These slinky, tree-dwelling predators had virtually disappeared in England and Wales by the turn of the 20th Century.

But pine martens are making a comeback.

We follow Ranger Dan Iceton at Wallington estate in Northumberland, as he tries to encourage pine martens to make these woodlands their forever home.

And we discover conservation success in other parts of Britain where the animals have returned.

Follow the story and secret lives of the mysterious mammal making a comeback in our forests.

[Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure. Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more. Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/

Production: Producer: Michelle Douglass
Hosts: Rosie Holdsworth and Dan Iceton
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
With thanks to: Dr Stephanie Johnstone and Vincent Wildlife Trust

Image © Caroline Legg

Discover more: Visit Wallington, looked after by the National Trust https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/wallington

Find out more about pine martens with Vincent Wildlife Trust: https://www.vwt.org.uk/species/pine-marten-2

Read about Martens on the Move: https://pinemartens.uk/

Report your sighting and help citizen science: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/a8c5d8e084dc4ecb9b92c57c42769d1f

The Farne Islands in the North Sea, off the coast of Northumberland, have a very special species of seabird during the summer that fiercely protects its young with its dive-bombing technique.

However, it’s the Arctic Terns’ ability to fly thousands of miles during their migration from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle that really sets them apart.

Join Rosie and Rangers Dan Iceton and Tom Hendry on Inner Farne as they spend time with the Arctic Terns and experience their dive-bombing tactics first-hand.

Just outside Belfast, lie the Mourne Mountains - a land of granite peaks and wide skies, but also a place of witches, fawns and lions. Protected as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, an Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a UNESCO Global Geopark, this remarkable landscape is also a doorway to imagination.

Join National Trust ranger Kate Martin as she journeys from the streets of Belfast to the Mourne Mountains, exploring the places that shaped C.S. Lewis’s childhood and inspired his creation of Narnia. Discover how city, story and landscape came together to form one of the most beloved worlds in children’s literature.

(AD) Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.
Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.
Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. www.cotswoldoutdoor.com

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/_Smzdtsh_tM

Production
Presenter: Kate Martin
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez
Contributors: Dr Sarah Waters, Director of the Sterling College C.S. Lewis Center
Lolly Spence, Blue Badge Tourist Guide and historian
James Fisher, Lead Ranger NI Castle Ward
Actor: Ethan Hughes courtesy of Prime Theatre

Thank you to The CS Lewis Company Ltd for permissions to use quotes from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis © copyright CS Lewis Pte Ltd 1950, in this episode.

Discover More
If you’d like to know more about visiting The Mournes, please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/the-mournes

You can listen to more of Kate’s Northern Ireland adventures here: Northern Ireland Adventure | Beyond the Bridge - Wild Tales | Nature Podcast | Podcast on Spotify Northern Ireland Adventure | Sea Safari at Rathlin Island - Wild Tales | Nature Podcast | Podcast on Spotify

If you'd like to book a tour with Lolly Spence you can here: www.hiddenulstertours.com

If you’d like to read Dr Sarah Waters’ work on C.S. Lewis, you can do so here: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9681-3361
And you can learn more about the Sterling College C.S. Lewis Center here: https://www.sterling.edu/academics/cs-lewis-center

If you’d like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk