**ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S BEST BOOKS OF 2018** Join renowned naturalist Peter Marren on an exciting quest to see every species of wild plant native to Britain. The mysterious Ghost Orchid blooms in near darkness among rotting leaves on the forest floor. It blends into the background to the point of invisibility, yet glows, pale and ghostly. The ultimate grail of flower hunters, it has been spotted only once in the past twenty-five years. Its few flowers have a deathly pallor and are said to smell of over-ripe bananas. Peter Marren has been a devoted flower finder all his life. While the Ghost Orchid offers the toughest challenge of any wild plant, there were fifty more British species Peter had yet to see, having ticked off the first 1,400 rummaging in hedges, slipping down gullies and peering in peat bogs. But he set himself the goal of finding the remaining fifty in a single summer. As it turned out, the wettest summer in years. This expert and emotional journey takes Peter the length and the breadth of the British Isles, from the dripping ancient woods of the New Forest to the storm-lashed cliffs of Sutherland. He paddles in lakes, clambers up cliffs in mist and rain, and walks several hundred miles, but does he manage to find them all? Partly about plants, partly autobiography, Chasing the Ghost is also a reminder that to engage with wild flowers, all we need to do is look around us and enjoy what we see. Praise for Chasing the Ghost: 'Peter Marren is the unsung hero of Britain's nature writers' Stephen Moss, author of Dynasties 'Jolly, quixotic and ends with real poignancy' Guardian 'A poignant reminder to us all to engage with the wild flowers that grow around us' i Newspaper

A tribute to the natural history of some of our most iconic British woods. The National Trust manages hundreds of woods, covering over 60,000 acres of England and Wales. They include many of the oldest woodlands in the land and some of the oldest living things of any kind - trees that are thousands of years old. From Dean to Epping, from Hatfield to Sherwood, this book covers the natural history of our forests and how they have changed the face of our landscape. Covering the different species of trees that give our woods their unique characters, the plants and animals that inhabit them and the way their appearance changes throughout the seasons, Woods is a fascinating and beautifully illustrated celebration of Britain's trees and the ancient stories that surround them.

Explore the National Parks with this handy pocket map. Handy little full colour map and guide of Northumberland National Park. Detailed mapping and visitor information to the National Park along with a selection of photographs. This small map with additional text and photographs gives a great overview of the Northumberland National Park, and is the perfect companion for exploring this beautiful area of Northern 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

Explore the National Parks with this handy pocket map. Handy little full colour map and guide of Brecon Beacons National Park. Detailed mapping and visitor information to the National Park along with a selection of photographs. This small map with additional text and photographs gives a great overview of the Brecon Beacons National Park, and is the perfect companion for exploring this beautiful area of Wales. 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

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

A moving portrait of the landscape that shaped the life of Laurie Lee, the beloved author of Cider With Rosie 'Before I left the valley I thought everywhere was like this. Then I went away for 40 years and when I came back I realized that nowhere was like this.' Laurie Lee walked out of his childhood village one summer morning to travel the world, but he was always drawn back to his beloved Slad Valley, eventually returning to make it his home. In this portrait of his Cotswold home, Laurie Lee guides us through its landscapes, and shares memories of his village youth - from his favourite pub to winter skating on the pond, the church through the seasons, local legends, learning the violin and playing jazz records in the privy on a wind-up gramophone. Filled with wry humour and a love of place, Down in the Valley is a writer's tribute to the landscape that shaped him, and where he found peace.

Observing the plants of the forest floor - the flowers, ferns, sedges and grasses - can be a vital way of understanding our relationship with British woodland. They tell us stories about its history and past management, and can be a visible sign of progress when we get conservation right. For centuries, woodland plants have also been part of our lives in practical ways as food and medicines, and they have influenced our culture through poetry, perfume and pub signs. In this insightful and original account, Keith Kirby explores how woodland plants in Great Britain have come to be where they are, coped with living in the shade of their bigger relatives, and responded to threats in the form of storms, fires, floods, the attentions of grazing herbivores and the effects of the changing seasons. Along the way, the reader is introduced to the work of important botanists who have walked the woods in the past, collecting information on where plants occur and why. In-depth profiles of some of our most important and popular ground flora species provide extra detail and insight. Beautifully illustrated, Woodland Flowers is a must for anyone who appreciates and wants to learn more about British woodland and its plants.

