Scotland Outdoors

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 and why.

This week’s Scotland’s Outdoors podcast features cellist Jessica Kerr telling Helen Needham about her project ‘Stories of People and Trees’. She’s been gathering stories relating to trees and has commissioned some new music inspired by them. We hear an excerpt where they admire the trees in Maxwell Park in Glasgow.

Back in lockdown in 2020, a seawater pool in the East Neuk of Fife started to experience a bit of a revival. Rachel went for a visit to hear about the group that formed to look after the Cellardyke Pool and the important part it plays in the community. Plus she witnesses some of those brave enough to take a dip in January!

The RSPB’s Loch Leven reserve is home to lots of different bird life at different times of the year. Mark went along to see what he could spot as we head into spring.

And with Spring on our minds, we chat about Imbolc. A Celtic tradition, Imbolc marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. We hear about the traditions and rituals associated with it.

Galloway is another area that is campaigning to become Scotland’s Next National Park. Rachel speaks to some of those involved in the bid about what makes it so special and why it should be awarded National Park status.

After hearing our item on willow coffins recently, the custodian of a natural burial ground in Speyside got in touch to ask if we'd like to visit. So Mark went along to find out what makes a natural burial ground different from a traditional cemetery.

A special appeal is being made to trace the descendants of the crew involved in the Stonehaven lifeboat disaster of 1874. Rachel hears the tragic story of the disaster and why the RNLI are trying to find descendants.

Helen Needham hears about some special trees from musician Jessica Kerr

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 summer, the Saving Wildcats project released 19 cats in the Cairngorms as part of efforts to prevent the species becoming extinct. Mark visits the Highland Wildlife Park where the next kittens that will be released have been bred, to hear about how the project is going.

We’ve all heard of wine tasting but have you ever thought of giving honey tasting a bash? In our latest Scotland Outdoors podcast, Rachel tries her hand at it under the tutelage of Dr Gino Jabbar, a honey sommelier.

Earlier this month, dozens of people under the banner of The Cairngorms Crofters and Farmers Group gathered to voice their grievances over the recent release of beavers into the National Park. Mark met one of the organisers, Ruaridh Ormiston, to find out more about their concerns.

And we’re joined live by Grant Moir, Chief Executive of the Cairngorms National Park Authority. We’ll put the concerns of farmers to him and ask about the tricky balance involved in keeping everyone who lives, works and enjoys the park, happy.

More than a million pounds is being spent upgrading one of the most popular walking routes in the North East. Rachel went for a wander along part of the Formartine and Buchan Way to hear how the money will be spent.

If you watched Britain’s Best Woodworker recently you may remember one of the stars Jen Humphreys. Jen has her workshop in Banff, and Rachel went along to see how she creates her stunning work.

And as Thursday marked Burns Night, Mark met up with Professor Alison Lumsden from Aberdeen University to hear about the Bard’s connections to the North East and whether any of his poetry was inspired by the Doric he would have heard growing up.

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 honey tasting. He believes that honey is a "taste of the landscape" and there are marked differences in the taste of the product depending on the season and location of the bees. He invites Rachel to sample different products and explains how different plants and trees influence the taste.

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 Creative Trail which has been established to encourage people to explore the great outdoors while soaking up some art at the same time. She meets one of the organisers and an artist involved.

Mark meets Mike Scotland, the founder of Community cleanUP. The Aberdeen-based group organises litter-picks to clean up the city. But as Mark hears, starting to litter-pick has literally been a lifesaver for Mike.

In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Mark meets Martin Kennedy, chairman of the National Farmers Union of Scotland. In this excerpt, Martin discusses river management and laments the lack of dredging and what he sees as the negative side effects.

In response to Martin, we chat live to hydromorphologist Dr Stephen Addy from the James Hutton Institute. He tells us what his role involves and why our approach to river management has changed over the years.

A little earlier this week, Inverurie in Aberdeenshire attempted to stage the biggest snowball fight in Scotland. Rachel was in the thick of the action as the snowballs were flying between the two teams.

Before Christmas we asked you to send in your ornithological queries for friend of the programme and North East Bird Recorder, Ian Broadbent to answer. This week, Mark and Rachel met up with Ian at the Inchgarth Reservoir to put his knowledge to the test and see if he come up with all the answers!

And in a week where the North East has been blanketed in snow, Mark heads out to muse about his love-hate relationship with the white stuff.

Mark and Martin discuss the various issues facing farmers in Scotland including river management, beavers, new entrants, the future of agricultural support and why farming is the best job in the world.

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors

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

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 from the city.

In June 2021 fire destroyed the replica Iron Age Crannog on Loch Tay. In the years since, the Scottish Crannog Centre has moved location to the other side of the loch and the team has been working to create a new replica Iron Age village. Rachel went to see their progress and explore the new site.

The Memorial Chapel in Arbroath’s Western cemetery was designed by Patrick Allan-Fraser, who established the town’s Hospitalfield House as a centre for arts and crafts, as a memorial to his late wife Elizabeth and her parents. It’s a striking building but has never been used to its full potential. Laura Guthrie goes for a visit and hears how the Hospitalfield House team hope to use it.

We continue to hear from each of the areas vying to be given National Park status. This week Mark is in Pitlochry hearing about the bid for the Tay Forest National Park.

The recent stormy weather has caused a number of puffins to be stranded on North East beaches. We hear from the New Arc Wildlife Centre about why birds become stranded and what to do if you come across an injured bird.

While Rachel visited the new Scottish Crannog Centre, she spoke to some of the team who are working to recreate the Iron Age village. There’s a whole host of people on site including a traditional carpenter, archaeologists and a green woodworker.

It’s nearly 40 years since the Winter Garden at Saughton Park in Edinburgh was redeveloped. Rachel speaks to Craig Dunlop, Park and Green Space officer, about how the park has changed over the years.

And we hear an excerpt from the recent Scotland Outdoors podcast looking back on the career of the late Charlie Allan. Charlie was a real North East Man O' Pairts - broadcaster, writer, farmer, singer and sportsman. We hear some of his archive recordings.

Helen Needham with archive recordings from Charlie Allan