National Trust Podcast

Whilst we continue to prepare for the launch of Season 5, we’re revisiting some of our favourite episodes.  This month we brave the North Sea and head to the remote Northumbrian Farne Islands. Whilst there, we encounter one of Britain’s most entertaining bird species, and learn just what it takes to secure their feathery future.

While we prepare for Season 5 of the National Trust Podcast, we’re revisiting episodes from the archives. This month, as it's February, we’ve chosen an episode that celebrates a rather unusual symbol of love.   Back in 2018, we sent our Senior Producer Sean Douglas, to the National Trust’s annual apple grafting festival at the Cotehele Estate, to see if he could cultivate his very own symbol of love.   

While we’re on a break busily preparing for season 5, we’re taking this opportunity to listen back to some of our favourite episodes. This month it’s ‘Caring for the Country’s Rarest Plants’ from Season 3. In this episode Alan Power, former Head gardener at Stourhead, navigates his way to the Trust‘s secret Plan Conservation Centre to see exactly what it takes to look after some of the planets most important plants.    We’d also like to know what you think of the podcast so we can make Series 5 the best series yet.  You can help us do this by filling in our short survey, which you can find at nationaltrust.org.uk/podsurvey

Whilst we break for the holidays and prepare for the launch of series 5, we’re revisiting some of our favourite episodes from the archives. This month it’s ‘A Mystery Guest at the Beatles Childhood Homes’ from Series 3. In this episode, a famous mystery guest joins a public tour of John Lennon’s childhood home. So, can you guess who the mystery man is before he is revealed? Listen to see if you’ve got what it takes.   Four teenagers from Liverpool started meeting up to make music together. They went on to become the Beatles. Do you have an exciting idea but not enough time and space to make it a reality? If you’re aged 16–25, we’d like to hear your big idea and give you the chance to bring it to life at Isaac Newton’s home, the world’s centre of gravity. Find out more about the competition: nationaltrust.org.uk/time-and-space For more podcasts from the National Trust please visit nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts To find out about visiting Forthlin Road head to https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/liverpool-lancashire/the-beatles-childhood-homes

In our first taste along episode, Ranger Kate Martin and her mystery guest experience a Lake District walk in an intriguingly new way.   If you’d like to taste along with Kate, you’ll need some fruit chews, mac & cheese, mint bubble filled chocolates and some cream soda.    We are currently planning and producing episodes for season 5 of the National Trust Podcast. To help us improve the show we’d love your feedback. So to help us shape future episodes of this podcast we’d be grateful if you could spare a few minutes to fill in our end of season survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NTpodsurvey Extracts from this episode were taken from Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guides to The Lakeland Fells.

After one of the most challenging years, the Trust is starting to nurture the green shoots of a new normal. Let us take you behind the scenes to witness the events and people that made our reopening possible. For more audio programmes from the National Trust, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts.

Edible nettles, sweet shop flavoured berries and deadly carrots are just some of the culinary, and not so culinary delights, Ranger Kate Martin encounters when she meets Fred the Forager for a late summer stroll.   This episode aims to inspire you to explore nature in a new way. And should not be used as a reference for instructions on how to forage. Fred is an expert with decades of experience. If you would like to experience foraging for yourself we recommend you join a reputable course and only forage under expert guidance.   For more audio programmes from the National Trust, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts.

While many of us are familiar with Agatha Christie’s characters, just how well do we know Agatha the person? As we celebrate 100 years of Christie publications, we take a look back at the woman behind the books, through the eye of her grandson, at her beloved Greenway House. Listen to more audio programmes from the National Trust at nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts.

In 2017 Teleri Fielden started her National Trust shepherdess scholarship deep in the valleys of Snowdonia. We revisit her three years on to find out if the early mornings, harsh winters and constant rain have dampened her spirits or given her the drive to prove she’s got what it takes. Listen to more audio programmes from the National Trust at nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts.

While we were all indoors during lockdown, stories of our wild neighbours bouncing back emerged across the globe.   In this episode, podcast producer, Sean Douglas visits the Isle of Wight to investigate reports of wildlife taking over the island while humans were away. We also explore whether there will be a long-term positive impact on how we co-exist with the nature around us.   Find out more about how scientists are tracking wildlife during the great 'anthropause' in Nature journal.    Listen to more audio programmes from the National Trust at nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts.

