Shows / The Plodcast
The Plodcast
BBC Countryfile Magazine brings you The Plodcast - a weekly escape to the British countryside with fascinating guests and the wonders of the great outdoors. Enjoy a new escape into the countryside every Tuesday and wind down with our Sound Escapes on a Friday. Find out more about us at www.countryfile.com/podcast Subscribe to the print version of BBC Countryfile Magazine at https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-countryfile-magazine-wmonx25
Episodes
The Plodcast374. Discover how animals heal us with author Jay Griffiths
Animals play an enormous role in improving our lives – and healing us. Author Jay Griffiths reveals tales of extraordinary animals rescuing people and explores…
The PlodcastSound Escape 296. Listen to emerging birdlife next to a quiet pond
As the human world just begins to stir, you gaze across a quaint pond. It’s teeming with life. But There’s no-one else around, just you, with robins for…
The Plodcast373. Britain is weird! We head for the strangest corners of the countryside with Dave Hamilton
Adventurer Dave Hamilton has travelled widely across the UK to find some of its weirdest sites. This week, he joins Plodcast host Fergus Collins in the…
The PlodcastSound Escape 295. Wake to the delightful chirpings of Scottish birdlife
You've woken up in a Scottish castle early enough to see the sunrise. It's going to be a crisp, clear morning. As the steam rises from your gently cooling tea…
The Plodcast372. Learn about the delights of foraging and fermenting with Rachel de Thample
Join a foraging adventure on the Dorset coast with Rachel de Thample, searching for wild ingredients for her inspiring and health-giving fermenting recipes…
The PlodcastSound Escape 294. Gather your thoughts in a still, sunny woodland
You're on the edge of the Firth of Tay. It's a preternaturally still afternoon. You're deep inside the wood, but the leaves hardly rustle. Instead, the space…
The Plodcast371. Finding healing wild plants on a walk with herbalist Brigit Anna McNeill
Enjoy a mellow, beautiful ramble with herbalist and healer Brigit Anna McNeill and find gentle joy in the wild plants we find in our gardens, parks and…
The PlodcastSound Escape 293. Finding peace and gentle stream in a mountain cleft
After the rains, a mountain stream giggles once again. You pause beside it, marvelling that so tiny a flow should, over the years, have carved a deep cleft in…
The Plodcast370. Enjoy a deep and soothing connection with wild plants, with forager and botanist Robin Harford
Head out on an incredibly mindful, soothing – and rather wet – adventure at Budleigh Salterton estuary in Devon with celebrated ethno-botanical researcher…
The PlodcastSound Escape 292. Be soothed and teased by the waters of the Witch's Pool
You follow a path through woods, high above a stream. There is wind high in the trees but you can hear falling water. Suddenly the path opens into a wide glade…
The Plodcast369. Learn how foraging can improve our bodies and minds on a wild wander in Herefordshire with Liz Knight
The Plodcast celebrates the start of autumn with a visit to deepest Herefordshire to go foraging with expert Liz Knight. Liz extols the power of plants we tend…
The PlodcastSound Escape 291. The soft sounds of an autumn woodland walk
Recent rain has revived the woodland and you are compelled to take an evening walk in search of fungi along a stream and through the crunchy leaf litter. The…
The Plodcast368. Rewilding head, heart and landscape at the Sharpham Estate in Devon
Sometimes it's vital to take some time out and reconnect with nature and the present moment. The Sharpham Trust on the River Dart in Devon offers nature-based…
The PlodcastSound Escape 290. Soothing rain falling in a thirsty wood - and a marsh tit sings
After months of heatwaves and drought, it's blissful to wander through a wooden valley listening to rain falling on leaves. And as if summoned by the falling…
The Plodcast367. A quest to find King Arthur with historian Amy Jeffs
The Plodcast heads to the Cotswolds this week in search of King Arthur. Historian and artist Amy Jeffs has written a new study exploring the earliest origins…
The PlodcastSound Escape 289. Enjoy the song of the sea on the island of Sark
It's the morning after a storm on the island of Sark and you've followed a narrow track along a wooded valley that opens into a tiny cove. Taking shelter in a…
The Plodcast366. Harvesting walnuts with the Bishop of Bath and Wells in the Somerset Levels
This week, the Plodcast heads to Sharpham Park Farm in the Somerset Levels to join the 'Pickle Me Walnuts' day of harvesting and preparing young walnuts to…
The PlodcastSound Escape 288. Join the crowds in Bristol witnessing 2026's the solar eclipse
On the crunchy parched grass of the Clifton Downs, you join the crowds gathering to witness the 2026 solar eclipse. As the atmosphere builds, people deploy…
The Plodcast365. A quest to explore the wildlife of the River Thames with writer and naturalist Stephen Rutt
“A fulmar once vomited in my eye!” Writer and naturalist Stephen Rutt recalls his adventures following s raindrop from source to sea for his new book The…
