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 Plodcast194. A quest to find St Patrick in Northern Ireland
We’re in Armagh in Northern Ireland, following in the footsteps of St Patrick. The patron saint of Ireland lived in the 5th century and his incredible story…
The PlodcastSound Escape 116: A stream sparkles through Silent Valley
Ebbw Vale in South Wales holds many secrets, not least within the water-rucked hillsides that feed the valley. On one such slope there is an ancient woodland…
The Plodcast193. An unlikely pilgrimage with Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton
In episode 2 of season 16, we’re talking about walking, but in the context of a curious new film: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry starring Penelope…
The PlodcastSound Escape 115: Wistful mistle thrushes and willow warbers in a Mendips vale
We're in Velvet Bottom nature reserve in the Mendips where woodlands and wildflowers have overun the old lead mines. It's still early spring and mistle…
The Plodcast192. A quest for rare wildflowers in the Avon Gorge – with Mike Dilger
In the first episode of a new season, the Plodcast team of Fergus, Hannah and Jack meet up with naturalist and One Show regular Mike Dilger to search for some…
The PlodcastSound Escape 114: Skylarks ascending over a field of barley
We're on the northern edge of the Cotswolds in South Warwickshire – a vast open field of young barley stretches to the horizon. Quietly at first, then all of a…
The PlodcastSound Escape 113: Enjoy the stirring cacophony of a rook colony
We wandering in deeply rural County Armagh. It's early spring and the rooks rule the woodlands. Nesting close together in the canopies of a dozen roadside…
- The Plodcast
191. Introducing season 16 of the Plodcast – getting out into nature
Welcome to the Plodcast – the nature and countryside podcast from BBC Countryfile Magazine. This is a preview of season 16 of the Plodcast where the regular…
The PlodcastSound Escape 112: Relax to the gentle babble of spring in the Lake District
We're in Blawith Fells in the Lake District. he walk up to the tarn felt a little like a dream; the sun-warmed lane rising gently – rhythmically – between…
The PlodcastSound Escape 111: Eerie birdcalls from the Avalon Marshes
Sun spills over the Avalon Marshes, driving away the last vestiges of winter. Chiffchaffs have arrived, bringing their flinty song two-note song to the…
The PlodcastSound Escape 110: The start of spring in South Wales
The first inklings of spring are stirring in the Rhymney Valley in South Wales. Down at the foot of the dell, where the two streams meet, there is a mossy…
The Plodcast190. Discovering a fabulous project to bring nature into our towns
Nature Isn't Neat is a project pioneered in South-east Wales to bring wildlife and a bit of wildness into public parks, gardens and other commonly used spaces…
The PlodcastSound Escape 109: Soothing sounds of spring stir in a Welsh rainforest
You're among the moss and ferns of a Welsh rainforest in early spring. Against the backdrop of a stream swollen with rain, the trees are dripping – and the…
The Plodcast189. Walking in nature with Dr Amir Khan, President of the RSPB
Dr Amir Khan is a well known GP and TV doctor but has recently been appointed president of the RSPB. We sent Plodcast regular Annabel Ross to meet up with the…
The PlodcastSound Escape 108: Exotic sounds of spring on a New Zealand river
We're in New Zealand at the top end of the South Island. The nature reserve on the Pelorus river has the last stands of river-flat native forest in the region…
The Plodcast188: Plodcast Special! Explore the wildlife paradise of Zealandia in New Zealand
In the heart of Wellington, capital of New Zealand, a brilliant wildlife haven has brought a host of rare species back from the brink of extinction. Margaret…
The PlodcastSound Escape 107: The soothing calls of wildfowl through the mist on the Avalon Marshes
It's a wintry afternoon on the Somerset Levels. In the pre-dusk light, you watch as a thin mist evolves from the reeds and settles on the ice. It’s not all…
The Plodcast187. Spring poetry and magic from the Inner Hebrides
Enjoy a gentle ramble with poet Kenneth Steven who lives and breathes the wild landscapes on his doorstep on the Isle of Seil. Recorded in early spring last…
The PlodcastSound Escape 106: Relax in the sun beside a beside a Dartmoor stream
We're at Becky Brook on Dartmoor. It's the first day of the year where you can feel the warmth of the sun on your face. The light breeze floats through the…
The Plodcast186. Explore the seabird cities of the Yorkshire coast
Listen to the thrilling bustle of a seabird colony as naturalist Megan Shersby visits RSPB Bempton Cliffs on the Yorkshire coast in the company of visitor…
The PlodcastSound Escape 105: The soothing crunch of leaves on a late winter's day
We're in a wooden vale in the Black Mountains of south wales. It’s very late winter but recent bright and dry weather has crisped the autumn leaves – so while…
The Plodcast185. Join the Plodcast team for a lazy day's fishing on a Somerset canal
Join the Plodcast team as we go fishing with Plodcast regular Kevin Parr on the Bridgewater and Taunton Canal in Somerset. For Jack and Hannah it was the first…
The PlodcastSound Escape 104: Sheltering in a long barrow during a storm
We're high on the Wessex Downs. A long barrow broods on a lonely ridge – a tomb that has stood here for 5000 years. Caught in a storm while walking the…
The Plodcast184. We’re off to Dartmoor – scene of the biggest countryside story of the year so far.
Back in January, a high court upheld an action brought by local landowners and ruled that there was no right to wild camping in Dartmoor National Park. In…
The PlodcastSound Escape 103: The crunch of footsteps on snow on the Devon coast
Walking the coast path around Hartland Point after snowfall Winter’s cold brings many pleasures. Frost-enshrined thorns, glinting in the light of a low sun…
The Plodcast183. A delightful walk with Cerys Matthews in Kew Gardens
Cerys Matthews shares her love of nature, music and poetry on a wonderful walk in Kew Gardens with our own Margaret Bartlett. Cerys reveals her deep love from…
The PlodcastSound Escape 102: Enthralling spring birdsong from New Zealand
In this episode we've travelled to the otherside of the world. It's late spring at the Karori Sanctuary near Wellington, New Zealand and the kakas – a large…
The Plodcast182. A soothing wander around the hidden coves of Anglesey
We're heading to Cemlyn Bay on the northern coast of Anglesey for a gentle walk around lagoons and quiet coves where birds rule and grey seals sleep. Podcast…
The PlodcastSound Escape 101: The patter of hail on an old farm roof
We're back on a farm deep in the Devon countryside. At some point in the night you stir, woken by the patter of hail on the slate roof. The barn is old, built…
The Plodcast181. An adventure into the underworld of folklore and magic with Amy Jeffs
Head deep into Goatchurch Cavern in the Mendips with historian and artist Amy Jeffs and Plodcast host Fergus to hear ancient tales, myths and legends as we…
The PlodcastSound Escape 100: Underwater with grey seals in the Outer Hebrides
In the 100th edition of Sound Escapes, we're on a boat in the Outer Hebrides at anchor near a small island. An underwater microphone captures grey seals…
The Plodcast180. Along the Ridgeway with archaeologist Mary-Ann Ochota
Take a wander along on of Britain's oldest roads: the Ridgeway. TV presenter, writer and archaeologist Mary-Ann Ochota is the patron of the Ridgeway National…
The PlodcastSound Escape 99: The first birdsong of the year in a garden on Gower
You're in a large wildlife-rich garden on Gower, a small and beautiful peninsular in South Wales. At this time of year, the beech hedges are orange, the leaves…
The Plodcast179. Enjoy a New Year wildlife ramble along the River Usk
Our new season of mindful walks in nature explores the power of the green outdoors to bolster physical and mental health. In episode 1, Plodcast host Fergus…
The PlodcastSound Escape 98: Relax by a log fire in an old farmhouse kitchen
We're sitting beside a log fire in a farmhouse in Devon. There’s something at once inconstant and rhythmic about fire. Each flame unlike the next, each ember…
The PlodcastSound Escape 97: Enjoy a melody of waterwall and waves on the North Devon coast
We're at Hartland Quay, Devon. The day is late by the time you reach the Hartland coast and all you can do is run. Breathless, you reach the shore to see the…
The Plodcast178. Celebrate the best of 2022 in the Plodcast Christmas special!
Welcome to our last Plodcast of 2022 – the Christmas special issue. Plodcast regular Kevin Parr joins author Patrick Galbraith and Brittany Collie in the…
The PlodcastSound Escape 96: The astounding sounds of a starling murmuration
We're at Ham Wall in Somerset for the great starling murmuration. At first they come in small flocks, barely discernible against the winter sky. But as the…
The Plodcast177. In search of the Christmas partridge with author Patrick Galbraith
In this our last episode before Christmas – we are appropriately talking about partridges, one of the famous birds of the festive season. In Britain, our…
The PlodcastSound Escape 95: A cold, crisp winter's walk along the Severn Estuary
We're beside the River Severn in South Gloucestershire on a cold, quiet, crisp, sunny winter afternoon. The air is fresh and still and your breath steams in…
The Plodcast176. Out in the Black Mountains with the Crickhowell Walking Festival
In this week’s episode, we're discovering the joys of walking groups. Back in March Plodcast host Fergus joined up with a gang of hikers from the Crickhowell…
The PlodcastSound Escape 94: An early Christmas present of spring birdsong at Llanthony Priory
We may be in the depths of winter but in this episode we're giving you a little Christmas present of hopeful spring birdsong. We're outside the ruins of…
The Plodcast175. Explore mysterious Eggardon Hill in Dorset – and hear a poignant conversation with the local farmer
Head to Dorset in the ever-amiable company of Plodcast regular Kevin Parr. Angler and nature writer Kev takes us up onto Eggardon Hill to explore its wildlife…
The PlodcastSound Escape 93: The invigorating roar of the River Usk in spate
It's rained for days but there's a gap in the cloud cover this late autumn morning. You wander down to the river to find it in full spate. Another 50cm rise…
The Plodcast174. A woodland wander with 'naked campaigner' Hannah Bourne-Taylor
Meet nature writer and campaigner Hannah Bourne-Taylor who hit the news in recent weeks after walking from Hyde Park Corner to the Houses of Parliament to call…
The PlodcastSound Escape 92: The joy of lying in bed and listening to the countryside waking up
You wake in the small village of Butterton in the Staffordshire Peak District. With the window of the cottage set ajar, you return to bed, rest your head on…
The Plodcast173. A wild walk with choughs and curlews on Anglesey
Explore a wild and craggy stretch of the Anglesey coast path with Plodcast host Fergus as he wanders in search of rare choughs and curlews. Later, in the…
The PlodcastSound Escape 91: Enjoy autumn moods in a forgotten Welsh valley
Come with us to the gentle pasturelands that link the summit of Y Fal with the bustle of Grwyne Fawr far below. Pause a while amid the patchwork of sheep…
The Plodcast172. A quest to hear the mysterious corncrake on the island of Tiree
This week we’re off to the Hebridean island of Tiree, a stronghold of one of Britain’s rarest and strangest birds. Naturalist James Fair heads out into the…
The PlodcastSound Escape 90: Spend some precious time in a mossy woodland
On the southern flanks of the Usk Valley beneath the damp uplands of Mynydd Llangatwg are the remnants of an old limestone quarry. Paths slink between the…
The Plodcast171. Firecrests and other magical creatures in the New Forest with Dominic Couzens
Now the clocks have gone back in the UK and we’re heading into the dark days of winter it feels like a good time to let a burst of light and song into our…
The PlodcastSound Escape 89: the simple tonic of a stream flowing through an autumn woodland
To be in an autumn woodland after rain is a tonic for a great many ills. Perhaps it’s the simple joy of the leaves so lustrous with rainwater, or the way the…
The Plodcast170. In conversation with actress Jenny Agutter
Jenny Agutter has been a household name since her starring role in the 1970 film The Railway Children. This year, she reprises her role in The Railway Children…
The PlodcastSound Escape 88: the mesmerising sound of steady rain in the garden
You open the back door and look out into the garden. Rain streaks down, steady and hypnotic. From a bush a robin sparks up occasionally but nothing else stirs…
The Plodcast169. More magic at the Folk by the Oak festival – including The Proclaimers and Spell Songs
We return for a second episode at the Folk by the Oak Festival in Hertfordshire. Annabel Ross talks to Karine Polwart from Spell Songs and we hear their song…
The PlodcastSound Escape 87: An amazing paddleboarding journey – with geese
Enjoy a relaxing experience paddleboarding on a stretch of the River Wye in Herefordshire, where a flock of about 300 Canada geese begin an extraordinary…
The Plodcast168. Enjoy music inspired by the countryside at the Folk by the Oak Festival: Part 1
Enjoy the delights of the Folk by Our festival In part one of two brilliant episodes, Annabel Ross visits the Folk by the Oak festival in Hertfordshire to meet…
The PlodcastSound Escape 86: the thrilling sounds when waves meet a rocky headland
Besieged by gales and restless sea, a rocky peninsula holds firm on the northern Anglesey coast, unchanged through many millennia of daily assaults. Meanwhile…
The Plodcast167. A walk with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall at River Cottage
Catch up with writer, presenter, farmer, forager and campaigner Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, 20 years after his first adventures into smallholding which…
The PlodcastSound Escape 85: be mesmerised by the soft burble of a Welsh stream
Between the great, lumbering bulk of the Cambrian Mountains and Shropshire’s autumn-kissed hills there is a landscape of quiet repute. Here the ground rolls…