countrylife

Countryfile – The UK’s Highest Village in Winter: It’s 60 years since the Big Freeze, one of the coldest winters on record, when even the sea froze over, and rural communities were cut off by blizzards and towering snowdrifts. Anita Rani and Joe Crowley are in Flash, the UK’s highest village, to see how the community coped then and how they brace for winter now. They also find out what sort of weather can be expected in future winters.       Anita unlocks the secrets of Flash’s history, from special buttons to a booming business in counterfeit money, while […]

Countryfile – Audley End House: John Craven and Charlotte Smith are at Audley End House in Essex, one of the finest Jacobean houses in the UK. They may arrive in grand style but are quickly despatched to the servants’ entrance to roll up their sleeves and muck in with winter cleaning and maintenance. As well as discovering the provenance of some of the house’s eclectic collection of thousands of artefacts, John discovers the intricacies of cleaning delicate seashells while Charlotte finds out why skimmed milk works a treat on flagstone flooring.       There’s an ancient vine to tame

Countryfile – Shooting Estate: Love it or hate it, shooting contributes around £2 billion to the rural economy. But it’s a sporting industry under the cosh, as the UK is gripped by the worst ever outbreak of avian flu. Can game bird shoots survive the 21st century? Charlotte explores the 12,500-acre Rhug Estate in north Wales to see what it means to be a traditional shooting estate in the modern world and looks at how it contributes to local business.       Sean is in Perthshire on the 1,300-acre Bamff Estate, which has eschewed shooting for eco-tourism, including a

Countryfile – Rural Heritage: John Craven is at the National Hedgelaying Championships as competitors go chainsaw to chainsaw, billhook to billhook in a bid to claim the coveted title as they set about specific regional styles and work against the clock. John gets a lesson in the Midland Bullock style and finds out why hedgerows are so important to our countryside.       He also discovers the Cornish hedge tradition reckoned to be as old as the pyramids, and he delves into the Countryfile archives to celebrate rural heritage skills, revisiting the time Anita Rani met a traditional cricket

Countryfile – Hogmanay and New Year Traditions: Margherita Taylor is in Auchindrain, a fascinating and remarkably preserved example of a Scottish Highland farm township, to discover the roots and traditions surrounding New Year and Burns Night. She discovers how tough life was, and that Christmas was once just a normal working day for the townsfolk. She also delves into the Countryfile archive to celebrate other seasonal customs, revisiting the time Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker took part in the Shaftsbury Snowdrop Festival, and when John Craven learned about the ancient tradition of Gaelic psalm singing.       Stories are

Countryfile – Rockingham Castle: John Craven and Anita Rani get into the Christmas spirit at Rockingham Castle, which is celebrating its 950th anniversary. Anita discovers that Charles Dickens was a regular visitor during the festive season, and would perform plays not only for the Lords and Ladies but also the servants. Anita forages for greenery to make a Christmas wreath, and John joins a wildlife survey to discover what is making their Christmas home in the castle’s famous elephant yew hedge.       Chef and food writer Romy Gill is hard at work in Rockingham’s kitchen to create Christmas

Landward episode 26 2022: Dougie takes a winter walk at Loch Lubnaig in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park in a special festive programme looking back on 2022. He revisits the stories that Anne, Arlene, Cammy, Rosie and Shahbaz have reported on this year. Dougie reflects on the big themes, best places and inspiring people the team have met as they travelled thousands of miles in every direction across the stunning Scottish countryside.       Landward episode 25 2022 is a long-running Scottish television programme focusing on agricultural and rural issues, produced and broadcast by BBC Scotland. The

Countryfile – Rural Power: Rural households are more vulnerable to the current energy crisis and fuel poverty due to lower wages, poorly insulated buildings and a heavy reliance on cars. However, there are some communities that are finding ways to take power into their own hands – literally. Ellie Harrison heads to Bethesda, a village in rural north west Wales built around former slate quarries and the River Ogwen that is now home to a growing community of energy self-sufficiency.       With hydro pumps, solar panels, e-transport, energy wardens and repurposed buildings, this local community has found a

Landward episode 25 2022: With the festive season fast approaching, Dougie visits a farm near Buchlyvie, in Stirlingshire, that has diversified from producing beef to growing Christmas trees. He lends a hand as people come along to cut their own trees. Elsewhere, Rosie is in Ullapool to help the community build this year’s creel Christmas tree, while Cammy visits young farmers taking part in the trial of an app that tracks low-level mental health.       Anne is near Strathdon to find out out how avian flu is affecting poultry farmers producing Christmas turkeys. Avian flu, also known as

Countryfile – Winter Wonders: Anita Rani is at the world-famous Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Slimbridge, a centre of research and conservation founded by Sir Peter Scott in 1946, to discover some wonderful winter sights. Anita waits for one of the most magical moments in the Slimbridge calendar, the arrival of Bewick’s swans. Having flown all the way from Russia, these rarest and smallest of swans land here to spend the winter in warmer climes – a phenomenon known to locals as ‘swanfall’.       Anita meets Mary, one of the original ‘swan girls’, who explains how she used