Sporting & Country Pursuits

The best walking shoes, hiking shoes and trail running shoes for men

Common caterpillars: A simple guide

Are you able to tell your woolly bears from your elephant trunks?

Joe Gibbs: 'Six oxen were roasted and liquor was on hand in abundance'

With the end of lockdown causing most occasional walkers to disappear, Joe Gibbs achieves the ambition of walking the highest part of the old military road through the Corrieyairack Pass between Melgarve and Fort Augustus.

Curious Questions: What was the first ever televised sporting event?

Over 20 million people have been tuning in to watch England's stirring exploits at Euro 2020, and the huge numbers look only set to get bigger as the summer goes on. It's a far cry from the first ever televised sporting event, almost a century earlier, as Martin Fone explains.

Inspired by Wimbledon? Expert tennis tips to help brush up a rusty game

With Wimbledon in full swing, it's the time of year when often-deserted tennis courts are suddenly teeming with players.

Crofting in the 21st century: The passionate, hardy farmers still working the ancient lands of the Highlands

Remote working has a whole other meaning for those passionate individuals still farming crofts in the Highlands. Joe Gibbs takes a look and discovers crofting to be alive and well — though still as tough a life as it ever was.

Golden retrievers: The gorgeous dogs that bring friendship, loyalty and love

Some call the golden retriever the ‘dumb blonde’ of the dog world, but those who know them know differently. Here's what you need to know about this wonderful breed.

Best walking boots for women, from walks in the woods to hiking the Himalayas

Whether you are planning a long country walk or a gentle stroll on a well-beaten path, make the most of the good season with our round-up of the best footwear.

Walking Winchester: Mystery and intrigue, extraordinary beauty and historic survivals

Fiona Reynolds walks in, through and around Winchester, a place which shows how city and country could come closer together.

Fiona Reynolds: 'In bright sunshine and strong wind, it’s exhilarating to look down on the roofs of Great Malvern''

Elgar’s music resonates all over the Malverns as Fiona Reynolds revels in a walk to the Worcestershire Beacon.

Britain's agricultural shows set to go ahead

Although formats have been changed and dates moved, some of Britain's most loved agricultural shows should open their doors to farmers and visitors this summer.

Avebury stone circle in the time of Covid: 'It’s so quiet I have the stone circles almost to myself'

Fiona Reynolds takes a walk through the normally-busy Neolithic stone circle, discovering things not normally noticeable among the crowds of a World Heritage Site.

Bealach na Bà, on the Applecross peninsula: Travelling the steepest road in Britain

Bealach na Bà is as unforgettable and beautiful as it is nerve wracking.

Fiona Reynolds: 'The day wears to a close, satisfied by a long walk and new discoveries close to home'

Fiona Reynolds recounts a pre-lockdown tale of a walk along the banks of the River Frome to where it meets the Severn.

Three magnificent properties for sale close to the finest golf courses in the world

For golfers the dream of living close to one of the world's great clubs can be realised, albeit at a price.

How golf and property are stepping up together, with money-no-object courses and private jets for prospective buyers

A stunning new golf course at Les Bordes in France and some striking new houses at the iconic Spanish settlement in Sotogrande show how times are changing in the golf and property markets.

Christmas gifts for nature and garden lovers

The High Weald AONB: Rolling hills, endless forest and steam railways puffing through a very English landscape

The High Weald AONB's rolling landscape is the archetypal image many of us have of rural England. Octavia Pollock takes a look.

Packwood House to Baddesley Clinton, a snatched last walk of this lovely, if strange summer

Fiona Reynolds visits two National Trust properties on a glorious Indian summer’s day.

The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: The smartwatch equivalent of a 110-blade penknife, time-travelling teddy bears and a sewing kit that's cross-stitch meets clock-stitch

Is it right that we fight off the ennui of 21st century life by buying things we don't really need, but want anyway? Probably not, but that's the world we're in, and Toby Keel and Victoria Marston are here to help you navigate your way through it.