Explore the British countryside with the National Trust. No organisation knows more about the British countryside than the National Trust, the custodians of some of our most beautiful stretches of land and coastline. Drawing on their expertise, this stunningly illustrated book is a comprehensive guide to the country's natural heritage. Part One describes the major habitats and landscapes: coasts, mountains, forests and woods, rivers and lakes, meadows and downland. The formation, development and ecology of each habitat is described and brought to life with photographs and indepth information on the wildlife you can see there. Find out about the secretive migrations of our eels, salmon and sea trout, an exploding bombardier beetle, a totally aquatic moth or delight in the beauty of our fields of heather, our sea of bluebells in woodlands and our ever-changing coastline. Part Two gets you closer to specific areas of the British isles with coverage of the regions South West England, Southern England, Central England, Northern England, Eastern England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It provides a tour of the key landscapes of each of our regions, from an exploration of the Lake District to why the White Cliffs of Dover are white. Plus some of the best walks in each of the regions. From the thousand-year-old limbs of yew trees near Crom Old Castle, Northern Ireland to the lake of bluebells on the Isle of Wight (the 'ghost' of what was probably a wood), this is a celebration of our land.