National Trust Podcast

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?  

This week, we bring you a special episode from our Countryfile Live 2019 podcast. This new series brings you some of the best moments from debates at the BBC’s Countryfile Live event at Blenheim Palace. In this episode, Countryfile presenter Tom Heap and a panel of experts consider how we might fix the plastic problem.   If you enjoy this episode, you can subscribe to the rest of the series on your favourite podcast app or at nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts 

The beginning of this year marks the start of a year-long celebration of our 125th anniversary. This January we’re bringing you two special episodes from the podcast series we’re launching on sustainability. The series ‘50% Renewable’ explores how the National Trust is working towards meeting 50% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2021.   If you enjoy this episode, you can subscribe to the rest of the series on your favourite podcast app or at nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts    In next week’s special episode we’ll be learning about the problem that is plastic pollution.

Tucked away off a busy street in London lies a sanctuary for endangered sounds. The Benton Fletcher Collection at Fenton House and Garden is a rare treasure that boasts restored and working early keyboard instruments, some of which are nearly 500 years old.    Guided by the Keeper of Instruments, National Trust curator, James Grasby finds himself transported to key moments in our musical past and learns what it takes to preserve these exquisite instruments and their unique sounds.   We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts, so please do give us your feedback, via social media or drop us a line at: podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

Wild swimming isn’t just for summer. As winter approaches, the hardiest swimmers enjoy the benefits the off-season brings.   In this episode, Coastal Officer Kate Martin heads to Carding Mill Valley where she’s introduced to the Shropshire Wild Swimmers and Dippers. She’s challenged to a “refreshing” dip and discovers how open waters bring a sense of freedom to your mind, body and soul.     To find out more about enjoying wild swimming safely, go to: https://www.rlss.org.uk/open-water-swimming-safety-guide   We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts, so please do give us your feedback, via social media or drop us a line at: podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

Time spent in the great outdoors can be an immersive experience. But how often do we stop and take the time to really absorb the sounds, touch and feel of nature?   Walker Julian Jackson senses things differently to most people. In this episode, he shows us how to create a deeper connection with the natural world.

In Tudor times disease and death were never far away, as were other more mysterious terrors that many claimed were lurking in the dark.   In this Halloween special, curator James Grasby visits 500-year old Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire, to find out how the Tudors protected their homes against evil.    James meets house staff who reveal strange relics of our past and he comes face to face with a mystery that lay hidden in plain sight for centuries until someone looked closer.   Guided by folklore experts, James journeys beyond the veil to the stranger side of history.    And he discovers why Halloween’s roots are more ancient than we might think. We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts, so please do give us your feedback, via social media or drop us a line at: podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

National Trust places are great to spend time at with those we know and love, but they can also be places where new friendships are born. In this mini episode we follow Joanna and Rachel, two mothers that met at a charity-run buggy walking group at Stourhead, as they embark on one of the National Trust’s most unique adventures. We'd love to know what you think of our podcasts, so please do give us your feedback, via social media or drop us a line at: podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk This episode of the National Trust podcast was made possible by Cotswold Outdoor, recommended outdoor retail partner for the National Trust 

Taking time away from his expeditions to the Amazon, professional tree climber James Aldred leads presenter Jo Dyson on a treetop adventure in the slightly less exotic garden at Tyntesfield in Somerset. Jo realises that tree climbing is not just for kids and discovers that we are all more connected to trees than we might think. Read about Treetops at Tyntsfield and more in 50 Great Trees of the National Trust

In this special episode we bring you part one of our People’s Landscapes podcast series.    It’s Northey Island, 991 AD. Viking raiders clash in bloody battle with the Anglo-Saxon army defending their land. Dr Eleanor Barraclough, lecturer in medieval history at Durham University, explores how this violent incident resulted in a mashup of cultures we can still see today.    People’s Landscapes is part of a National Trust programme telling the stories of places that have shaped the nation, marking the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre.    If you enjoyed this, you can listen to the whole series here:  www.nationaltrust.org.uk/peopleslandscapes/history 

As thousands of places across the UK open their doors for Heritage Open Days, we head to Blackpool to explore what heritage means to us as individuals and as a nation. In this episode, National Trust curator James Grasby goes behind the scenes to witness the thrill of the Blackpool Illuminations – a spectacle that’s firmly rooted in the past but continues to shape our heritage today.

In this mini episode, we’re back at Divis and the Black Mountain to meet Ned Clarke who has walked on the mountain for thirty years. Hear what it’s like to live side-by-side with these giants and discover how the mountain has been an escape in times of trouble. Listen to Ned’s moving story in the final episode of this series.

In the penultimate episode of this series, we take a bracing walk with ranger Kate Martin as she battles against howling winds and biting rain to the summit on Divis Mountain, 1,500 feet above Belfast. As we cross this wild landscape we’ll discover blanket bogs that are as dangerous as they are healing, ruins that hold the secret to 2,000 years of life and death, and awe-inspiring views of the city and hills beyond.

This week we’re at the annual apple grafting weekend at Cotehele. We’ll uncover the mysteries of apple grafting and learn how you can grow your very own Crimson Queen, Pendragon and even a Pig’s Nose. All will be revealed in this mini episode.

This week we’re at the Trust’s most secretive location: the Plant Conservation Centre. Join us as we go beyond the locked gates of this well-guarded site to find out how we protect our rarest and most historically-significant species of plant. Along the way we’ll brush shoulders with famous trees that have lined the pages of literature, and try our hand at grafting.

In this mini podcast, we’ll meet the man who welcomes visitors from around the world to John Lennon’s childhood home, and hear about his encounter with one very famous daytripper. 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

Join us in Liverpool as we step inside the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. We’ll take you on a trip down Penny Lane to visit the houses where John and Paul grew up, fell in love with rock and roll, and wrote some of the Beatles’ first songs. 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