Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

As spring approaches and trees across the UK burst into blossom, why not make this special time of year a regular date in your nature calendar? Producer: Claire Hickinbotham Discover more Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

Britain’s answer to a housing crisis caused by the industrial revolution, Back to Back houses were once a prominent feature of northern towns.  An early type of social housing, the Back to Backs became known for their poor conditions, with their cramped design and bad sanitation. But what was life really like for the people that lived there?  Join us as we visit the last remaining Back to Back hou...

Nature is under threat! So we’re calling on the public to take one small step to protect the natural world.  This leap day we’re asking you to make a promise for nature. So how will you use your extra 24 hours to make a difference?   Producer: Claire Hickinbotham Discover more Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a st...

This week, we bring you a special episode from our Countryfile Live 2019 podcast. This new series brings you some of the best moments from debates at the BBC’s Countryfile Live event at Blenheim Palace.  In this episode, Countryfile presenter Tom Heap and a panel of experts consider how we might fix the plastic problem. Discover more Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app....

The beginning of this year marks the start of a year-long celebration of our 125th anniversary. This January we’re bringing you two special episodes from the podcast series we’re launching on sustainability.  The series ‘50% Renewable’ explores how the National Trust is working towards meeting 50% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2021.   Producer: Claire Hickinbotham Discover more Fol...

Tucked away off a busy street in London lies a sanctuary for endangered sounds. The Benton Fletcher Collection at Fenton House and Garden is a rare treasure that boasts restored and working early keyboard instruments, some of which are nearly 500 years old.  Guided by the Keeper of Instruments, National Trust curator, James Grasby finds himself transported to key moments in our musical past and le...

Wild swimming isn’t just for summer. As winter approaches, the hardiest swimmers enjoy the benefits the off-season brings. In this episode, Ranger Kate Martin heads to Carding Mill Valley where she’s introduced to the Shropshire Wild Swimmers and Dippers.  She’s challenged to a “refreshing” dip and discovers how open waters bring a sense of freedom to your mind, body and soul.  Discover more For i...

Time spent in the great outdoors can be an immersive experience. But how often do we stop and take the time to really absorb the sounds, touch and feel of nature? Walker Julian Jackson senses things differently to most people. In this episode, he shows us how to create a deeper connection with the natural world. Discover more Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'...

In Tudor times disease and death were never far away, as were other more mysterious terrors that many claimed were lurking in the dark.   In this Halloween special, curator James Grasby visits 500-year old Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire, to find out how the Tudors protected their homes against evil.    James meets house staff who reveal strange relics of our past and he comes face to face with a...

National Trust places are great to spend time at with those we know and love, but they can also be places where new friendships are born.  In this mini episode we follow Joanna and Rachel, two mums that met at a charity-run buggy walking group at Stourhead, as they embark on one of the National Trust’s most unique adventures. [Ad from our Sponsor] This episode of the National Trust podcast was mad...

Taking time away from his expeditions to the Amazon, professional tree climber James Aldred leads presenter Jo Dyson on a treetop adventure at Tyntesfield in Somerset.  Jo realises that tree climbing is not just for kids and discovers that we are all more connected to trees than we might think. Discover more For information about exploring Tyntesfield please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/...

In this special episode we bring you part one of our People’s Landscapes podcast series.    It’s Northey Island, 991 AD. Viking raiders clash in bloody battle with the Anglo-Saxon army defending their land. Dr Eleanor Barraclough, lecturer in medieval history at Durham University, explores how this violent incident resulted in a mashup of cultures we can still see today.    People’s Landscapes is...

As thousands of places across the UK open their doors for Heritage Open Days, we head to Blackpool to explore what heritage means to us as individuals and as a nation.  In this episode, National Trust curator James Grasby goes behind the scenes to witness the thrill of the Blackpool Illuminations, a spectacle that’s firmly rooted in the past but continues to shape our heritage today. Discover more...

We’re back at Divis and the Black Mountain to meet Ned Clarke who has walked on the mountain for thirty years.  Hear what it’s like to live side-by-side with these giants and discover how the mountain has been an escape in times of trouble. Discover more For information about exploring Divis and it's walks please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/divis-and-the-black-mou...

Against howling winds and biting rain to the summit on Divis Mountain, 1,500 feet above Belfast we find ranger and presenter Kate Martin battling the elements.  As we cross this wild landscape we’ll discover blanket bogs that are as dangerous as they are healing, ruins that hold the secret to 2,000 years of life and death, and awe-inspiring views of the city and hills beyond. Discover more For inf...

This week we’re at the annual apple grafting weekend at Cotehele. We’ll uncover the mysteries of apple grafting and learn how you can grow your very own Crimson Queen, Pendragon and even a Pig’s Nose. Discover more For information about exploring Cotehele please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall/cotehele Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd...

Join us as we go beyond the locked gates of the Trust’s most secretive location, the Plant Conservation Centre.  At this well-guarded site to find out how we protect our rarest and most historically-significant species of plant. Along the way we’ll brush shoulders with famous trees that have lined the pages of literature, and try our hand at grafting. Discover more For information about the Plant...

In this mini podcast, we’ll meet the man who welcomes visitors from around the world to John Lennon’s childhood home, and hear about his encounter with one very famous daytripper. Discover more For information about exploring Forthlin Road and the Beatles please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/liverpool-lancashire/the-beatles-childhood-homes Follow the National Trust Podcast on your f...

Four teenagers from Liverpool started meeting up to make music together. They went on to become the Beatles. Take trip down Penny Lane to visit the houses where John and Paul grew up, fell in love with rock and roll, and wrote some of the Beatles’ first songs, as we step inside the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Discover more For information about exploring Forthlin Road and th...

We’re delving into the military history of Box Hill in Surrey in this mini podcast, with a behind-the-scenes tour of an old fort that was used to protect London from invasion in the late nineteenth century. Discover more For information about exploring Box Hill please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/box-hill Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If yo...

Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city and hear what makes this corner of Surrey so special for the cyclists, walkers and children that flock here every year. In this episode we’re at Box Hill, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty just a short train ride from Central London.   Discover how getting out into the countryside might be easier than you think. Discover more For information...

In this mini episode we’re back in North Wales exploring the sights, sounds and scents of Bodnant Garden with a group of dog-walkers and their four-legged pals. Discover more For information about exploring Bodnant Garden please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/bodnant-garden Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedb...

In the foothills of Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) is the perfect spot for a crisp winter stroll through the world-famous Bodnant Garden. Join us to explore dramatic waterfalls, romantic dells and towering trees, and hear from the gardeners who care for this exotic and ever-changing landscape. Discover more For information about exploring Bodnant Garden please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org....

As there are five Thursday’s in this month, this week we’re giving you a bonus episode. To fill the gap until our next regular episode on the first Thursday of next month, we thought you might like to hear the first episode of a mini series we launched earlier this year called Women and Power. Women and Power looks at the Trust’s links to the suffrage movement and is narrated by broadcaster and Jo...

From artists and writers like Thomas Hardy to fellow soldiers from the army, Lawrence welcomed an array of visitors to his rustic retreat.  Learn how he entertained them, and gain a new perspective on his life from one of his relatives who helps keep his story alive today. Discover more For information about exploring Clouds Hill and T.E. Lawrence please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visi...