Scotland Outdoors

BBC Radio Scotland
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Scotland Outdoors

A topical guide to life in the Scottish outdoors.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Finding Hope in a Crisis with Climate Activist Matt Sowerby

    Helen Needham speaks with climate activist and writer Matt Sowerby

    22 min

  2. 6 DAYS AGO

    The Skipinnish Oak, Laggan Wolftrax and Fair Isle

    Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors

    1h 23m

  3. 6 NOV

    Kidnapped and the Stevenson Way - Part 1

    We've dug into our archive to bring you a programme originally broadcast in 2012 when Mark Stephen followed the route taken by protagonist David Balfour in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, 'Kidnapped'. In this first section, it's a brief visit to the Hawes Inn in South Queensferry before taking a boat to the Island of Erraid - which sits off Mull - and the magnificent beach where Davey found himself shipwrecked. Mark is following the Stevenson Way.

    33 min

  4. 2 NOV

    Caledonian Pines, Cider and the North Coast 500

    A recent report showed that almost a quarter of all ancient pinewoods are at risk of disappearing altogether. Earlier this week, Mark attended Scotland’s Pinewood Conference in Fort William to find out what’s being done to preserve these woodlands It’s prime cider making time. Rachel visits Digby Lamotte at his cider making business in Perth to follow the process of producing this increasingly popular drink In the late 1700s, Dr James Mounsey, a physician, is said to have smuggled out several pounds of rhubarb seeds - worth more than gold - out of Russia to his home of Edinburgh, where he was soon honoured with the Freedom of the City. Author Barclay Price has written about James Mounsey and others in his new book Honoured by Edinburgh The North Coast 500,a hugely popular tourist route in the North of Scotland, attracts thousands of visitors each year. David Richardson of the NC 500 joins the programme to talk about the new NC500 pledge - an initiative created to encourage visitors to experience the route responsibly and respectfully Kiri Stone is the person behind woodswoman workshops in Fife. Rachel went along to one of the outdoors workshops Tracey Howe has just embarked on 5000 mile walk round the UK coastline. Following the death of her wife of nearly 40 years, Tracey found herself depressed and unable to leave the house but owning a dog forced her to get outside. Linda Sinclair met Tracey on one her final training walks

    1h 23m

  5. 26 OCT

    Montrose Mosquitoes, the Grey Lady of Glamis Castle and Life as a Lighthouse Keeper

    Mark is back at the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Montrose Basin site, but this time it isn’t geese he’s looking for, it’s mosquitos. Mark hears about the monitoring programme that the Basin is part of and why it’s important to track mosquitos for human health and also bird health. Back in 2021 Storm Arwen wreaked havoc on the North East causing lots of damage including to some of the buildings at the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh. Recently Rachel went for a visit to see how the repair work was progressing. The archipelago of St Kilda, the most westerly islands of the UK, is a wild place with a fascinating history. It was inhabited until 1930 by very hardy folks, many of whom were adept at climbing the cliffs and sea stacks to hunt for birds and their eggs. St Kilda’s climbing history is now being explored in a new film by professional climber and filmmaker Robbie Phillips. Helen Needham met up with Robbie to hear about how the film came about. Earlier in the week, it was announced that Jim McColl had died at the age of 89. Jim was one of the presenters of BBC Scotland’s Beechgrove Garden from its outset until his retirement from the programme in 2019. We hear an archive clip of Mark chatting to Jim about how he got involved in the first place. Back to the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh where Rachel hears about a project to restore one of the old lighthouse keepers’ cottages to how it might have looked in 1963. And we chat live to Mike Bullock, chief executive of the Northern Lighthouse Board, about the role of modern day lighthouse keepers. From now until Halloween, Glamis Castle near Forfar will be running what they are calling Ghosts of Glamis tours. Mark recently went along to hear some of the ghostly tales and see if he could spot any spooky goings on… In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast Mark chats to Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer, Head of Restoration at the Beaver Trust. We hear an excerpt where Roisin tells Mark about her early involved in the re-introduction of beavers to Scotland. If you read the Guardian newspaper, you may be familiar with the Country Diary. It’s a daily natural history column which offers the reader seasonal observations and snapshots of the British Countryside. Recently Rachel met one of the regular contributors, Merryn Glover, at Loch Inch in the Highlands and asked her to reflect on what autumn means to her.

    1h 24m

  6. 23 OCT

    Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer, Head of Restoration at the Beaver Trust

    Mark Stephen meets Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer, Head of Restoration at the Beaver Trust. They meet at the Argaty Beaver Project near Doune in Perthshire to discuss her love of the mammal and how the reintroduction of the species is progressing

    31 min

  7. 19 OCT

    Islay Part Two

    Mark and Rachel with the second part of their visit the island of Islay, the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides. The RSPB has two reserves on the island, one at Loch Gruinart and one at The Oa, which is where Mark and Rachel met warden David Dinsley to try and spot one of the bird species Islay is known for, the chough. Artist Heather Dewar was born on Islay in the 1940s, and although she moved away as a child, she returned regularly until she retired there. We chat to her about what makes Islay such a special place and hear some of her childhood memories. Islay is in a strategically important place in terms of shipping and trade. And between 1914 and 1918 the waters around it were an important route for troopships. Two incidents brought the First World War to the doors of the islanders, and author Les Wilson tells us about one of them and the impact it had on Islay. We also hear about a rather remarkable American flag which was made on the island and has been returned there after spending quite some time in the USA. And we couldn’t visit Islay, and island with ten, nearly 11 distilleries, and not talk about whisky. People come from all across the world to visit the distilleries and taste the drams with their unique Islay style. Rachel chats to Rachel MacNeill from the Islay Whisky Academy about how she gets people passionate about whisky. And we visit the Kilchoman Distillery to hear from Sharon McHarrie about how they are continuing some of the old traditions in their comparatively young distillery.

    56 min

  8. 16 OCT

    Islay Part One

    Mark and Rachel visit the island of Islay, the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides. They take a walk with gamekeeper turned outdoor guide, DJ MacPhee, to get an overview of the island which has a diverse range of landscapes and habitats. They then head to Loch Finlaggan, the seat of the Lord of the Isles, a site of huge significance for hundreds of years, and hear all about its history from Mairead Mackechnie of the Loch Finlaggan Trust. Next they visit a re-discovered ancient lifting stone on the shores of Loch Gruinart. Niall Colthart tells them about the legends attached to it and Mark tries his hand at lifting it.

    30 min
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About

A topical guide to life in the Scottish outdoors.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio Scotland
  • Years Active
    2007 - 2024
  • Episodes
    613
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2024
  • Show Website
    Scotland Outdoors

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