Jackie gives a brief introduction to brand-new season of the Love Scotland podcast. We're going across the centuries to delve into the stories of Mary Queen of Scots and Robert the Bruce, then skipping ahead to the tales of the Georgian Tea Room. Jackie also hears from the Trust's archaeology team about wartime relics beind unearthed across the country.

We finish our pick of episodes from the archives with this conversation between Jackie and actor Sam Heughan, first released in 2022. The Dumfries and Galloway-born Outlander star, who has also launched his own whisky brand and became a New York Times bestselling author in 2020, joined Jackie to discuss his on-screen adventures at some of Scotland’s most famous historical sites. They also talked about the effect Outlander has had on the global interest in Scottish stories. What drew Sam...

We’re rolling out the red carpet for this episode from the archives, first released in 2022. With Hollywood’s eyes on this weekend’s Academy Awards, take a dive into this cinematic history of Scotland’s relationship with the silver screen. What was the first film to earn Scotland a place on the movie-making map? Which horror cult classic was shot in Dumfries and Galloway? And what famous Scottish film was filmed in LA because producers felt Scotland wasn’t Scottish enough? Jackie is...

This week, we’re going all the way back to Roman times – an an episode first released in 2023 – to find out about the Antonine wall and why Scotland was ‘Rome’s Afghanistan’. What led to the speedy evacuation of the Antonine wall, which was once garrisoned by thousands of Roman soldiers? What was Rome’s relationship with the lands beyond the wall really like? And just how did a small, stubborn nation see of a continental superpower? To find out, Jackie visited the nation-spanning wall...

This week, we’re returning to one of our most popular episodes, which was first released in May 2022. Jackie was joined by Dr Ciaran Jones, the lead researcher and author of a report on the links between NTS properties and the witch trials of the 16th-18th centuries. Why did Scotland try to execute five times as many so-called witches as the rest of the Europe? What fuelled 4,000 people, the vast majority of them women, to be accused of witchcraft? Why were wires inserted into suspected...

Production is underway on the next full series of Love Scotland, but in the meantime, we’re diving into the archives to highlight five of the top episodes of all time. This week, we’re returning to two episodes that – when combined – offer a full look at the Massacre of Glencoe. Some 332 years ago this week, around 30 members of Clan MacDonald were killed by Scottish government forces, many while they slept. This tragic and bloodthirsty event was significant in Jacobean history and has...

As another series of Love Scotland draws to a close, Jackie gathers two companions to discuss the “song that everybody sings”: Auld Lang Syne. With lyrics penned by Robert Burns in 1788, but origins dating back further, it is now a global anthem of friendship, celebration, yearning and nostalgia.  Mairi Campbell, a Scottish musician whose version of the song appeared in the Sex and the City film and who has since created a show inspired by Auld Lang Syne, is the first of Jackie’s two...

Seals and other winter wildlife at St Abb’s Head This week, Jackie makes a return to St Abb’s Head in the Scottish Borders, just months after she last visited to investigate the summer’s avian flu outbreak. In the winter, many of the seabirds may have disappeared – but there are still a lot to be found. Joined once again by Head Ranger Ciaran Hatsell, Jackie spends some time getting to know the seal pups on the beach, two years after the population was devastated by Storm Arwen. She also...

While Charles Rennie Mackintosh has become a singular icon in Scottish art, his legacy is so almighty that in many accounts, the achievements and contributions of his wife, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, are often overlooked. Described by Charles as being “more than half – she is three quarters – of all I’ve done”, Margaret’s artwork, and her place in the Glasgow art scene, deserve their own glory. In particular, Margaret’s involvement in the designing of the National Trust for Scotland’s...

The National Trust for Scotland cares for a dozen Scottish castles, all of which have unique histories and origins.  In this week’s episode, Jackie sits down with author Janet Brennan-Inglis, who also chairs the Trust’s Galloway group, to discuss some of these buildings and their influence on Scotland’s story.  Janet also guides Jackie through the tale of MacGibbon and Ross, two architects who, in the 1880s, completed a comprehensive study of Scotland’s built heritage. For more...

The Case of Osgood Mackenzie  This week, Jackie’s turning her attention to Inverewe Garden in the northwest highlands. A tropical oasis bolstered by the nearby gulfstream, it is a true jewel for lovers of all things floral. However, its creator Osgood Mackenzie, the author of A Hundred Years in the Highlands, was left in the shade by a family court case that attracted much attention in the newspapers of the day. His wife, meanwhile, has been all but written out from history. The story of...

This week, Jackie is at Kellie Castle and Garden to find out about the Lorimers – a family of artists and creatives who once called the castle home. Led by James Lorimer, who first rented Kellie Castle in 1878, the family also included Sir Robert Lorimer, the architect behind many iconic structures including the Scottish National War Memorial, painter John Henry Lorimer and sculptor Hew Lorimer. Their story not only touches on some of the great artistic movements of the last 150 years, but...

