Scotland Outdoors

In this week’s Scotland’s Outdoors podcast Mark meets loch bagger Claire Young. Claire came up with the idea of loch bagging after vertigo put a halt to her Munro bagging. We hear an excerpt where Mark chats to her about how the idea developed.

A new podcast series recorded in Aberdeen explores how nature has been shaping and changing people’s lives. Rachel meets producer Dave Black and some of those who feature in the series at Seaton Park which was recently designated as a Local Nature Conservation site.

We couldn’t let the fact that it’s Halloween slip by un-mentioned. Mark is in Rothiemurchus near Aviemore visiting the cursed grave of Seath Mor Sgorfhiaclach. Lift the stones that protect him at your peril…

Rachel visits the historic clock tower in Dufftown in Moray which is now owned by the community who have plans to revamp it. She hears about the history of the site and what the community hope to use it for.

Mark explores the impressive sandstone cliffs around Arbroath with geologist Morag Smith. Morag tells him about the striking red colour of sandstone that is common in that area and what we can tell about the cliffs and caves from their geology.

Calum Mackenzie runs seal watching boat trips from Plockton on Loch Carron and is something of a local character. His trips are hugely popular, and he even promises your money back if you don’t spot any seals! Rachel went along to test his promise and see what other wildlife they could spot.

We delve into the archives to hear some of the Halloween traditions of years gone by. And author Rosie Steer tells us about the connection of the festival to the changing seasons.

And to prepare you for a spooky Halloween evening of TV viewing, we chat live to Zara Gladman, one of the hosts of the new BBC Scotland series Mythland. Accompanied by parapsychologist Evelyn Hollow, Zara explores some of Scotland’s myths and spooky tales in the series. She tells us what it was like to investigate with Evelyn and what she learnt during the series.

Mark Stephen learns about the pursuit of Loch Bagging with its inventor, Clare Young

Mark is in Aberdeen where hair from a grey squirrel has been in found in feeder boxes. That might not sound very unusual, but the city was close to eradicating the non-native species which spread disease which kills the native red squirrels. James Kennedy from Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels shows Mark the area the greys are thought to be.

Anne McAlpine is in the village of Tomatin in the Highlands to find out about a development which is aiming to tackle issues around rural housing. She hears how local groups have worked together with the Scottish Government to make the project happen.

In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Mark visits Stobs Military Camp near Hawick to discover its history from a training camp in the early 1900s to a resettlement camp after the second world war. Andrew Jepson of Archaeology Scotland is his guide, and we hear an excerpt of Andrew showing him around.

Hopetoun House near South Queensferry is closed to visitors at the moment however, there is one annual event which always goes ahead in autumn, a fungi walk. Mark meets ranger Emma Parker who shows him the rather spectacular array of waxcaps on the lawn and tells him more about what makes Hopetoun such a great place for them to grow.

At this time of year boat owners are busying themselves to ready their boats for winter. Making sure everything is ship shape for potential bad weather ahead. Anne McAlpine is at Dunstaffnage marina near Oban and hears about the different jobs that owners and the marina carry out.

It’s the season for pumpkin patches and they seem to have grown massively in popularity over the last few years. Laura Guthrie visits Ethiebeaton farm in South Angus where the McDonald family enjoy opening up their field to the public once a year to show them how pumpkins grow.

Mark Stephen visits Stobs Military Camp near Hawick to discover the importance of this site from a training camp in the early 1900s to a resettlement camp after the second world war. Andrew Jepson of Archaeology Scotland is his guide

The Arbroath Signal Tower Museum is set to benefit from more than £300,000 of funding to develop its outdoor space. Mark went for a visit to hear about their plans to transform the garden into an accessible, multi-functional public space for education, community activities and events.

Rachel Bell and her family try their hand at orienteering in Hazlehead Park in Aberdeen. They see if they can follow the map to complete the course and have fun at the same time.

Ardestie Earth House is a souterrain, an ancient underground structure, near Monifieth. Mark goes along to explore and try to solve the puzzle of what it might have been used for.

When Mark was in Glasgow a few weeks ago, something interesting caught his eye. The Cameron Fountain in Charing Cross is rather unique, as it sits on something of a lean. Glasgow sculpture historian Gary Nisbet tells Mark about this intriguing piece of Glasgow’s past. And they also visit the Doulton Fountain outside the People’s Palace and discover that it hasn’t always been in the same place in the city.

Rachel Bell takes some time to slow down and immerse herself in the outdoors at a forest therapy session led by Sarah Stevens. Sarah guides her through the forest at Birsemore near Aboyne and tells her about the different ways we can connect with nature.

We hear live from Finland, where Hiljaa Fest, the world's first nature listening festival, is happening right now. Hiljaa Fest, which translates as ‘Quietly Fest’, is happening in Valkmusa National Park and showcases things like black grouse, the wind and the bog moss as performers.

In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Rachel Stewart meets poet and storyteller Tony Bonning. Tony, known as the Man with the Horse, undertakes treks across the country with his horse Chief to collect folklore and tales along the way. He tells Rachel a bit about his life and a wee tale or two as well.

And Rachel Bell meets Shetland fiddler and Fetlar resident Maurice Henderson, who tells her about his love of traditional straw crafting and how it ties into the island’s local folklore.

Rachel Stewart meets poet and story teller, Tony Bonning. Tony, known as the Man with the Horse, undertakes treks across the country with his horse Chief to collect folklore and tales along the way

It’s the time of year when we celebrate leaves as Autumn unfolds. Mark meets up with leaf expert Professor Jonathan Silvertown who’s written a book about them called Nature’s Magicians. Did you know that way back when there were no leaves on trees at all?

Rachel’s been to the Carse of Gowrie to find out about the ancient pear orchards of the area, and the attempt to bring back Scottish pear varieties that have largely been forgotten. Neil Clapperton of Buglife is her guide

Mark meets some of those taking part in a recent international translocation conference on a field day in the Cairngorms. He hears from delegates from Australia, Kenya and UK about translocating everything from mosses to rhinos

Mark visits the St Cyrus National Nature Reserve near Montrose where he finds out about their brand new bird hide.

Corncrakes were once common in Western Europe. Now their populations are mostly confined to the Western Isles and Skye. Shelagh Parlane of the RSPB describes how they've been advising crofters on how to adapt their land management techniques to encourage these rare birds to nest.

Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone visit a youth club with a difference. In Alness, the club sits in the middle of two acre field. Jannette Douglas is the club coordinator

And most people who have livestock will have their own unique way of calling them in. In Finland it is an art known as kuhning. Rachel finds out more from Finnish storyteller and Highland cow breeder Riika Palonen ahead of the Scottish Storytelling Festival.

Mark Stephen meets Professor Jonathan Silvertown whose book Nature Magicians is all about leaves and why they matter

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 is

Mark 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 wavepool

This week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast excerpt features Gabriella Bennett, author of How to Build a City. Helen Needham met up with Gabriella in Glenrothes where she spent part of her childhood to look at some of the New Town’s public art

Pink footed geese have returned to our shores and the Scottish Wildlife Trust are hosting Goosefest to highlight the influx of geese to Montrose Basin. Visitor centre manager Joanna Peaker gives Mark the rundown on the staggering number of geese descending on the Basin

Securing a job as a ranger is a tough task with each post attracting huge numbers of applicants. Rachel talks to apprentice ranger Jenna Ross to find out how she managed to land her dream role working on the diverse habitats surrounding a windfarm in Moray

Refugia – A Celtic Rainforest is the name of new film exploring the temperate rainforests of South West Scotland. Colin Tennant is one of the film makers who spent a year filming the flora and fauna of the area

In the late 1800s, Wallace, a collie-setter became well known as a fire dog who was adopted by Glasgow’s fire service. 104 years after his death, a statue of Wallace has recently been unveiled at Central Station. Mark hears the story of Wallace and some of his heroics

How well do you know your wild plants? Rachel has been testing the knowledge of Amelie Mackrory-Bowden, a seasonal ranger with Cairngorms National park who has been researching this vast topic, uncovering some really interesting stories and facts

In memory of Scottish crime writer Peter May who passed away earlier this week, we go back to 2013 when Mark met Peter at Port of Ness close to the Butt of Lewis, the very place he took direct inspiration for the first of the trilogy, The Blackhouse

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.

