The Plodcast

After a cold and wet day in the hills, you light a fire in the stove and make a welcome cup of tea. You settle into a favourite armchair to watch the dancing flames and relax to the crackle of the wood. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Image from Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Poet and BBC Radio regular Kenneth Steven takes us on a gentle winter's walk through the lanes and fields of his home island of Seil in the Inner Hebrides. Enjoy meetings with kestrels, buzzards and robins, plus a special poem A Winter Light. Later join the Plodcast team for some Sounds of the Week and the latest from the Plodcast Postbag. Image of Seil from Getty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A horde of starlings descends on a dairy farm in the Vale of Pewsey to forage among the piles of gently steaming fodder and manure while cattle shelter inside the barns. The birds' voices create a waves of soft chatter to warm up this bitter winter's day while tractors come and go. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Recorded by Tanya Jackson and presented by Hannah Tribe. Image from Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Setting out to give voice to forgotten lowland landscapes of Monmouthshire overlooked by visitors, plodcast host Fergus instead get lost as the little-used footpaths have disappeared or been blocked. With ravens and skylarks for company, he finds that the countryside can sometimes be a frustrating place to explore on foot. Back in the studio, we meet Jack Cornish, Head of Paths for the Ramblers, to discuss what can be done when footpaths go missing… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a cold, clear day with frosted grass and glass. You're walking beside the very-full Kennet and Avon canal and water rushes noisily through a loch. But soon, this serene waterway leads you past moored boats and out into the wider Wiltshire countryside. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Recorded by Tanya Jackson and presented by Hannah Tribe. Image from Tanya Jackson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Take a wander in wooded coombe near Bristol with the Jane Lomas, series producer of the Countryfile TV show. The Sunday evening programme is one of the most important voices on countryside matters in the UK and Jane, talking to our own Annabel Ross, reveals some valuable insight into the ethos of the show and how it is put together. Photo by Oliver Edwards Don't forget you can catch up on any recent episodes of Countryfile on iPlayer. We'd also like to thank Radio Lento for their help with the recording of muntjac deer in this podcast. Radio Lento a podcast of immersive everyday beautiful soundscapes with no music or talking to get in the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Be soothed by the gentle rise and fall of waves. On the north coast of Devon, where the high cliffs of Hartland plunge into the Atlantic Ocean, is the small village of Buck’s Mills. The road in is steep and winding, flanked with white-washed cottages and banks of deep-green ferns and bare trees. You have to walk the final stretch down to the sea, but it’s worth it. Winter beaches are quiet, and down here, among the boulders and churning waves, there isn’t a soul in sight. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Recorded by Daniel Graham and presented by Hannah Tribe. Image from Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Discover how the British countryside has inspired great composers over the centuries – and how their music helps us evoke landscapes and their wildlife. BBC Music Magazine's Jeremy Pound takes our own Fergus Collins for a walk over Leckhampton Hill to meet his countryside musical heroes, from Delius to Vaughan Williams and from Holst to Elgar. Image from Getty. Enjoy listening to the music discussed on this podcast on our Spotify playlist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ravens call over the stark winter landscape of farmland in deeply rural Monmouthshire. Robins sing and, from a distant barn, cattle low. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Recorded by Fergus Collins and presented by Hannah Tribe. Photo from Getty Images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first episode of the new season, Voices of the Countryside, plodcast host Fergus heads to the wild marshes of WWT Steart on the Somerset coast with author and naturalist Ben Hoare. The two old friends recount the joys of walking in nature and have a surprise encounter with one of Britain's great wildlife spectacles – a swarming flock of small wading birds called dunlin. With a backdrop of curlew and lapwing song, this is a podcast to transport you into the wild. For more on Ben's new book, visit here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're walking up a old green lane carved into a frosty hillside, and your feet sink deep into the waterlogged leaf litter. Early January sunlight is driving off a cold mist, encouraging roving parties of blue tits and goldfinches to forage in nearby oak trees. High above, redwings call softly from the canopy. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Recorded by Fergus Collins and presented by Hannah Tribe Photo from Getty Images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join the Plodcast team of Fergus, Hannah and Jack to hear about upcoming adventures in the countryside in season 11 of the Countryfile Magazine Plodcast: Voices of the Countryside. From the sounds and songs of wild creatures to the wise words of farmers, conservationists, artists and writers, we're heading out for 12 joyful episodes celebrating the wonders of the land. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On a winter's morning in Dorset, a song thrush starts up its first practise songs of the new year in preparation for the coming breeding season – to a backdrop of sparrows and other garden birds. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Recorded by Kevin Parr and presented by Hannah Tribe Photo from Getty Images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dusk falls on a still, winter's day at Steart Marshes WWT on the Somerset coast. On a lagoon near the mouth of the River Parrett, a host of wading birds is settling down to roost. You can hear the strange murmur and wheeze of lapwings, the fluting cries of redshanks and the occasional plaintive notes of curlews as the darkness falls. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Photo from Getty Images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enjoy part two of our plodcast Christmas party where we make plans for wildlife adventures in 2022, play a Christmas bird spotting game and remind ourselves of Fergus's worst countryside jokes of 2021. With guests Kevin Parr and Annabel Ross and regular team members Hannah Tribe, Jack Bateman and Fergus Collins Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Relax to the exquisite song of a robin singing in a country garden at dawn on Christmas Eve – with a chorus of next door's chickens for company. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Presented by Hannah Tribe, photo from Getty Images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join the Plodcast Christmas special where the team gather in the studio to discuss favourite episodes, guests and wildlife moments from 2021. We talk bitterns, beavers, badgers and nightingales. Part 1 of 2. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You've clambered down from a Peak District ridge to take shelter in a silver birch woodland. The wind, the tail end of Storm Arwen, whooshes through the stark winter canopy - a deeply calming rise and fall of sound. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert Macfarlane is one of the foremost British nature writers. His recent collaboration with Jackie Morris, The Lost Words, was a celebration of nature words and has since inspired two albums of music: The Lost Spells. In this podcast, Annabel Ross meets Robert at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire to explore a living celebration of the books and songs and talk about the power of nature to inspire us all. Photo by Jon Cartwright Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wander through a hidden valley in the Welsh Borders listening to a pair of buzzards mewing to each other as they stake their claim on the territory in preparation for next year's breeding season. In the background, a mountain stream gushes. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Come for a wander through the Somerset marshes in late autumn with author and historian Amy Jeffs. Amy has written Storyland, a retelling of the ancient and medieval myths and legends of the British Isles. Here she retells some of them against the wild and evocative backdrop of the wetlands of Avalon. She's also illustrated the book with her own linocuts – you find out more about these here. Photograph by Oliver Edwards Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Be calmed by the relaxing giggle of a stream tumbling off Sugar Loaf mountain in the Brecon Beacons near Abergavenny. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn about the magic and mystery of fungi with expert mushroom hunter John Wright. He joins our own Kevin Parr for a ramble in a hidden corner of Dorset. John's book A Spotters Guide to Countryside Mysteries is out now. Later in the plodcast, the team talk about the etiquette of saying 'hello' (or not!) to strangers on a country walk – and we capture on tape a strange bird singing in the depths of November. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enjoy an autumn dog walk through a beech and oak woodland and listen to feet crunching on leaves while the wind seethes through the canopy. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside giving you a taste of the season wherever you are – and a chance for a few minutes mindful reflection. Recorded by Fergus Collins and presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hear about the big issues facing the English countryside from and Chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper. The conservationist and environmental campaigner reveals the actions being taken to protect our landscapes and wildlife – and some of the challenges we all face in the coming years. Rob Yorke asks the questions – at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Slow down the pace of your day with this short audio postcard from the countryside – waves swooshing and swirling around rocky outcrops of a rugged Gower coastline. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes give you a chance to relax to the sounds of the countryside – wherever you are. Recorded and presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A plodcast special – in two parts. Rob Yorke meets conservationist, environmental compaigner and now Chair of Natural England Tony Juniper at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire to talk about how England's wildlife and landscape can be better protected and enhanced in the face of development and pressure from agriculture. Enjoy part one of this special interview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's 3am on an autumn night in West Dorset and an oily blackness beneath a moonless sky. There's a hush in the cold still air but the atmosphere is thick with testosterone. A fallow buck is staking his claim, warning off rivals and guarding his does. A guttural bellow that bursts the quiet and echoes through the combes and hills. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are postcards from the countryside to give you an inspiring taste of nature wherever you are. Recorded by Kevin Parr. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Take a wander through the wild tors and misty valleys of Dartmoor in the company of Tom Cox. Tom has gathered dozens of stories of folklore and the supernatural and he shares some of them with our own Annabel Ross in a hugely entertaining walks across the moors. Find out more about Tom's writing here And please do send your thoughts about the podcast to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this brief adventure in the countryside, you're walking along a stretch of shingle beside the River Usk in South Wales – the water has risen after recent rain and will son cover this little beach. Just upstream, rapids gurgle and swirl hungrily. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes give you a chance to relax to the sounds of the countryside – wherever you are. Recorded by Fergus Collins Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The London Mudlark – Lara Maiklem – spends her free time combing the River Thames foreshore for fascinating objects that each have a story to tell. From buttons and beads to shoes and coins, her finds help build a picture of the people who have lived along the river for the past few centuries. Listen on to hear about this curious hobby. And you can see more of Lara's finds on Instagram, Twitter and facebook – search for the London Mudlark. If you are tempted to go mudlarking yourself, check tide times and weather conditions. And, on the River Thames, you need permission from the Port of London Authority. Image by Jon Cartwright Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Take a moment to enjoy the gentle chorus of wild birds and foraging insects on a still autumn day. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a short postcard from the British countryside for you to relax to wherever you are. This week's episode is recorded by Fergus Collins and presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join the Plodcast team as they explore the magical Malvern Autumn Show and meet world record giant vegetables, noisy steam engines, champion bulls, chuckling chickens, the National Rabbit Council and a host of great country characters. A wonderful celebration of the best of British countryside. Find out more at Malvern Autumn Show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enjoy the drama of an autumn storm hitting a Dorset cottage while the garden sparrows – and a robin – bravely sing through the tempest. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a short postcard from the British countryside for you to relax to wherever you are. Recorded by Kevin Parr and presented by Hannah Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sitting on a small hill above the River Severn, St Arilda's Church has a magical churchyard full of old gravestones – and each one tells a curious tale. We meet with Sarah Williams of Who Do You Think You Are magazine to decipher some of the stories in the stones in this Gloucestershire village and learn how to trace our own rural ancestors. Please do leave feedback and likes – and send messages to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Be charmed and soothed by the ebb and flow of waves on a pebble shore. It's an overcast autumn day at Pwll Du on Gower – a hidden smugglers' cove where you can find deep peace. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes offer you a chance to take a few minutes with nature, wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Recorded and presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Roam Gallows Down on the Witshire, Hampshire, Berkshire border and hear tales of ancient and modern history – as well as the battles to defend the precious natural wonders of the area from new roads, American air bases and nuclear missiles. Author and activist Nicola Chester introduces Annabel Ross to the wonders of the North Wessex Downs. Nicola's brilliant new book On Gallows Down is available now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ease yourself into the day with the song of robins from a riverside woodland in South Wales. Enjoy the background swirl of the River Usk in the latest calming Sound Escape from BBC Countryfile Magazine. Recorded by Fergus Collins Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enjoy wonderful folk music beside the River Wye and listen to the story of campaigners "Walking with the Wye" to raise awareness of the river's sad plight due to pollution. Recorded by Maria Hodson. With thanks to the Plump Hill Band, Tracey Dixon, Rob Swannack, Dick Brice and Rob Barnaville for allowing us to use their music in this podcast. Please do leave likes and reviews and you can contact the podcast team at [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shelter from autumn rain in a wooden bird hide and listen to the exotic cries of terns at RSPB Hodbarrow nature reserve in Cumbria. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a postcard from the countryside every week, offering your a chance to relax to the sounds of nature. Recorded by Martin Maudsley, presented by Hannah Tribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are tales of mysterious black panthers from almost every corner of the land – so we head out with writer and naturalist James Fair to look into one particular story: the Cotswold Cat. Could large felines really be on the loose in the modern British countryside? Don't forget to leave likes and reviews and you can contact the Countryfile Magazine team on [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listen to the calming sound of a gentle rain on the leaves of beech and hazel trees while you shelter in a green lane in the Cotswolds. Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes offer a soothing postcard from the countryside to help you relax, wherever you are in the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Relax to the gentle tones of poet Kenneth Steven as he explores the history and magic of Iona: likely birthplace of the ancient Book of Kells, resting place of Scottish kings and queens and sanctuary for the endangered corncrake. Find our more about Kenneth’s work at his website https://kennethsteven.co.uk/ And join the team at the end for the Podcast Postbag and discussions about wild swimming, hedgehogs and sparrowhawks. Image by Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Relax as you walk beside a stream at the bottom of a valley of beech and oak woodland in the Brecon Beacons – known as St Mary's Vale. This is episode 30 of BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound escapes – your chance to escape into nature and relax to the wild sounds of the countryside, wherever you are. Recorded by Fergus Collins and presented by Hannah Tribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Poet Hugh Dunkerley explores mysterious Kingley Vale in the South Downs of West Sussex in search of a bunker created to house resistance fighters in the event of the Nazis ever invading Britain. Along the way he enters the dark and eerie yew woods and reveals tales of Viking massacres and other chilling local legends. With poems from Hugh and Vicki Feaver plus wildlife expertise from Natural England's Steve Walker, this is a joyful summer's adventure in the countryside. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listen to gulls as you sit on a headland overlooking the sea on the south Gower coast. Nearby a tractor bales hay as the last rays of afternoon sun light the fields. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes give you a gentle, relaxing postcard of the countryside for you to enjoy when you can't get there yourself. Recorded and presented by Hannah Tribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Suilven is one of Scotland's most impressive peaks. Fergus Collins joins two old friends for an expedition to climb this magnificent mountain in Assynt and discover some of the intriguing and sometime brutal history of the region. Along the way they encounter fantastic wildlife in stunning wild surroundings. Image Gavin Meredith Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Atop the Iron-Age hillfort known as Pen y Crug high above the edge of Brecon, you can relax to the calls of the last of summer's swallows. Wind and sheep sigh in the bracken and holiday traffic makes its way home on the main road in the Usk Valley below. Sound Escapes – from BBC Countryfile Magazine – are your chance to catch an audio postcard of the countryside and be soothed by the sounds of nature wherever you are. Recorded and presented by Fergus Collins Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary walker and writer Christopher Somerville joins our own Annabel Ross to explore the ruins of Old Sarum near Salisbury in Wiltshire and tells the curious tale of the dark forces at work that led to the medieval town being abandoned. A charming summer adventure in the countryside with a backdrop of skylarks and corn buntings. Find out more in Christopher's book Ships of Heaven: the private life of Britain's cathedrals Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Relax to the rustle of a summer breeze through the leaves of an ancient ash tree in the Brecon Beacons. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes offer a mindful few minutes of escape into nature – a few minutes of restful sounds of the countryside to enjoy wherever you are. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices