Relatively few of Scotlands 900 islands are inhabited, and many that were once thriving communities are now abandoned. Wanting to know what that was, we did some digging, and then spoke to John Manson, an incredible man who, as a boy, was one o

Private Islands with Vanessa Branson

May 25th, 2021 59m 57s

There seem to be a lot of private islands in Scotland. Why is that? Pete and Matt dig into the questions of land ownership, the responsibility of island ownership, and the kind of people who take it on. They then get the chance to talk to Vanes

Black Isle Bolthole with Ian Rankin (part two)

Mar 7th, 2021 36m 48s

Ian Rankin is one of the literary stars of Scotland, and someone with a passion for the Far North who has set some of his novels in the Highlands. The action in his latest novel, A Song for the Dark Times, takes place between Edinburgh and the

Tartan Noir with Ian Rankin (part one)

Feb 27th, 2021 1h 9m

Trails in the North with Jay Wilson

Feb 5th, 2021 1h 9m

If you’re walking from Lands End to John O’Groats, there used to come a point where you walked off the map. The walkers trails that had snaked you through the quantocks, pennines and pentlands simply stopped at Inverness. The maps often simply

Politics with Gail Ross MSP

Jan 21st, 2021 1h 9m

Gail Ross is Member of the Scottish Parliament for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, in the far north of Scotland. In the first episode of Series Two, Gail tells us about her life in politics and the challenges, complex issues, and funny situatio

Going to the North - Christmas Special

Dec 23rd, 2020 33m 38s

When we began this project, Matt was hoping and planning to move to Cromarty, in the Far North of Scotland, with his family. The world in 2020 threw up a few obstacles, but he has made it.For this Christmas special, Pete and Matt discuss what i

Wild Histories with Patrick Baker

Dec 12th, 2020 1h 4m

On the hill above Alness on the North shore of the Cromarty firth, a row of apparently ancient towers and arches frames and incredible view out over the water. But what are they doing there, who built them, and why? The answers take Matt on an

Energy and Spaceports with Magnus Davidson

Dec 5th, 2020 1h 9m

From cutting peat to cutting edge wave power, via nuclear and oil and gas, the Highlands and Islands hold a surprising amount of energy. We should think about it, says Magnus Davidson, as an energy region.The whisky label view of the highlands

Highlands Food with Andy Waugh

Nov 22nd, 2020 59m 24s

Venison, says Andy Waugh, is the best meat there is. It’s good for you, it’s good for the land, and it tastes great. But have you ever thought about what it means to source it from the highlands? We hadn’t. But Andy is an old hand, and his fami

Scots language with Alistair Heather

Nov 14th, 2020 1h 1m

Alistair Heather is a journalist and broadcaster who writes in, and often about, Scots. He grew up speaking Scots in Angus, and had a primary school teacher who was passionate about teaching and preserving the language. But even for Alistair, i

Cromarty and the Black Isle with Ingrid Rochford

Nov 8th, 2020 1h

At the end of the road across the Black Isle, not very far north of Inverness, at the mouth of the firth, sits the town of Cromarty. It’s a small community with a big tourist draw, overlooking the natural beauty of mountains and water. It also

Castles of the Highlands and Islands with David C. Weinczok

Nov 1st, 2020 1h 5m

As The Castle Hunter, from his base in Edinburgh, David C. Weinczok has visited over 400 castles, all over Scotland, sometimes even pushing his way through brambles, thistles and midges, just to reach a small pile of stones that was once a cast

Highland surfing with North Coast Watersports

Oct 25th, 2020 58m 25s

The best surf season at Thurso is in the Winter. Iona and Finn talk of the delight of getting into the sea, steaming because the water at 6 degrees is warmer than the air, and paddling out past chunks of ice that have broken off from the rivers

Brochs

Oct 17th, 2020 52m 30s

Mysterious structures are dotted throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Standing proud by the side of roads, with car parks for visitors and information boards, or just a tumble of stones under the bracken somewhere off the beaten pa

Crofts

Oct 9th, 2020 58m 52s

Lynn and Sandra never intended to become farmers in the Cairngorms. They spent a couple of years deciding where and how they would realise their dream of finding their small bit of land to raise a couple of chickens. Perhaps five acres would do

Wild Swimming

Oct 9th, 2020 56m 37s

Scotland, maintains Calum Maclean, is one of the best places in the world to go wild swimming. Its lochs, waterfalls, and coastline present a huge range places to swim or submerge yourself in cold water.And the cold water has a magic of its own

Trailer

FarNorth Podcast Trailer

Sep 22nd, 2020 4m 36s

The Highlands and Islands of Scotland are full of fascinating people.In making the FarNorth podcast, we spoke to some of those people about everything from the Scots language and the history of castles to swimming in mountain lochs, crofting in