National Trust Podcast

National Trust

Delve into immersive tales of history, nature and adventure with the award-winning National Trust Podcast. From wild landscapes to heritage sites and historical legends, unearth fascinating stories about people and places in the UK. This series, travel to the 1930s to unmask the eccentric Ferguson’s Gang, find out how the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree impacted the community, and discover what life was like for the people who toiled deep in a Roman gold mine. To learn more about podcasts from the National Trust go to http://nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts This podcast is made by the National Trust, Europe’s biggest conservation charity. Looking after history, nature and beauty for everyone to enjoy.

  • 12 minutes 56 seconds
    Arctic Terns | Globetrotting Dive-bombers

    The Farne Islands in the North Sea, off the coast of Northumberland, have a very special species of seabird during the summer that fiercely protects its young with its dive-bombing technique.


    However, it’s the Arctic Terns’ ability to fly thousands of miles during their migration from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle that really sets them apart.  

    Join Rosie and Rangers Dan Iceton and Tom Hendry on Inner Farne as they spend time with the Arctic Terns and experience their dive-bombing tactics first-hand.  


    [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.  
    Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.  
    Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. 
     
    Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts 
    Production:  
    Hosts: Rosie Holdsworth and Dan Iceton 
    Producer: Katy Kelly  
    Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez  
    Contributor: Tom Hendry 
    Discover More:  
    Find out more about The Farne Islands: 
    Our work at Farne Islands | Northumberland | National Trust 
    Follow us @wildtales Instagram account 
    If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at [email protected] 
    21 January 2026, 5:00 am
  • 19 minutes 23 seconds
    The Man, The Book and The Mountains

     Just outside Belfast, lie the Mourne Mountains - a land of granite peaks and wide skies, but also a place of witches, fawns and lions.  Protected as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, an Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a UNESCO Global Geopark, this remarkable landscape is also a doorway to imagination. 

    Join National Trust ranger Kate Martin as she journeys from the streets of Belfast to the Mourne Mountains, exploring the places that shaped C.S. Lewis’s childhood and inspired his creation of Narnia. Discover how city, story and landscape came together to form one of the most beloved worlds in children’s literature. 

    (AD) Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.
    Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.
    Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. www.cotswoldoutdoor.com

    Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel:
    https://youtu.be/_Smzdtsh_tM

    Production
    Presenter: Kate Martin
    Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
    Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez
    Contributors: Dr Sarah Waters, Director of the Sterling College C.S. Lewis Center
    Lolly Spence, Blue Badge Tourist Guide and historian
    James Fisher, Lead Ranger NI Castle Ward
    Actor: Ethan Hughes courtesy of Prime Theatre

    Thank you to The CS Lewis Company Ltd for permissions to use quotes from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis © copyright CS Lewis Pte Ltd 1950, in this episode.

    Discover More
    If you’d like to know more about visiting The Mournes, please visit  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/the-mournes

    You can listen to more of Kate’s Northern Ireland adventures here: Northern Ireland Adventure | Beyond the Bridge - Wild Tales | Nature Podcast | Podcast on Spotify  Northern Ireland Adventure | Sea Safari at Rathlin Island - Wild Tales | Nature Podcast | Podcast on Spotify 

    If you’d like to read Dr Sarah Waters’ work on C.S. Lewis, you can do so here: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9681-3361
    And you can learn more about the Sterling College C.S. Lewis Center here: https://www.sterling.edu/academics/cs-lewis-center 

    If you’d like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]  

    7 January 2026, 5:00 am
  • 20 minutes
    The Climbers of Eryri | A Story of Ice and Flowers
    The rock faces of Cwm Idwal are cold, dark and uninhabitable; unless what you love is to dangle off the frozen cliffs. Ice climbing takes you into a winter playground, but as the climate crisis thins the ice, how can climbers and conservationists work together to save one of the UK’s rarest flowers?   

    Join ecologist and botanist Barbara Jones and ice climber Tom Carrick to scale one of Wales' most dramatic mountains and discover how the precious Lili'r Wyddfa (Snowdon Lily) can survive in this isolated location. 
    For the Welsh transcript of this episode please click here

    Or copy this link: https://audioboom.com/posts/8820822-dringwyr-eryri-stori-am-ia-a-blodau/transcript
     
    [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure. 
    Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more. 
    Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. 
    www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/ 
     
    Production 
    Presenter: Rosie Holdsworth 
    Producer: Marnie Woodmeade 
    Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez 
    Contributors 
    Barbara Jones 
    Tom Carrick 
    Image credit: ©National Trust Images/John Millar 
     
    Discover more
    If you want to visit Cwm Idwal you can find out more at the National Trusts website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/carneddau-and-glyderau/cwm-idwal-walk 
    To see the temperature sensors, you can find them at the BMC website https://www.thebmc.co.uk/en/cwm-idwal-welsh-winter-monitoring-system-live-and-upgraded 
    You can also find the white guide and more winter mountaineering information here: https://www.thebmc.co.uk/en/mountaineering-resources

    For more on arctic alpines, here are some resources:
    Plants on the Edge: Arctic Alpines in Wales / Ar y dibyn: Planhigion Arctig Alpaidd yng Ngymru
     https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/mountain_plants_in_the_uk__undervalued_and_under_threat-13605


    Follow us @wildtalesnt Instagram account 
    If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]
    24 December 2025, 5:00 am
  • 13 minutes 8 seconds
    A Robin is not just for Christmas

    As the festive season unfolds, one familiar face keeps appearing – the little robin. But behind its cheerful presence, is there more to this charming bird’s story? 


