BBC Countryfile Magazine

Countryfile Magazine inspires you to explore forgotten corners of the great British countryside and provides knowledge of the people and wildlife that inhabit it. We want to tempt you into trying new things, seek out new places and make the most of Britain’s beautiful landscapes.

Keepers of the faith

COUNTRY FILE on TV

OUR COLUMNISTS

BBC Countryfile Magazine

New year, new horizons • Make 2025 a year of exciting travel, inspiring ideas and thrilling outdoor adventures with a subscription to BBC Countryfile Magazine

December • NATURE | TRAVEL | NEWS | VIEWS

Christmas feasts • From fermented fish to narwhal blubber and fried eel, Matt Baird highlights the most wonderful – and weird – Christmas dishes from around the globe. Prepare your shopping list!

RIVER ‘RESET’ SUCCESS IN SOMERSET • After just one year, an innovative river restoration technique pioneered in Oregon, USA, is delivering benefits to both nature and people on Somerset’s Holnicote Estate

NEW PLAN AIMS TO SAVE BRITAIN’S HEDGEHOGS • A wide-ranging national strategy hopes to reverse the dramatic decline of one of Britain’s most beloved mammals

TOXIC COCKTAIL OF POLLUTANTS IN UK RIVERS • Survey detects anti-inflammatory drugs, caffeine and raw sewage

The plodcast • What’s on our podcast this December

EXTINCT ANCIENT SPECIES ‘RETURNS’ TO LOCH NESS • The tauros, a type of wild cattle bred to resemble the long-lost aurochs, could be roaming Dundreggan Estate in the Highlands by 2026. We investigate this ambitious project

FOLKLORE FOCUS • Over a communal feast, a Cornish village celebrates its own local saviour on 23 December

BILL BAILEY’S PETS AND OTHER ANIMALS • In a new ‘memoir of sorts’, comedian Bill Bailey celebrates the many ways animals have enriched his life

Natural festive decorations • Willow weaver Karen Bek helps you bring the beauty of nature into your home this Christmas with delightful homemade stars and snowflakes that can be reused for years to come

Local volunteer projects offer vital signs of hope for UK wildlife

Farmers are on duty on Christmas Day, whatever the weather

Choose your Christmas treat

Surrey at Christmas • Just a 30-minute train ride from London lies England’s most densely forested county and a bucolic escape from the excesses of the festive season. Dixe Wills enjoys the knolls, holly and rosé of the Surrey Hills

NOW GO THERE • Dixe Wills on where to eat, sleep and visit in the Surrey Hills

Down by the river • Through books, music and films, Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane have become two of the nation’s favourite chroniclers of the countryside. Fergus Collins takes a stroll along the River Lea with the firm friends to hear about their latest creative venture

THE WORLD TO COME

TOP 10 FESTIVE TOWNS & VILLAGES • Twinkling lights, exciting markets and joyous carols – Jo Caird picks her favourite places to find the spirit of Christmas

WONDERS OF THE NIGHT SKIES • Look up and you might see the Northern Hemisphere’s winter skies offering a spellbinding showcase of stars and constellations. Josh Dury captures the majesty of our firmament in his award-winning astrophotography

The pyes and puds of Christmas • Beef in a mince pie? It may seem odd, but many of our festive favourites have their roots in the kitchens of the medieval upper classes, when meaty dishes laced with spices were a status symbol. Neil Buttery reveals the lip-smacking history of our Yuletide treats

Books for giving • Find fascinating and inspirational gifts for all the family, and yourself, in our round-up of this year’s top nature and wildlife books

Q&A Your Christmas queries answered

Experience hiking • There’s...