BBC Radio Podcasts from Open Country

Postal Paths and Corpse Roads

Helen Mark is in Cumbria, finding out about some of the county's historic fell routes.

Britain’s deadliest footpath

Helen Mark explores the Broomway in Essex, nicknamed 'Britain's deadliest footpath'.

Field notes from Mars

Rose Ferraby explores the links between the landscapes of Orkney and the planet Mars.

Tales from the Quoile Riverbank

Flooding, steamboats and Vikings - Helen Mark charts colourful times on the River Quoile.

Reed cutting at Cley

Ruth Sanderson meets reed cutters in Norfolk's oldest nature reserve.

The changing river with Philippa Forrester

Philippa Forrester shares stories about the river in her garden.

Mabel's mountain trip with hares

Three men and a famous dog have an adventure in the snow.

Return of the Derry Girl

Marie-Louise Muir explores the emerging new identity of Derry/Londonderry.

Creative Island with Anneka Rice

What makes the Isle of Wight one of the most creative places in the UK?

Seeking asylum in nature

Helen Mark meets a group of asylum seekers as they help with conservation work in Wales.

Music of the Gloucestershire landscape

Rose Ferraby finds out how the Gloucestershire landscape has inspired classical composers.

Wintertide in Hartlepool

Sally Rodgers of A Man Called Adam celebrates the Wintertide Festival in Hartlepool.

Unearthing the past at Vindolanda

Archaeologist Rose Ferraby visits the Roman site of Vindolanda in Northumberland.

Wilder London

Wildlife biologist and film-maker Dan O’Neill discovers the wild side of London.

Shaky Toun

Helen Mark finds out about the Highland Boundary Fault and how it's shaped the landscape.

Caves and Dragons: Pembrokeshire by Paddleboard

Anna Jones paddleboards the sea caves of Pembrokeshire that 'breathe' like dragons.

Mountain Rescue

Mountain Rescue teams are under pressure. Helen Mark visits the Lake District to hear why.

Hutting

Helen Mark finds out about the hutting movement in Scotland.

Felixstowe with Carolyn Quinn

Carolyn explores this Suffolk seaside town, a place she's visited often over the years.

Fieldnotes from Eternity

Paul Evans explores the rich folklore and natural history of St Melangell church in Powys

Stone Circles and Dark Skies in County Tyrone

Helen Mark hears how ancient Irish stone circles have inspired 21st century star gazers.

Highlands with Horses

Mary-Ann Ochota joins a group of walkers, riders and horses in the Scottish Highlands.

Sound and Light at Dungeness

Helen Mark explores the unusual landscape of Dungeness in Kent.

Oban Cliff Mystery

Who's been banging titanium bolts into Oban's cliffs?

The Isle of Man

Helen Mark finds out about new plans to restore temperate rainforest in the Isle of Man.

Stories of Sea and Stone

Rose Ferraby explores the coastal landscape around Whitby in North Yorkshire.

The Maelor

Mike Parker takes us on a tour of the Maelor, a part of Wales that juts forcibly east

Tiny's Cairn

A journey along the road of the kings

Inspiration on the Tay

Dougie Vipond explores the artistic influence of the Tay estuary.

Wartime Secrets of Coleshill

Helen Mark visits Coleshill in Oxfordshire, where a secret army was trained during WWII.

Rhondda valley: a landscape of change

Helen Mark explores the landscape of the Rhondda valley in south Wales.

Chasing Jamie Allan

Jez Lowe traces the path of the 18th-century musician Jamie Allan, The Duke’s Piper.

Herefordshire's Golden Valley

Ian Marchant explores the border country of the Golden Valley in Herefordshire.

Lost Norfolk

Lawrence D'Silva explores the abandoned villages and ruined churches of Norfolk.

Saving Our Wild Spaces

In a new series, Helen Mark speaks to some of the people who volunteer in conservation.

Seahenge

Rose Ferraby finds out about Seahenge - a timber monument found on a beach in Norfolk.

East Neuk of Fife

Ruth Sanderson explores the East Neuk of Fife, on the east coast of Scotland.

Winter Wonder in East Lothian

Helen Mark is in East Lothian in Scotland to revel in the beauty of the winter landscape.

Folk on the Hills

Jez Lowe joins folk musician Johnny Campbell as he records songs in the Peak District.

Ulster Canal: the missing link?

Could the Ulster canal be the missing link in Ireland's network of waterways?

St Just in Midwinter

Helen Mark visits a landscape inspiring art and celebration in the far west of Cornwall.

Belfast's Alleyways and Orchards

Helen Mark finds apple 'orchards' growing in the unlikely setting of Belfast's alleyways.

The Mendip Hills

The Mendip hills in Somerset have an intriguing wartime history which Helen Mark explores.

Rutland Water: What lies beneath?

Rutland Water is a reservoir with a prehistoric past life, as Helen Mark discovers.

Opening Up County Down

Helen Mark finds out how ancient woodland in County Down is being opened up to the public.

Matlock Bath Illuminations

As Matlock Bath Illuminations celebrate 125 years, Helen Mark explores the waters.

The Mushroom Man

How to spot Porcini and leave Destroying Angel mushrooms in the woods.

Tolkien Land

Ever wondered where Middle-earth really is?

The Plock

Helen Mark hears about plans to regenerate a community parkland close to the Skye Bridge.

Frampton Country Fair

Elver eating, sheep racing, and men with axes - it's one of the last fairs of the season.

Gedling Colliery: From Pit to Park

Rose Ferraby visits Gedling Country Park near Nottingham.

Beefeater Bend on the Tour de France

We're in the French Alps with five men from Essex dressed as Beefeaters... and it's hot.

Cornwall with Helen Glover

How growing up in and around Newlyn shaped and inspired an Olympic champion.

Finding Balblair

Helen Mark explores the 'lost' village of Balblair in the Scottish Highlands.

Radical Essex

Emily Knight explores the radical history of back-to-the-land pacifist communities.

A new road for Kerrera

Antonia Quirke travels 400 metres across the sea from Oban to the tiny island of Kerrera.

Uncharted Stories of the Causeway Coast

Helen Mark is in Northern Ireland to hear little known histories about the Causeway Coast.

Aberystwyth Inspiration

Niellah Arboine returns to her university town of Aberystwyth, which inspired her so much.

The Search for Summer Snow

Iain Cameron and Andrew Cotter climb the Scottish Highlands in search of snow.

The Book, the Fish and the Dove

The River Dove inspires this tale of Izaak Walton: fisherman, philosopher and writer.

Cornwall’s Steam Heritage

Ian Marchant celebrates steam power in Cornwall.

Erland Cooper's Orkney

Composer Erland Cooper takes us on a tour of his Orkney homeland.

Bath Workhouse Burial Ground

We visit a field in Bath, once used as the burial ground for a 19th-century workhouse.

The Wash

We visit the Wash, where the interests of fishing and conservation are finely balanced.

Mammoth Hunting on the Norfolk Coast

Emily Knight takes a walk along the Norfolk coast, on the trail of ancient mammoths.

Husky Sledding in the Cairngorms

Helen Mark explores the Aberdeenshire countryside - from the back of a husky-pulled sled!

California's Giant Cousins

Felicity Evans discovers how Europe's largest Redwood grove came to be in mid-Wales.

Goats on the Gun Batteries

Helen Mark explores the landscape of Purdown on the edge of Bristol.

Ancient Dartmoor

Ian Marchant explores Dartmoor, one of the UK's most important archaeological landscapes.

Classic Rock

Climbing in the Langdales with Anna Fleming.

Reflections and Connections

As the year turns, four individuals reflect on their relationship with the landscape.

Bright lights and bees at Blenheim

Helen Mark explores the parkland and green spaces of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.

The Wall

Inspired by Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, our relationship with walls is explored.

Wizards and steam trains on the West Highland Line

Tales of princes and wizards with musician, Ingrid Henderson, on the West Highland Line.

Memorial walks and woodlands

Helen Mark discovers how reclaiming land for nature can help us to heal post-pandemic.

Kerdroya - The Cornish Labyrinth

Helen Mark meets Will Coleman to discover the wonders of the Cornish hedge.

A Tot of Rum

Fiona Mackenzie uncovers the story of Kinloch Castle on the Hebridean Isle of Rum.

After Dark on the Brecon Beacons

An after-dark, star-lit adventure. From dusk to dawn in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Britain's Forgotten Rainforest

Lush green rainforest - right here in the UK. Helen Mark gets lost in the undergrowth.

Until the land runs out

In 1945 a young man began walking from Cornwall all the way to the top of Scotland.

The right to paddle?

How much of our waterways are open to watersports? Less than you think says Nick Hayes

How to build and paint a bird nest

Blackbirds, yellowhammers, wrens and crows - British birds and the places where they live.

North Channel

Helen Mark explores the narrow strip of sea between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A Fabric Landscape

Ian Marchant visits Blackburn, where the textile industry has shaped the landscape.

People and Stone

Archaeologist Rose Ferraby explores the connections between people and stone in Dorset.

Northumberland Sound Walk

Landscape and community inspire a sound walk in Northumberland.

Windsor Great Park

Ash Bhardwaj explores the varied landscapes of Windsor Great Park near London.

Journey to the Source of the Ancholme

Ian Marchant tracks the River Ancholme in Lincolnshire back to its source.

Durham: Time and the Tides

Three artists are inspired by the landscape and communities along the Durham coastline.

Magnet Fishing

Helen Mark goes fishing for treasure with magnets in Edinburgh.

Rare British breeds and their owners

We follow a photographer capturing rare British breeds in the landscape.

An Obsession with Forsythia

Helen Mark meets enthusiasts creating and looking after National Plant Collections.

Dawn on the Sea Loch

A journey at dawn by kayak across a sea loch in western Scotland as the seasons change.

Tales from the Black Mountains

Travel writer Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent explores her new home in the Welsh Black Mountains.

Songs of England

Folk singer Sam Lee explores the historic landmarks of England through song.

Canna

Fiona Mackenzie on the history, music and landscape of the Isle of Canna in the Hebrides.

Stormont Estate

Helen Mark finds out how the public and politicians in Northern Ireland share a parkland.

Fisherwomen

The voices of the women who mend the nets and gut the fish.

Twelve months of Open Country

Helen Mark looks at some of the highlights from the last twelve months of Open Country.

Julia Blackburn and the Suffolk coast

Helen Mark talks to the writer Julia Blackburn about her love of the Suffolk coastline.

Windows

Helen Mark rethinks her relationship with windows and how they connect us to the world.

Snowdrop Country

Alan Street has spent his life discovering snowdrops - but now there is new demand.

Brett Westwood and Wyre Forest

Brett Westwood and Rosemary Winnall are in Wyre Forest in search of wild service trees.

Winter at Binevenagh

Helen Mark immerses us in her local landscape surrounding Binevenagh in Northern Ireland.

Frank Turner and the Meon Valley

Frank Turner returns to the area in which he spent his early life, the Meon Valley.

The Lighthouse on the Headland of the Great Seas

How the local community is preserving the history of Scotland's Ardnamurchan Lighthouse.

Kitty Macfarlane and the Somerset Levels

Singer-songwriter Kitty Macfarlane explores how the Somerset levels inspires her music.

Rediscovering Redesdale

How the community in Redesdale, Northumberland, is restoring and celebrating its landscape

Eilean Shona

Eilean Shona, once a Highland crofting island, now a nature reserve and holiday retreat

New Land Owners, New Visions

Caz Graham meets the people behind two historic land buyouts in the south of Scotland.

The Sea

A cross-channel swimmer, a bird watcher, and an environmental artist reflect on the sea.

Gilbert White’s Selborne

A tour of Gilbert White’s Selborne 300 years after this pioneering naturalist was born.

The Bord Waalk of Amble

Landscape and wildlife have inspired a Bird Sculpture trail called Bord Waalk in Amble.

Ghost Ponds and Underwater Songs

In Norfolk, ghost ponds are being recovered, restored and heard to sing once again.

Cleeve Common

Sybil Ruscoe visits Cleeve Common, the highest point of the Cotswold Hills.

Brett Westwood's Summer Nature Diary

Brett Westwood shares his audio-diary of the natural world in summer.

Pete Waterman at Braunston Marina

Songwriter and music producer, Pete Waterman, revisits his childhood holidays

The Great Spotted Woodpecker Quest

Finding a Great Spotted Woodpecker’s nest is far from easy for cameraman James Aldred.

Green Pavements

Why the plants in our pavement cracks are attracting attention as important urban flora.

Restoration in the Lake District

Ian Marchant talks to people restoring landscapes in the Lake District.

Dawn Walk

A coastal dawn walk with wildlife filmmaker John Aitchison in West Scotland.

Ben Shieldaig

Helen Mark learns about a Scottish mountain and the village that nestles in it's shadow.

Landscapes in lockdown

How archaeologists have made new discoveries about the landscape, even during lockdown.

Julie Walters on Warley Woods

Julie Walters shares memories of her favourite childhood park, Warley Woods in Smethwick.

Closed Country: Changing seasons

Helen Mark looks at the changing seasons on her family farm near Limavady in N Ireland.

Closed Country: A Spring Audio-Diary with Brett Westwood

Spring - an audio diary with Brett Westwood

Birmingham Tree City of the World

Helen Mark finds out why Birmingham is so obsessed with trees.

The Music of the Surrey Hills

Ian Marchant explores music inspired by the landscape of the Surrey Hills.

Small Fish - Big Project

How a little known fish, rare and remarkable, is behind a huge project on the River Severn

Closed Country: Helen Glover in her Buckinghamshire back garden.

Helen Glover discovers what's in her own back garden with the help of Steve Backshall.

Halsway Manor

Helen Mark visits the national centre for folk arts which sits in the Quantock Hills.

Tintagel

With storms and high winds will Helen Mark be able to cross Tintagel's new bridge?

Ryebank Fields

Helen Mark visits Ryebank Fields in Chorlton and asks if it can be saved from development.

The Chilterns - a new National Landscape?

Ian Marchant visits the Chilterns, to test ideas from a new review into National Parks.

Planting Trees to Save the Planet in Cumbria

Helen Mark meets teenage campaigner Amy Bray planting trees to save the planet in Cumbria.

Skateboarding in the Woods

Ruth Sanderson discovers a skateboarding camp, deep in the Forest of Dean.

In the Bleak Midwinter: Holst's Cotswolds

Helen Mark considers how composer Gustav Holst's youth in the Cotswolds shaped his work

Bristol and the transatlantic slave trade

Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley examines how the transatlantic slave trade has shaped Bristol.

Painshill in Surrey - lost and found

Charles Hamilton's Painshill in Surrey was nearly lost. Helen Mark discovers more.

The Secret Life of Pigeons

Join us as we uncover the little-known world of the humble homing pigeon

Witham Navigable Drains

Ian Marchant fulfils a boyhood dream, of navigating the Witham Navigable Drains.

Arnos Vale Cemetery

Helen Mark explores the landscape of Arnos Vale Cemetery in Bristol.

Community Resilience in Toppesfield

Helen Mark meets the thriving community of Toppesfield.

One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill: a landmark that connects us emotionally and confounds us archaeologically

Folklore and Ghost Stories in Northumberland

On Halloween, Jez Lowe explores Northumberland's rich folklore, song and ghost stories.

Rick Stein's Cornwall

For Rick Stein why Padstow remains old fashioned and that little bit different.

Jarvis Cocker's Edale

Jarvis Cocker’s love affair with Edale and Kinder Scout.

Darwin’s Landscape Laboratory

How Charles Darwin used the plants in his garden to develop his theory of evolution.

The Centre of the Earth

Helen Mark journeys to The Centre of the Earth, a hidden nature reserve in Birmingham.

Southwell's Workhouse

Southwell's workhouse, minster and a 200-year-old apple tree.

The Isle of Eels

Helen Mark visits the Isle of Eels and joins their annual eel day parade

Inspiration On The Island of Jura

The Isle of Jura has inspired many artists, including George Orwell. Helen Mark hears why.

Rockfield Studios

Laura Barton visits Rockfield Studios, used by Queen to record Bohemian Rhapsody.

Family Monsters Garden in Swaffham and Chelsea

Helen Mark visits the Escape Project in Swaffham as they prepare for Chelsea Flower Show.

Ulva - An Island for the People

Helen Mark visits Ulva to hear about plans to repopulate and revitalise the island.

Exercise Shallow Grave

Mary-Ann Ochota joins former members of the armed forces as they unearth Saxon artefacts.

Sussex Weald Ironworking

Ian Marchant discovers that Sussex was once the epicentre of the international arms trade.

Stonehenge and its community

The makers and trades people of Stonehenge, whose lives are shaped by their landscape.

