We were pleased to be invited back onto the Thrill of the Hill Podcast where the Farm Advisory Service (FAS) explores the multitude of issues facing the farmed upland environment and how we can reconcile priorities in conflict, showcase good practice, new developments, technologies and build resilient, sustainable businesses.

This was our second conversation with Alex Pirie for Thrill of the Hill – I’ve linked both episodes below with a synopsis of the discussion points. Both are well worth a listen!

Thrill of the Hill – Species in Hot Water

In a year two weather extremes the water environment has shot up the agenda for many, drought conditions put a lot of pressure on farmers and nature in the summer and heavy rains push many farmers and riverbanks to breaking point this autumn. While Scotland’s rivers generally end up at the sea, they start in the uplands and catchment management with appropriate sensitivity to watercourses and riparian habitats can have huge impacts downstream and across the landscape. With recent developments, it makes sense to bring back some former contributors for a broad discussion on the challenging circumstances some species find themselves and reasons to be optimistic.

In this episode we welcome back Struan Candlish, two years since the Ayrshire Rivers Trust were on the podcast. We discuss the plight of species like Atlantic salmon, get an update on the Wellwood Project and other nature restoration work in Ayrshire.

Hosted by Alexander Pirie, Edited by Malcom MacDonald, Produced by Beth Errington, Executive Producer Kerry Hammond, in association with The Scottish Government.

Thrill of The Hill – Spawning Success

Thrill of the Hill is back! Season 3 #2 – Spawning Success. In this episode we hear from Ayrshire River Trust’s Stuart Brabbs and Struan Candlish about the quality of Scotland’s water environment, factors impacting this quality, the successes of the Nature Restoration Fund and the need for a holistic approach to managing riparian habitats.