The unexpected joys of dullness

30-minute birder Amanda Tuke sees the benefits of being distracted by birds at home, and on the coast

The Veteran Car Club of Great Britain calls it The Hare chases the Snail, and as an example of pure English nonconformity (and charm), I can’t imagine anything more representative in the world of old-

I’ve just returned from three magical days in the Lake District. Craggy mountains, mist over the fells, and the gentle hum of a Herdwick sheep or two. I stayed near Hill Top, once home to Beatrix Pott

Roger Morgan-Grenville celebrates the shapeshifting glories of Britain’s sea paths, evanescent byways revealed by the tides

Dan Masoliver’s been behind the velvet ropes of breweries, stadiums and secret Underground stations. But some of the most rewarding tours require no ticket...

Whether it is adding contemporary paintings to a gallery of Old Masters or branching out into territories as diverse as Modernist chairs, Iranian tiles or Churchill memorabilia, the passion for collecting seems to run in some families, as Eleanor Doughty discovers