Open Country
Episodes
The Peak District
03 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark is in the Peak District to meet Mountain Rescue Team who keep visitors safe should they come a cropper when enjoying the rugged countryside...
The Glenfinnan Gathering
27 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The Glenfinnan Gathering is an annual Highland games event that takes place on the shores of Loch Shiel, on the west coast of Scotland, in the shadow ...
Cornish Alps
20 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
From a ferry, Helen sees the sharp, conical peaks that dominate the coastline, known locally as the Cornish Alps. The skipper, John Wood, explains how...
Jersey Shores
13 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jersey doubles in size when the tide goes out. Helen Mark discovers what the retreating waters reveal, from the evidence of our Neanderthal ancestors ...
Thomas Hardy's Dorset
06 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Thomas Hardy is one of England's most enduring writers. 175 years after his birth a new film of 'Far From the Madding Crowd' has recently been release...
Rathlin Island
30 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits Rathlin Island situated just off the North Coast of Antrim.Despite having a population of just over a hundred people, Rathlin Island...
The North Antrim Coast
23 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark takes to the seas to explore the North Antrim Coastline, taking in Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede from the water.She meets Robin Ruddo...
Ospreys in Cumbria
22 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Caz Graham goes in search of Cumbria's regular visiting ospreys at a selection of locations in the Lake District.Once extinct in England, Ospreys are ...
Celebrating Golowan in Cornwall
09 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Golowan is the Cornish tradition of lighting Midsummer Bonfires. This ancient tradition which hopes to prolong the summer sun for a good harvest was r...
The Lengthsman with Antony Gormley
02 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The Landmark Trust exists to save endangered important buildings and to enable people to inhabit them. For their 50th anniversary they invited one of ...
The ancient sport of hound trailing in Cumbria
14 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits Cumbria to watch the exciting and ancient sport of hound trailing. At the May Day races, she meets owners Wendy and Russell Dawson w...
Landscape Art in Northumberland
07 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Caz Graham visits the Northumberland countryside to discover stunning art in the landscape, produced by Iranian artist Khosro Adibi.Khosro is a visual...
The Solway Shore
23 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Caz Graham visits the shores of Solway Firth to discover the folk and wildlife that live around the stunning coastline.Caz pulls on her wellies and he...
The Hoo Peninsula
09 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In the marshy landscape of the Hoo Peninsula you can find much of British history. Saxon and Roman remains point to mans first efforts to hold back th...
CS Lewis Nature Reserve, Oxfordshire
02 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
65 years after the first publication of The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe, Helen Mark discovers a real life Narnia in the form of a tranquil Oxfords...
Shetland
05 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Shetland is the most northerly part of the UK. The archipelago of islands is home to 23,000 people, who are nearer to Norway than they are to Edinburg...
Churchill's Chartwell in Kent
02 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
To mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Sir Winston Churchill, Helen Mark heads to Chartwell in Kent to explore the family home and gardens. Chur...
The Ring of Gullion
29 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits the Ring Of Gullion in Northern Ireland to discover it's ancient geographical features that are now attracting visitors from all ove...
The Purbeck Clay Mines
15 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark explores the clay mining history of Dorset's picturesque Isle of Purbeck.Purbeck may look like an unspoilt rural holiday destination, but i...
Wiltshire Wellbeing Group
08 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark meets the people who have found the courage to embrace outdoor life.The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has been running the Well Being Programme ...
Suffolk Coast
01 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark travels to Suffolk, to explore the landscape of the coast and the lives of the people who live near it. She hears about the lost city of Du...
Dart Estuary
27 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Dart Estuary is one of South Devon's longest and most spectacular ria valleys. The surrounding area is a honeypot for visitors, and the boat trip ...
Christmas Trees at Castle Howard
18 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
This week Caz Graham visits Castle Howard in Yorkshire.Famous as the setting for 'Brideshead Revisited' the country estate has been gearing up for the...
Nature Reserves in Cumbria
15 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Caz Graham visits two Nature Reserves in Cumbria to find out what happens on wildlife reserves in winter and meets the people working away to maintain...
Belfast Hills
04 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark makes a trip to the Belfast Hills and hears from the people who live and work in the landscape to discover how their lives have been shaped...