The PlodcastSound Escape 287. A blissful few moments beside a Welsh lake in high summer
There's nothing better on a hot afternoon than sitting in the cool of the reedbeds beside a lake. As you relax, wildlife emerges – waterbirds gossiping, bees…
The Plodcast364. A walk in Suffolk with award-winning writer Melissa Harrison discussing her new novel The Given World
This week we welcome award-winning novelist and nature diarist Melissa Harrison to the Plodcast for the first time. Melissa's new novel, The Given World, is a…
The PlodcastSound Escape 286. In a parched landscape, the generous river provides life and music
Despite the endless drought, the river still runs. Reduced yes, but still a generous artery of life in a parched countryside. You sit beside it, cooled and…
The Plodcast363. Learn about a plan to eradicate destructive, non-native predators
Since they escaped into the wild in the mid 20th century, American mink have wreaked havoc on our waterways, virtually wiping out water voles and other aquatic…
The PlodcastSound Escape 285. Gentle breezes and summer melodies from a meadow in Sussex
It's too hot for gardening so you retire to a wildflower meadow where a cooling breeze and gentle conversations of sparrows and jackdaws soothe your soul.BBC…
The Plodcast362. Enjoy and evening with long-eared owls and a lazy day's fishing with writer Kevin Parr
We head to Dorset this month to spend a day fishing at a lazy summer lake in the company of Plodcast regular Kevin Parr. But in a perfect Plodcast twist, Kev…
The PlodcastSound Escape 284. Hear the beautiful music of a mountain spring in a dry summer landscape
Walking high in the parched hills you suddenly hear the welcome music of running water. After a brief search, you find a small cave mouth where a spring gushes…
The Plodcast361. Discover the secret lives of our forgotten coastal communities with Natasha Carthew
When we go on holiday to the coast, we tend to overlook the stories of the people who live and work there. Natasha Carthew grew up in a working class community…
The PlodcastSound Escape 283. Lose track of time gazing into the watery seashore
It’s a sunny morning on the seashore and the tide is going out. It’s Leaving behind shallow rockpools, perfect mirrors of the crisp, blue sky. BBC Countryfile…
The Plodcast360. Celebrate 100 years of Winnie the Pooh with new stories in 100 Acre Wood from Jane Riordan
Back in 1926, the first Winnie the Pooh book was published – and became one of the most loved children's stories of all time. One hundred years later, Plodcast…
The PlodcastSound Escape 282. Immerse yourself in the manic action of a sand martin colony
As you crest a little riverside cliff, the air is filled with clicks, trills and buzzes. Squadrons of sand martins career wildly around you from their colony –…
The Plodcast359. Learn how to rewild yourself and your community with adventurer Alastair Humphreys
One of the biggest issues facing our wildlife and wild places is our own disconnection from the natural world. You've got to love it to save it, says this…
The PlodcastSound Escape 281. Listen to whitethroats and kestrels beside the River Medway in Kent
Walking beside the deep green River Medway in Kent, your path takes in a broad meander that curls around a wildflower-rich meadow. Blackcaps and whitethroats…
The Plodcast358. Hear tales from the mill on a beautiful Hampshire chalkstream with Simon Cooper
Is the chalk stream the purest and most delightful natural habitat in England? Plodcast host Fergus Collins heads to the Hampshire-Wiltshire border to meet…
The PlodcastSound Escape 280. Gaze out across a coastal bay, rich with life
You’ve taken a break on the cliff path. A young family of ravens tilt and whirl beneath you. They seem so small against the outstretched sea. Near the shore…
The Plodcast357. Enjoy a sea fishing adventure on the rocky coast of Dorset with Callum Harris
Cool off with a Plodcast adventure to Portland Bill, the southernmost tip of Dorset, to spend a day fishing with expert Callum Harris. The quest is to catch a…
The PlodcastSound Escape 279. Wander through a glistening woodland
It's an early summer morning. The sun is already shining through the woodland. Its gleaming rays dapple the well worn path. A gleeful chorus of birdsong…
The Plodcast356. Witness the amazing power of the outdoors - and rescue hens - to help disadvantaged children
This week, the Plodcast visits Penstone Learning Centre – a farm on the edge of the town of Cheddar in Somerset where students who struggle in mainstream…
The PlodcastSound Escape 278. Wind down on a hazy Welsh clifftop
It’s evening on the clifftop. You’re sitting on short grass. It’s still holding the heat of the day, and it’s as soft and warm as a blanket. For the nearby…
The Plodcast355. Head to the Hebridean island of Bute to meet naturalist and author Lucy Lapwing
This week, the Plodcast heads to the island of Bute off Scotland's west coast to meet author and naturalist Lucy Lapwing to talk about her new book Love is a…
The PlodcastSound Escape 277. Be calmed and cooled by rainfall in an ancient woodland
