Best Outdoor Podcasts (2024)

1
Live from the Edinburgh Festivals 1:23:00

31m ago1:23:00

1:23:00

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart present Out of Doors live from Dynamic Earth as part of BBC at the Edinburgh Festivals. We are joined by an amazing panel of guests, all with their own connections to Scotland and the outdoors. James Crawford is a writer, publisher and broadcaster. His latest book, Wild History: Journeys Into Lost Scotland, was publi…

1
Breaking Down Barriers in the Outdoors for Deaf People with Climbing Instructor Morag Skelton 20:32

32m ago20:32

20:32

Mark Stephen meets Morag Skelton at Glenmore Lodge in the CairngormsBy BBC Radio Scotland

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 8-4-24 Hour 1 59:44

6d ago59:44

59:44

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 8-4-24 Hour 2 56:20

6d ago56:20

56:20

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 8-4-24 Hour 3 57:44

6d ago57:44

57:44

1
The Olympic Athletes Being Required to Take Drugs 41:54

2d ago41:54

41:54

Since the beginning of women’s sports, a question has loomed: who qualifies as female? Tested follows the unfolding story of elite female runners who have been told they can no longer race as women, because of their biology. As the Olympics approach, they face hard choices: take drugs to lower their natural testosterone levels, give up their sport …

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-28-24 Hour 1 59:33

13d ago59:33

59:33

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-28-24 Hour 2 56:47

13d ago56:47

56:47

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-28-24 Hour 3 58:17

13d ago58:17

58:17

1
The Gift of Silence 31:48

5d ago31:48

31:48

Ilana Nevins loved backpacking with her father. But after she was diagnosed with an eating disorder, their relationship became strained. She worried that hiking together would put her recovery at risk, because so many of her behaviors were modeled after him. In this episode, Ilana shares the story of the difficult challenge she faced: how to priori…

1
The Battle for Swimming’s Suits and Running's Soul 28:06

7d ago28:06

28:06

When a technological breakthrough gives some athletes a major advantage, how should we think about the victories, the medals, the world records? Is new technology unfair? Is it cool? Does it matter which sport it affects? In this episode Outside’s running correspondent, Fritz Huber, travels to the Nike Sport Research Lab to try to figure out why so…

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-21-24 Hour 1 59:47

20d ago59:47

59:47

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-21-24 Hour 2 56:25

20d ago56:25

56:25

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-21-24 Hour 3 56:16

20d ago56:16

56:16

1
Alpacas, Osprey, Stone Stacking and Rally Driving 1:22:24

12m ago1:22:24

1:22:24

Scotland’s first new vet school in over 100 years has opened to applicants. Mark went to visit the School of Veterinary Medicine at Scotland’s Rural College in Aberdeen and spoke to the Dean, Professor Caroline Argo about how and why the school has been established. When you visit the Isle of Seil, one of the main visitor attractions is the An Cala…

1
Operation Osprey - 70 Years of Breeding Osprey in Scotland 24:15

15d ago24:15

24:15

In the early twentieth century, very few ospreys were breeding in Scotland. They had been persecuted for decades and their eggs stolen by collectors. In 1954, a pair successfully raised two chicks near Loch Garten which gave conservationists hope that they could return to Scotland as nesting birds. Operation Osprey was launched to protect them from…

1
How Fat Makes You Fast 39:14

20m ago39:14

39:14

Some of the most hardcore athletes in the world are elite race walkers. Moving faster than most people can run, their sport pushes the limits of endurance, pain tolerance, and fueling. Canadian race walker Evan Dunfee was looking for any edge he could get when he signed up for an experimental nutrition study in Australia. He immediately became one …

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-14-24 Hour 1 1:00:01

27d ago1:00:01

1:00:01

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-14-24 Hour 2 56:26

27d ago56:26

56:26

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-14-24 Hour 3 57:29

27d ago57:29

57:29

1
Pine Hoverflies, A Solar Powered Boat and a Stand Up Comedian Farmer 1:22:01

17d ago1:22:01

1:22:01

We are in East Lothian with Patricia Stephen, founder of Phantassie Organic Produce. They head out to the fields during pumpkin planting and chat about the growth in organic food and farming over recent years. Friday 12th July was the launch of this year’s Big Butterfly Count organised by the charity Butterfly Conservation. Mark met Apithanny Bourn…

1
Running As Medicine 35:17

2d ago35:17

35:17

In May of 2022, Maria Ordovas-Montanes set out to become the fastest woman to run the Oxford Greenbelt Way, a 55-mile route through the English countryside. She had always loved running, and this was an exciting challenge. But at the event, something happened that would derail her life — and lead to a life-altering diagnosis. On this episode, Maria…

1
Living in a Housing Cooperative with Owen Shiers 26:47

3d ago26:47

26:47

Rural Wales and rural Scotland face many of the same issues: a lack of affordable housing, limited opportunities for young people and the prospect of rewilding. In this podcast, Helen visits Welsh musician Owen Shiers who lives in a housing cooperative up a long steep track in West Wales. They discuss culture, trees, housing, farming and the nuance…

1
In Search of a Quiet Mind 48:35

3d ago48:35

48:35

A few years ago, after suffering a mental health crisis during a mountaineering expedition, National Geographic photographer Cory Richards walked away from his climbing career. In 2016, after a terrible rafting accident, Outside writer Katie Arnold nearly ended her marriage. This summer, they are both telling their stories in powerful new books. In…

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-7-24 Hour 1 59:38

1M ago59:38

59:38

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-7-24 Hour 2 57:24

1M ago57:24

57:24

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 7-7-24 Hour 3 57:19

1M ago57:19

57:19

1
Surfing, Swimming and Sauna on the Beach at Cullen 1:18:42

7d ago1:18:42

1:18:42

This week Out of Doors is live from the village of Cullen in Moray. The village is popular with holiday makers over the summer months but it’s home to a thriving community all year round. Mark went for a wander to hear more about what people are up to. And we’re joined live by David McCubbin from Discover Cullen who tells us about what attracts vis…

1
A Life in Market Gardening in Scotland with Tricia Stephen 18:14

10d ago18:14

18:14

Rachel Stewart visits Tricia Stephen of Phantassie Organics in East LothianBy BBC Radio Scotland

1
Silence and Sound 30:37

1M ago30:37

30:37

Humans are noisy. The National Park Service estimates that all of our whirring, grinding, and revving machines are doubling or even tripling global noise pollution every 30 years. A lot of that noise is negatively affecting wildlife and human health. In this guest episode, the team from Outside/In takes us on an exploration of three sonic landscape…

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 6-30-24 Hour 1 59:29

1M ago59:29

59:29

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 6-30-24 Hour 2 57:30

1M ago57:30

57:30

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 6-30-24 Hour 3 58:23

1M ago58:23

58:23

1
Swifts, Salt and Shetland Sheep 1:23:05

1M ago1:23:05

1:23:05

The 29th of June marks the beginning of swift awareness week. Mark meets Cally Fleming of the Huntly Swift Group at the Bennachie Centre to chat about these amazing birds. The beautiful garden at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre celebrates the Scottish plant explorers of the past. In recent years, a major project has been underway to restore the Expl…

1
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome 30:27

1M ago30:27

30:27

Many of us have experienced imposter syndrome at some point in our lives. Often it’s at work, where we doubt our own skills and accomplishments. But what happens when you feel like a fraud simply for being yourself? In this episode, we travel from New York State to a national park in Korea and explore how one transracial adoptee made peace with her…

1
Ceramic Artist Lotte Glob's Sculpture Croft by Loch Eriboll in the North West Highlands 24:04

17d ago24:04

24:04

Mark Stephen visits Lotte Glob and learns about her deep connection to landscape and rockBy BBC Radio Scotland

1
What You Can Learn from More than One Octopus 47:41

2M ago47:41

47:41

After My Octopus Teacher won the Oscar for Best Documentary, the producers realized they had left an important voice out of their movie—indigenous South Africans who had been silenced and separated from the ocean by apartheid. In the new podcast “Back to the Water,” Pippa Ehrlich and Zolani Mahola explore the relationship between South Africans, th…

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 6-23-24 Hour 1 59:48

2M ago59:48

59:48

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 6-23-24 Hour 2 56:26

2M ago56:26

56:26

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 6-23-24 Hour 3 57:34

2M ago57:34

57:34

1
Celebrity Goats, Sheep Shearing and Cold War Scotland 1:23:05

1M ago1:23:05

1:23:05

This week Rachel has been at the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston just outside Edinburgh. One of the first places she headed to when she arrived was the goat tent. She meets some of the keepers as they got their animals ready for judging and met some goats with an Outlander connection. Mark visits the village of Ochiltree in East Ayrshire where the…

1
Awakening the Senses, Walking and Writing with Linda Cracknell 31:04

1M ago31:04

31:04

Helen Needham goes for a walk in Aberfeldy with writer Linda Cracknell to discuss the new edition of her book 'Doubling Back'.By BBC Radio Scotland

1
Caroline Gleich's Biggest Adventure Yet 57:53

2M ago57:53

57:53

Caroline Gleich is a renowned climber and skier, a climate activist, and now the Utah democratic party’s candidate for US Senate. But what would she actually do in Washington? And does she have a chance of getting elected? Gleich joined author and conservationist Luis Benitez onstage at the Outside Festival in Denver in early June to talk about how…

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 6-16-24 Hour 3 57:33

2M ago57:33

57:33

1
Inside The Great Outdoors 6-16-24 Hour 2 55:05

2M ago55:05

55:05

1
inside The Great Outdoors 6-16-24 Hour 1 1:00:26

2M ago1:00:26

1:00:26

1
The Saltire,Sligachan Statue and the Voice of Nan Shepherd 1:26:36

28d ago1:26:36

1:26:36

Open Seas is a Scottish charity that focusses on protecting our marine environment and the things that live in it. A few weeks ago, Mark joined them in Skye where they were carrying out seabed surveys. While the weather didn’t play ball and they didn’t get out on their planned boat trip, the team did manage to show him the kind of footage they reco…

1
Silencing the Critics 29:20

2M ago29:20

29:20

Demetria Lynn always wanted to be a scientist. But growing up, no one believed in her. The negative feedback was so overpowering that she stopped believing in herself. In this episode, we follow Demetria from her elementary school classroom to a geology field trip in the desert, and explore what it took to rekindle faith in herself. --- Links: Supp…

1
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AT RAHOY HILLS RESERVE 22:16

2M ago22:16

22:16

Rachel Stewart speaks to Artist in Residence Liz Myhill. The landscape and wildlife artist has been creating pieces based on her time at the Rahoy Hills Reserve in the Morven peninsula. It is managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and is widely regarded as being a unique and wild place. Her role is to raise awareness of the huge reserve and encoura…

1
A Pro Kayaker Walks into Some Hip-Hop Bars 23:00

2M ago23:00

23:00

What does a professional kayaker do when he realizes he’s in the twilight of his career? He releases a rap album, of course. Producer Paddy O’Connell sits down with pro kayaker and musician Rush Sturges to find out how the many paths in his life have led to the most eclectic rap album you’ve ever heard. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outsi…

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