Where the wildfires are: if there’s smoke, there are costly health problems

Climate change could lead to more wildfires – and to expensive health problems thousands of miles from the actual fires

Gears, tears and breathtaking ascents: how I cycled the Dolomites and Alps

With barely any training Peter Kimpton tried to tackle the Haute Route, the highest and toughest cyclosportive in the world. How did it go?

It’s Cycle to Work Day – tell us about your two-wheeled commute

Peter Walker: A two-mile pootle in tweed? Or a 20-mile sprint in Lycra? How do you do it, and why? We want to know. Also, share you stories and pictures on our Guardian Witness page

How to set up a bike repair co-operative

The Broken Spoke Co-operative is the second in our series on community projects; here’s how they set up, and information about how you can do the same

The corncockle kerfuffle, or why Countryfile isn’t trying to kill you

Patrick Barkham: The BBC has been criticised after a scheme it promoted on Countryfile distributed packets of wild flower seeds containing a poisonous plant. But the truth is more complicated, and far less alarming

EU ban on powerful vacuum cleaners prompts anger and legal challenge

Which? tells consumers to buy now as Best Buy cleaners fall foul of EU energy label that prohibits motors above 1,600w

Herbal remedies? Now take healthier lessons from the land

Good health needs more than a bottle of lavender oil, argues the founder of Neal’s Yard Remedies, whose farm is designed to make bigger connections, as Barbara Griggs discovers

Beyond quinoa: five European grains to add to a healthy diet

While we're obsessed with trendy grains and life-changing superfoods from abroad, we often forget to look closer to home

In search of the fatberg: a descent to the dark world of London’s sewers

Braving the potential dangers of gas explosion and wall collapse, will Dan Lee discover a giant greasy blockage in the stink an aging Victorian system?

Stressed by the daily commute? Try ‘canuting’ – and travel by canoe

Inspired by a new waterways campaign, Peter Kimpton tries paddling door to door to work in London past pollution, beautiful boats and wonderful wildlife