288. A quest to explore the ancient burial mounds of the Marlborough Downs

It's a bright, beautiful morning so join Plodcast host Fergus for a wander into the soft chalk hills known as the Marlborough Downs of Wiltshire to hunt for burial mounds.

Known as barrows, these strange humps in the landscape are the graves of forgotten chieftains and warriors of ancient times and have a brooding mystery about them. Enjoy a late winter adventure into the Bronze Age – with wildlife encounters along the way.

Afterwards, join the team in the Plodcast studio for a big round-up of listener messages and questions.

The two organisations mentioned in the team discussion are:

Coflein – The online catalogue of archaeology, buildings, industrial and maritime heritage in Wales https://coflein.gov.uk/en/

Archwilio – The historic environment record of Wales https://archwilio.org.uk/wp/

The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022.

If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: theplodcast@countryfile.com.

If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team.

The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop

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