Andy Smith, who documents his travels on YouTube, estimates task will take ‘best part of 25 to 30 years’When Andy Smith moved from the Lincolnshire countryside where he grew up, to Rotherham, he immediately longed for a return to his rural life.“For th…
Planning legislation must be amended to protect countryside | Letter
Ros Coward says ministers should prioritise brownfield development and pay attention to Save Kent’s Green Spaces, a day of action on SundayYour leader on urban rewilding schemes (19 November) correctly points out the ecological value of brownfield site…
Young country diary: the puffins had their lunch, then I had mine
Lundy, Devon: From the ferry we saw a festival of seabirds, but the puffins were the luckiest spot of allAboard the MS Oldenburg to Lundy, I sat next to Jamie, an ornithologist studying the island’s sparrow population. Jamie helped me spot and identify…
Jeremy Clarkson’s Cotswolds farm is an ill omen for the countryside | Simon Jenkins
Rural England may be a far cry from the Klondike. But there’s a gold rush going on out thereIn 2008 Jeremy Clarkson thought a little agriculture on the side might do him good. He bought a farm in fashionable Cotswold country, acquired a Lamborghini tra…
Ministers ‘to ditch overhaul of planning laws’ after criticism
According to reports, plans will be abandoned in light of backlash from southern voters and MPsThe government is reportedly backpedalling on its commitment to overhaul planning laws in order to accelerate infrastructure projects with a target of buildi…
How a racist taunt prompted me to reclaim Britain’s countryside | Anita Sethi
A man on a train told me to go back to where I’m from – and so I did. Walking alone in nature, I felt liberated from prejudiceI was sitting on a stage inside a tent recently, surrounded by the mountains and valleys of the beautiful Brecon Beacons natio…
Young country diary: searching for an adder with my eagle eyes
Colne Pointe nature reserve, Essex: These shy and mysterious animals are one of my favourites, but I had never seen one beforeAs a trainee zoologist, I love all animals, but I really love snakes! I’d never seen a wild adder, so when we went on an adven…
Trees should be planted without plastic guards, says UK study
Woodland Trust and National Trust trial sustainable alternatives to plastic protection for millions of saplingsPlanting trees without plastic tree guards should be standard practice, a UK study has found, as leading conservation charities and landowner…
Geronimo’s owner says she has global support in fight for alpaca’s reprieve
Helen Macdonald says animal, which tested positive for bovine TB, has defenders in New Zealand, Malaysia and EuropeThe owner of Geronimo the alpaca has welcomed the support she has received from around the world as she continues the fight to stop her a…
Young country diary: this dying tree is still full of life
Bromley, Kent: How we look at nature is very important. So I decided to look twice at this strange treeNature often shows that life and death are intertwined, and I have learned that what is important is how we perceive this. I went for a walk to my lo…