Shows
Edinburgh OutdoorsEdinburgh's City Walls with Hetty's History WalksIMany people don't know that Edinburgh was once a walled city- so we set off to find them. In the times when the extent of the city covered the area we now call the 'old town' it was enclosed to protect its residents from attack and also to control commercial activity. Remnants of the wall remain today, some dating back to the fourteenth century, and many people walk past them unaware of these ancient relics. There are also indications of walls dating as far back as the twelfth century. Many of our road names are indicators of the location of the...2025-07-1534 min
Edinburgh OutdoorsInto the woods with Wild WorkforceEarly in the year I met with Clare Stephen of Wild Workforce to talk about how getting out into our forests can help HR and employee wellbeing. We discussed Clare's experiences around mental health at work and about her ambition to turn her relatively new business into a CIC so she can work with a wider range of organisations. Since we met she has now succeeded and her CIC has launched. Her work on mental wellbeing and the outdoors is going from strength to strength.
We met on the shores of Loch Leven: HERE
Clare's busine...2025-07-0928 minEdinburgh OutdoorsHugging Trees on the Water of LeithOver 12 miles long, the Water of Leith snakes through Edinburgh from Balerno to the Forth Estuary. Formerly a working river and home to over 70 mills, it is now a nature reserve with a walkway along its length, which makes for a great walk.
I met with Senior Ranger, Johnny Wells, to find out how the Water of Leith Conservation Trust manages the space and all its challenges. Johnny was a terrific interviewee and entertained me thoughout my visit with tales of his past, his current role and how volunteers support the work of the Trust. Johnny is a tre...2025-07-0129 minEdinburgh OutdoorsEnjoying the Sunshine on Leith gardenSunshine on Leith garden is a community space which is supported by Edible Estates. Set in an old drying green behind tenements, the garden is a great example of community spirit. Residents are each allocated a small plot for their own growing and the hidden gem of a garden also offers a place of tranquility and escape for flat dwellers.
While you can't just drop by to enjoy the garden yourself, you can find out more about them on Facebook and they are also interested in partnering with like minded groups. They also have a turnover of beds...2025-06-2430 minEdinburgh OutdoorsDiscovering Gracemount Walled GardenGracemount Walled Garden is in the south of Edinburgh and is run by the excellent team from Transition Edinburgh South for and by the local community.
There's so much going on there, including: events, school programmes, volunteering, free Friday lunches and tons of veg. The team is unfailingly positive and an inspiration in how to work with a community and create a space that is open to all. I went along to chat to them and find out more about the garden, its role and how people can support the great things Transition Edinburgh South is doing.
2025-06-1033 minEdinburgh OutdoorsThe Geology of Blackford Hill, Glen and HermitageI joined the always interesting, Angus Miller of GeoWalks for another exploration of Edinburgh's geology. We headed up to Blackford Hill and into the Hermitage to discover how our hills were formed by volcanic activity and then shaped through glaciation. Many of us walk around our local greenspace without knowing where to spot fascinating glimpses of how the city was formed millions of years ago.
We started out by Agassiz Rock, a SSSI and site of glaciation discovery; explored the Hermitage ravine which was formed by a dramatic flood of glacial meltwater; and then discovered the layers of...2025-05-2632 minEdinburgh OutdoorsBonaly Country Park with the Green TeamBonaly Country Park is on the edge of the Pentland Hills and was the location for a kids’ Green Explorers day run by the impressive Green Team charity. As I go round meeting people through the Edinburgh outdoors community, the name of the Green Team comes up time and again because they work with so many organisations.
The Green Team inspires kids and young people to find enjoyment and support from the outdoors. From a fun day foraging and playing games to volunteering on conservation projects, there are activities for all ages. I met some of th...2025-05-1325 minEdinburgh OutdoorsScotland's Women Writers with Ruth BorehamRuth Boreham is a local provider of women's history walks. We met in the Old Town to enjoy a chat about Scotland's often overlooked, but hugely talented, women writers. We started out in Lady Stair's Close which is home to a beautiful building that houses the Writers' Museum. The Museum focuses on just three writers: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, but we talked women instead!
We also enjoyed studying the paving stones of Makar's Court which are covered in quotations from Scottish writers through the years.
Lady Stair's Close is between the Mou...2025-04-3038 minEdinburgh OutdoorsTea with Edinburgh Union Canal SocietyThe Edinburgh Union Canal opened in 1822 to transport coal and other goods into the city. It closed to commercial traffic in the 1960s, but is now busy with rowers, canal boats and wildlife. Ford Buchanan is treasurer of the Edinburgh Union Canal Society, and he welcomed me for tea beside the well loved boathouse on Ashley Terrace, and we talked about how the society manages the age old tradition of Sunday afternoon boating and its role in supporting activities on the canal. We also talked about plans to build a new boathouse on the site and how people can c...2025-04-1630 minEdinburgh OutdoorsTandem Cycling with VIE VeloVIE Velo is an Edinburgh cycling community that pairs sighted and sight impaired cyclists who head out on tandems together. This club is an example of how a passion for cycling transcends the usual volunteer/participant set-up, with all members of the club simply being there because they love cycling. You'll also hear how much they love stopping for cake and chat too.
I was blown away by the positivity and welcome I received from the members of VIE Velo and enjoyed talking to them about cycling, wearing bright pink, sight impairment and how this club is just...2025-04-0835 min
Edinburgh OutdoorsThe Lochend Park Mystery with Hetty's History WalksCould Lochend Park be the actual location of the famous Skating Minister painting by Henry Raeburn called: 'Skating on Duddingston Loch'? Regular contributor, Hetty Lancaster, offers listeners an artistic challenge as she reveals the clues within the painting's background which indicate the loch where he skates may not be Duddingston, but might actually be at Lochend.
Hetty takes us on a tour of Lochend Park to the North East of the City Centre. The Park contains one of only two remaining ancient, glacial lochs in the city and is crammed full of history and heritage. Originally the grou...2025-03-2726 minEdinburgh OutdoorsDry Stone Walling with Richard LoveRichard Love changed career in his mid forties to become a dry stone waller and has enjoyed a long career in the outdoors creating everything from Pentland walls to works of art for artists.
Richard and I met in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh to view the Nepalese prayer gate, a project he worked on some years ago. We rang the bell on the gate and talked about how it was constructed and how it stays standing, his career as a dry stone waller, his teaching of the craft, his previous role chairing the Drystone Walling As...2025-03-1930 minEdinburgh OutdoorsThe Pentland Hills with Sean MageeSean Magee headed outdoors and launched CPS Activities after a long career in recruitment, first aid training and social care. Having found the career of his dreams means Sean can now take put his well-honed teaching skills into practice up in the hills teaching navigational skills, outdoors awareness, rock climbing and mountain guiding.
In a first for Edinburgh Outdoors we were slightly inside and started out talking in Sean's campervan in Castlelaw carpark on a Sunday morning, but once the sun came out we headed up the hill to view the Iron Age Souterain and enjoy some vi...2025-03-0622 minEdinburgh OutdoorsPilrig Park with Griffen FitnessTracy Griffen is a really impressive personal trainer who uses the outdoors as a core part of her workouts. After leaving Australia thirty years ago, Tracy has built a business that brings the Scottish outdoors into people's active lives. Like many of us she relishes the changing seasons and brings a sense of nature into her courses and sessions.
We walked round Pilrig Park which is to the North East of Edinburgh and has previously been a private garden of a grand house and the site of a 16th century fort, but is now a busy city park...2025-02-2521 minEdinburgh OutdoorsLost Shore Surf ResortThe Lost Shore Surf Resort is Edinburgh's coolest new activity centre and so much more. Set beside the International Climbing Arena in Ratho to the west of the city and close to the airport, Lost Shore is centred around Europe's largest surf pool. In addition to the pool the site includes luxury lodges, a wellness centre and events space, a restaurant, saunas and a surf shop. Even in mid January the place was buzzing!
The technology within the pool creates a range of waves that are ideal for beginners to professionals and is a brilliant place to lea...2025-02-1330 minEdinburgh Outdoors'Netwalking' with Katie Paterson and the OutsidersKatie Paterson is a truly inspiring and talented woman who has cycled round the world on an astounding journey, worked on national campaigns to get more people outside and launched the hugely successful The Outsiders outdoor networking group. Now in it's second year, the group brings together sole traders and freelancers to 'netwalk' in the outdoors once a month in a different location in Edinburgh. The group is inclusive and friendly and is growing fast, bringing a support network and providing a team or tribe for people who work alone and who want more of the outdoors in their li...2025-02-0425 minEdinburgh OutdoorsDiscovering Calton Hill and the Conservation TrustCalton Hill Conservation Trust is a relatively new team of volunteers who are preserving and enhancing the historic Calton Hill right in the middle of the city. Set above Princes Street with stunning views in all directions, Calton Hill is a popular spot for visitors to escape the streets and see what it is that makes Edinburgh such a stunning location. With views to the local hills, to Fife across the water and to the mountains in the North West, no wonder the hill attracts so many visitors. I went along to find out how the Trust was getting on a...2025-01-2823 minEdinburgh OutdoorsDunbars Close and plant explorers with Hetty's History WalksThe first episode of Season 2: Dunbars Close on the Canongate in Edinburgh's Old Town is a reimagined seventeeth century garden and is well worth a visit. Containing eight distinct areas, the garden combines formal shapes with more informal planting and features over 190 plants which were within Scotland around that time. Many have medicinal properties and were brought to Scotland by adventurous plant explores. The garden was created by a charity called The Mushroom Trust.
I explored the garden with regular contributor and local historian, Hetty Lancaster of Hetty's History Walks. She brought fascinating insight into the creation of t...2025-01-1534 minEdinburgh OutdoorsGeology, James Hutton and Holyrood ParkThe final podcast of Season 1 discovers Edinburgh's fascinating geology and the role played in the eighteenth century by the father of modern geology: James Hutton.
I met up with geologist Angus Miller of Geowalks in the James Hutton Memorial Garden and he filled me in on how Hutton's thinking was so groundbreaking and influential, even in the modern day. We looked at some significant rocks within the garden, which have been brought from all over Scotland, and then walked on Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park, spotting huge rocks which have fallen from the Crags and checking out the...2024-12-1625 minEdinburgh OutdoorsForest bathing with Anna Neubert WoodAnna Neubert Wood runs her own business, Wander Women. She created it to take women initially - but now everyone including individuals and groups - into the wilds to find peace, tranquility and childlike fun.
After a childhood in East Germany and flexi-schooling her children, Anna has created experiences that bring escape in the outdoors in and around Edinburgh. Her offering includes wild swimming, picnicking, firelighting and forest bathing, amongst others - all to help us find mindfulness in outdoor spaces. She also runs weekend retreats, which look exhilarating, and works with organisations like Womens Aid and her...2024-12-0225 minEdinburgh OutdoorsExploring new paths with Charlie EllisCharlie Ellis is a writer and walker with a keen interest in Edinburgh's former railways that are now footpaths and cycle routes. He enjoys heading off to explore old paths and to find new, or potential, ones. When we met up he took me off to find some existing and potential paths, including the Powderhall Line which was only closed in 2016 and is the subject of a campaign to have it joined into the North Edinburgh path network.
After viewing some paths we talked writing, memories and discovering new places.
Charlie writes for a number of...2024-11-1921 minEdinburgh OutdoorsBeekeeping: West Linton and District Beekeepers AssociationLearning all about bees: on a driech day in Edinburgh I went to visit the West Linton & District Beekeepers group in an equally driech Carlops, in the Pentland Hills. There weren't many bees buzzing around on the day I dropped by to the apiary as it was a bit cold, but I still spent a brilliant hour with a great group of enthusiasts.
We talked all things bees, cold summers, swarms and the benefits of an absorbing hobby in the outdoors. They were a fascinating group of bee experts and enterprising member, Jane, managed to get my mi...2024-11-0522 min
Edinburgh OutdoorsAntonine Wall: finding the RomansHaving occupied Britain for hundreds of years, the Romans had a huge impact on our culture, landscape and history. I met the team from the now complete Rediscovering the Antonine Wall project to find out how they had worked with the line of the Antonine Wall - the Central Belt's own Roman wall (or what remains of it) to connect communities. We talked about Roman history, some fascinating finds along the wall and we also visited some of their projects around Auchinstarry and Croy, including the stunning giant head: Sylvanus.
