Small country lane initially badly laid across island (8)
I believe the answer is:
lilliput
'small country' is the definition.
'lilliput' can be an answer for 'country' (I have seen 'fictional country' mean 'lilliput' so perhaps 'country' could also mean 'lilliput'). I am not certain of the 'small' bit.
'lane initially badly laid across island' is the wordplay.
'initially' indicates taking the first letters.
'badly' becomes 'ill' (eg in ill-advised).
'laid' becomes 'put'.
'across' is an insertion indicator.
'island' becomes 'i' (geographical abbreviation).
The initial letter of 'lane' is 'l'.
'ill'+'put'='illput'
'illput' going around 'i' is 'illiput'.
'l'+'illiput'='LILLIPUT'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for lilliput that I've seen before include "home for little people" , "Country visited by Gulliver on his travels" , "Swift's fictional land of little people" , "Jonathan Swift's land of little people" , "Dean Swift's land of little people compared to Gulliver" .)