'One woman's gloriously lyrical account of life and love as a shepherdess' Mail on Sunday 'Janet White's unfailingly enjoyable book . . . taps into a widespread feeling that we have become cut off from the natural world' TLS 'A book to share or even fight over if necessary' Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows 'An immensely enjoyable and heartfelt book: it makes you want to run for the hills' The Lady With an introduction by Colin Thubron As a child in wartime England, Janet White decided that she wanted to live somewhere wild and supremely beautiful, to inhabit and work the landscape. She imagined searching the whole world for a place, high and remote as a sheep stell, quiet as a monastery, challenging and virginal, untouched and unknown. Turning her back on convention, Janet's desire to carve out her own pastoral Eden has taken her from the Cheviot Hills to Sussex and Somerset, via the savage beauty of rural New Zealand. The Sheep Stell tells the tale of a woman before her time; a woman with incredible courage and determination, truly devoted to the land and its creatures. Evocative, unaffected and profound, it is a lost classic. 'An extraordinary memoir . . . The Sheep Stell is pure joy, one of the most moving books I've read in a long time' Philip Marsden, author of Rising Ground 'This is a strange and lovely book, and quiet as it is, it makes you gasp at the profoundly lived quality of the life it so modestly describes' Jenny Diski 'A hymn to country solitude, lyrical, unpretentious and deeply felt' Colin Thubron

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.

EMMA GRAY'S NEW BOOK 'MY FARMING LIFE' ('A HEARTWARMING TALE OF LIFE ON THE LAND' Alan Titchmarsh) IS OUT NOW What happens when you swap 'I do' for pastures new? When twenty-three-year-old shepherdess Emma Gray breaks off her engagement, the chance to take over an isolated Northumberland farm seems just the fresh start she needs. But while the beautiful scenery certainly offers plenty of scope for contemplation, a night out with an eligible bachelor soon seems more remote than the farm itself. And once you add fugitive sheep and freak blizzards into the mix, Emma's dreams of a happy future at Fallowlees Farm quickly begin to fade. Throughout the long nights of lambing, the highs and lows of the local sheepdog trials and the day-to-day chores of maintaining a large, ramshackle farm, Emma's collies are her most loyal companions. With Bill, Fly, Roy and Alfie by her side, she'll never really be alone. Emma's remarkable first year at Fallowlees - the triumphs, the disasters, the heartbreak and the glimmer of romance on the horizon - is an inspiration for anyone who has ever dreamt of changing their life and starting all over again. ____________________________________________________________ Readers love ONE GIRL AND HER DOGS: 'This is an amazing book, difficult to put down. A must for all thinking of living of the land, or looking to be inspired by a hard working courageous young woman' 'What a little gem of a book, I loved it. Emma has given us a little taste of her life in the remote Fallowlees Farm in Northumberland, her knowledge of lambing is just astonishing to me and her beautiful dogs are amazing, I must admit to shedding a tear now and then, but there was plenty to chuckle at too' 'An admirable book' 'Very entertaining and readable. A brave girl who made the decision to become a sheep farmer and farm in a lovely and lonely spot' 'This story is written in such a way that you feel you are actually on the farm and going through the trials too. Wonderful empathy with her dogs and an excellent storyteller'

This beloved American memoir is about a farm and its people, recollections of a boyhood in Wisconsin's Driftless region. Ben Logan grew up on Seldom Seen Farm with his three brothers, father, mother, and hired hand Lyle. The boys discussed and argued and joked over the events around their farm, marked the seasons by the demands of the land, and tested each other and themselves.

Inspiration and advice about finding a dream home in the countryside from Jules Hudson, presenter of the BBC's Escape to the Country.

Escape to the Country has run on daytime BBC1 since 2002 and is now in its eighteenth season. Each week it helps urban buyers find their dream home in rural Britain by showing them specially selected properties. Along the way the program tells us about the landscape and history of the area they are in. The program is on every weekday and has been sold to thirty countries including Australia, Canada, and the USA. This is an inspirational and practical book to appeal to armchair dreamers and lovers of property porn as well as those really thinking of making the move.

Regional sections look at the typical kinds of homes found in each place, along with local landscapes and landmarks. Features sprinkled throughout the book cover everything from dealing with listed building consent and public footpaths to how grow your own food. Jules is well placed to talk about conservation and renovation issues too, having trained as an archaeologist and renovated his own historic house.

A life-affirming story of family and personal self-discovery When George, the eldest son of Matthew Silverman, announces he won't follow his father's footsteps as editor of the family-owned local newspaper, the family finds itself on a course for change. The newspaper has been going for nearly 100 years. With younger brother Alexander and sisters Loraine and Alison growing up fast too, and gradual progress in the world around them, can Matthew do what's best for them all? This beautifully observed story of a loving family navigating generational change retains a timeless appeal today. Praise for Victor Canning: 'His gift of story-telling is obviously innate. Rarely does one come on so satisfying an amalgam of plot, characterisation and good writing.' Punch 'Quite delightful ... with an atmosphere of quiet contentment and humour that cannot fail to charm.' Daily Telegraph 'A swift-moving novel, joyous, happy and incurably optimistic.' Evening Standard 'There is such a gentle humour in the book.' Daily Sketch 'What counts for most in the story ... is his mounting pleasure in vagabondage and the English scene.' The Times 'A paean to the beauties of the English countryside and the lovable oddities of the English character.' New York Times

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).

