Country Living UK August 2019

…it’s holiday time! In August, a general lightheartedness prevails while everyone makes the most of the summer break. If you’re planning a trip and thinking of taking your dog, read our Ruff Guide on page 48 for suggestions of places to stay and what to consider. Staying closer to home? Then you might like our ideas for creating a garden room (page 78), making your own lollies and ice creams (page 154) or organising a post-harvest picnic (page 38). We are also taking creative inspiration from two immensely talented women – Clare Curtis captures the Suffolk landscape and the views on her allotment to turn into striking linocut prints (page 98); while Felicity Irons, who we first featured in 1997, is still plying her trade as one of the last…

Editor’s choice “This distinctively textured piece has a handwoven cotton cord seat with a band of solid colour for a modern twist on a traditional craft” FOR STOCKISTS see Where to Buy PRICES AND AVAILABILITY CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS. RESEARCH BY DAISY BENDALL. *INNER PAD NOT INCLUDED…

“Bees blew like cake-crumbs through the golden air, white butterflies like sugared wafers, and when it wasn’t raining, a diamond dust took over, which veiled and yet magnified all things”Laurie Lee, Cider With Rosie DON’T MISS! RIVER COTTAGE FESTIVAL, DEVON 24-25 AUGUST It’s been two decades since Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall first appeared on our screens in his red sports car with a trailer attached – making us all want to escape the urban sprawl and live the good life. Discover where it all started at Axminster’s River Cottage Festival – a weekend-long celebration with camping, food, music, masterclasses and plenty of appearances from the man himself. rivercottage.net A sense of the season… Petrichor ONE OF SUMMER’S MOST REFRESHING SENSATIONS IS THE FEEL OF COOL AIR AS A STORM ROLLS IN AFTER HUMID WEATHER. AS FAT RAINDROPS…

Malham YORKSHIRE August is the perfect time to visit Britain’s largest county. Not only will you find festivals and activities (including Yorkshire Day and Malham Show), there’s also a good chance that the fickle weather will work in your favour and illuminate the famous landscape in glorious sunshine. Base your visit in the village of Malham, near the southern edge of the Dales. A settlement since the Iron Age, it’s surrounded by dramatic limestone scenery, including the cliffs of Malham Cove and Gordale Scar. WHAT TO SEE Visit Malham Cove – from the top of the 80m cliff there is a spectacular view across Yorkshire. Walk over the limestone pavement and, if you’re lucky, see the peregrine falcons that raise their young here: there are walks for all abilities and on the way back…

Downsizing from this family-size cottage – with its dining room, office for each of my parents, larder, outhouse and double garage – to something more manageable necessitates a clear-out on a grand scale: it’s time for a garage sale. For my father and me, this is catharsis: get rid, start over… ah, that’s better. For my mother and brother, the letting go is hard. “They’re selling my stuff,” says Bro, calling from Afghanistan or possibly Lebanon. He’s a war correspondent: he heads towards wars. “What stuff?” I ask, holding the phone to my shoulder as I decant his collection of Just William books onto the garage shelves. “Everything,” he whimpers. “Toys, music – I’ve got all my stuff there.” My father holds up a box of teddy bears and points towards…

SMALLHOLDER AND WRITER Sally Coulthard For most of the year, vegetable gardening is the perfect stress reliever. And yet, this month, the plot always seems to pick up its skirt and run wild. Everything is coming in one go. The garden is a riot of lush greens, dotted with flashes of colour from the companion plants squeezed between the rows: the nasturtiums with the broccoli and kale, marigolds next to courgettes, and sweet peas with the runner beans. These ‘heroes’ of the potager not only deter pests but also do a brilliant job at attracting bees and butterflies. At the moment, there’s something that needs picking every day – it’s a joy to have fresh vegetables on tap but I also get that slightly guilty feeling if anything goes to seed or…