Episode notes
What connects baking sourdough, climbing mountains, keeping chickens, deer stalking, forestry, fishing, farming and knowing how to sharpen a chainsaw? In this episode - broqadcast across every show on the SideCountry Network - Richard Prideaux and George Browne attempt to explain what SideCountry actually is, why it was built, and where the network is heading. They start with George’s idea of the “sourdough pipeline”: the idea that apparently unrelated countryside interests are often connected by the same desire to learn, make, understand and do things for yourself. From there, they look at…
Podcast
SideCountry Podcast
SideCountry Network · Leisure & Travel · English
A podcast about the people, places and ideas shaping the British countryside. Featuring voices from across the SideCountry network, each episode brings informed conversation, candid opinion and occasional disagreement to rural life in all its forms. Expect interviews and round-table discussions spa
More from SideCountry Podcast All episodes →
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8 Oct 2026 · 45 min
Mountain Influencers with Scotty On The Summit
What happens when going outdoors becomes content? Social media has encouraged huge numbers of people to walk, camp and spend time in the mountains. But it has also created an industry of outdoor influencers, brand deals and increasingly dramatic content, where looking adventurous can sometimes matter more than knowing what you're doing. Richard Prideaux is joined by Scotty, better known as Scotty on the Summit , a former Royal Navy aeronautical engineer with years spent working alongside commando units and a lifelong background in the outdoors. Scotty began posting online to share what he…
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1 Oct 2026 · 38 min
The Future of British Forestry - Recorded at APF 2026
What is a forest actually for? Richard Prideaux is joined by Nick Adams , forestry contractor, SideCountry writer and a man whose family has been following each other into the woods for generations. This episode was recorded at the 50th anniversary APF show at Ragley Estate on 24th September 2026. Surrounded by chainsaws, woodchippers and some extremely expensive machinery, they start with the less visible side of forestry: the people who actually plant, manage and harvest Britain's woods, and the strange disconnect between our enthusiasm for trees and our understanding of timber as…
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24 Sep 2026 · 36 min
Gold Fever in Wales?
Should you be allowed to head into a Welsh river and pan for gold? After a repeat offender was convicted of illegally gold panning at Coed y Brenin, George Browne , Richard Prideaux and Amy Green look at what seems like a fairly harmless countryside hobby and the much bigger questions sitting underneath it. They discuss Welsh gold, who owns it, why disturbing river gravel can matter for spawning fish, and whether prosecuting one gold panner is really an effective use of environmental enforcement. From there, the conversation broadens into access versus impact. What happens when a quiet…
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17 Sep 2026 · 57 min
Why Mountain Rescue Callouts Are Rising
Why are mountain rescue teams seeing more callouts when the mountains themselves have not changed? After Llanberis Mountain Rescue reported 59 incidents in August alone, Richard Prideaux , George Browne and Amy Green look at what is driving the increase. They discuss changing attitudes to risk, the influence of social media, poor preparation, navigation, hypothermia and the small decisions that can turn a straightforward day in the hills into an emergency. Richard also draws on his background in mountain leadership, outdoor safety and mountain rescue to explain why experience, judgement and…
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20 Aug 2026 · 40 min
What Happens When Wheat Stops Paying?
Britain's 2026 harvest has been brutally early, dry and disappointing. With cereal yields down across much of the country, the obvious story is drought. But the economics underneath it may be more important. Herefordshire farmer Martin Williams joins Richard Prideaux and Richard Negus to explain why he decided last year not to grow cereals at all. What follows is a wider conversation about the business of British farming: shrinking margins, fertiliser and fuel costs, SFI, global grain markets, dairy, land prices, mixed farming, anaerobic digestion and solar. They also look at the…
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11 Aug 2026 · 32 min
Do Britain's Uplands Need Managing?
Do Britain’s uplands need more management, less management, or simply a different kind? Recorded at The Game Fair 2026, Richard Negus and George Browne are joined by Dr Nick Hesford and Dr Felix Meister of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust to examine the red grouse and the much larger argument surrounding its habitat. The conversation ranges across heather moorland, muirburn, wildfire, legal predator control, grouse disease and GWCT’s long-running research into falling breeding productivity. Nick and Felix set out the Trust’s interpretation of the evidence and explain why they see red…
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E1 · 11 Aug 2026 · 58 min
What Makes a Wildfire Wild?
What makes a wildfire wild? In the first SideCountry episode, Richard Prideaux, George Browne and Amy Green follow that deceptively simple question into the increasingly urgent problem of fire in the British countryside. The conversation begins with a peregrine hitting George’s window and Australia’s alleged fire-spreading raptors, before turning to the fires that have affected moorland, woodland, farmland and communities across Britain. They discuss human ignition, disposable barbecues and campfires; the appeal of ‘voluntary outlawdom’ outdoors; and the difficult balance between greater…
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