CATEGORIES

Hunter on the Heath

For 60 years, Hunter Davies, 84, has walked – and swum – on wild Hampstead Heath

Reaching for the stars – in their dressing rooms

For 20 years at the BBC, Jenny Bardwell sprinkled stardust over dull broadcasts. Now she’s found the old tapes – with their rich, lost voices

Travel On top of the world

As a boy, Melvyn Bragg biked up and down the fells. At 30, he bought a cottage there. Now 80, he is still bewitched by the Lake District

What's the point of the cactus?

‘It seemeth a strange herb,’ wrote the Spanish physician Nicolás Monardes in his Joyful News out of the New World (1568) of his first encounter with a cactus. ’One of its thorns pricked me. They are as sharp as needles and did hurt.’

Riding the Wave of Fame

Jamie Bacon is making his mark as an award-winning screenwriter and actor, but when not filming you’ll find him surfing on the Dorset coast

Wild Island Lockdown

As the rest of the UK went into lockdown Brownsea Island’s wildlife came out to play

The Newbery Arts Prize

Around the world artists are putting together their entries for this presitigious competition

A Novel Idea

Could this extraordinary year be the one when you finally become an author? Jess Thompson talks to those who have successfully undertaken the journey to being published

How we can strengthen local food security?

Alan Heeks explores the upsides and downsides of climate change for Dorset’s food economy

Sea Fever

Imagine if the sea was your offie and your daily commute was accompanied by dolphins

Flowered Up

Meet the couple creating ‘fields of colour’ at their cut flower farm in Sherborne

OUTSIDE SPACE

Light, air and the best of views, a garden room is a must-have home accessory

CORFE CASTLE VILLAGE TRAIL

Walk through the history of one of Dorset’s most fascinating villages

A LICK OF HISTORY

Some of the dining delicacies of our ancestors may raise a few eyebrows, but one dish that Dorset’s grand houses always had on the table in summer was ice cream

THE INSIDER'S GUIDE

News and happenings from around the area with Somerset Life

LET'S TALK ABOUT: Grass Snakes

Grass snakes are one of the three snakes found in Britain.

OUTSIDE SPACE

Light, air and the best of views, a garden room is a must-have home accessory

Honey with moor flavour

A uniquely flavoured honey, produced by bees foraging on Exmoor’s ling heather, is revealing a few surprises, discovers CATHERINE COURTENAY

Hamster Hazard

This month it’s all about the hazards of other people’s animals

BATH on screen

Bath has long attracted directors and producers eager to feature the city on both the big and small screen. See if you can spot it next time you watch the television shows and films below

All together now

Loneliness in later life is not uncommon, but there are steps you can take to prevent or ease this feeling

Creating a masterpiece

Looking for something to do during your coronavirus confinement? Why not try writing a book, says author and Somerset Life contributor Ewen MacDonald

21 SECRETS OF SOMERSET

Author MIKE DEAN reveals some of the lesser-known Somerset secrets that appear in his latest book - did you know them?

Where Have All The Bees Gone?

Pollinators are in severe decline writes Tony Jackson, but Somerset Wildlife Trust is on the case

Standing up for locals

Paddleboarding, stunning views and great coffee – wesup Torquay has it all. CHRISSY HARRIS went to meet the owners of this popular new harbour-side hangout

Pulling together

Writer EMMA PEARCY discovers how the community of Moretonhampstead rose to the many challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic

Discovering the Teign valley

Idyllic villages, a spectacular waterfall, riverside walks and a nature reserve –just some of the places to enjoy along the beautiful Teign Valley

Moo-ving the business online!

As Surfing Cow Ice Cream rides out the coronavirus wave, loyal customers are keeping the team rolling

Missing friends in lockdown

These are not easy times for any of us at the moment and I very much hope that, as you read this, hotels will be opening and life will be starting to return to what we will now think of as our new normal.

Generations of compassion and care

We all want to do our bit for the planet but sometimes it feels a bit overwhelming. In her new series for 2020, KATE HASKELL talks to people and businesses doing their best to make it easier to live The Green Life. This month: Mary Quicke, MBE, of Quicke’s Cheese