From sailing to shooting, Holly Kirkwood explains why the Cotswolds is such a Mecca for country sporting enthusiasts.
Sporting & Country Pursuits
Natural swimming pools: Everything you need to know about building one in your garden
Natural swimming ponds–refreshing, aesthetically pleasing, wildlife friendly and more harmonious in the landscape–are becoming fashionable. Why not take the plunge, suggests Tiffany Daneff.
Sporting Life: Stoke Park, the golf club with the famous clubhouse, now has an equally famous coach
Stoke Park is without doubt one of Britain's most striking golf clubs. Now they've brought in one of the world's top golf coaches to help bring their golfers on to…
From Sea to Shoot to Street
It's over 50 years since British Olympian sailor Keith Musto started making clothing that solves the problems faced by him and his fellow sailors.
The putcher fisherman: Flying the flag for a dying way of life
Chris Cadogan, as the only remaining fisherman to practice this medieval method on the Severn, laments the decline of the industry he has dedicated his life to preserving. Tessa Waugh…
An eager fisherman, the Laxford Highland pools and one lone salmon
David Profumo attempts to fish the pools of Laxford after their driest early summer in over half a century.
Dressage: How ‘horse dancing’ evolved from ancient, deadly beginnings to modern Olympic glory
There can be no short cuts to success in dressage. The Ancient Greeks’ sympathetic methods of training horses, which were all about survival in battle, should still hold good in…
The racing-yard manager: ‘The hours sometimes get on top of you, but when you get the winners, it’s all worthwhile’
A cabinetmarker by trade, Richard Leadley followed his love of horses to his current profession. Tessa Waugh reports, portrait by Richard Cannon.
Highclere Castle’s spectacular tribute to aviation history
The silent star of Downton Abbey, Highclere castle is commemorating 100 years since the end of World War I with a display of Tiger Moths and Red Arrows, among other…
Burghley 2018: What to watch, who to watch, where to watch and who will win
Country Life's Kate Green talks you through everything you need to know about this week's Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.
The 10 stalls you have to visit if you’re shopping at Burghley
At Burghley you could tie up all your Christmas shopping early and in one place – here’s Hetty Lintell's pick of the unmissable stands to visit.
How to choose the perfect shooting jacket
The shooting season has started up again – if you're in need of a new shooting suit, we've spoken to Dario Carera, co-head-cutter of Huntsman Savile Row, to get his tips.
Sporting life: Effingham golf club’s restoration has turned the clock back 90 years – and it’s all the better for it
When Effingham Golf Club decided they needed to bring the course up to date, they didn't look forward – instead, they pored over old photographs and restored the vision of the…
The life of a 21st century Highland clan chief, from managing 60,000 acres to manning the tills at the gift shop
Their family histories are full of heads on spikes and villages being razed to the ground, but modern Highland clan chiefs face a very different set of problems – including everything…
Ready, steady, SLOW! The wonderfully eccentric (and very British) world of competitive snail racing
Summer in the British countryside brings with it all sorts of unusual events and celebrations – and they don't get any more eccentric than the World Snail Racing Championships. James Fisher…
Ted Dexter: The Italian-born icon who brought dash and glamour to English cricket
Ted Dexter, the former England cricket captain and chairman of selectors, is still bursting with wit, wisdom and insight about the game he loves. He spoke to Jack Watkins.
Sporting life: How to make Test cricket great again
Fans and pundits alike have long discussed the Death of Test Cricket, but longest format still has plenty to give – and plenty to feel optimistic about. James Fisher explains
We recreated Three Men in a Boat for the 21st century. Here’s what happened.
Re-creating Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat sounds terribly romantic, doesn’t it? Patrick Galbraith discovers the reality of a long skiff down the Thames.
Which breed makes the best gundog? The pros and cons of labradors, spaniels, terriers and more
Whether you own labradors, springers, cockers or a mix of all three, debate over which gundog is best has raged for centuries. Katy Birchall asks which breed works for you.
Peter Phillips: ‘People go to things because they’re an “event” and that’s the point – it’s what you create around a sport that matters’
The son of HRH The Princess Royal and Capt Mark Phillips is now running the Festival of British Eventing, started by his parents almost 35 years ago. He spoke to…