Scotland Outdoors

BBC Radio Scotland
  • 4.7 (239)
  • NATURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

A topical guide to life in the Scottish outdoors.

  1. 2D AGO

    Lunan Bay Footsteps

    Mark Stephen speaks to Kate Britton about the race to preserve a 2000 year old footprint.

    22 min

  2. 6D AGO

    White Hens, Bere Barley and Migrating Toads

    Mark meets Gordon Whiteford at his farm in Buckie and finds out why white eggs are making a comeback. Bere barley is an ancient crop once grown all over the country, but today it’s mostly found in the Highlands and Islands. Scientists are now exploring whether it could thrive more widely again and if different varieties suit different areas. Rachel speaks with Tim George, Director of the International Barley Hub at the James Hutton Institute, to find out more. Mark visits the Castle Gallery in Inverness to speak to artist Jonathan Shearer about his current exhibition ‘A Life with Trees’ which features a collection of works that reflect Jonathan’s long-standing connection to the natural world. Mark and Rachel are joined by Keli Tomlin to discuss the Seasonal Wheel of the Year and the joy of Spring. Every spring, toads migrate to their breeding ponds, often crossing busy roads along the way. Volunteers and park rangers from Historic Environment Scotland, head out early each morning to help them stay safe. Ranger, Matt McCabe and Rachel are on the look out for any toads on the move at Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. Marcus Cordock chats to head miller Ali Harcus of Barony Mill, the last working watermill in Orkney and the only place on Earth still grinding bere. Dan Snowdon from RSPB Scotland and Rachel take a walk around the Lochwinnoch Reserve to enjoy the sounds and sights of Spring. In this week’s podcast excerpt, Helen Needham meets artist Ilana Halperin in Newlands Park, Glasgow and hears all about a very special volcano.

    1h 24m

  3. MAR 18

    Connecting with Deep Time, a Special Volcano and Planet Mars with Artist Ilana Halperin

    Helen Needham hears from artist Ilana Halperin in Newlands Park in Glasgow

    25 min

  4. MAR 14

    Corbetts, Snowdrops and a Talkative Raven

    Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors

    1h 24m

  5. MAR 14

    Corbetts, Snowdrops and a Talkative Raven

    Mark meets Christopher Valentine-Allan who is growing mushrooms for the restaurant market in a repurposed nuclear bunker in Edinburgh. Rachel learns the art of grass whistling with listener Mike Hendry and his sons, 7 year old Innes and 10 year old George. Mark and Rachel are joined by BBC China Correspondent Laura Bicker who has just returned from a trip sailing to Antarctica on the Bark Europa tall ship. Rab Anderson has recently released a fully revised and definitive edition of the Scottish Mountaineering Club’s original guidebook that describes the best walking routes on Scotland’s 222 Corbetts. Mark catches up with Rab near Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh to discuss The Corbetts. The Brechin Buccaneers have won Cricketer magazine’s UK’s Greenest Cricket Ground competition. Rachel chats to Tanya Aldred from the Cricketer and Grant Hutchison from the club. In this week’s podcast excerpt, Mark is near Glen Prosen with Amy Buckley and her Raven called Fable who has a large repertoire of vocalisations. Helen Needham chats to Sarah Morbey an organic farmer in Aberdeenshire who, after growing wheat successfully on her farm, would like to establish a local grain economy for people in her area. Last year, residents in Comrie in Perthshire got together to save thousands of snowdrops which they feared were about to be destroyed by new flood defence work in the area. Now, they plan to make Comrie the first snowdrop village. Rachel meets Andrew Ryalls who has become a bit of a master planter.

    1h 24m

  6. MAR 14

    Corbetts, Snowdrops and a Talkative Raven

    Mark meets Christopher Valentine-Allan who is growing mushrooms for the restaurant market in a repurposed nuclear bunker in Edinburgh. Rachel learns the art of grass whistling with listener Mike Hendry and his sons, 7 year old Innes and 10 year old George. Mark and Rachel are joined by BBC China Correspondent Laura Bicker who has just returned from a trip sailing to Antarctica on the Bark Europa tall ship. Rab Anderson has recently released a fully revised and definitive edition of the Scottish Mountaineering Club’s original guidebook that describes the best walking routes on Scotland’s 222 Corbetts. Mark catches up with Rab near Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh to discuss The Corbetts. The Brechin Buccaneers have won Cricketer magazine’s UK’s Greenest Cricket Ground competition. Rachel chats to Tanya Aldred from the Cricketer and Grant Hutchison from the club. In this week’s podcast excerpt, Mark is near Glen Prosen with Amy Buckley and her Raven called Fable who has a large repertoire of vocalisations. Helen Needham chats to Sarah Morbey an organic farmer in Aberdeenshire who, after growing wheat successfully on her farm, would like to establish a local grain economy for people in her area. Last year, residents in Comrie in Perthshire got together to save thousands of snowdrops which they feared were about to be destroyed by new flood defence work in the area. Now, they plan to make Comrie the first snowdrop village. Rachel meets Andrew Ryalls who has become a bit of a master planter.

    1h 24m

  7. MAR 11

    Living with Fable the Raven

    Mark Stephen meets Amy Buckley and her Raven called Fable

    18 min

  8. MAR 7

    A Cornucopia of Wildlife including Bees, Dolphins and Beetles

    The impact of cruise ship light pollution on bird species is the focus of research presented at Scotland’s Nature Student Conference at Stirling University. Rachel chats to Adam Woodward who explored the issue as part of his master’s degree. Cromarty is home to one of the world’s longest running bottlenose dolphin research programmes. Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone join Research Fellow Dr Barbara Cheney from Aberdeen University to discover how AI is helping to uncover new insights into the dolphin population. In Milngavie, Mark talks to Dr Davide Dominoni of Glasgow University about how wildlife copes with and adapts to urban environments. Back at Scotland’s Nature Student Conference, Rachel talks to whale scientist Dr Penny Clarke about studying mass stranding from space. Mark is at Abernethy Forest Lodge with RSPB Residential Volunteer Catriona MacIntosh to find out how beetle surveys are contributing to a habitat disturbance and restoration project designed to improve capercaillie habitat and wider biodiversity. In this week’s podcast excerpt, Rachel speaks to poet Anne Wiseman about Crovie’s past and its fragile future. Queen bees are emerging from their hibernation into the spring sun. Rachel and Mark are joined by Paul Hetherington of BugLife to find out what bees are up to at this time of year and how we can support them in our own gardens. Dr Désirée Coral’s exhibition ‘Essays on Salt – The First Harvest’ incorporates salt alongside glass, clay, video, photography, and ready-made objects tied to salt harvesting and trade. Mark meets Désirée at the Worm Gallery in Aberdeen to find out how she harvested seawater and evaporated it herself in St Andrews and Aberdeen to create the exhibition.

    1h 23m
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Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
239 Ratings

About

A topical guide to life in the Scottish outdoors.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio Scotland
  • Years Active
    2007 - 2026
  • Episodes
    754
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Scotland Outdoors

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