Growing happy

There’s something extra refreshing about sipping a pint by the sea. MICHAEL CLARKE and REBECCA PITCAIRN recommend some of the best pubs and bars on our shores

Many birds have fabulous plumage to attract mates or send warning messages. Some of the colours in their feathers are produced by microscopic structures on the feather surface that absorb and reflect

Once you’ve walked one long-distance trail, you’re likely to be left wanting more. Matt Jones certainly was, so taking inspiration from our friends across the Atlantic, he added the Pennine Way and the Cape Wrath Trail to the Cambrian Way. The result was Britain’s very own ‘Triple Crown’. Fancy it?

The best rare birds seen all around Britain in December

Green shoots, sweet treats, blossom, brunches and big walks – it’s time to celebrate the arrival of spring

Many National Trails will claim to offer a variety of landscapes. But with forest, moorland, ridges, beaches, cliffs and one incredibly famous little mountain, the Cleveland Way is quietly chuckling at all of them. Country Walking walked the whole thing to prove it.