George Eliot Country

Helen Mark visits Nuneaton to follow in the footsteps of Victorian novelist George Eliot

Changing Tides at Morecambe Bay

Morecambe Bay is changing. Helen Mark hears how buildings and artworks will set the tone.

Surfing on Scotland’s North Coast

Thurso’s surfing community on why their reef break is one of Europe’s best waves.

The Pub at the End of Easdale

Helen Mark learns what it takes to run a pub on the tiny Scottish island of Easdale.

The Changing Thetford Forest

Ian Marchant meets some of the unexpected animals in Thetford Forest in Norfolk.

The Strawberry Line Community

Far from being abandoned, the Strawberry Line in Somerset has a new role in the community

Reservoirs and lost villages

Helen Mark visits Derbyshire to hear about reservoirs and long-gone villages.

Moorland on the mend

Caz Graham re-visits moors destroyed by fire this summer, to ask how they are recovering.

Leicester’s hidden gem - Bradgate Park - bought for the locals, but where’s all the archive?

Bradgate park bought for the people of Leicester from the heirs of Lady Jane Grey.

Benjamin Britten's Aldeburgh

An exploration of how the sea and Suffolk coast inspired Benjamin Britten's music

Life on the canals at Foxton Locks

Life on the canals, from the lock keeper to those who live on the water at Foxton Locks.

Ash to Ash

Ash trees are dying from ash dieback. Helen Mark hears how Kent is preserving their memory

The Suffolk Maharajah

How did an Indian Maharajah end living and being buried in a quaint rural Suffolk village?

Herodsfoot, Thankful Village

Helen Mark visits the 'thankful village' of Herodsfoot in Cornwall.

The Windermere Boys

How 300 orphans of the holocaust began a new life in the Lake District.

Liverpool Giants

Liverpool's landscape is dwarfed by three beloved giants. Helen Mark gets up close.

The Malvern Hills

Helen Mark explores the landscape of the Malvern Hills in the Midlands.

Childhood Holidays in Pembrokeshire

Charlotte Smith revisits Pembrokeshire, where she spent many of her childhood holidays.

Purton Hulks

Helen Mark discovers the fascinating world of the UK's largest ship's graveyard.

The First Lundy Marathon

David Lindo visits Lundy in north Devon for the island's very first half marathon race.

The Boat Builders of Pin Mill

Helen Mark sets sail from Pin Mill to discover the history of boat building in Suffolk.

The Great Exhibition of the North

Helen Mark explores landscapes of the future at the Great Exhibition of the North.

Humphry Repton and his Red Books

Helen Mark finds out about Humphry Repton the landscaper gardener and his red books.

Gertrude Jekyll at 175

Helen Mark celebrates the 175th anniversary of the birth of garden guru Gertrude Jekyll.

Swansea Copper and Choir

Helen Mark visits Swansea to hear how heavy industry shaped its landscape and its culture.

Inspired by flowers, Lincolnshire

Helen Mark meets people inspired by flowers in Lincolnshire.

Young people and landscape, Doncaster

Dominique Moore finds out how young people are engaging with the landscape near Doncaster.

Coventry Edgelands

Helen Mark visits Coventry to discover its Edgelands, the places in between landscapes.

The Isle of Gigha

Ian Marchant visits the Isle of Gigha to discover if his island dream is a reality.

Konnie Huq goes back to Kew Gardens

Konnie Huq visits her favourite London parks - Kew Gardens and Northala Fields.

Wild Cats in the Highlands

David Lindo searches for the elusive Scottish wildcat and hears about efforts to save them

Finding Fossils on the Jurassic Coast

Helen Mark discovers the story of man's earliest ancestor on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset.

Torridge and Taw, North Devon

Writer Linda Cracknell joins Helen Mark in North Devon to seek out her maritime roots.

Rewilding at Knepp Castle

Helen Mark explores the wilderness at Knepp Castle and asks if it is really working.

Red Squirrels in Formby

Helen Mark is in Formby, a place that is regarded as a haven for the native red squirrel.

Visions of Birmingham

Adrian Goldberg meets fellow Brummies with a vision for Birmingham's future landscape.

Border Country

As Brexit gathers pace, Helen Mark explores the landscape of the Irish border.

Serpentine on the Lizard, Cornwall

Helen Mark meets people whose livelihoods depend on the unique landscape of the Lizard.

Bell-ringing in Devon

Mary Ward-Lowery finds out why bell-ringing is different in Devon.

Climbing High Pike with Sir Chris Bonington

Mountaineer Chris Bonington takes Helen Mark to his favourite view in the Lake District.

The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh

Helen Mark asks why the largest battle fought on Scottish soil has been largely forgotten.

Tughall Mill, Northumberland

How will the 200 acres at Tughall Mill change now it is owned by the National Trust?

The Gardens at Glyndebourne

Helen Mark finds out how Glyndebourne's gardens inspire singers, artists and opera-goers.

The Brecks - East Anglia's Secret

Helen Mark visits East Anglia's best kept secret, the Brecks - heath, forestry and farms.

Huw Stephens at Green Man Festival

Huw Stephens goes to Green Man festival to hear why music sounds best in the countryside.

Ballooning in Bristol

Helen Mark takes flight at the International Balloon Fiesta in Bristol.

Eliza Carthy in Robin Hood's Bay

Folk singer Eliza Carthy unearths the secrets of Robin Hood's Bay in Yorkshire.

Lincolnshire Bike Night

Paul Murphy puts on his leathers to find out why Lincolnshire is biker heaven.

Loch Tay and Ben Lawers

Helen Mark climbs Ben Lawers above Loch Tay for a better view of the southern Highlands.

The Dark Side of the Lune

Ian Marchant explores the dark side of the Lune. The River Lune in Lancashire.

BBC Monitoring at Caversham

Caz Graham visits BBC Monitoring - the Berkshire mansion that eavesdrops on the world.

Wimbledon

Alison Mitchell meets the people who cultivate the sporting landscape at Wimbledon.

Stonehenge and Mental Health

Can time spent in prehistoric landscapes around Stonehenge help Wiltshire residents?

Lough Neagh

Helen Mark visits the largest lake in the British Isles, Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.

Blencathra: The People's Mountain

Blencathra in the Lakes has become the People's Mountain. Helen Mark discovers why.

The Future of Sherwood Forest

Sherwood Forest is looking towards a new future, David Lindo finds out more.

Skiving at Poverty Bottom, Newhaven

Ian Marchant revisits the familiar landscape of Newhaven, to learn how to see it properly.

Learning from the Wild in Dartington

Helen Mark visits the Dartington Estate, Devon, where learning from nature changes lives.

The Mildenhall Treasure

Helen Mark meets the people who are re-examining the site of the Mildenhall Treasure.

Underground Bristol

Bristol's hidden gems are explored by Helen Mark.

London: A National Park City?

Can London be a National Park City? David Lindo finds out.

Barton-upon-Humber Clay Pits

Helen Mark discovers why flooded clay pits make up the landscape of Barton-upon-Humber.

Winter Solstice at Newgrange

To celebrate winter solstice Helen Mark visits prehistoric monument Newgrange in Ireland.

Wordsworth's County Remade

Helen Mark visits the Lake District to hear how 'Wordsworth's County' is being remade.

Whitelee Windfarm on Eaglesham Moor

Helen Mark visits Eaglesham Moor in Scotland, home of the UK's largest onshore wind farm.

Belvoir Castle and its 'Capability' Brown Landscape

Helen Mark explores the completed 'Capability' Brown gardens at Belvoir Castle.

Sathnam Sanghera goes home to Wolverhampton

Writer Sathnam Sanghera goes home to Wolverhampton to discover a changed landscape.

David Lindo on the Isle of Man

David Lindo, AKA the Urban Birder, leaves the city to meet the wildlife of the Isle of Man

Snowdonia Marathon

Helen Mark meets the runners, organisers and volunteers behind Snowdonia Marathon.

Wild Boar in the Forest of Dean

Helen Mark has a close encounter with some wild boar in the Forest of Dean.

Off Grid in Mid-Wales

Guest presenter Ian Marchant meets people who live 'off-grid' in mid-Wales.

Bellaghy - Seamus Heaney's Homeplace

Helen Mark travels to Bellaghy to discover poet Seamus Heaney's 'Homeplace'.

Hoylake: Green Belt and Greens

Helen Mark finds out how a proposed golf resort in Hoylake will affect the green belt.

Helen Baxendale visits Belper in Derbyshire

Helen Baxendale visits Belper in Derbyshire to explore the traces of its industrial past.

Spurn Point Lifeboat Station

Helen Mark meets the only full-time lifeboat crew in the UK at Spurn Point in East Yorks.

The 'Man Engine' in Cornwall's mining landscape

Helen Mark meets the UK's largest puppet, Man Engine, in Cornwall's mining landscape.

Orkney Wildlife in Crisis

Orkney's incredible wildlife is under threat. Helen Mark discovers how technology can help

Capability Brown at 300

Helen Mark finds out why Capability Brown is heralded as the Shakespeare of gardening.

Biodiversity at Heathrow

Helen Mark visits Heathrow to discover how the airport encourages biodiversity.

The Dolphins of Cardigan Bay

Patrick Aryee encounters the dolphins and dolphin-watchers of Cardigan Bay.

Bishop Auckland, History in Production

Helen Mark explores the history of Bishop Auckland as theatrical production Kynren opens.

Midsummer Music in Orkney

Helen Mark visits Orkney to hear music and stories from 40 years of St Magnus Festival.

Dawn Chorus across Europe

Brett Westwood follows the dawn chorus from east to west across Europe.

Tennyson's Lincolnshire

Helen Mark explores the Lincolnshire Wolds through the poetry of Tennyson.

Southwell Races, Nottinghamshire

Helen Mark spends a day at the rural racetrack of Southwell in Nottinghamshire.

The National Forest: 25 Years

Helen Mark visits the National Forest as it marks 25 years.

Old Oswestry Hillfort

Helen Mark visits the Iron Age hillfort in Oswestry, Shropshire.

Gainsborough's Nodding Donkeys

Helen Mark visits the nodding donkeys of the Gainsborough Trough.

Welsh Valleys after Coal

Felicity Evans asks how the valleys of south Wales have fared since the mines closed.

Return to the Fens

Helen Mark and writer Simon Barnes explore the Great Fen and Charles Rothschild's legacy.

Scowles in the Forest of Dean

Helen Mark is in the Forest of Dean in search of geological formations known as scowles.

Somerset Peat: Past, Present and Future

Helen Mark uncovers why peat makes the Somerset Levels a special place to visit.

Yorkshire in the Dark

Yorkshire looks different in the dark. Helen Mark looks into the heavens and underground.

River Tay

Salmon, apples and whisky. Caz Graham follows the fertile flow of the River Tay.

The Northern Lights at Christmas

Helen Mark visits Swedish Lapland to discover the myths and magic of the Northern Lights.

Lincolnshire Coast Revival

Helen Mark visits the Lincolnshire Coast to find new life and regeneration in the winter.

Pendle Hill, Lancashire

Why do witches and radical Quakers haunt Pendle Hill, the much loved Lancashire landmark?

Prehistoric Gower

Writer Iain Sinclair seeks the UK's oldest burial site along south Gower's clifftops.

