Mark Stephen visits Kenneth Steven at his home on Seil Island in Argyll

Glenmore Lodge, the Scottish National Outdoor Training Centre, has recently established Scotland’s first hill navigation training course to be delivered in British Sign Language. One of those involved in setting it up was deaf climber and mountaineer Morag Skelton. Mark chatted to Morag for the Scotland Outdoors podcast, and we hear an excerpt where they speak about her childhood outdoors and the practicalities involved in climbing when you can’t hear. For our latest Scotland Outdoors podcast, Rachel went to meet M.T O’Donnell in her garden near Glasgow. M.T is the founder of Scotland Grows magazine and the host of the Scotland Grows Show podcast. She’s keen on looking after her garden in a way that’s nature friendly and as she tells Rachel, that even extends to dealing with slugs. On the shores of Loch Awe near Dalmally lies the very striking St Conan’s Church. Mark went for a visit to explore its remarkable architecture, both inside and out. A few weeks ago, Mark and Rachel headed across to the island of Easdale which lies 15 miles south of Oban. They got the ferry from Seil and chatted to the boatman, Alan, about who lives on Easdale and who visits. Mark also chats to Bethan Smith who owns a soap making business on the island. And Rachel catches up with Mike Mackenzie who has lived there for decades. He tells her what the community is like and how he came to live on the wee island. If you looked up to the sky earlier this week you might have been lucky to catch a glimpse of the Perseid Meteor Shower. The Perseids are one of the most dramatic things to see in the night sky and the shower will be active for another week or so. We chat live to the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Catherine Heymans, to get her hints and tips on how to spot the meteors and what else to look out for in the night sky at this time of year. The Countryside Rangers at Mugdock Country Park in East Dunbartonshire have been taking groups out to help them learn how to identify bird species by their sound. Linda Sinclair joined a group, led by Ranger Alan MacBride at Clachan of Campsie, at dusk to listen out for our birdsong and try to identify what they could hear. Poet Matt Kinghorn decided to walk more than 200 miles from his home in Aberdeenshire to North Berwick just to offer a listening ear to anyone who needed it. Rachel met up with him at the start of his challenge to hear more about why he’d decided to do it. And to round off their trip to Easdale, the home of the world stone skimming championships, Mark and Rachel try their hands at skimming despite the rather inclement weather.

Scottish gardening expert M.T O'Donnell talks about what measures people can take to make their gardens more appealing to nature. She shows Rachel Stewart around her own garden near Glasgow and discusses how to create useful habitats for wildlife and plant good food sources for birds and insects.

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Out of Doors live from Dynamic Earth as part of BBC at the Edinburgh Festivals. We are joined by an amazing panel of guests, all with their own connections to Scotland and the outdoors.James Crawford is a writer, publisher and broadcaster. His latest book, Wild History: Journeys Into Lost Scotland, was published in 2023 and he has written and presented three series of the BBC One landmark documentary series Scotland from the Sky, which was Shortlisted as ‘Best Factual Series’ at the Royal Television Society Awards Scotland.Adventurer Mollie Hughes is certainly not afraid of a challenge. By the age of 30 she had summited Mount Everest twice and solo skied to the South Pole. Growing up in Dorset, the sea was her first connection to the outdoors and its Scotland’s coast and rivers that she’s turned her attentions to in her book, Blue Scotland: The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Scotland's Wild Waters.Paul Murton is a writer, producer and director who’s most widely known for his Grand Tours television series, which include Grand Tours of Scotland, Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands, Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs and most recently, Grand Tours of Scotland’s Rivers. He’s loved the outdoors since his youth, but it was a chance decision that led him to step in front of the camera and share his passion with an audience.And Maggie Sheddan had no real clue about seabirds or the Bass Rock when she volunteered to help at the newly established Scottish Seabird Centre 20 odd years ago. Little did she know that she would end up being the Custodian of the Bass Rock and one of the leading experts on the birds that make their homes there.

Mark Stephen meets Morag Skelton at Glenmore Lodge in the Cairngorms

Scotland’s first new vet school in over 100 years has opened to applicants. Mark went to visit the School of Veterinary Medicine at Scotland’s Rural College in Aberdeen and spoke to the Dean, Professor Caroline Argo about how and why the school has been established.When you visit the Isle of Seil, one of the main visitor attractions is the An Cala Garden. The garden was created in the 1930s and Rachel was shown around by Sheila Downie who has owned it for the past 40 years.Earlier this month the European Land Art Festival was held in Dunbar. It’s a week full of workshops, exhibitions and concerts, but the highlight of the week for some was the World Rock Stacking Championships. Katie Revell went along for Out of Doors and chatted to some of the competitors who had come from as far afield as Texas.Mark is in Grantown on Spey finding out that you don’t always need a huge space to create a wildlife haven. Ranger Saranne Bish shows him one of the parts of the Highland Wildflower Meadow Mosaic Project and explains how it works.During the covid pandemic, a cancer diagnosis left Michelle Cloggie feeling isolated. A trip to do some alpaca trekking gave her husband an idea and soon they were welcoming three alpacas. Fast forward to the present day, and the family run Stormcloud Alpacas near Strathaven. Michelle tells Rachel how their flock has grown and what a great emotional support they are to her and many others.Last week a pod of 77 pilot whales died after washing ashore on a beach in Orkney. It was the biggest mass standing of the species in Britain and has had a big impact on the Sanday community. We chat live to Rob Flett from BBC Orkney about the stranding and how locals have worked together to deal with it.The Victoria Swing Bridge at the Port of Leith has recently reopened following a major refurbishment. Mark went to take a look and find out about the Grade A Listed structure’s history and its new lease of life.In our latest Scotland Outdoors podcast, Rachel has been delving into the history of Osprey in Scotland. It’s 70 years since the species began breeding here again following years of persecution. We hear an excerpt where Jess Tomes from RSPB Scotland tells Rachel the story of those behind Operation Osprey.Louise Aitken Walker became a household name when she became the first ever female World Rally champion in 1990. She grew up on a farm in Duns in the Scottish Borders where horses were really her first passion, and it was a jokey competition entry by her brothers that propelled her into the world of rally driving. She tells Mark about her life on and off the track.

