PODCAST

Scotland Outdoors

BBC Radio Scotland

A topical guide to life in the Scottish outdoors.

science nature

All Episodes

18:08

Veteran Cattle Breeder and Author, Harold Murray

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/07/16

Mark Stephen meets Harold Murray, veteran cattle breeder and author from North East Scotland. Now in his nineties, Harold has spent his life working with cattle and more recently has turned his hand to writing and poetry

83:10

Screaming Swifts, Flapperskate and a Pictish Hill...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/07/12

In a couple of weeks, swifts will leave our skies and depart for their wintering grounds in Africa. Author and naturalist Mark Cocker has spent a lifetime observing them and Rachel meets him in Crail to chat about the migrating birds and his new book One Midsummer’s Day - Swifts and the Story of Life on Earth. Never a stranger to getting his hands dirty, Mark grabs a trowel and joins community volunteers on an archaeological dig on East Lomond Hill in Fife. Chairman of the Falkland Stewardship

26:00

The Whithorn Way - Part 4 - Irvine to Ayr

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/07/09

The Whithorn Way follows an ancient pilgrim route from Glasgow to Whithorn in Dumfries and Galloway. In this episode, we begin on the waterfront at Irvine looking at the unique remains of an automatic tide signalling apparatus - we learn more about it at the Scottish Maritime Museum. This is followed by a walk along Irvine beach which can only be described as 'hoaching'. As they wander along the beach to Troon, Mark and Rachel contemplate the appeal of modern day pilgrimage. We also hear some

84:18

Concorde, Coastal Rowing and the Bordered Brown Lacewing

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/07/05

Mark visits a Moray estate to hear about the incredible rescue of 3 osprey chicks after wildfires raged through vast areas of the Highlands and neighbouring MorayCampaigner David Brown specialises in removing fishing debris from our beaches, Rachel pops along to Cairnbulg Harbour by Fraserburgh to find out about his ghost net campaignMark visits the National Museum of Flight in East Lothian as they celebrate their 50th anniversary. He speaks to curator Ian Brown about the Avro Vulcan bomber and gets

24:00

Journeying with Josie Vallely and Maisie the Horse

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/07/02

Josie Vallely - also known as Quinie - is a multi disciplinary artist based in Glasgow. She also loves horses and spends her free time exploring the Scottish countryside - mostly on foot - with her horse Maisie. Helen goes out for a walk with Josie and Maisie near Dumbarton and tunes into their slow approach to moving through the world.

84:08

The Pirates Graveyard, Peas and a Zulu Fishing Boat

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/06/28

We have another excerpt from the teams Whithorn Way pilgrimage, this time Rachel meets Stuart Wilson and Brian Boyd from the Ancient Society of Kilwinning Archers and hears all about a very surprising annual event!Mark has a trip on a Loch Ness with Frida Newton as they celebrate Jacobite Cruisers 50th anniversaryRachel visits the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther where they have the only Zulu fishing boat in the UK. Curator Julia Branch and musician Esther Swift - who has composed a piece of

31:54

The Whithorn Way - Part 3 - Lochwinnoch to Irvine

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/06/25

The Whithorn Way follows an ancient pilgrim route from Glasgow to Whithorn in Dumfries and Galloway. In this episode, Mark and Rachel visit the Lochwinnoch Community Larder where food waste from supermarkets is re-distributed to the community. This is followed by a refreshing visit to the Lynn Sprout waterfall. Then it's off to Kilwinning to meet the Ancient Society of Kilwinning Archers. Mark and Helen then take the Garnock Valley Cycle Way to Irvine, whilst Rachel stops off at the Garnock Floods

82:29

Summer Solstice, Royal Highland Show and Composting

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/06/21

Mark and Helen visit Ingliston for this year’s Royal Highland Show. They meet a nurse with her prize winning Highland cow and They also explore the history of the Highland pony, and its enduring connection to Scotland’s rural heritage.A festival devoted entirely to composting is taking place in Fife. Rachel visits Cambo Gardens to discover what it's all about, with head gardener Callum Halstead as her guide.Mark and Rachel will be speaking to author Keli Tomlin about the significance of the summer

21:09

Wild Scottish Flavour Wheel

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/06/18

The Perthshire scientist hopes the wheel will encourage people to rediscover some of the lost tastes and uses of our wild plants.

83:04

Findhorn Water Taxi, Roundabout Gardens and Elie Sand...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/06/14

Rachel catches up with Nick Ray who previously kayaked around the coast of Scotland, sharing his journey and mental health challenges on social media throughout that year.He’s just completed another journey but walking this time, from far north to south via east and west. Rachel finds out why he decided to hang up his kayak for this challenge.Mark’s in Aberdeenshire and hears from Jim Wilson from Soil Essentials .who tells him how a spot sprayer is going to change the world!Bobby Motherwell, the

29:21

The Whithorn Way - Part 2 - Paisley to Lochwinnoch

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/06/11

The Whithorn Way follows an ancient pilgrim route from Glasgow to Whithorn in Dumfries and Galloway. In this episode, Mark and Rachel start with a quick stop off at Renfrew to contemplate the motivation for pilgrimage in medieval times. Then they head to Paisley Cathedral to learn about the unearthing of a drain which revealed a slate containing musical notation from the 1400's. And they end up at the RSPB's Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve for a bit of wildlife watching and poetry.

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

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