Ellie Harrison is at the Cotswold Water Park looking back at some of Countryfile's encounters with winter wildlife, and spotting some wildlife of her own. At the Wiltshire end of the water park, Ellie helps with the winter maintenance and finds a wide selection of birds that have come here from colder climes, likes Russia, the Baltic and the Arctic. She then meets up with self-confessed 'fish twitcher' Jack Perks to try a rather unusual experiment. Using special cameras and some plastic ducks, Jack is hoping to capture the underwater habits of the birds at the park. But will he succeed? Ellie then heads to the Oak and Furrows Wildlife Rescue Centre to find out about the animals that they care for during the winter months, including an injured owl and a host of hedgehogs. Meanwhile, Matt Baker's in Northern Ireland to find out about the fluctuating fortunes of the Irish hare - including one place where the population really seems to be taking off. Julia Bradbury is counting seals in Norfolk, and Richard Taylor-Jones uses his expertise as a wildlife cameraman to capture three winter favourites on film. Adam Henson finds out more about one of his firm favourites when he helps to bring Exmoor ponies down off the moors. Ellie also gets a chance to relive one of her most memorable moments, when she meets the author of a very personal book about birds of prey.

Countryfile is in Hertfordshire, where Matt Baker meets a farming family who are turning oilseed rape into liquid gold - oil. Matt visits local celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, who has recognised the product for its health benefits and great taste. Matt helps him whip up a feast. Ellie Harrison is at Heartwood Forest to see how this new woodland is coming on. She discovers how, after only six years, the woodland is bursting with wildlife. She also visits one of Hertfordshire's seventy golf clubs, discovering how the club is working with the local wildlife trust to encourage heathland to return to the area. Tom Heap finds out about the claimed cost of cuts to rural transport and asks whether we can continue to support bus services in some of the most isolated parts of the countryside. We also find out what the great British countryside means to chef Tony Singh as he returns to Loch Awe in the Western Isles of Scotland. And Adam Henson revisits Joan Bomford, winner of last year's Countryfile Farming Hero award at the Food and Farming Awards, and calls out for this year's nominations.

Countryfile is in Gloucestershire, where Matt gives the trees at Batsford Arboretum a health check, looking to spot any signs of decay with a clever bit of x-ray kit. Meanwhile, Ellie heads to the International Centre for Birds of Prey - the oldest dedicated bird of prey centre in the world. She looks at the work the centre do to treat and rehabilitate injured birds, as well as their renowned captive breeding programme for birds such as the Californian Condor. Ellie also goes to Nature in Art, the world's first gallery dedicated exclusively to art inspired by nature. In My Countryside, comedian Josh Widdicombe takes viewers on a personal journey to the Welsh campsite and beach he loved as a child and explains why it's special to him and his family. As we ask viewers to nominate their farming heroes for the 2016 Food and Farming Awards, Adam Henson revisits one of 2015's finalists, 18-year-old Cameron Hendry, who tragically lost his father on Christmas Day 2014. A new law has been now introduced to tackle the crisis of thousands of neglected and abandoned horses. But will it solve the problem? Tom Heap investigates.

Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker are in north Devon, where Matt finds out what life is like for the residents once the tourists have gone. He discovers the difficulties of living in a place where everything from groceries to grand pianos has to be delivered by hand. He also meets the fisherman keeping old fishing traditions alive. Meanwhile, Ellie meets a photographer who is on a five-year mission to photograph every one of the RNLI lifeboat stations in the country. And she discovers he's using an old-fashioned technique to make this unique record. Ellie then meets the farmer who has a sock named after him and sees for herself how they are made. Dame Sarah Story talks about her favourite bit of the countryside, and Adam finds out how new technology is extending the growing season for food producers. Eating sea bass is rather fashionable these days, but that success has led to dire warnings about the health of wild bass stocks, and now a temporary ban on catching them. Tom Heap investigates whether that policy is, as some people claim, too little too late.

Pull on your thermals, grab your gloves and join us for a walk on the wild side of winter. Matt visits Tom and Kay Hutchinson, currently in the grip of winter on their hill farm in Teesdale. As Matt helps out with the day-to-day tasks, he hears about Tom's passion for farming and his never-ending ambition to breed the perfect sheep. They're a fascinating family whose lives caught the eye of a farmer's daughter turned film director - making the Hutchinsons unlikely film stars in her documentary Addicted to Sheep. Ellie is in Gloucestershire getting a bird's-eye view of one of wildlife's greatest wonders - winter migration. At Slimbridge Wetlands Centre she prepares dinner for more than one thousand over-wintering birds! She also gets cheek to beak with some greylag geese in flight. John's going for a wild woodland walk in Cumbria - with two hybrid wolves. John learns how they're perfectly adapted for winter with webbed feet and hollow fur fibres - like a polar bear. Far from the fairy-tale villains chasing anyone in a red hood, these are highly intelligent and social animals worthy of our respect. Sean tries his hand at winter cod fishing off the wild North Yorkshire coast - though its him that takes a battering more than the cod. And Adam's on North Ronaldsay in Orkney, where their rare seaweed-eating sheep are under threat. Years ago he visited with his dad to help save the North Ronaldsay breed from extinction - but wild winter storms mean they've suffered further setbacks.