Tollesbury Wick in Essex

Helen Mark visits Tollesbury Wick on the Essex coast.

Big Chill in Llanthony

Helen Mark visits Llanthony in Wales to hear how the Big Chill festival began 20 years ago

The Peak District

Helen Mark is in the Peak District to meet Mountain Rescue Team, who keep visitors safe.

The Glenfinnan Gathering

Helen Mark goes to the Glenfinnan Gathering, a Highland games in the west of Scotland.

Cornish Alps

Helen Mark visits Cornwall's clay country to see how mining has sculpted the landscape.

Jersey Shores

Jersey doubles in size when the tide goes out. Helen Mark goes paddling.

Thomas Hardy's Dorset

Helen Mark visits the landscapes of Thomas Hardy's life, death and literature in Dorset.

Rathlin Island

Helen Mark visits Rathlin Island, situated just off the north coast of Antrim.

The North Antrim Coast

Helen Mark takes to the seas to explore the North Antrim coastline.

Ospreys in Cumbria

Caz Graham goes in search of Cumbria's regular visiting ospreys.

Celebrating Golowan in Cornwall

Helen Mark lights the midsummer bonfires on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall to celebrate Golowan.

The Lengthsman with Antony Gormley

Helen Mark joins Sir Antony Gormley to explore his latest sculpture in rural Warwickshire.

The ancient sport of hound trailing in Cumbria

Helen Mark visits Cumbria to experience the exciting and ancient sport of hound trailing.

Landscape Art in Northumberland

Caz Graham visits the Northumberland countryside to discover stunning art in the landscape

The Solway Shore

Caz Graham visits the shores of Solway Firth.

The Hoo Peninsula

Helen Mark visits the Hoo Peninsula in Kent to discover a landscape of change.

CS Lewis Nature Reserve, Oxfordshire

Helen Mark discovers the Oxfordshire woodland that once belonged to author CS Lewis.

Shetland

Helen Mark finds out about the landscape and people of Shetland.

Churchill's Chartwell in Kent

Helen Mark explores Sir Winston Churchill's family home of Chartwell in Kent.

The Ring of Gullion

Helen Mark visits the Ring of Gullion in Northern Ireland.

The Purbeck Clay Mines

Helen Mark explores the clay mining history of Dorset's picturesque Isle of Purbeck.

Wiltshire Wellbeing Group

Helen Mark meets the people who have found the courage to embrace outdoor life.

Suffolk Coast

Helen Mark explores the landscape of the Suffolk coast.

Dart Estuary

Helen Mark explores the Dart Estuary by boat, travelling from Dittisham to Dartmouth.

Christmas Trees at Castle Howard

Caz Graham visits Castle Howard, where Christmas tree sales are in full swing.

Nature Reserves in Cumbria

Caz Graham visits two nature reserves in Cumbria to see what wildlife visits in winter.

Belfast Hills

Helen Mark is in the Belfast Hills to hear from the people who live and work there.

Brownsea Island, Dorset

Felicity Evans is on Brownsea Island, exploring one of Britain's most popular reserves.

Steart Peninsula, Somerset

Felicity Evans visits Steart Marshes, the UK's largest new wetland reserve.

Lee Valley

Helen Mark explores the Lee Valley's hybrid landscape of the natural and industrial.

Orchards in Herefordshire

Felicity Evans visits the autumnal orchards of Herefordshire.

Elmley Nature Reserve

Helen Mark visits the marsh-swathed landscape of Elmley Nature Reserve in Kent.

Dennis Potter and the Forest of Dean

Felicity Evans visits the Forest of Dean, the landscape that author Dennis Potter loved.

The John Muir Way

Helen Mark trails the new John Muir Way to hear how he was inspired by Dunbar's landscapes

The Needles, Isle of Wight

Helen Mark learns a Cold War secret amidst the Isle of Wight's chalk cliffs, The Needles.

Cheshire Salt

Cheshire's salt sustained the British Empire. Felicity Evans finds out how and why.

Chalk Streams

Helen Mark finds out why Hampshire's chalk streams are so revered by fly fishermen.

The Bournville Legacy

Felicity Evans asks how George Cadbury's vision for Bournville, Birmingham, lives on today

Slate Mines, Snowdonia

Snowdonia's slate once roofed the world. Find out what has become of the quarries today.

Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire

How did people live and work 2,000 years ago? Helen Mark finds out at Butser Ancient Farm.

Hafod, Mid Wales

Felicity Evans visits Hafod estate near Aberystwyth, once Wales's most popular attraction.

Rural Murals in Dumfries and Galloway

Helen Mark visits new art in the countryside aiming to give visitors a fresh perspective.

Tour de Yorkshire

Helen Mark explores the route of the opening leg of the Tour de France in Yorkshire.

Life on Coquet Island

Helen Mark visits Coquet Island, sanctuary for some of Britain's rarest nesting sea birds.

Brooklands Racetrack

Helen Mark visits Brooklands, the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit.

The Avon Gorge, Bristol

Felicity Evans explores the wild landscape of Bristol's Avon Gorge.

Walking on Water, Isles of Scilly

Helen Mark walks between Tresco and Bryher on the Isles of Scilly on a low spring tide.

Heritage Cotton Mills, Derbyshire

Helen Mark visits the cotton mills of the Derwent Valley.

Brecon Beacons, Waterfall Country

Felicity Evans visits the western end of the Brecon Beacons and walks behind a waterfall.

British Raj in the Peak District

Helen Mark discovers Indian heritage amongst the hills of the Peak District National Park.

Chelford Cattle Market

Helen Mark explores Chelford Cattle Market in Cheshire.

Common Ground, Dorset

Helen Mark hears why Dorset was used as a laboratory by the arts group Common Ground.

Adlestrop

Helen Mark visits the Gloucestershire village that inspired Edward Thomas's famous poem.

Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage

Helen Mark discovers how Lincolnshire's former airfields are being used today.

Falkland Centre for Stewardship

Felicity Evans visits Falkland Estate in Fife, home to a former royal palace.

Strangford Lough

The people who work, rest and play on Strangford Lough.

The Legacy of Flodden Field

Helen Mark visits the border landscape surrounding the Battle of Flodden.

Doddington Hall, Lincolnshire

Helen Mark visits Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire, where festivities include a shoot.

Royal Haslar Hospital

Felicity Evans explores the site of the Royal Haslar Naval hospital in Gosport.

Shropshire Union Canal

Felicity Evans travels from Beeston to Ellesmere Port along the Shropshire Union Canal.

Romney Marsh

Tales of smuggling, a nuclear power station and medieval churches on Romney Marsh.

The Birds of Lindisfarne

Helen Mark arrives on Lindisfarne, just as migrating birds flock to this Holy Island.

Moseley Bog

Felicity Evans visits the Birmingham bog that inspired Tolkien's Middle Earth.

Geocaching in Salcey Forest

Helen Mark joins geocachers from around the world discovering the Salcey Forest.

Restoring Mountsorrel's Long Forgotten Railway

One man's 'crazy' idea to restore a forgotten railway track in Leicestershire.

Celebrating the Plum

Helen Mark meets Alistair McGowan at a plum festival in the Vale of Evesham.

Laurie Lee Land

Helen Mark explores the new life springing up in Laurie Lee's beloved Slad Valley.

Beer Quarry Caves

Helen Mark visits Devon's Beer Quarry Caves which supplied Exeter cathedral with limestone

Skiffs on Loch Broom

Helen Mark is in Scotland to celebrate a recent boom in skiff-racing.

The Ants of Longshaw Estate

Helen Mark visits Longshaw Estate in Derbyshire to meet some very special ants.

Crossing the Forth

Open Country marks the naming of the new Forth crossing near Edinburgh.

Salisbury Plain

Felicity Evans visits the 'lost' village of Imber on Salisbury Plain.

A World in a Woodland

Helen Mark goes to a forest school in woodlands in Gloucestershire.

Herriot Country

Felicity Evans visits 'Herriot Country' in Yorkshire, made famous by vet James 'Alf' Wight

Teifi Valley

Felicity Evans visits the Teifi Valley in West Wales.

A Tale of Three Piers

Helen Mark promenades with Timothy West along the pier at Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare.

Highland Ponies

Helen Mark visits the working ponies of the Reay Forest estate in Sutherland.

Cannock Chase

Jules Hudson visits Cannock Chase, in Staffordshire, to find out about its military past.

The Minack Coast

Felicity Evans explores human influence on the coast between the Lizard and Land's End.

Fens of Cambridgeshire

Felicity Evans visits Fenland Cambridgeshire in search of a Victorian vicar and naturalist

Lyme Regis

Helen Mark visits Lyme Regis' Undercliffs, a jungle created by 200 years of landslips.

Graham Sutherland's Pembrokeshire

Felicity Evans follows the Pembrokeshire footsteps of abstract artist Graham Sutherland.

Springtime in Galloway

Helen Mark is in Scottish Dumfries and Galloway for their 10th annual Wild Spring Festival

Nuns of Yorkshire

Helen Mark visits the sisters of the environmentally-friendly Stanbrook Abbey in Yorkshire

Inishowen

Helen Mark explores the landscape and shoreline of the Inishowen Peninsula.

Johnsons Island

Helen Mark discovers the little-known Johnsons Island and the community surrounding it.

Memories of the Black Isle

Felicity Evans visits the Black Isle where residents are collecting landscape memories.

Marshes of Norfolk

Felicity Evans finds that it's not just migrating birds that settle in Cley Marshes.

Heritage at Risk - West Midlands

Jules Hudson visits the West Midlands to ask why so much of our heritage is at risk.

Hastings: The Shingle Fleet

Helen Mark visits the ancient fishing community in Hastings, down on the shingle beach.

Finding Neverland

On the edge of JM Barrie's Kirriemuir, Helen Mark discovers the real Never Never Land.

Christmas in Norfolk

Helen Mark is in Norfolk where preparations for Christmas are well underway.

The Canal That Never Was

Jules Hudson discovers the secrets of 'The Canal That Never Was'.

Beasts of Brighton

Helen Mark finds surprising wildlife in the city of Brighton.

Atlantic College at 50

Felicity Evans visits Atlantic College in south Wales - set up to promote peace.

Snowdonia

Helen Mark discovers the myths and legends of the landscape of Snowdonia.

Hicks Lodge/National Forest

Helen Mark visits a restored open cast mine in Leicestershire, now a haven for wildlife.

Moray Firth

Richard Uridge goes whale-watching in Scotland's Moray Firth.

Isle of Bute

Helen Mark goes 'doon the watter' to explore the Isle of Bute, off Scotland's west coast.

Ireland - Peat

Helen Mark is in Ireland, looking at attitudes down the centuries to the peat bogs.

Lughnasa Festival

Helen Mark is in Ireland to celebrate the ancient Celtic harvest festival of Lughnasa.

Urban Wildlife

Jules Hudson visits West London in search of the wildlife that calls the city home.

White Cliffs of Dover

Helen Mark meets Dame Vera Lynn to discuss an iconic landmark, the white cliffs of Dover.

Hampstead Heath Ponds

Jules Hudson takes a journey around the unique swimming ponds of Hampstead Heath.

