A finger style guitarist with a uniquely impassioned vocal style, Jim Ghedi was born and brought up in the Crookes area of Sheffield. He takes Matthew Bannister to his Nan and Grandad’s terraced house where he heard a lot of Irish music as a child. Jim rejected folk music at first, but found his way back to it as a teenager. Now he’s steeped in the tradition, citing the guitar playing of Bert Jansch and the singing of Norma Waterson as influences. At a beautiful vantage point at the top of one of Sheffield’s seven hills, we are joined by his friends dbh (on fiddle) and Neil Heppleston (on double bass).---Access four exclusive films of Jim performing along our walk, along with over 100 other performances from dozens of artists, by signing up to Folk On Foot On Film: https://www.folkonfoot.com/watch We rely entirely on support from our listeners to make Folk on Foot. So please consider becoming a patron. You’ll make a small monthly contribution and get great rewards. Find out more at www.patreon.com/folkonfoot.Sign up for our newsletter at www.folkonfoot.comFollow us on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @folkonfoot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The singer, fiddle, guitar and ukulele player Germa Adan was born in Haiti, grew up in Florida and now lives in the UK. She says the RSPB reserve in the Sandwell Valley has been her place of calm during the lockdowns – where she goes to contemplate and recharge. Germa is a rising star on the folk scene with a beguiling and original style.---Access five exclusive films of Germa performing along our walk, along with over 100 other performances from dozens of artists, by signing up to Folk On Foot On Film: https://www.folkonfoot.com/watch We rely entirely on support from our listeners to make Folk on Foot. So please consider becoming a patron. You’ll make a small monthly contribution and get great rewards. Find out more at www.patreon.com/folkonfoot.Sign up for our newsletter at www.folkonfoot.comFollow us on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @folkonfoot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The multi talented musician, producer and lover of the natural world Cosmo Sheldrake takes Matthew Bannister for a walk in the wood near his home in Hampshire. As well as creating electronic music from the song of endangered bird species and the sounds of deep sea creatures, he demonstrates his skill as a beat boxer, Mongolian overtone chanter and bones player; climbs halfway up a tree to sing in the wonderful acoustic of a clearing and covers a Tom Waits song. ---We rely entirely on support from our listeners to make Folk on Foot. So please consider becoming a patron. You’ll make a small monthly contribution and get great rewards. Find out more at www.patreon.com/folkonfoot.Sign up for our newsletter at www.folkonfoot.comFollow us on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @folkonfoot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 amazing folk acts each performing an original love song for the Folk on Foot Festival of LOVE on Valentine’s Day 2021, featuring Heidi Talbot: Easter Snow; Seth Lakeman: The White Hare; Lady Nade: Sweet Honey Bee; Kris Drever: When We Roll In The Morning; O’Hooley and Tidow: Blanket; Chris Wood: The Sweetness Game; Nancy Kerr and James Fagan: Seven Notes; Bella Hardy: Redemption; Sam Lee: Sweet Girl Macree; Rachel Newton: An Hour With Thee (words: Sir Walter Scott); Eliza CarthyNight Swimming; Beth Porter and the Bookshop Band: The 5th Knight and the Moon Princess; Gwilym Bowen Rhys: Clychau ‘r gog; Lisa Knapp and Gerry Diver: Ruler of the Rest; Martin Simpson: An Englishman Abroad; Seckou Keita: Kana-sila; Peggy Seeger: Autumn Wedding; Kitty Macfarlane: Avona; The Breath: For You; Steve Knightley: You’re Mine; Karine Polwart: The Light On The Shore; Jon Boden: Honeysuckle Halo---The Folk on Foot podcast relies entirely on contributions from its listeners to keep going, so why not become a patron – make a small monthly contribution and get great rewards? More details here: www.patreon.com/folkonfoot. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: @folkonfoot Sign up for our newsletter at: www.folkonfoot.