The Plodcast

After many days of wet, grey gloom, a hopeful sunny day hints at spring – and draws out the birds in a public garden deep in the Welsh borders. Great tits, nuthatches, goldcrests, robins and treecreepers are among the singers here – with a male chaffinch trying out his new songs, too. On the ground, drooping snowdrops are already giving way to brave crocuses,BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be.Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe.Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Walk Hergest Ridge in Herefordshire on the Welsh border in the company of walker and writer Mike Parker who has spent years exploring the unique people, landscape and history of this borderland.With Plodcast host Fergus, Mike talks Offa's Dyke, the Welsh-English divide and the reason why these 'Marcherlands' are so attractive to those looking for somewhere off the beaten track.Mike Parker's book All the Wide Border: Wales, England and The Places Between is published by HarperNorth.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The winter calls of tawny owls pierce the night in a Cumbrian woodland. The wind roars through the trees like a stormy sea. This is a special recording made by author Polly Atkin to celebrate her new book, The Company of Owls, which is a record of the nature around her home in Grasmere in the Lake District. Her closest and most vocal neigbours are the owls.BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be.Recorded by Polly Atkin, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Image by GettyEmail the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Swollen by winter rains, a tiny stream, known as a rill, swarms almost vertically down a cleft in the hillside. As you listen from a bridge above, the stream feels alive, its cleansing sound washing away all weariness.BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be.Recorded by Sarah Williams, introduced by Hannah Tribe.Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enjoy a wander and deep dive into some of the big issues facing our wild world with zoologist and BBC tv presenter Gillian Burke during a beautiful walk along the Cornish coast near Falmouth.Gillian hosts her own podcast If I Ruled the World which explores big ideas and big themes, looking at the challenges facing the modern world and finding potential solutions. Listen on for a fascinating discussion.If I Ruled the World is available on all good podcast providers.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Early morning on the farm and a song thrush's strident spring call rises above the chatter of starlings and jackdaws. Beautiful and haunting in the cool morning air, the clear notes herald warmer, longer days.BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be.Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Image by GettyEmail the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join intrepid folk duo Ninebarrow (Jon Whitley and Jay Labouchardiere) for a Plodcast wander over Ballard Down to Old Harry Rocks on the coast of Dorset. Along the way, they sing and play some of their song to evoke landscape, nature and old legends. Pure, unmissable magic.See more of Ninebarrow on their Wandering Minstrels YouTube channel – and listen to their music on Spotify, Apple and other streaming services.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a bright morning on the Falmouth seafront after a week of rain and wind. The air is still, the sunshine warm, yet the sea is still full of storm energy and crashes on the shore, followed by a seethe of pebbles as the waves retreat.BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be.Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe.Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We climb a little-known hill in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) called Allt yr Esgair to search for a mysterious tower lost in the woods. Who built it and why was it abandoned? Join us for a Plodcast of exploration, with wildlife encounters and signs of spring along the way.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices