Photographer, filmmaker and researcher Jill de Fresnes has encapsulated the experiences of twelve Scottish women who worked as herring gutters from the 1920s to the 1960s in a new exhibition at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh. Mark meets Jill there to chat about Silver, Salt and Stories – Images and Memories of the Scots Herring Women.

Two friends in Fife set up the Wild Scottish Sauna during lockdown after seeing the popularity of wild swimming. In this week’s podcast excerpt, Rachel visits one of their sites at Kingsbarns beach near St Andrews to speak to some of the regulars and co-founder Jayne McGhie.

A groundbreaking soil survey in Glen Prosen, Cairngorms National Park, has unearthed a staggering number of species living beneath the ground. Mark is in the Glen with Plant Ecologist Dr Andrea Britton, Molecular Fungal Ecologist Dr Andy Taylor and Forestry and Land Scotland Programme Manager Christine Reid to discover how the findings will inform the rebuilding of native woodlands in the area.

Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone take a trip to the Black Isle Library of Things which encourages people to borrow and not buy. The pair join Martin Sherring and Allan Tailor to dig into what’s available to hire, including lawn-mowers, welding helmets, cots and even a polar bear suit.

Rachel meets Rose Benoy for a goat walk at Rose’s small holding near Forfar in Angus to discover the benefits of taking a stroll with these four legged companions.

Mark admires a big raft of Eider ducks at Forvie Nature Reserve with Reserve Manager Catriona Reid.

Project One Wave aims to unite Scotland’s ocean conservation groups, businesses, creatives, and policymakers to collaborate on marine debris cleanup efforts. Mark and Rachel are joined by co-founder David Brown to discuss the Project One Wave summit that took place in Glasgow this week and the importance of gathering data on the health of our coastlines.

In 2024, Jude Harper closed their business, sold their house and moved to Aberdeenshire to try to live as self-sufficiently as possible on an acre of land. Jude posts on YouTube under Rewilding Jude and Rachel visits him and some rescue hens he’s just adopted to find out more.

Two working mothers in Fife set up Wild Scottish Sauna during lockdown after seeing the popularity of wild swimming.

Cairngorms Pride is a new nature-led organisation set up in Cairngorms National Park with the motto: “here for the planet, queer for the planet”. Rachel chats to Dan Cottam and Kath Pierce about the social enterprise.

Coinneach Rankin and Hamish Macleod are climbers and filmmakers who make the series Dàna on BBC Alba in which they capture their adventures in the outdoors. Helen Needham joins them in Lochaber to discuss their approach to adventuring, filmmaking and the Gaelic language.

The first grey seal pups of the season are at Forvie National Nature Reserve in Aberdeenshire. Mark meets Reserve Manager Catriona Reid to discover how to observe the seals without disturbing them.

Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone take to the Caledonian canal to speak to Robert Gordon from Inverness Rowing Club about how the club is making the sport more accessible.

A mother-daughter duo are co-authoring a memoir called Sea Legs. The book follows 11-year-old competitive para swimmer Oona Dooks and her mother Eleanor Thom in their travels across the UK coast and beyond. Mark joins the pair at Montrose Basin to discover what they’ve learnt about caring through the lens of the natural world.

Rachel meets Biosphere Dark Sky ranger Elizabeth Tindal at Crawick Multiverse in Dumfries and Galloway to find out how best to adjust our eyes to the dark and observe the stars.

The Woodland Carbon Code is the UK’s standard for woodland creation projects that aim to generate credible carbon credits. Mark and Rachel are joined by Pat Snowdon of Scottish Forestry to find out how to code is contributing towards Scotland’s net zero targets.

Mark discusses the often misunderstood magpie with author Esther Woolfson, who shared her home with a magpie for eight years.

Coinneach Rankin and Hamish Macleod are both climbers and filmmakers who make the series Dàna on BBC Alba in which they capture their adventures in the outdoors. They discuss their approach to adventuring, filmmaking and the Gaelic language and landscape.

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors.

Mark Stephen visits Culloden Battlefield to meet archaeologists involved in a recent dig there to find out what they have uncovered

The Mither Tap forms part of the range of hills collectively known as Bennachie in Aberdeenshire. Mark takes a stroll with Peter Stock and Alan Henderson of Bailies of Bennachie to discover plans to restore the path to the Mither Tap.

Jenny Graham joins the Strong Mum Club baby hike near Inverness to find out how mums in the group are benefitting from getting outdoors and socialising together.

In this week’s podcast excerpt, Rachel meets Tom Bowser, author of Waters of Life, Fighting for Scotland’s Beavers at his farm in Perthshire where in November 2021 a family of beavers were relocated.

A new permanent exhibition which showcases the history and future of Shinty in Scotland opens this weekend in Inverness. Mark visits as the final touches are taking place and chats to artist and former Shinty player Tom Smith and Steven MacKenzie of the Camanachd Association.

Rachel visits this year’s Scottish International Storytelling Festival and chats to Georgiana Keable who has written a book exploring Norwegian Folk Tales. Also appearing at the Festival is Beatrix Wood, the Director of Tim Stead: Magician with Wood. Rachel joins Beatrix and Tim’s former colleague and friend Eoin Cox from the Big Tree Society in Tim’s workshop in Jedburgh.

Green Shores is a St Andrews University based initiative aiming to restore saltmarshes. Mark meets a volunteer group on the Tay Estuary and chats to Dr Clare Maynard, Dr Helena Simmons to discover why saltmarshes are so important.

The Scottish Ploughing Championships take place this weekend and Rachel and Mark are joined by Chairperson Gordon Beattie who explains what it takes to impress the judges.

Mark takes a wander up Ben Rinnes to admire the autumnal colours of a landscape in flux.

Rachel Stewart meets Tom Bowser, author of Waters of Life, Fighting for Scotland's Beavers at his farm in Perthshire where in November 2021 a family of beavers were relocated

Mark Stephen and Jenny Graham with stories from the great outdoors.

A conversation between geographer and writer Hayden Lorimer and Alec Finlay, in which Alec describes his creative practice around limit and how he came to appreciating and celebrating the View.

A multimedia installation which explores the role of beavers on an estate in Perthshire is part of this year’s soundfestival in the north east. Rachel joins composer and musician Dave Maric to learn more about Silent Architects.

Mark takes a stroll in Falkirk with writer Rebecca Smith to appreciate the beauty of larch trees and new techniques to protect them.

One of Shetland's small outer Isles recently saw the first working tractor in over thirty years tend to the land. Eva Runciman meets Ethan Arthur, who grew up in Skerries, to find out how an old Massey Ferguson left its shed and was put to work on wildlife crop.

Mark meets conservationist Roy Dennis at an innovative project in Moray, where the introduction of highland cows could be helping to restore Scotland’s capercaillie population.

Rachel meets gardeners Mark Armour and Euan Shelley to find out about the unusual pumpkin varieties at The National Trust for Scotland’s Hill of Tarvit in Fife.

Mark is in Glasgow to explore Hamiltonhill Claypits, an inner-city Local Nature Reserve. The Reserve's Julieanne Levett, Bob Alston and Scott Milligan explain the benefits to local communities.

A new book reveals results of a major archaeological project at Finlaggan, the site of a medieval kingdom’s centre of power. Mark and Rachel are joined by author of The Archaeology of Finlaggan, Islay, Dr David Caldwell.

Rachel is off to Tamala Farm in Aberdeenshire to try her hand at tattie howking and to catch a glimpse of harvest life before machinery took over.

Mark checks out the ‘The Air We Breathe’ exhibition in Glasgow. Ingrid Shearer, Heritage Engagement Manager at Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, shares the history of Glasgow’s air quality and just how far the city has come.

Mark Stephen meets conservationist Roy Dennis to explore an innovative project in Moray, where the introduction of Highland cows to a wooded landscape is helping to restore Scotland's capercaillie population.

Since 2021, Argyll Hope Spot’s Snorkelling Artists Residency has been offering artists the opportunity to explore the marine habitats of Argyll and create artwork inspired by what they find beneath the waves. Mark dons his wetsuit to join printmaker Louise Scammell and artist and writer Jane Smith who are helping to run the residency.

Last week, Scottish Ministers approved a new seasonal byelaw to ban campfires and barbecues in the Cairngorms National Park at the most high risk times of the year. Rachel meets the Park’s Grant Moir to chat about how the byelaw will work.

Producer Phil heads to Inverness Marina to talk to former professional rugby player Iain Sinclair about becoming the first person to swim the entire length of the Caledonian canal.

Mark catches up with Ramblers Scotland Director Brendan Paddy in Edinburgh to discuss the challenges and opportunities for walking, paths and access rights in the country.

Rachel visits an oak woodland and speaks to Eilidh Mair from Woodland Trust Scotland about why this appears to be a mast year.

In this week's podcast excerpt, we hear about the Bessie Ellen, a unique sailing ship that has been lovingly restored by Nikki Alford. Writer Linda Cracknell has a personal association with the ship and Helen Needham joins her on board in Inverness to hear about her new book ‘Sea Marked’.

With a focus on responsible access this week, Mark and Rachel are joined by Senior Lecturer in Law Malcolm Combe to explore more about what our rights are.

Walter Micklethwait lives at Inshriach in the Highlands and has been noticing some negative impacts of tourism in the area. Rachel talks to him about what he’s been seeing, including a bit of an unpleasant poo related discovery.

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'.

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors.

'Upsetting content warning' - Juliet talks very openly about her terminal illness which some people may find upsetting.

Leslie Heritage Group in Fife came up with an ambitious project designed to unearth more information about the ancient village’s history and raised money for an archaeological dig. Rachel went along to day one of the excavation to learn more from Group members Bill Carr and Bill Fiet and archaeologist Philip Karsgaard.

Woodland Trust Scotland has developed a database which maps social depravation against canopy cover and gives each neighbourhood a ‘tree equity score.’ Kevin Keane meets the Trust’s Anna Perks to talk about the scores and how many trees need to be planted to create urban equality.

In this week’s midweek podcast excerpt Mark is in Dundee to hear how a consignment of teak salvaged from a sunken steamer is being used in the RRS Discovery restoration project.

Hedgehogs are currently searching for food before their winter hibernation. It’s a busy time for rescue centres and Rachel visits Ballumbie Hedgehog Rescue in Dundee, a centre Dawn Airlie has created at her own home.

The Keith and Dufftown Railway maintains an eleven mile line linking Dufftown with the historic town of Keith. The Railway celebrates its 25th anniversary this week. Mark joins volunteers to discover how the railway has been restored and continues to run today.

Chris Cathrine is an expert in all things spiders. Chris joins Mark and Rachel to explain why we see more spiders at this time of year and why we shouldn’t pop them outside.

Nature artist Jane Smith has written a new book – ‘Community: People and Wildlife on the West Coast of Scotland’. Starting from her own garden in Argyll, Jane travels to ten locations in the west of Scotland to explore the interaction between people and wildlife. Mark chats to Jane in Argyll about some of the stories she uncovered.

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.

Mark Stephen visits Insh Marshes near Aviemore in the early hours to meet a couple of moth enthusiasts and discover the contents of the moth trap they had set the night before