Ramblings artwork

Places & Travel · BBC Radio 4

Ramblings

by BBC Radio 4

Clare Balding and guests share inspiring conversations while walking in the great outdoors. Fresh air and nature, wonderful views and uplifting chat, each week Clare hikes in a different part of our glorious countryside. Walking side by side is the perfect way to cover a huge range of subjects: literature, art, wildlife, nature, taking on personal or physical challenges, dealing with grief, confronting preconceptions about the kind of people who love to ramble. The conversations are as varied as the landscapes we find ourselves in. If there's a recurring theme, it's the accepted truth that 'solvitur ambulando' - 'it is solved through walking': The sense of wellness, the benefits to mental health, easy companionship, or sometimes just the sense of solitude that being alone in nature brings. Few things are better than going for a good walk. That's what we aim to share each week on Ramblings with Clare Balding.

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

In the Footsteps of Little Nell

Clare joins Alistair MacNichol for part of his long‑distance walk from Holborn in London to Tong in Shropshire as he recreates the journey made by Little Nell and her gra

Jul 2
23 min

Bosham to West Itchenor in West Sussex

Clare joins Marian Spain and Paula Brunt as they explore a stretch of the King Charles III England Coast Path in West Sussex. After more than forty years working in envir

Jun 25
23 min

The Wrekin with Marlon Patrice

Clare meets Marlon Patrice for a walk up The Wrekin in Shropshire. Marlon is the founder of We Go Outside Too, a community organisation he created in Birmingham after the

Jun 18
23 min

Mending Footpaths in Eryri

Clare walks with a group of British Mountaineering Council volunteers who’ve been working to repair footpaths in Eryri, formerly known as Snowdonia National Park. These

Jun 11
23 min

Anglesey/Ynys Môn

Clare explores the south side of Anglesey / Ynys Môn with friends Emily Coates and Nic Parry. Beginning on the wide sands of Newborough beach, they follow the shoreline

Jun 4
23 min

Fetternear, Aberdeenshire

Clare Balding joins the Garioch 50+ Men’s Walking Group for a stroll through the scenic Fetternear Estate near Kemnay in Aberdeenshire. This long-running group was foun

May 28
23 min

Bailies of Bennachie

Clare heads up Mither Tap, a distinctive hill in the Bennachie range in Aberdeenshire. Leading the way are the Bailies of Bennachie, a group of volunteer conservators fo

May 21
23 min

Brockley and Ladywell with Hana Sutch

Clare Balding heads to Brockley and Ladywell for a leafy London wander with Hana Sutch, co founder of the walking app Go Jauntly. Growing up in a family that didn’t walk

Feb 12
23 min

Terminal Hillness in the north Lakes

Clare joins Ian Teasdale in the north Lake District for a very personal walk. Ian and his wife, Catherine, are on a mission to climb all 214 Wainwright fells as part of t

Feb 5
23 min

Ghosts of the Farm with Nicola Chester

Clare joins writer Nicola Chester for a circular walk from her home in the village of Inkpen in West Berkshire. Despite recently breaking her leg in an unfortunate tangle

Jan 29
23 min

Bredon Hill with Steve Boycott

Clare hikes up Bredon Hill with Steve Boycott, founder of the Be You Programme, an outdoor‑based initiative that helps young people build confidence and resilience. Steve

Jan 22
23 min

Adventurer Pom Oliver in the Low Weald

Clare Balding meets the adventurer Pom Oliver for a woodland wander near her home in West Sussex. As they stroll amongst the trees, Pom recalls extraordinary chapters f

Jan 15
23 min

Walking Back to Happiness

Clare joins Glenn Meyer in Surrey’s Happy Valley for a walk that celebrates resilience and recovery. During lockdown, Glenn suffered a serious spinal injury after a simpl

Jan 8
23 min

The Gower Peninsula to Antarctica

Clare Balding joins Rob Curtis for a walk across the dramatic landscape of Rhossili Bay on the Gower Peninsula. Rob, an electrician with a passion for nature and adventur

Nov 20 2025
23 min

India in the Cotswolds with Corinne Fowler and Raj Pal

Clare is walking in the Cotswolds with author Corinne Fowler and historian Raj Pal, whose family has roots in both Britain and India. Corinne is leading the way, recreat

Nov 13 2025
23 min

Whispering Rocks with Anjana Khatwa

Clare joins Earth Scientist and author Anjana Khatwa for a cliffside walk in Dorset exploring the landscapes that shaped her life, and her book The Whispers of Rock – Sto

Nov 6 2025
23 min

Nick Wilson - the Disabled Adventurer

Clare joins Nick Wilson for a circuit around Pitsford Reservoir in Northamptonshire. A former soldier, Nick now uses a powerchair after a spinal injury and years of chron

Oct 30 2025
23 min

Crime and Punishment in the Peak District

Clare joins writer Kate Morgan on a walk from Monsal Head to Tideswell in the Peak District. Along the way, they explore how the use of gallows and gibbets in public puni

Oct 23 2025
23 min

Walk for Wendy - Chater Valley

Clare explores a six-mile loop of the Chater Valley in this week’s Ramblings. Her companion is Will Hetherington who wrote to the programme inviting Clare to join him. He

Oct 16 2025
23 min

Clare Balding's in Town!

Clare Balding’s In Town! To kick off the new series, Clare is walking in Rutland with comedian Mark Steel. Since they’re in the same place at the same time, Clare is also

Oct 9 2025
23 min

More podcasts like Ramblings

Popular shows in Places & Travel, for your next listen.

Browse charts by category

Daily updated Apple Podcasts rankings for the United States.

About Ramblings on Reason.fm

Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Ramblings, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

Contact

Questions or issues? Reach us at hello@reason.fm

0:000:00