12/07/2012

Helen Mark explores the landscape around Wenlock Edge in Shropshire.

Eels

Helen Mark is in Gloucestershire to find out about the mysterious eel.

Devon Farm Vet

Jules Hudson explores how the role of the farm vet has changed in recent years.

Northamptonshire Inspiration

Richard Uridge discovers the Northamptonshire countryside around Rockingham Forest.

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal

Helen Mark takes a trip along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal in its 200th year.

Herefordshire Churches

Helen Mark meets some of the people involved with the rural churches of Herefordshire.

Drought

Jules Hudson is in Berkshire looking at the effects of the drought.

29/03/2012

Helen Mark investigates the Flat Holm nature reserve off the Cardiff coast.

22/03/2012

Open Country explores the importance of the Kent landscape to Charles Dickens.

02/02/2012

Jules Hudson discovers a hidden landscape, deep beneath the East Anglian fens.

26/01/2012

Jules Hudson visits an Afghan village in Norfolk used to train soldiers.

19/01/2012

Seven years since the hunting act became law, Open Country investigates if it's working.

Olympics

With six months to go, Helen Mark investigates if Weymouth is ready for the Olympic Games.

Knockando Woolmill

Helen Mark visits the Scottish Highlands to see how a river can shape a village's fortunes

29/12/2011

The coastal communities of Moray Firth discuss the importance of preserving the gansey.

22/12/2011

Assessing a 60-year-old project on the Farne Islands, home to grey seals.

Snowdonia: Search and Rescue Dog Association

Helen Mark joins a very special training day in the Snowdonia National Park.

Lancashire: Shale Gas

Does the Lancashire landscape hold the key to cheaper gas bills?

03/12/2011

A major recruitment drive is launched for volunteers to help man our waterways.

24/11/2011

Research sheds light on acts of resistance in occupied Jersey during the Second World War.

17/11/2011

Richard Uridge meets the 58 residents of Herm who all live and work for just one employer.

10/11/2011

Open Country investigates the latest on a disease which is ravaging forests across the UK.

Horseback UK

Helen Mark is in Royal Deeside in Aberdeenshire to find out about Horseback UK.

The Dark Peaks

Jules Hudson visits the Peak District to discover its tragic aviation history.

Heather Moorland

Jules Hudson visits the North York Moors to see how heather moorland is being revived.

Neptune's Army of Rubbish Cleaners

Richard Uridge explores the Pembrokeshire coast around Skomer island from the bottom up.

The Devil's Beeftub

Helen Mark explores the Devil's Beeftub and Grey Mare's Tail in the Scottish Borders.

Island Revival

The isle of Ulva was abandoned 200 years ago. Helen Mark finds out why it's now thriving.

13/08/2011

Richard Uridge travels the River Wye looking for barbel fish and tranquil waters.

06/08/2011

Helen Mark visits Kent to discover the history of the Ordnance Survey after 220 years.

30/07/2011

Helen Mark visits a Traveller site in Essex and asks who should live in the countryside.

Northumberlandia

Is the largest replica of the human body in the landscape a good idea for Northumberland?

The South Downs - An Inspirational Landscape

Helen Mark is in Sussex to find out about the inspirational South Downs.

Trailblaze on the South Downs

Why has a new scheme to encourage people onto our national trails upset some people?

Hay Meadows

Which of our precious natural habitats is under threat? Helen Mark finds out.

Foot and Mouth - Ten Years On

Ten years after the countryside was devastated by foot and mouth, Helen Mark is in Cumbria

Welsh Highland Railway

Helen Mark takes a ride on the Welsh Highland Railway through the landscape of Snowdonia.

Mingulay

Helen Mark visits Barra in the Outer Hebrides to hear about island life past and future.

Herefordshire film

Richard Uridge visits Herefordshire's rural film festival.

Sherwood Forest

Richard Uridge finds out that there's more to Sherwood Forest than Robin Hood.

Durham Heritage Coast

Helen Mark visits the transformed landscape of the Durham Heritage Coast.

Edgelands

Richard Uridge explores the Edgelands around Manchester.

Death on the Moors

Is the iconic Dartmoor pony under threat? Helen Mark is on Dartmoor to find out.

Weather in Wiltshire

Helen Mark is in Wiltshire to find out about a very British obsession.

Portbury Wharf

Helen Mark meets Bristol city dwellers developing a nature reserve on their doorstep.

Yurts

Meet those who are braving the winter to live like nomads in their yurt high up on Exmoor.

High Speed Rail

The proposals for high speed rail in Buckinghamshire that are provoking protest campaigns.

River Thames

Helen Mark discovers a dramatic transformation to the waters of the River Thames.

Mistletoe

Owen Sheers visits the annual Mistletoe Festival at Tenbury Wells.

18/12/2010

Helen Mark is in Dorset to find out how marine life can impact on the local community.

Wildlife Crime

Richard Uridge is on the trail of wildlife poachers in Cumbria.

Lighthouse

We explore how the UK's only independently-run lighthouse, in Happisburgh, has survived.

Ardtornish

Helen Mark visits Ardtornish estate in Morvern, in the western Highlands of Scotland.

New Forest Mushrooms

Richard Uridge goes foraging for fungi in the New Forest.

Ayrshire

Helen Mark hears how a forest of ten million conifers changed Ayrshire's Whitelee Plateau.

Resistance

Owen Sheers explores Wales' secret military history from World War II.

Pluckley: The Most Haunted Village in Britain

What is life like in Britain's most haunted village? Helen Mark is in Pluckley to find out

Leeds-Liverpool Canal

Helen Mark explores life along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

Conservation Grazing in Cornwall

Helen Mark is in Cornwall to find out about some new features of the landscape.