Bracklinn Falls, Needle Felting and The Cabrach Distillery

Scotland Outdoors

BBC

Nature, Society & Culture, Science

4.7 • 709 Ratings

🗓️ 8 March 2025

⏱️ 85 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Golf courses are often criticised for their lack of biodiversity, but at The Plock, near Kyle of Lochalsh, a community project is reclaiming the local golf course and giving it back to the wild. Mark met up with the local ranger, Heather Beaton, to find out more about this rewilding initiative.

A new award-winning footbridge has been built at Bracklinn Gorge near Callander. Mark visits the site and meets with advisor and architect Murray McKellar from the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, to hear about the innovative design of this new bridge.

The remote area of The Cabrach was once a hotbed for illicit whisky production, before falling into decline through the late 1800s. Now a new distillery has been built in the area, aiming to bring the historic whisky trade back, but reimagined through a sustainable and community focused lens. Mark meets up with members of The Cabrach Trust to find out about their efforts, and maybe even taste a wee dram.

Rachel is on the West Highland Way, with Ian Alderman and his 10 year old daughter Eve. The pair, who are both autistic, have been walking together to raise money for charity, and have now successfully completed all of Scotland’s Great Trails.

We are joined on the programme by Tracey Howe, who is now 1/3 of the way through her walk around the British Coast, to raise money for UK Cancer Charities. We speak to her just as she has reached Land's End, to find out how she is getting on.

Fiona Finlayson is a needle felt artist who seeks out her materials across Scotland on her travels, and brings it back to her studio to craft models of pets and other wild animals. Rachel joins her in her studio, to find out how her passion for the craft first came about

Mark met up with Graham Gillie, a conservation carpenter with the Antarctic Heritage Trust, before his 5th visit to Antarctica. He is responsible for maintaining some of the historic sites on the continent, and battling the harsh weather conditions. Mark found out what it is about such a challenging job that appeals for him.

Transcript

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0:00.0	He tells her that she will be sent to France as a secret agent, and if she's caught, she's going to be shot.
0:09.3	I'm Helen Obalam Carter, and this is history's secret heroes, where I shine a light on extraordinary stories from World War II.
0:17.6	What they wanted was someone to get themselves arrested and sent to Auschwitz.
0:22.0	Tales of deception, an incredible acts of resistance and courage.
0:26.3	She was a born soldier.
0:27.4	She's a freedom fighter in its widest sense.
0:29.9	The brand new series of History's secret heroes.
0:32.8	Listen first on BBC Sounds.
0:34.7	This Scotland Outdoors podcast with Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart from BBC Radio Scotland.
0:45.5	Hello and thank you very much for choosing to listen to this.
0:48.0	We do a couple of Scotland Outdoors podcasts every week.
0:51.1	One of them is actually based on the live program we do for BBC Radio Scotland,
0:55.3	which is called Out of Doors. And this week we accidentally opened a new can of worms by asking
1:01.1	you, what do you like for your breakfast? You might want to have a bit of a lie down at the moment,
1:08.6	or at least make sure you're seated securely because the daffodils are out, crocuses are out,
1:13.9	black thorns and blossom, so far so good.
1:16.1	But Rachel Stewart is talking about taking off her top coat.
1:21.3	This is earth-shattering stuff, children.
1:23.9	Hello, good morning, I'm Mark Stevens,
1:25.6	sitting the other side of the fire,
1:27.0	slightly less spherical than normal. Rachel Stewart.
1:29.9	How very dare you. I was... Just like that.
	...

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