Matt visits a country park just near Newcastle, built on the site of what was once one of the biggest coal mines in Britain. Matt joins warden Chris Tucker to see for himself the rich wildlife and wetland birds that have made this once-derelict site their home. He helps volunteers with habitat restoration and speaks to Matt Sharpe, a young farmer raising sheep and cattle on 140 acres at the edge of the reserve. Ellie is down the coast near Sunderland, where restoration of the beautiful Roker Lighthouse is nearly complete. She discovers the secret tunnels used by the lighthouse keepers to get to the light in rough weather and learns that, in its day, it was the most powerful lighthouse in Britain. Ellie then travels further down the coast to Seaham, where she goes in search of seaglass - glass smoothed by the tide and highly valued by collectors all over the world - a legacy of the town's Victorian glass industry. Comedian Ed Byrne talks about his favourite bit of the countryside, while Adam Henson looks at the county breeds of Suffolk, including the magnificent Suffolk punch working horse. Tom Heap looks at whether the dramatic floods seen across the UK in recent months and years are extraordinary events or a taste of things to come. Tom also investigates the flood defences that protect communities and asks whether they can be relied on in the future.

Matt Baker joins students training to be gamekeepers on a clay pigeon shoot - however, he discovers that conservation is also a big part their education. Matt sees how to butcher a haunch of venison and sits down with the students to enjoy some home-made venison stew. Ellie Harrison reveals how cranes have returned to Norfolk after an absence of four hundred years from the UK countryside. It is thanks to the efforts of naturalist John Buxton, who kept their presence secret, that the birds have made a comeback. On Hickling Broad, Ellie sees cranes beginning their courtship rituals, and she also visits Berney Marshes to find out how the RSPB has teamed up with local land owners and farmers to help manage water levels for wetland birds. Meanwhile, Adam Henson is in Scotland at the world-famous Stirling bull sales, and Olympic boxer Nicola Adams talks about her favourite part of the British countryside.

Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are in Staffordshire. Matt visits a school where farming and agriculture has been at the heart of the curriculum for more than 100 years. He helps students vaccinate some sheep and get the lambing sheds ready for the pregnant ewes. Ellie meets the couple with their very own nature reserve that's a favourite with local barn owls. And Adam Henson is in Ayr to find out why it pays for farmers not to put all their eggs in one basket. Since 2012 an incurable disease called Ash Dieback has been killing trees right across Britain. But could an ancient soil treatment give us a chance to fight back? Tom Heap investigates.

Matt Baker and Shauna Lowry are near Colchester on the Essex coast. Matt ventures to Mersea Island to meet Richard Haward, a seventh-generation oyster fisherman. They head out to sea, where Matt learns about the decline of the native oyster and finds out how the local fishermen are joining forces with the Wildlife Trust to help save them. He also learns that native oysters are not just a key indicator of habitat quality, but that the habitat they help create is as valuable as coral reef. Shauna Lowry returns to the River Colne, where five years ago Countryfile saw the start of a big project to return water voles to the wild. She sees for herself the success of the project and the vigilance needed to keep predatory mink at bay. Shauna also meets Stig - the first dog in the world specially trained to help sniff out water voles. And then there is Lola, the puppy learning the ropes from Stig. It is also getting busy down on Adam's farm as he welcomes the latest arrival - a full-grown Berkshire pig. While dogs might well be loving companions to millions of people across UK, Tom Heap finds out the devastating impact on livestock they can have when they get loose on a farm. And actor Nina Wadia talks about her favourite bit of the countryside.

Countryfile explores the beauty of Northern Ireland. John Craven finds out about Rathlin Island's growing kelp industry and what it's like living in this rural landscape. Anita Rani meets a farmer who has diversified in an imaginative way - his farm animals are now TV stars. She walks part of The Ulster Way to find out about its passionate creator Wilfred Capper, and the conservation work happening along the route to keep the way open for all. Plus it's a busy time of year on Adam Henson's farm as spring arrives. He's got his hands full checking up on his pregnant goats and cows. Will there be any new arrivals? Handling unpredictable livestock can be dangerous, especially when you have to get as close as farm vets do. Tom Heap investigates whether risk is just an unavoidable part of a vet's job or if more could be done to make farms a safer place to work.

Adam Henson visits Aberystwyth to meet the youngster working towards a career in farming. He will also explore what life is like being a young farmer today.

Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are in Sussex exploring Ashdown Forest, the inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood in AA Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Matt also visits a farm belonging to the Countryside Restoration Trust, which promotes wildlife-friendly farming. Ellie is on the hunt for woodpeckers - easy to hear, but harder to spot! John Craven is at West Rise, the state junior school with a difference: it has a bronze-age settlement and buffalo roaming its marshlands. Tom Heap is in Scotland where there's fresh concern about the impact that wind farms could have on birdlife. But how much of a threat do turbines really pose? And Adam Henson meets the farmer opening his farm to help refugees.

This episode explores the three counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. Matt Baker meets some of the local crafts people keeping rural skills alive - heritage builders, a weathervane maker and a stained glass artist. Ellie Harrison is visiting a farm where the owners are potty about poultry, breeding turkeys for their eggs rather than meat. She's also exploring the ultimate wildlife garden. Sean Fletcher is discovering the area's links with the humble daffodil. And Adam Henson is meeting the three-year-old girl already getting to grips with lambing. Hundreds of years after becoming extinct, beavers are back on mainland Britain. Charlotte Smith investigates why some people are trying to save them, while others want them culled.

Matt Baker, Anita Rani and Helen Skelton tell the story of cattle in this themed programme. Matt spends the day with young farmer Jack Stilwel, who got into farming after a crowdfunding camping on social media. Matt finds out what made him take the plunge and what the reality is for beef farmers in the 21st century. Helen visits the last remaining traditional oak bark tannery in Britain, discovering the processes that go into producing high quality leather. Anita meets botanical artist Gael Sellwood who paints on vellum. Anita finds out what makes vellum so good to paint on and picks up a paintbrush herself. Anita also finds out what's behind the current craze for raw milk, meeting a young couple who can't sell it fast enough, and asks if it is just a food fad or if there are health benefits to drinking it. Many of Britain's dairy farmers are struggling to make ends meet at the moment because of falling milk prices. So what can be done to help them back into profit? Charlotte Smith asks if large indoor dairy herds are a more efficient way of making money from milk and whether the British public would support them.

John Craven takes to Northumberland's roads in a vintage Volvo, much like the car used to ferry the artist LS Lowry around on his visits to the area. To mark the 40th anniversary of Lowry's death, John follows in the artist's footsteps, accompanied by Simon Marshall, who used to drive Lowry to scenic spots for him to paint. Together, they meet the last of Berwick's traditional fishermen, a subject often painted by Lowry. Simon reveals, for the first time since the artist's death, two delicate line drawings that the artist gave him the last time they met. Ellie Harrison is on the moors learning that the best ways to conserve vital moorland is to burn it. She joins the team behind an innovative scheme to train people how to cope with wildfires and how controlled burning can benefit wildlife. She also meets the breeder keeping one of the UK's most endangered heavy horses, the Clydesdale, going. Ellie tries her hand at working the horses on long reins and has a go at dressing their tails for showing. Domestic violence can be a problem anywhere, but as Charlotte Smith discovers, when you live in an isolated rural area, finding the support you need to escape an abusive situation can be tough. Plus the second of the Farming Hero nominees, Julia Evans, who opened a care farm in Worcestershire.

Joe Crowley and Anita Rani are in Dumfries and Galloway. Joe meets Helen Ryman, who looks after the famous Mochrun herd of Belted Galloway cattle. He learns that the herd was established by legendary Galloway breeder Flora Stuart back in the 1920s. Helen plans to put this famous herd back on the map, which means showing them at agricultural shows all over the land. Joe sees what it takes to get a full-grown Belted Galloway bull spick and span for the show ring. Anita is on a safari with a difference. She joins photographer Keith Kirk after dark, looking for wildlife. Keith reckons that nighttime is the best time to see foxes, badgers, bats and maybe even pine martens. And thanks to the latest night vision technology they could be in luck. Anita also joins the community volunteers looking to return trees to Dumfries and Galloway's highest places. So she puts on her hiking boots, grabs some willow saplings and sets off for the nearest mountain. Sean Fletcher is at Haddon Hall, one of the finest medieval buildings in the Peak District, where he helps out with some delicate restoration work. Adam Henson is here with the last of 2016's nominees for Countryfile's Farming Hero. As more people leave the farming industry, Tom Heap investigates whether 2016 is the toughest year yet for farmers.

To mark 400 years since Shakespeare's death, Countryfile travel the length and breadth of the country in search of the landscapes that inspired him. Ellie Harrison is in Warwickshire, rediscovering the ancient Forest of Arden and looking at Shakespeare's intimate knowledge of plants. Matt Baker visits the Clydach Gorge, a magical hidden valley on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, where local legend says Shakespeare wrote A Midsummer Night's Dream. Meanwhile, John Craven is joined by Dame Judi Dench, one of Britain's best-loved Shakespearian actors. Together, they follow in the footsteps of Shakespeare and his players to Fordwich in Kent, where they performed for the town in 1605. Joe Crowley visits the Minack Theatre in Cornwall to see how Shakespeare has had a dramatic effect on our landscape. And Adam looks at Shakespeare's relationship with the lucrative wool trade and takes sheep back to the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon for the first time in over a century.

