Love Scotland: Stories of Scotland's History and Nature

Sculptor Andy Scott, the creator of the iconic Kelpies, joins Jackie Bird to discuss his incredible work, Scotland’s position in the art world, and his aspirations for the future.  Together, they talk about the physical demands of working on such large pieces of metalwork, the catharsis of sculpting, and how his Scottish identity influences his creations and his process. The Glasgow School of Art-graduate also speaks about his long-time affection for Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, leading figures in Glasgow’s historic art scene. For more information on Mackintosh at the Willow, click here. To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  You might enjoy some of our past episodes on Mackintosh and Macdonald Mackintosh. Simply scroll back through the Love Scotland feed to hear instalments on Mackintosh at the Willow and the life of Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh. If, like Andy, you are based in the US, you might be interested in the work of the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA. Click here to read more about what they do. 

This week, host Jackie Bird is at Robert Smail’s Print Works in the Scottish Borders to see the oldest working commercial letterpress printers in the UK. She meets the team that keeps the printing works running today and hears about the history of the press and its eponymous owner. Jackie also discovers secrets of the ever-changing publishing industry of the Victorian era, unpicks the mechanisms behind the presses, and takes us on a tour right into the heart of the machinery.  To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  For more information on the Robert Smail’s Print Works, click here.

We all know the songs and poems written by one of Scotland’s most famous sons – but who were the people that most influenced his life and his writing? Host Jackie Bird is on a mission to find out. This week, she’s joined by Christoper Waddell, learning manager at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, and Professor Gerard Carruthers, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Francis Hutcheson Chair of Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow. Together, they look at poets, family members, friends and educators who made their mark on the Bard.  To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  For more information on the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, click here. Explore the National Trust for Scotland’s Robert Burns Collection online here. You might enjoy some of our past episodes on Robert Burns. Simply scroll back through the Love Scotland feed to hear instalments on Auld Lang Syne and Burns’ death. Use of Green Grow The Rashes, O by Bill Adair, courtesy of University of Glasgow.

How do you restore a 200-year-old church on one of Scotland’s most remote islands? Jackie Bird sits down with Susan Bain, property manager of St Kilda, to find out.   A dual UNESCO World Heritage Site that sits on the edge of the Atlantic, St Kilda is vital to Scottish history but a big challenge for the Trust to care for properly. Once inhabited year-round by a civilian population, the island now hosts annual maintenance, archaeology, conservation and bird monitoring projects. This year, that included the restoration of a building that used to be at the very heart of the community. To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  For more information on St Kilda, click here. The work on St Kilda’s Kirk was made possible thanks to supporters of our Caring for St Kilda campaign. Thank you to all of them.  As a charity, we can only undertake work such as this with your support. Please, if you can, donate today and help us continue to carry out conservation work across St Kilda. Find out more about the second phase of the campaign, which will restore the kirk’s interiors, here.

Meet Hugh Miller: the man regarded as the David Attenborough of his day. Though often overlooked in the history books, this self-taught geologist helped to popularise natural history to his Victorian audience.  What did he help to discover about prehistoric Scotland? How were his scientific findings viewed by his peers? And why has he not remained better known?  Joining Jackie Bird this week is James Ryan, visitor services assistant at Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage and Museum in Cromarty. To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  For more on Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage and Museum, click here.

Eric Melvin, a seasoned tour guide and author of *A Walk Down Edinburgh’s Royal Mile*, takes listeners on a thrilling journey through the dark history of Edinburgh's most famous street. He shares fascinating tales of body-snatching and the notorious Deacon Brodie. The discussion also uncovers the chilling legacy of infamous criminals like Burke and Hare, and highlights the eerie past of Edinburgh's medical practices. Prepare for spine-tingling stories set against the backdrop of Edinburgh's historical landmarks!

Whether you’re out every week hitting the links, or consider golf a good walk spoiled, the sport is undeniably a key ingredient in Scotland’s social tapestry.  At Kingarrock Hickory Golf Course, the only remaining course of its kind in the UK, Jackie meets Dave Allan, visitor services assistant at the Hill of Tarvit venue. She also meets Hannah Fleming, learning and access curator at The R&A World Golf Museum, to find out how and why golf became so popular. From its royal roots onwards, Jackie charts a centenary of play at Kingarrock and considers the wider history of Scottish golf, which stretches back as far as 500 years ago.  To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  For more information on Kingarrock Hickory Golf Course, click here.

Recorded in Falkland Palace’s chapel royal, host Jackie Bird and her guest Steven Veerapen discuss the adult life and legacy of James VI of Scotland and I of England. During his reign, the king faced a host of challenges, from religious tensions to anti-Scottish sentiment in his London court, not to mention Guy Fawkes’ gunpowder plot.  Veerapen’s book, The Wisest Fool, challenges the varied perceptions of James as an ineffective or short-sighted monarch. What really motivated the first king to reign over Scotland, England and Ireland? How did his adult relationships – with men and women – influence his decision-making? And which is more accurate: was the king a wise man, or a fool?  To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  For more information on Falkland Palace, click here.

How many have you bagged? Mountaineers and hikers from across the UK and beyond have flocked to Scotland to take on the Munros – Scottish peaks more than 3,000 feet high – ever since the list of such mountains was created by Sir Hugh Munro in 1891. The National Trust for Scotland cares for 46 of these Munros, including Ben Lomond, Ben Lawers, Ben Macdui and Torridon’s Spidean a’Choire Léith. Jackie Bird sits down with Andrew Dempster, author of The Munros: A History, to trace the ever-increasing popularity of Munro bagging.  Who was the first to complete all 282 peaks? What new records continue to be set? And what is it about Hugh Munro’s list that has so significantly captured the public imagination? To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  For more on the Trust’s Munros, click here. The National Trust for Scotland cares for 275 miles of mountain paths across Scotland, including on Munros. Our Footpath Fund is a vital source of support for these landscapes. For more on the fund, and to help us protect Scotland’s footpaths, click here.

In 1941, cargo ship the SS Politician ran aground near Eriskay, an island in the Hebrides. On board? Some 22,000 cases of whisky. What followed has been immortalised on page and screen in Whisky Galore, a retelling of how local islanders made the most of the unexpected arrival of so much alcohol, and how the authorities tried to stop them.  But what really happened? Jackie Bird is joined by journalist Roger Hutchinson, author of Polly, The True Story Behind Whisky Galore, to discover the truth about SS Politician and its valuable cargo.  To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  For more information on Canna House collection, click here.  We would like to thank all those who have supported the Canna House project, including the restoration and reopening of the house.