Brief encounter

Back to sea. Off to the end of land, away from the pastoral, the pretty order of serene lawns, blackbirds and cottages, farms and ploughed earth. The tide carried us back down the sheltered rivers of

Moments enjoyed, lessons learned, handy advice, weird stuff that happened: welcome to the little bits and pieces that don’t make big stories, but do make all the difference.

Our speed over ground aboard Polaris reads 16kts. It’s midnight and the black, star-studded sky jigs around overhead. I’m tethered to the helm, watching our instruments like a hawk as I bear away to t

IN SLOVENIA’S KARST MOUNTAINS, A YOUNG WOLF BEGINS A 1,000-MILE ALPINE JOURNEY THAT REVITALISES HIS SPECIES AND THE AUTHOR WHO FOLLOWS HIM

When I was aged 10, the farmers used to come round the schools to pick volunteers to work on the farms during the summer holidays, mainly to help bring in the harvest. The country was still building u

Over the stippled swell of the Firth of Clyde soars a gannet. A pair of long, black-tipped wings catches the late-August light as the bird tilts on the breeze. It’s on fish patrol – curving low then r