Bioluminescent tides are often described as the northern nights of the ocean. Marine biologist, Dr Yasmin Meeda, has only witnessed this natural phenomenon once. She says seeing bioluminescence is one of the most magical things she’s ever experienced. Yaz takes us into the strange world of bioluminescent life to meet the species whose bodies light up from the inside, due to a chemical reaction. From bioluminescent tides caused by microscopic dinoflagellates to angler fish and glow worms, uncover...
Jul 02, 2025•14 min
How did two beetles cause a gay panic? There's much more to a cockchafer or ‘maybug’ than meets the eye. Join ecologist, Connor Butler, to find out more about what these charismatic creatures can teach us about science, humanity and the fluidity of the natural world. Discover more: You can find out more about Connor’s work and the queer ecology walks here: https://www.connorbutler.co.uk/ To visit Osterley Park and House and gardens, or to find out more about its spectacular grounds, find out mor...
Jun 18, 2025•15 min
Wild Talk: In this bonus episode Ajay chats with wildlife legend Chris Packham about their shared love of birds. After 3 weeks of filming Springwatch at the Longshaw Estate, Ajay wants to hear more about the stunning cast of characters on this year's show. In particular, the black and white birds that choose to spend their summer here: the migrant pied flycatchers. Ajay meets Chris for a walk on the Springwatch set where they share their passion for birds, birding and what we must do to help wil...
Jun 13, 2025•13 min
There’s not a lot better than getting out in nature and it’s something Linda Stuart realised 40 years ago. She visits Packwood House and Garden almost daily to get a nature fix, and credits it with getting her through some really challenging times. Join Linda as she shares her story with Heather Birkett. [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure. Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more....
Jun 04, 2025•23 min
It’s the 1980s and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has burst onto the scene, scoring millions of young fans. Half-human, half-turtle fighters Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo originated as comic book characters before spawning phenomenally popular films and cartoons. But “turtlemania” also inadvertently sparked a pet craze that ultimately led to an invasive species problem. Red-eared terrapins were a particularly popular pet. But many people didn’t realise they would grow...
May 21, 2025•14 min
On September 27th 2023, the famous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland was felled overnight in an act of vandalism, triggering a far-reaching wave of shock and sorrow. Join Heather Birkett, as she goes behind the scenes to explore the enduring impact of this beloved landmark, the aftermath of its loss, and the community’s efforts to preserve its memory. This episode has been updated from an previous release; National Trust Podcast - Sycamore Gap |One Year on [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotsw...
May 14, 2025•29 min
When Ajay Tegala discovers that chaffinches, a small songbird, have a different accent every 30 miles, he’s intrigued. However, under threat from disease these birds are dying out in urban areas, and their unique urban songs may be lost for ever. But all is not lost. There's a way to find out how this disease is spreading...by recording their song. Follow Ajay and ecologist and UKYouth4Nature advocate Şeniz Mustafa as they search for this disappearing birdsong. To send Joe a chaffinch recording:...
May 07, 2025•21 min
It’s the mid-1800s and pteridomania – or fern frenzy – is the new big craze. Across the UK, plant enthusiasts are heading into the countryside to pick all the prized specimens they can find. And fern fans far and wide are avidly creating collections and displays of the leafy green plants to show off. Uncover the truth about this Victorian phenomenon and how it influenced our love of house plants. But who were the pteridomaniacs? What did ferns secretly symbolise about young women and sex? And ho...
Apr 23, 2025•13 min
Beneath the waves of West Wales lies a complicated network of relationships that determines not only who’s belly rolling who, but which calf survives. Join Katrin Lohrengel and her team at Sea Watch to search for one of the ocean's most loved and misunderstood creatures: bottlenose dolphins. For the Welsh transcript of this episode please click here. [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure. Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pound...
Apr 09, 2025•25 min
Join Ranger Rosie Holdsworth to uncover the mystery of the leaping shark. On a boat off Cornwall, wildlife guide Jenny spots a huge animal she’s never seen before jumping out of the water. But what exactly has she witnessed? Across the world in Florida, shark-obsessed Dr Molly Kressler sets off on a mission to discover more about what is beneath the calm of the surface. More than that, she wants everyone else to be able to get to know and love creatures of the deep too. [Ad] Wild Tales is sponso...
