Landward

Dougie is at the stunning Tenstmuir National Nature Reserve by Tayport in Fife. He finds out how the reserve has coped with the dramatic surge in visitors during the lockdown as local people reconnect with nature on their doorstep. He also catches up with the new president of the farmer’s union to assess how the industry is coping post-Brexit. Meanwhile, Euan looks back on the lessons learned as we mark the 20th anniversary of the foot-and-mouth outbreak while Anne is in Sutherland, finding out what it was like to attend the most remote school in Britain. And Arlene is on the banks of the Forth, hoping to catch sight of a humpback whale called Barney.

In this special episode, the Landward team celebrate Scotland’s diverse and beautiful landscapes. Dougie is at a spectacular hill fort in Aberdeenshire where a team of archaeologists have recently made an incredible discovery that completely rewrites the history of Scotland's landscape. Meanwhile, Anne heads north to find out why the Flow Country blanket bog is bidding for global recognition as a World Heritage site. Anne also meets one of Scotland’s leading photographers, Shahbaz Majeed, in the village of Glencoe. Euan is out west discovering the story of the Scottish cattle rancher, while Arlene is in Catterline marking the centenary of the birth of Joan Eardley, one of Scotland's best-loved landscape artists.

In this episode, Dougie walks the Postie’s Path on the Coigach peninsula in Wester Ross, discovering out it transformed life in this remote community and how it is being protected for the future. Meanwhile, Anne is searching for the enormous ferox trout in the depths of Loch Ness, while Euan is in Perthshire to find out why a flock of sheep are being let loose to graze a field of wheat. He is also celebrating one of his favourite birds - the kingfisher. With the World Clydesdale Show coming to Scotland in 2022, Arlene meets the mares and newly born foals hoping to take part.

In this episode, Dougie is in Kelso celebrating the 250th anniversary of literary great and Borders boy Sir Walter Scott, exploring the landscape that inspired him. Meanwhile, Arlene meets modern day farmer and author Patrick Laurie, while Euan introduces us to the eider duck, one of his favourite birds. And in a new series of features about farms cutting their environmental impact, Anne visits the dairy farm that has ditched soya in favour of a homegrown feed. With the World Clydesdale Show coming to Scotland in 2022, Arlene meets the mares and newly born foals hoping to take part.

The food van is back, as Dougie and Nick are on the Black Isle cooking up some excellent local produce: potatoes! Meanwhile, Arlene investigates the welfare issues associated with fast-growing chickens. Euan continues his series about his favourite birds with the fabulous fulmar while Anne is in Cambusnethan, exploring lost country houses.

In a spring special, Dougie is on the hunt for signs of the season with nature writer Jim Crumley, while Arlene helps out some Edinburgh toads that are on the move for love. Crofter and musician Colin Macleod is busy lambing, and it’s the season to cook al fresco again as Dougie and Nick cook teriyaki kebabs.

Dougie is in the woods of Glen Finglas discovering why the Scottish bluebell is so precious. Arlene is at Balmoral to find out about the sickness that struck the Queen’s highland ponies. Plus, find out how writer and conservationist Polly Pullar turned her smallholding into a wildlife haven.

Dougie and the team meet the young people who will steer the future of rural Scotland - the young farmers, crofters and craftspeople. Meanwhile, Anne visits a young couple who have just taken on a farm in Galloway, Dougie is in the northwest with a dynamic woman who won Young Crofter of the Year, and Euan finds out how young folk can be encouraged to stay in the countryside. And JJ Chalmers tries his hand at dry stone walling.

Dougie is on Arran finding out how a tree disease is changing the island’s landscape. JJ Chalmers tries his hand at dry stane dyking. And the Royal Highland Show team plan to put on an online spectacular.

Scotland's countryside magazine. Dougie is in Sutherland to see how peatland is being restored, JJ visits a blacksmith, and Anne dons a bee suit to meet a bee whisperer at his hives.

Dougie is at the Royal Highland Show, meeting competitors who have travelled to Ingliston to show off their animals to a worldwide online audience. Meanwhile, conservationist and writer Polly Pullar is rehabilitating red squirrels.

Dougie visits Portsoy in Aberdeenshire to find out more about this year's Scottish Traditional Boat Festival and takes a trip on a 1960s fishing boat with a colourful history.

Landward is back for its autumn series. We join JJ Chalmers in search of lost lochs in Moray, Anne is picking her own beautiful bouquet while finding out about the environmental benefits of British-grown flowers, and Arlene explores how the mountain biking scene can be more diverse. And we learn more about the vast new market for one of Scotland’s most traditional crops - oats.

Dougie is on the road touring in his campervan, finding out how the staycation summer affected parts of rural Scotland. He visits a motorhome stopover in Aberdeenshire, one of many sprung up across the country this year. Meanwhile, Anne is trekking through the Cairngorms on horseback, and Arlene counts red squirrels in a national citizen survey. Plus, geographer Professor Hayden Lorimer celebrates one of Scotland’s unsung mountain pioneers.

Dougie sets out to climb Ben Nevis to mark 250 years since the first recorded ascent in 1771. With an endless stream of visitors climbing the mountain, he finds out about the pressures put on it and how it's being protected and looked after. Also in the hills, Professor Hayden Lorimer celebrates the achievements of one of Scotland's pioneering mountaineers, while Anne is in Lanarkshire at a farm that has become a fly-tipping hot-spot. And Arlene is in Ayrshire getting a taste of salt production the natural way.

