PODCAST

Scotland Outdoors

BBC Radio Scotland

A topical guide to life in the Scottish outdoors.

science nature

All Episodes

81:05

Shetland Dandelions, a Moray Firth Whale and a...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/06/07

A new initiative in Buchan called Sma Wids to encourage farmers and landowners to plant trees, the largest surviving ice house in the UK at Spey Bay, lapwing chick ringing in Upper Deeside, the rare dandelions of Shetland, the seabird village of Fowlsheugh near Stonehaven and the latest news from the osprey nest at Loch Garten plus the tale of a medieval drain at Paisley Abbey along with the dramatic demise of an orca whale at Spey Bay on the Moray Firth in the 1960s

23:21

Lapwing Ringing on Deeside

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/06/04

Mark Stephen visits Auchnerran, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust farm on Deeside to watch some lapwing chicks being ringed by research assistant Max Wright and data collector Honor Jones

83:34

Dendrochronology, Seals and The Salt Path

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/05/31

Dendrochronology is a niche field of study, used to work out the age of trees, forests and wooden objects. However, it is not only useful for looking at the past, but also for considering how to manage wooded areas in the future. Mark met with expert dendrochronologist Dr Coralie Mills, and Borders Forest Trust Project Officer, Catriona Patience, to find out more about more about these scientific methods, and how they have informed forest management.Drones can have a lot of potential for wildlife

31:05

The Whithorn Way - Part 1 - Glasgow

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/05/28

The Whithorn Way follows an ancient pilgrim route from Glasgow to Whithorn in Dumfries and Galloway. In this episode, Mark and Rachel focus on the start of the journey at Glasgow Cathedral. Mark and Helen cycle down to Glasgow Green and imagine how pilgrims would have crossed the River Clyde. They then follow the River westwards to the new Govan- Partick pedestrian bridge. In Govan, they meet up with Rachel and go to the Govan Old Kirk where there are some unique Viking graves.

82:35

A Coast to Coast Backpack Challenge, Beekeeping in...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/05/24

Nature-based solutions are a key tool in solving environmental problems such as flooding. Rachel met with Dr Rebecca Wade from Abertay University, who is a big advocate for these solutions, to find out more about how they are actually implemented, and why they are so important.The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s demonstration farm in Auchnerran near Logie Coldstone, is home to numerous species of wading birds, but has had significant issues in the past with nest predation from badgers and

25:48

Nature-based Solutions and the Changing Climate

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/05/21

Rachel Stewart meets environmental scientist Dr Rebecca Wade from Abertay University.

81:54

Willow Weaving, Wild Food and the Isle of Whithon - A...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/05/17

This week, we are coming to you from the village of Whithorn, in Galloway, broadcasting from the replica Iron Age Roundhouse in the village.Julia Muir Watt from the Whithorn Trust, and Shaun Thomson from Building Futures Galloway feature as live guests, to share the history of the area, and the importance of promoting heritage crafts and building techniques within the local area.Whithorn has a thriving community enterprise in the form of the organisation All Roads Lead to Whithorn. They have

28:26

A Wild Food Journey with Mo Wilde

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/05/14

Mo Wilde is a forager, herbalist and author who is also founder of the Wild Biome Project. In this podcast, Helen Needham meets her at Cambo Estate in Fife where they go foraging and discuss the benefits of a wild food diet.

83:31

Vintage Buses, A Chelsea Garden in Glasgow and a Very...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/05/10

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors

24:17

Professor Lorna Dawson, Forensic Soil Scientist

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/05/07

Mark Stephen meets head of soil forensics at the James Hutton Institute, Professor Lorna Dawson. Mark meets Lorna at the Institute's research farm, Glensaugh in Aberdeenshire to find out what exactly her job entails

81:49

Peregrine Falcons in Glasgow, Loch Garten Ospreys and...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/05/03

Peregrine falcons have been in residence at the University of Glasgow’s Gilbert Scott Tower for a number of years now, with a new clutch of chicks being born again this year. Rachel met with Clarke Elsby from the university and John Simpson, from the Scottish Ornithologists Club, to get a glimpse of these magnificent birds of prey. Solsgirth Home Farm near Dollar is home to a large variety of animals, from sheep, to pigs, to emu. Owned and run by veterinarian Jan Dixon, the farm is passionate about

29:54

Sixty Years of the Scottish Wildlife Trust

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/04/30

Rachel Stewart speaks to Dr Kenny Taylor at the Montrose Basin about 60 years of the SWT

82:51

Birch Sap, Sailing and Boggy Marathons

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/04/26

Tennants of Elgin is a family quarrying business that has been operating out of the North East of Scotland for fifty years. They have had numerous impressive contracts across Europe, but have recently begun some work that’s a little closer to home – providing the granite for Aberdeen’s Union Street works. Mark went along to meet with Director Gavin Tennant, and find out more about the quarrying process.Muirburn is a polarising issue at the moment in Scotland, particularly in light of recent

18:12

The Poetry Path at Corbenic Camphill Community in...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/04/23

Mark Stephen visits the poetry path at Corbenic with its founder Jon Plunkett

82:53

Wildfires, Mounth Roads and East Lothian Hedgehogs

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/04/19

The Elsick Mounth is an ancient trackway, linking the River Dee to the Mearns, and is one of the routes featured in the new Scotsways guide on hill tracks. Mark and Rachel both met up with Colin Young, a Scotsways volunteer, who guided them along part of the route to point out some of the important historical and archaeological sites that can be seen from the track.Scotland’s peatlands are an iconic part of the landscape, and have been undergoing targeted restoration across the country for the last

22:36

Lorraine McCall - the Trailblazing Adventurer on the...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/04/16

Lorraine McCall from the Highlands has overcome cancer three times in recent years. She has previously climbed all of Scotland's 221 Corbetts and 282 Munros.

84:03

Inchindown Echo, Edinburgh's Herbarium and the 120...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/04/12

1LongThe Scottish Crannog Centre on the banks of Loch Tay is a bustling model Iron Age village, filled with various craftspeople to demonstrate ancient crafts and technologies. Mark went along to find out how the site has grown over the past few years, and how the construction of the crannog over the water is coming along.Jenny Graham follows the Postie’s Path – a route once taken by “Big John MacKenzie”, a post runner in the early 19th century, which runs along Strathconon Glen in the West

22:55

The Dawn Chorus with Ian Broadbent

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/04/09

Helen Needham meets with bird recorder Ian Broadbent to capture the April dawn chorus

83:53

Tattie Tastic Light Fantastic

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/04/05

Potato Enthusiast Bob Donald talks to Rachel about a community growing project in Aberdeen which has led to libraries in the north east handing out seeds and seed tatties.Mark speaks with volunteers from a walking group in Govan, who share their personal experiences with homelessness and social hardship. They’re now involved in an innovative project that aims to turn them into city tour guides.As we enter British Summer Time, Professor Danny Smith from Edinburgh University joins us to explain the

26:03

Walking and Motherhood with Writer Kerri Andrews

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/04/02

Kerri Andrews is the author of Pathfinding - On Walking, Motherhood and Freedom. She describes her own traumatic experience with pregnancy, birth and motherhood and draws on examples of other female writers and their experiences over the centuries. She also discusses the history of women and walking and her desire for a more communal child rearing experience in the UK.

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Scotland Outdoors

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