The Plodcast

Be calmed by the relaxing giggle of a stream tumbling off Sugar Loaf mountain in the Brecon Beacons near Abergavenny. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a gentle postcard from the British countryside each week that allows you a soothing few minutes escape into the wild, wherever you are. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Learn about the magic and mystery of fungi with expert mushroom hunter John Wright. He joins our own Kevin Parr for a ramble in a hidden corner of Dorset. John's book A Spotters Guide to Countryside Mysteries is out now. Later in the plodcast, the team talk about the etiquette of saying 'hello' (or not!) to strangers on a country walk – and we capture on tape a strange bird singing in the depths o...

Enjoy an autumn dog walk through a beech and oak woodland and listen to feet crunching on leaves while the wind seethes through the canopy. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside giving you a taste of the season wherever you are – and a chance for a few minutes mindful reflection. Recorded by Fergus Collins and presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on...

Hear about the big issues facing the English countryside from and Chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper. The conservationist and environmental campaigner reveals the actions being taken to protect our landscapes and wildlife – and some of the challenges we all face in the coming years. Rob Yorke asks the questions – at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...

Slow down the pace of your day with this short audio postcard from the countryside – waves swooshing and swirling around rocky outcrops of a rugged Gower coastline. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes give you a chance to relax to the sounds of the countryside – wherever you are. Recorded and presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more abo...

A plodcast special – in two parts. Rob Yorke meets conservationist, environmental compaigner and now Chair of Natural England Tony Juniper at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire to talk about how England's wildlife and landscape can be better protected and enhanced in the face of development and pressure from agriculture. Enjoy part one of this special interview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...

It's 3am on an autumn night in West Dorset and an oily blackness beneath a moonless sky. There's a hush in the cold still air but the atmosphere is thick with testosterone. A fallow buck is staking his claim, warning off rivals and guarding his does. A guttural bellow that bursts the quiet and echoes through the combes and hills. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are postcards from the coun...

Take a wander through the wild tors and misty valleys of Dartmoor in the company of Tom Cox. Tom has gathered dozens of stories of folklore and the supernatural and he shares some of them with our own Annabel Ross in a hugely entertaining walks across the moors. Find out more about Tom's writing here And please do send your thoughts about the podcast to editor@countryfile.com Hosted on Acast. See...

In this brief adventure in the countryside, you're walking along a stretch of shingle beside the River Usk in South Wales – the water has risen after recent rain and will son cover this little beach. Just upstream, rapids gurgle and swirl hungrily. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes give you a chance to relax to the sounds of the countryside – wherever you are. Recorded by Fergus Collins Hos...

The London Mudlark – Lara Maiklem – spends her free time combing the River Thames foreshore for fascinating objects that each have a story to tell. From buttons and beads to shoes and coins, her finds help build a picture of the people who have lived along the river for the past few centuries. Listen on to hear about this curious hobby. And you can see more of Lara's finds on Instagram, Twitter an...

Take a moment to enjoy the gentle chorus of wild birds and foraging insects on a still autumn day. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a short postcard from the British countryside for you to relax to wherever you are. This week's episode is recorded by Fergus Collins and presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choice...

Join the Plodcast team as they explore the magical Malvern Autumn Show and meet world record giant vegetables, noisy steam engines, champion bulls, chuckling chickens, the National Rabbit Council and a host of great country characters. A wonderful celebration of the best of British countryside. Find out more at Malvern Autumn Show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn...

Enjoy the drama of an autumn storm hitting a Dorset cottage while the garden sparrows – and a robin – bravely sing through the tempest. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a short postcard from the British countryside for you to relax to wherever you are. Recorded by Kevin Parr and presented by Hannah Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad ch...

Sitting on a small hill above the River Severn, St Arilda's Church has a magical churchyard full of old gravestones – and each one tells a curious tale. We meet with Sarah Williams of Who Do You Think You Are magazine to decipher some of the stories in the stones in this Gloucestershire village and learn how to trace our own rural ancestors. Please do leave feedback and likes – and send messages t...

Be charmed and soothed by the ebb and flow of waves on a pebble shore. It's an overcast autumn day at Pwll Du on Gower – a hidden smugglers' cove where you can find deep peace. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes offer you a chance to take a few minutes with nature, wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Recorded and presented by Hannah Tribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

Roam Gallows Down on the Witshire, Hampshire, Berkshire border and hear tales of ancient and modern history – as well as the battles to defend the precious natural wonders of the area from new roads, American air bases and nuclear missiles. Author and activist Nicola Chester introduces Annabel Ross to the wonders of the North Wessex Downs. Nicola's brilliant new book On Gallows Down is available n...

Ease yourself into the day with the song of robins from a riverside woodland in South Wales. Enjoy the background swirl of the River Usk in the latest calming Sound Escape from BBC Countryfile Magazine. Recorded by Fergus Collins Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enjoy wonderful folk music beside the River Wye and listen to the story of campaigners "Walking with the Wye" to raise awareness of the river's sad plight due to pollution. Recorded by Maria Hodson. With thanks to the Plump Hill Band, Tracey Dixon, Rob Swannack, Dick Brice and Rob Barnaville for allowing us to use their music in this podcast. Please do leave likes and reviews and you can contact t...

Shelter from autumn rain in a wooden bird hide and listen to the exotic cries of terns at RSPB Hodbarrow nature reserve in Cumbria. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a postcard from the countryside every week, offering your a chance to relax to the sounds of nature. Recorded by Martin Maudsley, presented by Hannah Tribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn...

There are tales of mysterious black panthers from almost every corner of the land – so we head out with writer and naturalist James Fair to look into one particular story: the Cotswold Cat. Could large felines really be on the loose in the modern British countryside? Don't forget to leave likes and reviews and you can contact the Countryfile Magazine team on editor@countryfile.com Hosted on Acast....

Listen to the calming sound of a gentle rain on the leaves of beech and hazel trees while you shelter in a green lane in the Cotswolds. Recorded by Fergus Collins, introduced by Hannah Tribe. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes offer a soothing postcard from the countryside to help you relax, wherever you are in the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn mor...

Relax to the gentle tones of poet Kenneth Steven as he explores the history and magic of Iona: likely birthplace of the ancient Book of Kells, resting place of Scottish kings and queens and sanctuary for the endangered corncrake. Find our more about Kenneth’s work at his website https://kennethsteven.co.uk/ And join the team at the end for the Podcast Postbag and discussions about wild swimming, h...

Relax as you walk beside a stream at the bottom of a valley of beech and oak woodland in the Brecon Beacons – known as St Mary's Vale. This is episode 30 of BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound escapes – your chance to escape into nature and relax to the wild sounds of the countryside, wherever you are. Recorded by Fergus Collins and presented by Hannah Tribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...

Poet Hugh Dunkerley explores mysterious Kingley Vale in the South Downs of West Sussex in search of a bunker created to house resistance fighters in the event of the Nazis ever invading Britain. Along the way he enters the dark and eerie yew woods and reveals tales of Viking massacres and other chilling local legends. With poems from Hugh and Vicki Feaver plus wildlife expertise from Natural Engla...

Listen to gulls as you sit on a headland overlooking the sea on the south Gower coast. Nearby a tractor bales hay as the last rays of afternoon sun light the fields. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes give you a gentle, relaxing postcard of the countryside for you to enjoy when you can't get there yourself. Recorded and presented by Hannah Tribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...