Scotland Outdoors

This week we’re live from Cairngorm Mountain and joined by a myriad of guests connected by the adventures of the slopes. Snowboarder, mountain biker and climate activist Lauren MacCallum joins Mark and Rachel to talk about Cairngorm 2030, the groundbreaking programme aiming to make the Cairngorms the UK’s first net-zero national park.Rachel takes to the slopes with Cairngorm ski-patrol to hear about how they keep skiers safe on the mountain. Mark catches up with Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team as they enter their busiest season and discovers how rescues have changed with advances in technology. Cairngorm Mountain CEO Mike Gifford joins Mark and Rachel to talk about the challenges of running one of Scotland’s leading ski-resorts and his vision to transform Cairngorm Mountain into a thriving, year-round destination.Retired geography teacher Helen Rennie chats to Mark and Rachel about the record she set in 2019 by skiing on Scottish snow every year for 120 consecutive months.Rachel meets Director Robbie Synge to learn about a new film which features young people at work and play in the landscapes of the Cairngorms. ‘Tha Sinn an Seo’ (We Are Here) was made throughout 2025 and explores how the next generation participate in the habitat restoration work of Cairngorms Connect.Montane woodland is set to return to the slopes of Cairngorm Mountain through the Coire na Ciste Montane Woodland Project, an initiative that has recently planted thousands of native trees and shrubs. Mark meets David Hetherington of the Cairngorms National Park Authority to find out more about the first high-altitude woodland restoration project of this scale on the mountain. Helen Needham takes to the slopes at Glenshee to experience a very Scottish winter’s ski.

Helen Needham meets interdisciplinary plant resercher Em Merrin May Armstrong in Glasgow

Some people have found themselves unable to get out and about due to heavy snowfall this week. Rachel meets Cameron Black based in Inverurie in Aberdeenshire who has been voluntarily clearing streets with his own plough.Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance has unveiled the most advanced helicopter air ambulance of its type in the UK, which operates from a base in Aberdeen. The new helicopter offers greater range and night vision technology. Mark heads to Dyce to chat to the crew.Community Off-Road Transport Action Group is a group of volunteers in 4x4s who have been helping to deliver medication and get NHS staff to work in the snowy conditions. Rachel joins volunteer Calum Auld to learn how the group have been helping those most in need in the Northeast of Scotland.Birds don’t have access to the same quantities of food and water in the wintery weather. Mark and Rachel are joined by Richard Humpidge, Site Manager at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg nature reserve in Aberdeenshire, to discuss what we can do to help garden birds at this time of year.Rachel is in Govanhill in Glasgow to discover how new project Creative Canopies is aiming to create a dispersed orchard. Rachel meets Simone Stewart from Govanhill Baths Community Trust who explains how the project contributes to tree equity.In this week’s podcast excerpt, Mark sketches old trees in Haddo Country Park, Aberdeenshire with artist Tansy Lee Moir.Fiona MacBaine from Inverness is known online as Fiona In The Wild where she documents her solo wild camping adventures. Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone wrap up to track Fiona down on the banks of Loch Ness.Mark takes a wander through his local area to contemplate the wintery scene and the potential impacts on people and wildlife. 4Status:

Mark Stephen goes out sketching old trees at Haddo with artist Tansy Lee Moir

he Quadrantid meteor shower will be peaking in the UK around 3rd and 4th January. Elizabeth Tindall shares her experience of observing fireball meteors which are associated with this type of shower.Rachel catches up with Milli Abram as she undertakes a solo rowing adventure across the Atlantic Ocean.The Atlantic Salmon is now classified as an endangered species in the UK. Mark hears about the Save the Spring project being undertaken by the Dee District Salmon Fisheries Board to translocate fish and help improve breeding success.Writer Neil Ansell discusses his hearing loss and quest to hear endangered birds before it's too late.Graeme Johncock of Scotland's Stories shares some old tales from around the country.Survival Expert Zeki Basan goes winter foraging with Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone.And Mark visits the unique Finzean Bucket Mill in Aberdeenshire which is undergoing restoration by the Birse Community Trust.