Under the changing skies

For over a century, The Guardian’s ‘Country Diary’ has published the nation’s most celebrated writers of natural history as they capture the essence of the British countryside. From Yorkshire to Belfast, Orkney to Cumbria, and Gwynedd to the Scottish Highlands, exquisitely written and softly observed snapshots emerge – of fishes lurking in dusky pools, of age-old trees beneath deep blue skies, of lives being lived alongside the ebbs and flows of the natural world. Bringing together the finest contributions to the column from recent years, ‘Under the Changing Skies’ is an essential companion for all those with a deep love for the British countryside, charting its subtle changes over the course of the seasons.