    National Trust ranger Rosie Holdsworth chats to garden wildlife specialist Sean McMenemy about the remarkable life of robins, revealing their fascinating year-round behaviour and why this beloved bird deserves to be celebrated all year long. 
     

    (AD) Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.
    Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.
    Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. www.cotswoldoutdoor.com

    Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel:
    https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts

    Production
    Presenter: Rosie Holdsworth
    Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
    Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez
    Contributor: Sean McMenemy 


    Discover more
    You can read Sean’s garden wildlife blog here: Sean McMenemy Wildlife Blog 

    Follow us on our @wildtalesnt Instagram account

    If you’d like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]    
    10 December 2025, 5:00 am
  • 25 minutes
    Golf Course to Nature Reserve | Just Add Water?
    How can a golf course become a place for nature and people to thrive? Ajay Tegala visits Sandilands in Lincolnshire over its first year as the once manicured lawns transform into a wetland habitat. But with one of the driest springs on record, can Sandilands go from one birdie to another? Will there be enough water for wading birds return?  
    [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.
    Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.
    Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor.
    www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/  
      
    Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel:  
    https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts   
     
     
    Production 
    Presenter: Ajay Tegala 
    Producer: Marnie Woodmeade 
    Sound designer: Jesus Gomez
     
    Contributors 
    Carl Hawke 
    Kirsty James 
    Dave Miller

    Special Credit: A big thanks to Jannis Bonner, composer student at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, for their collaboration to this episode with the track "Breath of the Canopy".

    Eurasian booming bittern sfx:
    Author: Niels Krable 
    Link: https://xeno-canto.org/100296 

    Discover more

    If you want to visit Sandilands or keep up to date with their progress you can find them here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/nottinghamshire-lincolnshire/sandilands 
    Follow us @wildtalesnt Instagram account 
    Image credit: ©National Trust Images/Rob Coleman
    If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected] 

    26 November 2025, 5:00 am
  • 21 minutes 43 seconds
    Warrior the War Horse | Survival Against the Odds
    What happened to the animals who served in the First World War? 

    Uncover the extraordinary story of Warrior the war horse who survived the Western Front. General Jack Seely's horse, Warrior, was anything but ordinary. He carried his master through some of World War One's most brutal battles, including the Somme, Ypres and Passchendaele. Despite more than eight million horses, donkeys and mules losing their lives during the war, Warrior somehow survived. Join General Jack Seely's grandson and broadcaster, Brough Scott and historian, James Grasby, to retrace Warrior's incredible journey.


     
     [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure. Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor.  www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/



    Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts

    Production

    Host : James Grasby
    Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck

    Contributors
    Brough Scott

     Discover more
     
    To visit Mottistone

    Mottistone

    To find out more about Warrior

    Warrior The War Horse

    If you would like to follow in the footsteps of warrior check out the 
     Warrior Trail
     
     
    Follow us @wildtales Instagram account 
    If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at [email protected]
    11 November 2025, 5:00 am
  • 13 minutes 21 seconds
    Halloween Special | Witches' Familiars

    Is your cat the devil in disguise? Probably not, although they may act like it sometimes! But once upon a time, they would have been accused of luring you into witchcraft.


    In Britain in the 16th and 17th centuries witch hunting became an obsession and supposed ‘witches’ were put on trial, and some were even sentenced to death.

    Being an animal lover was considered a sure sign that someone was practicing witchcraft. Friendliness towards cats, rabbits or dogs could lead to accusations of witchcraft, as these animals, known as familiars, were suspected of working for the devil.

    One of those accused of witchcraft and seen with familiars was Elizabeth Clarke, a poor, disabled woman from Essex.

    Join Rosie and historian Dr Romany Reagan as they uncover Elizabeth’s story and the strange tale of the witches’ familiars.

    [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.  Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.  Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor.  

    Production: 
    Host: Rosie Holdsworth
    Producers: Rosie Toy and Katy Kelly
    Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez  

    Contributor: Dr Romany Reagan

    Discover More: 

    Find out more about witchcraft:
    https://essexwitchmuseum.co.uk

    Uncover folklore, legends, myths and lost histories from the British Isles with Dr Romany Reagan:
    https://blackthornandstone.com

    Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts

    If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at [email protected] 
    29 October 2025, 5:00 am
  • 1 minute 50 seconds
    Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers | New Series Trailer

    A new series of Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers is here. Awooo!  