Next steps for the Antonine Wall team are t...2024-11-0529 minEdinburgh OutdoorsHetty's History Walks: Holyrood ParkHetty's History Walks is run by historian, Hetty Lancaster. She runs tours across the city introducing both visitors and locals to fascinating facts about Edinburgh and its past. We met on a sunny autumn day in Holyrood Park - the King's park which surrounds the Palace of Holyroodhouse and is a wild and beautiful spot right in the middle of the city.
Hetty is going to join me regularly over the next few months, introducing us to different areas of Edinburgh and their history. To kick things off we talked about her background and business, while also lear...2024-11-0128 minEdinburgh OutdoorsVolunteering and rejuvenation at Jock Tamson’s GairdenJock Tamson's Gairden on the shores of Duddingston Loch is the most extraordinary place. Home to community groups and charities, it uses the power of nature and gardening to help many people enjoy the outdoors and find healing and support in this beautiful space. I visited on a classic Edinburgh windy day and met the inspirational head gardener, Lizz Spence, who talked about the team's entry in the Kilt Walk later this month which will raise much needed funds for the brilliant work being done in the garden. We talked while Lizz collected flowers for the weekly produce sale and...2024-10-3032 minEdinburgh OutdoorsHetty's History Walks: in Holyrood ParkHetty's History Walks is run by historian, Hetty Lancaster. She runs tours across the city introducing both visitors and locals to fascinating facts about Edinburgh and its past. We met on a sunny autumn day in Holyrood Park - the King's park which surrounds the Palace of Holyroodhouse and is a wild and beautiful spot right in the middle of the city.
Hetty is going to join me over the next few months, introducing us to different areas of Edinburgh and their history. To kick things off we talked about her background and business while also learning more a...2024-10-3057 minEdinburgh OutdoorsPentland Aromatics: meeting at the Dalkeith Country Park MarketEarlier this month I headed off to the outdoors Saturday market at Dalkeith Country Park to meet up with Nadine Pierce of Pentland Aromatics. She has created a range of natural scented products from her home in the heart of the Pentlands, inspired by the stunning location where she lives. Bringing nature inside through a range of scents, Nadine has taken her business from a lockdown soap-making hobby to becoming a successful retailer with a great brand.
We talked keeping warm at outdoor markets, earthy smells and of course, Christmas. You can find out more about Pentland Arom...2024-10-2118 minEdinburgh OutdoorsWest Linton District BeekeepersLearning all about bees: on a driech day in Edinburgh I went to visit the West Linton & District Beekeepers group in an equally driech Carlops, in the Pentland Hills. There weren't many bees buzzing around on the day I dropped by to the apiary as it was a bit cold, but I still spent a brilliant hour with a great group of enthusiasts.
We talked all things bees, cold summers, swarms and the benefits of an absorbing hobby in the outdoors. They were a fascinating group of bee experts and enterprising member, Jane, managed to get my mi...2024-10-0722 minEdinburgh OutdoorsLitter picking at the beach with Keep Porty TidyWhat's the weirdest thing you've ever found on a beach? Listen to this episode and find out how rewarding litter picking within the friendly Portobello community can be. You'll also hear from Keep Porty Tidy organiser, Colin Cornwall, on his strangest find, latest projects and his lifelong love of Portobello. With the usual Edinburgh wind, lots of beachgoers and some giant fake seagulls as well as a few real ones, there was a lot going on, but we managed to find out how you too can volunteer, or just enjoy Edinburgh's special and unique city beach - without dropping lit...2024-09-1916 minEdinburgh OutdoorsNature and history on Easter Craiglockhart HillWelcome to this new podcast seeking out Edinburgh's green spaces. I started by diving into some gorgeous nature sights and sounds right in the heart of the city. Jim Heath, Chair of the Friends of Easter Craiglockhart Hill told Edinburgh Outdoors about the hill's unique nature, wildlife and history. From sparrowhawks to overgrown bowling greens, the Hill is a wonderful place to find views, tranquility and opportunities to volunteer.
2024-08-2623 min