Skate at Somerset House is the friendliest thing you'll ever do in London
Relying on the kindness of strangers is alive, well, and found in Skate at Somerset House on the Strand.
Sporting & Country Pursuits
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Living on the hedge: The art of hedgelaying
The modern hedgelayer’s role is no longer that of a fencer, but instead a practical conservationist creating vibrant, thorny arteries of hedgerow habitat, says Richard Negus.
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Burghley Horse Trials preview: From Paris, with love
British equestrian sport is riding high post-Olympics and next month’s Defender Burghley Horse Trials, which has attracted an illustrious entry, should show it in its best light.
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Leading landscape photographers share their secrets in latest Light & Land exhibition
Charlie Waite, Bill Ward, Astrid McGechan, Ed Rumble and Charlotte Bellamy are some of the many famous names who will be exhibiting at the Mall Galleries from September 3.
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Tiny sanctuaries: The best huts in Britain
A shed is merely somewhere to keep tools. A hut, on the other hand, is a doorway to sporting adventure. Robin Ashcroft selects five of his favourites in the UK.
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Reaching Olympian heights: 10 moments which define the original spirit of The Olympics
As the Olympic games begins this weekend, Country Life looks back to moments that were inspired by the ideals of Faster, Higher, Stronger and Together.
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The seven greatest winners in the history of the Badminton Horse Trials
The Badminton Horse Trials, the oldest competition of its kind in the world, celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024. Kate Green chooses seven heroic winners in its history.
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What you need to know about buying an equestrian property
Owning a house with land where you can keep and ride your own horses is the dream for equestrians everywhere — but there are a number of things you need to know before you take the plunge. Annabel Dixon spoke to experts in the field to share their advice.
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Everything you could ever want to know about Badminton, 'the most important and most typically English' eventing competition in the world
In the latest edition of The Legacy, we look at the 10th Duke of Beaufort who, so disgusted at Britain's eventing performance at the 1948 Olympics, decided to set up his own competition at his home at Badminton.
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14 things to book today to make the most of the 2024 Summer Season
Music, sport, gardens and more — here are some of the best events to attend this summer.
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19,000 miles of exquisite beauty: Britain's incomparable coastline
Our beautiful, infinitely varied coast has become central to our national concept of what makes Britain so special, says Peter Waine.
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The Badminton Horse trials at 75
Country Life's Kate Green joins the podcast to talk about the tale of how the world's best three-day eventing competition came to be.
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John Lewis-Stempel: Never look after other people's animals
Our countryside columnist does a friend a favour, and ends up having to free a half-ton heifer from a muddy trench.
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A walk across the Cheshire Plain, the 200-million-year-old landscape where yesterday’s old industrial sites are today’s nature reserves
Fiona Reynolds heads out for a walk on the Cheshire Plain, where industry and farming are juxtaposed to startling effect.
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How Country Life launched the career of Alistair Mackenzie, the architect who created Augusta National's iconic golf course
Alister Mackenzie, the golf course architect who created Augusta National Golf Club, was a GP with an enthusiastic sideline in golf until he won a competition in Country Life. Roderick Easdale tells the extraordinary tale.
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How to tie the only knots you'll ever need
The 'Surrey Six' is a collection of ways to tie rope that, for most people, are the only six knots you'll ever need. Agnes Stamp tries her hand at tying them, and looks in to the lore of knot tying.
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The Country Life columnist who ended up at an illegal rave in the Brecon Beacons
Patrick Galbraith has a night to remember.
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The penny-farthing rider who made a 400-mile trek across war-torn Ukraine
Is it still possible to use a penny-farthing today? The answer is an emphatic yes, at least if you're former Special Forces officer and adventurer Neil Laughton. He rode his Victorian high wheeler for 400 miles across war-torn Ukraine, doing everything from making pizza for local children to raising money for charity. Here he tells his tale.
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How to win at conkers
Few games rival conkers for sheer excitement. Simon Lester ponders the merits of round-topped nuts versus flat-sided cheesers and exposes the nefarious tricks some use to win at all costs.
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'Owning a boat is like standing in a cold shower, ripping up tenners — but it's everything I dreamed it would be'
Joe Gibbs ignored the warnings and bought himself a boat. One year one, are the joys greater than the regrets?
