Curious Questions: Was Captain Webb the first to swim the channel?
Captain Matthew Webb was famously the first man to successfully swim the English Channel — or was he? Martin Fone investigates.
Sporting & Country Pursuits
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Curious Questions: What is the world's oldest extant rowing race?
The annual Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race has been a fixture on the sporting calendar of Britain for almost two centuries — but there is a far older example still going, Doggett's Coat and Badge, which boasts an unbroken record of winners for more than three centuries examples. Martin Fone explains.
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'Ever since Christ stilled the waters of Galilee, fishing and mortality have been entwined'
Joe Gibbs recounts his latest exploits on the water after a visit to the River Ewe.
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Curious Questions: What was the first OS Map?
Jack Watkins traces through the history of Ordnance Survey maps, going way past the 'official' first OS map — which was of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight — to find the tale of the extraordinary William Roy, whose cartographic concepts have barely changed in almost three centuries.
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A City of London walking tour: 10 centuries in one day
The City of London offers an extraordinary contrast to the visitor: it's simultaneously the oldest, most historic part of the city, while also being its newest and shiniest. Carla Passino is your guide for a walk around the famous sites and hidden gems.
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The Cheltenham Gold Cup: Everything you need to know about the week's big race
It is 90 years since Golden Miller won the first of a record-breaking five victories in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Jack Watkins looks back at other equine heroes of the race and assesses the Irish raider Al Boum Photo’s chances of making history at this year’s Festival.
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Curious Questions: Who invented the ice skating rink?
With the Winter Olympics approaching, Martin Fone wonders how we came from sliding across frozen ponds to putting on huge sporting spectacles in great, frozen arenas.
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A pilgrimage from Tewkesbury Abbey to Gloucester Cathedral: 'Churches, cathedrals and sacred sites, long walks and beautiful places and thoughts'
The route from Tewkesbury Abbey to Gloucester Cathedral helps assuage grief for Fiona Reynolds.
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Best wellington boots: The finest wellies you can buy
There's nothing quite so vital to life in the countryside as a decent pair of wellies. Country Life's luxury editor Hetty Chidwick makes her pick of the best you can buy.
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Walking the Quantock Hills: 'The last sprigs of heather speak of Coleridge's never bloomless furze'
Colour never dies in the Quantock Hills, a landscape that inspired great poetry — and which catches Fiona Reynolds just the same.
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Les Bordes: The family-friendly millionaire's playground carved out of an elite French golf club
Les Bordes Golf Club earned a big reputation in the 1980s for its outstanding (and outstandingly tough) golf course. Today, it's being transformed into something different: a family-friendly home-from-home in the Loire Valley, with family fun at every turn, and a new course that's even better — and much more forgiving — than the original. Toby Keel paid a visit.
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Wimbledon's 'critical' expansion plans spark controversy in SW19: 'The locals feel that Wimbledon used to hold a special place in their hearts. Now, it’s just a big, money-driven machine'
The All England Lawn Tennis Club's ambitious plans to expand into Wimbledon Park have caused consternation among local residents. Annunciata Elwes reports.
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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.
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Meet the intrepid explorer who ran the entire 630 miles of the South West Coast Path
This summer, explorer George Bullard and paragliding coach Alex Ledger ran the entire length of the South West Coast Path to raise money for brainstrust.org.uk. He spoke to Rosie Paterson.
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The Glorious 12th: 12 facts about the first day of the grouse shooting season
The start of the shooting season - the Glorious 12th August - is nearly here. Charlotte Peters of Shooting UK explains everything you need to know.
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Best walks in London, from Kew Gardens and Eltham Palace to Lesnes Abbey and the 'Cathedral of Sewage’
Our capital city is more inviting for walkers than you might expect, with meadows, towpaths, unexpected sculpture and great houses to draw the eye. Octavia Pollock sets off to explore London on foot.
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Chalkstream fishing on the River Test and River Dever: 'You have to be as surreptitious and precise as a sniper'
Our fishing correspondent David Profumo ventures to England for a series of forays on venerable chalkstreams, where he bags a few brown trout and a lot of nostalgia.
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Riding in the Magnolia Cup: 6am starts, a total ban on chocolate, and the chance to go on board 'the ultimate equine athlete'
Country Life's Octavia Pollock rode in the Magnolia Cup at Glorious Goodwood, the charity race for female amateur jockeys which is one of the highlights of the meeting. She tells the tale of what it's been like to take on this gruelling but hugely-rewarding physical and mental challenge.
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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 today’s widespread embrace of the Olympic sport, as Pippa Cuckson explains.
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Curious questions: Did the modern Olympics really start in Much Wenlock?
Martin Fone traces the history of the Olympics and examines the contribution of Shropshire doctor William Penny Brookes.
