23/04/2016
Mark Stephen and Helen Needham present live from Ballater on Royal Deeside, which was battered by flooding ealier in 2016.
This week on Out of Doors we bring you a special programme live from the village of Ballater in Royal Deeside. After being battered by flooding earlier in the year, Ballater is very much back in business.
On a glorious sunny day Mark and Helen climb Lochnagar with mountaineer and author Ian R Mitchell. Ian tells them about the history of the mountain and the landscape around them.
Mark meets twin brothers Alastair and William Peake who are both ghillies on the River Dee. They are joined by Mel Shand who is an artist and also a trustee of the river. They discuss the impact of the earlier flooding and what condition the river is in now as well as finding out about the boys' interest in drones.
Ballater is steeped in history and the Victorians in particular had a big impact on the village and the whole area. Ballater resident Alistair Cassie takes Mark to a couple of local landmarks.
Mark is put through his paces when he heads out onto the Balmoral Estate for a run with Neil Stewart, founder of Running The Highlands. Neil organises running holidays and weekends across Deeside for people who are mad about running.
Emma Henderson makes her Out of Doors debut gliding through the skies above Royal Deeside with instructor David Innes from Deeside Gliding Club. He takes her up for a lesson and even some mid-air acrobatics.
On Out of Doors we like our breakfast and this week Mark met regular listener Barry the Butcher fae Ballater to have a go at making his own '成人快手' sausages. Barry will be joining us live to help cook up the finished product.
Continuing the food theme Helen meets Pamela Chalmers of Chalmers bakery in Ballater to find out how they make their famous Balmoral Loaf. If it's good enough for the Royals, it's good enough for the Out of Doors team.
The Bike Station in Ballater run a weekly cycle trip out to the Burn O Vat. Helen joined the group lead by Clare Whitehead and had a chat with some fellow cyclists about why they have come to Ballater.