The Plodcast

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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

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676 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes676

Newest first

Sep 29, 2020 · 47 min
72. Honey buzzards in a Welsh forest – a truly special encounter to start the new season of Plodcasts!
Welcome to episode 1 of season 7 of the BBC Countryfile Magazine plodcast – and meet the honey buzzards in a secret forest in South Wales. Honey buzzards are scarce summer migrants to the UK – a bird of prey that feeds mainly on wasps. Here Fergus Coll...
Sep 22, 2020 · 9 min
Nature, wild walks and rural magic! Find out what's coming up in season 7 of the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast
From honey buzzards to Dark Age wizards and Napoleonic battles to the incredible Birdgirl, Season 7 of the Plodcast begins this autumn with 12 brand new adventures into the countryside for encounters with wildlife, chats with farmers, naturalists, camp...
Aug 25, 2020 · 24 min
71. A celebration of the common toad on the River Usk in Monmouthshire
In the final episode of series 6, we return to spring on the beautiful River Usk to celebrate the marvellous common toad – our cleverest amphibian. Follow Fergus Collins as he explores pools along the River Usk in the Brecon Beacons to meet hundreds of...
Aug 18, 2020 · 48 min
70. Exploring the amazing life of a Hampshire chalk stream with Dr George McGavin
Wade up the Candover Brook in Hampshire in the company of insect expert George McGavin and Zam Baring of the Wessex River Trust. Meet the hidden life of this beautiful waterway from mayflies and leeches to damselflies and bullheads. It's a truly d...
Aug 11, 2020 · 24 min
69. Oystercatchers in the rye – the poetry of a Scottish island with Kenneth Steven
Enjoy a summer morning on the island of Seil in the company of poet Kenneth Steven and a chorus of oystercatchers. Kenneth reveals the wild history of his home and reads three beautiful poems amid the enchanting atmosphere of the island. You can find o...
Aug 4, 2020 · 30 min
68. Finding asylum in nature: Lucy Jones on why our minds, hearts and bodies need wildness
Lucy Jones is the author of Losing Eden, a book the exploring the science behind why we need nature in our lives – and what happens to us when we lose contact with the wild universe. Listen on for some fascinating insight into what the green outdoors c...
Jul 28, 2020 · 44 min
67. Churring nightjars – an eerie adventure on a Welsh hill at dusk
Enter the strange world of the nightjar in a dusk adventure on a secret Welsh hillside. Fergus Collins meets ornithologist Steve Roberts and listens to the strange song and stranger stories of this bizarre nocturnal bird. Steve rings the nestlings and ...
Jul 21, 2020 · 34 min
66. The delight and mystery of rural churches with historian Emma Wells
Medieval historian Dr Emma Wells reveals the secrets and mysteries hidden in our rural chapels and churchyards. She talks about their importance in the history of the countryside, the power of sanctuary and what to look for on your next visit. For more...
Jul 14, 2020 · 44 min
65. On the trail of an assassin in the ancient holloways of Dorset
We join storyteller Martin Maudsley in the ancient lanes of Dorset tracing in the footsteps and the hideout of The Rogue Male – the title character of the renowned 1930s spy thriller written by Geoffrey Household. So follow Martin as he wanders into th...
Jul 7, 2020 · 58 min
64. Cuckoos on Dartmoor – and why it's possible to farm with wildlife and make money
In this episode we head to Dartmoor to wander through landscapes where local farmers have worked tirelessly to bring wildlife back to their fields and hills. Listen on for cuckoos, encounters with rare butterflies and some truly uplifting conversation ...
Jun 30, 2020 · 26 min
63. Head to a poet's wild retreat on an enchanting Hebridean island
Enjoy a peaceful retreat to the gentle island of Seil in the Inner Hebrides in the genial company of Scottish poet Kenneth Steven. Hear Kenneth's reflections on writing, life in lockdown and some of the wild encounters he has every day with wild g...
Jun 23, 2020 · 49 min
62. A gentle morning's ramble with rabbits and wood warblers in the Brecon Beacons
Take a May-time wander with editor Fergus Collins to a distant unexplored woodland – meet the local rabbit populations along the way, listen to a chorus of linnets and listen to the fabulous exotic melody of the wood warbler deep among the oaks. A subl...
Jun 16, 2020 · 45 min
61. Take a hedgerow safari with TV naturalist Dr George McGavin
Join TV naturalist Dr George McGavin as he explore the incredible life along a hedgerow near his home in Berkshire. Known for his regular slots on the One Show and many other BBC nature programmes, George is fascinated by insects and shares his discove...
Jun 9, 2020 · 35 min
60. Nightingales at dawn in Dorset – magical, beautiful and moving
Kevin Parr heads to a secret common and woodland in Dorset to at the crack of dawn to hear Britain's most famous songster – the increasingly scarce nightingale. Listen on for a memorable and stunningly beautiful audio experience. Plus, we hear fro...
Jun 2, 2020 · 20 min
59. Delightful tales of red squirrels, sparrows and classic British countryside
Do red squirrels make little boats to sail on? Nature writers of the 19th century thought so. In this episode, writer Caroline Greene explores some of the ideas and beliefs early nature writers had regarding our wildlife. Reading from a variety of amus...
May 26, 2020 · 47 min
58. Walk the River Tame in Manchester to see a river restored to glorious life
Once a heavily polluted river, running though heavily industrialised landscapes, the River Tame is being restored from its source on the Pennine moors along its entire length in the Greater Manchester area and is now one of the best trout rivers in Bri...
May 19, 2020 · 26 min
57. Finding edible and healing plants with a modern herbalist in Bristol
Explore a forgotten forest on the edge of Bristol in the company of herbalist Maria Fernandez Garcia. Learn about the exciting flavours and healing powers of common plants such as dandelion and nettle and discover how to turn wayside weeds into useful ...
May 12, 2020 · 51 min
56. A wild wander with cuckoos and bluebells – on Sugar Loaf mountain
Enjoy the wild magic of a spring morning walk deep into ancient bluebell woods with cuckoos, redstarts, pied flycatchers and wood warblers. Plus a supporting cast of spring lambs and many other species. Beautiful and unmissable.
May 5, 2020 · 21 min
55. Journey into spring on Exmoor with nature writer Tim Dee
Meet acclaimed author, naturalist and broadcaster Tim Dee. At this time of year, the heart of springtime in Britain, Tim would normally be exploring his favourite oakwoods on Exmoor and the astonishing birdlife to be found there but, due to the COVID-1...
Apr 28, 2020 · 37 min
54. A gentle nature ramble in rural Dorset – with a magnificent dawn chorus
We head to Dorset this episode with nature writer and angler Kevin Parr to hear a magnificent dawn chorus in his village, tucked away in the hills. Kevin then takes us on his favourite local walk onto a local hill to hear find singing skylarks and stun...