A Place to Be at the Taliesin Community Woods

Mark Stephen hears about attempts to save the twinflower in Abernethy Forest

Mark is in Fettercairn in Aberdeenshire where a garden designed for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show has made its way to the local distillery. He finds out about the inspiration behind the Angel’s Share Garden which won a silver gilt medal at the show.Earlier this week a major world conference in agritourism was held in Aberdeen. The inaugural Global Agritourism Conference brought hundreds of delegates from all around the world to share data, research and their personal stories. They also went on several visits to locations across Scotland and Rachel caught up with some of them at Thorneybank farm shop near Inverurie.Mark Stevens is a model maker based in the Black Isle whose creations are made from junk and things that he finds on the roadside. Our Mark goes to visit him in his workspace to hear how he got into model making and see some of his latest creations.The village of Tomintoul in Moray, one of the highest villages in Scotland, is celebrating its 250th anniversary. To mark the occasion sculptor Helen Denerley has created three life size roe deer statues located in the middle of Tomintoul. Rachel went along to see them being installed and hear more about the project.Plantlife Scotland has carried out an emergency translocation of the rare Aspen Bristle Moss, after a fallen Aspen tree put the species’ Scottish population at risk. Deep in the Abernethy Forest Reserve in the Cairngorms, Mark heads out to look for it which proves rather tricky…We hear about Cycling UK’s newest multi-day bikepacking route, Gallovidean Gravel. It’s the charity’s first fully Scottish route and explores Dumfries and Galloway.Our Orkney colleague Evie McGowan spent a night in the UK’s most northerly bothy which has recently been renovated. The Rackwick bothy on Hoy is owned by the Hoy Development Trust and Evie hears about the work that they’ve carried out.In this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Rachel is in the Trossachs with the Adaptive Riders Collective who empower people with physical disabilities to experience the freedom, joy, and connection that come from being out in nature. We hear an excerpt.

Rachel Stewart visits the charity which aims to make off-road cycling open to all.

Ahead of next week’s Royal Highland Show being held at Ingliston just outside Edinburgh, Rachel catches up with farmer Anna Mitchell, who is one of this year’s vice presidents. This year’s presidential team are representing Aberdeenshire and Anna tells Rachel what visitors can expect from the show.Mark is in Newport-on-Tay with author Dr Erin Farley whose most recent book, Lighthouse Lives, tells the stories of the last generation to work on manned lighthouses across Scotland. She tells Mark about the experiences of some of the keepers and their families who she recorded with for the book.Phil Sime and Morven Livingstone meet Allan MacKinnon of Highland Bird Control Services, to see how he's tackling the issues that gulls are causing at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.Two volumes of Birds of America by renowned artist and ornithologist John James Audubon are currently on show to the public at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. The College has owned the art treasures for two centuries, and Mark went to meet their heritage lead, Claire McDade to hear a bit about their origins and take a look at the impressive books.Rachel is in Ayrshire meeting some of the farmers involved in the women in dairy initiative.As Scotland fans descend on Boston, Massachusetts in their thousands, we hear about the different birds that the discerning football supporter might be able to spot during their stay in the city. Erin Kelly from conservation charity Mass Audubon tells Rachel a bit about Boston birdlife and where to see it.The Glasgow Tandem Club has members who are both vision impaired and sighted. They are based in Ballahouston Park in Glasgow and Rachel went along to meet some of the members and chatted to founder, Anne Fraser.Mark heads to Cullen to meet the founder of Blue Lighthouse surf club, which was set up to offer tangible support for the health and wellbeing of members of the emergency services and care workers.And in this week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast, Mark visits the Taliesin Community Woodland in Dumfries and Galloway which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. We hear an excerpt.

Mark Stephen visits the Taliesin Community Woodland in Dumfries and Galloway

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

Rachel Stewart meets Luisa Hendry, better known as the Scottish Geologist on social media

Right in the heart of London is one of the city’s most popular attractions, The Natural History Museum. Last week, Rachel met up with John Tweedie, head of the Centre for UK Nature and UK Nature Recovery, who explained why the museum’s ponds have become a hotspot for all kinds of insects, including the striking willow emerald damselfly.To celebrate the tercentenary of James Hutton's birth, a new Deep Time Trail at Siccar Point has been launched. It features a redeveloped 1.3km pathway, new seating, cycle racks, an arrival pillar and spectacular stone viewpoints to help visitors explore the birthplace of modern geology. Mark and geologist Dr Angus Miller visit the site on the Berwickshire Coastal Path.Only a tiny number of people have completed all 282 of Scotland’s Munros in a single winter. In 2024, Anna Wells became the first woman and only the fourth person on record to achieve the feat. She’s written a book about the challenge and spoke to Helen Needham about the experience. You can listen to the full podcast at Scotland OutdoorsStreet artist Mark Anthony, also known as ATM, has created murals across the country highlighting endangered bird species and the threat of extinction. When Rachel met him in London’s Regent’s Park, he told her about combining art with conservation, and whether he considers himself a birder.Parakeets are usually an exceptionally rare sight in the Highlands, so when reports emerged of one causing absolute chaos in the Lochardil neighbourhood of Inverness, producer Phil Sime and colleague Morven Livingstone set out to track down the feathered troublemaker.Mark joins Grant Stott for a walk along Edinburgh’s Hermitage Trail, where Grant reflects on his love for the area and shares his excitement about starting his new afternoon show on BBC Radio Scotland next week.John Hearns got in touch after we mentioned that last week’s programme was coming from London. He invited Rachel to join him and David Judson for a rendition of the Mingulay Sea Shanty with the London Sea Shanty Collective.Operating mainly from Glasgow, the Waverley now sails around the UK. Mark Stephen joined her first outing of the season alongside general manager Paul Semple and some crafty passengers.

Mark Stephen climbs aboard the world's last seagoing paddle steamer, The Waverley

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.