    Follow the adventures of Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers, a crew of colourful creatures who use their skills to solve curious cases. 
     
    Beaver’s a super engineer. Sleepy Bat’s skill is sonar. Wildcat’s a proud predator. Deer’s strong and speedy. Fox has a nose for trouble. Shy Mole’s an expert digger, and Dragonfly’s always buzzing. 

    In Series Two, 12-year old Roxy has finally become a real Wildlifer and can talk to animals. But she's got a lot to learn to be a top Ranger like her hero Rae.   

    Luckily the Wildlifers are back on the trail solving puzzles, where they find old friends and new ones too like inventor Luca. 

    Join the crew on new adventures in destinations from under the sea to beautiful forests, from cruising the canal to exploring the city after dark. And meet a host of weird and wonderful characters along the way.

    Perfect for 5-8 year olds.

    Grown ups, follow Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers kids' podcast by finding the show on your favourite podcast app including Apple, Spotify and Yoto.

    Or follow this link: podfollow.com/national-trust-kids-podcast

    Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers is a podcast from the National Trust, Europe's Biggest Conservation Charity, produced by Fun Kids. 

    22 October 2025, 11:00 am
  • 16 minutes 12 seconds
    Nature Valley, Taiwan | Technology and the Wild

    Taiwan is known for its technology — from the chips that power our phones to the satellites orbiting above us, but just beyond the city of Hsinchu, there’s a small forest that tells a different story. 

    Trust in Nature Foundation Taiwan is Taiwan’s first environmental charitable trust — a place where protected wildlife and local communities are working side by side to protect some of the island’s natural habitats.

    In this episode presented by Rosie Holdsworth, producer Jesse Edbrooke visits the people caring for this forest, meet the protected animals that live there, and explore how conservation can thrive and inspire in one of the most high-tech regions on Earth.

    [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor.  www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/

    Nature Valley Environmental Trust Taiwan - 
    Trust in Nature Founation - https://tnf.org.tw/en 

    International National Trust Organisation - https://www.into.org
    Jhih Han Lyu was a participant in the INTO Incubator programme in 2024, which supports emerging heritage leaders across the globe.

    Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts

    Production:
    Hosts: Rosie Holdsworth
    Producer: Jesse Edbrooke
    Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez

    Contributors: Jhih Han Lyu, Wing Lo,
    Translation: Joshua Edbrooke

    Discover More:
    Includes music from Wing Lo’s Aha Moment - https://music.apple.com/gb/album/%E8%AB%8B%E8%AA%AA%E5%AE%A2%E8%AA%9E/1826949430?i=1826949431

    Follow us @wildtales Instagram accountIf you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at [email protected]
    15 October 2025, 4:00 am
  • 25 minutes 25 seconds
    Sex, Death and Spiders
    Warning: This episode contains the unusual mating habits of spiders. 

    Autumn is the time for spiders, and the colder months mean our eight-legged friends are searching for something vital: sex. 

    Join arachnologist Anna Maka and author and broadcaster Lucy Cooke to uncover the fascinating and freaky sex lives of spiders and what it teaches us about evolution itself. 
    [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.
    Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.
    Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor.
    www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/  
      
    Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel:  
    https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts   
     
     
    Production
    Presenter:  Rosie Holdsworth 
    Producer and sound designer: Marnie Woodmeade

    Contributors:
    Lucy Cooke  
    Anna Maka


    Discover more
    You can find Lucy’s book Bitch: On the female of the species here. 
    You can find out more about Anna’s work with rare diamond back spiders here. 
    Follow us @wildtalesnt Instagram account 
    If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]
    1 October 2025, 4:00 am
  • 19 minutes 30 seconds
    Riverside Reflections | The Wey Navigations by Boat

    Join producer and barge dweller Marnie as she leaves London’s canals behind to explore the Wey Navigations. 

    Along the way, she meets the people who care for it, discovers its wildlife, and finds out why this waterway matters so much to so many.

    [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure. 
    Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more. 
    Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. 
    www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/


    Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts 

    Production

    Presenter: Marnie Woodmeade
    Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck

    Contributors 

    Derek Croucher
    Emily Curtis
    Emma Goodwin
    Stephen
    Perdita

    Discover more

    Explore the Wey Navigations by electric boat from Dapdune Wharf     
    River Wey Navigations boat trips


    Wey River Festival takes place on Saturday 27th September 25 at Dapdune Wharf.  Expect food and craft stalls, live music, children’s activities, and a colourful illuminated pageant.  
     River Festival

    Learn more about nature prescriptions and the mental health benefits of connecting with the natural world.
     Dose of Nature  

    Follow us @wildtalesnt Instagram account  
    If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]
    17 September 2025, 4:00 am
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