COUNTRYSIDE CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1/21 across Sheep-herding and most intelligent dog? (6, 6) 5 Brown and white raptors, fish-hawks (7) 9 Ruminant in Dundee river! (4) 10 E.g a Fenland waterway (5) 11 Meat that can be ‘white’ or ‘rose/ pink’ (4) 12 Britain’s largest bat (clue: not modified) (7) 14/25 across Somerset town on Monarch’s Way... fortress and vehicle at end of way (6, 4) 15 Blue-flowering aromatic herb – right in heavy soil (5) 16 Three-day equestrian sport – fantastic ‘ten’ given! (8) 18 Type of goose that clings to the bottom of a ship? (8) 20 Castles’ defensive ditches (5) 21 See 1 across 23 Type of fir on the Isle of Man? (7) 25 See 14 across 26 River Wye tributary in for change (5) 27 Rough, steep rock face (4) 28 Low flat cloud – starts shifting around top of uplands (7) 29 Pass between peaks appreciated by horse rider? (6)

DOWN

2 The main... barrier to walkers at eastern end of the Great Glen Way? (5) 3 British dung beetle – in wild orchids (3) 4 Devon cattle breed – ruddy gem! (3, 4) 5 Egg-shaped, as spindle tree leaves are (5) 6 Branching flower cluster – roughly in place (7) 7 Roof’s overhang where house martins nest (5) 8 A murmuration is a spectacular flock of these birds (9) 13 Mountain range – only 22 yards? (5) 15 French breed of creamy white cattle – producing rail chaos, perhaps! (9) 16 ___ Balfour, pioneered organic farming in Britain (3) 17 Lag behind animal’s spoor? (5) 19 Northumberland’s top spot – kinky hot vice! (7) 20 Laments, it’s said, Northern Ireland’s highest mountain range (7) 22 Propagate a plant by securing shoot to the soil (5) 23 In short, they’re plants of the Narcissus genus (5) 24 Delay... animal enclosure (5) 27 Ruminants chew this... cheesy part of milk right away (3)