Scotland Outdoors

Mark Stephen hears from Mike Daniels author of 'Locked Antlers'

Mark visits Mar Lodge on Deeside to take a look at work that has been done on the river bank to restore the natural floodplain.

Rachel is in Fife at Reediehill Deer Farm, where owners John and Nichola Fletcher have launched a major nature restoration project involving SSEN Transmission and Scotland: The Big Picture which will see 18 hectares of the farm transformed.

In our Scotland Outdoors podcast this week, Helen Needham meets author Rosie Steer to chat about her latest book, Gloaming, a cosy guide to winter which has been inspired by stories and traditions...

Helen Needham speaks with Rosie Steer about her book 'Gloaming'

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...

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 Go...

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 e...

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 rec...

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 wit...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

Mark visits Greenhead Moss Community Nature Park in Wishaw. The 100-hectare site contains many different habitats including ponds, wildflower meadows and woodlands. He takes a tour with countryside ranger Derek.

Deveron Wildland is a newly established rewilding estate in Aberdeenshire. Rachel went for a visit to hear about what the plans are for the site as well as to try her hand at nature journalling.

When Mark visited Maud Railway Museum earlier in the summer, he was surprised to find that one of their exhibits is a fully restored Peterhead Prison convict carriage. He takes...

Helen Needham digs into the BBC Archive to share some audio gems from the past

Mark visits Glasgow’s Queen’s Park Glasshouse which was threatened with closure earlier this summer. He speaks to some of those involved in the campaign to secure its future which seems to have been successful.

Rachel tries her hand at Nordic Walking which may look gentle but actually involves a full body workout! She went along to a group in Blair Atholl run by Eilidh Paterson who explained what’s involved and showed Rachel the best techniques.

Over the next few weeks on Out of Doors, we’ll be chatting to the finalists of the BBC...

Mark Stephen meets naturalist and author Polly Pullar in the sheep shed of her farm in Perthshire. Polly's latest book In The Company of Sheep describes her fascination with them

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with a special programme from the Scottish Crannog Centre

Helen Needham visits the spectacular seabird colony on a skiff

A few weeks ago, Mark went along to a conference at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen. Under the banner of Living Labs, the institute brought together folk living in rural or island communities, and Mark chatted to Phyl Meyer from Tiree and Euan Maclachlan from Assynt to find out what sort of challenges they face in everyday life.

The island of Fetlar is known as The Garden of Shetland due it being a very fertile and green. This week’s presenter Rachel Bell took a trip there and visited the dilapidated Brough Lodge. It's a striking st...

Mark Stephen takes a Land Rover tour of the Inner Hebridean island of Lismore to explore its history, wildlife and nature

In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast Mark meets author Cal Flyn, whose latest book is called The Savage Landscape – How we Made the Wilderness. We hear an excerpt of Cal explaining where her interest in exploring the meaning of wilderness came from.

Rachel is on the North East coast on a seabird spotting safari run by the Aberdeen Countryside Ranger Service. The trips have become popular with visitors who arrive in the area by cruise ship.

Over the last week the Glenmore area of the Cairngorm National Park has been severely impacted by wildfires. Mark...

Mark Stephen meets Cal Flyn, author of The Savage Landscape - How We Made The Wilderness in which she explores the meaning of wilderness in a journey into the forests, deserts and ocean floor

Mark is in Forres to meet up with naturalist and educator Dan Puplett. Dan’s been running bird language courses, helping people understand what birds are really saying and how to interpret their different calls.

Ardersier Common has officially become the Highlands' newest Local Nature Reserve after more than two decades of conservation work. Home to the rare small blue butterfly and one of the UK's rarest orchids, Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone joined High Life Highland countryside ranger John Orr to explore this remarkable wildlife haven for this week’s Scotland’s Outdoors Podcast

Diseas...

Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone join High Life Highland countryside ranger John Orr at Ardersier Local Nature Reserve in search of one of the UK's rarest orchids.

Next week, communities in Lochaber will be asked to share their views on beavers being reintroduced to the area. Kirsten Brewster from rewilding charity Scotland: The Big Picture tells Mark about the consultation process and why Lochaber might be a good area for beavers.

Rachel meets an Aberdeen lecturer who has won an award from the Mammal Society for his innovative camera trap box designed specifically for small mammals. Nick Littlewood shows Rachel the Littlewood Box, which he developed alongside his wife.

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is widely regarded as one of...

Rachel Stewart meets Helen in her workshop as she unveils her latest sculpture.

Mark hears about the preparation involved in setting up the Fettercairn Show which this weekend celebrates its 190th show, and the 200th anniversary of the Fettercairn Farmers Club which runs it. The committee tell him what sets it apart from other shows.

Rachel is on the Solway coast exploring the RSPB Mersehead Nature Reserve. Mersehead is home to one of the rarest amphibians in the UK and has a huge range of different habitats.

This week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast features Mark learning about attempts to save the rare twinflower in the Abernethy Forest. We he...

Mark Stephen hears about attempts to save the twinflower in Abernethy Forest

Mark is in Fettercairn in Aberdeenshire where a garden designed for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show has made its way to the local distillery. He finds out about the inspiration behind the Angel’s Share Garden which won a silver gilt medal at the show.

Earlier this week a major world conference in agritourism was held in Aberdeen. The inaugural Global Agritourism Conference brought hundreds of delegates from all around the world to share data, research and their personal stories. They also went on several visits to locations across Scotland and Rachel caught up with some of t...