The Plodcast

57:31

351. Explore a marvellous garden of bees with writer...

The Plodcast ·

2026/05/19

Professor Dave Goulson is one of Britain's foremost experts on bee ecology and conservation. And his Sussex garden is a magnificent example of how to create the perfect haven for our most precious pollinators.Plodcast host Fergus Collins enjoys a tour of this mini nature reserve and meets some of our charismatic spring bee species – while Dave tells fascinating tales of the hidden world of these astonishing insects.Dave Goulson's latest book A Bee Spotters Guide is published by The National

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10:52

Sound Escape 273. Hear the magic of willow warblers...

The Plodcast ·

2026/05/15

A mid-spring morning on the heath. Showers scud through on a brisk breeze, chased by the sun and a steady trickle of southerly arrivals. Among the grey peel of silver birch, a willow warbler and a chaffinch sing their steady descent. A wistful melancholy as the gorse begins to glow.BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Kevin Parr and introduced by Hannah

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56:53

350. A quest to find hidden urban wildlife with...

The Plodcast ·

2026/05/12

We head into the city this week with urban naturalist Amanda Tuke. Amanda is a champion of the nature on your doorstep so Plodcast host Fergus Collins met her outside Cardiff Central station to begin a quest to find wildlife on a ramble through the busy city. Listen on for a Plodcast full of surprises.Amanda's book Wild Pavements: Exploring Britain's Cities with an Urban Naturalist is published by FLINT.Photo by Lily WattsGet in touch on Facebook! Search "BBC Countryfile Magazine - Plodcast

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18:46

Sound Escape 272. Relax to the evening symphony of an...

The Plodcast ·

2026/05/08

Late afternoon meets the first tendrils of dusk and the oakwoods are empty of people. Instead, birdsong fills the half-light beneath the trees: song thrush, great tit, chiffchaff and blackbird weave their spring melodies into an enchantment. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and

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72:07

349. Haunting folk tales and beautiful art inspired...

The Plodcast ·

2026/05/05

Head into a quiet, magical corner of Herefordshire to meet artists Jackie Morris and Tamsin Abbott who have collaborated to create Wild Folk: Tales From the Stones – stories of folklore, of nature, of landscape, love and sorrow. Plodcast host Fergus Collins was lucky enough to meet the pair and hear their own wild tales – plus some enchanting readings from the book.Wild Folk: Tales from the Stones is published by Chelsea Green and is out now.For more on Jackie Morris' work visit:

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15:19

Sound Escape 271. Gaze over the sun-kissed sea on the...

The Plodcast ·

2026/05/01

It's a hazy morning on the South-West coast. The sun's rays disperse across the silent waves, glittering over passing boats. A choir of birds greet you, as you sit and watch the world awaken.BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Lewis Dobbs and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Photo by Lewis Dobbs.Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of

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56:29

348. A quest to discover the secret of painter John...

The Plodcast ·

2026/04/28

Painter John Constable (1776-1837) is today one of the most celebrated painters of the English countryside. But in his lifetime his efforts to capture the true essence of nature and rural life were often rejected by his peers. What made him so special and why is he so revered now?Now, on the 250th anniversary of Constable's birth, Plodcast host Fergus Collins meets art historian Susan Owen in 'Constable Country' on the Suffolk-Essex border to explore the great artists' world.Susan Owens' brilliant

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18:30

Sound Escape 270. Be entranced by a sensational dawn...

The Plodcast ·

2026/04/24

A cool dawn, dew-dampened and soft air. In these folds of West Dorset, it will be another hour before the sun reaches above the sharp-edged ridge in the south east, but below, where the blackthorn blossom is almost spent, the birds are in full voice.The familiar voices, blackbird, song thrush and robin, now joined now by visitors from further south, the blackcap, chiffchaff and garden warbler, all singing for space as beneath a spring sends a stream away upon its first trickle. BBC Countryfile

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54:17

347. A marvellous metal detecting quest with Lucy...

The Plodcast ·

2026/04/21

Come metal-detecting in the Essex countryside with Ellie Bruce and Lucy Gray – who call themselves Roman Found. After taking up detecting during the first Covid lockdown, Lucy and Ellie have been sharing their exciting discoveries on social media and built up a huge following. Now they have written their first book: Thing We Found in the Ground (Harper North)Plodcast host Fergus joined Ellie and Lucy for a morning's detecting – and to learn more about the world of detectorists. They even found

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10:32

Sound Escape 269. Climb up among the skylarks and the...

