Lochaber based travel writer Neil Robertson and producer Freya are out and about in one of Scotland's wildest regions to learn more about the people, nature and stories that live here

In this episode, we delve deeper into the West Highland Peninsulas for a chilly splash in Loch Sunart and a trip to the uninhabited conservation Isle of Carna.

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

Find out more about the area around Loch Sunart at:
https://www.westhighlandpeninsulas.com/

And there's more about the Isle of Carna at:
https://www.isleofcarna.co.uk/

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.

Immersed in Nature around Loch Sunart

Freya and Neil are in search of the catch of the day 

Scotland's waters have long given us some of the finest seafood catches in the world. We take a look at how the fishing industry operates on the west coast and how visitors to Lochaber can feast on the delicious bounty.

Our first trip finds us on Ian McKinnon's boat to see how he produces some of Scotland's best mussels using only ropes, the cleanest of water, lots of hard graft and the secret ingredient: years of wisdom.

And there's something else you can do on Lochaber's shores...get married! Wedding celebrant Paula Wilkinson has wed many a couple on the stunning Camusdarach Beach.  Every wedding needs a great meal and her passion and ingenuity have led to the Arisaig Shellfish Shack, and a brand new local rum

https://arisaigshellfishshack.com/
https://www.bogcottonelopements.com/
https://grey-dog.uk/

find out more about the 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.

Arisaig's seafood and beaches: a match made in heaven

Join your hosts Neil Robertson and Freya Hellier as we learn about the West Highland region of Lochaber.

Today, Freya ventures south on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula to Morvern, for a walk through time and nature.
On a moody, drizzly day, Freya met Dr Jennie Roberton, a freelance archeologist, for a walk through a beautiful patch of woodland which opens out onto some fascinating ruins. We learn about the story of Mary of Inniemore who was one of thousands of Highlanders who were cleared from the land and had to make a new life. 
Jennie also explains how this part of the world has been hot property for human settlement in a story that goes back 10000 years.

Later that day, once the skies were beginning to clear, Freya went on another walk, this time to learn about a collaborative and nature focused approach to modern Highland estate management.
We meet Ross MacKay, land property manager at Ardtornish, a huge estate in Morvern that blends tourism, conservation and hydro schemes. We’re also joined by Steve Hardy. Steve is the ranger of the Rahoy Hills Nature Reserve and he knows the local ecology inside out thanks to years of painstaking research and documentation. 
Together, Steve and Ross know everything about these hills, glens and trees and they explain what makes this fragile, yet incredibly rich landscape so special and how to let it flourish for the future.

Find out more about the series at
roadtotheisles.com/scottish-podcasts/
https://forestryandland.gov.scot/learn/heritage/visit-heritage-sites/aoineadh-mor-inniemore
https://ardtornish.co.uk/

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.

Walking through history and nature in Morvern

Sean Rafferty at home with Julian Bream

Adam Christopher tackles the debate around vulnerable road users, and explores what is being done to help reduce the terrible statistics on fatalities when HGVs come into contact with cyclists and pedestrians.  What responsibilities do drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, private motorists and professional drivers – and their employers – have?  

Someone with direct experience of the devastation caused by a fatal accident with an HGV is Kate Cairns, whose cyclist sister Eilidh was killed in 2009 when she was struck from behind and crushed by a tipper lorry whilst cycling to work.  Kate, whose career encompasses working as a civil engineer, environmentalist, sustainability consultant, road safety campaigner and founder of See Me Save Me, has become an important voice in road safety invited to speak at industry events, campaigning for greater awareness of the issues and working tirelessly to change outcomes. She shares her expertise and personal story with Adam, and there is an extended interview with Kate available as Episode 3 which is highly recommended listening.

Adam meets HGV drivers Barry and Rob to learn about the challenges they face as they go about their jobs.  Barry says that he wouldn’t choose it as a career again because he feels vulnerable to the actions of other road users, with potentially lethal results. Rob loves his truck, takes huge pride in it, but also describes it as a ‘blunt weapon’ and has seen the long-term psychological effects of a fatal incident on his friend, who killed someone while driving his HGV in London. Adam also talks to participants on ATT’s new EPIC Logistics training day to show how behavioural change is critical to having much safer roads.

This podcast contains content that some listeners may find upsetting.

Episode 2: Exposure to Danger - 'what makes us vulnerable on our roads?'

Thirty year-old Eilidh Cairns was killed in 2009 when she was struck from behind and crushed by a tipper lorry whilst cycling to work. The violent and shocking incident compelled her sister, Kate, to become a leading voice calling for construction logistic risk management and greater safety on our roads. 
 
Chartered Civil Engineer, Kate, familiar with on-site control of construction traffic, had to fight for a proper investigation – including for a check of the driver’s eyesight – and exposed the massive chasm between on-site and off-site safety culture. Taking her campaign for safer HGVs to Europe, UK parliament and the London Mayor as well as industry, change is now afoot at all levels with a new industry CLOCS standard, a world first direct vision standard forthcoming in London, and a change to EU law on cab design.
 
Kate talks candidly to ATT’s Adam Christopher about her fight for change; the growing industry recognition of road risk and necessity for the application of management techniques like the hierarchy of control; and how creating empathy is essential in changing culture.

This podcast contains content that some listeners may find upsetting.

Episode 3: An Interview with Kate Cairns - road safety campaigner and founder of See Me Save Me

In this episode we meet some of the team who looks after a person with cancer, We interview a pathologist, a surgeon, an medical oncologist, a clinical psychologist and a clinical nurse specialist to find out what they do, why they like doing it, and what are the challenges of the job.

Cancer Answers Ep 2: The MDT

ATT’s EPIC safety induction day for Tideway elicited an emotional reaction from a group of Yorkshire miners, now working as tunnellers on London’s £5 billion ‘Super Sewer’ project. Facilitator, Laura Forrest-Hay, was prompted to suggest they share their compelling stories with Adam Christopher. This episode is a powerful endorsement of Active Training Team’s commitment to creating realistic scenarios that reflect the real-life situations that can lead to incidents.
 
Chris, Robbie and Tony reflect on a tragic - and avoidable - fatality which had terrible consequences for the miners at the Maltby Colliery near Rotherham in South Yorkshire. One man lost his life and many others were deeply affected by that loss. They speak about the camaraderie and sense of community which exists amongst those working underground, the importance of effective training and how having a healthy wariness is vitally important, as experience can sometimes lead to complacency.
 
Adam discusses their story within the context of James Reason’s Swiss Cheese metaphor where both latent and active failures at Maltby Colliery contributed to this tragic loss of life.

The miners provide a stark reminder that being solely reliant on procedure is not enough; workplace culture, informed by behaviour and attitudes as well as the procedures needs to be strong, robust and importantly, caring, in order to keep people safe and healthy.

Episode 4: ‘Sliding Door' moments – former miners reflect on life and death decisions

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.