Scotland Outdoors

Glasgow Tandem Club, Boston Nature Centre and Surf Therapy 13.06.2026 1godz 20min

Ahead of next week’s Royal Highland Show being held at Ingliston just outside Edinburgh, Rachel catches up with farmer Anna Mitchell, who is one of this year’s vice presidents. This year’s presidential team are representing Aberdeenshire and Anna tells Rachel what visitors can expect from the show.Mark is in Newport-on-Tay with author Dr Erin Farley whose most recent book, Lighthouse Lives, tells the stories of the last generation to work on manned lighthouses across Scotland. She tells Mark about the experiences of some of the keepers and their families who she recorded with for the book.Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone meet Allan MacKinnon of Highland Bird Control Services, to see how he's tackling the issues that gulls are causing at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.Two volumes of Birds of America by renowned artist and ornithologist John James Audubon are currently on show to the public at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. The College has owned the art treasures for two centuries, and Mark went to meet their heritage lead, Claire McDade to hear a bit about their origins and take a look at the impressive books.Rachel is in Ayrshire meeting some of the farmers involved in the women in dairy initiative.As Scotland fans descend on Boston, Massachusetts in their thousands, we hear about the different birds that the discerning football supporter might be able to spot during their stay in the city. Erin Kelly from conservation charity Mass Audubon tells Rachel a bit about Boston birdlife and where to see it.The Glasgow Tandem Club has members who are both vision impaired and sighted. They are based in Ballahouston Park in Glasgow and Rachel went along to meet some of the members and chatted to founder, Anne Fraser.Mark heads to Cullen to meet the founder of Blue Lighthouse surf club, which was set up to offer tangible support for the health and wellbeing of members of the emergency services and care workers.And in this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Mark visits the Taliesin Community Woodland in Dumfries and Galloway which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. We hear an excerpt.

A Place to Be at the Taliesin Community Woods 10.06.2026 23min

Mark Stephen visits the Taliesin Community Woodland in Dumfries and Galloway

Hugh MacDiarmid, KuneKune Pigs and The Sound of the Year 06.06.2026 1godz 22min

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

Exploring the rocks of Fife with the Scottish Geologist 03.06.2026 23min

Rachel Stewart meets Luisa Hendry, better known as the Scottish Geologist on social media

Geology, PS Waverley and Parakeets 30.05.2026 1godz 23min

Right in the heart of London is one of the city’s most popular attractions, The Natural History Museum. Last week, Rachel met up with John Tweedie, head of the Centre for UK Nature and UK Nature Recovery, who explained why the museum’s ponds have become a hotspot for all kinds of insects, including the striking willow emerald damselfly.To celebrate the tercentenary of James Hutton's birth, a new Deep Time Trail at Siccar Point has been launched. It features a redeveloped 1.3km pathway, new seating, cycle racks, an arrival pillar and spectacular stone viewpoints to help visitors explore the birthplace of modern geology. Mark and geologist Dr Angus Miller visit the site on the Berwickshire Coastal Path.Only a tiny number of people have completed all 282 of Scotland’s Munros in a single winter. In 2024, Anna Wells became the first woman and only the fourth person on record to achieve the feat. She’s written a book about the challenge and spoke to Helen Needham about the experience. You can listen to the full podcast at Scotland OutdoorsStreet artist Mark Anthony, also known as ATM, has created murals across the country highlighting endangered bird species and the threat of extinction. When Rachel met him in London’s Regent’s Park, he told her about combining art with conservation, and whether he considers himself a birder.Parakeets are usually an exceptionally rare sight in the Highlands, so when reports emerged of one causing absolute chaos in the Lochardil neighbourhood of Inverness, producer Phil Sime and colleague Morven Livingstone set out to track down the feathered troublemaker.Mark joins Grant Stott for a walk along Edinburgh’s Hermitage Trail, where Grant reflects on his love for the area and shares his excitement about starting his new afternoon show on BBC Radio Scotland next week.John Hearns got in touch after we mentioned that last week’s programme was coming from London. He invited Rachel to join him and David Judson for a rendition of the Mingulay Sea Shanty with the London Sea Shanty Collective.Operating mainly from Glasgow, the Waverley now sails around the UK. Mark Stephen joined her first outing of the season alongside general manager Paul Semple and some crafty passengers.

