The near-forgotten sport of Fen skating was once a huge draw, with thousands of spectators and making celebrities of the fastest men on the ice.
Sporting & Country Pursuits
Sporting Life: How to win at Scrabble, Monopoly and Cluedo
How to win at Scrabble, Monopoly and Cluedo
Curious Questions: How did Abraham Lincoln come to be the only US president to hold a patent?
Statesman, lawyer, fearless leader – and part-time inventor. Martin Fone looks at one of Abraham Lincoln's lesser-known talents.
Sporting Life: How to fall back in love with fishing, thanks to a new rod, a borrowed fly and a weekend on the Tweed
After one barren trip too many, our editor Mark Hedges had fallen out of love with fishing. Could a trip to tackle the River Tweed in the company of his…
23 things you need to know before you go skiing
If you're new to skiing – or you're about to go skiing someone who's a novice – Rosie Paterson and Kate Green provide a guide that will save much pain for…
Sporting Life: The story of the football matches on the Western Front during the truce of Christmas 1914
The folk tale of the First World War's 'Christmas truce' football match is so familiar that it has become accepted among the factual events of the war, but what actually…
Sporting life: 18 golf courses in the UK that every golfer should play before they die
Roderick Easdale nominates his pick of the best golf courses in Britain and Ireland, with some help from the great and the good of the game.
Sporting Life: Marcus Armytage previews the National Hunt season
For many racegoers, the changing of the clocks signals the start of the National Hunt season proper. Marcus Armytage reveals his top horses, trainers and jockeys.
The secret spots of the Algarve: A haven for golf lovers and sun seekers alike
Not far from the madding crowds of the Algarve’s splendid, but busy, central coast are tranquil enclaves and unspoilt villages, finds Nicola Venning.
Ellenborough Park: A luxury getaway for any country sporting enthusiast
Octavia Pollock takes a trip to Cheltenham to experience the best that this equestrian retreat has to offer.
Sporting life: Hickory golf on the South Downs, complete with plus fours and bow-ties
The Goodwood Revival isn't just limited to the motor racing circuit these days – each year, a group of golfers takes to the fairways of the estate's beautiful Downs Course to…
The infinite wonders of the North York Moors National Park
A world full of endless stretches of heather, green pastures humming with nature, horses and hounds, grouse and trout. Adrian Dangar explores.
Six of the best shooting jackets made from tweed, ‘the original performance fabric’
Mary Bremner explains why traditional tweed is better than ever and picks her six favourite tweed shooting coats currently on the market.
Nightmare stories from some of the naughiest gundogs in Britain
Although everyone likes to think their gundogs are impeccably behaved, Rupert Uloth observes that they’re capable of letting us down in the most embarrassing ways in the field. Illustrations by…
Sporting life: At last, a bike for the middle-aged man emphatically NOT in Lycra
If you believe that an afternoon cycling should be about enjoyment rather than charging up hills and setting personal bests, the G-Tech eBike promises to make the sport easier and…
Sporting life: The best spots in the Cotswolds to enjoy country pursuits
From sailing to shooting, Holly Kirkwood explains why the Cotswolds is such a Mecca for country sporting enthusiasts.
Natural swimming pools: Everything you need to know about building one in your garden
Natural swimming ponds–refreshing, aesthetically pleasing, wildlife friendly and more harmonious in the landscape–are becoming fashionable. Why not take the plunge, suggests Tiffany Daneff.
Sporting Life: Stoke Park, the golf club with the famous clubhouse, now has an equally famous coach
Stoke Park is without doubt one of Britain's most striking golf clubs. Now they've brought in one of the world's top golf coaches to help bring their golfers on to…
From Sea to Shoot to Street
It's over 50 years since British Olympian sailor Keith Musto started making clothing that solves the problems faced by him and his fellow sailors.
The putcher fisherman: Flying the flag for a dying way of life
Chris Cadogan, as the only remaining fisherman to practice this medieval method on the Severn, laments the decline of the industry he has dedicated his life to preserving. Tessa Waugh…