Scotland Outdoors

Spring in Montrose, Edinburgh's Grisly Past and Pine Tree Fungus

27 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2020, some of farmer Steve Barron’s cattle fell ill and died. Initially he had no idea what had caused their sudden deaths until lead poison...

From the Hills of Assynt to the Karakorum Mountains of Pakistan with Anne Wood

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Needham hears from musician and composer Anne Wood

Dreich Spring, Brose and Kayak Fishing

20 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

American Mink are an invasive non-native species which have become widespread in parts of Scotland after their release from fur farms. Rachel meets Ka...

Walking the Old Lumphanan Road with the Late Stanley Robertson

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Stanley Robertson was from the Travelling People and in the 1980's he published a book called 'Exodus to Alford' featuring stories associated with a p...

Plants with Purpose, Pitlochry Paths and a Biomaterial Dress

13 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Linda is in Pitlochry where a group of volunteers meet once a fortnight to help maintain the area’s much loved and well used path network. She hears...

Rain, Lambing, Badgers and more Rain

06 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Mark chats with Landward’s Cammy Wilson about his sheep-farming career. We hear an excerpt where Cammy i...

Ayrshire Farmer Cammy Wilson shares his Passion for Sheep

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen visits Youtuber and TV presenter Cammy Wilson on his farm in Ayrshire

Kelpies, Cold Water Dooking and Seaweed Pressing

30 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors

Mountain Tales - The Cuillins of Skye

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark revisits a series of programmes he made in the early 2000s called Mountain Tales. The programmes feature Scotland's iconic hills and mountains a...

Water Voles, Point to Point and Alloway's Giant Mural

23 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel is in East Lothian where local residents are campaigning for better access across the busy A1 road. For a considerable stretch there’s no off...

Music for Our Planet with Laura-Beth Salter and Ali Hutton

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Needham wanders around Glasgow Green with Laura-Beth Salter and Ali Hutton who have created a new album called 'From the Ground' as a response t...

Life on Mars, Boat Building and Rats

16 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors

A new era at Mountaineering Scotland

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Stewart speaks to Anne Butler, the new President of Mountaineering Scotland and newly appointed Chair Jo Dytch. The pair are the first women t...

Blood Sucking Leeches, Skittish Whales and Horse Gymnastics

09 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Mark visits what is believed to be the UK’s largest urban farm. Lauriston Agroecology farm is on a hundr...

Creating Abundance at Lauriston Agroecology Farm in Edinburgh

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen gets a tour of the UK's biggest urban farm from Lisa Houston

Shetland Sparrowhawks, Feral Pigs and an Art Deco Pavilion

02 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel heads to Fort Augustus for a chat with Cieran Watson from Forestry Land Scotland and Morag Milne from NatureScot about how they can manage the ...

Rising from the Ashes - Transforming Dead Wood from Ash Dieback into Furniture

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen speaks with furniture makers who are turning wood that has been affected by the ash dieback fungal disease into furniture and other objec...

Time for Tatties, Wooden Ships and the Art of Hedgelaying

24 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors

Mountain Tales - Schiehallion

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen visits Schiehallion in Perthshire. Known as the hill of the wee folk, Mark meets those who live nearby and finds out what the iconic hi...

Salmon, Osprey and a Self Build Plane

17 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark heads to Turriff to attend the 2024 opening of the River Deveron. He hears from Richie Miller of the Deveron District Salmon Fishery Board as wel...

Galloway Scots Scriever

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Stewart meets Susi Briggs, the newly appointed Scots Scriever. The National Library of Scotland revealed that Susi would be the Galloway Scots ...

Flamingos, Fedges and Newfoundland Rescue Dogs

10 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you added up all the land currently forming playgrounds and playing fields around Scotland’s schools, it would be roughly the same size as Dundee...

Imbolc, Natural Burial and Swimming in Cellardyke

03 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark visits Aviemore Bikes to hear about a scheme encouraging locals to take up the use of an e-bike free of charge. He hears who has been using them ...

Stories and Music About People and Trees with Cellist Jessica Kerr

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Needham hears about some special trees from musician Jessica Kerr

Wildcats, Caves and a Honey Sommelier

27 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel ventures into the sea caves at East Wemyss in Fife to hear about how coastal erosion is threatening the Pictish carvings on their walls.Last su...

Honey tasting in Edinburgh

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel meets Dr Gino Jabbar from Simply Honey in Edinburgh. He is a honey producer and sommelier and runs classes introducing people to the art of ho...

Snow, River Management and the Perthshire Creative Trail

20 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Perthshire is known for its big trees and stunning countryside, and it is also home to a large number of artists. Rachel hears about the Perthshire Cr...