Brownsea Island, Dorset
27 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
After a trip to Brownsea Island in 1818, George, the Prince Regent declared "'I had no idea I had such a delightful spot in my kingdom'. It may only b...
Steart Peninsula, Somerset
20 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Felicity Evans visits Steart Marshes on Somerset's Steart Peninsular just as the sea wall is breached to transform this landscape.Rising sea levels ar...
Lee Valley
13 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Where can you find a hill that looks like an Inca monument but which is in fact an old nitroglycerin factory? The answer can be found in the Lee Valle...
Orchards in Herefordshire
06 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Felicity Evans visits the autumnal orchards of Herefordshire and discovers how centuries of cider production have shaped this landscape. For at least ...
Elmley Nature Reserve
30 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
As Open Country returns for a new series, Helen Mark ventures to The Isle of Sheppey where she becomes immersed both in the marsh swathed landscape of...
Dennis Potter and the Forest of Dean
11 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
"Strange and beautiful, a heart shaped place between two rivers" is how television playwright and author, Dennis Potter described the Forest of Dean, ...
The John Muir Way
04 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A young boy - John Muir - spent his early years in Scotland, playing along Dunbar's coast and scrambling across rocks. This early fascination with nat...
The Needles, Isle of Wight
28 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits one of the Isle of Wight's great attractions, those famous chalk cliffs, The Needles, at the western end of the island. These iconic...
Cheshire Salt
21 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Look at any map of the district around Northwich in Cheshire and you'll see that it's dotted with numerous lakes, called flashes. What have these got ...
Chalk Streams
14 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Revered by fly fishermen, Helen Mark visits the famous chalk streams of Hampshire and Wiltshire to find out about their particular ecology. With their...
The Bournville Legacy
07 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
As the Cadbury family sought to expand their growing chocolate business in the late 19th century they also developed their vision for a better quality...
Slate Mines, Snowdonia
31 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Snowdonia's slate once roofed the world, employing thousands of workers across scores of mines in North Wales. But that was in its heyday, in Victoria...
Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire
24 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
How did people live on the land 2,000 years ago, during the Iron Age? Helen Mark finds out when she visits Butser Ancient Farm near Petersfield in Ham...
Hafod, Mid Wales
17 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Once, the Hafod estate near Aberystwyth was one of Wales' most popular attractions, but that was 200 years ago. Then the grand stately home burnt down...
Rural Murals in Dumfries and Galloway
10 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
"Turn right at the psychedelic hay barn". The new landmark is easy to spot and has brought a smile and a surprise to many passing through Newton Stewa...
Tour de Yorkshire
03 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
With the whole of Yorkshire gearing up to welcome the pelotons of the Tour de France, Helen Mark heads for the scene of Le Grand Depart in the Yorkshi...
Life on Coquet Island
15 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits Coquet Island, a sanctuary for some of Britain's rarest nesting sea birds. It's also home to the world's first 'puffin piano'...Coqu...
Brooklands Racetrack
08 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
With the growing Formula 1 schedule and following, there's an increasing appetite for motor racing. Helen Mark heads to Weybridge in Surrey to visit B...
The Avon Gorge, Bristol
01 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
With Brunel's iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge towering over head, pull on your hiking boots and join Felicity Evans as she steps away from Bristol's ...
Walking on Water, Isles of Scilly
24 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Without quite walking on water, Helen Mark uses a very low spring tide to walk between Tresco and Bryher, two of the Isles of Scilly. She meets people...
Heritage Cotton Mills, Derbyshire
17 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits the Derwent Valley, an area dotted with old, looming cotton mill structures to discover what the future holds for these 'industrial ...
Brecon Beacons, Waterfall Country
10 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Felicity Evans visits the waterfalls and swallow holes at the western end of the Brecon Beacons, and discovers that besides its natural beauty, it's a...
British Raj in the Peak District
03 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
We might think we know the Peak District quite well, but in reality it has many secrets and many stories still to tell, such as its connection with Br...
Chelford Cattle Market
27 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark travels to Chelford Cattle Market in Cheshire, along with hundreds of buyers and sellers from across the UK. It was first formed over a cen...
