Their Green And Pleasant Land
Country Life UK|March 24, 2021
From bluebell woods to crystalline lakes and winding river valleys, the countryside in Europe is a joy to behold, reveals Carla Passino
Carla Passino
Their Green And Pleasant Land

Selva de Irati, Pyrenees, Spain

Peer among the massive beech trees and the silver firs that make up the Selva de Irati and you might catch a glimpse of movement among the leaves. A deer, perhaps. Or Basajaun, Lord of the Woods, a giant, shaggy creature, as fast as a deer, but as strong as a boar. Despite its rather frightful appearance, the Basque answer to the Yeti is a gentle soul that watches over sheep and alerts shepherds to approaching danger, all for a slice of bread that he collects when people are asleep.

Better meet him than the ghost of Jeanne d’Albret, the last Queen of Navarre, who, rumour has it, was poisoned in 1572 with a pair of scented gloves by France’s Catherine de’Medici. Now, Jeanne roams the dense Irati woods on windy nights, her spectral skeleton bearing a gilded crown.

With its maze of leaves and moss-carpeted branches—peaceful in spring, eerie in winter and always so intricate that it can almost feel impenetrable—this is a land that nurtures legends, as much as it does wild boar, deer and golden eagles. ‘We walked on the road between the thick trunks of the old beeches and the sunlight came through the leaves in light patches on the grass,’ wrote Hemingway in The Sun Also Rises. He seemed more intent on fishing and picnicking by the Irati river than chasing after mythical creatures, but, who knows, perhaps he simply hoped to spot the beautiful lamias, who spend their time by the water, styling their long hair with a golden comb.

Live here This 5,672sq ft property by the Camino de Santiago enjoys long views across the surrounding meadows and the oak and beech woods beyond. €695,000, Engel & Völkers (00 34 94 824 6301; www.engelvoelkers.com)

Le Crete Senesi, Italy

Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin March 24, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin March 24, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

COUNTRY LIFE UK DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Tales as old as time
Country Life UK

Tales as old as time

By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth

time-read
2 dak  |
November 13, 2024
Do the active farmer test
Country Life UK

Do the active farmer test

Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair

time-read
3 dak  |
November 13, 2024
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Country Life UK

Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin

Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts

time-read
2 dak  |
November 13, 2024
SOS: save our wild salmon
Country Life UK

SOS: save our wild salmon

Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish

time-read
3 dak  |
November 13, 2024
Into the deep
Country Life UK

Into the deep

Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel

time-read
4 dak  |
November 13, 2024
It's alive!
Country Life UK

It's alive!

Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters

time-read
4 dak  |
November 13, 2024
There's orange gold in them thar fields
Country Life UK

There's orange gold in them thar fields

A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd

time-read
3 dak  |
November 13, 2024
True blues
Country Life UK

True blues

I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.

time-read
3 dak  |
November 13, 2024
Oh so hip
Country Life UK

Oh so hip

Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland

time-read
4 dak  |
November 13, 2024
A best kept secret
Country Life UK

A best kept secret

Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning

time-read
3 dak  |
November 13, 2024