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Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst 

BBC Radio Scotland


A topical guide to life in the Scottish outdoors.


Scotland Outdoors

Mark Stephen meets naturalist and author Polly Pullar in the sheep shed of her farm in Perthshire. Polly's latest book In The Company of Sheep describes her fascination with them

In The Company of Sheep

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with a special programme from the Scottish Crannog Centre

Living Our Best Iron Age Life on the Banks of Loch Tay

Helen Needham visits the spectacular seabird colony on a skiff

Rowing to Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve with the Catterline Coastal Rowing Club

A few weeks ago, Mark went along to a conference at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen. Under the banner of Living Labs, the institute brought together folk living in rural or island communities, and Mark chatted to Phyl Meyer from Tiree and Euan Maclachlan from Assynt to find out what sort of challenges they face in everyday life.

The island of Fetlar is known as The Garden of Shetland due it being a very fertile and green. This week’s presenter Rachel Bell took a trip there and visited the dilapidated Brough Lodge. It's a striking structure with a complicated past. But as Rachel hears, plans are in place to restore it to its former glory.

As North Berwick’s Fringe by the Sea festival kicks off this weekend, Mark got an early look at an immersive installation called the Nest. The project celebrates North Berwick and the northern gannet with new music composed by award-winning composer Erland Cooper and has been designed by artist Naomi McIntosh.

Work is underway to preserve one of Scotland's only hill figures. The white stag on the side of Mormond Hill near Strichen in Aberdeenshire lay hidden for years, until the area was cleared by volunteers. Rachel went along to join in with the group called the 'Strichen Staggers', who are undertaking back-breaking work to keep the stag in good condition.

In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Mark visits the island of Lismore with Iris Smith from Explore Lismore. We hear an excerpt where they chat about what life is like on the small island off the coast of Oban.

And this week’s presenter Rachel Bell packs up her whole family and takes a few ferries to visit the island of Fetlar. We hear a snapshot of their day adventure to explore the beaches of the island.

Island Life, Fringe by the Sea and the Strichen Staggers

Mark Stephen takes a Land Rover tour of the Inner Hebridean island of Lismore to explore its history, wildlife and nature

Exploring the history and wildlife of the Island of Lismore

In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast Mark meets author Cal Flyn, whose latest book is called The Savage Landscape – How we Made the Wilderness. We hear an excerpt of Cal explaining where her interest in exploring the meaning of wilderness came from.

Rachel is on the North East coast on a seabird spotting safari run by the Aberdeen Countryside Ranger Service. The trips have become popular with visitors who arrive in the area by cruise ship.

Over the last week the Glenmore area of the Cairngorm National Park has been severely impacted by wildfires. Mark went to speak with Duncan Ferguson, a resident of Glenmore who was evacuated to hear about his experience.

Throughout the programme we also hear from Colin Simpson, Cairngorm National Park visitor experience manager about the response to the fires as well as Ben Jones from the RSPB who tells us about the impact on bird and wildlife in the area.

For a few weeks every summer, you can experience the glorious sights and smells of lavender fields in Fife. Rachel went along to Scottish Lavender to hear about where the idea to grow lavender came from and what they use the plants for.

The Johnshaven Heritage Museum on the Aberdeenshire coast are currently running an exhibition called Land and Sea. Mark went along to take a look and find out more about the fishing village and surrounding area.

And as the Commonwealth Games kicks off in Glasgow, Mark went along to Pinkston Watersports to hear about Glasgow Canal Quest, one of the many family friendly events which are being held to celebrate the games.

A Lavender Farm in Fife, Cairngorm Wildfires and a Sealife Safari

Mark Stephen meets Cal Flyn, author of The Savage Landscape - How We Made The Wilderness in which she explores the meaning of wilderness in a journey into the forests, deserts and ocean floor

Cal Flyn - The Savage Landscape

Mark is in Forres to meet up with naturalist and educator Dan Puplett. Dan’s been running bird language courses, helping people understand what birds are really saying and how to interpret their different calls.

