So encouraging to know there are folk like the Sinclairs at Resipole doing their damnest to keep Gaelic and that  unique culture coursing through their communities. Brilliant 👍

Welcome to our podcast Coastal Connections: Road to the Isles. Lochaber travel writer Neil Robertson and producer Freya travel the area to meet the people and stories and come from this beautiful region.

For our first episode, we take a musical journey to the Lochaber village of Glenfinnan along the Road to the Isles. We meet up with Ingrid Henderson and Iain and Charlie Macfarlane for some local tunes and a chat about the timeless appeal of traditional Highland music.

Learn more about the music featured at https://www.iainmacfarlaneingridhenderson.com/

Find out more about visiting the area at 
https://roadtotheisles.com/

There's more information about the podcast series at:
https://roadtotheisles.com/scottish-podcasts/

Coastal Connections: Road to the Isles is produced by Freya Hellier. 
Many thanks to  Les Back for the additional music and to the podcast sponsor Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

The Music of the Highlands: a session with Ingrid Henderson, Iain & Charlie MacFarlane

Today, Neil and Freya are all about the deep and ancient connections between the land, nature and culture. It’s something that you can feel pretty strongly in the West Highlands of Scotland, and we’ve been learning how all of those things can work together to enrich our everyday lives.

Chapter 1 takes us to Darach Croft, which is just outside Strontian. Hugh and Sarah Asher are experts in all the usual aspects of crofting life: farming, animal husbandry and good old hard work. But they also have a background in social care, community and support work, and they've fused their expertise to create a croft with a difference.
We meet Sarah, Hugh and their cheeky pygmy goats, to learn how working with the land and animals can improve wellbeing.

Chapter 2
Just a few miles up the road is where you'll find Resipole Farm. Home to a holiday park, and a really beautiful contemporary gallery; Resipole Studios.
Brothers Andrew and Rory Sinclair give us a tour of the gallery, make music for us, and tell us about the local culture. And we were lucky to be joined by 2 local musicians, fiddle player Karin and young singer Alasdair, who sang in gaelic for us. It was a great day out!

Many thanks to our wonderful guests for today's episode, you can find out more at:
https://darachcroft.com/
https://www.resipolestudios.co.uk/
https://www.resipole.co.uk/

To find out more about the area in general visit
https://www.westhighlandpeninsulas.com/

Coastal Connections: Road to the Isles is produced by Freya Hellier 

Many thanks to  Les Back for the additional music and to the podcast sponsor Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Goat Walking, Forest Bathing, and an Oasis of Art in Strontian

It's the final episode in season 1 and we come to a rest at the end of the West Highland railway line: Mallaig.

Mallaig is the main coastal hub of Lochaber, it’s at the end of the Road to the Isles from Fort William. But like much larger Oban in Argyll further south, it’s also a springboard to wider adventures. You can jump on ferries to the northern Knoydart Peninsula, the Small Isles and Outer Hebrides out west, and of course the ever-popular Isle of Skye. 

Traditionally it is a fishing port, but a relatively new one as it only really came into being in the 19th Century. Nowadays, it’s fuelled largely by tourism with a busy bustle in the summer months as folk pile off the trains in search of nearby beaches, hill walks, boat trips and more of that famous seafood.

Much of Mallaig's history is all around you as you walk through the town; fishing vessels come and go and boats are repaired in the harbour. But there's also a fascinating connection with the Jacobite rebellion thanks to Lord Lovat.

Local historian Malcolm Poole knows the story, so we met up with him to learn more.

Many thanks to Malcolm for taking part in today's episode. For more information about the area, take a look at
https://roadtotheisles.com/

Keep an eye out for our destinations for season 2

Coastal Connections: Road to the Isles is produced by Freya Hellier 
Many thanks to  Les Back for the additional music and to the podcast sponsor Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Herring and History in Mallaig

This episode comes to you from the beautiful mountains, valleys and glens of the Cairngorms National Park. Neil is joined by Vicky Coy, a geologist who explains the formation of this amazing landscape. We also meet photographer, David Russell, who teaches us why this area is such a joy for wildlife photography.

100,000 Welcomes Scotland Podcast

100,000 Welcomes: Nature

Hello! we're Neil and Freya and we'd love for you to join us on a tour of a particularly beautiful corner of the Scottish Highlands: Lochaber. We think this area deserves more than a quick dash for the insta grid, so we're uncovering stories, places and people that you won't find unless you look below the surface.

Goat Walking, Forest Bathing, and an Oasis of Art in Strontian

Coastal Connections

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