Ellie Harrison visits the South Haven Peninsula in Dorset to tell the story of conservation's unsung hero Captain Cyril Diver. Diver was a champion of conservation and broke new ground in the 1930s, surveying the whole ecosystem of the peninsula. Ellie spends the day with the National Trust's ecologist Michelle Brown to find out what the Trust have been doing 80 years on from Diver's survey and what the future holds for this diverse landscape. Ellie also talks about her passion and love for nature and conservation, and she takes a look back through the Countryfile archives to see how conservation projects are making a difference across the country.

Matt Baker explores the Dartington estate in south Devon to discover the innovative history of the place, meet the farmers who are turning their goat's milk into ice cream and find out about the vertical farming taking root in the grounds. Anita Rani sees how to make the softest of sheepskin and meets the woman who has turned her cottage industry into a thriving business selling natural, handmade soap, and Adam Henson looks at the livestock being bred specifically for conservation. The programme also visits the Food and Farming Awards to reveal this year's Countryfile Farming Hero. Plus there is a look at European turtle doves - they are in decline, but in one country it is legal to hunt them as they migrate back to their European breeding grounds. Tom Heap travels to Malta to investigate a tradition causing controversy across the continent.

This special programme travels the length and breadth of the country to provide a snapshot of spring, from shoreline and shingle to farmland and fell, we discover signs of new life as the season unfurls. Including dolphins in Cardigan Bay, one of the UK's last remaining hay meadows, a Roman fort in Alderney, the largest vegetated shingle spit in Europe and a look at the start of the shellfish season.

From carrots to cauliflower, peas to parsnips we are a nation of vegetable lovers. To mark National Vegetarian Week, Countryfile is taking a look at all things veggie. Matt Baker is at the heart of the Jersey Royal Potato Harvest. Ellie Harrison gets artistic with her vegetables to create a landscape photograph with a difference. Naomi Wilkinson tastes the delights of Indian vegetarian cooking. Champion free runner and vegan Tim Shieff goes head to head with sheep farmer Gareth Wyn Jones to debate the pros and cons of veganism. Adam Henson looks into the future of farming when he visits an urban farm built in tunnels 33 metres below the streets of London. And Tom Heap investigates the threats facing our vegetable producers and finds out why many feel that the days of British veg are numbered.

Countryfile is in Snowdonia. John Craven races a hill runner to the summit of Snowdon and meets the volunteers protecting the area's ospreys. Anita Rani dons her wetsuit to discover that you don't need to be near the sea to go surfing. Joe Crowley meets the artist whose work is taking centre stage in this landscape. And it's all going down on Adam Henson's farm as spring takes hold. The EU referendum is arguably the biggest decision facing our countryside for decades; Tom Heap meets up with the leading figures from both sides of the argument and asks the prime minister and Boris Johnson why rural Britain should vote with them.

Matt Baker and Anita Rani are at the stunning Montrose Basin in Angus in Scotland. The basin is a natural, almost circular, inland sea that is an internationally important site for wild fowl. Anita helps warden Anna Cheshire conduct one of the regular bird counts and gets stuck in helping make special nesting tubes for the basin's ducks. She also discovers how treacherous the mud flats can be as she ventures out with one of only three specialist mud rescue teams in the whole of Scotland. Matt, meanwhile, finds out that the soft sands made the basin the perfect place for the UK's first airbase. Matt sees remnants of the runway next to the dunes and meets the enthusiasts building a replica of a one of the First World War's most famous planes, the Sopwith camel. He also meets a farmer-turned-rugby coach to play rugby with a difference: no running! Walking rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, great for people of all ages and especially for those recovering from injuries. Just a few miles from the basin, Naomi Wilkinson is taking a trip up the stunning Glenesk, looking for wildlife with gamekeeper Andy Malcolm. And as spring returns to the slopes of this beautiful glen, there's all manner of wildlife awakening after the winter slumber. If she's in luck that could mean golden eagles! Also in this programme, Adam calls in a dog psychologist to find out which of his working dogs, Boo or Peg, is the smartest. Tom Heap investigates what the EU referendum could mean for our countryside. This week he grills the prime minister and Boris Johnson on how they think it will affect the environment and our fisheries.

To celebrate British Flowers Week, Charlotte Smith and Anita Rani are looking at the resurgence of British flowers. Charlotte meets Rosebie Morton, a Hampshire farmer who has diversified into British blooms in a big way. On her farm there are as many acres given over to flowers as there is food. For Rosebie it is all about the scent. Charlotte is intoxicated by their fragrance and finds out from scientist Dr Lorenzo Stafford what it is about the smell of flowers we find so bewitching. Anita is up bright and early at Covent Garden Flower Market, where she meets the traders doing a roaring trade in homegrown roses, including Rosebie's. She also meets up with two floral artists who have turned their hands to creating fantastic floral headdresses. Matt Baker takes to the old pack horse trails through the New Forest with Gale Gould and her trusty pack horse Josh. Josh is all done up in period livery, and Matt hears how these ponies were used by smugglers to ply their illicit trade. He also hears that the forest was used for bombing practice by the RAF. Where the bombs fell, the craters filled with water to become ponds rich in wildlife. Matt also visits a farm where water buffalo are the main livestock. He helps farmer Dagan James round them up and learns that their meat is reckoned to be better for us. To put this to the test, he tries buffalo carpaccio at a riverside restaurant. Adam Henson gets stuck in with the sheep shearing and hears from different farmers about the prices they are getting for their wool. Tom Heap investigates why areas set up by the government to protect our seas are being branded by some scientists as worse than useless.