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 amazing folk acts each performing a traditional love song for the Folk on Foot Festival of LOVE on Valentine’s Day 2021, featuring Nancy Kerr and James Fagan: The Streams of Lovely Nancy: Heidi Talbot: The Blackest Crow; Seth Lakeman: Portrait of My Wife; Lady Nade: Good Looking/Hank Williams; Kris Drever: Westlin’ Winds; O’Hooley and Tidow: Lullabies for Flynn; Chris Wood: A Cornish Young Man; Bella Hardy: Low Down In The Broom; Sam Lee: Blanafanen;  Rachel Newton: For Love; Eliza Carthy: Bottle; Beth Porter and the Bookshop Band: Tuesday Morning; Gwilym Bowen Rhys: Gwen Iliw’r lili; Lisa Knapp and Gerry Diver: Rolling In The Dew plus tunes; Martin Simpson: Donal Og; Kerry Andrew: Pleasant and Delightful / The Loyal Lover; Seckou Keita: Toubaka;Peggy Seeger: Wedding  Dress Song; Kitty Macfarlane: The Snow It Melts The Soonest; The Breath: Brid Bhan; Steve Knightley: Courting is A Pleasure (arr Nic Jones); Karine Polwart: Ae Fond Kiss (Burns); Jon Boden: Live Not Where I Love---The Folk on Foot podcast relies entirely on contributions from its listeners to keep going, so why not become a patron – make a small monthly contribution and get great rewards? More details here: www.patreon.com/folkonfoot. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: @folkonfoot Sign up for our newsletter at: www.folkonfoot.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 amazing folk acts each performing a cover version of a love song for the Folk on Foot Festival of LOVE on Valentine’s Day 2021, featuring Heidi Talbot: I Love You/Tom Waits and Allelujah/First of a Million Kisses/Fairground Attraction;  Seth Lakeman: Beeswing/Richard Thompson; Lady Nade: I Remember Everything/John Prine; Kris Drever: Michelle/The Beatles;  O’Hooley and Tidow: Teardrop/Massive Attack; Chris Wood: I Second That Emotion/Smokey Robinson;  Bella Hardy: And I Love You So/Don Maclean; Sam Lee: Dream A Little Dream of Me/Mamas and Papas; Rachel Newton: I Will/The Beatles; Eliza Carthy: Colorblind/Irving Berlin; Beth Porter and the Bookshop Band: Under the Boardwalk/The Drifters; Gwilym Bowen Rhys: Pueblito Viejo/Jose Alejandro Morales; Lisa Knapp and Gerry Diver: The Look of Love/Bacharach and David; Martin Simpson: Buckets of Rain/Bob Dylan; Kerry Andrew/You Are Wolf: Tender/Blur; Seckou Keita: No Woman No Cry/Bob Marley; Peggy Seeger: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face/Ewan MacColl; Kitty Macfarlane: Song To The Siren/Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett; The Breath: Lay Lady Lay/Bob Dylan; Steve Knightley: Romeo and Juliet/Dire Straits; Karine Polwart: Carey/Joni Mitchell; Jon Boden: I Want To Dance With Somebody/Whitney Houston; Nancy Kerr and James Fagan: You’ve Got A Friend/Carole King---The Folk on Foot podcast relies entirely on contributions from its listeners to keep going, so why not become a patron – make a small monthly contribution and get great rewards? More details here: www.patreon.com/folkonfoot. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: @folkonfoot Sign up for our newsletter at: www.folkonfoot.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Come with us to the back garden of a house in the Peak District village of Grindleford. There, in a magical atmospheric workshop with fiddles, banjos and drying gourds hanging from the ceiling, we find the Rheingans Sisters and their Dad Helmut, who makes all their instruments. Rowan and Anna Rheingans grew up surrounded by music – and are now one of the most innovative and talented duos on the folk scene. In this episode they tell us about their creative childhood, describe how they have been influenced by French and Scandinavian music and explain their love of dancing all night.---We rely entirely on support from our listeners to make Folk on Foot. So please consider becoming a patron. You’ll make a small monthly contribution and get great rewards. Find out more at www.patreon.com/folkonfoot.Sign up for our newsletter at www.folkonfoot.comFollow us on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @folkonfoot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The legendary guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson takes Matthew Bannister for a walk around the areas of London where he grew up, began playing the guitar, formed Fairport Convention (inventing English folk rock)  and joined the vibrant music scene of the 1960s.  On the steps of his old school in Highgate Richard sings  “Man With Money” by the Everly Brothers. In Highgate Woods he sings his classic lament for lost love and the travelling life: “Beeswing” as well as a new song written during lockdown:  “If I Could Live My Life Again”. Outside the house called “Fairport” that gave the band its name, Richard gives us an emotional version of “Meet On The Ledge”. Then it’s on to Wardour Street in Soho, site of the famous Marquee Club,  for “Walking The Long Miles Home”. Finally we are in the Lamb and Flag pub in Covent Garden where Richard describes an encounter with a drunken Irish tenor that inspired his song “Josef Locke”. Along the way Richard reflects on song writing technique, remembers playing with Jimi Hendrix and tells how his Mum and Dad never really understood his success as a musician.