Country Life UK – February 25 2026 – Country Life UK

Salvelinus alpinus enjoys a circum- polar distribution, from Japan to Greenland, and no other freshwater fish thrives in more northerly climes. Arctic charr have colo- nised the high Alps up to 7,000ft, where a dwarf variety exists (Schwartzreuter), and in Geneva’s Lac Léman they shoal at depths of 200ft. For his knightly appearance, in France he is the omble chevalier. It is problematic to describe a ‘typical’ UK charr, as colouration varies considerably according to the habits and habitat of different lacustrine populations.

In 1786, William Gilpin wrote of the Windermere fish (one of our most celebrated): ‘Its back is of an olive-green; its belly of a light vermillion: softening in some parts into white; and changing into a deep red, at the insertion of the fins.’ Especially in his spawning garb, the male is a dandyish creature, with an olivaceous torpedo-shaped body often sprinkled with pale or pink spots (the trout wears dark ones), a belly of sunset orange and white edges to his lower fins.

The scales are miniscule and deeply imbed- ded. Although some anadromous American specimens are heavyweights, topping 30lb, our charr might average 10oz—‘near twice the size of a herring,’ says Gilpin. It is estimated there might be some 200 colonies in Britain, many of them in Scotland. Old ‘tartan fins’ swims in the abyssal reaches of Lochs Garry, Loyal, Quoich and Ness (where, being gregarious unlike brown trout, charr flourish in vast shoals down to a depth of 500ft, perhaps providing fodder for You Know What).

In Wales, the torgoch is found in Llyns Peris and Bodlyn, and Irish strongholds include Loughs Dearg, Melvin and Currane. Its name derives from ceara, Gaelic for blood-red, and there is still some dispute about whether it should be spelled with a single ‘r’ or, as in the older version, charr. Neither a cuppa nor your cleaning lady is lexically cognate with the fish. Victorian naturalists, with their passion for taxonomy, identified as many as 15 separate species of charr, but today all European vari- ants are considered as belonging to a single species.

In certain waters, there are two or more discrete populations coexisting (sym- patric), each with a slightly different genetic make-up. These ‘morphs’ can be distinguished by behavioural discrepancies, such as spawn- ing or feeding patterns.

Pints, poetry and the pubs that inspired greatness ‘I’ve got your back’: good turns in the animal kingdom Let there be light: the art of glass architecture Down, boy! Our search for Britain’s naughtiest dog Miss Khadijah Mellah Khadijah is an amateur jockey. She won the Magnolia Cup ladies’ charity race at Glorious Goodwood, West Sussex, in 2019 and is the co-founder of the Riding A Dream Academy, supporting young people from under-represented backgrounds into racing.

Khadijah is the daughter of Ali and Selma Mellah of Peckham, south London. Photographed with Mooresfort Abbey at Goodwood Stables, West Sussex, by Anya Campbell VOL CCXXVI NO 9, FEBRUARY 25, 2026 26 | Country Life | February 25, 2026 Contents February 25, 2026 Naughty dogs running riot (Luciano de Polo/Alamy) COVER STORIES 52 Do you own Britain’s naughtiest dog? Calling all cheeky canines— COUNTRY LIFE is once again on a mission to find the most mischievous mutts in the land 56 I’ve got you, babe John Lewis-Stempel marvels at Nature’s symbiotic relationships, from barnacles hitching a ride on whales to birds debugging deer 68 The pubs that made history Ashleigh Arnott raises a glass to DNA discovery, D-Day planning and Stilton’s exalted status on a pub crawl to end all pub crawls 82 Interiors Tiffany Daneff admires an Oxford- shire garden’s bespoke green- house and Amelia Thorpe picks out glorious garden buildings THIS WEEK 40 Baroness Jan Royall’s favourite painting The former Somerville principal chooses a striking work by an alumna of the Oxford college 42 Country-house treasure John Goodall unearths a 2,500- year-old Assyrian carving at Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire 44 Legacy of the aesthete bachelor Contrary to popular belief, the National Trust’s portfolio is largely founded on the wealth of single male donors, reveals Michael Hall 50 The legacy With Crufts on the horizon, Agnes Stamp hails Florence Nagle’s campaign for Kennel Club reform 62 Scale model David Profumo profiles the lake-dwelling charr, a dandyish fish as ‘beautiful as a butterfly’ 64 It’s alive!

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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