Common Ground, Dorset
06 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
For thirty years, the arts and environment organisation Common Ground has used Dorset as a kind of laboratory for its work celebrating local distincti...
Adlestrop
30 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits the small Gloucestershire village of Adlestrop that inspired Edward Thomas' famous eponymous poem when his steam train unexpectedly ...
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage
23 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark explores the aviation heritage of Lincolnshire, a county criss-crossed with former airfields, and finds out how they are being used today. ...
Falkland Centre for Stewardship
16 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Falkland estate in rural Fife is very different to traditional family-owned estates in Scotland. Felicity Evans meets Ninian Stuart, who is using ...
Strangford Lough
09 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark goes to Strangford Lough, one of the richest marine environments within the United Kingdom, to meet the people who love its isolation and b...
The Legacy of Flodden Field
02 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Battle of Flodden was a turning point in the history of the UK, setting the stage for the subsequent Union of the Crowns between Scotland and Engl...
Doddington Hall, Lincolnshire
26 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire to talk about how the estate's shoot forms part of the landscape management and a desire for locally...
Royal Haslar Hospital
19 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The Royal Haslar Hospital in Gosport was created in the 18th century to provide care for the sick and injured from naval conflicts. It later treated o...
Shropshire Union Canal
12 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Felicity Evans travels along the backwaters of the Shropshire Union Canal meeting people who've adopted a new area as their own.Starting out near Bees...
Romney Marsh
05 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Tales of smuggling and 'lookers huts' unfold as Helen Mark explores Romney Marsh in Kent. Historically, this great coastal marshland was the result of...
The Birds of Lindisfarne
21 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is probably best known for its medieval religious heritage and in the summer months pilgrims from all walks of life flo...
Moseley Bog
14 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Felicity Evans visits the land that inspired Tolkien's Middle Earth and discovers how this Birmingham Bog also kick started the Urban Wildlife Movemen...
Geocaching in Salcey Forest
07 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The sport of geocaching has become increasingly popular. The modern twist on a treasure hunt involves using GPS to solve clues and follow trails to fi...
Restoring Mountsorrel's Long Forgotten Railway
31 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark rides a mile and quarter of old railway line that the local people of Mountsorrel in Leicestershire have been restoring over the past six y...
Celebrating the Plum
12 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Once strewn with apple, pear and plum orchards the Vale of Evesham has been famous for its fruit since the middle ages. Helen Mark visits the Vale to ...
Laurie Lee Land
05 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark explores the newly safeguarded 'Laurie Lee Wood' and meets the people who inhabit the 21st Century 'Cider with Rosie' Landscape. Earlier th...
Beer Quarry Caves
29 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The history of Britain's cathedrals is celebrated but much less so that of the quarries and quarrymen, who hewed the stone they're built of. On this w...
Skiffs on Loch Broom
22 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The skiff - a four-person, coxed rowing boat - was traditionally a common sight in the seas off Scotland's coastal communities. Changes in the populat...
The Ants of Longshaw Estate
20 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits Longshaw Estate in Derbyshire to meet some very special ants...The northern hairy wood ant has an international, near-threatened con...
Crossing the Forth
08 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The profiles of the two Forth bridges, rail and road, are a familiar and much-loved part of the Edinburgh landscape. Spanning the Firth of Forth betwe...
Salisbury Plain
01 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Felicity Evans visits Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. It boasts the largest expanse of chalk grassland in Europe and is home to over two thousand prehis...
A World in a Woodland
25 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Woodlands are often the setting for fairy stories but also for the creation of a new childhood game, a secret adventure or a new den and are cherished...
Herriot Country
18 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
James Herriot's books about life as a country vet in the 1970s sold 60 million copies worldwide. Later many of the stories were made into feature film...
Teifi Valley
11 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Felicity Evans introduces Open Country from the Teifi Valley in West Wales and finds that the River Teifi once supported the growth of the 19th centur...
A Tale of Three Piers
04 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark takes a day at the seaside to visit the romance of piers. They have been hailed as great examples of Victorian architecture but the cost of...
Highland Ponies
17 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The image of a keeper leading a pony off a heather-clad hill, a deer carcass slung across its back, may sound like something from a Landseer painting,...