Book 3 of the classic trilogy of humorous rural adventures through pre-war England Mr Finchley takes a fancy to a horse-drawn caravan that he sees for sale, but his new wife does not relish the prospect of a caravan journey so she goes to visit her brother, while he sets out to explore the countryside and go house-hunting. While learning to handle the horse and the caravan, he encounters a variety of eccentrics and country characters, and several unsuitable houses. It gradually emerges that the caravan contains a secret, and Mr Finchley finds himself in real trouble - until his wife comes to the rescue. This gentle comedy trilogy was a runaway bestseller on first publication in the 1930s and retains a timeless appeal today. It has been dramatized twice for BBC Radio, with the 1990 series regularly repeated. What people are saying about the Mr Finchley series: 'Wonderful character from a kinder slower England between the wars.' 'An overlooked gem. An innocent picaresque novel set in an arcadian version of mid 20th century England. The literary equivalent of naive painting, it narrates the adventures of a respectable upper middle-aged man who takes retirement.' 'An antidote to the rush of the early 21st century.' 'A thoroughly enjoyable stroll through a vanished England with some lovable characters. Don't expect modern, fashionable agonisings, here there is good, evil, and understanding. A lovely reminiscent wallow of a read.' 'Gentle well told simple story, full of pleasant surprises, and a mild mannered believable hero. Loved it to bits.' 'So gentle, it hurts.' 'There is a freshness about the writing which is charming and that disarms criticism. Don't expect any great profundities, a gripping plot or inter-character tensions - these books are of the world of Billy Bunter and William Brown - but do expect a very well-written and enjoyable romp through early twentieth-century England in the company of an engaging protagonist.' 'A delightful story of a man who finds himself jolted out of his comfort zone and taken on a journey beyond his wildest imaginings.' 'Another lovely book detailing the adventures of Mr Finchley in altogether far too short a series. Full of humour and a book I was sorry to finish as I wanted it to go on and on.' 'Highly recommended for anyone seeking an entertaining amusing read.' 'A delight to be transported to an England I never knew despite growing up in the 1950s and to experience the countryside through the sharp eyes of the author who obviously had a great love of all things rural.' Editorial reviews: 'Quite delightful, with an atmosphere of quiet contentment and humour that cannot fail to charm ... The longer we travel with Mr Finchley, the better we come to love him. He makes us share his bread and cheese, and beer and pipe. His delight at the beauties of the countryside and his mild astonishment at the strange ways of men are infectious.' Daily Telegraph 'His gift of story-telling is obviously innate. Rarely does one come on so satisfying an amalgam of plot, characterisation and good writing.' Punch 'A paean to the beauties of the English countryside and the lovable oddities of the English character... [Mr Finchley] runs into one astonishing situation after another, sticking gamely to his resolve that he must take things as they come and accept them.' New York Times 'What counts for most in the story, as it did for Mr Finchley, is his mounting pleasure in vagabondage and the English scene.' The Times 'There is such a gentle humour in the book ... Mr Finchley is the ideal Englishman.' Daily Sketch

La Bretagne, ce sont des cotes sauvages, des plages d'un sable fin et des villages anciens avec une culture riche. Ce calendrier est fait pour les gens qui aiment les couleurs de la Bretagne. Les calendriers Calvendo sont des produits haut de gamme - avec ces plus qui font la difference : nos calendriers presentent bien toute l'annee grace a leur papier de qualite superieure et leur reliure a spirales pour une manipulation des pages plus aisee et une tenue parfaitement droite contre le mur. Un film plastique transparent protege la couverture de ces calendriers toujours plus solides, qui se declinent desormais en cinq langues. Offrez-vous un calendrier Calvendo qui reste beau tout au long de l'annee.

Oxbow says: For many years hedges have been the most common field boundary in rural Britain, providing a stock-proof barrier, a field boundary and a haven for wildlife. Despite this, they are rarely studied in any detail in landscape archaeology. The authors of Hedgerow History rightly argue that hedges, as an essential feature of the landscape, their origins and development, are as worthy of study as any other part of the landscape. Their book focuses on the species content and diversity of hedges, how these came about and how they changed over time. The introduction provides the background to hedges in Britain, the development of field boundaries, changes in fields and farming, especially the impact of enclosure, hedgerow management, and methods of dating hedges. In an attempt to evaluate the pioneering work of Hooper and Pollard in the 1960s and 1970s, and gain insights into the diversity of hedges and the possible human and animal reasons for it, Barnes and Williamson carried out a detailed survey of hedgerows in Norfolk. Finding 61 shrub species among the Norfolk hedgerows, they attempt to tie this data in with evidence on geology, soils, climate, woodland, enclosure, farming practices and historical factors, as an indicator of the processes of continuity and change that have taken place in the wider landscape.

