The Plodcast

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

Join Maria Fernandez-Garcia as she walks the riverbank and woodlands of Conham River Park on the edge of Bristol in search of autumn edibles. From ruby rosehips and hawthorn berries to lush lichens and nettle seeds, Maria discusses the many medicinal plants that can be gathered in autumn and used to make herbal medicine. Expect seasonal jams, root-based coffees, and hot, healing teas. Find out more about Maria’s work as a herbalist at Healing Weeds Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We escape back to summer in this podcast to explore a forgotten peninsula near the town of Caernarvon in North Wales. Enjoy beachcombing, plus a ramble over salt marshes and wildflower-filled sand dunes accompanied by curlews, oystercatchers and other seabirds. Pure wildlife delights! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Horrible Histories, Ghosts and Detectorists star Simon Farnaby talks to Maria Hodson about his new book for children – where a Dark Age wizard turns up in the 2st-century countryside. Funny and thoughtful, Simon reveals his own rural childhood and his hopes for a wilder childhood for his own family. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Storyteller Martin Maudsley takes a walk along Blood Lane and other ancient Dorset tracks telling tales old and new that celebrate the countryside and its people. Prepare to be thrilled and chilled as Martin explores the twilight world of spirits, strange events and weird wildlife. Find out more at https://martinmaudsley.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Black Mountains are the northern, often overlooked corner of Brecon Beacons National Park in south-east Wales – a land of seldom visited peaks and hidden valleys full of tales. Editor Fergus Collins meets Black Mountains resident and rural commentator Rob Yorke to discuss wildlife, farming, hunting and rewilding over breakfast on the Gaer, an ancient hillfort. Find out more robyorke.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nature writer Helen Macdonald is best known for her critically acclaimed book: H is for Hawk. While this award-winning tome focuses on Helen's efforts to train a goshawk, it struck a chord with many in the way it deals with family, belonging and grief – as well as the beautifully drawn explorations and adventures in the British countryside. Helen has a new book out, Vesper Flights, and she talks about both works and her love of the natural world with Maria Hodson with readings by Hannah Tribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mya-Rose Craig – aka Birdgirl – is rapidly become one of Britain's leading environmental campaigners and an eloquent and persuasive voice for nature and for young people. Having just finished school, she talks about her hopes for our wildlife while taking Countryfile Magazine's Annabel Ross on a birdwatching tour of her home in the Chew Valley in North Somerset. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to episode 1 of season 7 of the BBC Countryfile Magazine plodcast – and meet the honey buzzards in a secret forest in South Wales. Honey buzzards are scarce summer migrants to the UK – a bird of prey that feeds mainly on wasps. Here Fergus Collins joins an expedition led by ornithologist Steve Roberts to locate a honey buzzard nest and ring the chicks in order to monitor their progress as they attempt to colonise the region. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From honey buzzards to Dark Age wizards and Napoleonic battles to the incredible Birdgirl, Season 7 of the Plodcast begins this autumn with 12 brand new adventures into the countryside for encounters with wildlife, chats with farmers, naturalists, campaigners and writers plus tranquil wanders into beautiful landscapes. Escape into the green outdoors wherever you are with the Plodcast. The new season begins on 29 September 2020 and runs for 12 episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the final episode of series 6, we return to spring on the beautiful River Usk to celebrate the marvellous common toad – our cleverest amphibian. Follow Fergus Collins as he explores pools along the River Usk in the Brecon Beacons to meet hundreds of these warty wanderers as they gather to spawn. Plus, we explore some of the literary associations of the toad – from Shakespeare to Orwell. Find more about Britain's amphibians at the Countryfile Magazine website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wade up the Candover Brook in Hampshire in the company of insect expert George McGavin and Zam Baring of the Wessex River Trust. Meet the hidden life of this beautiful waterway from mayflies and leeches to damselflies and bullheads. It's a truly delightful and entertaining adventure in one of Britain's most precious wild habitats. Annabel Ross is your host. Find out more about the Wessex Rivers Trust Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enjoy a summer morning on the island of Seil in the company of poet Kenneth Steven and a chorus of oystercatchers. Kenneth reveals the wild history of his home and reads three beautiful poems amid the enchanting atmosphere of the island. You can find out more about Kenneth and his poetry here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lucy Jones is the author of Losing Eden, a book the exploring the science behind why we need nature in our lives – and what happens to us when we lose contact with the wild universe. Listen on for some fascinating insight into what the green outdoors can do for us - and hear Lucy's own journey from addiction and depression with the help of the natural world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enter the strange world of the nightjar in a dusk adventure on a secret Welsh hillside. Fergus Collins meets ornithologist Steve Roberts and listens to the strange song and stranger stories of this bizarre nocturnal bird. Steve rings the nestlings and tracks the species' progress in Wales. With thanks also to Hannah Tribe for giving voice to various readings throughout. You can find out more about nightjars at the BBC Countryfile Magazine website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Medieval historian Dr Emma Wells reveals the secrets and mysteries hidden in our rural chapels and churchyards. She talks about their importance in the history of the countryside, the power of sanctuary and what to look for on your next visit. For more on rural churches, visit the Countryfile website special section on great churches to visit Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We join storyteller Martin Maudsley in the ancient lanes of Dorset tracing in the footsteps and the hideout of The Rogue Male – the title character of the renowned 1930s spy thriller written by Geoffrey Household. So follow Martin as he wanders into these strange and enticing holloways, delves into local folklore and reveals some the literary magic woven into our landscapes. Plus along the way, Martin tells some of his own fabulous little tales. More on Martin's storytelling Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode we head to Dartmoor to wander through landscapes where local farmers have worked tirelessly to bring wildlife back to their fields and hills. Listen on for cuckoos, encounters with rare butterflies and some truly uplifting conversation with Tim Martin of Farm Wilder. A former producer at the BBC’s natural history unit, Tim set up Farm Wilder to help farmers work more sustainably with the land and, as you’ll hear, his work is really paying off. Our own Annabel Ross met him for a walk in the dramatic Devon wilds. For more information, visit Farm Wilder Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enjoy a peaceful retreat to the gentle island of Seil in the Inner Hebrides in the genial company of Scottish poet Kenneth Steven. Hear Kenneth's reflections on writing, life in lockdown and some of the wild encounters he has every day with wild geese and marsh harriers. Plus, listen on for one of his own award-winning poems. For more about Kenneth, visit https://kennethsteven.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Take a May-time wander with editor Fergus Collins to a distant unexplored woodland – meet the local rabbit populations along the way, listen to a chorus of linnets and listen to the fabulous exotic melody of the wood warbler deep among the oaks. A sublime, gentle adventure in the countryside. For more days out and articles on British wildlife, head to the BBC Countryfile Magazine website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join TV naturalist Dr George McGavin as he explore the incredible life along a hedgerow near his home in Berkshire. Known for his regular slots on the One Show and many other BBC nature programmes, George is fascinated by insects and shares his discoveries – and some brilliant stories – with our own Annabel Ross in this delightful spring adventure. Find out more about hedgerow wildlife at our website countryfile.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kevin Parr heads to a secret common and woodland in Dorset to at the crack of dawn to hear Britain's most famous songster – the increasingly scarce nightingale. Listen on for a memorable and stunningly beautiful audio experience. Plus, we hear from one of the 20th century's greatest nature writers and poets, Edward Thomas, on the power of the nightingale's song. For more on nightingales and other British songbirds, visit our website countryfile.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices