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.

Dreaming of escape on Ireland’s far-flung islands, David Bradford finds the reality of remoteness not quite as simple as it seems

From gaffs to flash – how fly-fishing has evolved,

From landing hulking catfish on the Zambezi to talking tackle with Ted Hughes, COUNTRY LIFE’s fishing correspondent looks back on seven colourful decades

I feel privileged to have visited this most magical of lakes

Brian Morton