Scotland Outdoors

Mark and Rachel explore the flora and fauna of the capital and are joined by live guests as they broadcast from the balcony of Broadcasting House in London.
Mark visits Mudchute Farm, one of the largest city farms in Europe. It comprises 32 acres of countryside, located a stone's throw away from the hustle and bustle of Canary Wharf. He hears about how the site was developed from derelict land in the 1970s to the busy farm and park that it is today.
Right in the heart of the city centre at Kings Cross, Coal Drops Yard is another location which has seen many uses over the years. It’s now home to a vibrant shopping and dining district, which also includes a number of parks and outdoor spaces. Rachel goes for a wander to find out how the outdoors has been incorporated into the site.
One of the most famous ships in the world, Cutty Sark has made her home at Greenwich since 1954. However, she was designed and built in Dumbarton in 1869 before sailing across the world transporting tea and other goods, at one point faster than any other ship. Mark goes aboard to hear about her incredible past.
And sticking with boats, Rachel heads out on a London Water Bus canal trip. Skipper Ange tells her about all the different wildlife that pops up along the canal and operations director Rory tells her about the history of the canal.
This week is London Rivers Week, and joining Mark and Rachel live to chat about it is Chris Coode from environmental charity Thames21. The theme of this year’s campaign is ‘know your local river’ and Chris tells them about the hundreds of miles of other rivers in London alongside the Thames.
Lara Maiklem is an author and a mudlarker- a person who scavenges the banks and foreshores of tidal rivers to find historical artifacts, lost objects, and debris. She meets Mark to chat about what drew her to mudlarking and show him some of the finds she’s had over the years.
Joining Mark and Rachel live on the balcony of Broadcasting House is Charlotte Benham from the Tree Council. Charlotte chats to them about the treescape of the city and why trees are so important for somewhere like London.
Rachel hears about the flocks of ring-necked parakeets which have made the city their home. The non-native population has thrived at locations across London and Rachel hears how they ended up there and why they like it so much.

Helen Needham speaks with Anna Wells, the first woman to complete the munros in a winter

Mark visits the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s visitor centre, the Fair Maid’s House in Perth. The society has recently received hundreds of photographic slides from nature photographer Lorne Gill which are on display in the centre.
In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Rachel has been out foraging in the company of expert Janice Clyne. Janice strongly believes that foraging and fermenting can have a really positive impact on our health, and that there’s an amazing amount that plants we usually consider weeds, which could be beneficial.
Mark meets Eliza Coulson at Queen’s Park in Glasgow, a place that really helped her recovery from Lyme Disease. Her experience has encouraged her to campaign for fair access to green spaces in Scotland.
Earlier this week Mark and Rachel were lucky enough to spend a bit of time at Argaty Red Kites near Doune. They spent some time in the hide watching the birds getting fed and chatted to Tom Bowser and ranger Ollie about the magnificent display of kites.
Back at the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in Perth, Mark goes exploring in the aptly named Explorers’ Room. It’s a room where visitors are encouraged to get their hands on the artefacts and even sit at Sir Ernest Shackleton’s desk.
Helen Needham spends some time with Perth based poet Jim C. Mackintosh as they chat about his latest project Long Water Soft Shadows appearing at Perth Festival of the Arts soon.
And as we gear up to cheer on the Scotland men’s team at the World Cup, Mark visits the site of the original Hampden Park as it is awarded protected status from Historic Environment Scotland.

Rachel Stewart talks to Janice about foraging plants widely regarded as garden weeds.

Mark heads to the New Pitsligo area of Aberdeenshire with Hywel Maggs from RSPB Scotland, on the trail of cranes. For a bird that can reach over a metre tall and with a wingspan of double that, they can be rather tricky to spot.
The ranger service in Aberdeen is busy tackling an invasive plant which seems to be a growing problem. Rachel heads to Walker Dam in the city with countryside officer Simon Whitworth to hear all about American Skunk Cabbage.
Claudia Zeiske is a walking artist. Her latest project has involved walking the Ayrshire Coast as a dedication to the geologist Elizabeth Anderson Gray. Mark met her at Girvan beach to hear more about Elizabeth and Claudia’s project.
Every Tuesday, rangers in Moray lead what is known as a health walk in and around Dufftown. Rachel went along to join the group and chat to some of those who were taking part.
Forager Mark Williams shows Mark more of the Galloway coastline and what can be found at this time of year, especially in rock pools.
On Friday 8 May Sir David Attenborough celebrated his 100th birthday. To mark the occasion on Out of Doors, Rachel spoke to producer and director Alastair Fothergill, who has made some of Sir David’s most memorable series with him, including The Blue Planet and Planet Earth. He tells Rachel about the enormous impact Sir David has had on his life and career and some of the memorable moments they’ve shared together.
In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Helen meets up with listener Marian Burrows-Smith, who got in touch to tell us about a project she works on in Nepal building toilets for remote communities. We hear how Marian, who lives in Nethybridge, got involved.
Rachel is on Calton Hill in Edinburgh to hear about the 50th anniversary of the Architectural Heritage Fund. Trustee Audrey Carlin tells her about what the fund does and the kind of buildings it has supported.
The RRS Discovery has been a popular tourist attraction in Dundee for over 30 years. And now visitors have a chance to experience a part of life onboard that they haven’t before. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Mark went to give it a go - climbing over 80 feet up the historic ship’s foremast, before ziplining back to the Dundee waterfront.