Outside In Podcast

Mick Fowler talks about taking back his life after a cancer diagnoses and returning to the mountains.

John D. Burns talks to Mark Lambert about his book, A man for all mountains, celebrating the remarkable life of mountaineer, broadcaster and educator, Jack Longland.

Mark Lambert has produced far more than a biography. He's recreated an era when great unclimbed cliffs still existed, Everest remained a mystery, Greenland's highest summit was unclimbed, and Britain's finest climbers simply got on with extraordinary adventures. It was however something else, something quite striking that captivated me about this book. Longland himself was clearly an excellent writer. Many climbing biographies rely on modern narrative around sparse historical sources, but here the subject's own words repeatedly become the highlights of the book. That, perhaps more than anything, explains why his voice has echoed through climbing literature for nearly a century.

For anyone interested in the Golden Age of British mountaineering, it's an immensely rewarding read.

Mark Lambert

Jack Longland was one of Britain's complete mountaineers: technically gifted, intellectually curious, adventurous, modest and seemingly happiest whenever there was unexplored ground ahead.

Here are a few extracts from the book...

Of Greenland and black and white photography.

‘In the clear northern light we could see the broad, unbroken line of the ice floes ahead, punctuated with big icebergs.’

‘The mountains faded as the coast bent away, a line of snow-marked peaks, with clean, white glaciers dropping to the fjords between. At once came a realisation of the drab inadequacy of most arctic photographs on seeing for the first time the glittering ice, the cold brilliance of the sky.’

‘The next day they woke to calmer seas. And soon they encountered their first Inuit, a pair hunting on the floes some four miles from the coast.’

‘The team spent an hour and a half on the summit. Fountaine was busy with his boiling-point thermometers, eventually producing similar results from all three to give a height of 12,250 feet (3,734 metres).’

‘Courtauld took theodolite readings to link in with his work at Camp VII, and Munck, rather sheepishly, produced a Danish flag.’

‘They had made the first ascent of the highest mountain in the Arctic, but as yet it had no name. Sometime later, the Place-name Committee in Copenhagen decided on Gunnbjørn Tinde. ‘Tinde’ means ‘summit’, and ‘Gunnbjørn’ recalled the tenth-century Viking Gunnbjörn Ulfsson, who was driven by a storm into the seas west of Iceland, saw glaciers to the west and was thus the first to discover Greenland.’

Speaking of his famous descent with eight porters on the 1933 Everest expedition.

On the journey to reach the campsite.

‘Perched on the north face of Everest, it was also the most inhospitable, the most precarious and probably the most dangerous. The word ‘campsite’ had no meaning here – this was a tiny ledge to which a six-by-four-foot tent had been made to cling only after snow and ice had been hacked out and a stony platform of sorts scraped together at its outer edge. Even then the tent floor sloped crazily downwards and its outermost third overhung the edge, flapping over the face that fell 6,000 feet to the Rongbuk Glacier.’

‘The north face of Everest is made up of slabs overlapping like tiles on a roof pitched at about forty-five degrees. These slabs are devoid of holds or features so that ice or snow clings to them only here and there; progress depended upon the tenuous grip of boot nails and a steady balance. There were few if any anchor points, so if one man were to slip, he would pull with him any others to whom he was roped.

So they had climbed unroped.’

jack Longland was also an accomplished broadcaster appearing on many radio panel games which were among the most popular media shows of his generation.

https://youtu.be/bSKaNjFotK0?si=PvUATPdj_vbpAa_1

A Man for all Mountains is available from all good bookstores,

I recently Interviewed David Barter about his book Great Scottish Bike Rides and it occurred to me that the vast majority of cycling doesn't take place on adventurous roads in the remote Highlands, it takes place in our urban jungles. As a cyclist myself, I know just how challenging it can be to cycle to the local shops. (I recently fell off my bike in the Co-Op car park. It was my fault.) I thought it would be good to talk to people who are trying to make these short journeys many of us make, safer and easier.

In this podcast I travel to Norwich to talk to Peter Silburn about the Norwich Cycling Campaign. Peter is chair of the Norwich Cycling Campaign, a small voluntary group which campaigns for more and better cycling infrastructure in Norwich and the surrounding area, to enable more people to choose cycling as a means of getting about.

Peter Silburn

Any sort of campaigning is equal parts intensely frustrating and deeply rewarding, and it can take a long time before your efforts bear fruit. One way to keep motivated on the long haul is to celebrate small wins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSqauucqkoA

“We’re campaigning for a high-quality network of cycle routes across the Norwich region, but that’s no reason not to celebrate getting a dropped kerb installed or some vegetation cut back on a cycle path.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQdM_2cYHCI

Peter believes passionately in the role that the humble bicycle can play in building a better society. The benefits are many and varied: better for your health, reduced air and noise pollution, reduced traffic congestion, fewer deaths and injuries on our roads and reduced cost of transport in a cost of living crisis to name a few.

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John D. Burns is an award winning outdoor author. Read more of his work by clicking the book cover below.

As you gaze across the landscape of the Highlands you will see vast areas of magnificent hills and lochs that stir the imagination, but look closer at that scenery and a different picture emerges. What the tourist sees from their car windscreen, or the hillwalker admires from the summit of a mountain, is not a wilderness where nature rules, it is a scarred, desolate land, stripped of its forests and wildlife where nature clings to the edges of the landscape by its fingertips.

You can play your part in showing just how important rewilding is by signing the Rewilding Nation Charter

In this podcast, John D. Burns talks to Steve Micklewright Past - Convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance and Chief Executive of Trees for Life about the organisations that are working together across for a wilder Scotland.

Steve Mickelwright

“Climate breakdown and nature loss mean we face an unprecedented threat to our way of life and our children’s future. But it’s not too late. Scotland can lead the way as a Rewilding Nation to benefit nature, climate and people,” said Steve.

Scotland is ranked 212 out of 240 countries and territories for the state of its nature, and 11% of its species face extinction. Intensive agriculture and climate breakdown are having the biggest impacts on biodiversity, according to the authoritative State of Nature 2023 report, with other threats including non-native forestry, pollution, and introduced species.

This is undermining access to food, fresh water and clean air. It is hampering efforts to lock away carbon, and harming people’s health and wellbeing, says the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, a coalition of more than 20 organisations.

Beaver Release, Glen Affric 24th October 2025Photo: Paul Campbell.

But growing numbers of communities, charities, farmers and landowners are taking action to turn Scotland’s nature crisis around – helping society cope with climate breakdown’s floods, wildlife die-offs, droughts and crop failures, while creating jobs and economic opportunities.

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance calculates 2.1% of Scotland’s land is now rewilding, with more than 150 projects covering at least 160,000 hectares, from community woodlands to landscape-scale partnerships. This includes members of Rewilding Britain’s UK-wide Rewilding Network, and the Scotland-wide Northwoods Rewilding Network, led by SCOTLAND: The Big Picture.

Rewilding 30% of Scotland can be achieved by restoring wild habitats including peatlands, native woodlands, wetlands, rivers and seas, with no loss of productive farmland. Rewilding goes hand-in-hand with nature-led farming, fishing and forestry, the Alliance says.

Produced by SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, the Why Not Scotland? film explores the Scottish landscape through the eyes of Flo Blackbourn, a young Scot from Glasgow, who sets out on a personal journey to find inspiring examples of major nature recovery around Europe.

https://youtu.be/FFypWj1bjPk?si=G_iDTwWx6nM_od-c

One of the great success stories of rewilding has been the reintroduction of the beaver into Scotland.

A family of five beavers and a beaver pair have been released at two sites on Loch Beinn a Mheadhoin in the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve in the northwest Highlands. The beavers were relocated under licence from agricultural land in Tayside to an area where their natural behaviours are expected to positively benefit the landscape and biodiversity. Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), which manages the 17,604-hectare NNR, has been working in partnership with Trees for Life on the initiative since 2022, supported by Beaver Trust. The project has included three phases of extensive consultations with local communities and land managers.

FLS North Region Manager, Alex Mcleod, said: “Beavers being translocated to Glen Affric is the culmination of a long, exacting and thorough process for FLS and Trees for Life. Fully engaging with the local Affric communities,

John D. Burns talks to Dave Barter about his new book Great Scottish Bike Rides. (Available to pre-order now) Released 6 July. Scotland has some of the most spectacular scenery in the world yet many cyclists have yet to explore its wild roads. David has selected 25 of the finest routes available for all abilities.

The book brings together twenty-five carefully curated road routes that showcase the very best cycling Scotland has to offer. From quiet Highland passes and rolling Borders roads to dramatic island loops on Mull, Skye, Arran and Bute, every ride has been ridden and refined to deliver an exceptional day in the saddle.

The view from the summit of Bealach na Ba one of Scotland's most challenging rides. Photo Derek Williams

David speaks about how his interest in cycling began and why he is so fascinated by the Scottish landscape.

"In 2013 I left a well paid job to go on a mission to find the best road cycling in Great Britain and as a result “Great British Bike Rides” was born. In writing it I reaffirmed my love for Scotland and the fact that it really is my favourite place in the world. I’ve been visiting for over thirty years, returning year after year, and no matter how many times I go back, I find something new and a reason to return again. 

I’ve ridden bikes in many countries and many great locations, but Scotland offers something unique. Its road riding has long lived in the shadow of mountain biking and a handful of famous climbs, yet the real appeal lies elsewhere. The landscape delivers challenge, beauty and solitude in equal measure, and the roads follow the land rather than fighting it. Every ride feels different, shaped by weather, light and chance encounters. There is no such thing as a typical Scottish ride."

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dakymd4od7t/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Riding in the Highlands can come with its own challenges. A s David Explains.

"I set out to ride Glen Kiltarlity without checking the snow cover. It was sunny in Tomatin when I left but once I got to the Glen I encountered some snow drifts. I thought I’d walk on for a bit to see if it cleared. After an hour I was committed. It didn’t clear until I reached the top after hours and hours of pushing my bike. I had a similar problem in Tarbert when it rained torrentially for the whole of the ride. I completed the loop with no photos and in a really bad mood so wrote no copy at all and had to go back and do it all over again months later. This has happened on many occasions and I now know these routes intimately."

Cycling in Scotland offers two wheeled adventures unlike anywhere else in the UK. David's expertly written book will offer any cyclist, from beginner to expert the chance to explore the country's finest routes.

Derek Williams Sound Editor

John D. Burns talks to Stuart Younie, CEO of Mountaineering Scotland and Ewan Watson, Project Manager for the Outdoor Access Trust Scotland about their three year project to restore the path network on An Teallach, one of Scotland's most iconic mountains.

Stuart Younie (Helen Gestwicki) Ewan Watson (James Roddie)

Stuart Younie CEO of Mountaineering Scotland said "This campaign and the restoration of the path on An Teallach has been a huge achievement through the combined efforts of OATS and Mountaineering Scotland and with the support of the outdoor community. We are really proud of the way that businesses, clubs and individuals have all stepped up and would like to thank everyone who has contributed and particularly the Scottish Mountaineering Trust, whose Diamond Grant kickstarted the whole project, and our lead sponsor Cotswold Outdoors. We hope we have managed to shine a light on the importance of investing in upland paths and the wider challenge of securing investment for this important work. I'm excited about where we go from here and selecting our next project for Its Up to Us."

Ewan Watson, Outdoor Access Project Manager of the Outdoor Access trust for Scotland, said: "OATS and Mountaineering Scotland set an ambitious target of raising £300,000 to carry out footpath repairs on An Teallach. Thanks to the generosity of everyone who contributed we have reached this target and competed over 3km of work on An Teallach.

"Specialist ‘hand build’ footpath contractors from Cairngorm Wilderness Contracts have spent nearly 800 days working on site, often in incredibly challenging conditions, to create a robust footpath that will provide sustainable access for years to come. They have been supported by volunteers from OATS who have assisted with the path works on a number of occasions throughout the project.

Credit James Roddie

Mountaineering Scotland

Mountaineering Scotland is the membership and representative organisation for hill walkers, climbers and ski tourers in Scotland, with a membership of around 16,000 individual and club members and 130 affiliated clubs. We aim to inspire and encourage people to enjoy the benefits of walking, climbing and ski touring and provide guidance and skills training to mountain users to promote safety, self-reliance and responsible access in Scotland’s mountains and climbing venues.

Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland

The Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS) is a ground-breaking environmental charity. We promote sustainable access – developing, building and fixing upland and lowland paths, path networks, habitats and trailhead facilities, in popular, remote, and fragile places. We do this to support outdoors enthusiasts, land managers and local communities, and promote the health and wellbeing benefits of path use. We are at the forefront of developing partnerships to finance conservation projects, collaborating with others to make Scotland’s outdoor access network fit for the future, and bringing people together to learn how to make places that matter better for all.

For better or worse, the Internet has changed all our lives. Dan Bailey talks to John D. Burns about the influence the influence social media has had on how we relate to the outdoors. Dan is the editor of UKHillwalking and Gear editor for the site, the biggest on line network for climbers and hillwalkers in the UK. A service that has had more influence than any other on the outdoor community in Britain. He talks about the changes he has seen and what an increasingly digitalised future might mean.

Dan Bailey

Dan joined UKClimbing Limited as the part-time editor of UKHillwalking in 2011. His role became full-time in May 2016 when he took on the role of Gear Editor for both UKC and UKH. Dan discovered a love for the hills on family holidays to North Wales, allegedly making it up Cadair Idris at three-and-a-bit (he has to take his parents' word for that), and never really looking back.

Day walks expanded into backpacking trips, and gradual progress through the classic scrambles led inevitably to climbing, for which he has endless enthusiasm but practically no talent. His passion for all things mountainous has led him from the Andes to Africa, the Pyrenees to the North Pennines; a cynic might point out that although he took nothing but photographs, he's sure as hell left a big carbon footprint. But Dan is usually to be found at home in Scotland, enjoying the world-class mountains and seascapes on his doorstep. Dan is the author of several guidebooks including Great Mountain Days in Scotland, Scotland's Mountain Ridges, The Ridges of England, Wales and Ireland and West Highland Way.

Sound Editor Derek Williams

In this podcast Bobby Motherwell talks to John D. Burns about his deep connection with wild places and how this inspires his music and poetry. There are times we all need to reaffirm our relationship with a timeless landscape. Bobby's writing speaks of how much it means to him not only to be in touch with the hills but also to take time to appreciate the small things like the call of a wild bird or the hum of an insect. Bobby finds these things essential, especially in times of loss when he has found contact with the natural world an important part of healing. In his music and poetry Bobby reflects the solace he finds in wild places.

Bobby Motherwell

Bobby Motherwell is a poet, singer/songwriter and musician from Glasgow. He lives in Howwood in Renfrewshire. He was until 2025 the Poet in Residence at RSPB Lochwinnoch where he still spends most of his spare time writing about and photographing the landscapes, surroundings and wildlife there. His writing is reflective of the natural world and is contemplative and meditative in essence. The results of his time there are compiled in his latest book Lochwinnoch: Birds, Words and Wetlands which was released this year at the Lochwinnoch Arts Festival.

The projects he is working on currently include a book about the life and work of Alexander Wilson Poet/Naturalist and Father of American ornithology, and also a book documenting his ascent of the Matterhorn in Switzerland last year. Bobby will be performing poems and songs written during his residency at RSPB Lochwinnoch and also from his albums.

Listen to Bobby's music HERE

His solo music project is Sulidae, and his album first album Kitchen Sink Dharma was released in August 2022 to critical acclaim. The album was chosen as the featured album of the week on BBC Radio Scotland. His second album …an invincible summer received similar acclaim and success. He is currently recording his third album which will be released later this year.

He released his first book Lots of Things in January 2023 which is a collection of poetry, prose and photographs and his second book of poetry Child in the Growing Old. Was released by Seahorse Publication in 2025.

His poetry has been widely published in Scottish literary publications such as Dreich, S.C.A.P, Stanza and in Sweetycat Press (USA). He is a member of the Glasgow City of Poets and his poem The Swift In The Passing was commended at the Paisley Book festival in 2024.

John will be appearing live in his one man show Bothy Tales on the 20th of June at Kincraig Community hall.

Click HERE to book your tickets or follow the QR Code.

Sound editor Derek Williams

The development of big wall climbing in Yosemite in the second half of the twentieth century was a seminal moment in the development of of rock climbing. In this podcast Dennis Gray talks about some of the climbers who made those ascents possible and were at the forefront of developing new techniques on the immense Yosemite walls.

Dennis Gray

Dennis recalls a unique period in the history of climbing when a small community of dedicated climbers came together to test themselves against some of the greatest unclimbed walls on Earth.

You can read more of Dennis' recollections of his life amongst the mountains in his recently published book, Essays from the Edge.

Yvon Choinard

Half Dome

Frost, Robbins, Chuck Pratt and Yvon Chouinard on top of the North America Wall. Adventure sports Journal

John D. Burns talks to Martyn Howe about his remarkable journey along the King Charles III coastal path. In this interview Martyn reveals an intimate connection with nature inspired by his days walking in the remote areas of Britain's coast. His book is as much about an inward journey to find peace in the natural world as it is about a walk along one of the UK's most varied walks.

Sound editor Derek Williams.

Martyn is a hugely experienced long distance walker and he passes on some crucial advice to anyone thinking of taking on one of Britain's biggest walks.

Martyn Howe

Howe also discovers that long-distance backpacking – a simple life, liberated from consumerism by carryingjust a few important possessions, and free from online addiction – gives him time to reflect and processmany issues, often through the lens of public art or through observing the juxtaposition between industryand nature. The Coast is Our Compass explores England’s relationship to its coastline and its importance toour identity: the sea-cliffs, estuaries, saltmarshes and beaches hold uncountable memories and heritagethat shape our inner world.

Forth Bridge

Our coast offer some dramatic contrasts between industrial and urban settings to remote and wild places.

Why do we walk? Why do we like to be beside the sea? And what happens when you infuse thesequestions into a journey around the coast of England – a pilgrimage in search of art, culture, communityand glorious natural wealth along the world’s longest managed coastal path? Extending well beyond theconfines of a walking memoir, The Coast is our Compass addresses all this and more.

Art is an important part of the exploration of our coastline and illustrates our intimate connection with the border of our land.

After 40 years as a multinational technology executive, MartynHowe (trailplanner.co.uk) rediscovered his passion for walkingoutdoors, completing all of Britain’s 19 National Trails in 2016 –covering 3,000 miles over 153 days through some of the world’s mostwonderful and diverse landscapes. Howe’s 2021 book Tales from theBig Trails tells this story. Upon finishing the final trail, at Cromer inNorfolk, he learned of an audacious plan to build a new 2,700-mileNational Trail around the coast of England – a trail now known as theKing Charles III England Coast Path. In Howe’s mind, there was noquestion that this new route needed to be walked. Howe shares theseexperiences in his second book, The Coast is Our Compass, whichventures deeper into how it feels to undertake a coastal pilgrimage, andhow it helped him learn more about himself and the challenges theworld faces.