Stories of Scotland

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Jenny and Annie investigate salmon poaching on the Inner Tay Estuary between Perth and Dundee. They learn about this dark side to poaching, the dangers and shenanigans of catching illicit salmon. Looking at the little industrious town of Newburgh, they visit the fishing stations of Jock’s Hole and Gutter Hole. Jenny and Annie uncover some underhand river police tactics for catching poachers. Annie...

In this episode, Jenny and Annie eat some delicious Aberdeen rowies, also known as butteries. We look at the origin of this calories dense maritime snack and sing a cheeky wee buttery shanty. We hear about a mischievous oatcake-stealing fairy and Jenny reads from an account of hillwalking on Bennachie, a twelve-mile hike all on a buttery breakfast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...

Continuing the conversation about rural Scotland, Annie and Jenny speak to Jimmy about his experience of being a blacksmith in 1950. They learn some very peculiar stories of blacksmiths from legends, including encounters with mischievous kelpies, bootlace-tying rhymes and the magic of iron. A surreal and enticing examination of the role of the village blacksmith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

In the third episode interviewing Jean and Jimmy we travel back to the dance halls of the fabulous fifties. Jenny and Annie learn about love, conscription and most importantly turnips. This is an intimate look at love and life in the rural lowlands of Scotland in the 1950s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode, Jenny and Annie celebrate the winter solstice by looking at some wonderful eccentric traditions past on Shetland. We discuss the mystery of the Clava Cairns, the ancient monument that inspired the time-traveling romance Outlander. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this exploration of family history, Annie and Jenny speak to Jean: Annie’s granny. It’s a wonderful and touching discussion of Jean’s childhood, family and what life was like growing up in rural Ayr during the Second World War. We learn about rationing, everyday life on a dairy farm, Ayr Gaiety Theatre, and prisoners of war working on nearby farms and their attempts at escape. Hosted on Acast....

The first of a five-part series from a Scottish grandparent’s living room. Annie and Jenny speak to Annie’s grandfather, Jimmy, about his childhood during the second world war. This sets them off to uncover weird and wonderful rationing tales, where they discover a most peculiar egg collector. Jimmy tells us about his joy in growing up close to the natural world, and we delve into the language of...

This episode looks at witchcraft and witch-purging in early modern Scotland. We hear the extraordinary confessions of Isobel Gowdie and learn about her initiation into sorcery and her incantations. Jenny and Annie look at the curious profession of witch-pricking, learning about two famous prickers: John Kincaid and crossdressing Christian Caldwell. A very surreal and magical episode for Halloween/...

This podcast explores the Scottish Zoo of our mythologies, glens, and islands. It begins by wondering why the unicorn is Scotland’s national animal. Annie and Jenny discover mysterious wildcat of the Highland hills and explore Gaelic legends of the Cat Sìth. Then they look at the wonders of the puffin and the various hardships puffins experienced on the abandoned island of St Kilda. Finally, they...

Jenny and Annie go away with the fairies to explore the mythology of Tomnahurich Cemetery in Inverness. This episode looks at folk legends of giants, fairy parties and fiddlers lost in the night. It also examines the curious relationship of Tomnahurich hill and Oliver Cromwell’s control of Scotland during the 17th Century. We go into detail on the life of Alexander Mackenzie, a Highland Historian...

Jenny and Annie stay inside on a dreichy day to talk about the environmental and cultural significance of rain. We discover the mythology and superstition of rain for fishermen of Shetland and try to make sense of the black rain prophecies of the Brahan Seer. We look at the geography of Scotland to understand why this place gets such an impressive amount of rain and discuss the wonders of the Celt...

This episode brings a guest host, Sara Boussaikouk, who talks to us about Victorian theatres in Inverness. We read original documents found in the Highland Archive Centre which describe the venues and performers of the Northern Scottish theatre scene. We dip our toes into romanticisation of the Scottish Highlands through the Sir Walter Scott effect. This episode also looks into the life of a power...

Jenny and Annie have a look at a group of artisan weavers who inspired a strike of sixty thousand people in Glasgow and the industrial central belt. This episode looks at the “Radical War” of 1820 and examines the causes of this civil uprising and the bloody aftermath. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second of a two-part adventure at Covesea caves, we look at the rumours of the Wizard of Gordonstoun who was said to have sold his soul for sacred knowledge. This episode discovers that Covesea caves were used by smugglers; who feed into a covert Jacobite network. We learn about Scottish Indigenous Travellers who passed through Covesea and think about the magic of stories in the caves. With...

In the first of a two-part exploration of Covesea caves, Jenny and Annie crawl into the Bronze Age to ponder why these caves were used for the curation of human bodies. Why did different people over different eras use the caves as a place of decapitation? We look at Pictish carvings on the walls and admire the special ambience of the caves throughout time. Stories of Scotland is a multi-award winn...

In this second episode on Loch Ness we look at the landscape through the lenses of both science and mythology. We consider innovation on Loch Ness; from ancient crannogs to a 1950’s water speed record attempts. We think about how tourism and technology combined to see a sudden surge in Nessie sightings, and muse about international Nessie comparisons. Stories of Scotland is a multi-award winning H...

Join us on a breathtaking journey through the history of Loch Ness. We explore the mysticism and legends of the Loch starting with Saint Columba’s confrontation with the Loch Ness monster. This episode unravels the importance of sea-beast symbols in Scotland’s ancient communities of Picts. We discover what has the Loch Ness monster has symbolised and meant to different generations of Highlanders o...

In this first episode, Annie and Jenny consider the significance of bothies in Scottish culture and delve into the dark pasts of bothy life and the ballads that farm workers would sing by the peat fires to warm their spirits. We think about what bothies are used for in modern Scotland and how they can help us spend more time enjoying nature and the outdoors, supporting both physical and mental wel...