Scotland Outdoors

he Quadrantid meteor shower will be peaking in the UK around 3rd and 4th January. Elizabeth Tindall shares her experience of observing fireball meteors which are associated with this type of shower.Rachel catches up with Milli Abram as she undertakes a solo rowing adventure across the Atlantic Ocean.The Atlantic Salmon is now classified as an endangered species in the UK. Mark hears about the Save the Spring project being undertaken by the Dee District Salmon Fisheries Board to translocate fish and help improve breeding success.Writer Neil Ansell discusses his hearing loss and quest to hear endangered birds before it's too late.Graeme Johncock of Scotland's Stories shares some old tales from around the country.Survival Expert Zeki Basan goes winter foraging with Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone.And Mark visits the unique Finzean Bucket Mill in Aberdeenshire which is undergoing restoration by the Birse Community Trust.

Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone go wild foraging in the Highlands with outdoor survival instructor Zeki Basan. Along the way, Zeki introduces them to essential bushcraft skills, from food preservation and shelter building to the ancient art of fire-lighting using stone.

Mark and Rachel celebrate 60 Years of the Mountain Bothy Association with a trip to Ryvoan Bothy to get a sense of the very lively bothy culture in Scotland.

Helen Needham discusses hearing loss and his search for bird song with writer Neil Ansell

Farmer Simon Johnson offers tours and experiences with alpacas. Rachel heads to Bowbridge Alpacas in Fife and begins by taking a look at some alpaca babies sheltering from the cold.It’s National Robin Day on the 21st of December. Mark meets Ian Broadbent in Aberdeenshire to chat about the songbird and its small but mighty reputation.Rachel joins Dr Andrew Hoolachan in Glasgow, the wettest city in the UK. Andrew explains why it’s important to consider how we live with the rain and shares findings from his report: ‘Living with rain – planning for everyday life in Glasgow.’Mark takes the Cairngorm Mountain funicular to a windy plateau and examines snow with Mark Diggins of the Scottish Avalanche Information Service. Mark discusses the changing conditions in the Cairngorms.The Spey Viaduct near Garmouth in Moray has partially collapsed. Rachel visits the bridge with Melanie Newbould of the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust to find out why it is so important to the outdoors community.Maud Start and Sarah Wann explore the str

Mark Stephen goes out in search of snow with Mark Diggins of SAIS

The Scottish Wildlife Trust has just acquired a piece of land which will double the size of one of its wildlife reserves. Rachel joins Reserves Manager Rab Potter at Gight Wood near Methlick to discover why the site is so significant.A new survey has revealed that the number of peregrine pairs in the breeding season within Cairngorms National Park has declined by 56% since 2002. Mark meets Chief Executive Grant Moir near Grantown to discuss the pattern.Cattle droving was once commonplace in Scotland, moving animals on foot to market and to higher fields for grazing. Rachel meets farmer and ecologist Richard Lockett near Dingwall to discover how he led a modern-day cattle drove across the Highlands.The Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels team in the North East are working with specially trained dogs and their handlers to detect the last remaining grey squirrels in the city and surrounds. Mark visits a search and signal demonstration.Rachel heads to the open air swimming pool in Stonehaven, host of the Internationa

Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone meet up with Jonathan Caddy at the Findhorn Foundation.

In the summer, Mark met Euan Tomes, Assistant Woodlands Manager at Moray Estates, in the aftermath of a wildfire that spread through Dava Moor. Mark catches up with Euan to find out how the land has been recovering and what happened to the osprey chicks Euan helped to save.In the heart of Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway is an organisation called A’ the Airts. Rachel meets Aileen Sim and Kate Sloan to find out how it's working to protect the craft of knitting.Mills Observatory in Dundee has reopened for this year’s season and the historic dome is also celebrating its 90th anniversary. Mark meets Anna Day of Leisure and Culture Dundee to find out how the Observatory was recently saved after it risked closure.In this week’s podcast excerpt, Mark and Rachel speak to delegates at the Scottish Outdoor Access Network Conference near Perth.In Aberdeenshire, craters left by a WWII decoy airfield form the basis of a successful rewilding project. Mark meets Gavin Drummond on his farm Harestone Moss to discover how he’

Mark and Rachel speak to delegates at the Scottish Outdoor Access Network conference.