A Trip Doon the Watter on the Waverley 27.05.2026 26min

Mark Stephen climbs aboard the world's last seagoing paddle steamer, The Waverley

Mudlarking, Parakeets, Narrowboats and a City Farm all from London 23.05.2026 1godz 22min

Mark and Rachel explore the flora and fauna of the capital and are joined by live guests as they broadcast from the balcony of Broadcasting House in London.Mark visits Mudchute Farm, one of the largest city farms in Europe. It comprises 32 acres of countryside, located a stone's throw away from the hustle and bustle of Canary Wharf. He hears about how the site was developed from derelict land in the 1970s to the busy farm and park that it is today.Right in the heart of the city centre at Kings Cross, Coal Drops Yard is another location which has seen many uses over the years. It’s now home to a vibrant shopping and dining district, which also includes a number of parks and outdoor spaces. Rachel goes for a wander to find out how the outdoors has been incorporated into the site.One of the most famous ships in the world, Cutty Sark has made her home at Greenwich since 1954. However, she was designed and built in Dumbarton in 1869 before sailing across the world transporting tea and other goods, at one point faster than any other ship. Mark goes aboard to hear about her incredible past.And sticking with boats, Rachel heads out on a London Water Bus canal trip. Skipper Ange tells her about all the different wildlife that pops up along the canal and operations director Rory tells her about the history of the canal.This week is London Rivers Week, and joining Mark and Rachel live to chat about it is Chris Coode from environmental charity Thames21. The theme of this year’s campaign is ‘know your local river’ and Chris tells them about the hundreds of miles of other rivers in London alongside the Thames.Lara Maiklem is an author and a mudlarker- a person who scavenges the banks and foreshores of tidal rivers to find historical artifacts, lost objects, and debris. She meets Mark to chat about what drew her to mudlarking and show him some of the finds she’s had over the years.Joining Mark and Rachel live on the balcony of Broadcasting House is Charlotte Benham from the Tree Council. Charlotte chats to them about the treescape of the city and why trees are so important for somewhere like London.Rachel hears about the flocks of ring-necked parakeets which have made the city their home. The non-native population has thrived at locations across London and Rachel hears how they ended up there and why they like it so much.

Climbing the Winter Munros with Mountaineer Anna Wells 20.05.2026 26min

Helen Needham speaks with Anna Wells, the first woman to complete the munros in a winter

Kites, Rivers and Maps 16.05.2026 1godz 22min

Mark visits the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s visitor centre, the Fair Maid’s House in Perth. The society has recently received hundreds of photographic slides from nature photographer Lorne Gill which are on display in the centre.In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Rachel has been out foraging in the company of expert Janice Clyne. Janice strongly believes that foraging and fermenting can have a really positive impact on our health, and that there’s an amazing amount that plants we usually consider weeds, which could be beneficial.Mark meets Eliza Coulson at Queen’s Park in Glasgow, a place that really helped her recovery from Lyme Disease. Her experience has encouraged her to campaign for fair access to green spaces in Scotland.Earlier this week Mark and Rachel were lucky enough to spend a bit of time at Argaty Red Kites near Doune. They spent some time in the hide watching the birds getting fed and chatted to Tom Bowser and ranger Ollie about the magnificent display of kites.Back at the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in Perth, Mark goes exploring in the aptly named Explorers’ Room. It’s a room where visitors are encouraged to get their hands on the artefacts and even sit at Sir Ernest Shackleton’s desk.Helen Needham spends some time with Perth based poet Jim C. Mackintosh as they chat about his latest project Long Water Soft Shadows appearing at Perth Festival of the Arts soon.And as we gear up to cheer on the Scotland men’s team at the World Cup, Mark visits the site of the original Hampden Park as it is awarded protected status from Historic Environment Scotland.

Foraging and Fermenting with Janice Clyne 13.05.2026 21min

Rachel Stewart talks to Janice about foraging plants widely regarded as garden weeds.

