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A Week of Picnics and Insects

Join Mark Stephen and Euan McIlwraith for the latest outdoor activities from Shetland to the Borders, plus the key stories for those who live and work in the countryside.

National Picnic Week comes to a climax this weekend and on Out of Doors we think you’d struggle to find a more quintessential picnic food than the Scotch Egg. Euan’s been delving into its history and it has even inspired Mark to pen another poem.

Our midweek podcast this week is with the film director Sally-Ann Wilson. She has made wildlife documentaries all over the world and Mark and Euan talk to her about some of her favourite animal encounters.

And not only is it the end of National Picnic Week, it’s also the end of National Insect Week! And since Mark performed a character assassination of the midge a couple of weeks ago, we’re joined by Craig Macadam from conservation charity Buglife to defend the midge and tell us why they are actually useful. Plus he brings us his own mystery insect noise.

Corrugated iron roofs are very much part of Scotland's rural landscape. Mark tells us what he finds so attractive about these often interesting buildings.

With the good weather recently and the slight easing in lockdown, lots more people are heading out to enjoy the outdoors. But with public toilets still closed, how do you go to the loo responsibly when exploring? Heather Morning from Mountaineering Scotland joins us to give us some hints and tips.

Our daily exercise piece this week comes from Radio Scotland presenter Nicola Meighan. She and her husband take us on one of their favourite local walks, up The Abbey Craig, best known as the home of the Wallace Monument.

In National Picnic Week we look back into the Out of Doors archive to a less than successful team picnic on the beach at Collieston in Aberdeenshire.

And to make sure you avoid the mistakes we made, the Foodie Quine, Claire Jessiman joins us to share her picnic dos and don’ts as well as some of her picnic memories.

After a week off last week mystery bird is back. Which feathered friend has Euan been researching this week?

1 hour, 30 minutes

Last on

Sun 28 Jun 2020 15:30

Broadcasts

  • Sat 27 Jun 2020 06:30
  • Sun 28 Jun 2020 15:30

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Landward

Landward

Scotland's farming and countryside programme