0:00:05 > 0:00:07This is the life!
0:00:07 > 0:00:10I can't imagine a better way of spending a spring day
0:00:10 > 0:00:12than out on the water.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16It just evokes childhood memories of adventure and having fun.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20The person who captures this spirit of adventure
0:00:20 > 0:00:23better than anyone else is Arthur Ransome,
0:00:23 > 0:00:27with his 1930s series of children's stories, Swallows and Amazons.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32The books were set in three iconic British waterlands -
0:00:32 > 0:00:37the ancient, glacial landscapes of the Lake District,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41the shallow, man-made waters of the Norfolk Broads,
0:00:41 > 0:00:45and the coastal estuaries and deep waters of the North Sea.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Between them, they offer a fabulously diverse selection
0:00:48 > 0:00:52of Britain's beautiful water landscapes.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56And they are fascinating because of the way that the phenomenal force of
0:00:56 > 0:01:00the water has transformed Britain's social and economic fortunes.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04I'm Dick Strawbridge, engineer and enthusiastic sailor.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08I'm going to be taking to the water in a series of vintage boats
0:01:08 > 0:01:12to explore each of the landscapes Ransome made famous.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15From this unique perspective, I'll be finding out how people
0:01:15 > 0:01:19harnessed the power of the water to literally change the course
0:01:19 > 0:01:24of history, and meeting the people who still make a living here today.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27And I'm Alice Roberts, an anthropologist
0:01:27 > 0:01:30and a keen naturalist, and I'm fascinated by the relationship
0:01:30 > 0:01:33between humans and the rest of the natural world.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36While Dick is exploring by boat
0:01:36 > 0:01:39and meeting the people who inhabit these landscapes,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I'm going to be focusing on the natural world,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46setting out to discover the wildlife of the waterlands.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51We'll both be roaming across the inspiring landscapes
0:01:51 > 0:01:54of the Swallows and Amazons.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Arthur Ransome is best known for his series of children's books
0:02:05 > 0:02:08generally known as Swallows and Amazons,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11which was the first book in the series.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14It was a world where children had the freedom to roam
0:02:14 > 0:02:17and have adventures in the great outdoors.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Life was both idyllic and innocent.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Few cars, no phones, no television.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Britain was between the wars.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31There was a great sense of community,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33working together to rebuild Britain.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38And Ransome's beloved waterlands were more than just beautiful.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41They were also industrial landscapes,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43thriving and vigorous places.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48Whilst that world is long gone, I have a feeling that Dick and I
0:02:48 > 0:02:50will still find some of its former glory
0:02:50 > 0:02:55lingering in the stunning waterscape settings of Ransome's books.
0:02:58 > 0:03:04And the first one I'm off to explore is this, the glorious Lake District.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11My adventure starts here.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17In the 1930s, when Ransome was writing, the lakes were still vital
0:03:17 > 0:03:19to the industrialisation of Britain
0:03:19 > 0:03:21that had played out in the previous century.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Their woods provided fuel and building material
0:03:24 > 0:03:27for the mills and mines of Northern England,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29their mountains were mined for precious ores
0:03:29 > 0:03:32and their fells had been transformed by sheep farming.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35But the water here was at the heart of it all.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43The lakes of the Lake District are amongst the deepest in the UK,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46but Coniston itself - 56 metres deep.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49These lakes were carved out of the hard, volcanic bedrock
0:03:49 > 0:03:53by a glacier over 12,000 years ago.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Imagine really rough sandpaper.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Well, that's the ice acting with all of the boulders,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00scraping the bottom out of the valleys,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04and when you fill it with water, you get something as beautiful as this.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Ransome describes the children's thrill at discovering this landscape.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17"They had seen the lake like an inland sea.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26"It was their land and with that in sight,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28"who could be content to live on the mainland
0:04:28 > 0:04:31"and sleep in a bed at night?"
0:04:59 > 0:05:03I've sailed across the ocean. I've come into my sheltered lagoon.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09I think Arthur Ransome would have been proud of me.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14But to really explore, I've got to get ashore.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Only one of Ransome's books was set on the lake itself.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22The others were set in the hills and fells above it.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25I'm looking for traces of a lost world.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Today, it's so quiet here, but in his books,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Ransome's woods were alive with woodsmen, charcoal burners
0:05:31 > 0:05:35and poachers, all harvesting the natural wealth of these forests.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40This is a beautiful old wood,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and if you look here, you can see a big root system
0:05:42 > 0:05:45with lots of straight growth on it.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49At some stage, it's been cut back. It's been coppiced.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51It's something I've done many times.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55In a coppiced wood, the trees are regularly cut off at ground level,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59causing many long, straight rods to grow from the stump.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01With the heavy rainfall in this region,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04these coppiced woods would have grown vigorously.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Going back not so long ago,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10coppicing was really, really important for raw materials.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12If you think about it, most of the things we need
0:06:12 > 0:06:14in our home could come from the wood.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Before we had plastic, these straight coppiced rods were
0:06:18 > 0:06:22absolutely perfect for making chair legs and broom handles,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25and particularly for making bobbins for the flourishing textile trade.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Coppicing was also used to produce charcoal,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37which was vital in the smelting of iron, copper and lead -
0:06:37 > 0:06:38major industries here.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48Aah! Look at this, look at this. Here we go.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53This was a dwelling of some sort.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55On the top of the stone walls,
0:06:55 > 0:06:56they would have used natural vegetation
0:06:56 > 0:06:58to make a roof for the rain to fall off -
0:06:58 > 0:07:01lots of rain in the Lake District - and over here...
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Yes, there we are. There's a chimney hole at the back.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08This is the hearth - fire underneath there, smoke out the back.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10It's a decent size.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20The human activity has gone, but the woods are still full of life.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48There's a badger!
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Coppicing has a long history in Britain.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05And now our coppiced woods provide open woodland
0:08:05 > 0:08:11and good soils that support many of our rare plants, birds and insects.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Sitting down by a nice, tranquil pond,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32with the birdsong in the background,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36dunking in your feet, it's how you should relax.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41In Northern England, mountain pools like this are called tarns,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44places that were left full of meltwater
0:08:44 > 0:08:46as ice-age glaciers disappeared.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50They were where the last remnants of ice lingered -
0:08:50 > 0:08:54because of their location, they were shady, vegetated and out of the sun.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04Ah, this... I know it's going to be relaxing,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07but actually, it's quite chilly!
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Ohh! Look at that.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13It looks idyllic,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16but lurking in these waters are some scary beasts
0:09:16 > 0:09:20who have been living here since the glaciers retreated.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Do you ever get the feeling you're not alone?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Slight tingling in the back of the neck there.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Sometimes, you just feel like you're being watched.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44You feel like there's things crawling on the back...
0:09:44 > 0:09:45Oh, my God!
0:09:45 > 0:09:47HE CHUCKLES
0:09:47 > 0:09:49There IS something on the back of my leg!
0:09:51 > 0:09:52It's huge!
0:09:52 > 0:09:55They said they could grow up to eight inches.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58That's a big old leech.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01There are 16 species of leech found in Britain,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and ten live here in the Lake District, including this one,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08the only leech that attacks man - the medicinal leech.
0:10:08 > 0:10:14Blood-letting was a time-honoured remedy for all manner of ailments.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19It was believed that leeches sucked out bad blood, removing infections.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24The Victorians used over 42 million leeches a year,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26many of them harvested here.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30So, attached to my leg is a living example
0:10:30 > 0:10:32of the little-known but huge contribution
0:10:32 > 0:10:38made by the Lake District's water and its leeches to the nation's health.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39When it comes to getting this off,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42it's not a Humphrey Bogart with a cigarette, burning it off,
0:10:42 > 0:10:43or pouring vinegar on it.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44If you do anything like that,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47the leech regurgitates the blood back and can infect the wound.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51What you have to do is scrape it off with something like a credit card,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53nice and gently along the skin.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55That's what I've been told.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56I've never done it before,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58but it's about time I did, cos, um...
0:11:00 > 0:11:01..it's huge.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Sorry, leech. Last orders!
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Today, there is a resurgence in the use of leeches
0:11:07 > 0:11:10in the treatment of damaged and grafted tissue.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14It may be back in fashion, but I think I'll give it a pass.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23As I climb further up the hills,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26the woodlands are replaced with open pasture.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38We've moved up from the tree line, up to where
0:11:38 > 0:11:41the farmers cut out their farms from the land.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43This is a place where you need to have tough people
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and hardy animals just to survive.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50The winters here are long and very hard.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Most of the farms have been modernised, but in the Lakes,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59there are pockets where life hasn't changed for centuries.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02I'm meeting up with local farmer John Watson.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- John! Hi.- Hello.- Good to see you. - Hi, Dick.- Yeah.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Glorious! It's always like this in the Lakes, isn't it?
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- Absolutely. It never rains(!) - THEY CHUCKLE
0:12:13 > 0:12:16- Your Herdwicks, John. - Here they are.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19'Herdwick sheep were probably introduced to the Lake District
0:12:19 > 0:12:22'by the Vikings and are particularly well adapted
0:12:22 > 0:12:24'to the tough conditions.'
0:12:24 > 0:12:27The dog's going to do some work now.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- Come-bye! - I love watching this.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31Walk up!
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Walk up!
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Away to me! Away!
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- HE WHISTLES - Walk up!
0:12:44 > 0:12:49Walk up! Good girl. That'll do. That'll do.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54They're smaller than I thought.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58What makes them so good for rearing here?
0:12:58 > 0:13:00They can stand the wet.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05They have a fine underlay that is almost like wearing a vest,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07it keeps the body warm,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11and then they have a thick layer that keeps the rain off them.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Is that not standard for all sheep?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16No, they all have different types of fleece.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19That's why the Herdwick fleece is not worth so much,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21because it is so thick.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23You see, I would have thought because it was there
0:13:23 > 0:13:25to keep the sheep warm, it must be a good fleece.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29For one, it's a very dark colour, so it won't carry a dye really well.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- Right.- Also, it's very coarse,
0:13:32 > 0:13:36so if you were going to wear that as a jumper, it would be quite itchy.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37Oh, that's disappointing,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39cos I'm looking at that and thinking, that's a nice colour!
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Goes with my moustache.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Herdwicks are sturdy old beasts.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47They'll graze on pretty much anything,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51including the tough grasses and plants of the hilltops.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Today, the hardy Herdwicks are celebrated
0:13:53 > 0:13:57for their healthy and tasty meat, and they don't mind the rain.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06In Ransome's day, the hills would have been alive,
0:14:06 > 0:14:07not just with sheep farms,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11but with other industries, exploiting the natural wealth.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15The geology of the Lake District is complicated.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20We've got layers of volcanic rock, limestone, granite, shale, slate,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23all pressed together, all bent up, all folded over
0:14:23 > 0:14:27by geological forces and then worn down by successive glaciations.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30All those ancient forces
0:14:30 > 0:14:34created copper, zinc, lead, coal and slate.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36For hundreds of years,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40the mines of the Lake District were vital to our growing empire,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42lining the hulls of our global fleet,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45minting coins for the flourishing banks
0:14:45 > 0:14:49and forging weaponry to seize new lands and defend our own.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58High up in aptly-named Coppermine Valley, I'm meeting with local
0:14:58 > 0:15:00mining historian, Phil Johnston.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03- Phil!- Hello!
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Huh... Hello, hello. Pup as well. Nice to meet you.
0:15:07 > 0:15:08And to meet you. How are you?
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Very well. I'm looking out here and thinking, "You've got a mine!"
0:15:12 > 0:15:13Yes, we've got a mine here.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16It was last actually mined in about 1954.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19It was first mined in about 1590,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21but certainly medieval miners
0:15:21 > 0:15:24most likely came here in the 1300s, 1400s.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26- So... Mainly copper here? - Mainly copper here.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28- But there was some lead found... - Yeah.- ..and of course,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32a constituent of lead is silver, so we have some silver here as well.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37In Pigeon Post, Ransome's kids set out to find gold in these hills,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40although it was really copper that was mined here -
0:15:40 > 0:15:43over 3,000 tonnes of ore a year at its peak.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Surely there's ore in here that's worth actually having a go at?
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Well, it is a long way down.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52In the mine itself, they went down 1,000 feet below.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55You didn't tell me that. You didn't tell me that!
0:15:55 > 0:15:58I had this sort of picture, they found it in...
0:15:58 > 0:16:01All right, 1,000 feet down, hence all the little trucks and things.
0:16:01 > 0:16:02Yeah, absolutely.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06And the power to get things up and down from 1,000 feet down...
0:16:06 > 0:16:07Yeah, was water power.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12We get 325 inches of rain a year here, which is immense!
0:16:12 > 0:16:14- DICK WHEEZES - Manchester gets 25.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16That's the difference.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18And people say it always rains in Manchester.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21As you walk up the track,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23I think most people have got their eyes
0:16:23 > 0:16:24on the natural beauty of the hills.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27- Yes.- And they forget how much graft has gone into this place.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Absolutely. This is an industrial landscape.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33The tops of the fells, yes, are natural, are weathered,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37but men have played a huge part in the Lake District.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47It doesn't matter where you look.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49You can see the influence of water here.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Be it the ice sheets, glaciers or rivers of the past,
0:16:52 > 0:16:57or even what we've done as humans to harness water for our own ends...
0:16:58 > 0:17:02..water has made the Lake District what it is today.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08I've explored the lakes.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Started at lake level, went up through the woods,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13through the farmland to the top of the hills.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15There's only one last thing to do.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Go into the mountains.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Wow...
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Cathedral Quarry stands over an old slate mine.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Part quarry, part natural cavern,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52it's been left as a monument to mining history.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59What a fitting end to my visit to the Lakes.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02I wonder how Alice is getting on?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06YELLS: Alice! HIS VOICE ECHOES
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Well, I've left Dick lost in the Lakes,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32while I've come here and I'm standing at the top of Stubb Mill,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36with a fantastic view out over the Norfolk Broads.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41They lie over 500km south-east of the Lake District
0:18:41 > 0:18:42in the heart of East Anglia.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Arthur Ransome's Coot Club, The Big Six and Peter Duck
0:18:47 > 0:18:52all sailed their way across these still waters and big skies.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54And it looks like a rural idyll, but in fact,
0:18:54 > 0:18:59this is very much a man-made, managed landscape.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02The dykes were dug to drain the marshes
0:19:02 > 0:19:04and make them suitable for farming.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06In Ransome's time,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09mills like this would have been dotted throughout the landscape,
0:19:09 > 0:19:14their huge sails turning, pumping water off the land.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16So compared with the Lake District,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20this is a very young water landscape.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24But just like the Lake District, it's a water land that has played
0:19:24 > 0:19:28a significant part in Britain's history.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33I can't wait to explore it, starting here on this drained flood meadow
0:19:33 > 0:19:36and then heading out through the reedbeds onto one of the Broads.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41This is a landscape that has always been engineered
0:19:41 > 0:19:43and managed by people,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and so who better to guide me through it than Nick Acheson
0:19:46 > 0:19:50of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, which still manages this landscape today.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Nick, how do I get to where you are, through here?
0:19:53 > 0:19:54Through here and round.
0:19:57 > 0:19:58- Hello!- Hi.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00- Nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04So this mill - I mean, it looks like a windmill for grinding wheat,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06but it's not, is it?
0:20:06 > 0:20:07Not at all.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10This is a pump mill, in fact, so powered originally by the wind
0:20:10 > 0:20:12to pump water off the land
0:20:12 > 0:20:15in order to make it good grazing for livestock.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18And subsequently, that would have been replaced by steam, then diesel,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21and finally, electric pumps, which is what we still have today.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24So you've still got pumps running, draining this landscape?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Yes, because there's a lot of commercial interest
0:20:26 > 0:20:28in grazing in the Broads landscape,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and in order to make much of the land dry enough to graze,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33you need to pump water off it.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36And we've got some fantastic photos of the families that lived here...
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Did they actually live inside these wind pumps?
0:20:39 > 0:20:40Yes, indeed.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42In this mill and in a little cottage that's outside.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45And I think, you know, this room, which is the entire tower
0:20:45 > 0:20:49at this point of the wind pump - it's odd, isn't it?
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Because it's got this kind of industrial element to it,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54which is the shaft coming down, but it's also got this hearth,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57so it's kind of a combination of machinery and domesticity here.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59And it must have been mighty noisy.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Imagine the shaft coming down through the middle of your living room - must have been very noisy.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Very cold in winter, very damp I should imagine as well,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08a pretty bleak landscape to live in in the middle of the winter.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12- Shall we get out and have a look at this landscape?- Let's do that.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29So this landscape here is... isn't natural?
0:21:29 > 0:21:30It is man-made?
0:21:30 > 0:21:35Ha! It's a combination of the natural and the man-made.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Because you've got a great deal of water in this landscape.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42You've got the Bure River, the Yare River -
0:21:42 > 0:21:44which is draining the Wensum River -
0:21:44 > 0:21:46so much of the water from the whole of Norfolk is here,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48so it's very wet.
0:21:48 > 0:21:49But then, since the Middle Ages,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52there's been a heavy, heavy influence of people.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54So although it looks like a rural idyll,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57this landscape has really been manufactured
0:21:57 > 0:21:59from the countryside around it.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Now you've got quite an interesting mosaic landscape, then,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07with bits of drier land, bits of marsh, bits of open water,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09so that must be good for biodiversity.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12It is, because there are species who live better in a drier landscape
0:22:12 > 0:22:14and species that live better in the wetter landscape.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22So what can we see looking out here then?
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Marsh harriers, and they're really a special bird for Norfolk.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28In Victorian times, they were known as the Norfolk hawk.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31They were so associated with this landscape,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33then they became nationally extinct
0:22:33 > 0:22:36and there was a period in... the early 1900s
0:22:36 > 0:22:37when this was pretty much
0:22:37 > 0:22:40the only place in the country where they nested.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Happily, today, they're now much more numerous -
0:22:42 > 0:22:45around 400 nests in the country each year -
0:22:45 > 0:22:48but that still makes them rarer than golden eagles in a national context.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50- That's incredible, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52And around a third of them nest here in Norfolk.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56What a rare treat - to watch these precious birds
0:22:56 > 0:22:59hunting for small prey over the Broads.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02And what a fantastic tribute to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06who have protected this landscape for 90 years,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08driving the marsh harriers' recovery.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19Right.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- