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 Plodcast224. A quest to see salmon leaping in a Welsh mountain stream
Come with us deep into the Welsh hills, to Gilfach Farm, a magical Radnorshire Wildlife Trust reserve in Powys. Here, in the tumbling River Marteg, salmon…
The PlodcastSound Escape 146: Revel in the crackle and murmur of an autumn night's party beside a bonfire
It’s a chilly evening and you are gathered with a crowd of others next to a large bonfire. The warmth it provides is a welcome break from the chilly air and…
The Plodcast223: Hear the mysterious tales of Orkney's might stone circle: The Ring of Brodgar
Explore the magic and myth of the Ring of Brodgar – an astonishing neolithic stone circle on Orkney in the company of local ranger Sandra Miller and the…
The PlodcastSound Escape 145: Let sea and birdsong transport you to a wild corner of Orkney
You're on the wild and windy beach of Orkney’s South Ronaldsay. You listen to the cry of turnstones, plovers, sanderlings and redshanks, competing for the lead…
The Plodcast222: Follow in the footsteps of St Patrick on the stunning coast of County Down
Join Plodcast host Fergus and wonderful storyteller Duane Fitzsimons as they following in the footsteps of St Patrick along the coastline of Co Down. As they…
The PlodcastSound Escape 144: Relax to the crackle of falling beechnuts in an autumn woodland
As the fluttering of pigeons' wings loosen the last beech nuts of the season, you stand under a gentle shower of nature’s crackles and pops, reminding us that…
The Plodcast221: Experience a night walk in an ancient woodland in a forgotten corner of Gloucestershire
Enjoy a night walk in an ancient forest in Gloucestershire with the Plodcast team of Fergus, Hannah and Jack. What is it like walking in the pitch black – and…
The PlodcastSound Escape 143: Be soothed by waves on pebbles in a small Scottish harbour
Where the Burn of Latheronwheel meets the North Sea, you sit silently on the ancient harbour wall soaking in autumn sun, The waves draw the pebbles back down…
The Plodcast220: Tales of ancient fossils and fossil hunters in Dorset
This week, the Plodcast tales are as ancient as can be. We’re in Dorset with Plodcast regular Annabel Ross hunting 500-million-year old fossils in the company…
The PlodcastSound Escape 142: Listening to a storm outside while sitting indoors by the fire
We’re in a little cottage deep in the Dorset countryside. The fire is lit. Steam swirls from a mug of tea. The curtains are drawn and we wait. Outside, there…
The Plodcast219: Meet Mark Beech – the new series editor of the Countryfile TV programme
Meet the new boss of Countryfile and learn about what he has planned for the UK’s most popular countryside TV show. Plodcast regular Annabel Ross takes Mark…
The PlodcastSound Escape 141: Pause beside a roaring and refreshing mountain stream
We're following a narrow mountain path through thickets of inpenetrable birch. It's been a long, hot, footsore day and so you are easily seduced by the sound…
The Plodcast218: Spend an evening in the company of a deer stalker in southern England
It’s dusk in a valley somewhere in Dorset. Plodcast regular Kevin Parr has joined a local deer stalker to talk about why – and how – he culls these large…
The PlodcastSound Escape 140: The dreamy sound of the autumn meadow
We're resting on a field gate. Late summer warmth spills into the autumn. The sun slow to rise but blazing when it does. The overnight dew clings on in the…
- The Plodcast
217: Hear the mysterious and magical songs of trees – with musician Tiny Leaves
In our latest quest seeking tales from the British landscape, musician Tiny Leaves takes Plodcast host Annabel Ross onto a mysterious hill in Shropshire known…
- The Plodcast
Sound Escape 139: Relax to the patterning of rain on autumn leaves
We’re on a small, wooded hill in Herefordshire. Sullen clouds gather over the trees, which cloak the brooding ramparts of an ancient hillfort. It’s silent now…
The Plodcast216: Dark tales from a hillfort in deepest Herefordshire
Come with us to a mighty hillfort, all but forgotten on a wooded hill deep in the Herefordshire countryside – and discover tales of dark deeds long ago…
The PlodcastSound Escape 138: Take a wander around a bustling harbourside
It’s early autumn and the sunshine has brought bustle to a small harbour on the south coast. There is a light breeze and the air is soft. Families find fun…
The Plodcast215: Into the Deep Dark Wood with children's author Julia Donaldson
Wander through a Sussex woodland with Julia Donaldson for a joyous mix of story-telling, mushroom foraging and Gruffalo-reenactment! Relive Julia’s journey to…
The PlodcastSound Escape 137: Enter a trance-like state to the song of a cicada in a French garden
