Scotland Outdoors

The Bessie Ellen is a unique sailing ship which has been lovingly restored by Nikki Alford. Originally from the South West of England, she spends most of her time sailing in Scottish waters. Writer Linda Cracknell has a personal association with the ship after she started looking into her family history and discovered that she comes from a long line of sea farers. Helen Needham gets a tour of this beautiful ship whilst she was moored up in Inverness and hears about Linda's book 'Sea Marked'.

In this engaging discussion, Petruch Trelawney, a Radio 3 presenter and railway enthusiast, shares fascinating insights about the historic impact of the first passenger train journey in 1825 and modern travel experiences on the Azuma trains. Meanwhile, Juliet (Julia) Robertson, an outdoor learning expert living with terminal cancer, beautifully reflects on how nature informs her writing and personal journey. She poignantly reads her poem 'Let Me Be a Goose,' using migration as a metaphor for life and freedom, leaving listeners inspired and contemplative.

Juliet Robertson, a devoted advocate for outdoor learning and author facing a terminal illness, shares her profound insights. She discusses the transformative power of nature in education and its role in fostering curiosity among children. Juliet recounts her health journey, from her leukemia diagnosis to finding solace outdoors during treatment. Her book, Bloodlines, combines poetry and personal reflection, serving as a comforting resource. She poignantly explores how nature aids in confronting mortality, illustrating the beauty of life's cycles through her heartfelt poem, 'Let Me Be a Goose.'

Chris Cathrine, an ecological consultant and spider expert, discusses the fascinating life cycles of spiders, explaining why they become more visible in autumn and why it’s harmful to release house spiders outside. Dawn Airlie, founder of Ballumbie Hedgehog Rescue, shares her experiences treating orphaned and injured hedgehogs, highlighting the emotional rewards of wildlife rescue and the community support involved. Together, they explore the incredible roles these creatures play in our ecosystem.

Mark Stephen visits Dundee to hear how a consignment of teak which was salvaged from a sunken steamer ship in the Irish Sea is now being used as part of the RRS Discovery restoration project

The North East Open Studios allows people to meet artists and makers, often in their own workspaces. Rachel is welcomed by Marguerite Fleming from Westfield Croft in Aberdeenshire who has a rare breed fibre flock which she uses to create hand woven rugs and yarns.Around this time last year, Mark visited Scott Campbell on his farm at Kinellar in Aberdeenshire when the rain that had played havoc with his crops. Mark catches up with Scott to find out how the barley has fared this year.The results of this year’s Big Butterfly Count are out and Rachel and Mark are joined by Apithanny Bourne, Species-rich Grassland Project Officer at Butterfly Conservation Scotland, to find out why butterfly numbers are average despite our sunny summer.In this week’s midweek podcast extract, Mark heads to RSPB Insh Marshes near Aviemore to meet moth experts Mick Acourt and Pete Moore and to discover the contents of the moth trap they set the night before.This year marks 50 years of Carriage Driving for the Riding for the Disabled Association. Phil Sime takes a trip to Castle Fraser, near Inverurie to hear from the coaches, volunteers and participants involved in their 50th anniversary event.A 12-week public consultation on Edinburgh's proposed North-South tramline has begun. One proposed route would see one of the city’s green spaces, the Roseburn Path, turned into a tramway. Mark takes a walk with Save The Roseburn Path’s Euan Baxter to learn about the campaign to protect the path.Set in a spectacular location in the Highlands, Moniack Mhor is Scotland’s Creative Writing Centre. Rachel joins the Centre’s nature writing course and chats to two published authors Mark Cocker and Karen Lloyd and some of those on the course hoping to learn more about the genre.

In this discussion, moth enthusiast Mick Egort shares his passion for trapping and identifying various moth species. He reveals creative DIY techniques for building moth traps and emphasizes the fascinating camouflage abilities of these creatures. The conversation also dives into the captivating differences between species, like the dark bordered beauty moth, and the importance of accurately marking moths for research. Listeners will appreciate the incredible diversity of moths and the joy of discovering hidden wonders in nature.

The University of St Andrews is using ancient rocks from Torridon to test instruments that will be used on the Mars Rover to look for evidence of life. Mark meets Dr Claire Cousins in the lab.Rod and Niccy Angus opened the Scottish Owl Centre in West Lothian in 2012 and are now looking for new people to take over the attraction. It’s the largest collection of owls in the world and Rachel hears how the origins of the venture can be traced back to one species.Phil Sime takes a trip to Inverness Botanic Gardens to catch up with artist Nigel Goldie, exploring the striking sculptures featured in his Out of the Ground exhibition.Naturalist Mark Cocker has written a book Crow Country exploring the complex seasonal cycle of corvids. Rachel hears how rooks now start to roost in large numbers, creating quite a spectacle.Disc Golf is a sport which is rapidly growing in popularity throughout Scotland so with discs in hand, Mark Stephen met up with some of the professionals involved in the Glasgow Disc Golf team.Rosie Steer, author of Slow Seasons, shares her top tips for embracing the change of season into autumn with craft and cooking ideas inspired by mindful observation of nature.Sea Change is a project running in Montrose where artists engage with the community to create awareness of how climate change is affecting the area. Mark Stephen met up with Resident artist, Eve Mosher.Rachel joins a bat walk in Strathpeffer with High Life Highland Countryside Ranger Marcia O’Hara.Wormit Boating Club in Newport-on-Tay is the first in the UK to take delivery of a fully electric training and rescue vessel. Mark goes on board with Evelyn Hardie and Andrew Lumsden and hears about the many benefits.

Rachel Stewart meets the owners of the Scottish Owl Centre as they prepare for retirement

The Bikery in Huntly, Aberdeenshire aims to repair and resell old bikes to stop them ending up in landfill. Rachel chats to team members Stuart Pow and Laura McNeil about the Bikery’s mission, before heading to the workshop to learn how the project teaches mechanical skills.Josh Donaldson from Arbroath became an internet sensation after posting videos clearing up litter from his local forests, beaches and streets. In an excerpt from our midweek podcast, Mark joins Josh to find out how he is motivating others to do the same.‘Beneath the Waves’ is a current exhibition at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine and includes the work of award winning underwater photographer Lawson Wood. Rachel meets him in Eyemouth to talk about his passion for marine life.Mark catches up with Finavon Castle Water Estate Ghillie and Manager Iain MacMaster to chat about Sea Trout fishing and why it’s best done at night.Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone take to the high seas in Findhorn with Chief Sailing Instructor Leon Ward.Scientists at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh have been tapping into the expertise of young people across Edinburgh to find out their perspectives on nature and green space in the city. Mark visits the Gardens to chat to Dr Emma Bush about the ‘The Good City’ research project.This month commemorates the 95th anniversary of the evacuation of St Kilda. Mark and Rachel are joined by the St Kilda Ranger to find out about life on St Kilda nowMark is in Kelty, Fife discovering what it takes to train for the annual Scottish Coal Carrying Championships. Mark meets race Founder Michael Boyle to learn how the race started and its links to Kelty’s mining heritage.