From small seeds grow mighty oaks. This a phrase that astronaut Tim Peake knows well. In this episode we’ll explore how nature inspired and enabled man’s (and woman’s) most epic adventures. For more audio programmes from the National Trust, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts Do you have an exciting idea but not enough time and space to make it a reality? If you’re aged 16–25, we’d like to hear your big idea and give you the chance to bring it to life at Isaac Newton’s home, the world’s centre of gravity. Find out more about the competition: nationaltrust.org.uk/time-and-space

Zoom, Whatsapp, Instagram and TikTok are no longer just Millennial buzzwords. For many senior citizens social media has become a part of daily life.   Negotiating our new world over the past few months has meant many of those who may have traditionally shunned technology are learning new skills. In this episode, over-60s share how their lives have been transformed by tech, from keeping in touch with loved ones to adventuring to far-flung parts of the world. 😊 💪🌈   Advice on coping with lockdown, including using technology and the internet, can be found at Age UK. For more audio programmes from the National Trust, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts.

For millennia, midsummer has been steeped in tales of mystery and magic. It inspired the construction of great temples, the lighting of bonfires and was even said to have caused people to act in strange and surprising ways.   In this episode, we explore the meaning behind the legends of the longest day of the year. And we discover why so many people feel a mystical connection to this time of year.   This year to limit the speared of COVID-19, Stonehenge and Avebury will be closed for solstice and we’d respectfully ask that you stay away from these sites and the surrounding areas on that day.    You can watch a live stream of the solstice on English Heritage’s social media channels. And if you’d like to experience the solstice in nature, please watch from your garden or from a viewpoint local to your home.   For more audio programmes like this from the National Trust, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts.

In this episode we’re bringing you another story to inspire you during lockdown.    Paul Zabel, an engineer and novice gardener, was sent to work in his first greenhouse in one of the most extreme locations on Earth.    At the end of his isolation, as Paul eased his way back into society, he realised he had discovered some valuable life lessons which we could learn from as we go through the same motions.    For more podcasts from the National Trust, visit: nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts

In this episode we continue to bring you ideas and advice on how to keep in tune with nature during lockdown. This time Andy Beer, author of Every Day Nature, gives us his top tips on how to grow a deeper understanding of the dawn chorus and to get better acquainted with your favourite feathered neighbourhood songstress.    You’ll also learn how to get involved with DAWNS, one of the Trust’s most ambitious musical mass participation events happening in the early hours of 16 May. To sign up go to DAWNS to https://dawns.live/ For more podcasts from the National Trust, visit: nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts

When faced with heartache, music journalist Alice Vincent found a surprising remedy in her tiny balcony garden at her London flat.   A complete gardening novice, Alice made the most of the little space and resources she had. What started as a distraction became an obsession and Alice slowly built a small urban sanctuary teeming with greenery and heady blooms.    She quickly came to realise the almost magical healing power of planting and growing. A new and life-changing kind of love story blossomed…   In this episode, Alice explains how even the most unlikely spaces – from concrete yards to windowsills - can be transformed into beautiful ‘micro-gardens’. And she shares her personal experience of the positive effect of gardening on our wellbeing. You can follow Alice on Instagram @noughticulture    To read Alice’s top tips for gardening in small spaces, go to:  nationaltrust.org.uk/balconygardens        For more podcasts from the National Trust, visit: nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts

With its icy winds, relentless hail and plunging temperature, are you prepared for a winter mountain walk? Armed with a map, compass and warm flask, presenter Jo Dyson embarks on a walk to experience the remote and barren beauty of the Lake District.    Jo meets the Wasdale Mountain Rescue team to learn how to stay safe on a mountain walk and discovers why the winter months are a surprisingly rewarding time to explore the outdoors.     To find out more about staying safe in the mountains and beyond, go to adventuresmart.uk and for more podcasts from the National Trust go to https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts 

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?

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 houses in the UK. Listen as we take an immersive look into the lives of the families that called these places home.   To find more podcasts from the National Trust go to https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts and to find out more about the Birmingham Back to Backs go to https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/birmingham-back-to-backs

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?