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The Accidental Countryside: Hidden Havens for Britain's Wildlife
'A superb naturalist and writer.'
CHRIS PACKHAM
‘From Stone Age remains to modern day skyscrapers, Stephen Moss takes us on an exhilarating journey through place and time, providing a fascinating insight into nature’s relationship with environments created by man.'
DR MYA-ROSE CRAIG (BIRDGIRL)
Welcome to The Accidental Countryside.
This is the fascinating and remarkably empowering story of our influence upon the landscape and wildlife of these crowded islands, and of how wildlife has co-opted its most unlikely corners – even when we least expected it.
From the seabirds sheltering in the prehistoric stone structures of Shetland to the peat diggings in Somerset teeming with life, and from the rare insects hidden in Belfast’s docklands to the falcons that make London’s Shard their home, Stephen Moss reveals the unexpected oases which foster the crucial links in the chain that bind the natural world together.
CHRIS PACKHAM
‘From Stone Age remains to modern day skyscrapers, Stephen Moss takes us on an exhilarating journey through place and time, providing a fascinating insight into nature’s relationship with environments created by man.'
DR MYA-ROSE CRAIG (BIRDGIRL)
Welcome to The Accidental Countryside.
This is the fascinating and remarkably empowering story of our influence upon the landscape and wildlife of these crowded islands, and of how wildlife has co-opted its most unlikely corners – even when we least expected it.
From the seabirds sheltering in the prehistoric stone structures of Shetland to the peat diggings in Somerset teeming with life, and from the rare insects hidden in Belfast’s docklands to the falcons that make London’s Shard their home, Stephen Moss reveals the unexpected oases which foster the crucial links in the chain that bind the natural world together.
272 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2021
8 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Moss
75 books142 followersLibrarian Note: there is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
Stephen Moss is a naturalist, broadcaster, television producer and author. In a distinguished career at the BBC Natural History Unit his credits included Springwatch, Birds Britannia and The Nature of Britain. His books include The Robin: A Biography, A Bird in the Bush, The Bumper Book of Nature, Wild Hares and Hummingbirds and Wild Kingdom. He is also Senior Lecturer in Nature and Travel Writing at Bath Spa University. Originally from London, he lives with his family on the Somerset Levels, and is President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust. He is a regular contributor to the Guardian.
Stephen Moss is a naturalist, broadcaster, television producer and author. In a distinguished career at the BBC Natural History Unit his credits included Springwatch, Birds Britannia and The Nature of Britain. His books include The Robin: A Biography, A Bird in the Bush, The Bumper Book of Nature, Wild Hares and Hummingbirds and Wild Kingdom. He is also Senior Lecturer in Nature and Travel Writing at Bath Spa University. Originally from London, he lives with his family on the Somerset Levels, and is President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust. He is a regular contributor to the Guardian.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 11, 2021
We as humans, like to put various things into separate sections, the shops are here, the roads are there, housing is in this part of town and so on. This is great in principle, but it has the effect of obliterating the wildlife that was there before. What happens though is that we are not always neat at finishing these projects off, there are gaps in between and it is in these hidden corners that our wildlife finds a way to cling on, survive and in certain cases thrive.
He begins with the peregrine, a bird that after years of persecution and the horrific effects of DDT we nearly lost. They are most commonly found high on cliffs, but now if you know where to look they can be seen in the artificial cliffs we have built in our towns and cities. We even have some in Poole that fly between the high rise buildings near the harbour, picking off the pigeons that populate our towns now. Also, while in Dorset he visits the town of Blandford Forum to see what the council have been doing to the verges. We are lucky not to have a single meter of motorway in the county, however, there are over 5000 miles of roads and these almost all have verges. What they have done is to stop cutting them until the late summer this allows the wildflowers on them to set seed properly and providing a bounty for insects and therefore for birds and small mammals. These little mini nature reserves have become recognised as Sites of Nature Conservation Interest in their own right.
These linear wildlife highways also exist on the railways, or what is left of them, the embankments and cuttings having their own little ecosystems. The lines that were ripped out after the 1960s cuts have changed in usage now are have become cycle paths and in their own way very long and thin nature reserves now. In Wiltshire, there is a huge tract of land that is used for military training, Salisbury Plain. As well as having lots of unexploded ordinance around the plain is basically an untouched chalk grassland. The tanks make a little difference, but the wildlife is there because the military has ensured that it has never been developed.
Developers much prefer to build on untouched land as the cleanup bills for brownfield sites can be huge. There are a lot of them around the country, previous industrial sites that have been closed as we have moved manufacturing offshore. Where they have been left for a number of years, the natural world creeps back in moving to scrub land in what feels like no time at all. And in these unplanned scruffy patches of land, the natural world does really well. At one site, Moss goes to hear nightingales, it didn’t have the same ambience as a glade in a woodland, but the dense scrub suits the birds perfectly. One of these scraps of land, Gunnersbury Triangle, would become the subject of a famous ruling in favour of keeping it because of its value as a natural space for local people.
As with all of Moss’s book this is well researched and very readable. He is an engaging writer, with a fine eye for detail of the places that he visits and more importantly knowing the limits of his knowledge and when it is best to seek that from a local who knows far more. It is a book that builds on others writing on these marginal spots, including the excellent Edgelands and Richard Mabey’s Unofficial Countryside. Well worth reading.
He begins with the peregrine, a bird that after years of persecution and the horrific effects of DDT we nearly lost. They are most commonly found high on cliffs, but now if you know where to look they can be seen in the artificial cliffs we have built in our towns and cities. We even have some in Poole that fly between the high rise buildings near the harbour, picking off the pigeons that populate our towns now. Also, while in Dorset he visits the town of Blandford Forum to see what the council have been doing to the verges. We are lucky not to have a single meter of motorway in the county, however, there are over 5000 miles of roads and these almost all have verges. What they have done is to stop cutting them until the late summer this allows the wildflowers on them to set seed properly and providing a bounty for insects and therefore for birds and small mammals. These little mini nature reserves have become recognised as Sites of Nature Conservation Interest in their own right.
These linear wildlife highways also exist on the railways, or what is left of them, the embankments and cuttings having their own little ecosystems. The lines that were ripped out after the 1960s cuts have changed in usage now are have become cycle paths and in their own way very long and thin nature reserves now. In Wiltshire, there is a huge tract of land that is used for military training, Salisbury Plain. As well as having lots of unexploded ordinance around the plain is basically an untouched chalk grassland. The tanks make a little difference, but the wildlife is there because the military has ensured that it has never been developed.
Developers much prefer to build on untouched land as the cleanup bills for brownfield sites can be huge. There are a lot of them around the country, previous industrial sites that have been closed as we have moved manufacturing offshore. Where they have been left for a number of years, the natural world creeps back in moving to scrub land in what feels like no time at all. And in these unplanned scruffy patches of land, the natural world does really well. At one site, Moss goes to hear nightingales, it didn’t have the same ambience as a glade in a woodland, but the dense scrub suits the birds perfectly. One of these scraps of land, Gunnersbury Triangle, would become the subject of a famous ruling in favour of keeping it because of its value as a natural space for local people.
As with all of Moss’s book this is well researched and very readable. He is an engaging writer, with a fine eye for detail of the places that he visits and more importantly knowing the limits of his knowledge and when it is best to seek that from a local who knows far more. It is a book that builds on others writing on these marginal spots, including the excellent Edgelands and Richard Mabey’s Unofficial Countryside. Well worth reading.
May 10, 2024
As per usual, I loved this Stephen Moss book. He bookends this adventure into the forgotten, damaged corners of our country with a look at the Peregrine. From a creature symbolising wild places, it now can thrill us even in the largest city when it speeds by. Visiting post-industrial sites, working reservoirs, urban nature reserves and stumbling across such surprising biodiversity, Stephen's awe reminds us that nature conservation is for all of us, everywhere.
Access rights
Mown verges
Quotes of other nature writers
His own childhood antics
Brown field sites
Nature friendly housing development
Ports and industrial sites
Human colonisation introducing species
Flooded mines and pits
Working reservoirs
Nature reserves
Ham Wall (obvs)
Access rights
Mown verges
Quotes of other nature writers
His own childhood antics
Brown field sites
Nature friendly housing development
Ports and industrial sites
Human colonisation introducing species
Flooded mines and pits
Working reservoirs
Nature reserves
Ham Wall (obvs)
February 15, 2022
I don't give out many five star reviews but I liked this a lot. It's very readable whilst still encouraging new perspectives and reframing of key issues facing us in preserving nature in the UK. Above all it's just really well written, not wearing the author's great subject knowledge too heavily and being easy to get into and stick with.
February 16, 2022
I'm not sure this is a startlingly original read, but it is certainly a well written consolidation describing most of the common landscapes that make up the UK's bio-diversity. That said I would have thought rivers (and in turn fish) and moorland might have featured more than they do. They strike me equally as accidental as some of the areas that are covered.
To be fair you only have to look around the cafe at the RSPB's nature reserve at Arne to reach the same conclusions as Moss about social diversity. However, it is refreshing to hear someone from inside the bubble make the point.
To be fair you only have to look around the cafe at the RSPB's nature reserve at Arne to reach the same conclusions as Moss about social diversity. However, it is refreshing to hear someone from inside the bubble make the point.
August 15, 2025
3.5*s
Makes some very interesting points. Women’s contributions to ecological conservation appeared as a bit of an afterthought only appearing really in the second half of the book despite feminism and conservation being directly linked
Makes some very interesting points. Women’s contributions to ecological conservation appeared as a bit of an afterthought only appearing really in the second half of the book despite feminism and conservation being directly linked
October 31, 2025
I gave this a 3 star review as I had a strange relationship with this book. That is not really a reflection on the author who has written a book with a great central argument and his passion shines through on every page.
I read this as the opening to the book appeared on last year's AQA GCSE Language paper. I always buy and read any novel or non-fiction book that the extracts on the GCSE papers are taken from. I find this a great way of reading things that I may not otherwise, and it's always handy to understand the whole text when teaching those extracts in future years.
This opening from the exam paper detailing the residence of Peregrine Falcons in London and the description of them hunting in the city really leaked my interest and the blurb of the book grabbed my attention too.
Moss visits many man-made, or disused former industrial spaces, that have either accidentally or deliberately been transformed into havens for wildlife. There are road verges, gravel pits, peatlands, ancient stone structures and docklands to name but a few, that have fallen into disuse and the wildlife has moved in over many years.
The most interesting of Moss' arguments was that these sites are often earmarked for development as 'brownfield' sites as opposed to 'geeenfield'. Moss convincingly argues that the traditional countryside is now pretty much a wildlife vacuum due to intensive farming and it is these 'brownfield' sites that are actually more valuable in terms of biodiversity.
So the ideas explored in Moss' book are fascinating but I personally found it quite a difficult read. This is through no fault of the author who writes very nicely and has a very personable and persuasive style. My issue came primarily from my own ignorance. I found myself constantly having to google images of the myriad birds and flowers Moss discussed as I felt I needed to picture these flora and fauna to understand the topic properly which led to a kind of staccato reading for me. Again, this is, of course, not the fault of the author.
After reading this, it has inspired me to look closer at these areas of 'accidental countryside'. I live in an area (Wigan/St. Helens) that has many of the types of places discussed in this book: former slag heaps now repurposed to a country park, the flashes alongside the Leeds Liverpool canal which are a leftover from the areas mining industry and the largely disused canal itself. I spend a lot of time in these places as I run a lot so I look forward to stopping to explore these places more closely in summer time rather than running straight through them.
After writing this, I've convinced myself to edit my review to a 4 star!
I read this as the opening to the book appeared on last year's AQA GCSE Language paper. I always buy and read any novel or non-fiction book that the extracts on the GCSE papers are taken from. I find this a great way of reading things that I may not otherwise, and it's always handy to understand the whole text when teaching those extracts in future years.
This opening from the exam paper detailing the residence of Peregrine Falcons in London and the description of them hunting in the city really leaked my interest and the blurb of the book grabbed my attention too.
Moss visits many man-made, or disused former industrial spaces, that have either accidentally or deliberately been transformed into havens for wildlife. There are road verges, gravel pits, peatlands, ancient stone structures and docklands to name but a few, that have fallen into disuse and the wildlife has moved in over many years.
The most interesting of Moss' arguments was that these sites are often earmarked for development as 'brownfield' sites as opposed to 'geeenfield'. Moss convincingly argues that the traditional countryside is now pretty much a wildlife vacuum due to intensive farming and it is these 'brownfield' sites that are actually more valuable in terms of biodiversity.
So the ideas explored in Moss' book are fascinating but I personally found it quite a difficult read. This is through no fault of the author who writes very nicely and has a very personable and persuasive style. My issue came primarily from my own ignorance. I found myself constantly having to google images of the myriad birds and flowers Moss discussed as I felt I needed to picture these flora and fauna to understand the topic properly which led to a kind of staccato reading for me. Again, this is, of course, not the fault of the author.
