SideCountry Podcast

What does “wild” actually mean in a country where almost every landscape bears the mark of people?George Browne and Richard Prideaux are joined by archaeologist and author Eloise Kane, whose book Wilderlands: The Human History of Wild Britain traces 12,000 years of our changing relationship with the natural world.Starting with the extraordinary antler headdresses found at Star Carr, the conversation moves through ancient field boundaries, hunting, domestication, introduced species and deliberately designed landscapes to ask how much of what we think of as natural has actually been shaped by human hands.There are brown hares that arrived thousands of years after people did, man-made landscapes that now feel completely wild, red kites moving from pest to conservation success story, and wolves that have become symbols of both what Britain has lost and what some people would like to bring back.That leads into the modern arguments around rewilding, access, wild camping and our tendency to value nature most when it behaves in the way we would like it to. Do we really want wildness, or do we want the appearance of it without the inconvenience?Rather than searching for some perfect point in the past to recreate, Eloise argues for using history to understand the landscape we actually have. The fact that somewhere bears our mark does not automatically make it less valuable.Useful Links- Wilderlands: The Human History of Wild Britain- Eloise Kane on Bluesky- Star Carr Archaeology Project- SideCountry- Support SideCountry on PatreonDISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

What happens when going outdoors becomes content?Social media has encouraged huge numbers of people to walk, camp and spend time in the mountains. But it has also created an industry of outdoor influencers, brand deals and increasingly dramatic content, where looking adventurous can sometimes matter more than knowing what you're doing.Richard Prideaux is joined by Scotty, better known as Scotty on the Summit, a former Royal Navy aeronautical engineer with years spent working alongside commando units and a lifelong background in the outdoors.Scotty began posting online to share what he had learned, but quickly found himself frustrated by the images and narrative circulating through hiking social media. They discuss how misinformation gets repeated, why risky-looking content performs so well, and the role outdoor brands and marketing agencies can play when free kit and social reach become more valuable than experience.But where does encouraging people outside end and responsibility begin? Richard and Scotty look at the accusation of gatekeeping, why qualifications and professional instruction still matter, and what can happen when somebody sees an experienced-looking person doing something risky online and assumes they can safely do the same.The conversation also gets into navigation, weather, route planning, GPS, map and compass skills, clothing, mountain rescue and the satisfaction that comes from learning the craft rather than simply completing the route.Because perhaps the answer isn't to stop listening to people on the internet or stop encouraging people into the hills. It is to make competence something worth aspiring to.Competence is cool.In this episode:How outdoor social media became dominated by influencers and brand contentWhy bad advice spreads so easily onlineFree kit, sponsorship and the pressure to make things look extremeWhen adventurous content starts influencing real-world riskIs talking about experience and training really gatekeeping?The difference between encouraging people outdoors and preparing them properlyWhy professional guides, instructors and qualifications still matterLearning navigation rather than simply following a GPS routeMap, compass, weather and route-planning skillsThe value of self-reliance in the mountainsWhy outdoor brands need to think about who represents their productsVisibility, clothing choices and being found if something goes wrongTaking pride in learning a craft properlyWhy competence is coolUseful links:Scotty on the Summit on InstagramMountain Training: Hill SkillsSupport the SideCountry NetworkMountain Training: Mountain SkillsAdventureSmart UKMountain Rescue England and Wales: Stay SafeSideCountry NetworkOrdnance Survey: Map SkillsDISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