Cranes, Mast Climbing and Skunk Cabbage 09.05.2026 1godz 23min

Mark heads to the New Pitsligo area of Aberdeenshire with Hywel Maggs from RSPB Scotland, on the trail of cranes. For a bird that can reach over a metre tall and with a wingspan of double that, they can be rather tricky to spot.The ranger service in Aberdeen is busy tackling an invasive plant which seems to be a growing problem. Rachel heads to Walker Dam in the city with countryside officer Simon Whitworth to hear all about American Skunk Cabbage.Claudia Zeiske is a walking artist. Her latest project has involved walking the Ayrshire Coast as a dedication to the geologist Elizabeth Anderson Gray. Mark met her at Girvan beach to hear more about Elizabeth and Claudia’s project.Every Tuesday, rangers in Moray lead what is known as a health walk in and around Dufftown. Rachel went along to join the group and chat to some of those who were taking part.Forager Mark Williams shows Mark more of the Galloway coastline and what can be found at this time of year, especially in rock pools.On Friday 8 May Sir David Attenborough celebrated his 100th birthday. To mark the occasion on Out of Doors, Rachel spoke to producer and director Alastair Fothergill, who has made some of Sir David’s most memorable series with him, including The Blue Planet and Planet Earth. He tells Rachel about the enormous impact Sir David has had on his life and career and some of the memorable moments they’ve shared together.In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Helen meets up with listener Marian Burrows-Smith, who got in touch to tell us about a project she works on in Nepal building toilets for remote communities. We hear how Marian, who lives in Nethybridge, got involved.Rachel is on Calton Hill in Edinburgh to hear about the 50th anniversary of the Architectural Heritage Fund. Trustee Audrey Carlin tells her about what the fund does and the kind of buildings it has supported.The RRS Discovery has been a popular tourist attraction in Dundee for over 30 years. And now visitors have a chance to experience a part of life onboard that they haven’t before. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Mark went to give it a go - climbing over 80 feet up the historic ship’s foremast, before ziplining back to the Dundee waterfront.

From Nethybridge to Nepal with Marian Burrows-Smith 06.05.2026 18min

Marian discusses her toilet project for girls with Helen Needham

The Highland Folk Museum, Get On A Bike in Elgin and Fern Restoration in the Highlands 02.05.2026 1godz 22min

Stephen Rutt is a writer and naturalist based in Dumfries and Galloway and his latest book, The Waterlands, follows a raindrop as it falls to the ground in the Lowther Hills and travels through the landscape to the Firth of Clyde. Mark met him on a suitably wet day at Threave to record a Scotland Outdoors podcast and we hear an excerpt of their chat.Rachel visits a charity in Moray that offers guided rides for adults who want to start or get back into cycling. Stu Dick and Diane Maciver from Get on a Bike meet her at Elgin’s Cooper Park, where a group are just heading out on a cycle.On a stony slope in Glen Affric, hopes are high that one of Britain’s rarest ferns can regain a foothold and recover. Mark went to hear about the work of staff from Forestry and Land Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, who have translocated and planted 250 oblong woodsia (Woodsia ilvensis) on a hillside in the glen.Mark is at the Highland Folk Museum near Kingussie. He hears about the history of the site which was founded by Dr Isabel F. Grant in 1936 and has grown into one of the area’s most popular tourist attractions. He takes a look around the open-air museum which shows how life changed in the Highlands from the 1700s to the 1900s.This Sunday, 3rd May, is International Dawn Chorus Day, and next weekend in Sweden, our Swedish radio friends at Sveriges Radio P1, will broadcast their Fågelsångsnatten or Bird song night. Presenter Jenny Berntson Djurvall joins us live to tell us all about the broadcast and what they are expecting to hear.Mark visits the only dairy farm in Banffshire, Lower Mill of Tynet Farm, which has a 24-hour farm shop, making it the only place between Aberdeen and Inverness that you can get a coffee, a pint of milk and an ice cream out of hours!A special event is being held later this month to celebrate the life and work of the Bard of Lochwinnoch. Now in her nineties, Betty McKellar has written extensively about nature and the environment in the Muirshiel Glen. Recently Rachel went to have a chat and hear some of her poems.

From Raindrop to Sea with Stephen Rutt 29.04.2026 20min

Mark Stephen chats to writer Stephen Rutt about his new book 'The Waterlands'

Spring Birds, Granny Pines and an Electric Boat 25.04.2026 1godz 23min

We hear more from Mark’s time with forager Mark Williams. They met up at Wigtown Bay on a rather wet and blustery day and headed along the coast to look for sea radish.Rachel meets up with Rosie Beetschen from Cairngorms Connect and Ross Watson from Forestry Land Scotland to hear all about some of the oldest and most interesting trees, Granny Pines. They take a wander in Glenmore to find a rather impressive specimen.About four years ago, fisherman Hans Unkles took the engine out of his boat, Lorna Jane, and replaced it with an electric motor and batteries. Mark caught up with Hans in Fraserburgh to hear how successful his electric boat has been and whether any other fisherman have been persuaded to copy him.Every week, poet and musician Bobby Motherwell visits RSPB Lochwinnoch to volunteer. He was also poet in residence at the reserve and has written a book all about his time there. Rachel met up with him in one of the hides and heard some of his tales and poems.The Ledge in Inverness is the Highland's largest climbing gym and a National Bouldering and Performance Centre which has been built on the foundations of community, inclusivity and positivity. Phil Sime headed along to hear all about the different activities on offer and push himself out of his comfort zone with a shot at climbing.Recently the RSPB issued new advice around feeding wild birds. The charity wants people to: Feed seasonally. Feed safely. We’re joined live by Ross Hunter from RSPB Scotland to hear what that means practically.Plus a tribute to the late George Skinner, Aberdeenshire Farmer and font of agricultural knowledge. We dip into the archive to share his knowledge on neeps.And in this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Rachel hears the story of Ioana Ticu, an experienced mountaineer who found herself in a situation where she had to call Mountain Rescue at the summit of Ben More. We hear an excerpt of her story.