Tragedy at Hill of Tarvit Surrounded by the beauty of Edwardian Britain, a family was devastated by tragedy. In this week’s episode, Jackie steps into the gilded surrounds of Hill of Tarvit to discover the story of the Sharp family, who once called the mansion home. Set just outside Cupar and designed by Robert Lorimer, the house is a true 20th-century jewel with its hickory golf course, landscaped gardens and yew hedging. But inside the house, there are a great many stories to be told....

Stories and songs of Scottish battles Earlier this year, to launch a new series of Love Scotland, Jackie recorded an episode in front of a live audience of National Trust for Scotland members in Aberdeen.  Two of the nation’s foremost experts on battles joined Jackie on stage to discuss some of the most significant historic conflicts as well as the people who fought in them. They are Alistair Moffat, the award-winning writer and historian whose new book, War Paths: Walking in the Shadows...

In 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic began, many people looked back to the influenza epidemic of 1918 for historical context. However, going further back in time reveals centuries of viral diseases – and a bizarre list of supposed medical concoctions that would protect you from them. Scotland’s “plague man” Richard Oram, a professor of history at Stirling University, knows a lot about these dark chapters of Scottish history. He guides Jackie through how the plague was viewed by a religious...

On a drizzly summer’s day, Jackie heads out to Ben Lomond to meet two people who feel at home in the hills. First, Jackie, president of the National Trust for Scotland, goes for a stroll with Zahrah Mahmood, president of Ramblers Scotland and an online influencer known as the Hillwalking Hijabi. As they stretch their legs, they discuss the joys waiting to be found on Scottish slopes, and Zahrah tells the story of how she first discovered a passion for hiking as an adult. Then, Jackie meets...

Following last year’s episode investigating the 2022 outbreak of avian flu among Scottish seabird colonies, Jackie returns to St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve in the wake of new cases being reported. Joined by ranger Ciaran Hatsell, Jackie learns how this year’s cases have been identified and exactly how the disease is impacting kittiwakes at St Abb’s Head and beyond. Listen in to find out how Ciaran and other NTS staff are helping in the fight against avian influenza, and discover...

An icon of Scottish culture, Robert Burns is best known for his beautiful, moving, and humorous poetry. Born in 1759, he died just 37 years later – an early passing attributed to alcoholism. However, recent advances in medical knowledge have raised questions about the accuracy of this diagnosis. Professor David Purdie, co-author of The Burns Encyclopaedia and a doctor of medicine, has used his clinical expertise to analyse Burns’ physical symptoms. His research touches on a character...

Jackie is joined by Jonathan Grant, who after 13 years is about to retire as a ranger on three Hebridean islands. Earlier this year, when news of his resignation was announced, it was headline news around the world. Now, he has time for a proper discussion about his experiences on Mingulay, Pabay and Berneray. He reveals why he feels he became part of nature, what life is really like when you’re the only person living on an island, and how he took on the responsibilities of caring for such...

In this week’s episode, Jackie follows the story of Lady Aberdeen – a woman born into wealth who became a lifelong social reformer, healthcare advocate, and champion of the underdog. By the time she died in the 1930s, the riches were gone – but a legacy remained. Joining Jackie is Simon Welfare, the author of Fortune’s Many Houses: A Victorian Visionary, a Noble Scottish Family, and a Lost Inheritance, which charts how Lady Aberdeen and her husband used their wealth for good. The episode...

This week, Jackie is at Falkland Palace to learn more about the early years of James VI, one of the most influential monarchs in British history. Crowned at an early age, and separated from his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, James would go on to be the first king of the whole British Isles. But focusing on his later achievements misses out on many remarkable and life-threatening experiences endured by the young king, who was kidnapped, held hostage, and fought over by rival...

This week, Jackie’s in Edinburgh to find about one of the city’s leading lights of the enlightenment era: Sir Henry Raeburn. His work depicted some of the key figures of that time, creating an overall portrait of how Edinburgh’s top circles would have looked during the 1700s. Now, to mark 200 years since his death, the National Trust for Scotland is holding an exhibition at The Georgian House in Charlotte Square. It’s comprised of artworks from across the Trust’s Raeburn collections, from...

As a new season of Love Scotland begins, host Jackie Bird is joined by Outlander author Diana Gabaldon to discuss her best-selling books, its TV adaptation, and how the Outlander effect has shaped global perceptions of Scotland. Outlander tells the story of a time-travelling nurse from the 20th century who falls in love with an 18th century Highland warrior. The early books span several places now cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, including Culross, Falkland Palace, and...

Six places that show Scotland's impact on the world In this week’s episode of Love Scotland – the final one of the current season – Professor Murray Pittock joins Jackie to discuss some of the Scottish places that have had the biggest influence on global history. From Culloden to Robert Burns’s birthplace, the episode charts moments of great cultural, political and military importance. Professor Murray Pittock’s book, Scotland: The Global History: 1603 to the Present, is available...