We’re in the garden in a small village in Picardy in Northern France. The early evening warmth teases sweet scent from the lavender bushes and myrtles while a…
The Plodcast214: A quest to find a mysterious standing stone in a Welsh desert
Welcome to a new season of Plodcasts, a new series of quests to explore overlooked corners of countryside where folklore and mystery create curious tales. And…
The PlodcastSound Escape 136: The delicious sound of rain on a porch while you shelter inside
What weather! At times like this you forget it can rain so hard; the clouds overturned and emptied like water buckets on the ground before you. You find a step…
- The Plodcast
213: Join the Plodcast team as they look forward to a new season of adventures in the wild countryside
It’s the end of summer and the end of a season of Plodcasts. Join the Plodcast team of Fergus, Hannah and Jack in the studio for a look forward to what you can…
The PlodcastSound escape 135: A lazy stroll along a beach of shingle in the sunshine
A late summer stroll through the shingle and sand of the south coast. There is warm sunshine between the cloud and a busy beach with families making the most…
The Plodcast212: A charity hike through the Wye Valley – on the hottest day of the year
Walk in the company of Jack and Fergus and they tackle Macmillan's Mighty Hike, a half marathon through the Wye Valley. Joining thousands of others, the…
The PlodcastSound Escape 134: Pure clear water tumbles over a waterfall in a Irish fairy glen
You’ve wandered into a fairy glen where pure clear water tumbles from pool to pool though mini-gorges of moss covered rocks. As your eyes adjust, you spot…
The Plodcast211: War, peace and woodpeckers in France's Ardennes forests
Talk a wander through a forest in the Ardennes region of north-east France with Plodcast host Fergus – and discover unfamiliar woodland sights and sounds in a…
The PlodcastSound Escape 133: A heady summer's afternoon serenaded by goldfinches
Your path down through the meadow’s edge is transformed in late summer as thistles, comfrey and Himalayan balsam swallow up the human-made track. You push…
The Plodcast210: Walking St Patrick's Way 4: Biking in Tollymore Forest
It’s as close to a fairy glen you’ll ever experience. Plodcast host Fergus sets off into Tollymore Forest in County Down with local guide Vikki Canavan to find…
The PlodcastSound Escape 132: A cool woodland walk beside a racing river
Your cool, shady walk through a riverside woodland is pierced briefly by a kingfisher's wheezed whistle. The water roars as you approach rapids, then subsides…
The Plodcast209: A quest to experience the autumn migration of birds on Cromarty Firth in Scotland
Be transported to the tranquil shores of the Cromarty Firth on the east coast of Scotland. Here, thousands of waders and wildfowl gather as autumn approaches…
The PlodcastSound Escape 131: Bask in the afternoon sun beside the sea
After a sunny afternoon of exploring the rock pools you take a seat and listen to the waves crash gently against the rocky shorefront. Down the beach visitors…
The Plodcast208: Walking St Patrick's Way 3: a quest to climb the Mourne Mountains
Enter the wild worlds of Narnia and Game of Thrones as Plodcast host Fergus and local outdoorsman John Keating seek out the great Mourne Wall deep in the…
- The Plodcast
Sound Escape 130: Start the day in a wild woodland
It's early morning and as the sun breaks through the canopy of leaves and the wrens, blue tits, robins begin their cheerful chatter. A new day is coming to…
The Plodcast207: Conversations between a poet and his birds – on the Isle of Seil
Island poet Kenneth Steven reveals the wildlife marvels on his doorstep – the Isle of Seal in the Inner Hebrides – and introduces us to a range of avian…
The PlodcastSound Escape 129: Paddle your way gently down the River Wye
This week we're paddleboarding on the River Wye, Leave all your worries on the riverbank and be lulled by the gentle, rhythmic swish of the paddle blade. The…
The Plodcast206: Walking St Patrick's Way Part 2: The wildlife of the Newry Canal
In the second part of our exploration of the St Patrick's Way pilgrimage in Northern Ireland, Plodcast host Fergus Collins and guide Peter Rafferty walk south…
The PlodcastSound Escape 128: Wild winds and calm waters in the Highlands
We're in Beinn Eighe (Ben Ay) in the Scottish Highlands The mountains this morning are ill-manner; the trails rough, the gullies deep, the mist consuming…
The Plodcast205. A quest for one of Britain's rarest birds in the Cairngorm mountains
This week we’ve invited a former Plodcast guest to take the reins. Back in episode 199, I met James MacDonald Lockhart to hear the songs of skylarks in the…
The PlodcastSound Escape 127: The delicious patter of rain on a tent – on the Pembrokeshire coast
It’s night in a tent on the coast of Pembrokeshire. At some point during the dark hours, you stir. The rain is still falling, and there are layers to its…
The Plodcast204: Adventure into the Welsh hills on an electric bike
This week we’re heading back to early spring in the Welsh hills. But for the second Plodcast in a row, we’re not on foot. Following last week’s paddleboarding…
The PlodcastSound Escape 126: Relax beside a magical woodland stream on the edge of Cardiff
Huddled between the urban brawn of Cardiff, Caerphilly and Newport is small woodland of spruce and birds and dank gullies. There is a stream in this woodland…
The Plodcast203: Drift gently down the River Wye on a paddleboard
This week we’re out on the water – a two-day paddleboarding adventure on the Wye the great river that flows through the borders of England and Wales. Maria…
The PlodcastSound Escape 125: Relax to birdsong in a woodland glade on the Isle of Wight coast
It’s a sunny evening in a wooded glade on quiet stretch of the Isle of Wight's northern shore. Just beyond the trees, the sea bustles. But here, jolly holiday…
The Plodcast202: Listen to the poetry of moss in a Dartmoor rainforest with Elizabeth-Jane Burnett
This week Annabel Ross ventures forth to the tangled rainforest of Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor to meet poet Elizabeth Jane Burnett.But their mission isn’t to…
The PlodcastSound Escape 124: A mindful few minutes beside a rockpool in Wester Ross
You spot a shelf of rock at the far end of the moon-shaped bay and make for it, the fine sand giving way to warm, angular, salt-rough ground. The scramble…
The Plodcast201. Finding music in nature with composer Erland Cooper
Plodcast host Annabel Ross is on a musical mission, discovering how nature and wild sounds can influence a modern composer – in this case, acclaimed musician…
The PlodcastSound Escape 123: Soothing waves on shingle – on the Isle of Wight
It's a still summer's evening on a beach on the Isle of Wight. It’s still very warm and the heat seems to affect the sea itself. Wavelets sweep lazily onto the…
The Plodcast200. Episode 200 Special: A quest for kingfishers in the heart of Bristol
The Plodcast team of Fergus, Hannah and Jack explore the River Frome in search of kingfishers, which some of the team have never seen. Along the way, they…
The PlodcastSound Escape 122: Chris Yates reads from the Secret Carp
This week we're heading deep into the Sussex countryside in the company of writer and angler Chris Yates. In this, the first chapter from his book The Secret…
The Plodcast199. A quest for skylark song in the Cotswold Hills with James MacDonald Lockhart
This week we’re going back to early spring and a trip to the north Cotswolds in Warwickshire to meet James Macdonald Lockhart who has written a book inspired…
The PlodcastSound Escape 121: A dreamy dawn chorus in a remote Scottish valley
We’re near Loch Maree in western Scotland. You’re not sure what woke you first, the light or the birds. Either way, you stir peacefully in your bed, the sun…
The Plodcast198. A wander in a bird of prey sanctuary with Megan McCubbin
This week we’re meeting naturalist Megan McCubbin who listeners will know from co-hosting TV shows such as Springwatch alongside her step-father Chris Packham…
The PlodcastSound Escape 120: Soothing waves rising and falling on a beach in Wester Ross
We're in Wester Ross in the Highlands. The drive to road’s end is long and leisurely, the statuesque mountains and island-scattered lochs of Wester Ross giving…
The Plodcast197. Why rewilding can save Britain's wildlife – an interview with Isabella Tree at Knepp Wildlands
Plodcast host Fergus meets Isabella Tree, who with her husband Charlie Burrell, transformed a loss-making dairy farm at Knepp in Sussex into one of the most…
The PlodcastSound Escape 119: An astonishing nightingale duet in a Dorset woodland
We’re tucked deep in the folds of the north Dorset countryside. As the light fades the dusk chorus rises. In a dense thicket of thorn, a single nightingale…
The Plodcast196. A quest for nightingales at Knepp Wildlands in Sussex
Plodcast host Fergus camps overnight at the most famous rewilding estate in Britain in the hope of finally hearing nightingales on the Plodcast. But as the…
The PlodcastSound Escape 118: Relax to spring birdsong in a Dorset garden
It's late morning in a springtime Dorset garden. The morning was cool and rainy, but as the wind blows in the trees and mist clears; you look out over the…
The Plodcast195. A quest for peace with Charlotte Church in deepest Wales
Head with us to deepest Powys in mid Wales to The Dreaming. This wonderful house and surrounding landscape has been opened up as a place of retreat by…
The PlodcastSound Escape 117: Celebrate the stunning dawn chorus at Knepp Wildlands
It's early and you're sitting outside a small tent deep the Knepp Wildlands of Sussex. A pre-dawn glow smudges the eastern sky. Elsewhere it is resolutely dark…