PODCAST

Scotland Outdoors

BBC Radio Scotland

A topical guide to life in the Scottish outdoors.

science nature

All Episodes

83:01

Saltmarshes, Shinty and A Horse's Tooth

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/10/25

The Mither Tap forms part of the range of hills collectively known as Bennachie in Aberdeenshire. Mark takes a stroll with Peter Stock and Alan Henderson of Bailies of Bennachie to discover plans to restore the path to the Mither Tap.Jenny Graham joins the Strong Mum Club baby hike near Inverness to find out how mums in the group are benefitting from getting outdoors and socialising together.In this week’s podcast excerpt, Rachel meets Tom Bowser, author of Waters of Life, Fighting for Scotland’s

23:58

Tom Bowser, author of Waters of Life, Fighting for...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/10/22

Rachel Stewart meets Tom Bowser, author of Waters of Life, Fighting for Scotland's Beavers at his farm in Perthshire where in November 2021 a family of beavers were relocated

55:25

Campervans, Catching Leaves and a Community Garden

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/10/18

Mark Stephen and Jenny Graham with stories from the great outdoors.

18:48

The Power of the View with Alec Finlay

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/10/15

A conversation between geographer and writer Hayden Lorimer and Alec Finlay, in which Alec describes his creative practice around limit and how he came to appreciating and celebrating the View.

82:31

The Sound of Beavers, Larch Trees and the Home of the...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/10/11

A multimedia installation which explores the role of beavers on an estate in Perthshire is part of this year’s soundfestival in the north east. Rachel joins composer and musician Dave Maric to learn more about Silent Architects.Mark takes a stroll in Falkirk with writer Rebecca Smith to appreciate the beauty of larch trees and new techniques to protect them.One of Shetland's small outer Isles recently saw the first working tractor in over thirty years tend to the land. Eva Runciman meets Ethan

26:23

Roy Dennis - Highland Cows and Capercaillies

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/10/08

Mark Stephen meets conservationist Roy Dennis to explore an innovative project in Moray, where the introduction of Highland cows to a wooded landscape is helping to restore Scotland's capercaillie population.

84:13

Snorkelling Artists, Acorns and Access

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/10/04

Since 2021, Argyll Hope Spot’s Snorkelling Artists Residency has been offering artists the opportunity to explore the marine habitats of Argyll and create artwork inspired by what they find beneath the waves. Mark dons his wetsuit to join printmaker Louise Scammell and artist and writer Jane Smith who are helping to run the residency.Last week, Scottish Ministers approved a new seasonal byelaw to ban campfires and barbecues in the Cairngorms National Park at the most high risk times of the year

27:39

An Historic Sailing Ship - The Bessie Ellen

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/10/01

The Bessie Ellen is a unique sailing ship which has been lovingly restored by Nikki Alford. Originally from the South West of England, she spends most of her time sailing in Scottish waters. Writer Linda Cracknell has a personal association with the ship after she started looking into her family history and discovered that she comes from a long line of sea farers. Helen Needham gets a tour of this beautiful ship whilst she was moored up in Inverness and hears about Linda's book 'Sea Marked'.

82:19

A Kitchen Garden, The Trossachs Explorer and 200...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/09/27

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors.

22:48

Life, Death and the Outdoors with Juliet Robertson

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/09/24

'Upsetting content warning' - Juliet talks very openly about her terminal illness which some people may find upsetting.

83:45

Trees, Trains and Spiders

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/09/20

Leslie Heritage Group in Fife came up with an ambitious project designed to unearth more information about the ancient village’s history and raised money for an archaeological dig. Rachel went along to day one of the excavation to learn more from Group members Bill Carr and Bill Fiet and archaeologist Philip Karsgaard.Woodland Trust Scotland has developed a database which maps social depravation against canopy cover and gives each neighbourhood a ‘tree equity score.’ Kevin Keane meets the Trust’s

27:56

RRS Discovery

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/09/17

Mark Stephen visits Dundee to hear how a consignment of teak which was salvaged from a sunken steamer ship in the Irish Sea is now being used as part of the RRS Discovery restoration project

81:48

Counting Butterflies, Carriage Driving and Nature...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/09/13

The North East Open Studios allows people to meet artists and makers, often in their own workspaces. Rachel is welcomed by Marguerite Fleming from Westfield Croft in Aberdeenshire who has a rare breed fibre flock which she uses to create hand woven rugs and yarns.Around this time last year, Mark visited Scott Campbell on his farm at Kinellar in Aberdeenshire when the rain that had played havoc with his crops. Mark catches up with Scott to find out how the barley has fared this year.The results of

20:59

The Beauty of Moths

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/09/10

Mark Stephen visits Insh Marshes near Aviemore in the early hours to meet a couple of moth enthusiasts and discover the contents of the moth trap they had set the night before

81:34

Rooks, Disc Golf and Autumnal Activities

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/09/06

The University of St Andrews is using ancient rocks from Torridon to test instruments that will be used on the Mars Rover to look for evidence of life. Mark meets Dr Claire Cousins in the lab.Rod and Niccy Angus opened the Scottish Owl Centre in West Lothian in 2012 and are now looking for new people to take over the attraction. It’s the largest collection of owls in the world and Rachel hears how the origins of the venture can be traced back to one species.Phil Sime takes a trip to Inverness

26:48

Scottish Owl Centre - End of an Era

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/09/03

Rachel Stewart meets the owners of the Scottish Owl Centre as they prepare for retirement

82:15

Coal Carrying Championships, Life on St Kilda and...

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/08/30

The Bikery in Huntly, Aberdeenshire aims to repair and resell old bikes to stop them ending up in landfill. Rachel chats to team members Stuart Pow and Laura McNeil about the Bikery’s mission, before heading to the workshop to learn how the project teaches mechanical skills.Josh Donaldson from Arbroath became an internet sensation after posting videos clearing up litter from his local forests, beaches and streets. In an excerpt from our midweek podcast, Mark joins Josh to find out how he is

21:19

Josh Donaldson - Litter Picking

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/08/27

Mark Stephen speaks to Josh Donaldson from Arbroath who became a Tick Tock sensation after posting videos of him clearing up litter from his local forests, beaches and streets. As well as coming across the usual litter such as plastic bottles, cans and crisp packets, he’s even found a grenade. Now with a following of 1.5 million fans as far as the USA and Vietnam, Josh is motivating thousands to do the same.

84:21

Rivers, Fossils and Hot Air Balloons

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/08/23

Mark is back with Heritage Engagement Manager Ingrid Shearer on the banks of the River Clyde to discuss one of Scotland’s first access rights success stories, the case of Harvie’s Dyke.Also on the Clyde, Helen Needham takes a wander with author Louise Welsh and architect Jude Barber, who are asking for recognition of the legal personhood status of the river.Helen and Mark are joined by Chris Romer-Lee who co-founded Swimmable Cities to discuss how we can swim in our urban waterways once more and the

31:12

Rivers with Robert Macfarlane

Scotland Outdoors ·

2025/08/20

Helen Needham discusses the 'aliveness' of rivers with writer Robert Macfarlane

710 results

Scotland Outdoors

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

X Minus 1 - Old Time Radio Show

Inception Point Ai

Science, Spoken

WIRED

This Week in Space (Audio)

TWiT

DarshanTalks Podcast

Darshan Kulkarni

The Best of Coast to Coast AM

iHeartPodcasts and Coast to Coast AM