Down on the Farm with Perthshire Farmer Martin Kennedy

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark and Martin discuss the various issues facing farmers in Scotland including river management, beavers, new entrants, the future of agricultural su...

Winter in the Mountains, Willow Coffins and Puddles

13 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors

A Green Pharmacy with Herbologist Catherine Conway-Payne at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Needham visits the Physic Garden at the RBGE with Catherine Conway-Payne

Squirrels, Crannogs and the Taj Mahal of Arbroath

06 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark is in Hazlehead Park in Aberdeen hearing how the team from Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is working to remove the grey squirrel population fr...

Charlie Allan - A Tribute to a North East Man O' Pairts - Broadcaster, Writer, Farmer, Singer and Sportsman

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Needham with archive recordings from Charlie Allan

Bothy Culture - A Celebration of 70 Years of the Secret Howff

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen hears tales of bothying including some very special cookery

Bothies, Dark Skies at Braemar and a Festive Tractor Parade

23 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark uncovers tales from the secret howff bothy in the Cairngorms. Mark and Rachel explore the dark skies in the hills above Braemar and Rachel find...

Cinasium Soundscape

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The twin brothers behind the music project Kinbrae were commissioned to make a soundscape of an unusual building at Crail Airfield in Fife as part of ...

Earth, Wind and Water

16 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark visits Alex Brewster at his farm near Pitlochry. Ten years ago, Alex changed his approach to farming to a more regenerative one, conserving and r...

Connecting With and Writing about Nature through Chronic Illness and Disability with Louise Kenward

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Needham speaks with writer Louise Kenward about the anthology 'Moving Mountains'

New National Parks, Green Cumbernauld and Meikle or Muckle...or even Puckle?

09 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors

Cider Making in the North East of Scotland

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen meets Christian Stolte of the Wee Scottish Cider Company

Shining Guest Ants, Mushrooms and Coco Chanel

02 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel is on Deeside where a rare and elusive ant which hadn’t been spotted in the area for over 70 years has been rediscovered in large numbers. Sh...

Living Off Grid in a Family Hut in Argyll with Peter MacQueen the Highland Hutter

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen visits the family hut of Peter and Graham MacQueen in Argyll

Trees, Permaculture and Hutting

25 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this week Mark went along to Agriscot, a farm business event held at Ingliston just outside Edinburgh. He spoke to Bob Carruth from NFU Scotla...

Creating a Food Forest on the Side of a Hill in Aberdeenshire

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Needham visits James Reid of Tap O' Noth Farm to hear about his approach to farming

Paper Boats, Shakespeare in Scotland and The Huntly Toads

18 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel tries her hand at angling with the Dee Damsels. The group was set up by Tara Spiers to support women who were keen to learn more about fly fish...

River Dee Damsels

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Stewart meets some of those trying to encourage more women to take up angling on the River Dee in Aberdeenshire.

A Munro Triathlon, a Year in a Kayak and a Wobbly Cyclist

11 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast Mark finds out about a project called Light is a Right – How to Winter Well. Glasgow University researche...

How to Winter Well

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen finds out how to winter well over the next few months. He meets a group of academics from Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities looking into...

Willow, Pigs and the Future of Farming

04 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark visits Deeside Willow to hear all about how to grow this versatile plant and its many uses. He also tries his hand at some willow sculpting.The F...

Clyde Valley Orchards, Pumpkins and the Paddle Steamer, The Waverley

28 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark hears about how Atlantic salmon will soon be able to access parts of the River Dee for the first time in a century following the removal of Garlo...

Cairngorms Connect Deer Project

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Stewart presents Scotland Outdoors

A 12th Century Flour Mill, Forfar Loch Skiffs and Hunter Gatherer Archaeology

21 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Helen visits a mobile laboratory in St Andrews as it travels around various European coastlines to explore coastal habitats and collect samples from t...

An Adventure in Archaeology in the Cairngorms Unearthing 10,000 Years of Human Activity in the Mountains

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Needham meets Graeme Warren and others during a dig in Glen Dee

100 Years of BBC Aberdeen

14 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Out of Doors celebrates 100 years of BBC Aberdeen. This week we have a special programme looking back at what life was like in rural communities in 19...

A Life with Deer, Rewilding and Donating a Kidney with John Fletcher

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen chats with deer farmer and author John Fletcher on his farm in Fife

The Humble Tattie, Dundee Botanic Garden and the Ness of Brodgar

07 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout the programme we hear from Dr Kevin Frediani, curator of Dundee Botanic Garden. Kevin is very much in favour of letting nature do its own t...

The Ness of Brodgar Archaeological Site in Orkney

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Stewart presents Scotland Outdoors

Books, Birds and Underwater Bugs

30 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Helen heads to Inchgarth Reservoir on the outskirts of Aberdeen to meet Ian Broadbent, Local Bird Reporter for the North East, who tells her why recen...

