Inside The Scott Monument, Midnight Swimming and Nordic Walking

Mark visits Glasgow’s Queen’s Park Glasshouse which was threatened with closure earlier this summer. He speaks to some of those involved in the campaign to secure its future which seems to have been successful.

Rachel tries her hand at Nordic Walking which may look gentle but actually involves a full body workout! She went along to a group in Blair Atholl run by Eilidh Paterson who explained what’s involved and showed Rachel the best techniques.

Over the next few weeks on Out of Doors, we’ll be chatting to the finalists of the BBC Make a Difference Awards Scotland in the Environmental Category. The awards recognise people who give their time voluntarily to help others and make a difference in their communities. This week Mark met John Smillie who was nominated for his effort in clearing litter, supporting wildlife habitats and raising money for charity through recycling.

Earlier this week Mark donned his eye protection to gaze skywards and try and get a good view of the solar eclipse. We find out if the clouds parted for him and hear a bit about the science behind an eclipse.

The Scott Monument is one of Edinburgh’s most recognisable landmarks and this year it turns 180 years old. To mark the occasion, Edinburgh City Council are issuing 12 free tickets every day between 12th and 17th August for anyone wishing to climb the famous monument. Mark went along to scale the 221 steps to the top and hear about the monument’s history.

The Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve south of Stonehaven is the largest mainland seabird colony on the East Coast of Scotland. Most people visit the reserve by walking along the cliff tops, but recently for a Scotland Outdoors podcast, Helen Needham was lucky enough to experience it from the water on a skiff belonging to the Catterline Coastal Rowing Club. We hear part of her row to take a look at the kittiwakes.

Stonehaven Open Air Pool is the UK's only art deco Olympic sized sea water lido. It was opened in 1934 and is run by Aberdeenshire Council along with charity group, Friends of the Pool Stonehaven. Rachel went along to very popular ‘midnight swim’ and met Steve Harris from the Friends group to hear about what makes it such a popular attraction at 102 years old.

And Mark meets naturalist, conservationist and author Polly Pullar at her farm in Perthshire to chat about her upcoming book, In the Company of Sheep. Polly tells Mark what it is about sheep that has fascinated her since she was a child.