Open Country

The John Muir Way


Listen Later

A young boy - John Muir - spent his early years in Scotland, playing along Dunbar's coast and scrambling across rocks. This early fascination with nature and 'wild places' later saw him campaign to protect them. When his family emigrated to the USA it led him on a path that would see him appeal directly to the president and help create the National Parks. Today he's known by most American schoolchildren but he is not so widely known in the UK.

Helen Mark sets off on the new coast to coast John Muir Way from Dunbar to Helensburgh, named after the man but leading through his native country. She visits the town where he revelled in nature, hikes along some of the route with poets who've planted trees and created new writing inspired by his work and takes in Helix Park and the Kelpies - a dramatic modern designed landscape - far from the wilderness which Muir revelled in but which is bringing together thousands from the local community into the outdoors.

Presented by Helen Mark and produced by Anne-Marie Bullock.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Open CountryBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

83 ratings


More shows like Open Country

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,412 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,843 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,909 Listeners

Scotland Outdoors by BBC Radio Scotland

Scotland Outdoors

241 Listeners

Farming Today by BBC Radio 4

Farming Today

66 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

500 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,782 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,050 Listeners

Ramblings by BBC Radio 4

Ramblings

167 Listeners

Gardeners' Question Time by BBC Radio 4

Gardeners' Question Time

285 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

269 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,925 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,081 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

45 Listeners

The Kitchen Cabinet by BBC Radio 4

The Kitchen Cabinet

124 Listeners

Gardening with the RHS by Royal Horticultural Society

Gardening with the RHS

260 Listeners

The Plodcast by Our Media

The Plodcast

109 Listeners

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast by National Trust

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

104 Listeners

Folk on Foot by Matthew Bannister

Folk on Foot

65 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

742 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,985 Listeners

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast by Immediate Media

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast

306 Listeners

As the Season Turns by Ffern

As the Season Turns

208 Listeners

Limelight by BBC Radio 4

Limelight

270 Listeners

A Life More Wild by Canopy & Stars

A Life More Wild

19 Listeners