In the early twentieth century, very few ospreys were breeding in Scotland. They had been persecuted for decades and their eggs stolen by collectors. In 1954, a pair successfully raised two chicks near Loch Garten which gave conservationists hope that they could return to Scotland as nesting birds. Operation Osprey was launched to protect them from those intent on raiding their nests, with volunteers watching the nest at Abernethy twenty four hours a day. It proved a difficult journey but seventy years on, there are now numerous nesting ospreys in the UK. Jess Tomes from RSPB Scotland talks about the effort involved in the operation and wildlife ecologist Roy Dennis recalls the role he played in the 1960s.

We are in East Lothian with Patricia Stephen, founder of Phantassie Organic Produce. They head out to the fields during pumpkin planting and chat about the growth in organic food and farming over recent years.Friday 12th July was the launch of this year’s Big Butterfly Count organised by the charity Butterfly Conservation. Mark met Apithanny Bourne, their East Scotland branch chair, at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to find out more about the count and see if they could spot the elusive Holly Blue.In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Helen Needham is in rural Wales with musician Owen Shiers. Owen lives in a housing cooperative in Ceredigion which was formerly a sheep farm and is now a woodland. He explained how that process had happened and they chat about the concept of rewilding.A year ago, Mark headed out on a trip with Hans Unkles, co-owner of Scotland’s first ever electric, solar-powered fishing vessel. A couple of weeks ago, Mark and Rachel caught up with Hans to hear how the first year of the boat has gone and if anyone has been inspired to follow in his footsteps.The Pine Hoverfly is one of the rarest species in Scotland. It used to thrive in Pine woodlands across the country but is now confined to just a small area of the Cairngorms. Rachel visits the Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie where the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland are working on a breeding programme. Dr Helen Taylor told her about the project which has involved releasing thousands of eggs and larvae into the Cairngorms National Park in an attempt to save the species from extinction.Farmer turned comedian Jim Smith has become pretty well known across Scotland over the last few years, especially in farming circles. He’s appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, on TV and radio and now he has his own BBC Radio 4 series- Me and the Farmer. Jim chats to us live about his journey from cattle to comedy.Two years ago, journalist Paul English encountered a team of archaeologists exploring a patch of land in Govan in Glasgow. The team, from the University of Glasgow, were taking part in a research project to uncover what they could of the one remaining site of the Glasgow Garden Festival of 1988. Paul recently went back to catch up with the team and see what treasures they’d uncovered.While on the outskirts of Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago, Mark bumped into a man on a strange looking electric bike. It turned out to be Jim Gayes who is working with the charity Sustrans on mapping the off-road National Cycle Network. He explained more about how the bike system works and why the mapping is important.

Rural Wales and rural Scotland face many of the same issues: a lack of affordable housing, limited opportunities for young people and the prospect of rewilding. In this podcast, Helen visits Welsh musician Owen Shiers who lives in a housing cooperative up a long steep track in West Wales. They discuss culture, trees, housing, farming and the nuances surrounding rewilding, and discover that there are many similarities between this area and Scotland.

This week Out of Doors is live from the village of Cullen in Moray.The village is popular with holiday makers over the summer months but it’s home to a thriving community all year round. Mark went for a wander to hear more about what people are up to. And we’re joined live by David McCubbin from Discover Cullen who tells us about what attracts visitors to the area.Rachel finds out that the Cullen we know now, is not the original Cullen. Two hundred years ago the village was demolished and rebuilt in its current location. She hears more from the local heritage group and visits an incredible model of Old Cullen.Its coastal location makes Cullen the ideal spot for sea swimming. We’re joined live by members of the Wild Dookers swimming group before they head out for an early morning dip. And we catch up with them afterwards to hear about the benefits of a cold-water swim.Artist Rob Greenwood can often be found at the harbour or on the beach at Cullen sketching the wildlife and fishing boats. We chat to him about what inspires him about the area and challenge him to create a masterpiece during the programme.Rachel spends some time with local bird recorder Martin Cook in nearby Portknockie to see if they can spot some of the seabirds that the area is known for.We couldn’t visit Cullen without tasting some Cullen Skink. The famous haddock and potato soup originates from the village, and we’re joined by the current Cullen Skink champion, Kellie Spooner, to hear about the key to making a good Cullen Skink.As well as sea swimming, surfing and other water sports are popular along the coastline. Rachel heads out for a surfing lesson and hears what makes the area so good for taking to the water.A recent addition to the beach at Cullen is a wood-fired barrel sauna. Mark headed along for a dip in the sea so he could try it out and hear from owner Becky how it all came about.And regular visitors to the beach will know Andrew and his coffee van- he joins us to tell us about why he loves the village so much and provide us with some much needed coffee.