Time outdoors is always well spent. It raises the spirits, sparks the imagination and, as research increasingly shows, measurably improves our physical and mental wellbeing. Rhythms of Nature celebrates this fundamental relationship with the natural world, and considers some ways we might rediscover it.

After a career in conservation, Ian Carter moves to a secluded farmhouse tucked away in the low hills of mid-Devon between Exmoor and Dartmoor. Here he tries new approaches to exploring the local countryside. He learns the edible species, follows streams (wherever they may lead) and slips unseen through private estates. He experiments with rewilding the garden, goes on night-time rambles and watches the changing seasons in super high definition.

Following on from the author’s acclaimed Human, Nature, this engaging and thought-provoking book offers simple suggestions for how to enliven a sense of wonder in our surroundings. A paean to the ‘neglected’ and untidy places that can enrich our lives, it will appeal to anyone wishing to develop a deeper connection with wildlife or who has a desire to seek out the wilder corners of our landscape.

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It is difficult to do justice to the range of matters that are covered in this book, but I found it a hugely enriching read. It benefits, I think, from being a collection of essays, each one of which melds personal experience, lightly worn expertise and consideration of things we are all, or should be, concerned about, with information and details that encourage curiosity and wonder too. Each chapter is eye-opening and provides pause for thought. It also goes against the grain of a lot of contemporary nature writing by being intentionally funny- ‘ forest bathing’ being described as a ‘ fancy term for a stroll in the woods’!