Fans of the BBC programme Countryfile may be interested to know that the first issue of the Countryfile magazine is now available. I picked up a copy and, on an initial scan, it looks quite good with a wide variety of articles. This month has features on:

• November events in the country (festivals, events and nature highlights).
• Latest news from around the British countryside (e.g. pressure to keep the marine bill afloat).
• John Craven's monthly review (this month: Red kites).
• Articles on natural heritage (woodland, wilderness, urban, farmland, costal, freshwater).
• Rare animal breeds.
• Top 10 haunted country pubs.
• Kite buggying (for the more adventurous).
• Making a difference (articles on growing your own veg, attracting wildlife into the garden, composting and green heroes).
• Relocating to the country (this month: Herefordshire).
• The future of farming.
• Recipes and regional food (plus a list of the best rural cheese shops).
• Review of outdoor gear (this month: walking boots under £100).
• Review of the latest country books.
• TV & radio countryside programmes for the coming month.
• Also comes with 15 pull-out guides for walks rides and places to go.
  

All-in-all there does seem to be a fair amount of information packed into the 106 pages, without the usual endless pages of adverts. And at £3.40 it seems to be about average price for a magazine of this size.

Definitely worth having a look at.

The article on rare animal breeds sounds especially interesting...although I don't think I can readily pick up a copy .

Kingfisher

I'm sure if you subscribed, they will post to you.

p.s. They do, for £45 to the States. Go here: http://secure2.subscribeonline.co.uk/bbc...&x=11&y=11

This post was last modified: 03-10-2007 07:06 AM by wild canon.

Ah, thank you!

Kingfisher

Picked my copy up today and I have to say that it is a good read and covers a nice range of subject matter, enough to keep each page turn interesting.

The Countryfile forum is beginng to liven up as well, which is worth a visit to dicuss the mag. (Not that I have been posting on there for the last couple of weeks you understand)

I haven't got the magazine but it sounds like a good read. I'm glad the marine bill has been getting some coverage in their news section as I think that is very important. It would also be very useful to know all the wildlife programs on in the next month.

The article "Making a difference" also sounds like it could be good to read, have you read it yet? Does it give any good advice?

There is quite a lot of varied advice on a number of subjects, probably too much to try to pick out any particular items to list here. Subjects covered this month:

Grow your own garlic (from how to chose bulbs, varieties when/where to plant, when to water and how to store).
Grow you own round-seeded peas.
Grow your own rhubarb.
Weed watch deals with Couch grass.
November checklist of things to do in the fruit/vegetable garden.
Growing green manures (plants grown for the sole purpose of digging into the soil).

The Do One Thing section recommends cutting out cutting back, suggesting that leaving dead stems will benefit wildlife.

The How To section contains a comprehensive guide on composting (from how/what to compost to how to buy or build a compost bin).

The Green Heroes section has an interview with Nickol Stewardson about cleaning the Firth of Forth and the evils of plastic.
There is also an interview with the head of a Middlesex school that was hailed as the world's first carbon-neutral school.

There is also a Q&A section discussing such varied topics as:
Feeding wild mammels in the garden.
Whether kiwi fruit can be grown in the UK.
The best places to site bird boxes.
How to dispose of energy saving light bulbs.
What flowers can be eaten.
How to keep slugs under control
How to help bumblebees.
Are there any fish left that are sustainable to eat.
What's the most ecological way to wash clothes.
Is it true that soya is often genetically modified.
How to find out about organic vegetable boxes.

As you can see there is a lot packed into the 16-page section of the magazine.

Wow, there is a lot. It is about time I started to get the magazine I think.

The helping bumblebees advice sounds like it could be especially relevant to some of the discussions on here.

The article is as follows:

"Over the past 70 years many species of bumbleebee have become extinct as wildflower-rich grasslands have disappeared from the countryside. New bumblebee colonies are founded in the spring by a single queen, but their survival is dependent on there being sufficient sources of nectar and pollen within half a mile of the nest. You can make your garden a perfect environment for them by providing a constant supply of different flowering plants from March through to September - the more the better. Examples of great plants include rosemary and flowering currant in spring, thyme and honeysuckle in early summer and heathers in late summer. Look and see what flowers bumblebees like in your garden and encourage these."

The comment on the disappearance of wildflower-rich grassland is especially pertinent to me, as the conservation group I volunteer for is primarily concerned with the restoration and management of chalk grassland. I know that there is an opinion that woodland should not be managed and that nature should be allowed to follow its own course, but the outcome of this will be that we lose what little chalk grassland we have left, with an adverse impact upon rare plants and the insects (especially bees and butterflies) that are dependant upon them for survival.

Thanks for posting the article, it was very interesting.

On the whole I think woodland should be left to its own devices, but in cases such as your own consveration efforts with chalk grassland, I think it is right that we should be protecting environments that are home to rare and endangered species.

Is this widely available? I wonder if I could find it in WHSmith's. Being a BBC mag i would have thought so but I've not seen it yet.
I used to get BBC Wildlife but its not as good as it used to be.

You should be able to get it in WHS as that's where I get my copy from. If your local doesn't stock it they should easily be able to order it for you (I've always found the WHS ordering service to be quite good).

Do you know what time of the month it comes out?

Well, I picked up a copy yesterday from Smiths, has a nice winter scene on the front and a pic of Kate Humble(mmmmmmm!)
I'll let you klnow what I think when Ive read it, but theres a lot to get through!

I think that you'll find that you're not alone there