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 Trust for Scotland shows her around and tells her about the history of the once elaborately decorated building.

After years of vital conservation work, the historic palm houses at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh are just about ready to open their doors to the public. Mark went along to see how the impressive 19th century glasshouses are looking.

During Mark’s visit to Dumfries House in Ayrshire last week he met Heather McPike, the Farming and Rural Skills Manager there. She tells him all about the different programmes they offer which aim to encourage young people from different backgrounds into farming.

In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast Rachel is in Portsoy on the Banffshire Coast hearing about the village’s fascinating history connected with the quarrying of Portsoy Marble or serpentine. We hear an excerpt where Rachel finds out about a project to save and restore some of the historic listed buildings at the harbour once involved with the marble trade.

Have you noticed a lack of wasps this summer? Is your house being taken over spiders? We chat live to Craig Macadam, Director of Conservation with the charity Buglife about how insects have fared over the summer and what the move into autumn means for them.

Back near Musselburgh, Rachel is exploring another building on the Newhailes Estate. The restored doocot was a little too empty for staff, so some volunteers stepped up to create some rather cute residents.

And Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone get up close and personal with some Highland Cows near Inverness who are proving rather popular with tourists and locals alike.

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

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 UK from their Aberdeenshire farm. We hear an excerpt where Jock tells Mark about how the charity first started working with injured servicemen.

Rachel explores the Alva Ice House in Clackmannanshire, which will soon be welcoming visitors as part of Doors Open Day. Susan Mills shows Rachel the restoration work that’s been carried out on the building.

Earlier this week, Mark spent some time at Dumfries House, the headquarters of the charity The King’s Foundation. On Wednesday, some of the leading voices in food production and food security were attending a summit, alongside King Charles, to discuss the future of food production. Mark speaks to the organiser and some of the delegates, including Dr Chris van Tulleken, about what needs to happen to ensure a fair and sustainable future of food.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Millenium Link project which reopened and reconnected Scotland’s lowland canals. As part of the anniversary, the Canal Listening Project has been gathering the rich sounds of the Forth and Clyde and Union canals. Rachel meets some of those involved in the project and hears some of the stories they have collected.

We hear live from Dr Anna McGregor, one of the researchers involved in a University of Glasgow project which has rediscovered long-lost oyster beds on the west coast of Scotland thanks to research involving Gaelic and Scots.

While he was at Dumfries House, Mark met up with a group of school pupils taking part in the King’s Foundation Food for the Future programme. The project starts off with the kids making compost, and eventually they will grow food and take what they’ve learned back to school. Mark hears how the project impacts the pupils involved.

Rachel is on the Aberdeenshire coast hearing about a new food-tourism experience, the Cullen Skink Odyssey, which tells the story of the famous fish soup through a film.

And Mark couldn’t resist stopping for a chat with Rosie the Ayrshire Dairy cow at Dumfries House. Although, as he discovered, she’s a bit quieter than your average cow...

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

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 visited recently to see the work of the Future Forest Company which has been planting thousands of trees on the estate.

In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast Mark spent a morning with wildlife photographer Karen Miller. They spent some time trying to spot voles.

This week, a new path was officially opened at Ben Rinnes in Moray. Rachel went along to test out the new route, which was funded by a local windfarm, alongside Ella Grant from Friends of Ben Rinnes, Marion McDonald from Foundation Scotland and Ewan Watson from the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland.