The Spirit of Adventure Festival is hosted this weekend by Paralympic champion Karen Darke and features Claire Alldritt, who embarked on a 1000 mile trek with her horses in 2022. Rachel joins them to chat next adventures.In this week’s podcast excerpt, Mark meets climber Guy Robertson whose latest book, The Great Mixed Climbs of Scotland, co-produced with photographer Hamish Frost, highlights winter climbs in the country.In a few days, Milli Abrams of Tribe Yarns in East Neuk, will start a 3000 mile solo row across the Atlantic. Milli joins Mark and Rachel before the adventure begins.Few patches of Caledonian pinewoods remain in Scotland. Near Glenmore Lodge, Mark talks to author Dr Ron Summers about future conservation of the pinewoods.The UNESCO Trail links Scotland's 16 UNESCO sites. Rachel chats about the trail's highlights with Ed Forrest, the Director of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, at the Crawick Water.A new exhibition at National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait features Alfred Buckham

Mark Stephen meets Scottish based winter climber Guy Robertson. Guy's latest book, The Great Mixed Climbs of Scotland, co-produced with photographer Hamish Frost highlights the best winter climbs in the country. Mark also finds out what it takes to be a winter climber

Forvie Nature Reserve is known for its seal population. Ythan Seal Watch are a volunteer group who promote responsible viewing of seals, Mark met up with them to find out more.Rachel heads to the beach at Broughty Ferry to chat with Isla Fowler and Jessica Giannotti about SeaDyes, a young company working with the James Hutton Institute to create natural dyes from seaweed.”Listener and professional dog walker, Liz Merchant challenged Mark to join her and two of her dogs for a walk in a very wet Edinburgh.Just outside Glasgow, the Salvation Army is turning its outdoor space into a spot for gardening and recovery. Mark visits the Eva Burrows 1st Stop project in Cambuslang, where programme manager Rosie Kehoe is ready to give him a tour.On the Finzean Estate in Aberdeenshire, Mark joins stalker Hedge Shand who has been teaching chef Sanjay Bhattacharya the art of stalking.Elizabeth Cameron, Director at Blairgowrie Vets joins Mark and Rachel to discuss loupin ill and how we can protect our dogs.In Eyemouth, a scul

Mark Stephen goes out on the hill at Finzean in Aberdeenshire with stalker Hedge Shand and Chef Sanjay Bhattacharya to discuss deer management and venison.

Photographer, filmmaker and researcher Jill de Fresnes has encapsulated the experiences of twelve Scottish women who worked as herring gutters from the 1920s to the 1960s in a new exhibition at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh. Mark meets Jill there to chat about Silver, Salt and Stories – Images and Memories of the Scots Herring Women.Two friends in Fife set up the Wild Scottish Sauna during lockdown after seeing the popularity of wild swimming. In this week’s podcast excerpt, Rachel visits one of their sites at Kingsbarns beach near St Andrews to speak to some of the regulars and co-founder Jayne McGhie.A groundbreaking soil survey in Glen Prosen, Cairngorms National Park, has unearthed a staggering number of species living beneath the ground. Mark is in the Glen with Plant Ecologist Dr Andrea Britton, Molecular Fungal Ecologist Dr Andy Taylor and Forestry and Land Scotland Programme Manager Christine Reid to discover how the findings will inform the rebuilding of native woodlands in the area.P

Two working mothers in Fife set up Wild Scottish Sauna during lockdown after seeing the popularity of wild swimming.

Cairngorms Pride is a new nature-led organisation set up in Cairngorms National Park with the motto: “here for the planet, queer for the planet”. Rachel chats to Dan Cottam and Kath Pierce about the social enterprise.Coinneach Rankin and Hamish Macleod are climbers and filmmakers who make the series Dàna on BBC Alba in which they capture their adventures in the outdoors. Helen Needham joins them in Lochaber to discuss their approach to adventuring, filmmaking and the Gaelic language.The first grey seal pups of the season are at Forvie National Nature Reserve in Aberdeenshire. Mark meets Reserve Manager Catriona Reid to discover how to observe the seals without disturbing them.Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone take to the Caledonian canal to speak to Robert Gordon from Inverness Rowing Club about how the club is making the sport more accessible.A mother-daughter duo are co-authoring a memoir called Sea Legs. The book follows 11-year-old competitive para swimmer Oona Dooks and her mother Eleanor Thom in their tr

Coinneach Rankin and Hamish Macleod are both climbers and filmmakers who make the series Dàna on BBC Alba in which they capture their adventures in the outdoors. They discuss their approach to adventuring, filmmaking and the Gaelic language and landscape.

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

Mark Stephen visits Culloden Battlefield to meet archaeologists involved in a recent dig there to find out what they have uncovered