After reading this, it has inspired me to look closer at these areas of 'accidental countryside'. I live in an area (Wigan/St. Helens) that has many of the types of places discussed in this book: former slag heaps now repurposed to a country park, the flashes alongside the Leeds Liverpool canal which are a leftover from the areas mining industry and the largely disused canal itself. I spend a lot of time in these places as I run a lot so I look forward to stopping to explore these places more closely in summer time rather than running straight through them.
After writing this, I've convinced myself to edit my review to a 4 star!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2022
I thought this was a fascinating book about widlife and how it can be found in the most unexpected of places. It had really surprising and interesting facts and made me rethink my opinions on the best way to conserve and support nature.
March 11, 2022
An enjoyable read showcasing the wonders and threats to our small patches of biodiversity. Found I had been to a surprising number of the sites mentioned
March 21, 2023
An enjoyable forage around the unloved bits of Britain that actually support loads of wildlife. As ever, tidyness is the scourge of nature.
July 5, 2023
Quite interesting. A little slow at first but I enjoyed reading about unexpected sites for wildlife in the UK.
July 2, 2025
Well written, as always, and interesting.
August 29, 2025
Really well told story and history of how human environments become homes for wildlife in the UK - love the lichen
January 6, 2023
If you live in Britain and have some background or first-hand experience in its nature reserves, I think this book will work for you. For me it was way too information dense. It, for example, referenced a lot of people to the point where I had to double-check which David or Dave had said what exactly. The writing style didn't do much to help. Certain parts of the book were really pleasant to read though.
Then add to that the gruesome description of what happened to the inhabitants of an abbey (skip the pages about the abbey p. 30-40 if you don't want to read about it) which made me put the book down for more than a year. This is a book about nature, I expect some bad or anger-inducing things, but not stuff like that. And it added absolutely nothing to the book.
And then the problematic discourse or trains of thought at several points. The author implies locals don't care about a nature place because "there was no one there when I visited on a very hot July day" (not the actual quote). Locals could have been *at work* or on vacation elsewhere or staying away from the heat and sun? Ditto for the complaint that children who visited a place and "sadly, didn't quite realise how unusual a sight this was." THEY'RE CHILDREN. You should be glad they're getting used to seeing water voles, not complain because they don't rEalIsE HoW sPeCiAl it is... Come on!
There's some parts of the book where I also feel a system analysis would have been in place. Don't paint the farmers as the bad guys, or the naturalists or the rail management people or the people who don't notice nature or whoever. Look beyond and see the big pictures which force a lot of people into doing the things they do. It's done in some places in the text but not enough.
However, that being said, the author does take an interesting vantage point. He doesn't agree or disagree with the naturalists, or the farmers, or the private companies or the urbanites... And that merits some points because that is not easy to do! I also applaud him for clearly supporting and describing the benefit of natural places to be made accessible to the public.
Then add to that the gruesome description of what happened to the inhabitants of an abbey (skip the pages about the abbey p. 30-40 if you don't want to read about it) which made me put the book down for more than a year. This is a book about nature, I expect some bad or anger-inducing things, but not stuff like that. And it added absolutely nothing to the book.
And then the problematic discourse or trains of thought at several points. The author implies locals don't care about a nature place because "there was no one there when I visited on a very hot July day" (not the actual quote). Locals could have been *at work* or on vacation elsewhere or staying away from the heat and sun? Ditto for the complaint that children who visited a place and "sadly, didn't quite realise how unusual a sight this was." THEY'RE CHILDREN. You should be glad they're getting used to seeing water voles, not complain because they don't rEalIsE HoW sPeCiAl it is... Come on!
There's some parts of the book where I also feel a system analysis would have been in place. Don't paint the farmers as the bad guys, or the naturalists or the rail management people or the people who don't notice nature or whoever. Look beyond and see the big pictures which force a lot of people into doing the things they do. It's done in some places in the text but not enough.
However, that being said, the author does take an interesting vantage point. He doesn't agree or disagree with the naturalists, or the farmers, or the private companies or the urbanites... And that merits some points because that is not easy to do! I also applaud him for clearly supporting and describing the benefit of natural places to be made accessible to the public.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews