Earlier in the year, I travelled into the hills, following lines of smoke drifting down the glens. It’s muirburn season, where gamekeepers like Will Curr burn old heather to encourage new growth. But this practice is controversial, and to try and get to the bottom of why, I wanted to see it for myself.

To understand the picture more fully, Sarah Roberts and I sought out a broad spectrum of voices, expertise and opinions, from the Scottish Fire Service to government agencies and the latest science. Are we doing enough to protect our uplands from the risk of fire, and in the process, are we damaging the climate with how we manage the land? All this in episode three of the British Ulands Podcast. 

This is not a sit-down studio interview podcast. Over the coming weeks, we’ll join Byron and Sarah as they travel the country and get out on the hills, meeting guests ranging from soil scientists, ecologists and rewilding enthusiasts to gamekeepers, chefs, crofters and deer managers. 

For more, visit www.britishuplands.com

Presented by Byron Pace & Sarah Roberts, co-produced and edited by David Shanks. An M.H. Studios production