Otter Country
Nature writer Miriam Darlington, known for her books Otter Country and Owl Sense, talks about her childhood connection with rivers – and how she grew up thinking she was an otter
Stranger than fiction
With venomous saliva, closable nostrils, a hyperactive nature and curious ability to disappear without a trace, the water shrews is a remarkable creature, says author and naturalist Conor Jameson
Towpath crafts
Fashion yourself a thumb-stick, make a May Day crown or twist up some nettle twine, with our handy guide to canalside crafting
Spring plantlife in the North West
Seek out rare flowering plants, which have had a helping hand from volunteers, along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Spring plantlife in the North East
Find inspiration in the woodlands and wildflower meadows of the River Aire and Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Spring plantlife in the West Midlands
Seek out distinctive wetland plants at Fens Pool Local Nature Reserve and along the Stourbridge Canal
Spring plantlife in the East Midlands
Discover a hotbed of rare aquatic plants along the Grantham Canal
Spring plantlife in the South West
Seek out wildflowers, ramsoms and wood anemone along rural stretches of the Kennet & Avon
Spring plantlife in the South East
Look out for crack willow and buttercup meadows along the Grand Union Canal
Spring plantlife in London
Find peace (and billowing wild flowers) along the River Lea