Comment & Opinion

'Rain and cold wind might be uncomfortable, but they make you feel alive'

'There's no such thing as bad weather' isn't a questionable adage — it's a profound statement of optimism.

My 'Franken-Land Rover' has had three new chassis and using the indicators turns on the windscreen wipers. But I just can't get rid of it.

Joe Gibbs pours his heart out about his classic Land Rover Defender, and the peculiar strain of nutty devotion it's inspired.

The Country Life columnist who ended up at an illegal rave in the Brecon Beacons

Patrick Galbraith has a night to remember.

Britain's great country house revival — and how it was boosted by the unintended consequence of a temporary tax measure

To celebrate the 50th birthday of Historic Houses, director-general Ben Cowell considers the unlikely importance of tax policy as a spur to its early development.

Jason Goodwin: The century-old language learning course that teased and intrigued me beyond endurance

Learning Italian sends Jason Goodwin down a route he'd never have expected — and his life is all the richer for it.

Curious Questions: How do you make the perfect slice of toast?

Jonathan Self is toast-mad. His entire family is toast-mad. He's spent his life looking for the ultimate way of making the nation's favourite snack. Here's what he suggests you do.

Carla Carlisle: 'What we are witnessing began in 1900BC with Abraham’s journey from Ur to Canaan'

Carla Carlisle shares her perspective on a war that truly feels Biblical.

Curious Questions: Why do we carve pumpkins at Halloween?

The devilishly smiling image of Jack O'Lantern is inseparable from Halloween, but what's the story behind it? Martin Fone explains — and discovers that the festival many complain about as an American import has been this side of the Atlantic for centuries.

Patrick Galbraith: The best sport in life is free

Patrick Galbraith's trip to the Isle of Lewis shows him a new perspective on how to land a bird for your festive roast.

How did they come up with the numbers for shoe sizes?

If you've ever wondered why a six is a six and a ten is a ten, so has Martin Fone. He decided to find out how we came to settle on the shoe size numbers we use today.

Opinion: We can't possibly keep producing electricity the old way — and those campaigning against wind turbines and solar farms need to lay down their placards

Country Life's columnist Agromenes delivers a powerful and heartfelt message in praise of progress.

Jonathan Self: The simple key to a life full of joy and happiness and free of care

An encounter with a 21st century goatherd makes Jonathan Self wonder if things might one day again be simpler.

Jason Goodwin: How to fill the Sycamore Gap

Our columnist on how some good might come out of the felling of the sycamore in the gap.

What price culture? £380 to see Taylor Swift — or £12 for a night at the Royal Opera

Country Life's cultural crusader Athena takes a look at the thorny issue of live music ticket prices  — and how the habits of concert-goers today show that the struggles of classical music and opera to find an audience run far deeper than mere cost.

'Owning a boat is like standing in a cold shower, ripping up tenners — but it's everything I dreamed it would be'

Joe Gibbs ignored the warnings and bought himself a boat. One year one, are the joys greater than the regrets?

How London nearly had its own Eiffel Tower

England and France competed fiercely for bragging rights in the 19th and early 20th centuries — but no version of France's most famous building ever came to fruition. That wasn't for the lack of trying, though, as Martin Fone discovers.

Jonathan Self: The lost art of hitch-hiking

A first encounter in decades with somebody hitching a ride prompts our columnist to look back on the days when hitch-hiking was entirely normal — and an incomparable way to get from A to Wherever.

How the Leyland Cypress went from botanical accident to taking over the world

The near-ubiquitous Leyland Cypress — or leylandii — is an evergreen with an extraordinary back story. Martin Fone explains.

What house buyers want above all? A wreck that needs fixing up

Forget all the work you’ve done priming your home for sale: the latest research suggests that what buyers really want is to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in to a fixer upper.

Jason Goodwin: A somewhat comprehensive agenda for fixing Britain, from turning off the internet to compulsory Natural Service for 18-year-olds

'I know they will thank me in the end,' says our columnist, with tongue in cheek — though who knows how firmly?