Love Scotland: Stories of Scotland's History and Nature

National Trust for Scotland
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Love Scotland: Stories of Scotland's History and Nature

Love Scotland is a fortnightly podcast series from the National Trust for Scotland. Hosted by TV star, expert broadcaster and National Trust for Scotland president Jackie Bird, Love Scotland features big names, experts and enthusiasts from all walks of life. Each episode delves deep into the detail of Scotland’s history, its wildlife and its landscapes.

  1. Life on Canna: part one

    27 JUN

    Life on Canna: part one

    In the first of a two-part visit to the Isle of Canna, Jackie meets the team behind Canna House: the former home of Gaelic scholars John Lorne Campbell and Margaret Fay Shaw. The National Trust for Scotland has recently complete a nine-year programme of repair and restoration to the house, which now has a strong sense of being a lived-in, post-war home. Jackie finds out all about the house’s history, the work down by John and Margaret, and the cultural significance of the Canna collection. With grateful thanks to all those who have supported our conservation and reimagination of Canna House and Archives, through individual donations and gifts given in Wills. We are especially grateful to the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA and to the members of our Patrons' Club & Founders' Circle for their ongoing love for and support of Canna. To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Next week, Jackie heads to sea to meet Canna’s winged inhabitants. For more information on the Canna House project, click here. For more on Canna, click here.

    34 min
  2. Into the hills: 25 years of the Footpath Fund

    13 JUN

    Into the hills: 25 years of the Footpath Fund

    This week, Jackie is off to Glencoe to meet the National Trust for Scotland’s footpaths team – a hard-working group who protect hundreds of miles of paths across the country. In a year that also marks the 25 years of the Footpath Fund, which supports the team’s work, Jackie finds out what it takes to maintain the Trust’s path network. Jackie discovers the challenges of rewards of a job that takes the team to some of Scotland’s highest peaks, their secrets to success, and the real world consequences of the paths they maintain. To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For more information on the Footpath Fund, click here. For more on Glencoe, click here.

    34 min
  3. A beginner's guide to the real Macbeth

    30 MAY

    A beginner's guide to the real Macbeth

    Double, double, toil and trouble… the Scottish play… out, damned spot! William Shakespeare’s take on Macbeth has well and truly embedded itself in our culture. The play, written in the early 17th century, charts how an ambitious Macbeth turns to violence in order to realise a prophetic vision of becoming King of Scotland. But what of the real Macbeth, who really did sit upon the Scottish throne? What is known of this 11th century monarch? And how much of his life can be compared to the fictitious monarch of Shakespeare’s play? To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For more information on Iona, click here.

    34 min
  4. Life on the Home Front

    16 MAY

    Life on the Home Front

    In the second of our Second World War-themed episodes, Jackie heads to Tenement House in Glasgow to hear about the experiences of an ordinary woman who lived during this extraordinary chapter of history. Agnes Toward, who lived at Tenement House from 1911 until 1965, preserved her furniture and belongings as a way of creating a frozen time capsule. Nowadays, visitors can experience how things would have been for Toward during both world wars and their aftermaths. How did life change for Glaswegians during the war? What does Toward’s writing tell us about how society reacted to the outbreak of the conflict? And what were the lasting changes post-war? To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For more information on Tenement House, click here.

    31 min
  5. Whatever happened to the Haddo babies?

    2 MAY

    Whatever happened to the Haddo babies?

    With the 80th anniversary of VE Day less than a week away, Jackie heads to Aberdeenshire to find out more about the Haddo babies: the more than 1,250 children born at Haddo House when it became an emergency maternity unit during the Second World War. Discover how the stately home was transformed into a makeshift hospital, and what happened to those babies after the war. Jackie sits down with visitor services supervisor Claire Russell and Haddo baby Jean Glately to discuss the history of the house, the realities of converting it into a maternity ward, and the story of Jean and her mother. To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For more information on Haddo House, click here

    26 min
  6. Partner episode: General Wolfe | The Battle of Culloden

    30 APR

    Partner episode: General Wolfe | The Battle of Culloden

    This episode is the second part of a partnership between the National Trust for Scotland and the National Trust. Scroll back for Love Scotland's episode about Lord George Murray. General James Wolfe, the 'boy solider' who joined the military at 14 and fought in one of Britain's bloodiest battles while he was still a teenager. National Trust historian James Grasby visits Wolfe’s childhood home to find out what would shape him into becoming a soldier at such a young age and delves into his involvement in The Battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1746. Presenter: Jame Grasby Producer: Claire Hickinbotham Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez Contributors Ghazala Jabeen – National Trust, Quebec House Freddie Matthews – Historian and Cultural Heritage Curator Stephen Brumwell – History writer - brumwellhistory.com Discover more You can visit General Wolfe’s childhood home, Quebec House │ Kent | National Trust, which was renamed in his honour after his victory at The Battle of Quebec and see where he grew up, as well as Henrietta’s cookbook, and the robe his body is thought to have been brought back to Britain with. You can also visit the battlefield at Culloden | National Trust for Scotland

    25 min
  7. Lord George Murray with Murray Pittock

    18 APR

    Lord George Murray with Murray Pittock

    In the first of a two-episode partnership between the National Trust for Scotland and the National Trust, join host Jackie Bird as she uncovers the life of a leading general in the Battle of Culloden. Historian and National Trust for Scotland Trustee Professor Murray Pittock reveals the story of Lieutenant General George Murray, a nobleman and soldier who was involved in each of the 18th century Jacobite Uprisings. His relationship with Charles Edward Stuart and the Jacobite soldiers, not to mention his shifting allegiance, make him a compelling figure from the period. Later in April 2025, we’ll also release an episode produced by the National Trust detailing the life of Jams Wolfe, a British Army general who fought for the government at Culloden. To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For more information on Culloden, click here. If you’d like to support our work protecting Scotland’s wild places, please join the Wild Scotland campaign. You may also like some of our previous episodes on Culloden. Scroll through our podcast feed to find instalments on Flora MacDonald, Scotland’s most consequential battles, and how the events of Culloden influenced the world. If you’d like to help the Trust protect the battlefield and the views that surround it from the increasing threats of development, you can donate to the Culloden Fighting Fund. Find all the details you need here.

    32 min
  8. A beginner’s guide to Scottish Enlightenment

    4 APR

    A beginner’s guide to Scottish Enlightenment

    Do you know your Adam Smith from your Adam Ferguson? What was it that sparked a historical period overflowing with ideas, intellect and philosophical musings? And what did Enlightenment ever do for Scotland? Jackie is joined by Dr Alasdair Raffe, senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, to unpick the tapestry of this fascinating era, meeting some of the key thinkers, makers and doers who made their impact during the 18th century. No matter how familiar you are with the Scottish Enlightenment, this episode covers the very basics, leaving you with a better understanding of an important and consequential period of European history. To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For more information on Newhailes, click here. For more information on the wildlife at Trust places, click here. --- Alasdair’s book, Scotland in Revolution, 1685-1690, is available now.

    32 min
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Love Scotland is a fortnightly podcast series from the National Trust for Scotland. Hosted by TV star, expert broadcaster and National Trust for Scotland president Jackie Bird, Love Scotland features big names, experts and enthusiasts from all walks of life. Each episode delves deep into the detail of Scotland’s history, its wildlife and its landscapes.

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