Ardersier Common has officially become the Highlands' newest Local Nature Reserve after more than two decades of conservation work. Home to the rare small blue butterfly and one of the UK's rarest orchids, Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone joined High Life Highland countryside ranger John Orr to explore this remarkable wildlife haven for this week’s Scotland’s Outdoors Podcast

Diseased trees in Callendar Park are set to be removed to protect the nearby Antonine Wall, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Experts say the work is needed to safeguard the Roman monument, built almost 2,000 years ago. Rachel joined Falkirk Council Greenspace Team Leader Mike Ewart to hear why the work is so important.

Also, in Callendar Park, plans are taking shape to honour one of the 20th century's greatest plant hunters. Falkirk-born George Forrest travelled extensively in China, collecting thousands of plant specimens, many of which are familiar in gardens today. Rachel and Mike Ewart are joined by Leonie Paterson from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to learn more about one of Scotland's most celebrated botanists.

We love talking about the benefits of spending time outdoors on this programme, and few people believe in its healing power more than Pete Crane. A former Cairngorms National Park Authority employee, Pete became seriously ill a few years ago. Rachel met him in Nethy Bridge to hear how the outdoors helped him on his road to recovery.

After an absence of several years, a familiar landmark has returned to the waterfront at Port Glasgow. The newest replica of The Comet, Europe’s first seagoing commercial paddle steamer, is once again a feature of the shoreline. Celebrating a story that helped shape the town's proud shipbuilding heritage, Paul English has been finding out more from local councillor Chris Curley.

Mark heads to the banks of Loch Lomond to explore the East Loch Lomond Path, the only Scottish route nominated in The Ramblers' Britain's Favourite Path 2026 competition. The rugged stretch along the eastern shore is part of the iconic West Highland Way, and Danny Carden from Ramblers Scotland explains why it deserves your vote.

And the Aberdeenshire village of Maud was once a thriving railway junction. While the station and railway closed many years ago, the former station now lives on as a museum. Mark paid a visit and even got the chance to ride one of its most popular attractions, a miniature railway that takes visitors on a short but memorable journey.

Callendar Park, Maud Railway Museum and Ardersier Common

Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone join High Life Highland countryside ranger John Orr at Ardersier Local Nature Reserve in search of one of the UK's rarest orchids.

Ardersier Local Nature Reserve

Next week, communities in Lochaber will be asked to share their views on beavers being reintroduced to the area. Kirsten Brewster from rewilding charity Scotland: The Big Picture tells Mark about the consultation process and why Lochaber might be a good area for beavers.

Rachel meets an Aberdeen lecturer who has won an award from the Mammal Society for his innovative camera trap box designed specifically for small mammals. Nick Littlewood shows Rachel the Littlewood Box, which he developed alongside his wife.

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is widely regarded as one of the toughest endurance challenges on the planet. It brings together people from all walks of life to take on an extraordinary 11-month adventure, racing across the world's oceans aboard 70-foot yachts. This weekend, the Clippers arrive in Oban, and earlier this week, Mark went to hear about the town’s preparations for them and what else is going on as part of the Festival of the Sea.

This week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast features artist and sculptor Helen Denerley. She met Rachel in her Aberdeenshire studio to tell her where it all began and reflect on her near 50 years of work.

We chat live to one of the Scottish crew members who have been taking part in this year’s Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. The race is arriving in Oban this weekend before heading to Portsmouth on the last leg of the challenge. We hear about what life has been like at sea for the teams taking part.

Rachel is back with Colin Bartholomew at RSPB Mersehead on the Solway Coast, trying to spot the rare Marsh Harrier which make their home on the reserve.

We catch up with another endurance challenge team on the high seas. GB Row Challenge is working with the University of Portsmouth on real-world research to preserve marine environments and wildlife. We catch up with the team to hear how their journey is going and what they’ve observed so far.

And producer Phil and his trusted colleague Morven Livingstone head to Hopeman on the Moray coast to try their hand at snorkelling. The two-day event, run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and a number of partner organisations called Snorkel for All, aims to make snorkelling more accessible for people like Phil, who is registered blind.

Rowing, Sailing, Beavers and a Hot Toddy

To compare and contrast with the Scottish Sporting Estate model.

Mark Stephen visits a the Tswalu Game Reserve in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa.

Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

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