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What you'll find in this week's issue of Country Life — and how to subscribe or get your copy
Country Life January 28, 2026 looks ahead to spring and meets a legend of rose growing — plus barn owls, Bond and bathrooms. Plus, find out how to save on the cover price when you take out a subscription.
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The world’s heaviest flying bird flaps on to pastures new but remains endangered, says expert
You might think it a great time for the great bustards, who have been found breeding in a new location, but there is a wider problem facing the UK’s ‘big bird’, an expert says.
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'It turns out that coconut charcoal is the best substance on Earth for nullifying astronauts breaking wind': The secret uses of plants
From ice cream to underwear and explosives, plants are remarkably integral to much of the manmade world, a new book shows.
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Snowdrop shows signal spring’s arrival
The annual Shepton Snowdrop Festival will return for its 10th year this February, in celebration of the joyful flower.
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Adders, Exmoor ponies and the future of the human race: Tom Hilder on the Country Life Podcast
Tom Hilder, winner of the 'Rising Star' category at the Schoffel Countryside Awards, joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
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The tawny owl makes a compelling case as Britain's best loved bird of prey
Whether for its textbook appearance, regional ubiquity or haunting and mellifluous call, it’s no wonder we love this winged hunter.
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Going out for a good old fashioned drove
Driving cattle on foot across Scotland, echoing the practices of our forefathers and gaining intimate insight into the animals’ habits, Patrick Laurie discovers that sometimes it really is about the journey as much as the destination.
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'We're not looking to make two dodos. We're looking to make thousands': Bringing the world's most famous bird back to life
Emma Hughes separates fact from fiction in the tale of the dodo.
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The evergreen appeal of winter tree planting
No decision matters more in a garden than where to plant a tree, and winter is the season in which to do so, argues this week's Leader.
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Small but mighty: How can you not love the little owl?
What the little owl lacks in stature, it makes up for in fierce character and mythical cachet.
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From woodland to Westminster: Can the felling of ancient oak trees be an act of cultural service?
Timber from the Whiligh estate in the Sussex Weald was used to build the vast hammerbeam roof of Westminster Hall — and its custodian still fells trees for very special commissions.
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Hamnet won the top film award at the 2026 Golden Globes — but where in the British countryside was it filmed?
Herefordshire is the very picture of what England is in the collective mind’s eye.
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Endangered bumblebees, sifting spoonbills and trespassing tortoises: Britain's railway network is a wildlife haven
The nation's flora and fauna have found peace in the thousands of miles of tracks that cross the country.
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What is everyone talking about this year: The countryside news that will definitely dominate the headlines in 2026, according to Country Life
Country Life's Kate Green takes a stab at guessing what countryside news will make the headlines in 2026.
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The lynx effect: It's about time to reintroduce this shy predator
Beavers and red kites may be flourishing in Britain, but the reintroduction of apex predators here is a trickier issue. Could there be practical and philosophical benefits and would a trial release of lynx be a worthwhile experiment?
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Two turtle doves: Why the endearing bird is an animal for all seasons, not just Christmas
The beautiful, soft-voiced turtle dove is a symbol of courtship and love and must be saved, urges Mark Cocker.
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Is December the best month for bird watching? Exploring the underrated avian delights of a British winter
As starlings, woodcock and all manner of birds on the wing make their way south, Britain becomes something of a bird-watching heaven.
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Farmers of Britain, go forth and grow prawns
A new study has proposed that farmers could start growing king prawns to diversify income streams.
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I was Jeremy Hunt’s main political adviser and helped put together multiple Autumn Statements and Budgets. This is what I think Rachel Reeves’s Budget means for the countryside
Adam Smith, former chief of staff to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, reflects on what last week's Budget means for the countryside and how we ensure the rural voice is heard loudly inside Budget preparations.
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The Budget: What do we need to fix a broken countryside, and what will we get?
With the Autumn Budget looming, countryside and heritage organisations reveal what they are hoping to hear to fix the turmoil — and what they are dreading
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Aristotle believed they emerged spontaneously from mud, Sigmund Freud dissected thousands of them and they can dive lower than a nuclear submarine — but what is the truth about the eel?
It would seem the European eel has a long way to go to win hearts, Laura Parker says of the slippery animal with an unfortunate image problem.
