John Gilbey has contributed to the Guardian Country Diary column, established back in 1906, since 2006. From his home near Aberystwyth, he sets out to provide a monthly image of the rural landscape across Ceredigion, Powys, Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd. These walks, reached by bus or train and occasionally concluding with a quiet pint, seek to capture the key notes of the season and give others an opportunity to join him on his travels.

These fifty Country Diary columns are presented by season, in order of date, and accompanied by photography throughout to immerse the reader within a year in the Welsh countryside.

John Gilbey is a writer and photographer based in west Wales. His work has appeared in the New Scientist, Geographical, Times Higher Education and the science journal Nature, as well as the Guardian newspaper.

His career in environmental research, and a lifelong interest in landforms and ecology, give him a solid base on which to build the story of the varied landscapes of Wales.