illustrated book with a very accessible text that beautifully illuminates the landscape around us.

BEST NATURE BOOKS OF 2021 - COUNTRYFILE 'Highly readable ... Apart from his ready knowledge of nature, [John Wright] has a sharp eye, a ready wit and a keen nose for a good story. Superb.' Countryfile Magazine From the bestselling author of THE FORAGER'S CALENDAR - a beautifully illustrated, practical and entertaining guide that illuminates and explains those mysterious details of the countryside you've always wondered about. Discover the mysteries of the countryside in all their pleasure, intrigue and beauty... Ever wondered about the masses of twigs in bare-branched trees that look like abandoned nests? Seen fuzzy red balls on roses? A stranded pond on a hilltop? Or even considered the shaded ways we walk along? One of Britain's best-known naturalists, John Wright here introduces us to the natural (and unnatural) mysteries of the countryside, giving us the tools to identify Witch's Broom, Robin's Pincushion, Dew ponds and Hollow Ways, and also their histories, how they come to be, and where to find them. From the enormous to the truly tiny he illuminates the oddities that pepper our countryside and the pleasure of spotting and understanding them. Beautifully illustrated, practical and entertaining, this is for anyone who has wondered what is that? or simply longs to get outside.

'I was much entertained last summer with a tame bat, which would take flies out of a person's hand.' Gilbert White's Natural History of Selborne (1789) reveals a world of wonders in nature. Over a period of twenty years White describes in minute detail the behaviour of animals through the changing seasons in the rural Hampshire parish of Selborne. He notes everything from the habits of an eccentric tortoise to the mysteries of bird migration and animal reproduction, with the purpose of inspiring others to observe their own surroundings with the same pleasure and attention. Written as a series of letters, White's book has all the immediacy of an exchange with friends, yet it is crafted with compelling literary skill. His gossipy correspondence has delighted readers from Charles Darwin to Virginia Woolf, and it has been read as a nostalgic evocation of a pastoral vision, a model for local studies of plants and animals, and a precursor to modern ecology. This new edition includes contemporary illustrations, a contextualizing introduction, and an appendix of literary responses to the book. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

The rural idyll is a powerful force in the British national imagination. This highly original and vibrant study will examine how key moments in art history have shaped the concept of the idyll and how contemporary artists continue to access and often challenge this concept. From High Art to propaganda, garden centres to air fresheners, contemporary art to computer games - a constellation of powerful images and ideas contribute to our understandings of the rural. This publication offers new ways of thinking about the rural idyll and the countryside more broadly, through the innovative integration of a wide range of art and visual cultures. These include classic landscapes by artists such as Blake, Claude, Constable and Turner, works of modern British art, and contemporary works by artists who present new perspectives on the rural idyll. Crucially, this volume will enter these familiar and unfamiliar art works into a productive dialogue with an extensive range of visual cultures which populate everyday life now and in the past, for instance Frank Newbould's iconic wartime recruitment posters of 1942-44 and rural-themed video games. In the contemporary art world the rural is seriously under-represented as an arena of critical inquiry and artistic production. This publication will make a significant contribution towards redressing this situation. In addition to the new scholarship on the rural idyll - by academic experts from a wide range of disciplines, encompassing the spheres of art history, contemporary art, poetry, literature, rural history, agriculture, and everyday life - it will include interviews with ten key contemporary artists who are working with the rural in innovative ways. It will also contain newly commissioned material from leading artists and writers which articulate the themes of the publication in ways that differ from the traditional catalogue essay. It will include a specially commissioned visual essay by Jeremy Deller. Deller will select a series of images from the exhibition and elsewhere and combine them with short pieces of text that develop the questions and themes discussed throughout the book in creative and open-ended visual dialogue. There will also be a new commission from the Scottish poet and writer Kathleen Jamie, whose moving observations on the relationships between nature and everyday life, articulate the embeddedness of the rural idyll into the mundane and the quotidian.

Tales of escape and adventure on Britain's waterways; In The Pull of the River two foolhardy explorers do what we would all love to do: they turn their world upside down and seek adventure on their very own doorstep.; In a handsome, homemade canoe, painted a joyous nautical red the colour of Mae West's lips, Matt and his friend James delve into a watery landscape that invites us to see the world through new eyes.; Over chalk, gravel, clay and mud; through fields, woodland, villages, towns and cities, they reveal many places that otherwise go unnoticed and perhaps unloved, finding delight in the Waveney, Stour, Alde/Ore, upper and lower Thames, Lark, Great Ouse, Granta and Cam, Wye, Otter, Colne, Severn and the Great Glen Trail.; Showing that it is still possible to get lost while knowing exactly where you are, The Pull of the River is a beautifully written exploration of nature, place and friendship, and an ode to the great art - and joy - of adventure.

