Country Living UK August 2020

…we bring you skittish butterflies, sun-kissed fruits, gardens brimming with high-summer colour and cornets dripping with fragrant ice cream. We’re celebrating the simple, timeless joys of the countryside, which is why we wanted to share this reader’s photograph (left). Ray Richard was prompted to send it in after seeing our picture of a Scottish croft on Fair Isle (inset left) in Iconic Images (May 2020). Ray’s picture shows her on Island Roan, off the north coast of Scotland. As she says: “It was a very nostalgic moment when I turned the page to see your picture.” We’re sure you’ll agree that the images – taken more than 80 years apart – have an uncanny similarity. The latest in our series of ‘iconic images’ begins on page 54. Serenade to Summer tells…

“Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language”Henry James HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO… SURFERS AGAINST SEWAGE In 1990, a group of surfers decided to tackle the sewage pollution they saw out in the waves and Surfers Against Sewage was born. The aim was to raise awareness of polluted waters and demand that something be done – 30 years later, 96.9 per cent of UK beaches now meet the minimum bathing water standards. SAS still advocates for clean oceans, with its wave warriors now taking on plastic pollution with a campaign for Plastic Free Coastlines. For more information on their work, visit sas.org.uk. 22,700 The number of times a bee visits a flower to make one jar of honey EAT THE SEASONS SAMPHIRE August is…

Mevagissey CORNWALL With its rich history of boatbuilding and a once-thriving pilchard industry, this pretty fishing town conjures up a sense of days gone by. Wander the narrow streets, dotted with slate and cob cottages, before feasting on fresh fish and chips, hot from the paper, beside the working harbour. WHAT TO DO In town, pop into the small folk museum (mevagisseymuseum.com) or aquarium (mevagisseyharbour.co.uk/aquarium), or venture out on the water for a mackerel fishing trip from the harbour (mevagisseyboattrips.co.uk) and a voyage on Bouncin’ Betty (mevagissey-rib-rides.co.uk). For a more relaxing option, take the ferry across St Austell Bay to Fowey (mevagissey-ferries.co.uk). If you’re feeling energetic, hire a bike and explore the Pentewan Cycle Trail, following a disused railway track through secluded woodland. The South West Coast Path is on your doorstep, too,…

html:p>FOR STOCKISTS see Where to Buy Find a full directory of artisans at countryliving.com/uk and follow @CLartisans on Instagram for news of CL’s Shop At Home Artisan Markets taking place in 2020 Viv Sliwka of Hens Teeth Art makes one-of-a-kind brooches using mixed-media and hand-embroidery, attached to an Edwardian collar piece, £45. RESEARCH BY TILLY NATHAN. PRICES AND AVAILABILITY CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS. *LAMP BASE NOT INCLUDED…

I have always rather fancied the idea of living on a river, opening my windows each morning to an ever-changing waterscape textured with rippled rings from raindrops or sunlight shimmering on the continuously moving swell. An old mill house would suit very nicely, thank you very much. Those on the Dronne in France come to mind, with their ancient grey stone walls and massive wooden wheels, most stilled now, but remaining as a reminder of a time gone by. Nearer home, I am romanced by any property I find with a river, or even a stream, flowing near its door, and twice in the past I have come close to selling up and moving. Instead, I make do with living near a river and taking regular walks along its banks. It…

AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST Sally Coulthard I’ll never forget being woken up in the night by the sound of a fox dragging one of our two geese across the fields. Harry and Muriel had taken up residence on the pond and she must have been guarding her nest when she was grabbed. We were left with a clutch of cold eggs and a bereft Harry, desperately looking for his mate. All rather upsetting. While we eventually found a new wife for Harry, the problem of guarding our geese, hens and ducks from predators remains an ongoing problem. We’ve been lucky not to have had too many unwanted visits over the years, but only last summer our entire chicken coop was cleared out by a very hungry fox. It must have been desperate, as…