Mar 26, 2025•15 min
Seagulls have a bad reputation. But is it deserved? Join Ranger Rosie Holdsworth to meet the gulls in Poole Harbour known for their chip-stealing behaviour. Are these birds feathered thugs or smart survivors? We’ll discover the myths and surprising truths about one of Britain’s most controversial birds. From their behaviours to their vital role in coastal ecosystems, uncover just what makes these ‘Gangster Gulls’ tick. Plus, we take part in a citizen science survey that helps track how these muc...
Mar 26, 2025•23 min
Imagine being a fly on the wall throughout history. Historians Helen Antrobus and James Grasby take you inside the stories of the people, places and moments that made us. Experience the Great Stink of London. Make an entrance onto the Georgian dating scene. Find out if you'd survive a medieval battle. And unlock the secrets of Britain’s space race. Our past is all around us. Be transported behind the scenes at landmarks from castles to dance halls and WWII bunkers to workhouses. You’ll meet peop...
Mar 19, 2025•1 min
Wild Tales is launching 26 March. Immerse yourself in intriguing stories from our weird, wonderful and utterly wild world. Experience nature in a whole new way, from untangling the strange world of spider sex and digging up the greatest fossil finds, to meeting mysterious ocean giants and finding out why there’s no such thing as a seagull. Join nature experts Rosie Holdsworth, Ajay Tegala and Heather Birkett on adventures around the UK’s diverse habitats and uncover fascinating tales that connec...
Mar 19, 2025•1 min
Journey to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Mottisfont garden in Hampshire, to discover a story of heritage and horticulture through two of the world’s most prestigious rose collections. We meet Princess Esther Selassie Antohin, founder of Heritage Watch Ethiopia, to explore the Tsegereda Rose Garden Project, an initiative that restores a link to Ethiopia’s imperial legacy and also tackles climate conservation challenges. The International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) has twinned the Tsegereda...
Feb 27, 2025•32 min
One of the simple pleasures in life is getting outdoors for a walk, taking in the world around you with some fresh air and then nipping into a cosy pub for a well earned treat. Claire Hickinbotham takes you on some of our favourite walks from our book ‘100 Great Pub Walks’ and finds out why caring for our planet, is necessary for the good of the humble pint. From floodplains to fens, from peatlands to pubs, discover the work that goes on to look after our planet. Click here to read these episode...
Feb 20, 2025•21 min
From March 2025 the National Trust Podcast will look a little different, so that we can bring you more stories in nature, history and adventure. We're splitting the National Trust Podcast into two dedicated shows for nature and history lovers. Stay with the National Trust Podcast for our nature podcast Wild Tales. You'll be immersed in intriguing stories from our incredible natural world. Love history? Look out for our brand new podcast Back When. Step inside the stories of the people, places an...
Feb 19, 2025•1 min
Just beneath our feet lies a hidden world of centuries-old curiosities and undiscovered treasures. But laying your hands on these forgotten items and figuring out exactly what they are requires some special underfloor sleuthing, to sort the rubbish from the rarities. An archaeological adventure awaits in the story of the Dust Detectives, as the team uncover early medieval music and learn about the lives of ordinary people who played an important but unwritten part of Oxburgh Hall's history. [Ad]...
Jan 23, 2025•26 min
Experience life on Blakeney Point in Norfolk as it transforms throughout the year, in this classic episode. From the mass arrival of seal pups in winter to the noisy feathered-frenzy of summer, discover how a remote stretch of shingle coastline is home to some of the UK's most unique marine wildlife. [Ad] Open the door to more with a National Trust membership. As well as free entry and parking at over 500 places we care for, you’ll receive: • Access to our online Members’ Area, full of exclusive...
Jan 09, 2025•23 min
In 1848 an image of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children decorating an evergreen caused a sensation, and sparked a Christmas tree trend in Britain. Many people began to bring trees into their homes and decorate them with homemade ornaments, sweet treats and naked candles tied with ribbons. The Victorians can be credited with inventing our modern Christmas. In this episode, Clara Woolford, Curator at Cragside in Northumberland, takes us to the mid 1800s to discover how the “Cult of Ch...
Dec 19, 2024•16 min
Heritage sites like the medieval palace Bayt Al Razzaz in Egypt and the picturesque Blickling estate in the UK, are under threat from climate change. What connects these vastly different places? And what can the guardians of these historic treasures learn from each other as they battle extreme weather, social upheaval and other challenges? Discover the global fight to protect our heritage. You can watch a video of this podcast on National Trust Youtube: https://ntpodcasts.org/Video [Ad] Open the...
