Carols and calamities

Does the abundance of rowan berries really forecast snowy days and a hard winter, muses Tessa Waugh , as a home meet draws people of all ages, stages and pre-dawn routines

David Barker’s skills as a horseman were equalled by his proficiency when carrying the horn, Alastair Jackson explains in the latest of his series about great huntsmen he knew personally

Can you hunt hounds and race-ride? How compatible are the two sports – and can you fit both in? Tessa Waugh finds out

Two views of the same country

On the morning of 4 August 1577, the good Christian folk of Bungay assembled in St Mary’s Church for their regular Sunday service. But more sinister forces were also gathering in the Suffolk town. Dar

Tessa Waugh wonders whether lingering in Downton Abbey waking dreams might be more enticing than rousing two teens for autumn hunting, but finds herself pleasantly surprised