This book outlines the changes occurring in Britain's rural areas and their impact on people's lives. It challenges the image of the 'rural idyll' which many of the nation's city dwellers hold. A key feature of the book is the use of local case-study material to illustrate the major themes identified from a broader evaluation of the topics. This approach gives readers a better feel for the nature and implications of social change in the countryside than can be obtained from standard texts on rural geography.