Savour the joys of foraging – this time in an urban green haven in the middle of Bristol. Plodcast host Fergus joins foraging expert Andy Hamilton for a journey into unusual flavours – and learns how to use wild plants to enhance everyday meals – and drinks. Andy's latest book is The First-Time Forager, published by The National Trust. Later, join the Plodcast team in the studio for a very special celebration! Listen to Episode 192. A quest for rare wildflowers in the Avon Gorge - with Mike Dilg...
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's a hot midsummer day and sunlight sparkles along a stretch of gentle rapids on the River Usk. On the riverbank, floods have carved small cliffs enticing a colony of sand martins to create a stronghold. The birds sally forth to hunt insects – chattering as they go. 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. E...
Jun 21, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Should some animals be killed in order to protect rarer species or precious habitats? Everything from hedgehogs and mink to crows and deers has been targeted in recent years in order to 'save' something else and it's a controversial issue that has troubled conservationists and land managers in the UK for many years. Naturalist and hedgehog champion Hugh Warwick discusses the rights and wrongs of culling wild animals with Plodcast host Fergus on a late spring walk in a Welsh meadow. Hugh's book C...
Jun 18, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dusk is falling after a busy bank holiday and a welcome peace is settling over the neighbourhood. The flowering clematis and roses seem to breathe a sigh of relief, exhaling a calming perfume. As you sit down on a garden bench, a blackbird sings his sultry love song from the gable of next door's house. 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 Col...
Jun 14, 2024•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Portland Bill in Dorset is famous as a first landing site for thousands of migrant birds as they arrive to breed in the UK this spring and summer. Join Kevin Parr as he wanders this peninsular meeting these avian travellers – and he makes some extraordinary finds along the way. How many bird species can you hear in this recording? Produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. Music written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Don't forget you can claim a free copy of BBC Countryfile Magazine – simply head...
Jun 11, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast We're walking on the white sands of Luskentyre on the Isle of Harris. A gentle line of surf teases the beach. Above, a common tern bobs by on its strangely buoyant flight before suddenly plunging like a downed paper aeroplane to catch small fish in the shallows. 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...
Jun 07, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Enter Rivendell – or what might as well be – a hidden valley on the edge of Eryri (Snowdonia) in North Wales. Plodcast host Fergus takes a nature ramble with the writer Julie Brominicks who lives off-grid with her partner here in a caravan beside a magical stream. Julie is a passionate advocate for the Welsh language and explains how it is interwoven with the landscape, nature and the rural culture of Wales. Produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. Music written and performed by Blair Dunlop. D...
Jun 04, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're on the edge of a settlement on the Isle of Harris - lochs and mountains flow from where the houses end. In the quiet of the morning, a willow warbler sings his descant; turning the music of a mountain stream into birdsong. 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 –...
May 31, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Explore a landscape of craggy mountains, turquoise seas and deep blue lochs on the Isle of Harris in search of rare wildlife – and especially golden and white-tailed eagles. Join Plodcast host Fergus on an epic search for these mighty birds – in a series of wild adventures in the Outer Hebrides. Produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. Music written and performed by Blair Dunlop. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send...
May 28, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's bright early morning in East Devon, the ground is still damp from the rains during the night but the light brings an optimistic view of the day ahead. You are between open farmland and a small woodland, sitting with your morning brew and drifting away into the morning soundscape of beautiful birdsong. 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 Jack B...
May 24, 2024•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast A new rewilding project has been announced in Somerset. Created by the charity Heal, the project aims to transform several hundred acres of farmland into wildlife-rich habitat that offers huge benefits for people, too. Listen on as Plodcast host Fergus meets with Heal CEO Jan Stannard to hear about the plans and what wildlife to expect – and they find some real wildlife surprises along the way. Find out more about Heal at www.healsomerset.org.uk Produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. Music wr...
May 21, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast After a healing night in a cabin beside a stream, you awake to a cup of tea and a glorious serenade from a song thrush. Wild garlic sweeps along the banks, the tang fresh and invigorating in the early morning. 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 ...
May 17, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Plodcast host Fergus heads to deepest Herefordshire to meet Alice Sainsbury, who is championing greater access to the countryside for people with visible and invisible disabilities. Her own story is deeply moving – and offers powerful insight into the challenges so many people face in simply enjoying the outdoors. Plus, enjoy beautiful spring wildlife along the way... The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. If you've enj...
May 14, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hidden under the canopy of a Cumbrian forest, you sit, listening to the creaking of branches and snapping of twigs. Tiny closed-cup mushrooms are scattered across the brown-ish ground, shimmering in a gentle wash of rain. The dense evening fog descends and life beyond the wood is shrouded in mist. 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, in...
May 10, 2024•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's dusk in the Forest of Dean and Plodcast host Fergus is on the trail of wild boar with author Chantal Lyons. Chantal has been studying these extraordinary mammals for 10 years. How did the boar get here, what impact do they have and will Fergus and Chantal ever set eyes on them? Chantal's new book is Groundbreakers: The Return of Britain's Wild Boar, published by Bloomsbury. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. If...
May 07, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast You're sitting on a tree stump in a vast clearing, deep in the Forest of Dean. It's dusk and the rapidly failing light takes the last humans with it, leaving the stage free for the dusk chorus of song thrushes, blackbirds and robins. 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 y...
May 03, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Enter the mysterious Golden Triangle on the borders of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to discover one of Britain's glorious spring wildlife spectacle – the blooming of millions of wild daffodils through the woods and fields. Join Plodcast host Fergus for a special ramble to witness this rare wonder. Later, join the Plodcast team in the studio for nature news, listener emails and a rare countryside joke. Produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. Reading by Hannah Tribe. Music written and perfo...
Apr 30, 2024•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're relaxing to a delightful piece of writing about nightingales by Dominic Couzens accompanied by the birds themselves – and read by Fergus Collins. Nightingales is from a collection of BBC Countryfile Magazine articles published new book Countryfile: A Year in the Countryside introduced by John Craven and edited by podcast host Fergus Collins. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beau...
Apr 26, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join Plodcast host Fergus and adventurer Phoebe Smith as they take a day-long pilgrimage across the Oxfordshire countryside to explore spring nature - and experience the healing power of walking with purpose. It's a beautiful experience among the skylarks and red kites. Don't miss Phoebe's fabulous new book about her life-changing experiences while on pilgrimage: Wayfarer: Life, Love and Loss and Britain's Ancient Paths If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive rev...
Apr 23, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast You're wandering beside a lake in early spring sunlight. A newly arrived chiffchaff sings from nearby willows while the plaintive calls from a scattered flock of Canada geese rise from the lakeside meadows. Celandines and marsh marigolds dance in the fringes. 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 ...
Apr 19, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Step out into spring with Plodcast host Fergus for a wander on his local hill to find who's up and about in the wildlife world on this early spring morning. Will we find the much longed for adders and merlins? Join Fergus for a mindful meander through woodland, moor and vale. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: editor@countryfile.com. If your letter, email or message is r...
Apr 16, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast You're beside a stream at the bottom of a wooded valley. You're nearing the end of a long walk so you pause to rest. But soon the rushing water whispers spells and ancient charms of such power that time drifts away. 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 recordin...
Apr 12, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to spring on the Plodcast and a new season of nature-themed episodes! But first, we have an exciting development! Musician Blair Dunlop and songwriter Duncan Haskell have created an utterly charming theme tune for the Plodcast – so host Fergus met them in a wild corner of Bristol to hear the music live and talk about the inspiration behind the songwriting. It's pure magic - with a natural accompaniment of wild birdsong. Discover more about Blair's music, his new album and upcoming tour d...
Apr 09, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast You're on the edge of a the ruins of a Roman town lost in the Hampshire countryside. Only the crumbling outer walls remain, enclosing daffodil-fringed meadows. You plunge down an avenue of trees to emerge into a wide, oval space. You stop beathless, this is the amphitheatre. Half expecting the clash of weapons of ghosts of gladiators – you hear only the stirrings of spring. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport y...
Apr 05, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're spending the day on a waterway in Gloucestershire in search of a creature that has spawned a thousand myths and monster stories – we're hoping to meet the mighty pike, Britain's largest predatory freshwater fish. Angler and TV presenter Will Millard is joined by the Plodcast team of Fergus and Jack – and later Annabel – to see if they can get close to one of these beautiful and extraordinary creatures. Plus we discuss the ethics of fishing – is it cruel? Listen on for a truly ext...
Apr 02, 2024•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast You're beside a small pond where toads are thronging the margins, jostling and tootling as they prepare to spawn. Through the magic of a hydrophone, you can hear the extraordinary symphony of the toads' underwater world. 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 Alice Boyd. Image by Getty Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recor...
Mar 29, 2024•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're off to the Roman town of Silchester deep in the Hampshire countryside. Plodcast host Fergus meets legendary broadcaster Matthew Bannister to talk about folk music and the British landscape and his own podcast: Folk on Foot. Plus, Matthew reflects on his astonishing career with the BBC – and has advice for the corporation and its future. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the...
Mar 26, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're in the Bannau Brycheiniog – and an overnight snowfall has dusted the hilltops. It's melting fast so we've headed to the nearest peak for a satisfying dog walk along snow-covered paths marred only by the footprints of foxes and pipits. A skylark rises and sings of warmer 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, and introduced ...
Mar 22, 2024•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're off to Epping Forest on the eastern edge of London on a night walk to hear from those who encounter barriers to accessing nature and the countryside because of their social class, race, gender or sexuality. We'll also be talking to organisations that are trying to change things for the better, for everyone. Our guide is folk singer and sound designer Alice Boyd – who joins the Plodcast for the first time. www.aliceboyd.info. Images by Getty. The organisations featured include Wil...
Mar 19, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Saturday in a suburb of gardens full of daffodils and crocuses - and the birds are awake long before the human population. House sparrows chatter in the hedges, a coal tit pipes from cherry blossom while goldcrests and jackdaws add their own joyful spring banter. 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, and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Em...
Mar 15, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
