Happy birthday to me
There's a lot to be said for buying yourself a present for your birthday, but the National Trust has really gone for it to celebrate its 130th anniversary, by declaring that it intends to create 250,000 hectares (617,500 acres) of nature-rich landscape. Described by the charity as a 'moonshot', the plan is part of the charity's goal of tackling the climate and nature crises.
The work will take place on land and property the Trust already owns, as well as new acquisitions. The 250,000 hectares is about 1.5 times the size of Greater London and would improve enough soil to provide a habitat for a billion earthworms.
'For 130 years, the National Trust has responded to the crises and challenges of the time,' said Hilary McGrady, the Trust's director general. 'Today, nature is declining before our eyes and climate change is threatening homes and habitats on a colossal scale. We will ramp up our work to restore nature, both on our own land and beyond our boundaries.'
A large part of the Trust's plan will be working with other charities and landowners to improve their land. The scope of the work is large; rather than focusing on small tracts of land, the Trust will attempt to improve entire landscapes. Harry Bowell, the Trust's director of land and nature, admitted that the announcement was 'audacious', but added: 'It is also one we think is practically achievable because of the mapping we’ve done, because of the work that we’ve done over the last 10 years and some of the emerging relationships and partnerships which we can bring to bear.'
The Trust has come under criticism in recent years for its focus on nature and landscape recover, rather than preserving heritage buildings, which some believe is the charity's main purpose. However, the Trust said it will continue to work on heritage restoration, and pointed to the Bath Assembly Rooms as an example, where work is underway on a £17 million restoration project.
Either way, it's quite the birthday gift to itself. Here's hoping they succeed.
Quiz of the day
1) Who was the original drummer for The Beatles?
2) What does a toxophilist practise?
3) The alligator pear is more commonly known as what?
4) In which city would you have found Checkpoint Charlie?
5) In which year did Torvill and Dean win Olympic gold?
How much?
Today, in unusual and interesting measurements, we go to Japan, where a tuna the size and weight of a motorcycle was sold for £1 million. The fish, which weighs 276kg (in case you didn’t immediately know the weight of a motorcycle) was purchased by the Onodera Group at the annual new year auction at Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo. It was the second-highest price ever paid at the auction.
The fish will be served at the Michelin-starred Ginza Onodera restaurants, as well as Nadaman restaurants. ‘The first tuna is something meant to bring in good fortune,’ said Shinji Nagao, an official at Onodera. The record auction price at Toyosu is 333.6 million yen (£1.7 million), which was set in 2019 for a 278kg bluefin.
Fire places
It's cold and it's rainy. Time to huddle around the fire, we reckon. Let the cosyness of winter really settle in. With that in mind, we sent Arabella Youens to find five fine country houses with fantastic fireplaces.
England’s Slowest roads
The slowest roads in England have been revealed, with the average speed on A road in Reading of 13mph. The data comes courtesy of temporary car insurance firm Tempcover, shows how large a difference there is between the speed limit and the average speed driven. Urban areas top the list, with none of the top-10 seeing average speeds break 20mph. Have a look at the data below.
England's 10 slowest-moving traffic hotspots
| 1 | Reading | 13 |
| 2 | Nottingham | 13.5 |
| 3 | Southampton | 13.6 |
| 4 | London | 13.8 |
| 5 | Plymouth | 15.3 |
| 5 | Manchester | 15.3 |
| 7 | Hull | 15.6 |
| 8 | Leicester | 15.9 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 16.1 |
| 9 | Bristol | 16.1 |
Source: Tempcover
That's all for today, we'll be back tomorrow
Quiz answers
1) Pete Best
2) Archery
3) Avocado
4) Berlin
5) 1984
Credit: Inigo
Dawn Chorus: The former acrobat arena you can now call home, the return of the obelisk and our quiz of the day
The must have London property for sale with a fascinating past life, what happened 350, 200 and 60 years ago
Dawn Chorus: How to clean a priceless chandelier, a Bohemian rhapsody for sale and our Quiz of the Day
Blenheim's big clean, the best National Park pubs, Maria Callas's costumes and a beautiful, quirky house for sale — they're
-
Dawn Chorus: 2,400 pristine acres of The Highlands for sale, plus the ultimate boiled egg in a mere 32 minutes -
Which of Henry VIII's wives was just 19 when she died? And nine more brainteasers in the Quiz of the DayHow much is that house? What's that crazy picture? And which of Henry VIII's wives was youngest when she died? It's all here in Tuesday's Country Life Quiz of the Day.
-
Dawn Chorus: Lonely bat finds love, Britain's best sheep crowned, and the local theatres at risk of closurePlus we talk fishing with elite angler Marina Gibson and take the quiz of the day.
-
Dawn Chorus: Rent a house with a shark in the roof, red squirrels run riot in Yorkshire and superstitious planning enforcementPlus, top properties from the magazine and the daily quiz.
-
The test-tube cow, a bit of beaver bother, and the strings of Barbara HepworthPlus an Arts-and-Crafts delight in the Surrey Hills and the daily quiz.
-
Dawn Chorus: The world-famous fashion icon who found global fame in her 90s, beating the January blues and our quiz of the dayToday’s Dawn Chorus spans the collections of American fashion icon Iris Apfel for sale with Christie’s and 25 years of the Serpentine Pavilion.
-
Dawn Chorus: A Traitors-style castle at the price of a Shepherd's Bush terrace, the very hungry otter, and Octopus's garden at Chelsea and our Quiz of the DayThe hugely popular BBC show Traitors and a hungry (and very brave) otter make our Dawn Chorus round-up today.
-
Dawn Chorus: The former acrobat arena you can now call home, the return of the obelisk and our quiz of the dayThe must have London property for sale with a fascinating past life, what happened 350, 200 and 60 years ago and the decorative take on Cleopatra’s Needle.
-
Dawn Chorus: How to clean a priceless chandelier, a Bohemian rhapsody for sale and our Quiz of the DayBlenheim's big clean, the best National Park pubs, Maria Callas's costumes and a beautiful, quirky house for sale — they're all in our first Dawn Chorus of 2025.
-
The best wedding pictures you'll ever see, what's the point of a law you don't enforce and talking about gin with James MayPlus our property of the day and the quiz.