What is a forest actually for?Richard Prideaux is joined by Nick Adams, forestry contractor, SideCountry writer and a man whose family has been following each other into the woods for generations. This episode was recorded at the 50th anniversary APF show at Ragley Estate on 24th September 2026.Surrounded by chainsaws, woodchippers and some extremely expensive machinery, they start with the less visible side of forestry: the people who actually plant, manage and harvest Britain's woods, and the strange disconnect between our enthusiasm for trees and our understanding of timber as something we use every day.They discuss the competing demands placed on modern woodland, from producing timber and storing carbon to supporting wildlife and providing somewhere for people to walk, ride and spend time outdoors. Can a forest really do all of those things at once, and should it have to?Richard and Nick then sit down with Andrew Sowerby, President of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, to look at the bigger picture.The conversation ranges from Britain's reliance on imported timber and the very long timescales of forestry to labour shortages, apprenticeships, woodland management, public procurement and the challenge of attracting people into careers that might shape landscapes they will never live long enough to see mature.And with technology changing work across almost every industry, there is one fairly reassuring conclusion: however clever AI becomes, somebody is still going to have to go outside and plant the trees.In this Episode:What the APF show tells us about modern British forestryThe people behind the machineryWhy timber is an everyday resource we rarely noticeBalancing timber production, wildlife, carbon and recreationWhy productive forestry and biodiversity do not have to be oppositesPublic perceptions of felling and woodland managementWhat makes a Chartered ForesterBritain's reliance on imported timberForestry, resilience and national securityPlanning woodland on timescales measured in decadesThe forestry labour shortageApprenticeships and bringing new people into the industryThe challenges facing contractors and small forestry businessesWhy forestry could offer opportunities in a changing jobs marketWhat AI cannot replace in the relationship between people and treesLinks:- RFS Branching out film- APF Exhibition- Forestry Contracting Association- Institute of Chartered Foresters- Royal Forestry Society- Support SideCountryPart of the SideCountry Network.DISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

Should you be allowed to head into a Welsh river and pan for gold?After a repeat offender was convicted of illegally gold panning at Coed y Brenin, George Browne, Richard Prideaux and Amy Green look at what seems like a fairly harmless countryside hobby and the much bigger questions sitting underneath it.They discuss Welsh gold, who owns it, why disturbing river gravel can matter for spawning fish, and whether prosecuting one gold panner is really an effective use of environmental enforcement.From there, the conversation broadens into access versus impact. What happens when a quiet activity becomes popular? Can education and self-policing work better than simply banning things? And does social media inevitably turn good countryside spots into honeypots?That leads from mountain biking and bothies to commercial mushroom picking, foraging pressure and the strange reality of people fighting over valuable fungi in Welsh forests.In this episode:Geology, rock hounding and reading the landscapeWelsh gold and the history of gold miningThe Coed y Brenin gold-panning prosecutionWho owns gold and silver found in BritainGold panning and salmon spawning habitatAccess versus environmental impactThe tragedy of the commonsMountain biking, bothies and countryside honeypotsSocial media and the pressure on popular placesCommercial mushroom picking and wild foodEducation, self-policing and responsible accessLinks:Natural Resources Wales: Repeat offender convicted for illegal gold panningThe Crown Estate: Commercial exploration of Mines RoyalNatural Resources Wales: Coed y BreninNatural Resources Wales: Welsh salmon remain in crisisMountain Bothies AssociationSupport SideCountryDISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

Why are mountain rescue teams seeing more callouts when the mountains themselves have not changed?After Llanberis Mountain Rescue reported 59 incidents in August alone, Richard Prideaux, George Browne and Amy Green look at what is driving the increase.They discuss changing attitudes to risk, the influence of social media, poor preparation, navigation, hypothermia and the small decisions that can turn a straightforward day in the hills into an emergency.Richard also draws on his background in mountain leadership, outdoor safety and mountain rescue to explain why experience, judgement and self-reliance still matter, and why fitness alone is not enough.The conversation also looks at the volunteers behind mountain and lowland search and rescue, preventative safety education, and the simple skills that can help people enjoy the outdoors more safely.In this episode:Why mountain rescue callouts are risingChanging attitudes to risk and self-relianceSocial media and outdoor expectationsHypothermia, navigation and fading daylightWhy problems often start long before the emergencyMountain Leader training and qualified guidesMountain and lowland search and rescueOutdoor first aid and navigation skillsHow to support your local rescue teamLinks:Llanberis Mountain Rescue TeamMountain Rescue England and WalesAdventureSmart UK and IrelandBMC hill walking skills and safetyLowland RescueSupport SideCountryDISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.