Becoming a worm farmer is perhaps not an obvious career choice, however Scott Baxter has turned a lifelong fascination with the invertebrates into his job. Mark went to visit his wormery near Balmedie in Aberdeenshire to hear how business is booming.

We hear live about Earth Matters, the exhibition at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh which is a multidisciplinary salute to soil.

Phil Sime is on Nairn beach trying out some outdoor cooking alongside influencer Etta May who tells him about moving from Harris to the mainland to launch her social media profile which aims to inspire other young people to get active in the outdoors.

Mark is in Tranent visiting the Heugh Community Garden which is located on the site of an old gas works. He hears how the area has been transformed and meets some of those involved.

And Rachel visits an exhibition at the National Library for Scotland which explores Scotland's relationship with rain. Curator Sarah Mackay shows her around.

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

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, volunteers are nominated for their efforts in improving biodiversity and access to nature across their area. Rachel catches up with some of them as they carry out work clearing pathways.

With the impact of the Cairngorm wildfires still being felt, attention has turned to how similar scenarios might be tackled in the future. Earlier this week Mark met Wildfire Consultant Michael Bruce at his estate at Glentanar in Deeside. Michael is also Chair of the South Grampian Wildfire Group and was involved in tackling the Glenmore fire. He tells Mark about the different aspects involved in tackling wildfires and what we might have to consider in the future in terms of land management.

Rachel is in Dunfermline meeting some of the famous peacocks of Pittencrieff Park. The avian celebrities are well looked after by a group of volunteers including warden Carlyn Cane who tells Rachel about how they came to call the park their home and what’s involved in looking after a muster of peacocks.

Morven Livingstone visits North Kessock Primary School and meets up with Liaison teacher Laura Dorantt who's joined by JJ Gladwin founder of Go Flourish, a charity whose aim is to reconnect children with nature.

This Saturday is the World Stone Skimming Championships on Easdale Island in the Inner Hebrides. We’re joined live by one of the competitors, Andy Reynolds, who came to stone skimming after suffering a stroke when he was just 44. He chats to Mark and Rachel about what it is about skimming stones that’s helped his recovery.

Artist and outdoor enthusiast Steven Sinclair currently has a collection on display at Dundee Rep titled Landskein. It’s a term that was coined by an artist in the western isles and gained popularity through Robert McFarlane's work to unearth lost words to describe nature. Rachel met him to take a look at his work and hear more about what inspires him.

And in this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast Helen Needham chats to illustrator and artist Jackie Morris about her latest work, The Book of Birds. We hear an excerpt where Jackie tells Helen about her admiration for the cuckoo.

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

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. Rachel spends some time with one of the groups involved, Wild Tribe Highlands who take children on outdoor adventures in the hope they can build a life-long connection with nature.

Culbin Forest on the Moray Firth was one of the locations used recently in Christopher Nolan’s epic film adaptation of The Odyssey. Phil Sime went along to find out that it’s not just a dramatic film location, but also an important home to rare lichens and plants.

The recent wildfires in the Cairngorms had a huge impact on the people living in the Glenmore area with initial evacuations and many businesses closed for the duration. The fires also obviously had a huge impact on the flora and fauna, and it will take some time for parts of it to recover. Earlier this week Mark went to meet Dr Sarah Henshall, Head of Conservation with the Cairngorms National Park to hear about how things look now.

Balgone Estate in East Lothian grows a rather striking crop at this time of year, sunflowers. But as Rachel hears from general manager Alex Humphreys, they can be quite tricky to get right in our Scottish climate.

We chat live to Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management with RSPB Scotland about a recent project to satellite tag Sea Eagles in Western Scotland to investigate how the eagles interact with livestock.

Our Scotland Outdoors podcast this week features Mark’s trip inside the Tay Road Bridge as it marks its 60th anniversary. We hear an excerpt of him exploring the engineering of the impressive structure.

And Rachel meets up with a group of Aberdeen surfers. Wavy Quines is a female only surfing group who tell Rachel about how they got started and try to show her the art of surfing on Aberdeen beach!

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