Countryfile is in the East Midlands to find out about the region's rural past and the revival of the River Trent. Matt Baker takes to the Trent in a kayak and meets Alan Henshaw from the environment agency who tells him about the effort to clean up the river. Matt sees for himself the improvements in water quality and habitat, before taking a trip to Calverton Fish Farm in Nottinghamshire. Here, Alan and his team teach stocked fish how to be 'wild' in special tanks that force the fish to swim against an artificial current for food. Helen Skelton is in Rutland to meet master miller Nigel Moon. Nigel takes her on as apprentice for the day in his traditional windmill, one of the last in the region. Helen then heads over the border to Leicestershire where farmer Alan Hewson is reviving a much loved, but long gone, local cheese, Colwick - a favourite of agricultural workers in the past. Alan puts its prize-winning taste down to the rare breed red poll cattle, a once common breed in the region. Adam Henson is at the biggest agricultural show in the South West, The Royal Bath and West. And John Craven launches 2016's photographic competition, with its theme From Dawn till Dusk. Joining John on the judging team are Dragons' Den's Deborah Meaden, comedian Rhona Cameron and wildlife cameraman Simon King. Matt Baker also reveals the total raised by sales of 2015's calendar. Tom Heap discovers how a global health crisis is impacting the battle against Bovine TB.

It is 40 years since the long hot summer of 1976 and to mark the anniversary, we take a look back with TV weatherman John Hammond.

This episode comes from Pembrokeshire. John Craven takes to the water to find out about the area's boating heritage, painting boats and learning sea shanties along the way. Helen Skelton is foraging on Freshwater West beach and cooking up a seaweed feast. She also meets the team building the ultimate ecohouse using locally sourced materials. Sanjida O'Connell is on Skomer helping to count the Manx shearwaters who call this island home. And Adam Henson is in Cornwall making a special delivery of rare-breed cattle to the Heligan estate, while Tom Heap is looking at what is being done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on farms after claims that agriculture produces larger quantities of gases than traffic.

It's tennis season and Countryfile is visiting Kent, where Matt Baker will be finding out about Wimbledon strawberries and getting to grips with the harvest. Naomi Wilkinson is meeting the couple who turned their love of wildlife into an animal rescue centre, looking after everything from hedgehogs to flocks of buzzards. In the shadow of the white cliffs of Dover she'll also be finding out about the long history of channel swimming and donning her wetsuit to try out the ultimate wild swim. John Craven meets a farmer who is growing Chinese vegetables and produce, from pak choi to chrysanthemums, and Adam Henson is at the Royal Three Counties show, meeting youngsters with the farming bug. Plus Tom Heap investigates calls to ban live plant imports and asks what dangers could be hiding in the soil that comes into the country with them.

Countryfile is on the tiny Scottish island of Kerrera. Sitting just half a kilometre from the mainland but a world away from the hustle and bustle, Kerrera is the archetypal Scottish Island. There are rugged cliffs, wide-open beaches and remote farmsteads. Anita spends a day getting to know the locals and getting under the skin of island life. She joins postmaster Gill Vollum as she goes about her daily round - not easy when there's only one half-finished road on the island. She helps shepherd Sheila McGregor round up her sheep and hears that all the farms on Kerrera are run by women. And she stops for a welcome cup of tea at the tea room that serves as the community hub. Anita meets owners Aideen Gallagher and Martin Shields who quit busy jobs on the mainland and finds out what living the island dream is like for them.

2016 is the 60th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme, and to mark the occasion Countryfile heads to the wilds of the west Highlands of Scotland. Matt joins the intrepid team mid-way through their five-day Diamond Challenge. They have already scaled Ben Nevis, and when Matt meets them they are canoeing the Great Glen all the way to Inverness. Matt also meets the scientist who has made it her mission to fight the menace of Scotland's infamous midges. Sean meets mountaineer Hamish Macinnes, whose inventions, including his famous stretcher, have saved hundreds of lives. Naomi explores Glencoe's 'Atlantic woodland' - a rich and rare habitat, where she gets a close look at the amazingly intricate lichens and mosses that carpet the woodland. Helen is in the Peak District with a party of schoolchildren undertaking their bronze Duke of Edinburgh, and she walks a stretch of Kinder Scout with HRH Prince Edward, himself a Gold Award holder and trustee of the scheme. And as the red grouse shooting season gets underway, Charlotte Smith meets the supporters and critics of one of Britain's most controversial country pursuits.

The first ever Countryfile Live took place in the magnificent grounds of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire - four days in the sunshine celebrating the best of the British Countryside. Matt kicks the programme off with a whistlestop tour of the show, mixing and mingling with exhibitors and visitors, and he calls in at the Craven Arms, Countryfile Live's very own pub. Ellie goes behind the scenes to see what goes into setting up a show on this scale, and she also chats with the Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim's owner, to find out what it is like having such a big show in your garden. Anita steps away from the showground to get up close to some truly magnificent oak trees, many of them more than a thousand years old. John takes to the water to see how ducks are helping restore Blenheim's beautiful ornamental lakes, while Tom and Adam go head to head at the timbersports arena in a test of strength and speed. And Charlotte Smith looks at what might happen to British foods protected under EU law and catches up with some producers who are worried they will lose a vital protection and others who see a real opportunity.

Countryfile has been given privileged access to an excavation at the Stonehenge World Heritage site. Joe Crowley meets the team who have discovered strange oblong items buried in the soil at Durrington Walls, not far from the famous stones of Stonehenge. The team used the latest ground-penetrating radar techniques to reveal the hitherto unknown features. But what are they? Joe finds out. He also meets archaeologist Julian Richards, a world authority on the stones and an obsessive collector of Stonehenge memorabilia. Joe then meets Hugh Morrison, a tenant farmer at Stonehenge, to see just what sort of problem he faces farming on a World Heritage Site. Anita finds out how Neolithic farmers lived by visiting reconstructions of the types of houses they lived in, and she learns to bake bread the Neolithic way - on an open fire in the centre of a Neolithic dwelling. She also meets the modern-day farmer who has built a Stone Age long barrow on his land where people can inter the ashes of their loved ones, just as Neolithic man would have. Also in this programme, John is joined by fellow judges Deborah Meaden and Simon King to select the final 12 pictures in the Countryfile Photographic Competition, and in a nod to the competition's theme, we spend a day with Adam seeing what happens on his farm 'From Dawn till Dusk'.

It is harvest time, and the countryside is buzzing with activity. The Countryfile team are getting stuck in as crops are brought in across the country. Matt Baker visits the Gaddesden Estate to discover how the harvest here has changed over the years. Anita Rani picks peppermint and concocts cocktails. John Craven is meeting a group of 'nutters' to gather in the cobnut harvest ready for a nutty feast. Joe Crowley investigates the farm brands on sale in supermarkets and asks when is a farm not a farm. Countryfile also plays host to the fortieth anniversary of One Man and His Dog, as England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland send their best shepherds and their dogs to compete for the trophy, and Adam has been meeting the teams to see how they are preparing. This week he is travelling to Wales and Ireland to meet the competitors and their dogs hoping to be crowned champions.

Anita Rani explores Anglesey. She navigates the notorious Menai Strait and meets the fisherman who bought an island. She also gets up close with a wild, bloodsucking creature. Adam Henson has been meeting the teams preparing for the 40th-anniversary edition of One Man and His Dog. The best shepherds and their canine companions from England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland will be competing, all hoping to be crowned champions. This week he catches up with the English and Scottish contenders. Matt Baker launches this year's Countryfile Ramble for BBC Children in Need. Taking place over one weekend in October, the event aims to cover the countryside in Countryfile viewers, all rambling across rural Britain to raise vital funds for the charity. Matt and his fellow presenters John Craven, Anita Rani, Ellie Harrison and Adam Henson will be leading the way on rambles of their own, where they will be joined by youngsters who have benefited from Children in Need funding.

Countryfile marks the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl's birth by discovering his passion for the great outdoors and how it inspired his writing. John Craven explores Great Missenden, the village where Dahl lived for much of his life. He meets children's author Piers Torday, who is inspired by both the countryside and by Dahl himself. There is also a look back through the Countryfile archive to the times we have met others inspired by our beautiful countryside, from underwater painters to graffiti artists. Matt Baker has more news on how viewers can take part in this year's Countryfile Ramble for BBC Children in Need by putting on their own sponsored rambles. This year's ramble weekend is Saturday 8and Sunday 9 October. Last year, thousands of Countryfile viewers took part, helping us raise over £850,000 and transforming the lives of some of Britain's most disadvantaged youngsters. With a fortnight to go until Countryfile plays host to the 40th-anniversary edition of the legendary One Man and His Dog sheepdog trialling competition, Adam Henson meets the English and Scottish teams hoping to bring home this year's trophy.

Matt Baker and Anita Rani preside over proceedings as the best shepherds and their dogs from England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland battle it out for the trophy. While Matt takes to the commentary box, Anita explores the history of the estate and catches up with the friends and family of the competitors.

Anita Rani travels to Surrey to explore the revival of interest in growing hops there. She meets the brewers bringing back the county's fabled white bine hop, helps to get the hop harvest in and gets to sample an unusual brew made with fresh undried hops. She also joins Surrey Wildlife Trust, who are carrying out a survey of small mammals to see how effective wildlife corridors are. Adam Henson is hoping for the right conditions to get the last of his wheat harvest in, and John announces which photograph the public voted winner in the Countryfile Photographic Competition. Tom Heap is on the trail of one of the UK's most loved animals, the red squirrel, and finds out what can be done to halt its decline.

The team look at how rivers and waterways have shaped our landscape. Matt Baker is on the Thames Estuary to meet a writer who draws inspiration from the estuary and its people. He also meets the Port Authority staff who oversee some 30,000 annual ship movements, jumps on the foot ferry that once would have brought livestock into the city and meets an artist making beautiful things from the flotsam brought in on the tide. Sean Fletcher is just a few miles from Matt, finding out what it takes to turn a landfill site into a thriving nature reserve. And Naomi Wilkinson is in Devon at the beautiful Lydford Gorge, meeting a photographer captivated by its waterfall and whose pictures have become an internet sensation. Naomi then takes to the oldest shipping canal in Britain on a paddleboard! Meanwhile, Adam visits Widecombe Fair in Devon - one of the country's last traditional country fairs. And with the badger cull once again well underway, Tom Heap explores the science around bovine TB.

Matt and Anita explore the Isle of Wight. Matt dons a harness and abseils down the walls of Carisbrooke Castle to help root out the overgrown ivy. He then heads to the castle's well, the deepest on the island, to meet Jack and Jill - the Carisbrooke donkeys. Donkeys have been used to draw water from the well for centuries, but when Jack refuses to budge, Matt has no option but to do it himself. Anita has her hands full on Ventnor Downs. It's the day of the annual feral goat round-up, and Anita is joining the human chain of volunteers trying to catch the animals. She also visits the vineyard where the owner is growing red grapes - only possible because of the island's mild climate. That mild climate has also made the Isle of Wight a great place for exotic plants. Naomi is at Ventor Botanic Gardens, where the backdrop is more like southern Europe than southern England. Adam meets the commercial deer owner looking to genetics to breed the best deer he can and, as supermarkets and catering companies pledge to put an end to eggs from caged chickens, Tom Heap asks if this victory for animal welfare is all it's cracked up to be.

To celebrate nature's final flourish before the slow descent into winter, the team pulls on its wellies, kicks through the crisp leaves and explores the fruits of our forests. Anita heads to Somerset for a rare autumnal sight - walnut woodland with laden branches. We meet walnut farmer Roger Saul as he reaps one of Somerset's newest crops, borrowing technology from one of its oldest. Matt is in the wilds of East Sussex to meet Nick Weston, a writer, woodsman and chef who spent six months living off-grid in a tree house built from wood and recycled materials. Tim Shepherd is a botanist who specialises in timelapse filming. We gather young fungi on deadwood from Tim's local woodland to take back to his studio to film them growing. We join Adam as he delivers some of his pigs to a Gloucestershire farmer using this traditional way of animal and woodland management. John investigates the hibernation of dormice on the Isle of Wight.

Matt and Anita are in Herefordshire. Matt looks at the county's historic perry-making industry and helps out with the pear harvest. He starts out at Weston's, the cider makers, who are the world's biggest producers of perry. Then he travels to the 12th-century Hellen's Manor, where some of the rarest and oldest pear trees in the world are to be found. He gathers a sackful and heads to meet self-styled 'ciderologist' Gabe Wood, a man who likes cider but loves perry even more. Together they make perry the old-fashioned way - on a stone grinding wheel with lots of elbow grease. Anita is at a farm where time has stood still. She recounts the story of Birches Farm and farmer Alfred Price through the diaries he kept. She also visits the last traditional clog maker in Herefordshire to see clogs being made the time-honoured way. Joe Crowley is with PhD student Charlotte Selvey, who is using worms made of modelling clay to find out what birds are present in the county's ancient orchards. The birds leave beak impressions in the fake worms, which identifies them. Tom's looking at the appalling conditions endured by some workers on the high seas, conditions which many have described as slavery. And Adam is on the farm where they're harvesting bracken for fuel.

In this extended edition of Countryfile the team head out into some of the nation's most beautiful landscapes for the Countryfile Ramble for BBC Children in Need. The team are joined by viewers of the show, as well as some inspirational youngsters supported by BBC Children in Need, and they celebrate the thousands of sponsored rambles viewers organised themselves in aid of the cause. Visiting the Lake District, Matt Baker takes on the most challenging of routes in the Eskdale Valley. In Matt's group is Levana, a 15-year-old double amputee who has been supported by the BBC Children in Need-funded project Meningitis Now. Heading to Northern Ireland's coastline, John Craven takes on Giant's Causeway with a group of Countryfile viewers and 16-year-old Zahra from Belfast. Zahra has arthritis and has been supported by the BBC Children in Need-funded project Arthritis Care NI. Anita Rani visits the Brecon Beacons and heads up Sugar Loaf Mountain, joined by a group of Countryfile viewers as well as Olivia, a 15-year-old who has Down's Syndrome and who has been supported by the BBC Children in Need-funded Cathays & Central Youth & Community Project in Cardiff. In Scotland, Ellie Harrison leads the largest group of ramblers around Edinburgh's Holyrood Park. Ellie is also joined by a group of young people from the Jeely Piece Club in Glasgow, a local play project which is funded by BBC Children in Need. Completing the rambles, Adam Henson heads to Alice Holts Forest in Surrey, joined by Countryfile viewers and the Shilston family from Surrey, who have been supported by the BBC Children in Need-funded project the Princess Alice Hospice. The programme also looks at the thousands of rambles which members of the public took on themselves in aid of the cause.

