The Plodcast

Welcome to Sound Escapes from BBC Countryfile Magazine: your chance to relax to the seasons sounds of nature wherever you are – and however busy your day. In this episode, it's a warm June evening on a hill in the Brecon Beacons and the strange churring of a nocturnal bird called the nightjar rises above the heady scent of honeysuckle and foxgloves. Presented by Hannah Tribe and produced by Jack Bateman. Image from Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Extinct in England, the chequered skipper has been reintroduced to a secret site in Rockingham Forest in Northamptonshire by the Back from the Brink project The plodcast's Megan Shersby tells this heartening story and explores the forest in the hope of seeing one of these jewel-like butterflies. Listen on also for our podcast chat and Sound of the Week. The plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and the image is from Getty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Sound Escapes from BBC Countryfile Magazine – your chance to relax to soundtracks of glorious nature wherever you are and whatever you are doing. In this episode, take a break in the shade at the bottom of the garden, and let nature do all the hard work . Image from Getty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Take a springtime wander up a Peak District valley called William Clough in the company of angler and naturalist Andrew Griffiths. Meet some of the aquatic residents as Andrew tries his hand at stream dipping and hear tales of battles over access on nearby Kinder Scout. Plus, the delightful songs of skylarks, meadow pipits and curlew Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Sound Escapes from BBC Countryfile Magazine – your chance to relax to soundtracks of glorious nature wherever you are and whatever you are doing. In this episode, we're beside a sleepy lake deep in the Brecon Beacons. Wind rustles through the golden reedbed as reed warblers sing their charming songs. Image from Getty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Megan Shersby heads to the East of England to one of Britain's oldest nature reserves, the wetland wonder of Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire. Here she meets Professor Nick Davies of Cambridge University, an expert on the lives of cuckoos, to talk about these remarkable birds and how they use foster parents to raise their young. Later, Megan joins the regular plodcast team to talk cuckoos, sounds of the week and other nature news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Sound Escapes, your chance to relax to the sounds of the British countryside no matter busy you are. In this episode, enjoy the song of one of our migrant birds, the redstart, plus backing singing from chiffchaffs, blackcaps, song thrushes and blackbirds. A gentle, calming delight. Hosted by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meet the spring wildlife of one of Britain's rarest habitats – lowland heaths. Roam the heath-clad landscape in search of rare reptiles including the elusive smooth snake in the company of Owain Masters and Nick Dobbs from the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust. Plus a host of rare insects, plants and the gorgeous Dartford warbler. Plus, a special guest appearance from plodcast favourite Kevin Parr. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Sound Escapes, your chance to relax to the sounds of the British countryside no matter busy you are. In this episode, you're on a path rising up a steep-sided wooded valley in South Wales. The endless May rain has stopped and a male wood warbler is singing his extraordinary song from the emerald canopy of tangled oak trees. The air is fresh, the leaves are fresh and there is a sense that spring can begin again in earnest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Somerset artist Lucy Pendrick gets up early to listen to the whole of the dawn chorus of resident and migrant birds in a deciduous woodland on the edge of the Somerset Levels. Revel in this incredible spring orchestra of natural music that most people sleep through. Plus, Lucy also captures the dusk chorus as the birds wind down at the end of the day. Pure magic. Find out more about Lucy's work at her website The Whispering Wild Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Sound Escapes – your chance to relax to the sounds of nature no matter how busy you are. In this episode, we take you to Bickley Wood on the River Avon the outskirts of Bristol where bluebells are freshly in bloom. A gentle rain is falling. Recorded by Daniel Graham 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 poet Kenneth Steven for an early spring adventure in an ancient hazel wood, a mysterious glen and a beautiful loch on his home island of Seil in the Inner Hebrides. Along the way Kenneth recounts tales of history and mystery – and finish with one of his own marvellous poems. Find out more about Kenneth's work Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes offer you a short meditative journey into the natural world this spring to find peace, beauty and relaxation. In this episode, you're transported to an oak woodland on a small hill in the West Country. It's 5am and the weather is cool and dry. Bluebells carpet the woodland floor while blackbirds, wrens, robins and goldcrests lead the dawn chorus to welcome the new day. Recorded by Lucy Pendrick. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Explore the lagoons, reedbeds and woodlands of Somerset Levels with two of the regular podcast team as they try to hear the mournful yet powerful boom of the bittern. This waterbird was once critically endangered but has made a dramatic comeback with 30 pairs in what is known collectively as the Avalon Marshes. But will the team hear it? Listen on for gorgeous spring birdsong, history, mystery and even slithering snakes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes offer you a short meditative journey into the natural world this spring to find peace, beauty and relaxation. In episode 13, you are transported to a woodland on the edge of a lagoon and reedbed deep in the Avalon Marshes of Somerset where the spring birdsong is in full voice. Sit back and let your mind wander into nature. Recorded by Jack Bateman 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 naturalist, writer and angler Kevin Parr as he explores the little-known coastal scrublands near Chesil Beach in Dorset to encounter Britain's only venomous snake, the rare and beautiful adder. Along the way, he meets many other wildlife inhabitants of this lost world. Later, Kevin joins the podcast team to talk about the adventure and share more of his stories. We would also like to invite you to take part in a very short survey about your podcast listening habits. Everyone completing the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win one of seven £100 Voucher Express Gift Card. Terms and conditions are available in the survey link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes – your chance to enjoy a delightful few minutes of spring wildlife no matter how busy you are. In this episode, we're sitting in an oak woodland mid April, listening to the songs of many species but the star performance is the drumming of the lesser spotted woodpecker. The location is the RSPB's Ynys Hir reserve near Machynlleth in mid Wales, famed for its Celtic rainforest. 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

Explore a fabulous spring day among the atmospheric woods, meadows and salt marshes of RSPB Ynys Hir on the Dyfi Estuary in mid Wales. Containing a magnificent example of Celtic rainforest, Ynys Hir is home to a fabulous arrays of birds, insects, wildflowers and reptiles. Fergus Collins met manager David Anning for a magical day, culminating in a mystery wildlife encounter deep in the woods. We would also like to invite you to take part in a very short survey about your podcast listening habits. Everyone completing the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win one of seven £100 Voucher Express Gift Card. Terms and conditions are available in the survey link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Sound Escapes from BBC Countryfile Magazine – your chance for a relaxing escape into nature no matter how busy you are. In this episode, it's evening at Alners Gorse, a nature reserve in Dorset run by Butterfly Conservation. As the dew falls, the extraordinary song of nightingales rises from the thickets. Recorded by Martin Maudsley 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

In the second episode of our Spring Across Britain series, we meet Countryfile's farmer Adam Henson. Adam farms in the Cotswolds and he reveals the extraordinary burgeoning of life on the farm – from serenading skylarks to bleating newborn lambs. Plus, we discuss the role of farmers in creating a sustainable and accessible countryside. Adam's new book, A Year on Adam's Farm is out now. Plus, enjoy listeners' sounds of the week in our Podcast postbag and a beautiful poem by John Clare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Sound Escapes from BBC Countryfile Magazine – your chance to sit back and relax to the sounds of nature wherever you are and whatever you are doing. In this episode, we're sitting on a wooded promontory above the Dyfi Estuary in the RSPB's magical Ynys Hir reserve. It's early April, there's a chill in the air but the wind has dropped allowing the gentle murmuring of Canada geese to rise over the salt marshes. In the distance, the Tarren mountains of southern Snowdonia glow in the sun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first of the new season: Spring Across Britain we meet with RSPB expert Damon Bridge and author and curlew champion Mary Colwell. Listen on as they explore spring wildlife in the fabulous RSPB reserve of Swell Wood and West Sedgemoor – in the hope of hearing the enigmatic curlew on the eve of World Curlew Day. Later, we meet singer-songwriter and nature champion David Gray. David talks about his own curlew experiences and how wild places have influenced his new album Skellig – of which you can hear the title track in this podcast. Annabel Ross is your host. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Sound Escapes from BBC Countryfile Magazine – your chance for a relaxing escape into nature no matter how busy you are. In this episode, it's late afternoon in early April 2021 and we're at a rocky escarpment in the southern Brecon Beacons. It's a clear sunny day and a pair of peregrine falcons are prospecting for a nest site on the crags of old quarried cliff faces. Their cries and calls can be heard above the early evening chorus of robins, blackbirds and sheep. Presented by Hannah Tribe and recorded by Fergus Collins. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to season 9 of the BBC Countryfile Magazine Podcast. Your chance for a weekly escape into the wild and beautiful countryside. Season 9 is our most ambitious project yet – capturing Spring Across Britain as it unfurls in 12 different wild landscapes. From mountain to heath and coast to meadow, we’ll be sharing the joys of the new season with you and encountering some wonderful wildlife and marvellous people along the way. In this trailer, the podcast team get excited about the upcoming episodes and special guests. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes – your chance to relax into nature for a few precious moments. In this episode, it's late afternoon and we've arrived at a small cove on the South Gower coast to hear waves rising and falling on an empty beach. 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