Bob Reid on WH Murray and National Scenic Areas

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen chats with Planner and Mountaineer Bob Reid

Land Yachting, Edinburgh Common Riding and the Big River Watch

23 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nurdles are tiny plastic pellets which are used to make many everyday items. However, tonnes of them end up being washed up on our beaches posing a th...

Three Generations and a Sunken Ship

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Maud Start meets the Peterson Family onboard the Christiania, their retired rescue ship.

Geese Sculpture, a Modern Stone Circle and Crossing the Cuillin Mountains

16 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Founded by Jordan Grant after he was inspired as a teenager to turn his life around, Glasgow Garden Maintenance is now offering an apprenticeship sche...

Auchtermuchty Common, Holyrood Bees and a Micro Flour Mill

09 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel looks for dolphins at Spey Bay with Alison Rose from the Scottish Dolphin Centre and hears about their Shorewatch programme.In this week’s Sc...

Dr Neil's Garden at Duddingston, Edinburgh

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen presents Scotland Outdoors

Jock Tamson's Gairden, Shetland Ponies, Beachcombing and a Doocot

02 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Scotland Outdoors.

In Search of the Northern Damselfly

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Stewart meets Stephen Corcoran of the British Dragonfly Society at Insh Marshes

Model Railways, Mini Submarines and Bamboo Bikes

26 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

Sampling the Soils of Schiehallion

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Needham climbs Schiehallion with Soil Scientist Andrea Britton

Scything, Bee Therapy and Wilbur The Weasel

19 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Scotland Outdoors

Sixareen Vaila Mae

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen presents Scotland Outdoors

An Edinburgh Festival Special with Mark Beaumont, Anna Fleming, Iain Cameron and Judith Lamb

12 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with an audience at the Edinburgh Festival

Jellyfish, The Great Yellow Bumblebee and a Bioblitz Walk

05 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Scotland Outdoors

Women in Mountain Rescue

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Stewart hears from women in the Tayside Mountain Rescue Team

A Tall Ships Race Special from Shetland

29 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart bring stories from the Tall Ships Race in Lerwick

Sir John Lister-Kaye, Founder of Aigas Field Centre

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen presents Scotland Outdoors

A Secret Nuclear Bunker, a Restored Bandstand and the Smallest Harbour in the Country

22 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Scotland Outdoors

Nature's Songwriter, Erland Cooper

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Maud Start presents Scotland Outdoors

River Tweed from Source to Sea (Part 1)

15 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Scotland Outdoors

Dundee's Secret Nuclear Bunker

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Stewart presents Scotland Outdoors

Donkeys, Shipbuilding and Salmon

08 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Scotland Outdoors

Bringing the outdoors inside with Dr Tim Peacock, co founder of the Gaming Lab at Glasgow University

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen presents Scotland Outdoors

Ravenscraig, Mud Snails and Beach School

01 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors

A Cairngorms Journey with Merryn Glover

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Needham discusses the Cairngorms and Nan Shepherd with writer Merryn Glover

A Royal Highland Show Special

24 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart bring you stories from the annual Royal Highland Show.

Hans Unkles and his Solar Powered Fishing Boat

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen presents Scotland Outdoors

Wild Fires, a Wild Food Lunch and Paying for Paths

17 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

The Sport of Park Golf

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Stewart presents Scotland Outdoors

Hedgehogs, Badgers and Hay Fever

10 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Scotland Outdoors

Rebecca Smith, author of Rural -The Lives of the Working Class Countryside

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen presents Scotland Outdoors

Oysters, House Martins and Cat Ladders

03 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Scotland Outdoors

Shipping Roots - Keg de Souza

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen presents Scotland Outdoors

The Forth Road Bridge, Scottish Mountain Rescue and Amphibian Ladders

27 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the Scottish Outdoors

Scotland Prepares for the World Cycling Championships - How do we encourage girls to keep cycling?

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Stewart visits a cycling club for girls in Alford, Aberdeenshire.

Walking, Wheeling and Ladders

20 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Scotland Outdoors

Bikepacking in Scotland with Markus Stitz

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Needham goes for a cycle with author Markus Stitz to discuss his new book.

Kilted Yoga, Trains and Swarming Bees

13 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

Peter Ross, Author of Steeple Chasing - Around Britain by Church

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen presents Scotland Outdoors

Natterjack Toads, Bronze Casting and the Sailing Ship Provident

06 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Scotland Outdoors

The Salt Marshes of Caerlaverock

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen presents Scotland Outdoors

Litter, Muirburn and Hill Running

29 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Scotland Outdoors

Charlie Ramsay, the Creator of Scotland's Classic Mountain Marathon - the Ramsay Round

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Stewart hears from hill runner Charlie Ramsay.