From this week's Earth Beat: author Sara Maitland lives alone in a shepherd's cottage on a remote moor in southern Scotland. The howling wind is the only distraction from her chosen path – the silent life.

Not the sort of person you would think would become a hermit, she’s very chatty and sociable, probably a consequence of growing up in a vocal family of six. As an adult she became an outspoken feminist and successful writer. It was after her marriage broke up that she found herself, for the first time, alone. And it turns out she loved the lack of noise. Ever since, she’s been exploring her relationship with silence.

She’s travelled the world seeking silence, from the Isle of Skye in Scotland to the Sinai desert and she’s written a book about her experiences, called The Book of Silence.
 
Earth Beat wanted to ask her to talk about silence. Thus breaking her silence. Host Marnie Chesterton had to first check whether she minded talking to us.

Listen to/download the interview (right-click download button and "save as")