Out & About
What to do and when, and Britain's best events, activities and goings on.
-

A new gilded age: Sir David Attenborough christens a rare golden eaglet
The first golden eagle to fledge from the nest of a translocated bird has been rewarded with a name selected by Sir David Attenborough.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-

'Two months to the Moon, three for rest and refreshment and two more for the return': The English stork success story
Long unseen on British shores, white stork chicks are hatching once again in the UK and a colony is now flourishing in West Sussex thanks to a pioneering restoration project.
By Jack Watkins Published
-

How the acrobatic buzzard survived persecution to become one of Britain's best avian hunters
It may appear lethargic, but no one could argue with the hunting prowess of the common buzzard when it transforms into a surging missile intent on an unsuspecting victim.
By Mark Cocker Published
-

From Lincoln to London, the crosses of Eleanor are a legacy of love
A grief-stricken Edward I built a legacy to love across the middle of England in memory of his adored Queen Consort, marked by 12 Eleanor Crosses. The historian Alice Loxton walks in the footsteps of the epic funerary procession.
By Alice Loxton Published
-

Pier today, gone tomorrow: Blackpool pleasure pier up for sale
A product of Victorian entertainment, piers are synonymous with the British seaside. But they need our help to survive.
By Jack Watkins Published
-

A hoover for goose droppings, a tree-planting battle with the Hilton, and a disgusting banana: Inside Buckingham Palace and its gardens
The summer tours of The King’s residence this year include two new state rooms and a peep inside his private gardens.
By Lotte Brundle Last updated
-

What everyone is talking about this week: Would you swim in the River Thames?
Week in, week out, Will Hosie rounds up the hottest topics on everyone's lips, in London and beyond.
By Will Hosie Published
-

Reading al fresco: The best places in London to get lost in the written word, according to the Country Life team
In London, north, east, south and west, there's a public place suitable for all performative acts of reading.
By Country Life Published
-

‘Though she be but little, she is fierce’: Everything you didn't know about sparrowhawks
Scourge of the bird feeder and a master of ‘shock and awe’ assassinations, the sparrowhawk pursues its quarry with such tenacity and unpredictability that it often blindsides its prey.
By Mark Cocker Published
-

An ode to Britain's wildflowers, from the London bloom which grew in the craters of the Blitz, to the weather-predicting scarlet pimpernel
Decorating the land with their brilliant and varied hues, our native flora which operate as clocks, calendars and Nature’s medicine cabinet are blooming brilliant, says John Lewis-Stempel.
By John Lewis-Stempel Published
-

Sophia Money-Coutts: If I’m sending a thank you card to a friend, do I really have to address it to ‘Mrs W Butler’ as if it’s 1928?
Sophia Money-Coutts is the new Debrett's and she's here every Wednesday to set some modern etiquette wrongs, right.
By Sophia Money-Coutts Published
-

'F1 on water': SailGP makes a splash in Portsmouth
Six years after it was founded, SailGP has got the wind behind its sails. What makes this sport, dubbed 'F1 on water', so compelling?
By James Fisher Published
-

The pine marten is a predatory force to be reckoned with
The pine marten may have a taste for jam sandwiches, but its razor-sharp claws and appetite for eggs and grey squirrels makes it a predatory force to be reckoned with.
By Patrick Galbraith Published
-

The white-tailed eagle is crafty, controversial and has wings the size of a barn door
A penchant for spring lamb saw the raptor species ruthlessly exterminated, but the beguiling white-tailed eagle — also known as the sea eagle — is now back on our shores.
By Mark Cocker Published
-

Full steam ahead: The joy of the traction engine
Acres of gleaming brass, piercing whistles and history come alive: traction-engine rallies are a gloriously British summer celebration.
By James Hamilton Published
-

Sophia Money-Coutts: Is it ok to ask for money towards a honeymoon fund, instead of a traditional wedding present?
If most wedding presents are converted into cash or vouchers anyway, maybe a monetary present is, at least, more upfront — albeit a tad tacky.
By Sophia Money-Coutts Published
-

What everyone is talking about this week: How Wimbledon is repurposing its 55,000 used tennis balls
Week in, week out, Will Hosie rounds up the hottest topics on everyone's lips, in London and beyond.
By Will Hosie Published
-

'He unleashed a series of war cries, then intercepted the vole mid-air': There's nothing remotely common about the common kestrel
Known in Orkney as ‘moosie-haak’, kestrels are fierce hunters but have seriously declined and are now an amber-listed species.
By Mark Cocker Published
-

Five British gardens have a starring role on the New York Times's list of 25 must-see gardens — here are the ones they forgot
Multiple British gardens have topped a New York Times list.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-

Beyond Royal Portrush: Castles, country houses and ancient towers in the other dimension of golf in Ireland
Rory McIlroy's history-making exploits and The Open arriving at Royal Portrush have made 2025 a banner year for Irish golf — but there's far more to golf on the island of Ireland than those headline-grabbers, as Toby Keel finds out.
By Toby Keel Published
-

The red kite is a soaraway success story, having escaped extinction to become a familiar sight in our skies again
Unhurried in flight and with a sideline in stolen goods, the handsome red kite is the gentleman thief of the raptor world, writes Mark Cocker.
By Mark Cocker Published