Cannock Chase
17 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Jules Hudson goes to Cannock Chase in Staffordshire to find out about its military past. A major training camp during the First World War, he visits a...
The Minack Coast
16 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Felicity Evans visits the Minack Theatre at Porthcurno, in the far west of Cornwall. Built into the rocky cliffs overlooking the sea, the theatre was ...
Fens of Cambridgeshire
25 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
What is phenology? Felicity Evans visits Fenland Cambridgeshire to learn about an influential but largely unacknowledged Victorian vicar - the Reveren...
Lyme Regis
18 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits Lyme Regis, along Dorset's Jurassic coast, to explore the Undercliffs, a fascinating jungle-like terrain that's been created by 200 ...
Graham Sutherland's Pembrokeshire
15 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Graham Sutherland talked of Pembrokeshire as the place where 'I began to learn painting'. In this week's Open Country, Felicity Evans follows in his f...
Springtime in Galloway
04 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The Dumfries and Galloway 10th annual Wild Spring Festival takes place this month and Helen Mark is there to find out what's on offer in south west Sc...
Nuns of Yorkshire
28 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Solar panels and sheep may not be the first things that spring to mind when you think of a monastery but at Stanbrook Abbey you'll find these alongsid...
Inishowen
21 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In a year when Derry-Londonderry takes centre stage as the UK City of Culture, Helen Mark steps out into the city's back garden to explore the hidden ...
Johnsons Island
31 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Tiny Johnsons Island sits in contrast to the hustle and bustle of Brentford and West London surrounding it. At the confluence of the Rivers Thames and...
Memories of the Black Isle
24 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Felicity Evans visits the Black Isle to hear how residents are collecting memories of the landscape, before they are forgotten forever. The Killearnan...
Marshes of Norfolk
17 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Cley Marshes was purchased in 1926 making it the first Wildlife Trust reserve in the country. It's a fascinating place with inspiring international co...
Heritage at Risk - West Midlands
10 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Thousands of historic buildings and monuments are at risk of being lost through damage or neglect. Jules Hudson tours sites in the West Midlands to as...
Hastings: The Shingle Fleet
03 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits the ancient town of Hastings to meet the people involved in the fishing community there. The fishing fleet is made up of small woode...
Finding Neverland
27 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark takes us on a journey to the real Never Never Land.Peter Pan first came to life on the glittering stage of London's Duke of York Theatre on...
Christmas in Norfolk
20 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark is in Norfolk where preparations for Christmas are underway. In Great Hockham Helen meets Vincent Thurkettle whose life has been defined by...
The Canal That Never Was
06 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
A spectacular aqueduct hangs in limbo above the village of Coleford whilst deep green ridges carve their way through forest and fields. Tucked away at...
Beasts of Brighton
03 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits Brighton to find surprising wildlife in the city. She finds an urban flock of sheep grazing on ancient chalk downland areas in the c...
Atlantic College at 50
29 Nov 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The 12th century St Donat's castle in South Wales was once home to media mogul William Randolph Hearst - subject of Citizen Kane. Fifty years ago it b...
Snowdonia
22 Nov 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark discovers the myths and legends of the landscape of Snowdonia. A recent million pound appeal by the National Trust successfully enabled the...
Hicks Lodge/National Forest
01 Nov 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark visits Hicks Lodge, a restored open cast mine in Leicestershire, now a haven for wildlife, walkers and cyclists and other more unusual visi...
Moray Firth
13 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Open Country visits Scotland's Moray Firth, testing the health of its marine mammal population The beaching of twenty six pilot whales in Scotland's ...
Isle of Bute
06 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Mark explores the landscape and waters of the Isle of Bute off the west coast of Scotland where, for over 200 years, visitors have gone 'doon th...
Ireland - Peat
16 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The peat bogs of Ireland's midlands have become a battlefield, with opinions divided on how they should best be managed in the future. Helen Mark look...
Lughnasa Festival
09 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The festival of Lughnasa (pronounced Loon-asa) is an ancient Celtic celebration of the harvest, with its roots in County Meath in Ireland. The god Lug...
Urban Wildlife
02 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
From Dover to Dundee, London to Leeds and Cardiff to Cambridge, there is much more to our towns and cities than concrete and cars. Take the time to li...