Handy little full colour map of Dartmoor National Park. Detailed mapping and visitor information to the National Park along with a selection of photographs. Map at a scale of 1:105,000 (1.68 miles to 1 inch or 1.05 km to 1cm). The perfect way to explore this beautiful area in the South of England. This small map gives a great overview of the Dartmoor National Park. Clear, detailed mapping Key park, tourist and travel information Ideal for planning visits to the National Park Index to help locate and plan your trip

The perfect companions for exploring the National Parks. Walking guide to the Northumberland National Park, with 20 best routes chosen by the park rangers. Each walk varies in length from 2 to 10 km and can be completed in less than 4 hours. 20 best routes chosen and written by National Park rangers Walks from 2 to 10km Detailed description for each walk with highlights clearly marked on the map along with an accompanying map and photographs General information about the National Park plus basic advice on walking This and the Northumberland National Park Pocket Map (ISBN: 9780008462703) are the perfect companions for exploring this superb walking area of the North East.

In Perfect French Country Ros Byam Shaw celebrates relaxed rural France at its finest, visiting timeless and beautiful French country homes that feature ancient beams and stone fireplaces, panelled rooms and attics under steeply-pitched pantiles. In a busy modern world that seems increasingly fast-paced, overcrowded and monopolized by technology, the allure of the 'good life' is more potent than ever. As an antidote to texts and tweets, traffic jams and queues, additives and packaging, we seek out the simple and the wholesome, and long for the luxuries of space, a leisurely pace of life and fresh air. France can offer all these things, with its traditional farming methods, its authentic regional cuisine, and its low population density. Add to this the inimitable French sense of style and joie de vivre, and you have all the ingredients for an enviable way of life. Perfect French Country revels in the timeless and authentic beauty of the French country home. Perfect French Country is a fantastic new edition of the previously published title by the same name.

William Henry Hudson (1841 1922) was an Argentinian-born American naturalist and author, who moved to England in 1874, and became known for his writings on natural history, both Argentine and English, and for his work with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. He travelled the country, observing wildlife and rural life in general, and won high praise both for his work as a naturalist and for his literary style. A Shepherd's Life, published in 1910, contains his impressions of the Wiltshire Downs - the people, places, wildlife and history - which are enhanced by numerous line-drawings. The central character of the book, Caleb Bawcombe, an elderly shepherd, is fictitious, but clearly based on real people Hudson had talked to in Wiltshire, and the overall picture is of continuing closeness to nature, despite enormous changes in agricultural practice, in rural societies at the end of the nineteenth century.

'Inspirational' Cara Delevingne Whether you live in a house or flat, in a rural or urban environment, this beautiful book shows how to harness the natural world around us and feel more grounded and rooted in our surroundings. The Wild Journal is a beautifully illustrated guide from leading florist and nature writer Willow Crossley. Guiding you through creative practical projects and therapeutic seasonal reflections, The Wild Journal celebrates the potential of nature to mend, heal and transform our mood. The simple, back-to-basics habits and small seasonal changes in the book can help everyone to counteract the unpredictability and chaos of everyday life. Wherever you live, there are simple mindful actions - from listening to birdsong instead of rushing on your commute, to collecting natural treasures such as feathers, branches, pebbles or pine cones. Willow shares her creative techniques for bringing nature into your daily routine - whether it's planting and potting, identifying wild flowers, trying your hand at beautifully simple flower arrangements or making your own essential oils and candles. There is space to record reflections and your favourite seasonal activities, as well as ideas for star-gazing, bird-watching, and so much more. Willow Crossley's creative approach is informed by an artistic eye and a life spent immersed in nature. From growing up in Wales where days were spent exploring outdoors and flowers adorned every surface, to living in France surrounded by fields of sunflowers, iris and fragrant lavender, nature has always been an intrinsic part of her everyday life.

'Always engaging, charming, funny and often moving . . . It made me want to pull on my stoutest boots and follow in his footsteps' Stephen Fry 'Beautiful, funny, fascinating, impossible-to-categorise . . . Like going on a great ramble with a knowledgeable, witty, engaging friend. Tom Cox brings magic to the most mundane of subjects' Marian Keyes 'Sheer bloody genius . . . I loved it. Then I loved it more' John Lewis-Stempel, author of Meadowland A hill is not a mountain. You climb it for you, then you put it quietly inside you, in a cupboard marked 'Quite A Lot Of Hills' where it makes its infinitesimal mark on who you are.Ring the Hill is a book written around, and about, hills: it includes a northern hill, a hill that never ends and the smallest hill in England. Each chapter takes a type of hill - whether it's a knoll, cap, cliff, tor or even a mere bump - as a starting point for one of Tom's characteristically unpredictable and wide-ranging explorations. Tom's lyrical, candid prose roams from an intimate relationship with a particular cove on the south coast, to meditations on his great-grandmother and a lesson on what goes into the mapping of hills themselves. Because a good walk in the hills is never just about the hills: you never know where it might lead.

The Sunday Times bestseller Have you ever wished you could get the dog in your life to behave better? With experience of training over 5,000 dogs of every breed, Graeme Hall has formulated the golden rules that every dog owner needs to know and he's here to share them with you. In chapters on getting a puppy, kids and dogs, separation anxiety and so much more, Graeme recounts his hard-won, often hilarious success stories and reveals a solution for every dog-related worry. His simple, tried and tested lesson will help you understand your dog and drive better behaviours. The Dogfather has seen it all and he's here to share his secrets.