Erected to inform travellers how far they have come and how far they still have to go, milestones are a relic of a time when life moved more slowly. This book tells the story of milestones and the technology they reflect, as well as road measurement. It uses the great variety of designs and styles to argue the historical importance of conservation and to illustrate the compelling fascination of the subject.
Mervyn Benford has worked in education all his professional life and has a consuming interest in history. Concerned at the rate at which evidence of the past disappears, often inadequately recorded, he believes that the understanding of history, the ability to understand cause and effect, to interpret evidence and to recognise what changes and what does not, are all central to an effective society.

Small farms once occupied the heights that John Elder calls home, but now only a few cellar holes and tumbled stone walls remain among the dense stands of maple, beech, and hemlocks on these Vermont hills. "Reading the Mountains of Home"is a journey into these verdant reaches where in the last century humans tried their hand and where bear and moose now find shelter. As John Elder is our guide, so Robert Frost is Elder's companion, his great poem "Directive" seeing us through a landscape in which nature and literature, loss and recovery, are inextricably joined.

Over the course of a year, Elder takes us on his hikes through the forested uplands between South Mountain and North Mountain, reflecting on the forces of nature, from the descent of the glaciers to the rush of the New Haven River, that shaped a plateau for his village of Bristol; and on the human will that denuded and farmed and abandoned the mountains so many years ago. His forays wind through the flinty relics of nineteenth-century homesteads and Abenaki settlements, leading to meditations on both human failure and the possibility for deeper communion with the land and others.

An exploration of the body and soul of a place, an interpretive map of its natural and literary life, "Reading the Mountains of Home" strikes a moving balance between the pressures of civilization and the attraction of wilderness. It is a beautiful work of nature writing in which human nature finds its place, where the reader is invited to follow the last line of Frost's "Directive," to "Drink and be whole again beyond confusion."

Letters from the Country, one of Bly's best-known and best-loved books, is a collection of essays as fresh today as when they were originally published in Minnesota Monthly. This contemporary classic welcomes readers to the small town of Madison, Minnesota (population 2,242), a rural community struggling to place itself in the new American landscape.

An exuberant, life-affirming novel of taking your chances After a spur-of-the-moment day out with his boss' daughter in celebration of his 21st birthday, Polycarp Jarvis decides to quit his Bristol-based junior government worker job. Newly emboldened, he embarks on an erratic, engaging and not always strictly legal course through life. Going from bus driver for the Red Dragon Motor Company to co-owner of a flying company, to seller of quack medicines, and eventually to media tycoon, Polycarp makes much of his luck along the way. Through ups and downs, his exuberance and charm carry him through. But what kind of person will he be by the end? This gentle coming-of-age story was hugely popular on first publication in the 1930s and retains a timeless appeal today. Praise for Victor Canning: 'Quite delightful ... with an atmosphere of quiet contentment and humour that cannot fail to charm.' Daily Telegraph 'There is such a gentle humour in the book.' Daily Sketch 'What counts for most in the story ... is his mounting pleasure in vagabondage and the English scene.' The Times 'A paean to the beauties of the English countryside and the lovable oddities of the English character.' New York Times 'His delight at the beauties of the countryside and his mild astonishment at the strange ways of men are infectious.' Daily Telegraph 'A swift-moving novel, joyous, happy and incurably optimistic.' Evening Standard 'His gift of story-telling is obviously innate. Rarely does one come on so satisfying an amalgam of plot, characterisation and good writing.' Punch

How far could you go living in another's shoes? In a mid-life moment, Paul Morison travels from America to England to discover his mother's roots. A chance encounter and uncanny resemblance leads him to agree to assume the identity of a famous singer for a while. But it's not just the unnerving attentions of the adoring public that he must deal with. Seeking to regain his freedom, Paul flees the length of Britain from Southampton to the Scottish Isles. On the run, he discovers he has let himself in for much more than he bargained. This gentle comic caper and love story was hugely popular on first publication in the 1930s and retains a timeless appeal today. Praise for Victor Canning: 'Quite delightful ... with an atmosphere of quiet contentment and humour that cannot fail to charm.' Daily Telegraph 'There is such a gentle humour in the book.' Daily Sketch 'What counts for most in the story ... is his mounting pleasure in vagabondage and the English scene.' The Times 'A paean to the beauties of the English countryside and the lovable oddities of the English character.' New York Times 'His delight at the beauties of the countryside and his mild astonishment at the strange ways of men are infectious.' Daily Telegraph 'A swift-moving novel, joyous, happy and incurably optimistic.' Evening Standard 'His gift of story-telling is obviously innate. Rarely does one come on so satisfying an amalgam of plot, characterisation and good writing.' Punch