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Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

By: National Trust
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About this listen

 Delve into intriguing stories from our weird, wonderful and utterly wild world.

You'll experience nature in a whole new way, from untangling the strange world of spider sex and digging up the greatest fossil finds, to meeting mysterious ocean giants and finding out why there’s no such thing as a seagull.

Join experts Rosie Holdsworth, Ajay Tegala and Heather Birkett on adventures in the UK’s diverse habitats and uncover fascinating tales that connect us with wildlife.

New Wild Tales are released twice a month.

Follow us on your favourite podcast app and never miss an episode.

Get in touch with feedback and your favourite topics on instagram www.instagram.com/wildtalesnt or by emailing podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

Discover more from National Trust podcasts

This podcast is made by the National Trust, Europe’s biggest conservation charity. Looking after history, nature and beauty for everyone to enjoy.

Listen to Back When history podcast, taking you inside stories of our past: podfollow.com/back-when

Discover Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers, perfect for kids aged 5-8:
podfollow.com/national-trust-kids-podcast

Follow National Trust podcasts on Youtube:
www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts National Trust Biological Sciences Science Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
Episodes
  • The Overview Effect with Luke Jerram and Tim Peake

    The Overview Effect with Luke Jerram and Tim Peake
    Sep 3 2025
    On 20th July 1969 the world watched as humans first set foot on the Moon. More than half a century on, the view of Earth from space has given rise to a profound idea: the Overview Effect — the shift in perspective that astronauts experience when they see our planet from orbit.

    From 250 miles above, the Earth appears as a fragile, glowing sphere suspended in the darkness of space. Borders vanish, noise falls silent, and what remains is a single, shared home.

    But what happens when astronauts return to Earth and can never see the world in quite the same way again?

    Join Ranger Ajay Tegala as he explores the Overview Effect with artist Luke Jerram and astronaut Tim Peake, and discover how this cosmic perspective might change the way we care for the places closest to us.

    [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:
    Host: Ajay Tegala
    Producer: Jesse Edbrooke
    Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez

    Contributors: Luke Jerram, Tim Peake

    Discover More:
    Find out more about Luke Jerram’s artwork: https://www.lukejerram.com
    Discover Tim Peake’s story: https://www.esa.int/peake

    Picture:
    Gaia at Inside Out Dorset, 2021. Photo (c) Roy Riley

    Special credit:
    A big thanks to Jonathan Goldsmith, composer student at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, for their collaboration to this episode with the track "Flying Nymphaea".

    Follow us @wildtalesnt on Instagram

    If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Plant Hunters | A Botanical Quest Down Under

    Plant Hunters | A Botanical Quest Down Under
    Aug 20 2025
    In 2018 a team of intrepid explorers came in to the possession of a treasure map - one which would see them venture half way around the world to the Australian island of Tasmania. Those explorers were a team of garden experts from across the UK and Ireland who were now on a historic mission to save and catalogue plants for the benefit of people and the planet.

    Following in the footsteps of the historic plant hunters, find out what was in store for the team of modern-day collectors and how natural history has helped to shape gardens around the world.

    Production
    Host: Rosie Holdsworth
    Producer: Jack Glover
    Sound Design: Jesus Gomez

    Contributors
    Charlie Bancroft and team BIBET
    Caroline Ikin

    Images courtesy and with thanks from the Royal Botanic Gardens of Tasmania. All Rights Reserved.

    Discover More
    Explore a garden lovers home at Nymans in West Sussex where some of the collected species are now flourishing https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/nymans

    Read Charlie’s report here: https://merlin-trust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/718-Charlie-Bancroft-compressed.pdf

    Find out more about historic plant hunters from our friends at Kew Gardens https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/adventure-and-discovery-around-the-world-with-plant-hunters

    BIBET Botantic Gardens
    Republic of Ireland https://www.botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/
    Northern Ireland https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/mount-stewart Wales https://botanicgarden.wales/
    Tasmania https://gardens.tas.gov.au/

    If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
    Show More Show Less
    22 mins
  • Clowns of the Sea | The Colourful Lives of Puffins

    Clowns of the Sea | The Colourful Lives of Puffins
    Aug 6 2025
    On 10th August 1925 the Farne Islands came into the care of the National Trust. A hundred years on and this wildlife haven off the coast of Northumberland is home to a breeding colony of 23 different species of seabirds.
    But perhaps its most colourful characters, in looks as well as behaviour, are the 15,000 pairs of puffins that return to the Farne Islands to breed in the spring and summer months each year.

    Join Rosie and Rangers Dan Iceton and Tom Hendry on a unique quest to uncover the secret lives of the Farne Islands' feisty puffin population.

    [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:
    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:
    https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/farne-islands/our-work-on-the-farne-islands

    Follow us @wildtales Instagram account If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
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