Helen Skelton is on a special cycle ride across northern France to commemorate 100 years since the Battle of the Somme. She finds out about the brave cycling battalions that travelled from many parts of rural Britain, to fight there. Helen also meets fellow riders to hear their personal reasons for taking on the cycling challenge. Plus a look back through the Countryfile archives to the times Britain's countryside connections to war and the role of nature in remembrance and rehabilitation were explored. John Craven reveals the role of the humble tractor in the development of the tank, Ellie Harrison experiences the tranquillity of the National Memorial Arboretum and Jules Hudson witnesses the impact of the outdoors on one soldier's recovery from war.

Countryfile visits West Yorkshire, where Matt Baker meets the youngsters who have become RSPB rangers. Anita Rani explores Bronte country and meets an author who literally immerses himself in the landscape. Anita also finds out about an award-winning halloumi cheese producer from Syria. Naomi Wilkinson discovers the challenges facing the fire brigade at Ogden Water, and Adam raises a glass to English wine. Tom Heap investigates claims that sheep farming could become impossible in some parts of Britain within just a few years.

The Countryfile team explores the Brecon Beacons. Matt Baker discovers geocaching, a treasure hunt with a modern twist, and meets an artist whose canvas is the night sky. Helen Skelton is sheep trekking across the landscape and taking part in a rather muddy fish rescue. Sean Fletcher jumps on his bike to meet the farmers who have taken diversification to the extreme, and Adam Henson finds out about a cancer cure for man's best friend. Tom Heap asks how safe horses and riders really are on country roads and if more should be done to protect them.

John, Anita and Ellie are in Lincolnshire, where it's all go in the vast fields of winter veg. John visits a farm where they are harvesting tonnes of caulis and sprouts in readiness for Christmas, and he visits the trial plots where new types of vegetable are being developed, including the kalette, a cross between kale and a brussels sprout. Anita sees how robot technology designed to pull up weeds could cut down on herbicides and even cut down on human labour. Ellie visits the ancient woodland at the edge of an old RAF base where bats have set up home in old wartime buildings, and she discovers that it's not just bats hibernating there - butterflies do it too. Adam talks about his lifelong passion for ducks - one of his favourite farmyard animals, and Tom Heap finds out why many of our rivers and waterways are suffering and what farmers can do to help bring them back to life.

Helen, Joe and Sean explore the varied landscapes of Aberdeenshire. From the solitude of the rugged north coast to the deep dark forests where wildcats dwell, it's a surprising county. Helen discovers the only village on mainland Britain where cars can't go. She also visits an open-air aquarium where they hand feed the fish, and she makes lino prints with an artist who takes inspiration from this remote coastline. Joe looks at a project mapping the diminishing wildcat population and sees the extraordinary lengths volunteers go to, to help preserve them. Sean visits a turkey farm where the guard dogs are alpacas, and Adam catches up with One Man and His Dog winner Dick Roper to pick up some expert tips on sheepdog handling. Council farms have long been seen as a way for people to get their foot on the farming ladder, but across much of the country they are now being sold off to raise money for cash-strapped councils. Tom Heap investigates why so many of these farms are disappearing from the landscape and how some councils have taken a very different stance.

Countryfile celebrates Christmas in style at Bamburgh Castle on the wild and beautiful Northumbrian coast. Anita goes on a festive forage with the jewellery maker who turns natural materials into stunning decorations. Anita also sees what it takes to make an award-winning Christmas pudding. John is on Lindisfarne discovering what the first Christmases in these islands would have been like, before meeting the makers of mead. Ellie gives some hints and tips on how to look after wildlife when the temperature drops. Adam is with the hill shepherd watching her flocks, and Tom wonders if a lack of bell ringers could cause some churches to fall silent this Christmas.

Ellie Harrison visits Thirsk in Yorkshire to celebrate the centenary of vet Alf White, known to the world as James Herriot. Ellie meets his daughter and his son, as well as the vets running his practice today. She learns of the landscapes and people that inspired James Herriot's books and finds out what life was really like for a rural vet. She also meets up with actor Christopher Timothy, who portrayed James Herriot in the television series All Creatures Great and Small. Plus a look back through the Countryfile archive to rediscover the people who dedicate their time and efforts to helping animals, including the time when John met the team giving hedgehogs a helping hand through Christmas and the winter months, the dramatic moment when Joe assisted a stag caught up in fencing, and when Ellie met the woman who paints horses to help others understand them.