A Mountain Rescue Story with Ioana Ticu 22.04.2026 24min

Rachel Stewart hears from an experienced mountaineer who had to call for help on Ben More

Trig Points at 90, Dippers, Gannets and Lapwings 18.04.2026 1godz 22min

Dr Shane Strachan has written a poem which encourages people to explore a new poetry and artwork trail along the 53-mile Formartine and Buchan Way. Rachel meets Shane to find out how he got involved.In this week’s podcast excerpt, Mark is in Glasgow with Professor Dee Heddon and Dr Rachel Clive of Glasgow University Theatre Studies to hear about the play Three Words for Forest. The play explores the challenges, hopes and fears of those working in the forestry industry at a time of climate crisis.Rachel joins photographer Richard Cook on the River Dee to search for dippers and to chat about his book Dippers on the Dee.Mark looks for lapwings with Warden Lorna Dow at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg and learns about how semi-feral conic ponies are helping manage the wetlands to encourage the birds to use the site.Mark is near Fort William to discover how a detection dog is sniffing out an invasive marine species known as ‘sea vomit’. Dr Texa Sim explains how her labrador, Uisge, tracks down the carpet-like sea squirt.Mark and Rachel are joined by Mark Greaves from Ordnance Survey to talk trig points as we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the iconic pillars.Mark hops on a catamaran to check out the gannets on Bass Rock on the Firth of Forth and to chat to Emily Burton, conservation manager at Scottish Seabird Centre, about drone surveys that are helping to monitor how the birds are faring since the outbreak of avian flu in 2022.Dundreggan Rewilding Centre in Glenmoriston is offering those living with dementia and their carers the opportunity to experience nature through a residential course. Mark meets some of those participating, and Professor Ann Dennis of the University of the Highlands and Islands explains how the programme runs.

Three Words for Forest 15.04.2026 18min

Mark Stephen hears about the play Three Words for Forest which explores the challenges, hopes and fears of those working in the forestry industry at a time of climate crisis

Dry Stane Dyking, the Longest Canal Tunnel in Scotland and Foraging in the South West 11.04.2026 1godz 22min

Mark is in Gatehouse of Fleet with Mark Williams who has a new book out called The Coastal Forager. The pair chat about identifying coastal plants and have a nibble of a few different species.In this week’s podcast excerpt, Rachel meets Arlene Stuart, one of the presenters of Landward, which is celebrating five decades on air.The 200 year old Falkirk Tunnel is the longest canal tunnel in Scotland. Richard Millar, Chief Operating Officer at Scottish Canals, gives Rachel the guided tour.Mark joins dry-stone dyker, Alexis Zafiropoulos, in Alford, Aberdeenshire to talk about the sense of belonging Alexis has developed in the North-East through practising this ancient craft.Mark meets Mary Smith, Engagement Ranger at Threave Nature Reserve in Castle Douglas to discover more about The Threave Landscape Restoration Project which is designed on a 100 year ecological timescale.Poet Jim Carruth’s new book, Knockan, set in the far north west of Scotland, reflects his interest in geology and passion for farming. Rachel meets Jim in Renfrewshire to find out more.The acclaimed wildlife cameraman Doug Allan, from Dunfermline, Fife, has died after becoming unwell on a mountain trek in Nepal. Mark and Rachel are joined by wildlife filmmaker John Aitchison to pay tribute to Doug’s life and career bringing the wonders of the natural world to our screens.In collaboration with BBC L.A.B Scotland, pupils at Balwearie High School in Kirkaldy recorded an interview with Scottish wildlife filmmaker Libby Penman, who was once a pupil at the school.Mark stops at a viaduct which overlooks Loch Nan Uamh to learn about the story behind the name ‘Dead Horse Bridge’.

50 Years of Landward, Scotland's Farming and Countryside TV programme 08.04.2026 24min

Rachel Stewart meets Arlene Stuart, one of the presenters of Landward, Scotland's Farming and Countryside TV programme which celebrates five decades on air