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1 week ago | 
countryfile.com | Lauren Franklin |Melissa Hobson
A scuba diver has opened people’s eyes to the magical animals that can be found in UK waters when he shared a series of hypnotic videos of large stingrays swimming through Sussex waters. “From this month, large stingrays begin to show up in the shallow waters of the South East,” says scuba diver Gio Prince on Instagram. “The largest common stingrays I have ever seen have been here in Sussex.
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2 weeks ago | 
countryfile.com | Lauren Franklin |Dixe Wills
Mention Second World War prisoners of war and thoughts inevitably turn to Steve McQueen at Stalag Luft III in The Great Escape (one of the greatest WW2 films of all time), or perhaps to seachlight-dodging freedom-seekers held captive by the Germans at Colditz. What is often overlooked is that Britain too was home to hundreds of prison camps, containing thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen from the Axis forces. Why some places are more 'thankful' than others.
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3 weeks ago | 
countryfile.com | Lauren Franklin |Sophie Ellis
Charlotte Smith is one of the guest presenters on BBC One's Countryfile, covering everything from foot and mouth and CAP reform to bog snorkelling. Find out where else you might recognise her face – or voice – from... Charlotte Smith is a British TV and radio presenter. Her work often focuses on rural and farming issues. Charlotte Smith joined the Countryfile presenting line-up in 1998 and left the series in 2009. She returned in 2014 as a guest presenter.
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3 weeks ago | 
countryfile.com | Lauren Franklin |Fergus Collins
When walking across the countryside, you've likely stumbled across a kissing gate. While we all seem to know they're called, have you ever wondered about the meaning behind the name? What is a trig point? Discover the secrets behind these odd pillars that dot the UK countrysideBritain's best country pub walksSmall wonders: Britain’s best easy hill walksA kissing gate is a single gate that pivots on a semi-circle between two posts, allowing humans to wriggle through but not livestock.
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3 weeks ago | 
countryfile.com | Lauren Franklin |James Witts
Three things in life are guaranteed: death, taxes and that the foods that are the most tempting result in big dollops of belly fat. However, there are healthy (and still tasty) alternatives, whether you’re cooking, nabbing a takeaway or nipping to the pub…What's the best alcoholic drink for my waistline? We check out the healthiest choices... Are you walking fast enough? How speeding up can tackle obesity and decrease mortality riskSuffer from gout, like Henry VIII?
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3 weeks ago | 
countryfile.com | Lauren Franklin |Melissa Hobson
The most venomous creature in the ocean is the Australian box jellyfish. Its painful sting causes headaches, vomiting and difficulty breathing, and can be fatal to humans in minutes. There are more than 50 species of box jellyfish, which are sometimes also known as ‘sea wasps’. Not all of these have a deadly sting and, thankfully, none are currently found in UK waters. They prefer warm tropical climates like Australia and the Indo Pacific.
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3 weeks ago | 
countryfile.com | Lauren Franklin |Melissa Hobson
These intelligent animals, which are related to squid and octopuses, can change the colour, pattern, and texture of their skin to hide from predators, confuse other animals and communicate with other cuttlefish. Cuttlefish live fast and die young. They usually only live for around two years and die after they’ve reproduced. The babies are fully independent as soon as they hatch – their parents don’t look after them or teach them how to swim, hunt or protect themselves.
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3 weeks ago | 
countryfile.com | Lauren Franklin |Dixe Wills
The country’s soaring peaks, quiet valleys, and rugged coastlines have provided comfort to some of literature’s most brilliant yet tormented minds. Best nature quotes: our favourite sayings about the natural worldFrom John Clare’s tender depictions of rural life to Sylvia Plath’s haunting verses on the Yorkshire moors, these poets found both inspiration and escape in nature. While five of them are well-known, one – Violet Jacob – remains an overlooked voice of poetic sorrow.
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3 weeks ago | 
countryfile.com | Lauren Franklin |Dixe Wills
The country’s soaring peaks, quiet valleys, and rugged coastlines have provided comfort to some of literature’s most brilliant yet tormented minds. Best nature quotes: our favourite sayings about the natural worldFrom John Clare’s tender depictions of rural life to Sylvia Plath’s haunting verses on the Yorkshire moors, these poets found both inspiration and escape in nature. While five of them are well-known, one – Violet Jacob – remains an overlooked voice of poetic sorrow.
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3 weeks ago | 
countryfile.com | Lauren Franklin |Sophie Ellis
The much-loved crime drama TV series Bergerac ran between 1981-1991, following the eponymous detective solving cases around Jersey. The island became as iconic as John Nettles' red Triumph Roadster, with spectacular scenery being shown off across the nine series. So when news of a reboot began to spread, fans were naturally curious to find out whether these elements – so key to the original series – would be returning.