Dec 05, 2024•28 min
As a wheelchair user, Melissa rarely has the opportunity of spending time on the beach with the rest of her family; and an activity for them all in the water together was unimaginable. But an ‘adaptive surfing for families’ session in South Shields in the North East, changed everything. You can watch a video of this podcast on National Trust Youtube: https://ntpodcasts.org/Video [Ad] Open the door to more with a National Trust membership. As well as free entry and parking at over 500 places we c...
Nov 21, 2024•19 min
Sir Isaac Newton is best known for coming up with the theory of gravity while relaxing in his orchard, thanks to an apple that fell beside him one afternoon – helping him to unravel one of the universe's great mysteries. But that story is only a small part of the tale... Heather Birkett delves into one of the greatest minds of all time. Discover how a friendship with astronomer Edmund Halley helped to bring Isaac's ideas to the world and beyond. [Ad from our sponsor] This episode is supported by...
Nov 07, 2024•18 min
On 18th March AD 978 at Corfe Castle in Dorset, a 16-year-old boy was brutally stabbed in the back and died shortly after. That boy was the teenage king, Edward the Martyr. But who was the murderer, or murderers? Join James Grasby and author Anna Groves on this Halloween historical Whodunnit, as they try and figure out who committed the regicide, with the help of some other worldly encounters. [Ad from our sponsor] This podcast episode is sponsored by family history website Findmypast . What was...
Oct 17, 2024•24 min
Join the adventures of Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers, the new kids' podcast from the National Trust. Introducing the Wildlifers, a crew of colourful creatures who use their special skills to help where there's trouble in nature. Beaver’s a super engineer. Sleepy Bat’s skill is sonar. Wildcat’s a proud predator. Deer’s strong and speedy. Fox has a nose for trouble. Shy Mole’s an expert digger, and Dragonfly’s always buzzing. Ranger Rae’s the leader and can understand animals. And 12-year-old Appr...
Oct 16, 2024•1 min
Historian David Olusoga tells the story of the children born to white British mothers and black American servicemen during the Second World War, dubbed Britain’s ‘Brown Babies’ in the African American press at the time. Carol and Ann, now in their 80s, revisit their childhood home, Holnicote House in Somerset. During the 1940s, the building was used for the care of around 30 children of black GIs, from birth to the age of five. Carol and Ann were among some 2000 children born in wartime Britain ...
Oct 10, 2024•24 min
What if you could follow in the footsteps of your ancestors and reveal the hidden tales behind some of the UK’s fascinating historical locations? Introducing Step into the Past, a podcast from our sponsors at Findmypast. In this episode, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and her guest Sandy travel to the not-so-stately home of Calke Abbey in Derbyshire to discover Sandy’s family’s longstanding connection to the estate and its early Baptist congregation. Calke Abbey has undergone many transformations i...
Oct 03, 2024•46 min
On September 27th 2023, the famous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland was felled overnight in an act of vandalism, triggering a far-reaching wave of shock and sorrow. Join Heather Birkett as she goes behind the scenes to explore the enduring impact of this beloved landmark, the aftermath of its loss, and the community’s efforts to preserve its memory. A video version of this podcast is available on YouTube and Spotify. To watch it on YouTube please click here . Production Host: Heather Birkett ...
Sep 27, 2024•27 min
Our lovely nature presenter and ranger Kate Martin is leaving to join our friends at the RSPB, helping to care for wildlife in Scotland. Here are some of Kate's best bits and few moments from behind the scenes. On behalf of everyone at the National Trust, from our listeners and from the podcast team, thank you and wishing you a great and adventure filled future.
Sep 20, 2024•2 min
A stretch of water between the mainland and Rathlin Island is home to some of the world’s most unique wildlife and infamous shipwrecks. Ranger Kate Martin continues her adventure along Northern Ireland’s causeway coast, this time exploring life under water. [Ad from our sponsor] This podcast is supported by Tourism Ireland Experience all of what Northern Ireland has to offer from standing on the rocks of the giants causeway, to hiking the Mourne Mountains with epic sea views, or enjoying the cra...
Sep 19, 2024•25 min
Don’t look down! Across a rope bridge over a stretch of water on Northern Ireland’s causeway coast lies the Island of Carrick-a-Rede and a fisherman’s cottage that has stood for centuries. Ranger Kate Martin, heads off on her holiday, to make the crossing and to learn how this old bridge became the focal point for a community and rich coastal traditions. [Ad from our sponsor] This podcast is supported by Tourism Ireland. Experience all of what Northern Ireland has to offer from standing on the r...
Sep 05, 2024•23 min
