Scotland Outdoors

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.

Rachel Stewart meets Helen in her workshop as she unveils her latest sculpture.

Mark hears about the preparation involved in setting up the Fettercairn Show which this weekend celebrates its 190th show, and the 200th anniversary of the Fettercairn Farmers Club which runs it. The committee tell him what sets it apart from other shows.
Rachel is on the Solway coast exploring the RSPB Mersehead Nature Reserve. Mersehead is home to one of the rarest amphibians in the UK and has a huge range of different habitats.
This week’s Scotland Outdoors podcast features Mark learning about attempts to save the rare twinflower in the Abernethy Forest. We hear an excerpt of Sam Jones from charity Plantlife showing him some of the success they’ve had so far.
If you’ve been in Edinburgh recently, you may have spotted the Floral Clock in West Princess Street Gardens. It’s the oldest one of its kind in the world and this year therapeutic horticulture charity Trellis are the organisation being celebrated by the clock. Rachel went to see it all being planted up and hear about its history.
North 58 Sea Adventures run boat trips into the Moray Firth from Lossiemouth and Findhorn. Mark climbed aboard a trip from Findhorn with skipper Peter, and some enthusiastic dolphin spotters to see if they could catch a glimpse of any.
We chat live to Pete Moore who is undertaking a challenge to see all of the 29 species of butterflies that are native to the Scottish Highlands. He’s cycling to all the different locations, and we hear how he’s been getting on so far.
And we celebrate some unusual wildlife encounters and your wildlife poetry after last week’s story of an amorous grouse sparked you to get in touch.
Rachel finds out about an Aberdeen University project which involves studying the sounds of two coastal areas, Torry in Aberdeen and North Yell in Shetland which are both undergoing economic and cultural transformations. She hears some of the sonic postcards being created at Greyhope Bay.

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.