CATEGORIES

Guilt-Free Meat? - Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians

Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians. Livestock farming around the world is facing scrutiny because of its greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, the sector contributes somewhere between 11.1% and 19.6% of total emissions. Meat production is roughly twice as bad as the production of plant-based food, according to some analyses. And beef is the worst of all. Study after study has suggested that, in order to curtail the devastating effects of climate change, we ought to shift to a diet containing less meat - or even go vegetarian or vegan.

Discover Cider Country - Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks

Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks. I'm cycling Porter's Perfection, one of three cider circuits developed for Visit Herefordshire over the past few years. Each showcases a section of this bucolic county's loveliest villages, pubs, orchards and cidermakers via lanes suited to bicycles - e-bikes for hill-averse cyclists like me. The idea is to allow you to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of cider country while traversing roads never meant for modern cars. If you have dodgy knees, or are keen to indulge in the local adult apple juice as you go (remember, it's illegal to cycle while under the influence), Visit Herefordshire also promotes cider bus routes.

TOP 10 WILD AUTUMN FOODS

Make the most of seasonal abundance with foraging tips and recipe ideas from wild food expert Liz Knight

The taste of England

Amid pastures farmed by her family for more than four centuries, Mary Quicke is reviving forgotten dairy traditions to produce delicious Devon cheeses

How to eat 30 plants a week

As science proves the many health-boosting benefits of eating at least 30 different plants each week, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall shares recipes to help you meet the magic target

RARE RAFT SPIDER MAKES A COMEBACK

Thanks to dedicated conservation work, this impressive but vulnerable arachnid is resurgent in East Anglia

SPECTACULAR STONEHENGE FINDS

Following the latest astonishing revelation about the Stonehenge Altar Stone's Scottish origins, Dixe Wills looks at recent discoveries that have changed the way we view this impressive and enigmatic Neolithic monument

GALLOWAY NATIONAL PARK DEBATE

Would this protected status bring welcome recognition and attention - or overcrowding and problems for farmers?

Farmers are valued, so why do they feel we don't care?

For farmers out in their fields in all seasons, worried about the future as dramatic levels of rainfall blamed on climate change damage their crops, inflation and uncertainty push up their costs and what they see as unfair imports threaten their livelihoods, here's a spot of unexpectedly good news: the rest of us think you are doing a good job.

Pumpkin patches

Find the perfect jack-o'-lantern for Halloween at a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Some are simple affairs in tranquil countryside; others offer activities ranging from ghost trains to spooky mazes.

Catch a draught

In southern and central Scotland, you may come across a huge horse, usually brown in colour, with white lower legs and a broad white stripe down its nose.

Seene and herd

Watch for Herdwick sheep grazing the wild fell tops in lofty reaches of the Lake District

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

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

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

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