Open Country Podcast
1) Stroudwater's missing mile
The Stroudwater canal in Gloucestershire was built in the 1770s. It brought coal to the mills along the Stroud valleys, which had become an important centre for the manufacture of woollen cloth, but t...Show More
2) The Rock Houses of Staffordshire
Martha Kearney visits the unique cave dwellings at Kinver Edge that were lived in until the 1960s. Cosy cottages were built into the soft red sandstone with windows and doors and families lived in the...Show More
3) Hedgerow havens
Hedges are such a traditional part of the British landscape that most of us don't give them a second thought. They're usually associated with the enclosures of the 17th-19th centuries, when the mediev...Show More
4) Savernake Forest
It's an ancient hunting ground with thousands of 'veteran' trees. Henry VIII visited often as it was the seat of the Seymour Family at nearby Wolfhall. Martha visits the forest to learn about its pa...Show More
5) The Mourne Mountain Fires
The Mourne Mountains in County Down are home to Northern Irelandās highest and most dramatic peaks - a landscape often shrouded in cloud and rain. Yet in recent years thousands of fires have broken ou...Show More
6) Black Poplars: How to Save a Tree
Have you ever heard of a black poplar? You've probably seen one, at least in a painting, even if you didn't recognise it as such. The black poplar is Britain's most endangered tree, and features in Co...Show More
7) The Stones of Snuff Mills
Tucked away in a wooded valley on the outskirts of Bristol is a magical woodland nature reserve, Snuff Mills. Helen Mark discovers what lies beneath the trees, a now peaceful place with a history of h...Show More
8) Fair Isle
Halfway between Orkney and Shetland, Fair Isle is one of Britainās most isolated inhabited islands. It's famous for knitting and birds, and those still form the basis of the island's economy, as Mart...Show More
9) The Menai Strait
Martha Kearney visits the Menai Strait - the stretch of water which separates Ynys MĆ“n or Anglesey from mainland Wales. She learns about its treacherous tides and hears about the history of its two br...Show More
10) Pingos and Pool Frogs
Martha Kearney discovers the Ice Age ponds in Norfolk, called pingos, which are being brought back to life, and provide a home for the Northern Pool Frog. It's the UK's rarest amphibian and had become...Show More