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05/11/2016

Mark Stephen finds out about soil health with David Michie of Soil Association Scotland, plus Euan McIlwraith visits a Scottish Water site to hear about renewable energy.

Mark finds out about the importance of soil health from David Michie, Agricultural Development Manager with Soil Association Scotland. They run field labs which bring farmers and researchers together to find ways to improve soil health and quality.

Euan is at a Scottish Water site in Brechin talking to their general manager for energy Chris Troop about how there's room for all forms of renewable energy at their sites.

Mark tours SRUC's Oatridge campus' World War One allotment garden with horticulture lecturer, George Gilchrist.

The forestry industry has at times had a bit of a reputation for not caring overly much for the land it uses. Now however, the industry which is worth one billion pounds a year to the Scottish economy is changing. Euan visited Michael Bruce's Glen Tanar estate to speak to him and Stuart Goodall, chief executive of the Confederation of Forest Industries to find out how.

Kinghorn Loch in Fife is home to the Ecology Centre. Mark visits to find out how they encourage young people to get engaged with the outdoors.

For one iconic Scottish species the term ghost is appropriate. Kevin Bell spends most of his free time volunteering for a charity called Wildcat Haven looking for the ultimate ghost cat in Scotland, the wild cat and he's captured what is thought to be one of the very few pure wild cats left in Scotland on film. Euan heads out into the woods with him.

The village of Comrie in Perthshire has a unique claim to fame. It is the earthquake capital of the UK. Mark visits the earthquake house which was built in 1874 to measure the seismic activity in the area and gets a tour with custodian Chris Palmer.

Long term listeners to Out of Doors will know that we have a bit of a fascination with bricks which all started when Mark visited Mark Cranston and his collection down in Jedburgh. Well Mark's collection has increased and recently gained quite a bit of news coverage. Euan heads to catch up with him.

The Angus countryside is possibly not what first springs to mind when you hear the words "Harley Davidson". But the ancestors of one half of what is possibly the most famous motorbike brand in the world came from just outside the village of Aberlemno near Brechin. Mark visits their ancestral home with Chris Glendinning from the Davidson Legacy Group and local historian Norman Atkinson.

1 hour, 30 minutes

Last on

Sat 5 Nov 2016 06:30

Broadcast

  • Sat 5 Nov 2016 06:30

Landward

Landward

Scotland's farming and countryside programme