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Scotland Outdoors

Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Snowdrops and a Beaver MOT

Scotland Outdoors

BBC

Nature, Society & Culture, Science

4.7 • 709 Ratings

🗓️ 15 February 2025

⏱️ 84 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Auchnerran Farm is run by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust as a demonstration farm to test and trial conservation and land management strategies. Mark visits the farm to hear about their projects and how they manage these alongside a profitable enterprise of sheep farming.

It is the 20th anniversary of the opening of Five Sister’s Zoo this year, and the facility has grown from very small beginnings to now housing over 160 species on site in West Calder. Rachel chats to Brian and Gary Curran about their growth over the last two decades and their recent attempts to rescue zoo animals from Ukraine.

2025 marks 20 years since the Scottish Outdoor Access Code came into force, and Mark is joined by journalist and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch to look at exactly how this has impacted Scotland’s relationship with the outdoors.

Rachel is on the banks of Loch Lomond visiting a project attempting to combat erosion on one of Scotland’s most popular hills. Conic Hill has undergone a £900,000 path restoration, and access officer Dave Robinson meets her to explain why such a project is so necessary.

Mark is at Dunnottar Castle, one of the locations featured in Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s novel Sunset Song. Speaking to Emily Cruickshank, Mark finds out the history of the castle and spots some of the wildlife that surrounds it.

Mark and Rachel are joined by a lifelong scholar of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s work, Bill Malcolm, to find out more about the author’s background and the incredible impact he has made on Scottish literature, even 90 years on from his death.

It is the height of Snowdrop season, with many gardens across Scotland opening their gates for visitors to enjoy the carpet of white flowers. Mark visits Bruckhills Croft in Rothienorman and meets Helen Rushton, whose garden boasts nearly 600 different varieties of the plant.

Back at Five Sister’s Zoo, Rachel finds out about the important work the zoo does in partnership with the Beavers Trust, managing populations across Scotland.

Mark heads to Charlesfield Farm and meets Trevor and Lorna Jackson, the couple behind Border’s Bubbly, who are hoping to be the first sparkling wine producers in Scotland

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.

0:45.4

Hello and thank you very much for choosing to listen to this. Every week we do a couple of Scotland outdoors podcasts, one of which is built on the live program we do for BBC Radio Scotland,

0:55.3

which is called Out of Dors.

0:57.0

And this week we're discussing the first flowers of spring.

1:03.4

Good morning. I'm Mark Stephen, sitting on the other side of the fire, also steering into the flames, Rachel Stewart.

1:09.2

Good morning, yeah. It's actually quite pleasant today.

1:12.1

I think it's only about two degrees,

1:13.7

but it doesn't feel too cold.

1:14.8

There's no wind.

1:15.4

No, I think that's the secret, isn't it?

1:17.6

I was in Fife yesterday in Ely,

1:19.5

and it was a really gorgeous day.

1:21.4

You know, the sun was golden on the beach,

1:23.3

and it was a bit of heat in the sun,

...

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