Dougie is in Ullapool, where he joins a wildlife-watching sea tour to find out about the growing problem of disturbances to marine wildlife. Incidents of scaring seals, dolphins and porpoises with power boats and kayaks have been reported, and he meets the local children who are campaigning to raise awareness. Christina takes a dip in the River Larig, near Lochearnhead, to search for invertebrates, and she finds out why conservationists are planting dead tree roots into the river bank. JJ tries tree coring and learns what the rings in a tree trunk can tell us about climate change. And Hayden Lorimer reveals the double life of landscape photographer Walter Poucher.

Dougie follows the action at the autumn tup and ewe sales in Lairg for a programme all about sheep. He finds out how sheep and lamb sales are faring this year and why surprisingly high prices are being achieved. JJ gets a beginners guide to sheep, with a crash course in their psychology and the unique terminology to describe them. Meanwhile, Anne is at the wool grading centre in Galashiels to find out how fleeces are graded and the potential for using wool in more sustainable products in the future. Also, in the Borders, Arlene discovers the history of Scotland's biggest and most iconic breed - the Blackface Sheep. We also meet Cammy Wilson, who gave up his career in the police to follow his dream job as a sheep farmer.

In this episode, the focus is on food production for the future. Dougie is in Cullen, a town on the Moray coast that is famed for its smoked fish soup Cullen Skink. Chef Nick Nairn visits a smokehouse to source some fresh smoked haddock and cooks his own version of the famous soup, proving how great local food can be. Meanwhile, Arlene meets the farming sisters in Angus who are producing beef and lamb in a more sustainable way, and Dougie finds out how surplus food is being redistributed and used by community groups across Moray to reduce food waste. And Arlene finds out how one farm is making use of their rejected potatoes to reduce their carbon footprint.

Dougie is on the shores of Loch Awe in Argyll, Scotland’s longest freshwater loch. With the signs of autumn all around, he visits a farm with a famous fold of Highland cattle and discovers how they are preparing for the approaching colder months. Christina is also in Argyll as she finds out about a rewilding project using sea grass to store carbon naturally under the waves. We meet Dundee photographer Shahbaz Majeed again and discover the particular places around Scotland that inspire him. Meanwhile, Nick and Dougie cook buffalo fajitas.

With the COP26 in full swing, Dougie finds out how Scottish dairy farmers are adapting to the challenges ahead for a greener future. Arlene visits a research facility that is trying to breed low-methane cattle. Continuing the Moray food trip, Nick is at Gordon Castle walled garden, picking a local variety of plums to use to cook a delicious dessert on the quayside at Cullen. And Dougie visits Kirkcudbright to find out more about 'The Artists’ Town'.

In this episode, Dougie visits Glen Affric, home to the largest fragment of the Caledonian pine forest, where he learns of an ambitious project to rewild 500,000 acres of the surrounding area over the next 30 years. Meanwhile, Christina Sinclair discovers that, despite how we feel about them, Scotland's gull populations are under threat and may need our protection. Landscape photographer Shahbaz Majeed takes us to another of his favourite locations - the Bow Fiddle Rock. And JJ takes a march along some of the Highland’s military roads to find out more about the man who built them - General Wade.

A special programme from the Isle of Raasay. Dougie uncovers the lost history of the landowner involved in slavery, while Anne celebrates the centenary of Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean.

Dougie is at the spectacular Killiecrankie river gorge in Perthshire, where he finds out why beech trees are being removed to benefit ancient oak trees. Meanwhile, JJ takes a march along some of the Highland’s old military roads and finds out more about General Wade, the man who built them, as well as the campaign that has been put in place for better protection of some of these roads and bridges. Landscape photographer Shahbaz Majeed takes us to the Wailing Widow waterfall in Sutherland, another of his favourite locations, while Anne discovers the archive pictures that document the lives of the Scottish travelling community in the mid-20th century.

In this episode, Arlene is in the historic village of Falkland, Fife, as she visits Falkland Palace to discover how the building and its contents are being prepared for winter, as the property is set to close for the year. Meanwhile, JJ takes a dip in the chilly Gladhouse Reservoir in Midlothian. As wild swimming becomes ever more popular, he finds out how to take the plunge safely. Elsewhere, Dougie takes a journey along the Kyle line, one of the world’s most beautiful railways, and Arlene meets the community that is controlling the local deer population and making good use of the venison.

Anne is shopping for local Christmas food and drink at the Kelso Farmers Market. Meanwhile, Dougie visits the Crichton Institute in Dumfries and uncovers the pioneering treatment of mental health patients working in agriculture. Dougie then heads to the fields of Aberdeenshire, where he is spotting cranes. The crane had become extinct in the UK but has recently returned. And JJ lends a hand at a wildlife rescue centre, finding out why hedgehogs are so vulnerable at this time of year.

In a special festive programme looking back at 2021, Anne and Arlene get together to celebrate the Christmas season and choose their favourite stories of the year. They reflect on the places and people that the team has seen and met across the Scottish countryside over the past 12 months, and raise a glass to the year ahead.