---To hear about future episodes of Folk on Foot, sign up for our newsletter at www.folkonfoot.com  or follow @folkonfoot on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We rely entirely on listeners’ contributions to keep going, so please consider becoming a patron, making a small monthly contribution in return for great rewards: www.patreon.com/folkonfoot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A selection of unique performances recorded on location for Folk on Foot by Frank Turner, Kitty Macfarlane, Chris Wood, Johnny Flynn, Ninebarrow and O’Hooley and Tidow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow have an uncanny ability to move you to tears one moment then have you roaring with laughter the next. In summer 2020 they were planning to capitalise on the new found fame caused by having their song “Gentleman Jack” as the theme tune of the hit BBC TV drama based on the life of Anne Lister. But the lockdown put paid to all the touring they’d planned.  So they stayed at home in the beautiful Colne Valley, taking full advantage of the opportunity to enjoy watching their one year old son Flynn grow and learn. On our walk along the canal  (with Flynn in the sling) they share the lullabies they use to soothe him to sleep. They also sing “Colne Valley Hearts” which celebrates the many characters they’ve met in the area and “The Hum” which responds to the noise of a local factory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The multi award winning Dorset duo Ninebarrow take Matthew Bannister for a walk in the glorious countryside of the Isle of Purbeck. Their exquisite harmonies ring out across the Bronze Age burial mounds at Nine Barrow Down (which gave the band its name) as they savour the spectacular view of Poole Harbour, Swanage and the Isle of Wight. They end up in St James’s Church in the village of Kingston where Jon and Jay sing “Row On” in the wonderful acoustic of this special building. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our first post lockdown episode, actor and musician Johnny Flynn takes Matthew Bannister for a walk on the Hackney Marshes, a huge expanse of public land which has no fewer than 88 football pitches alongside a nature reserve which has grown up in disused gravel pits. As well as singing his distinctive, haunting songs, Johnny relates his near miss with a bear on the Camino to Santiago, reflects on discovering the music of Bob Dylan as a teenager and talks about his friendship with the nature writer Robert Macfarlane. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another extraordinary Bank Holiday Monday virtual Festival from Folk on Foot, this time re-uniting musicians who couldn’t play together during the lockdown. The Breath; Eliza Carthy and David Delarre; Johnny Flynn and his band; Julie Fowlis, Éamon Doorley and Duncan Chisholm; Karine Polwart, Steven Polwart and Inge Thomson; Kris Drever, John McCusker and Phil Cunningham; Lady Nade, Kit Hawes and Aaron Catlow; Nancy Kerr, Martin Simpson and Andy Cutting; Peggy Seeger, Neill and Calum MacColl; Rachel Newton and Lauren MacColl; Sam Lee and his band; Show of Hands and Spiers and Boden. We have hand-picked the glorious highlights from seven hours of beautiful music for you to enjoy.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The award winning singer, songwriter and guitarist Chris Wood has lived in Kent all his life. “If you keep moving around, how much can you trust your judgement?” he asks. “If you stop where you are, the world does eventually come to you.” Since the Brexit referendum and election of 2019, Chris has been in challenging mood.  On this walk with his dog Dancer and Matthew Bannister, Chris performs his song “Take Back Control” and contrasts the commuters on the London-bound platform at 6 every morning with what he calls “the slope-shouldered, whey-faced broken people” in Faversham’s greasy spoons and declining market place. “This is my muse,” he tells us. “This darkness and this hypocrisy and these contradictions – I thrive on it”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kitty Macfarlane is known for her pure voice, poetic song writing and passion for the natural world. On this unexpectedly sunny January walk, she and Matthew Bannister climb the historic Burrow Mump Hill. Here she sings a song inspired by the view, “Man Friendship”.   As they walk along the nearby river, Kitty stops to sing her song about migration: “Glass Eel”. Then it’s off to her favourite bird sanctuary where they observe many different species and she sings her song about witnessing a murmuration of starlings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Frank Turner is a man of contrasts: the old Etonian who became a punk; the heavy metal fan who became a folk-influenced singer songwriter. On this walk through his old haunts on the Holloway Road in North London he reveals the inspiration for his change in musical direction, calling in at the venue Nambucca where ""the scales fell from my eyes"" and he discovered the power of ""three chords and the truth". In the empty venue he plays the songs he wrote about the creative scene there, before heading down the road to The Garage, where his passion for punk was ignited. Along the way he reflects on the history of the area, his sofa-surfing experiences, his tattoos and his relationship with his mother.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A delicious taster of some of the amazing new episodes coming your way in season 5 of Folk on Foot. Recorded before the lockdown, we’ve been walking with Kitty Macfarlane on the Somerset Levels, Chris Wood in Faversham and Frank Turner on the Holloway Road in North London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Featuring “Queen of Waters” by Nancy Kerr, “Scapa Flow 1919” by Kris Drever, “Sleeping Beauty” by Bella Hardy, “I’m a Woman on Wheels” by Peggy Seeger, “The Token” by Rachel Newton, “Walking Through Ithonside” by John Jones and the Reluctant Ramblers and The Melrose Quartet singing “Bright New Year”.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday 25th May – Spring Bank Holiday in the UK – we staged the Folk on Foot Front Room Festival 2 with an astonishing line up of artists. The show lasted for eight hours – but we have distilled it down to two hours of highlights, featuring: Cara Dillon and Sam Lakeman, Chris Wood, Duncan Chisholm, Eliza Carthy, Frank Turner and Jess Guise, Gwilym Bowen Rhys, John Smith, Johnny Flynn, Kate Rusby and Damien O’Kane, Kathryn Tickell, Kitty Macfarlane, O’Hooley and Tidow, Richard Thompson and Zara Phillips, Rioghnach Connolly and Ellis Davies – all playing from their front rooms (and gardens). Plus the online premiere of a behind the scenes film of the Unthanks on their recent “unaccompanied” tour. It was a remarkable and emotional day which raised loads of money for musicians who can’t work during the lockdown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jarlath Henderson has been described as the “Jimi Hendrix of the uilleann pipes”.  He is also a fine singer and accomplished player of the whistle. At the age of 17 he became the youngest ever winner of the Radio 2 Young Folk award. He comes from Northern Ireland but has now made his home in Scotland where he combines his musical career with working as a doctor in emergency medicine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Su-a Lee is a classically trained cellist who loves breaking down musical barriers. With the group Mr McFall’s Chamber she’s played contemporary classical music in night clubs and she regularly collaborates with Scotland’s leading folk players.  She is also a keen walker and bagger of Munros. Sitting on a rock by the river at Sligachan, she tells Matthew Bannister the poignant story of climbing Ben Nevis with her cello on her back to pay musical tribute to her late husband shortly after he died. Then she unveils her secret weapon... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Edinburgh-born harpist, fiddle player and singer Rachel Newton sings in both English and Gaelic and is a member of The Shee, The Furrow Collective and the Lost Words Spell Songs. We walked with her on the Isle of Skye in November 2019 where she was taking part in the wonderful Festival of Small Halls, in which top Scottish musicians come together to tour the community halls of the island. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Easter Bank Holiday Monday, April 13th 2020, we organised the Folk on Foot Front Room Festival - seven and a half hours of wonderful folk music from 15 top artists playing in their front rooms, linked by Matthew Bannister from his. Bella Hardy, Beth Porter and the Bookshop Band, Jon Boden, Julie Fowlis and Éamon Doorley, Karine Polwart, Kerry Andrew/You are Wolf, Kris Drever, Lisa Knapp, Martin Simpson, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, Peggy Seeger, Rachel Newton, Sam Lee, Seth Lakeman and Steve Knightley all played sets of around 30 minutes. The festival raised £110,000 for musicians unable to work during the coronavirus lockdown. Here are some of the highlights of an amazing day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The singer, songwriter and fiddle player Bella Hardy takes Matthew for a rain-sodden walk through the majestic countryside of the Edale Valley in the Peak District where she was brought up and has now returned to live. Undaunted by the weather, they go to the Penny Pot café, the 1811 Methodist Chapel where Bella teaches a singing group and on to her mother’s cottage where they stop for very welcome tea, biscuits and songs, including a local Castleton carol and Bella’s own compositions “Sleeping Beauty” and “Tequila Moon”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a life on the road, folk legend Peggy Seeger has settled in the village of Iffley on the outskirts of Oxford.  In this episode she talks poignantly about her mother, a talented composer who died when she was fifty-three and Peggy was just eighteen.  Peggy recites a poem called “My Mother is Younger Than Me”.  She sings old union songs, including “The Miner’s Prayer”, recalls her time on the Greenham Common protests, shows us a piece of the wire fence she keeps on her mantelpiece and sings a song called “A Woman on Wheels” which is about a protester in a  wheelchair who she saw using bolt cutters to breach that fence. Come with us on a walk through Peggy Seeger’s life in an unforgettable episode of Folk on Foot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The guitarist, singer and songwriter Kris Drever was born and brought up on Orkney, the archipelago off the Northern coast of Scotland which is steeped in history. The walk starts in the main town of Kirkwall with its huge sandstone cathedral commemorating St Magnus who came to an untimely end. In the graveyard Kris sings “Winter Moon”. Then they head off to the shores of the great natural harbour at Scapa Flow where Kris performs his powerful song about the scuttling of the entire German navy there in 1919. They end up at the chapel created in a nissen hut by Italian prisoners during the Second World War – a poignant setting for Kris’s song “Ghosts”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In search of the festive spirit of Christmas – and bearing gifts -  we travel to the Peak District and Sheffield to hear the area’s unique local carols. Along the way we collect music from Jon Boden, Bella Hardy, The Melrose Quartet and the singers of the villages of Dungworth and Hathersage. We hear how the traditional carols written and sung by working people were thrown out of the church – and had to find a new home in the village pubs. Put on your Santa hat, reindeer antlers or Christmas jumper, get yourself a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie and join us.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode has by far the largest cast of walkers we’ve ever assembled – and the most musicians.  The lead singer of Oysterband John Jones started walking from gig to gig and singing on the way long before our podcast was invented. He’s done it all over the country and he’s usually accompanied by a bunch of fans who call themselves the Reluctant Ramblers. On a scorching hot summer’s day, we join them for a walk over Old Winchester Hill, along part of the South Downs Way and the Meon Valley to the Wickham Festival. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For twelve years, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nancy Kerr lived on a narrow boat, travelling the length and breadth of England’s inland waterways. As she walks on the towpath with Matthew Bannister, she tells how the experience inspired many of her songs – and performs two of them: “Queen of Waters” and “Tiller Song”. Nancy explains that folk music was part of her upbringing, with her mother Sandra Kerr a well-known performer and her father a Northumbrian pipe player. Did she ever fall in to the canal? “Yes, about once a month!”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Featuring: Nancy Kerr along the Kennet and Avon Canal, John Jones and the Reluctant Ramblers walking to the Wickham Festival, Kris Drever on Orkney, Peggy Seeger in Iffley and Bella Hardy in Edale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Featuring: “Never Any Good” by Martin Simpson;  “Charm On, Goldfinch” by Beth Porter; “Union Miner” by The Unthanks; “Salty and Sweet” by John Smith; “Lavender Song” by Lisa Knapp;  “A Precious Place” by Duncan Chisholm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Martin Simpson performs some of the songs from his new album “Rooted” and talks to Matthew Bannister on the Big Barn stage at the BBC Countryfile Live event in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sandwood Bay, at the far North Western tip of Scotland near Cape Wrath, is one of the most beautiful beaches in the UK. This wild, isolated place inspired the Scottish fiddle player and composer Duncan Chisholm’s album “Sandwood”.  He takes Matthew on the four-mile walk from the nearest road to experience the stark beauty of white sand, ancient rocks and rolling waves, telling stories of storms, hauntings and the remains of a Viking longship hidden under the beach. Then it’s out with the fiddle to hear some of the music inspired by Sandwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The singer and fiddle player Lisa Knapp takes Matthew to the south London borough of Tooting where she was born and brought up. She performs songs with links to the area and tells how she stumbled across the Tooting Tragedy – a story of neglect and ill treatment at a local children’s home in Victorian times that led to hundreds of deaths and caused an outcry led by Charles Dickens. Lisa uncovered a haunting ballad about the story and sings it in the graveyard where many of the children are buried. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Smith is known for his delicate and intricate guitar work, honey-and-gravel voice and songs of lost love. He was born in Essex, but brought up in the seaside town of Brixham in Devon. Struck down by illness as a child, he took up the guitar and practiced obsessively in his attic bedroom overlooking the sea. In this episode, he takes Matthew to the harbour wall to sing “Salty and Sweet” and up onto the cliffs where he found peace and solitude as a teenager to sing his own compositions “Save My Life” and “Hummingbird” and the traditional Somerset song “Hares on the Mountain”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every winter, Rachael and Becky Unthank and their extended families invite their fans to join them for singing weekends in their native Northumberland. Some fifty people stay together at a bunkhouse where pianist/producer Adrian McNally does the cooking, and Rachel and Becky lead singing workshops. The weekend includes a session in the atmospheric local pub, where Matthew joins the group for a singalong. Then Rachel takes him for a walk on her favourite beach at Low Newton By The Sea, where she sings “The Flower of Northumberland” and “Here’s The Tender Coming”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Regularly voted one of the world’s greatest guitarists, Martin Simpson has been nominated for an astonishing 23 Radio 2 Folk Awards – and won artist of the year twice. He was brought up in the North Lincolnshire steel town of Scunthorpe and takes Matthew on an emotional journey back to his childhood home, explaining how he hid from his formidable mother in the apple tree in the garden, went on imaginary expeditions through a pile of maps he found under a work bench in the garage and was introduced to the natural world on rambles through the local woods with his father. He sings his heartfelt tribute to his Dad, “Never Any Good” as well as “Toy Soldiers” and “Creeping Jane”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The beautiful Lost Words book by artist Jackie Morris and writer Robert Macfarlane has become a cultural phenomenon, raising awareness of the importance of nature words in our lives. It has also spawned the Spell Songs project featuring some of our top folk artists. In this special edition of Folk on Foot, Matthew walks with Jackie and the singer, cellist and ukulele player Beth Porter (The Bookshop Band) on the hill near Jackie’s cottage in Wales. Beth sings and plays as Jackie creates an otter painting in her studio. We also hear music from Julie Fowlis and Kerry Andrew/You Are Wolf. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A tantalising taste of all six beautiful episodes of Season 3, featuring The Lost Words Spell Songs: Jackie Morris and Beth Porter in Pembrokeshire; Martin Simpson in Scunthorpe; The Unthanks on the Northumberland Coast; John Smith in Brixham; Lisa Knapp in Tooting and Duncan Chisholm at Sandwood Bay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Featuring: “Kitty Jay” by Seth Lakeman;  “As Sylvie Was Walking” from Kerry Andrew/You Are Wolf; :”Dancing In The Factory” by Jon Boden; “All The Things” by Stick In The Wheel; “First And Last” by Fisherman’s Friends; “Biodh an Deach Sea’n Laimh Mo Ruin (The Drink Would Be In My Love’s Hand)” by Julie Fowlis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis takes Matthew Bannister for a snowy walk on the dramatic shores of Loch Ness near her home in the Scottish Highlands. Accompanied by her husband Eamon Doorley, we hear Julie’s beautiful clear voice singing a song linked to the area and a love song that brought the couple together for the first time.  As they head to the spectacular Foyers Falls, Julie explains that understanding the Gaelic language is the best way to form a true connection with the landscape.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stick in the Wheel’s music has been described as “precision folk with anger, lust and blood.” The band’s founders Nicola Kearey and Ian Carter take Matthew Bannister for a walk through their East London stomping grounds, starting in a Victorian weaver’s house in Spitalfields, taking in Walthamstow Market and ending up in Epping Forest where they’re joined by fiddle player Ellie Wilson. Along the way they sing songs that reflect the chequered history of the East End of London.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jon Cleave and Billy Hawkins of Fisherman’s Friends take Matthew Bannister for a walk around their beautiful home village of Port Isaac in Cornwall, telling tales and singing songs inspired by the seafaring history of the area. They invite us to fall in love with “The Maid of Madeira”, marvel at two ‘doubloons’ picked up in the harbour by Jon’s Uncle Andy, pay tribute to the fallen Cornish lads of the First World War in “First and Last” and shed a tear with “The Last Widow”, as she bemoans a tragedy that struck the Port Quin herring fleet.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kerry Andrew has been described by Robert Macfarlane as “a writer and musician of frankly alarming talent”. She is a composer, novelist and vocalist who performs alt folk under the name You Are Wolf. In this episode she takes Matthew for a walk from her flat in South London, through surprisingly green parkland, to the historic Brockwell Lido where she persuades him to take a dip. Along the way she demonstrates her multi layered vocal technique and sings songs from her albums “Hawk to the Hunting Gone” and “Keld”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seth Lakeman is the Mercury Music Prize nominated singer, fiddle player and guitarist who will forever be associated with Dartmoor. He grew up in the village of Buckland Monachorum with his two brothers Sean and Sam who are also key players on the folk scene. In this episode Seth takes Matthew to the village church to re-create his 2004 recording ""Cape Clear"", to the local school to sing “An Educated Man” and to the hills above the Burrator Reservoir where he performs “Kitty Jay”, “The White Hare” and “The Courier”. Along the way he reflects on sibling rivalry, the myths and legends of Dartmoor and his experiences of touring the world with the former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The former Bellowhead lead singer takes Matthew on a walk near his home on the outskirts of Sheffield. This landscape inspired his 2009 album “Songs from the Floodplain”, which creates a vision of a post apocalyptic future when industrial architecture is decaying and people are returning to a more rural way of life. As they walk down the valley, Jon sings “Going Down to the Wasteland”; by a whirlpool in the River Loxley, he performs ""April Queen." Next we visit a disused brick factory - where empty kilns and rusting girders are being overwhelmed by trees and weeds - the perfect setting for “Dancing In The Factory”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A first chance to hear some extracts from Season 2 of Folk on Foot. This time we'll be walking with: Jon Boden in the Loxley Valley; Seth Lakeman on Dartmoor; Kerry Andrew at the Brockwell Lido; Fisherman’s Friends in Port Isaac; Stick in the Wheel on the road to Epping Forest; Julie Fowlis on the shores of Loch Ness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Featuring: Eliza Carthy and Family: “Some Old Salty”;  Steve Knightley: “The Dive”;  Cara Dillon and Sam Lakeman: “The Leaving Song”;  The Young’uns: “The Hartlepool Pedlar”; Sam Lee: “The Birds in the Spring”; Karine Polwart: “The Lark In The Clear Air”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.