Who doesn’t love a dram? Call it uisge beatha, the water of life, whisky… Scotland’s national drink is known worldwide as a very special part of our culture. But what does it have to do with archaeological digs and the National Trust for Scotland? In this episode, Jackie Bird chats with Trust archaeologist Dr Daniel Rhodes and The Glenlivet’s Master Distiller Alan Winchester about Pioneering Spirit, a unique project to unearth the real history of whisky.  You can find out more about the National Trust for Scotland's work and how to support them at: www.nts.org.uk

If you haven’t got your walking boots on yet, you will do by the time you’ve listened to this episode. Jackie Bird hears from rangers Ciaran Hatsell and Ruth Alexander about the National Trust for Scotland’s cold weather wonderlands that are great for body, mind and soul – from Perthshire’s big tree country to the seal pups of St Abbs.  You can find out more about the National Trust for Scotland's work and how to support them at: www.nts.org.uk

For a special Halloween episode Jackie Bird follows in the path of blockbusting TV series Outlander to the historic village of Culross, where she finds out why some former residents can still be encountered today. Visitor Services Supervisor (and expert in all things supernatural) Linda Whiteford is her guide. You can find out more about the National Trust for Scotland's work and how to support them at: www.nts.org.uk

It took three years, copious amounts of gold leaf and a team with a keen eye for detail, but now Alexander Greek Thomson’s domestic masterpiece, Holmwood House, is restored and in full glory. Jackie Bird asks curator Emma Inglis just why the Glasgow home is so special. For more information about Love Scotland, go to: www.thebiglight.com/lovescotland You can find out more about the National Trust for Scotland's work and how to support them at: http://www.nts.org.uk

Beneath the grand walls of Culzean Castle lies a dark and dramatic discovery – a network of caves used by smugglers in the heyday of the illicit alcohol trade. Jackie Bird gets her headtorch on to explore with Head of Archaeology Derek Alexander.

As COP26 comes to Glasgow, there are lessons to be learned from the ancient pine forests of the Cairngorms. In this episode, Jackie Bird chats to the Trust’s Conservation Manager Shaila Rao about the vital regeneration taking place at Mar Lodge Estate.

Our host Jackie Bird is in Angus for this episode, visiting the elegant Georgian mansion, House of Dun, near Montrose which reopened in the summer of 2021 after a major ‘re-imagining’. She meets Iain Hawkins, our General Manager for the North East, to find out what that means.

In this episode, our host Jackie Bird talks to Dr Callum Watson, Battle Coordinator at the Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre, about one of Robert the Bruce’s boldest gambles. Before the massed ranks of the English and Scottish armies on 23 June 1314, Bruce risked his life, his throne and Scotland’s independence in a moment of deadly single combat. We relive the Bruce v de Bohun and the fight which helped define the greatest King of Scots.

In this episode, our host Jackie Bird is in Helensburgh, diving into family life inside The Hill House - Charles Rennie Mackintosh's domestic masterpiece. In this episode, Jackie learns all about The Hill House as a family home, with Taylah Egbers, Visitor Services Supervisor who shares an insight into the Blackie family who lived there. 

In this episode, our host Jackie Bird is in Edinburgh at one of the oldest buildings on the Royal Mile. Gladstone's Land is a six-storey tenement and has been a fixture on the Lawnmarket for 500 years. In this episode, Jackie travels through time, from the 16th Century to present day, with Dr Kate Stephenson to learn about the real-life stories of the people that lived at Gladstone's Land and the property's trading history.