We Are an Island Nation - So Let's Protect Our Seas - Living in the UK makes us islanders and personally I'm proud of that definition - not in any political or jingoistic sense, but simply because I love the sea and in this country we are totally surrounded by it.

Living in the UK makes us islanders and personally I'm proud of that definition - not in any political or jingoistic sense, but simply because I love the sea and in this country we are totally surrounded by it. We live inside thousands of miles of coastline, in a nation whose borders were created by nature and made us what we are.

Discover Jurassic Coast - With its towering cliffs, sweeping beaches and pretty seaside towns, the shoreline of Dorset and east Devon is spectacular.

With its towering cliffs, sweeping beaches and pretty seaside towns, the shoreline of Dorset and east Devon is spectacular. Jo Caird fossicks for fossils and dramatic rock formations. It's an auspicious start to my journey along the Jurassic Coast. This 95-mile stretch of shore mostly in Dorset, but nudging just into east Devon - is blessed with awe-inspiring geological formations and fossil deposits that have garnered it recognition as England's only natural UNESCO World Heritage Site. Snaking east from Orcombe Point near Exmouth to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, it's studded with monumental rock arches, seemingly endless shingle beaches and fossil beds from which treasures were prised that altered our understanding of prehistory.

Viking shores

We picture Vikings marauding coastal settlements, looting and raiding. But what was life really like in the Viking Age? Historian Eleanor Barraclough reveals what the ancient artefacts found on Britain's shores tell us about our formidable forebears

Sea horses

On Cornwall's coastal clifftops, Melanie O'Shea meets the hardy grazing ponies that are helping to restore the land, so nature can flourish once more

A wing and a prayer

From their desks at Boulmer, 1,000 RAF personnel watch the skies for airborne threats to the country. Yet beyond the concrete of the base, vulnerable birdlife flourishes - thanks to the hard work of a small team

Cast in bone

Cuttlefish bones washed up on our shores have been used to make jewellery since ancient times. Jo Caird meets a craftswoman who's keeping the art alive on the Kent coast

EDIBLE SEAWEEDS

An ancient food harvested by humans for millennia, seaweeds bring an intense and rich flavour of the sea to a wide range of dishes, as well as essential mind-and-body-boosting nutrients

Spines and sulky faces

Watch where you put your feet at the beach - a weever fish could be lurking

Sea stars

The playful performances of Britain's bottlenose dolphins attract avid fans - but they deserve personal space

Harris's wildly beautiful beach

Cornwall may pull in the crowds, but one Hebridean strand stuns visitors

Black-eyed beauty

Bird flu causes the eyes of surviving gannets to turn from blue to black

Why the USA must do its bit in the war against bird flu

During the 35 years I've been reporting on Countryfile, D British farmers have been hit from all sides by diseases that have decimated their herds and flocks, brought them heartbreak and uncertainty and cost us taxpayers billions of pounds to control - most notably mad cow disease (BSE), bovine TB, foot and mouth, and now bird flu.

How nature helped me recover from cancer

After surgery, presenter Julia Bradbury found healing in nature and the science that proves it works

Nicola Chester

How to turn your kids into nature-lovers and save our planet

Adam Henson

Wild weather has lain waste to this year's crops and it's here to stay

HOW TO CLIMB A MOUNTAIN

Rugged, dragon-backed and often cloud-piercing, Tryfan is one of the most iconic peaks in Wales, but it's also one of the most dangerous. Dixe Wills takes on the climb in the company of an expert to learn what you need - mentally and physically - to do it safely

TOP 10 FORTIFIED HOUSES

Some of our most romantic old houses were built in dangerous times, when high walls offered vital protection. Dixe Wills picks his favourites

The pantry in your garden

Discover a world of culinary excitement in your own garden with these delicious recipes using summer flowers, seeds and berries, from wild food expert Liz Knight

The power of awe

Ancient wonders inspire feelings of awe that can help transform your mental health, argues photographer David Abram and scientists, it seems, agree

Return of the aurochs

Extinct since 1627, an ancient species of huge wild cattle could soon be back from the dead to graze on Scottish hillsides.

DISCOVER The art of Cornwall

With its gorgeous coast and mild weather, Cornwall has attracted artists and crafters for generations. Jo Caird seeks out the places that inspired some of Britain's finest painters, potters and sculptors, and admires their handiwork

Adam Henson

What can you do for our farmers? Go to an agricultural show this summer and talk to them

Strange sunfish

Is it missing something? Spot the bizarre head only’ ocean sunfish in UK waters in summer

SCOTTISH ECOLOGICAL RECOVERY ON CAMERA

A unique photographic record brings Scotland’s nature restoration into sharp focus

FARMING AND THE RISE OF SUPERBUGS

Antibiotics save lives but unless farmers stop overusing them on animals, scientists warn they could become useless, triggering a global health crisis. Caroline Stocks finds out how British farmers are taking action

Sense of place

Vivienne Crow enjoys a classic summer walk in the Peak District with Amar Latif, the blind adventurer and president of the 4 Ramblers, who is set on making the world more accessible to all

TOP 10 PIERS

What could be more redolent of an oldfashioned holiday than a walk on one of Britain's piers? When it comes to length, the following 10 have no peers, says Dixe Wills

American INVADERS!

Escaping from fur factories in the 1950s, mink flourished in the countryside and began devastating native species. Now conservationists in East Anglia are finally turning the tide on the...

Colour therapy

Before synthetic dyes, we turned to plants to provide colour in our lives. Steph Wetherell meets a Devon farmer who is not only growing gorgeous dye plants - she's helping people bloom too

Wild silence

What happens when you spend three days walking wordlessly across Dartmoor, wild camping along the way? Maria Hodson finds out...