Scotland Outdoors

82:36

Edinburgh's Surf Resort, Wallace, Glasgow's Fire Dog...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/10/03

Funding is being made available to improve core paths in Aberdeen over the next few years and Rachel joined Chris York from environmental consultancy Walking the Talk to find out what a core path actually isMark visits a surf resort and he’s not had to go that far! He’s at Lost Shore in Newbridge just outside Edinburgh to find out what’s available at the inland resort which boast Europe’s largest wavepoolThis week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast excerpt features Gabriella Bennett, author of How to Build

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27:44

The Cities of the Future with an Eye to the Past

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/09/30

Helen Needham meets up with writer Gabriella Bennett to discuss her book 'How to Build a City'. They meet in Glenrothes in Fife where Gabriella spent part of her childhood.

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81:46

Wasps, Coos and Doos

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/09/26

Up until now, access from the top station of the Cairngorm funicular railway onto the mountain was not allowed outside the winter snowsports season, unless visitors were accompanied by a guide. However, as Mark went to find out, a trial is underway to allow visitors carrying GPS handsets to explore an "approved zone" in the mountain's ski area. Mark hears how the system works.Rachel is on the Newhailes Estate near Musselburgh exploring a rather unusual shell grotto. Diane Martin from the National

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29:44

The History of Portsoy Marble

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/09/23

Rachel Stewart finds out about a major heritage project linked to the distinctive stone.

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83:41

Sounds of the Canal, Rosie the Cow and a Garden on a...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/09/19

The Denburn car park in Aberdeen city centre is well known by locals, but not many people might be as familiar with what sits on top of it. Around the derelict health centre, a community group, Upper Denburn Gardens, is working to improve the site and use it to hold events. Laura Guthrie catches up with one of the volunteers, Joe, and hears about their plans.In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Mark spent time with former marine Jock Hutchison. Jock and his wife Emma run the charity Horseback

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28:52

The Healing Power of Horses with Jock Hutchison

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/09/16

Horseback UK is a charity run by Jock Hutchison and his wife Emma bringing together horses and humans to overcome some of the stresses of everyday life

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82:58

Scottish Rain, Productive Worms and an Archive of Soil

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/09/12

Mark visits the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen where researchers are carrying out a project to restore, preserve and digitise irreplaceable soil and peat maps, aerial imagery, field notebooks and survey records collected since 1947. Mark hears why Hutton Unearthed: A New National Soils and Peat Map Archive is so important for the future of soil health.Stirling is busy this weekend as Radio 2 in the Park rolls into town but one of the other popular locations near the city is Dumyat. Rachel

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24:33

Capturing the Wild with Photographer Karen Miller

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/09/09

Mark Stephen talks to former colleague Karen Miller about swapping her desk for wildlife.

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81:30

Little Egrets, Popular Peacocks and The Book of Birds

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/09/05

Mark visits NatureScot’s Forvie National Nature Reserve in Aberdeenshire where little egrets have bred in north-east Scotland for the first time. They are a welcome addition to the reserve although as manager Catriona Reid tells him, climate change is thought to be the reason that these once Mediterranean birds have travelled further north.Rachel meets the fourth finalist in the environmental category of the BBC Scotland Make a Difference Awards. EPIC, Enabling Projects in Clackmannanshire,

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28:42

The Book of Birds with Jackie Morris

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/09/02

Helen Needham discusses The Book of Birds with illustrator and artist Jackie Morris

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82:51

Surfing Quines, Sunflowers and Sea Eagles

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/08/29

Mark catches up with another of the finalists in BBC Scotland’s Make a Difference Award environmental category. Midlothian Wildflowers started as a small group of people from the Bonnyrigg and Rosewell community carrying out some guerilla gardening. Julia Pennycuik from the group tells Mark how it grew from there and why it’s been nominated for the award.This weekend Grantown on Spey in the Cairngorm National Park becomes Greentown on Spey as an environmental awareness festival is held in the town

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23:05

60 Years of the Tay Road Bridge

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/08/26

Mark Stephen climbs inside the Tay Road Bridge to mark its 60th Birthday

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83:23

Nature Journaling, Ferries on the River Tay and The...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/08/22

Mark visits Greenhead Moss Community Nature Park in Wishaw. The 100-hectare site contains many different habitats including ponds, wildflower meadows and woodlands. He takes a tour with countryside ranger Derek. Deveron Wildland is a newly established rewilding estate in Aberdeenshire. Rachel went for a visit to hear about what the plans are for the site as well as to try her hand at nature journalling. When Mark visited Maud Railway Museum earlier in the summer, he was surprised to find that one

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22:41

A 1960's Archive Special featuring Snowy Owls on...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/08/19

Helen Needham digs into the BBC Archive to share some audio gems from the past

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83:03

Inside The Scott Monument, Midnight Swimming and...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/08/15

Mark visits Glasgow’s Queen’s Park Glasshouse which was threatened with closure earlier this summer. He speaks to some of those involved in the campaign to secure its future which seems to have been successful.Rachel tries her hand at Nordic Walking which may look gentle but actually involves a full body workout! She went along to a group in Blair Atholl run by Eilidh Paterson who explained what’s involved and showed Rachel the best techniques.Over the next few weeks on Out of Doors, we’ll be

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25:24

In The Company of Sheep

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/08/12

Mark Stephen meets naturalist and author Polly Pullar in the sheep shed of her farm in Perthshire. Polly's latest book In The Company of Sheep describes her fascination with them

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84:28

Living Our Best Iron Age Life on the Banks of Loch Tay

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/08/08

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with a special programme from the Scottish Crannog Centre

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31:56

Rowing to Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve with the...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/08/05

Helen Needham visits the spectacular seabird colony on a skiff

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82:05

Island Life, Fringe by the Sea and the Strichen Staggers

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/08/01

A few weeks ago, Mark went along to a conference at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen. Under the banner of Living Labs, the institute brought together folk living in rural or island communities, and Mark chatted to Phyl Meyer from Tiree and Euan Maclachlan from Assynt to find out what sort of challenges they face in everyday life.The island of Fetlar is known as The Garden of Shetland due it being a very fertile and green. This week’s presenter Rachel Bell took a trip there and visited the

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24:52

Exploring the history and wildlife of the Island of...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2026/07/29

Mark Stephen takes a Land Rover tour of the Inner Hebridean island of Lismore to explore its history, wildlife and nature

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