As the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup gets underway, we're heading to Wembley Stadium, the home of the England national team, to explore the crucial role the pitch plays in the beautiful game. With Wembley setting the benchmark that World Cup venues across North America are looking to emulate, Ranger Rosie Holdsworth meets Karl Standley, Head of Grounds and Surface Transitions, to uncover what it takes to maintain this world-famous playing surface. From UVC lights and surgically sharp mower blades to turf grown at secret locations, we discover the science, skill and precision behind one of football's most iconic pitches. 

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

Production
 Host: Rosie Holdsworth
 Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
 Sound: Jesus Gomez
 Contributor: Karl Standley


If you’d like to learn more about the pitch at Wembley Stadium, you can book onto a tour here: https://bookings.wembleytours.com/stadiumtours/home.htm

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

 
 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]

Deep in the forests of Transylvania, one of Europe’s largest populations of brown bears still roams freely, often surprisingly close to busy towns and cities. Join National Trust ranger Rosie Holdsworth and her family as they hunt for signs of bears in the forests near Brașov, Romania. There, they discover what it really means to share a landscape with Europe’s largest land predator.
 
Production
 
Presenter: Rosie Holdsworth and Hebe

Producer :  Nikki Ruck

Sound design: Jesus Gomez
 
Contributor: Csaba Domokos from the Milvus Group

Discover More

Find out more about conservation of the European Brown Bear in Romania   
https://milvus.ro/en/mammals/brown-bear-conservation-and-research-program-in-a-model-area-in-romania/

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] 
 
 
 
 

Red Squirrels were once a common sight in woodlands around the Uk but now, they’re one of our rarest Mammals. 

In this episode of Wild Tales, we head to Plas Newydd on the island of Ynys Môn in Wales, where a remarkable effort to bring them back is underway.

For the Welsh transcript of this episode please click here.
 

Red squirrel, Anglesey, Wales 
©National Trust Images/Rob Coleman

Production
Narration: Rosie Holdsworth
Producer: Nikki Ruck 
Sound Recordist: Marnie Woodmeade
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
 
With thanks to Carol Thomas at Plas Newydd 

Find out more 

Visit the red squirrels at Plas Newydd:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/plas-newydd-house-and-garden/red-squirrels-at-plas-newydd

Learn more about Red Squirrel Conservation
The Red Squirrels Trust Wales is working to protect red squirrel populations on Ynys Môn and across North Wales. If you would like to read more about some of the points raised in this episode, look here.
https://www.redsquirrels.info/about/faq/


See red squirrels on Brownsea Island (Dorset):
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/brownsea-island/the-rare-red-squirrel-on-brownsea-island

Listen to our episode on pine martens (Wallington, Northumberland):
https://ntpodcasts.org/WT25

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

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]

White-clawed crayfish were once common in Britain’s waterways. But thanks to a restaurant craze in the 1970’s, that brought the American signal crayfish to our shores, our only native freshwater crayfish is under threat from this invasive species. 

White-clawed crayfish are eco system engineers keeping rivers and streams clean and they also have amazing limb re growing superpowers. But they’re being outcompeted for food and habitat by the American signal crayfish and succumbing to a killer plague being spread by them. But, with a little help from Ranger Nick Allen and the team at Wallington estate in Northumberland, habitats are being created where white-clawed crayfish can thrive.

Join Rosie and follow the story and the lives of the plucky little characters fighting for survival in England’s Northeast.

Production:
Host: Rosie Holdsworth
Producers: Michelle Douglass and Katy Kelly
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Nick Allen  

Discover more:
Find out more about Wallington and their work with the white-clawed crayfish:
Saving the native white-clawed crayfish | 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]

Ever hunted for fossils on a beach and felt like you might actually find something? 

Rosie heads to the Isle of Wight to the scene of the most complete dinosaur discovery in the UK in a hundred years. 

She’s joined by Dr Jeremy Lockwood, part of the original dig team and now casually known as a “namer of dinosaurs,” as they retrace how this once‑buried giant came back into the light. 

Production: 
Host: Rosie Holdsworth 
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham 
Sound Recordist: Nikki Ruck 
Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez 

With thanks to Dr Jeremy Lockwood  
Rosie and Jeremy went for the dinosaur walk at Compton Bay and Downs | Isle of Wight | National Trust  
They parked at Compton car parking information | National Trust  
You can see Comptonatus Chasei at the Dinosaur Isle Museum on the Isle of Wight. 
Welcome to Dinosaur Isle - Dinosaur Isle Museum 

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] 

As winter turns to spring , toads, frogs and newts across Britain begin their annual journey, making their way back to the ponds where they breed.

