Walk Hergest Ridge in Herefordshire on the Welsh border in the company of walker and writer Mike Parker who has spent years exploring the unique people, landscape and history of this borderland. With Plodcast host Fergus, Mike talks Offa's Dyke, the Welsh-English divide and the reason why these 'Marcherlands' are so attractive to those looking for somewhere off the beaten track. Mike Parker's book All the Wide Border: Wales, England and The Places Between is published by HarperNorth. The BBC Cou...
Mar 11, 2025•56 min•Ep 49•Transcript available on Metacast The winter calls of tawny owls pierce the night in a Cumbrian woodland. The wind roars through the trees like a stormy sea. This is a special recording made by author Polly Atkin to celebrate her new book, The Company of Owls, which is a record of the nature around her home in Grasmere in the Lake District. Her closest and most vocal neigbours are the owls. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beau...
Mar 07, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's a bright, beautiful morning so join Plodcast host Fergus for a wander into the soft chalk hills known as the Marlborough Downs of Wiltshire to hunt for burial mounds. Known as barrows, these strange humps in the landscape are the graves of forgotten chieftains and warriors of ancient times and have a brooding mystery about them. Enjoy a late winter adventure into the Bronze Age – with wildlife encounters along the way. Afterwards, join the team in the Plodcast studio for a big round-up of l...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast Swollen by winter rains, a tiny stream, known as a rill, swarms almost vertically down a cleft in the hillside. As you listen from a bridge above, the stream feels alive, its cleansing sound washing away all weariness. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Sarah Williams, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recor...
Feb 28, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Enjoy a wander and deep dive into some of the big issues facing our wild world with zoologist and BBC tv presenter Gillian Burke during a beautiful walk along the Cornish coast near Falmouth. Gillian hosts her own podcast If I Ruled the World which explores big ideas and big themes, looking at the challenges facing the modern world and finding potential solutions. Listen on for a fascinating discussion. If I Ruled the World is available on all good podcast providers. The BBC Countryfile Magazine...
Feb 25, 2025•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Early morning on the farm and a song thrush's strident spring call rises above the chatter of starlings and jackdaws. Beautiful and haunting in the cool morning air, the clear notes herald warmer, longer days. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Image by Getty Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound...
Feb 21, 2025•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join intrepid folk duo Ninebarrow (Jon Whitley and Jay Labouchardiere) for a Plodcast wander over Ballard Down to Old Harry Rocks on the coast of Dorset. Along the way, they sing and play some of their song to evoke landscape, nature and old legends. Pure, unmissable magic. See more of Ninebarrow on their Wandering Minstrels YouTube channel – and listen to their music on Spotify, Apple and other streaming services. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special In...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast It's a bright morning on the Falmouth seafront after a week of rain and wind. The air is still, the sunshine warm, yet the sea is still full of storm energy and crashes on the shore, followed by a seethe of pebbles as the waves retreat. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and sen...
Feb 14, 2025•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast We climb a little-known hill in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) called Allt yr Esgair to search for a mysterious tower lost in the woods. Who built it and why was it abandoned? Join us for a Plodcast of exploration, with wildlife encounters and signs of spring along the way. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and p...
Feb 11, 2025•54 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast After three days of snow and deep cold, a westerly weather front has swept in – a warm breath to thaw the frozen landscape. You stop outdoors among chirruping redwings, transfixed by the steady drip of meltwater and falls of slush from barn roofs and hedgebanks. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email t...
Feb 07, 2025•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Poorly trained dogs can be a menace to wildlife and livestock – and are a major issue in the UK countryside. This week, host Fergus is joined by friend of the Plodcast James Fair and his dog Dakota to explore the issue. Dakota, James and Fergus spend a day with dog trainer extraordinaire Helen Merrett in the Gloucestershire countryside to discover the most effective methods for understanding and controlling your dog so that you can have enjoyable, stress-free walks. Helen Merrett is the owners o...
Feb 04, 2025•54 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast It's not quite a white Christmas but early in the New Year, the land is transformed by a thick layer of snow. You can't resist the joyful urge to be the first to make footprints across the sheep fields. Ahead, smoke rises from farm cottages – everyone else is snug indoors. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tri...
Jan 31, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Writer, angler and Plodcast regular Kevin Parr is your host this week, exploring the wild of the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire. Kev is on a quest for material for a mysterious new book and the object of his mission in Bowland is finally revealed in the studio with the Plodcast team at the end of the adventure. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast Overnight, temperatures fell sharply and you awake to fields made ghostly pale by frost. You put on your boots and shake off the cold with a tramp through the sheep fields accompanied by crows, redwings, ravens and, best still, the brooding calls of a distant stock dove. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe...
Jan 24, 2025•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch approaches (24-26 January 2025), the Plodcast team of Fergus, Hannah, Jack and Lewis explore what birds are visiting their own very different patches. Check in to hear their tales and local dramas. And get involved in the Big Garden Birdwatch by visiting www.rspb.org.uk The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forge...
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast It's bitterly cold outside but the fire is lit and crackling in the hearth. You sink into a favourite sofa and sip from a cup of hot chocolate – the gentle chatter of the fire providing all the company you need. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Annabel Ross, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of ...
Jan 17, 2025•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Explore the murky world of fog and mist with Laura Pashby. Laura has devoted much of her adult life to experiencing how these strange weather phenomena change ourselves as much as our surroundings. Plodcast host Fergus Collins meets Laura at the mysterious hill fort of Uley Bury in the heart of the Cotswold Hills and discovers that there's a frightening modern-day story hidden in the fog. Chasing Fog: Finding Enchantment in a Cloud is published by Simon and Schuster Follow Laura Pashby on Instag...
Jan 14, 2025•53 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast We're on the south coast of Gower. You’re using a rocky outcrop as a perch to watch the tide come in. The scene is a wash of grey and the sunshine is as watery as the sea. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com Lea...
Jan 10, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join a quest in the little-visited no-man's land between Monmouthshire and Herefordshire to seek out a mysterious church built by the Knights Templar 800 years ago. Who were these warrior monks and what were they doing in this corner of the British countryside? And should we believe any of the modern legends about the Templars? As ever, there will be wildlife surprises along the way. The Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 and ...
Jan 07, 2025•54 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast After a long roam across the vast mountains of the Bannau Brycheiniog, you stop to catch your breath. The timid chirps of starlings echo through farmland overlooking the misty, early morning valleys. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Lewis Dobbs, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countrysi...
Jan 03, 2025•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Plodcast team of Fergus, Hannah, Jack and Lewis – with special guest Kevin Parr, attempt to climb a mountain in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) with myths, wildlife and midwinter winter magic all the way to the summit. Have a very happy new year from all of us at the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast – may it be filled with wild adventures – and Plodcasts! The Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 and the PPA Podcast ...
Dec 31, 2024•49 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast You're walking up a shallow valley, smoky with mist, on the border between Wales and Herefordshire. Ravens and jackdaws rule the airwaves here while hungry sheep gather around in the hope that you might be the farmer with a bag of feed. In the hedge, a dunnock gently calls. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tr...
Dec 27, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's Christmas Eve and the Plodcast team of Hannah, Jack and Lewis have gathered at host Fergus' cottage on a farm in the Monmouthshire countryside. The fire is lit, the mulled wine is poured and guest Kevin Parr is about to deliver the infamous Plodcast Christmas Quiz. Plus, we take a look back at highlights from 2024. So pour a drink, grab paper and pen, make yourself comfortable and join the festivities. And from all the team, have a wonderful and merry Christmas. The Countryfile Magazine Plo...
Dec 24, 2024•53 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast It's nearly Christmas, and you've escaped the preparations and the bustle to find a moment's peace on a short walk to your local woodland. In a tangled copse, a stream sings merrily, its waters cold and clear. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of ...
Dec 20, 2024•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast The siege of Ludlow in Shropshire was one of the earliest skirmishes in the vicious 15th-century civil known as the Wars of the Roses. It was also home to Cecily, mother of two kings and protagonist of Annie Garthwaite’s celebrated novels about the period. Podcast host Fergus Collins meets Annie at the gates of Ludlow Castle to hear tales of betrayal and bloodshed - and the important, little-told stories of the powerful women at the heart of the action. Cecily and The King’s Mother by Annie Gart...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast When snow falls, all other sounds recede. All you can hear is the soft pattering and gentle hiss of millions of snowflakes falling onto the track ahead of you. For once, you stop to listen, to really listen, to the song of snow. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your s...
Dec 13, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Meet brothers Ben and Ethan who farm sheep and beef on the edge of Cardiff in harmony with nature. Annabel Ross is your host this week, learning how the farmers are making their land more welcoming to the local wildlife – and better for their livestock. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the P...
Dec 10, 2024•38 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast After a cold night, the sun rises brightly in a brilliant blue sky. You take advantage, walking across the nearby fields, wellies swishing through the long, dewy grass. The low dawn light makes long shadows of your footprints. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sou...
Dec 06, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we return to a summer Plodcast hosted and recorded by historian Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough. Here Eleanor visits the National Forest, a project transforming 200 square miles of the Midlands from industrial landscape into wildlife-rich habitats. Eleanor meets Stuart Dainton, head of land management and estates in the National Forest, who explains the importance of this incredible transformation. Later, join the Plodcast team in the studio for listener messages and other nourishing nat...
Dec 03, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast It's a foggy, gloomy day on the hill and you've strayed into a quiet farmyard - quiet that is except for the mutterings of starlings. The gang's dark silhouettes are scattered across the rooftops of the cow shed and farmhouse. Their earthy conversations of whistles, rattles, whoops, cackles and chuckles helps dispel some of the heavy atmosphere. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, where...
Nov 29, 2024•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
