James Farley of Chester captured the image of the lighthouse at Point of Ayr in North Wales using a drone and camera, and was judged the best of over 1,200 pictures sent in by keen photographers across Britain.
The competition was run by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), who used it to publicise their rules regarding safe flying of drones around the UK. 400ft is the upper limit for a drone (or any other model plane or helicopter) to be flown safely.
The CAA also have a five-point safety code - the 'drone code' – for budding aerial photographers:
- Don’t fly near airports
- Remember to stay below 400ft (120m) and at least 150ft (50m) away from buildings and people
- Observe your drone at all times
- Never fly near aircraft
- Enjoy responsibly
As well as the winning image at the top of this page, here are 14 more astonishing images which made the shortlist. You can enjoy all the images at www.400ftbritain.com.
-
The greatest moment in the life of Jessie Owens: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 13, 2025Breathtaking athleticism and Shakespeare's birthday are among the questions in the final quiz of the week.
-
Merlins: Britain's smallest bird of prey is a 'swerving, zigzagging, 240mph weighted missile' that's gutsy enough to chase off a golden eagleSize doesn’t matter when it comes to the fighting spirit of the tiny merlin, a fierce parent and favoured hunting accessory of Mary, Queen of Scots.
-
London as you've never seen it — and as you'll never see it againThe East End of London has changed rapidly in recent years, but photographer Paul Trevor chronicled it from the 1970s to the 1990s. His images have been collected in a new book, Market Day.
-
70 mesmerising pictures of Nature and man going on display at Charlie Waite's latest exhibition in LondonAdmission is free to Charlie Waite's Light & Land exhibition at the Mall Galleries.
-
The shire horses still ploughing the fields of London deep into the 21st centuryPhotographer Natasha Durlacher's passion project shines a light on the wonderful shire horses who still have a place in modern London.
-
20 rare and wonderful pictures of The Queen and Prince PhilipWith Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh both now having passed away, we take a look back at some wonderful images of their time together — a time which began several years before Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II.
-
Country Life's 10 most inspiring, beautiful and evocative Instagram posts of 2021Our most-liked posts of 2021 honour members of the Royal family and those no longer with us, show our unyielding love of tiny mammals and celebrate the glorious gardens and idyllic green pockets of our country's landscape.
-
Country Life's 10 most beautiful Instagram posts of 2020Our most-liked posts of the year show exactly what our ethos is: celebrating the best that our spectacularly beautiful country has to offer.
-
The Princess Royal at 70: The stories behind Country Life's Frontispiece picturesWe take a look at the images on the Country Life frontispiece page featuring The Princess Royal over the 70 years of her life.
-
VE Day in pictures: 18 powerful and evocative images that capture the joy of May 8, 1945Tomorrow, it will have been 80 years since the Second World War in Europe came to an end, after six long, bloody years. Country Life looks back on a remarkable day in history.