High in the hills you enter a deep valley, green with the exuberant growth of early summer. As you wander into the woods listening to birdsong, the oak, beech…
The Plodcast354. Chelsea Flower Show Special part 2: In the ancient woodland garden at the show
After exploring the wild inspiration for the Woodland Trust's Forgotten Forests garden at the Chelsea Flower show in last week's episode, Plodcast host Fergus…
The PlodcastSound Escape 276. The vibrant bird-chatter of an African island
You deserve a break. Basking in the sun’s amber rays, on an island just off the coast of Africa, you take in the effervescent birdsong and lush vegetation…
The Plodcast353. Chelsea Flower Show Special part 1: Exploring Penn Wood, the inspiration for the Woodland Trust's Chelsea Garden
Britain's ancient woodlands are under threat and the Woodland Trust is fighting to save them with its Forgotten Forests campaign. In line with this, the Trust…
The PlodcastSound Escape 275. The enchanted buzz of a honeysuckle plant
Sitting beside a honeysuckle plant blooming in the late spring garden, you are lulled by the hum of many bees, while swallows twitter overhead – and a song…
The Plodcast352. Escape to the stunningly beautiful wilds of Torridon in the Scottish Highlands
Plodcast host Fergus Collins ventures into the stunning mountainous region of Torridon on the west coast of Scotland to explore the lochs, woods and peaks for…
The PlodcastSound Escape 274. A chorus of cuckoos and song thrushes above Loch Torridon
As the dawn sun blazes over the wide Loch Torridon below, birds stir in the sheltered, verdant glen that runs down to the shore. A strident song thrush, a soft…
The Plodcast351. Explore a marvellous garden of bees with writer and expert Dave Goulson
Professor Dave Goulson is one of Britain's foremost experts on bee ecology and conservation. And his Sussex garden is a magnificent example of how to create…
The PlodcastSound Escape 273. Hear the magic of willow warblers and chaffinches on the Isle of Purbeck
A mid-spring morning on the heath. Showers scud through on a brisk breeze, chased by the sun and a steady trickle of southerly arrivals. Among the grey peel of…
The Plodcast350. A quest to find hidden urban wildlife with Amanda Tuke on the streets of Cardiff
We head into the city this week with urban naturalist Amanda Tuke. Amanda is a champion of the nature on your doorstep so Plodcast host Fergus Collins met her…
The PlodcastSound Escape 272. Relax to the evening symphony of an oak woodland - led by a song thrush
Late afternoon meets the first tendrils of dusk and the oakwoods are empty of people. Instead, birdsong fills the half-light beneath the trees: song thrush…
The Plodcast349. Haunting folk tales and beautiful art inspired by nature with Jackie Morris and Tamsin Abbott
Head into a quiet, magical corner of Herefordshire to meet artists Jackie Morris and Tamsin Abbott who have collaborated to create Wild Folk: Tales From the…
The PlodcastSound Escape 271. Gaze over the sun-kissed sea on the South-West coast
It's a hazy morning on the South-West coast. The sun's rays disperse across the silent waves, glittering over passing boats. A choir of birds greet you, as you…
The Plodcast348. A quest to discover the secret of painter John Constable's genius - with Susan Owens
Painter John Constable (1776-1837) is today one of the most celebrated painters of the English countryside. But in his lifetime his efforts to capture the true…
The PlodcastSound Escape 270. Be entranced by a sensational dawn chorus from Dorset
A cool dawn, dew-dampened and soft air. In these folds of West Dorset, it will be another hour before the sun reaches above the sharp-edged ridge in the south…
The Plodcast347. A marvellous metal detecting quest with Lucy Gray and Ellie Bruce from Roman Found
Come metal-detecting in the Essex countryside with Ellie Bruce and Lucy Gray – who call themselves Roman Found. After taking up detecting during the first…
The PlodcastSound Escape 269. Climb up among the skylarks and the meadow pipits
A track winds up onto a bleak hill top – or it looks from afar. As you get closer, you realise the land is rich in bilberries, heather and small, stunted…
The Plodcast346. A quest to find Britain's only venomous snake, the adder
This week we're in the Malverns in Worcestershire to try to find Britain's only venomous snake – the adder. Plodcast host Fergus Collins is guided by local…
The PlodcastSound Escape 268. Hear the spring song of the firecrest, Britain's smallest bird
A gentle walk at this time of year can suddenly throw up a surprise. A firecrest! The thin, accelerating song of Britain's smallest bird pipes among the…
The Plodcast345. Discover an extraordinary mission to make humans more aquatic. The Plodcast visits DEEP project
Come with us through the high security gates of a flooded quarry in the Forest of Dean to explore Deep project. Here, in the deep waters of the quarry, DEEP is…
The PlodcastSound Escape 267. Gaze into the gentle currents of the Kennet and Avon Canal
Watching ripples of river water swirl and overlap, you allow your mind to wander. The clear water’s constant stream is hypnotic as it makes the vivid green…