Love Scotland: Stories of Scotland's History and Nature

In 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic began, many people looked back to the influenza epidemic of 1918 for historical context. However, going further back in time reveals centuries of viral diseases – and a bizarre list of supposed medical concoctions that would protect you from them. Scotland’s “plague man” Richard Oram, a professor of history at Stirling University, knows a lot about these dark chap...

On a drizzly summer’s day, Jackie heads out to Ben Lomond to meet two people who feel at home in the hills. First, Jackie, president of the National Trust for Scotland, goes for a stroll with Zahrah Mahmood, president of Ramblers Scotland and an online influencer known as the Hillwalking Hijabi. As they stretch their legs, they discuss the joys waiting to be found on Scottish slopes, and Zahrah te...

Following last year’s episode investigating the 2022 outbreak of avian flu among Scottish seabird colonies, Jackie returns to St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve in the wake of new cases being reported. Joined by ranger Ciaran Hatsell, Jackie learns how this year’s cases have been identified and exactly how the disease is impacting kittiwakes at St Abb’s Head and beyond. Listen in to find out ho...

An icon of Scottish culture, Robert Burns is best known for his beautiful, moving, and humorous poetry. Born in 1759, he died just 37 years later – an early passing attributed to alcoholism. However, recent advances in medical knowledge have raised questions about the accuracy of this diagnosis. Professor David Purdie, co-author of The Burns Encyclopaedia and a doctor of medicine, has used his cli...

Jackie is joined by Jonathan Grant, who after 13 years is about to retire as a ranger on three Hebridean islands. Earlier this year, when news of his resignation was announced, it was headline news around the world. Now, he has time for a proper discussion about his experiences on Mingulay, Pabay and Berneray. He reveals why he feels he became part of nature, what life is really like when you’re t...

In this week’s episode, Jackie follows the story of Lady Aberdeen – a woman born into wealth who became a lifelong social reformer, healthcare advocate, and champion of the underdog. By the time she died in the 1930s, the riches were gone – but a legacy remained. Joining Jackie is Simon Welfare, the author of Fortune’s Many Houses: A Victorian Visionary, a Noble Scottish Family, and a Lost Inherit...

This week, Jackie is at Falkland Palace to learn more about the early years of James VI, one of the most influential monarchs in British history. Crowned at an early age, and separated from his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, James would go on to be the first king of the whole British Isles. But focusing on his later achievements misses out on many remarkable and life-threatening experiences endured...

This week, Jackie’s in Edinburgh to find about one of the city’s leading lights of the enlightenment era: Sir Henry Raeburn. His work depicted some of the key figures of that time, creating an overall portrait of how Edinburgh’s top circles would have looked during the 1700s. Now, to mark 200 years since his death, the National Trust for Scotland is holding an exhibition at The Georgian House in C...

As a new season of Love Scotland begins, host Jackie Bird is joined by Outlander author Diana Gabaldon to discuss her best-selling books, its TV adaptation, and how the Outlander effect has shaped global perceptions of Scotland. Outlander tells the story of a time-travelling nurse from the 20th century who falls in love with an 18th century Highland warrior. The early books span several places now...

Six places that show Scotland's impact on the world In this week’s episode of Love Scotland – the final one of the current season – Professor Murray Pittock joins Jackie to discuss some of the Scottish places that have had the biggest influence on global history. From Culloden to Robert Burns’s birthplace, the episode charts moments of great cultural, political and military importance. Professor M...

The rich history of tartan In this week’s episode, to mark the opening of the V&A Dundee’s new Tartan exhibition, Jackie meets its co-curator Jonathan Faiers to discuss the fascinating tale of the pattern’s past. If you took a random sample of people around the world and asked them to depict Scotland, tartan would likely make an appearance. It connects Bonnie Prince Charlie to punk rockers, an...

Romans in Scotland: the Antonine wall and ‘Rome’s Afghanistan’ This week, Jackie goes for a walk at the Antonine Wall and is joined by Dr John Reid to discuss Roman-era Scotland. The wall, which stretches from Old Kilpatrick on the west coast to near Bo’ness, was around 37 miles long and marked the furthest reach of the Roman Empire in Britain. Using the nation’s rugged features to bolster its def...

In this week’s episode, Jackie steps beyond the National Trust for Scotland’s most beautiful stately homes to discover what treasures can be found in the nation’s gardens. Recorded from Greenbank Garden – an 18th-century walled garden just outside Glasgow city centre – Jackie is joined by the National Trust for Scotland’s head of gardens and designed landscapes, Ann Steele.  Together, they discuss...

This week’s episode looks at the life of Scipio Kennedy, an enslaved African boy who lived in Culzean in the early 18th century. The events of his early years have been pieced together by Hannah Lawrence from the National Trust for Scotland and affiliate researcher at the University of Oxford, and she joins Jackie to discuss her research into his life. Together, they discuss what is known about Sc...

Doug Allan is a world-renowned wildlife cameraman, with film credits for some of the most influential documentaries ever made and a trophy cabinet full of BAFTAs and Emmys. He’s contributed to David Attenborough’s Blue Planet and Frozen Planet , and has spent more time than nearly anyone else diving into the world’s iciest oceans in search of wildlife. In this week’s episode of Love Scotland , he...

In the second instalment of their discussion, Jackie and her guest Sir Tom Devine look at the Battle of Culloden and how it changed the course of clan history. Then, they turn their attention to the centuries that followed, taking the story right up to the modern day. If you missed the first episode, scroll back in your podcast feed to hear Jackie and Sir Tom discuss the origins of the clans and h...

In the first episode of season five of Love Scotland, Jackie and her guest Sir Tom Devine take a look at the origins of the Scottish clans. Over the course of their discussion – which will be continued in a second instalment next week – they reveal how the clans came to be, how they organised themselves, and what united them. Has the reality of clan life been romanticised? What were the key moment...

In this week’s episode of Love Scotland, Jackie is getting ready to deck the halls with boughs of holly. As people across Scotland prepare for their own festive celebrations, we take a look at how the National Trust for Scotland creates authentic Christmas displays in its properties. Dr Jo Riley from Castle Fraser has been leading a research project into traditional decorations and how they have c...

In this week’s episode, Jackie is joined by adventurer, film-maker and campaigner Cal Major to discuss Scotland’s coasts and the challenges facing them. Cal has built a reputation as one of the UK’s top stand-up paddleboarders (SUP), completing the first ever SUP from Land’s End to John O’Groats in 2018. In 2021, she paddled 800 miles of Scotland’s coastline. As someone who has spent so long at se...

This week, Jackie is joined by actor and presenter Alan Cumming to discuss his life, career, and love of Scotland. Fresh from the critically acclaimed run of Burn – a dance-theatre piece that re-examines Robert Burns using his own words – Alan discuss where his passion for Scottish history and culture comes from. As a long-standing supporter of the National Trust for Scotland and as one half of Mi...

The Vikings may be most closely associated with Norway, but the fearsome warriors made their mark on Scotland, too. Throughout the 1st century, they sailed the choppy seas to raid monasteries, including on Iona, pillaging and plundering wherever they went. In this week’s episode of the podcast, Jackie discovers what brought the invaders from the north to Scotland, and what encouraged them to stay....

In this week’s episode, released on Armistice Day 2022, Jackie is looking at a small but crucial part of the First World War effort: the stately homes that were requisitioned to become hospitals. In particular, she’s keen to find out how the National Trust for Scotland’s Pollok House was used at this time. The property in the south of Glasgow became an auxiliary hospital and helped to treat wounde...

What does Sam Heughan love about Scotland? The Outlander star and author of new book Waypoints joins Jackie in the studio to discuss some of his recent adventures. Together, they chat about some of Scotland’s most important historical sites, the value of spending time in the great outdoors, and how Outlander has helped to rejuvenate interest in the nation’s past. Having filmed in several National...