Welcome to BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes, beautiful short episodes of natural sound from the British countryside. They're your chance for a burst of wild freedom when you can't get out there yourself. In this episode, it's a crisp morning in mid March and we're sitting beside a dark pool in a pocket of ancient woodland called Goytre House Wood. Celandines and wild daffodils brighten the damp woodland floor while a male mistle thrush, great tits and wrens provide beautiful song. Presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Follow a sparkling stream through a hidden valley on the Gower Peninsular in South Wales to arrive at a smuggler's cove. Along the way, the podcast team hunt for treasures in the stream, meet the local wildlife and encounter a very mysterious fish. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to our latest Sound Escape, a chance to relax to the calming sounds of nature. In this episode, we’re pausing beside a hedgerow on the edge of a small field in Gower, South Wales. It’s a bitterly cold and overcast Sunday morning but the house sparrows and hedge sparrows (dunnocks) are busily chatting at the beginning of their nesting season. So sit back and be transported into the delightful soundscapes of spring. 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

Storyteller Martin Maudsley meets wildlife photographer and countryman Jim Brown on Jim's local river, the Axe, which flows from Somerset into East Devon. They discuss otters, swans, folklore and farming – and the dedication wildlife photographers need to catch their quarry. Their delightful conversation is set against the bubbling backdrop of the Axe and its tributary, the Yatty. Otter image by Jim Brown Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Countryfile Magazine Sound Escapes – your chance to spend a blissful five minutes in the countryside however busy you are. In this episode, ramble along an ancient track through a steeply banked holloway down into a wild valley. Enjoy the sounds of robins, song thrushes and wrens above the babble of a mountain stream. Presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enjoy listening to the delightful songs of song thrushes, robins and treecreepers as we wander along the towpath of the Monmouth-Brecon canal high up in the Brecon Beacons. Listen out for an extremely early chiffchaff and encounters with narrowboats and a very strange duck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to our latest Sound Escape, a chance to relax to the calming sounds of nature. In this episode, it is dusk on a flood-swollen River Avon on the outskirts of Bristol and the melodies of robins and song thrushes soothe the watery twilight. So sit back and be transported into the soundscapes of early spring. Recorded by Daniel Graham and presented by Hannah Tribe. Photo credit: Geograph Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Annabel Ross wades through floodwater in the Severn Valley near Tewksbury to meet Andrew Kerr of the Sustainable Eel Group and talk about the astonishing serpent-like eel and its still unexplained life story. We meet a traditional Severn Elver fisherman, hear a glorious eel poem by Hugh Dunkerley and cap it all off with folk singer Kitty Macfarlane's delightful song Glass Eel. Listen on for a perfect podcast. Image by students of Plymouth University as part of the the Eel Suitcase project, which raises awareness of the plight of the European eel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to theSound Escape from BBC Countryfile Magazine – a chance for a few minutes relaxation as you listen to the sounds of nature and the countryside. In this episode we head along the sea defences of the Ribble Estuary in Lancashire on a bright February morning. Big skies dominate the low-lying marshes and farmland. The birds you can hear are mostly wigeon and skylarks. Presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dee Dee Chainey has been collected stories and legends about folklore from around the world during her Folklore Thursday sessions on social media – in this episode she reveals tales of ghosts, monsters, spirits and superstitions that abide around our waters. Listen on if you dare. Dee Dee and Willow Winsham have a great book on the subject: Treasury of Folklore: Seas and Rivers. Plus, a brilliant Sound of the Week from Texas and we introduce our new Sound Escapes podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the second Sound Escape from BBC Countryfile Magazine, a short meditative journey into the countryside right now to immerse yourself in the sounds of nature. In this episode, we take an icy dawn walk along the frozen Mon-Brec canal in Monmouthshire to hear song thrushes, siskins, tits, a great spotted woodpecker and even a brief burst of treecreeper. Plus, we meet the first of this year's lambs. Presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Angler and writer Andrew Griffiths takes us for a charming summer's ramble around his local waterways on the Cheshire-Derbyshire border. He chats to passers-by, goes pond-dipping with children and meets a man hoping to catch the first salmon on the River Govt. Plus, don't miss the latest Listeners' Sound of the Week Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the first Sound Escape from BBC Countryfile Magazine – five minutes' blissful peace in the countryside as we wind down for the weekend. Every week, we'll upload some beautiful and relaxing sounds of nature. We will capture the spirit of the moment to give you a perfect audio snapshot of what's going on in the countryside right now. This week, we are escaping to a little wooded valley on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales to hear robins, mistle thrushes, great tits and a great spotted woodpecker proclaiming early spring. The sound of the sea blends with a gentle breeze in the treetops. Hannah Tribe is your host. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the heavy rain and floods of mid January, we head out on a cold, clear morning into the waterlogged woods and farmland along the River Usk in Monmouthshire to discover how the landscape has changed and how the wildlife and livestock are coping. Listen on for an evocative walk in the countryside accompanied by the very first stirrings of spring. Plus don't miss the Podcast Postbag and two wonderful sounds of the week sent in by listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We return to the island of Seil in the Inner Hebrides to spend a day with poet Kenneth Steven exploring the wildlife and wild waters that swirl around his island home. He tells of terrifying power of the nearby Corryvreckan whirlpool and recounts the tale of a prince and his ship lost beneath the writhing currents. Plus, join us for nature sound of the week and the Plodcast postbag Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join angler and writer Kevin Parr as he spends a day at a local lake in Dorset explaining the joys and frustrations of angling. His quarry is the predatory perch, a fish that become more solitary and elusive as it grows larger. Kevin also enjoys some gentle wildlife encounters along the way. Plus, don't miss the Plodcast postbag and sound of the week… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lucy Pendrick is an artist and nature lover who is a keen listener to the Countryfile Plodcast. In this episode, she takes us to her local river to explore how nature's calming power – especially moving water – can bring peace and mental clarity to our lives. She also reveals how she finds inspiration for her art in her wild surroundings. A delightful, personal and uplifting podcast – and you can see her work at Whispers of the Wild. Plus listen on for how you can send in your own audio recordings to feature in future Countryfile Plodcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Holy wells are a magical feature of the Welsh landscape – places where people have found dependable clean water and made offerings since ancient times. But over time, many have been forgotten or overlooked in the modern landscape. So in this episode, we head into the hills north of Pontypool to try to track down a well that has been used since Roman times – and trace its fascinating story through history. If you enjoy the podcast, please do leave feedback and ratings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meet the Severn Bore – a dramatic tidal wave that surges up the River Severn on rare occasions each year. Plodcast host Fergus joins local resident and naturalist James Fair for a wander along the river just before the Bore struck. A fantastic audio adventure with some great wildlife and surprise guests… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Explore rivers, lakes and canals in this special season of podcasts. From meeting the Severn Bore and climbing remote hills in search of holy wells to finding treasure in streams and reflecting on the healing power of water, we enjoy the magic of our waterways over the next 12 episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join the Countryfile Magazine plodcast team as we celebrate how the natural world has helped us – and you – through 2020. Plus, we reveal the podcast highlights of the year and what to look forward to in 2021. So pour yourself a warming drink, find a comfy armchair and enjoy a gentle chat and ramble through rural Britain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jules Hudson has been helping people find their rural dream for over 13 years as host of the BBC's show Escape to the Country. Now he's written a book full of practical advice on how anyone can make the leap from urban stress to country retreat. Fergus Collins met Jules at his home in Herefordshire to discuss the dos and don'ts… Find out more in Jules's Escape to the Country Handbook, published by the National Trust. Plus don't miss our bonus Plodcast Postbag feature where we answer our listeners' letters and emails Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Star of The Office, Detectorists and several blockbuster films, Mackenzie Crook has also written, directed and starred in a new adaptation of Worzel Gummidge. Christmas 2020 sees the third episode in the series and Mackenzie joins Maria Hodson to discuss why he loves this countryside character and how nature infuses his life. Plus, we introduce the Plodcast postbag – our listeners reviews and comments on recent podcast episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Come with us to a narrowboat on the Kennet and Avon canal to talk to Nick Hayes, author of the The Book of Trespass, about how little of the English countryside is open to walkers, riders and canoeists. Learn how our landscapes came to be owned by so few people – and how it might benefit the nation's health to open them up to the public Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

20 years ago, the RSPB bought Hope Farm in Cambridgeshire to explore how best to farm sustainably and profitably while also creating a home for nature. Meet lapwings, linnets and wildflowers as we wander the farm in the company of manager Georgie Bray to discover that it is possible to create wildlife habitat and make a living from the land. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices