DOORSTEP DISCOVERIES

Unable to explore the wider outdoors during the Covid-19 lockdown, the BBC Countryfile Magazine team has been looking for the countryside closer to home. Here’s what we found...

This magazine exists to explore the countryside with its readers, so the recent lockdown has been a particular challenge. At BBC

Countryfile Magazine, we’ve had to find ways to make the features relevant at a time when none of us has been allowed to travel. And we know our readers have also found the loss of freedom to travel and enjoy this most beautiful of springs very hard, especially those living in a city.

As a team, we’re all passionate about the great outdoors, wildlife, beautiful landscapes, the enchanting villages and historic sites that make every day out an adventure. But, like you, we’ve been forced to focus our attention on our local streets and green areas for months at a time. It’s been hard. But it has also been a revelation: all of us have made discoveries within 10 minutes of our homes. We’ve been able to spend time noticing the small things, watching the season unfurl and finding breathing space at a difficult time.

I hope you enjoy – and are inspired by – the following mini-stories. And we hope that when the threat of Covid-19 recedes, we all remember the importance of green spaces, wildlife and the wonder of our landscapes for our mental and physical wellbeing.