The Plodcast ·

2026/04/17

A track winds up onto a bleak hill top – or it looks from afar. As you get closer, you realise the land is rich in bilberries, heather and small, stunted hawthorns. Soon you are in the skylark zone – with meadow pipits singing their hearts out alongside their more famous avian cousins. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced

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61:56

346. A quest to find Britain's only venomous snake,...

The Plodcast ·

2026/04/14

This week we're in the Malverns in Worcestershire to try to find Britain's only venomous snake – the adder. Plodcast host Fergus Collins is guided by local adder expert Nigel Hand, who has spent much of his life working to protect these increasingly rare reptiles.Discover the secret life of the adder and learn why we need to respect – and even love – this springtime jewel.Photo: Steve SayersOur Facebook page is back! Search "BBC Countryfile Magazine - Plodcast Community" or join the discussion here:

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18:41

Sound Escape 268. Hear the spring song of the...

The Plodcast ·

2026/04/10

A gentle walk at this time of year can suddenly throw up a surprise. A firecrest! The thin, accelerating song of Britain's smallest bird pipes among the robins, wood pigeons and blackbirds. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Image by GettyEmail the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the

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49:05

345. Discover an extraordinary mission to make humans...

The Plodcast ·

2026/04/07

Come with us through the high security gates of a flooded quarry in the Forest of Dean to explore Deep project. Here, in the deep waters of the quarry, DEEP is experimenting with creating habitats for long-term human existence underwater. Plodcast host Fergus Collins meets Phil Short, DEEP's underwater research and training lead for a tour of this futuristic mission and its engineering wonders.Learn more about DEEP at https://www.deep.com/Photo: DEEPOur Facebook page is back! Search "BBC Countryfile

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11:20

Sound Escape 267. Gaze into the gentle currents of...

The Plodcast ·

2026/04/03

Watching ripples of river water swirl and overlap, you allow your mind to wander. The clear water’s constant stream is hypnotic as it makes the vivid green algae dance. The proud chirpings of birdsong send you into comfortable doze.BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Lewis Dobbs and introduced by Hannah Tribe.Email the Plodcast team – and send your

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53:26

344. A thrilling night-time quest to experience the...

The Plodcast ·

2026/03/31

It's night in the woods deep in the Cotswold Hills. Plodcast host Fergus joins friend and environmental writer James Fair to see if they can witness the great spring toad migration, where toads leave their winter hideouts and head across land in huge numbers to find a pond or lake to breed in. Have the daring duo left it too late? What will they find on this nocturnal ramble?Our Facebook page is back! Search "BBC Countryfile Magazine - Plodcast Community" or join the discussion here:

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18:43

Sound Escape 266. Relax to the dusk melodies of a...

The Plodcast ·

2026/03/27

As dusk falls and human activity finally slows in a small market town, a blackbird decides now's the time to release his latest album of lullabies. Slow, beguiling and wistful, his songs lifts the spirits of all within earshot.BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Image by GettyEmail the Plodcast team – and

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51:33

343. Join the Plodcast team for a lazy day's fishing...

The Plodcast ·

2026/03/24

Join the Plodcast team for a new fishing adventure, this time on the Kennet and Avon Canal in Berkshire. Writer, angler and naturalist Kevin Parr joins Fergus, Hannah, Jack and Lewis to see if they can catch an elusive but beautiful predator of the waterways. Better still, they've been given special access to a normally private stretch of this famous canal. Listen on for a truly breathtaking encounter – and make sure you listen to the very end to hear the surprising finale to the adventure.Our

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15:55

Sound Escape 265. Stirrings of spring on Llangorse Lake

The Plodcast ·

2026/03/20

A rare day of sun across the lake transforms late winter into a hint of spring. Canada geese stir and honk, a great white egret chitters overhead and excitable peeps, churs and hums from the reedbeds suggest nestbuilding and courtship among the waterbirds.BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the

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60:37

342. A journey through time, land and community with...

The Plodcast ·

2026/03/17

Award-winning countryside writer Nicola Chester joins the Plodcast this week in her home village of Inkpen in Berkshire to talk about her new book, Ghosts of the Farm. In this amazing story, she weaves her own rural experiences with those of pioneering local farmer Julia White, who farmed in Inkpen in the 1940s and 50s and oversaw fundamental changes to agriculture and the landscape that have enormous ramifications today. Plodcast host Fergus Collins was lucky enough to venture out with Nicola to

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11:38

Sound Escape 264. Take the afternoon off by pottering...

The Plodcast ·

2026/03/13

After a long day, green fingers are calling. Sat beside a quiet allotment, you take in the gentle breeze. Watching over the freshly sprouting veg and blooming bulbs, you're soothed by the murmur of fellow growers.BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Jack Bateman and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Image by GettyEmail the Plodcast team – and send your sound

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