For many, that journey means crossing busy roads and not all of them make it to the other side.

In this episode of Wild Tales, we spend the night with the Charlcombe Lane Toad Patrol, discovering the dedication and determination it takes to give these remarkable animals a fighting chance.

 
 [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.  https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/  

Production: 
Narrator: Rosie Holdsworth 
Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck 

photo courtesy :  Charlcombe Toad Rescue Group 
 
With thanks to Mike Collins, Sheila Gundry, Lance, Lucy and Angela from the Charlcombe Lane Toad Group
 
Discover more:
https://www.froglife.org/what-we-do/toads-on-roads/how-to-become-a-toad-patroller/
 
 

The Bewick’s or ‘Tundra’ swan has eluded ranger Ajay Tegala for years. 

It's hardly surprising: the swan’s epic migration is under pressure, and their numbers are dwindling. Can Ajay find them at their winter retreat of WWT Welney? 

Ajay speaks to fellow swan lover, artist and zoologist Dafila Scott and site manager Lizzie Bruce to aid his search for these hardworking swans. 

[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 and Co-producer: Ajay Tegala
Producer: Marnie Woodmeade
Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez
Music: Swan Song by Charlotte Eve
 
With thanks to: Dafila Scott, Lizzie Bruce and the staff and volunteers at WWT Welney 

Discover more:

Visit WWT Welney: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/welney 

Visit Wicken Fen: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cambridgeshire/wicken-fen-national-nature-reserve 

Learn more about wetland swans: https://www.wwt.org.uk/discover-wetlands/wetland-wildlife/meet-the-family/swans-found-in-uk-wetlands

This week we’re sharing another of our podcasts we think you’ll enjoy. Nature Fix takes you on adventures with people whose lives have been shaped by the outdoors.

In this episode, wrap up warm and turn your eyes to the skies for a stargazing tour from the middle of Manchester.

Nature Fix Host Claire Hickinbotham joins astronomer and adventure enthusiast Nazanin Jahanshahi, to discover how there’s lots to see in the night sky wherever you live.

On this awe-inspiring city celestial voyage, you'll be wowed by a rare planetary parade, learn how to start navigating the stars, and hear top tips for hunting the northern lights.

Production
Producer: Michelle Douglass
Sound Designer: Nikki Ruck
Contributor: Nazanin Jahanshahi

Get your Nature Fix
Follow Nature Fix on your favourite podcast app: https://podfollow.com/nature-fix
 
Discover the best National Trust spots for stargazing: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/outdoor-activities/top-spots-for-stargazing

Learn about night sky locations and activities:
https://gostargazing.co.uk/  

Orford Ness is well practiced at keeping secrets; in the 1940s it was classified military research, but now it is a brand new colony of grey seals. 

Countryside Manager Matt Wilson guides us around the bomb craters to try and find the newest and blubbery-est residences. We find out how they came to be on this moon-like beach and how they’re faring on this remote site. 

[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.  
https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/

Production:  
Producer: Marnie Woodmeade
Hosts: Rosie Holdsworth 
Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez
With thanks to: Matt Wilson and the staff at Orford Ness

Image © National Trust Images/Rob Coleman

Discover more:  

Visit Orford Ness, looked after by the National Trust https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/suffolk/orford-ness-national-nature-reserve

Find out more about the seals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6ti7BaNKpU&t=523s

Pine martens were once common in Britain but now, they're one of our rarest carnivores. 

These slinky, tree-dwelling predators had virtually disappeared in England and Wales by the turn of the 20th Century.

But pine martens are making a comeback.

We follow Ranger Dan Iceton at Wallington estate in Northumberland, as he tries to encourage pine martens to make these woodlands their forever home.

And we discover conservation success in other parts of Britain where the animals have returned.

Follow the story and secret lives of the mysterious mammal making a comeback in our forests.

[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.  https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/

Production:  Producer: Michelle Douglass
Hosts: Rosie Holdsworth and Dan Iceton
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
With thanks to: Dr Stephanie Johnstone and Vincent Wildlife Trust
 
Image © Caroline Legg  

Discover more:  Visit Wallington, looked after by the National Trust https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/wallington

Find out more about pine martens with Vincent Wildlife Trust: https://www.vwt.org.uk/species/pine-marten-2

Read about Martens on the Move: https://pinemartens.uk/

Report your sighting and help citizen science: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/a8c5d8e084dc4ecb9b92c57c42769d1f  

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]