Love Scotland: Stories of Scotland's History and Nature

This week, Jackie is joined by actor and presenter Alan Cumming to discuss his life, career, and love of Scotland. Fresh from the critically acclaimed run of Burn – a dance-theatre piece that re-examines Robert Burns using his own words – Alan discuss where his passion for Scottish history and culture comes from. As a long-standing supporter of the National Trust for Scotland and as one half of Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland and Beyond, Alan has seen many of the nation’s most beautiful and fascinating places. He reveals all about his recent stay at the House of Dun and Fyvie Castle, and what he learned about Robert Burns through his letters. For more information on the House of Dun, click here. For more information on Fyvie Castle, click here. For more information on Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, click here.

The Vikings may be most closely associated with Norway, but the fearsome warriors made their mark on Scotland, too. Throughout the 1st century, they sailed the choppy seas to raid monasteries, including on Iona, pillaging and plundering wherever they went. In this week’s episode of the podcast, Jackie discovers what brought the invaders from the north to Scotland, and what encouraged them to stay. Joined by Dr Adrián Maldonado, the Glenmorangie Research Fellow at National Museums Scotland and an expert in the Scottish Viking Age, Jackie looks at how the pillagers interacted with the Picts, how they knew which islands to attack, and what happened to the last of the Vikings. Iona and Fair Isle both have connections to the Vikings, and you can find out more about the places here and here.   If you enjoyed this episode, you might enjoy previous Love Scotland instalments too. For more island history, try the July 2022 episode called Inside Canna House. Or, if you’d like some sea-faring adventure, try the September 2021 episode called The Smugglers’ Caves of Culzean.

In this week’s episode, released on Armistice Day 2022, Jackie is looking at a small but crucial part of the First World War effort: the stately homes that were requisitioned to become hospitals. In particular, she’s keen to find out how the National Trust for Scotland’s Pollok House was used at this time. The property in the south of Glasgow became an auxiliary hospital and helped to treat wounded soldiers throughout the conflict. Harriet Richardson Blakeman, an architectural historian with a special interest in hospitals, joins Jackie to discuss how Pollok and properties like it were converted into make-shift hospitals. Jackie discovers who benefitted from the hospitals, what steps were taken to ensure the best healthcare possible was being provided, and what happened to these new hospitals at the end of the war.

What does Sam Heughan love about Scotland? The Outlander star and author of new book Waypoints joins Jackie in the studio to discuss some of his recent adventures. Together, they chat about some of Scotland’s most important historical sites, the value of spending time in the great outdoors, and how Outlander has helped to rejuvenate interest in the nation’s past. Having filmed in several National Trust for Scotland locations, Sam has become well-acquainted with some of the most beautiful places the nation has to offer. He reveals some of his favourite places to film, how the experience of Outlander has affected him personally, and what drives his passion for Scottish history. Plus, he reads a short extract from Waypoints.

Discover the impact of iconic Scottish films like Skyfall, Harry Potter, and the Avengers. Learn why filmmakers love shooting in Scotland and hear behind-the-scenes stories from the sets. Explore how Scotland's landscapes and historical roots influence movie making, from Bonnie Prince Charlie to Hollywood illusions.

With just over a week to go until Halloween, Jackie is on a mission to find out more about Scotland’s ghostly history. How have ghost stories changed over time? Who told these spooky tales, and why? In this episode, she’s joined by Dr Martha McGill, who has been leading research into what Scotland’s ghosts of years gone by tell us about ideas of religion, philosophy and identity. Martha is a British Academy Postdoctural Fellow at the University of Warwick and the secretary of the Scottish History Society.  We discover when haunted houses first emerged, which ghosts are said to haunt National Trust for Scotland properties, and why there have been so many variations of ghost stories over the years.  For more ghost stories from Trust sites, click here.

She’s one of Scotland’s most famous monarchs and continues to be the focus of huge interest today. Yes, she’s Mary, Queen of Scots – but why is it that her story has resonated for so long? In this week’s episode, Jackie sits down with writer Rosemary Goring to discuss Mary’s life and legacy. Why did the Queen love her time in Falkland Palace so much? What was it that meant she had to spend her childhood in France? And what role did she have to play in the brutal murder of her first husband? Rosemary Goring is the author of the 2022 book Homecoming: The Scottish Years of Mary, Queen of Scots (Birlinn). If you’d like more royal Scottish history, scroll back in your Love Scotland feed to our July 2021 episode on Robert the Bruce.

In this episode, Jackie is at St Abb’s Head Nature Reserve in Berwickshire to meet ranger Ciaran Hatsell. They’ll discuss bird flu in Scotland, as the UK’s worst ever avian flu outbreak leaves thousands of seabirds dead. Ciaran reveals its impact on St Abb’s Head and explains how the virus first took hold on the cliffs. Plus, Jackie asks how Ciaran and his colleagues are working behind-the-scenes to better understand the virus and protect other birds from the outbreak. For more information on how the virus is impact National Trust for Scotland sites, click here. If you come across a dead or dying bird, do not touch it. Instead, report it to DEFRA on 03459 33 55 77, and report it to a member of National Trust for Scotland staff if you’re at one of the sites. Whenever making a visit to an area affected by the virus, keep your distance from birds, use disinfectant when you arrive and when you leave, and sanitise your hands before eating, drinking, or smoking. The risk to human health is very low. For other episodes on Scotland’s bird life, scroll back through your Love Scotland feed to our “Mountain birds”, “Seabird city” and “Caring for Scotland’s environment with Jeff Waddell” episodes.

The tale of the evacuation from St Kilda in Scotland is legendary – but what of the ordinary people who had called the island home for generations? In this week’s episode, Jackie sits down with author and journalist Roger Hutchinson to unpack the final years of the archipelago’s population. She discovers the alarming death rate among St Kilda’s children, why the archipelago can be considered like Machu Picchu, and traces the rise and fall of island life that led to the 1930 evacuation. You’ll also hear about how seabirds were eaten by the islanders, the impact of war on St Kilda, and what life was really like on the UK’s most remote inhabited island.

In the first episode of the fourth series of Love Scotland, Jackie Bird sits down with historical writer Flora Fraser to discuss the life and legacy of Flora MacDonald. MacDonald is best known for her part in assisting Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s escape from Bebecula to the Isle of Skye in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden. Aged just 24, and from a pro-government family, MacDonald is as unlikely a Jacobite heroine as you could imagine. And yet, her actions helped Charles evade detection and, eventually, flee to safety. These events have been immortalised by the Skye Boat Song, but despite her crucial role in Charlie’s escape, Flora is all-too-often relegated to the background. So, who really was she? What led her to take on the risky mission of smuggling Charles to Skye? And what happened in the years that followed? Flora Fraser is the author of Pretty Young Rebel: The Life of Flora MacDonald, out now (Bloomsbury). To find out more about the National Trust for Scotland’s Jacobite sites, click here. This episode of Love Scotland is produced for the National Trust for Scotland by Think and The Big Light Studio. Presenter: Jackie Bird Post-production: Brian McAlpine Producer: Cameron Angus Mackay Executive Producer: Fiona White Research: Ciaran Sneddon