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

Urban Community Land, Neidpath Castle and What to do with Wool

A topical guide to life in the Scottish outdoors.

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Rachel visits the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Montrose Basin reserve in Angus where a group of nursery children were out exploring the mudflats to see what beasties they could find. She speaks to nursery and reserve staff about the importance of getting young kids involved in nature. Isle Martin is a small island just three miles off the coast of Ullapool. It’s had many uses over the years including a herring station, a flour mill and a bird reserve. It’s now in community ownership and recently Mark went for a visit for the Scotland Outdoors podcast. One of the community trust directors Lesley Strachan took him for a tour and told him about their plans. It started as a lockdown project and has since become a big hit on social media. Aberdeenshire walks is a site promoting good routes and attractions for those eager to explore the area. Rachel went out for a walk with one half of the couple behind it, Anna Gill, to hear about how it all started and about their recent singles walks! The Fairy Pools on Skye have become a bucket list destination for tourists from right across the globe. However, that popularity had begun to cause issues with overcrowding. Recently as part of the Skye Iconic Sites Project, work was carried out to create car parking and toilet facilities at the fairy pools. Mark went to see the changes and hear from those involved in the project about the difference it has made, as well as chatting to some of the visitors from places as far away as Dubai and India. And sticking with tourist hotspots, we’re joined live by Dr Guillem Colom-Montero from Glasgow University who has carried out research into the parallels between Skye and the Scottish Highlands, and the Spanish island of Majorca. We chat to him about how tourism can be managed to benefit both visitors and those who live and work in popular destinations. The Rahoy reserve in the Morvern Peninsula is run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and as well as being one of their largest reserves, it’s also one of the most biodiverse in the country. Rachel headed out for a walk with ranger Steve Hardy to see what they could spot. Why are the Fairy Pools on Skye so popular? Where does the legend of fairies come from and are they really a magical place? Catherine MacPhee is an archivist at the Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre, and she busts some myths on the history of the picturesque location. 18-year-old Ethan Walker from Auchnagatt is about to embark on an incredible bike trip from Hampden Park to Munich for the Euros. It’s over 1,000 kilometres in total which is a big achievement for anyone, but even more so for Ethan who was run over in an horrific accident in New York State whilst over there on a football scholarship. Earlier this week Mark caught up with him and his mum, Jaclyn ahead of his trip and heard all about his incredible recovery journey

Majorca and Skye, Singles Walks and Rahoy Nature Reserve

Mark Stephen visits Isle Martin which forms part of the Summer Isles lying north of Ullapool in Wester Ross.  The island is owned by a community trust and one of it's directors, Lesley Strachan shows Mark round the island

Isle Martin - one of the Summer Isles of Wester Ross

Rachel visits Fairhill Rise, an education centre in East Lothian which is part of the Ruskin Mill Trust. The centre provides outdoor learning and activities for those with autism and additional needs. Rachel meets the manager and hears about their work. Ahead of World Otter Day this coming Wednesday, Mark visits International Otter Survival Fund in Broadford on Skye to hear about the work they carry out across the world and meet some of the otters they have in their care. Over the past couple of weeks folk singer Kirsty Law has been walking along the route of the River Tweed. Her Meander tour has seen her meet other musicians along the way and stop to perform gigs as she goes. Maud Start went to catch up with her near Innerleithen. Mark joins a bike bus in Edinburgh- a safe way for kids to cycle to school. He hears from the organiser Jarlath Flynn about where the idea comes from and sees first hand how they work. He also chats to some of the children and their parents about the benefits of cycling to school. Soil Association Scotland and other groups have been carrying out crop trials to see which varieties of flax might grow best in Scotland. Rachel visits Lauriston Farm near Edinburgh who are part of the project to see the process of sowing the flax. And she meets Rosie Bristow from Fantasy Fibre Mill who has been using flax to make yarn and then linen. There seem to be a lot of dandelions on the go at the moment, with many gardeners cursing their presence in their lawns. However, the humble dandelion actually has many great properties so perhaps we shouldn’t be quite so quick to pull it out. We chat live to M.T. O’Donnell, founder and editor of Scotland Grows Magazine about the benefits of the dandelion. And in our latest Scotland Outdoors podcast Mark spent some time at the Chippendale International School of Furniture near Haddington. We hear an excerpt of him chatting to some of those at work making some unique pieces of furniture.

Flax, Dandelions and Bike Buses

Mark Stephen visits the Chippendale International School of Furniture near Haddington in East Lothian.  He meets the principal and students from home and abroad taking part in the courses run by the school

Chippendale International School of Furniture in East Lothian

In our latest Scotland Outdoors podcast Helen Needham meets regenerative farmer Nikki Yoxall in the hills of Aberdeenshire. Nikki’s cattle are outside all year round, moving from field to field as part of a system called mob grazing. She tells Helen about the benefits it has for the cattle and the land. In the last few years, there’s been an explosion in the number of community run gardens across the country. These bring huge positives to those who look after and visit them. However, new research from Aberdeen University suggests that sometimes the pressures of running such a project can mount up. Rachel went to speak to Professor David Burslem to hear more. The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week has been movement, and on Out of Doors, we love nothing better to help clear our heads than heading out for a walk. Mark went along to join a group doing just that with Moray based charity Nature 4 Health. They aim to connect people with nature, each other and themselves, and Mark hears from some of those taking part about the benefits they feel of being part of the group. A new project linking up poets with farmers to shine a light on growing food has been launched by the Gaia Foundation. It involves 10 poets around the UK who each spent time on farms in order to produce a new poem. For the Scotland Outdoors podcast, Helen Needham went to meet Edinburgh-based poet Iona Lee who was paired with Lauriston Agroecology Farm in the city. They went for a wander on a very wet day to chat about Iona’s relationship with the natural world. Mark visits the National Trust for Scotland's St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve to see how the seabird colony there is faring. As Mental Health Awareness Week comes to an end, on Saturday we celebrate World Therapeutic Horticultural Day. One of the organisations involved is Trellis, who are based in Perth. We chat live to Fiona Thackeray, their chief executive officer, about what therapeutic gardening is and the different people they work with. If you’re interested in climbing, you might want to check out a new BBC podcast. It’s part of a series called Amazing Sports Stories and it’s called Chasing Mountains. Rachel spoke to the presenters Joanna Jolly and Kathy Karlo who told her more about making the series and let her hear some clips. Have you ever heard of the term Everesting? The idea is simple, but the activity is incredibly tough. Cyclists pick a hill and ride repeats of it in a single activity until they climb the height of Mount Everest - 8,848m. It’s something that musician Mark Bruce has become passionate about after struggling with his mental health. He told our Travelling Folk colleagues about his challenges, and we hear an excerpt where he talks about how extreme exercise saved him. And to round off Mental Health Awareness week, we take a moment to be mindful with a soundscape.

Urban Community Land, Neidpath Castle and What to do with Wool

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