This June, the showrooms of Claire Langley Antiques in Stamford will host Notswolds for a ten-day festival celebrating contemporary craft. The Summer Makers Market brings together a well edited market of independent makers and a programme of workshops and gatherings.

From sheep fairs and ploughing matches to fat stock shows and village days, these are the events that sit at the centre of rural life. As show season starts, we’ve brought together the key dates across the Notswolds, a guide to the events and gatherings that continue to define the year.

“It is rare that any two days are the same, as every piece varies so significantly. There is a constant changing of scenery in the studio and I love that. I love a transformation story.”

Rose discusses the changing pace of her studio, the appeal of transformation, and the instinct that underpins both her work and the homes her pieces go on to inhabit.

Good craftmanship isn't a style. It's a way of working. It shows up in decisions most people never see. The choice of material. The time taken. The restraint to leave something as it is, rather than overwork it.

We ask six makers whose work we respect what good craftmanship means to them. Not as a definition but something lived out in practice.

As colour returns to the landscape, April brings a different pace. More time outside, more to notice. This month’s selection follows that change, books for being outside, for noticing more, and for returning to as the season unfolds.

Oaty and his owner Angela Harding live in Rutland, the heart of the Notswolds where walks stretch across open fields. Oaty, a four year old whippet, moves lightly through the grass, taking in the wide views across the sheep fields behind their house.

March is a month of awakening, when doors open, days lengthen and buds appear.

March feels, more than most, like a door opening wide. After the stillness of January and the subtle thaw of February, this is the month when the world begins to lean outward again. A breath of fresh air moving through rooms long closed.

Independent bookshops. Florists who work with local, seasonal stems. Makers working in studios off the high streets, producing small runs, limited editions and pieces that carry the mark of a human hand. These are not charming extras. They are the backbone of local life. The people that give the most compelling places their character.

There is a lot of talk about flowers as Mother’s Day approaches on Sunday 15 March. It is one of the busiest weekends of the year for florists. But not all bouquets are created equal. Here is our guide to the best independent florists in the Notswolds.

March’s reading turns outward. The days stretch, the ground softens, and there is a sense of movement again. These are books shaped by renewal and restlessness, by gardens, countryside and complicated families, by artists, makers and shifting light.

February sits between winter and spring, defined by small but steady change. Frost clears earlier, light stretches further into the day, and water begins to move again across the landscape. It has long been recognised as the point when the year begins to turn, not through sudden growth, but through subtle release.

Some of the best ways to experience the Notswolds happen beyond the town centre. Scenic destinations that bring together landscape, good food and often a little more, whether that’s gardens, shops, wellness spaces or room simply to wander. Chosen for this point in the year, when the countryside begins to open up again.

The first quiet signs that winter is beginning to lift are popping up across the countryside. Here's our list of the best places to see the snowdrops in the Notswolds, from historic gardens to hidden woodland walks. Perfect for a winter wander and the first glimpse of spring on its way.

Travis and his owner Gary Curtis are a regular sight in the photogenic streets of Stamford. As the aesthete behind @theoldbuilding, Gary documents the town’s historic corners and changing light. Together they cover the town day after day, capturing the weathered stonework, painted doors and layered architecture that gives Stamford its character.

It’s half term already! We’ve scoured the Notswolds for the best half term activities across Rutland, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Cambridgeshire. Days out, kids workshops and even a few comedy shows to make the school break fun, easy and memorable.

February is a month of gentle shift. The light lingers a little longer, the countryside begins to stir, and winter slowly loosens its hold. This reading list sits between seasons, thoughtful and hopeful in equal measure, with books for quieter days, brighter evenings, and the first sense of change in the air.

From Michelin-starred lunches for under £50 to some of the region’s most exciting recent openings, this is our guide to the best winter offers across the Notswolds right now.

Some dishes belong to a particular moment in the year. Pigs in blankets is one of them. In the first of our Seasonal Plates series, Ali Duncombe, head chef at Fern in Uppingham, approaches a festive favourite with the same care as any signature dish.

Studio days with artist Gillian Durno and Florence the black cocker who steals shoes, curls into dust sheets and accompanies Gillian as she gathers the views that shape her paintings across the Notswolds.

January reading is about slowing the pace. These are books to dip into by daylight, to leave open on a table, to return to in the evenings when the house is quiet. Reading, like the season, becomes a form of rest. A way to think more clearly, notice more closely, and let the year arrive in its own time.

After the colour and clamour of December, January invites a slower rhythm, when rest, and doing less, is exactly the point. The days are short, the light is low, and the landscape is held still. This is a time for wintering…