crafts

Whether you have a large space, or just a windowbox, you can make a bug hotel that not only provides sanctuary for a host of fascinating creatures but also allows you to get close to them. 

You can make a den quickly, or you can work on it over time and see how it changes through the seasons. Good dens are a labour of love and this simple design will get you and the children instantly excited.

Himalayan balsam invades the garden from the surrounding woods

Anthony Burton takes a romantic voyage along the Scottish coast aboard an ancient steamboat 

Explore the village of Selborne in Hampshire, home to Britain’s first great naturalist, Gilbert White. Jack Watkins is your guide

On a family walk in the Brecon Beacons, we are accused of trespassing…

Explore the cobbled streets of a medieval city on the edge of the Norfolk Broads. By Martin Dunford

Warm apple pie. That’ll be the aroma when you breathe the air in the heart of this medieval city. OK, it might not actually be a baking pie you’re catching whiff of, but it’s the next best thing – fermenting cider in the local factory. This is cider country, with a beautiful river and a Hereford bull thrown in… 

Head to this bustling Dorset town to explore its superb markets and the stunning Jurassic Coast beyond. By John Wright

Explore this genteel spa town, where the whiff of mineral water mingles with fresh moorland air. By Paul Bloomfield

Wander a much fought-over land of handsome towns, glittering rivers and achingly lovely hills. By Mark Rowe

Matt Wright explores England’s larder – in Rutland, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire – to see what’s cooking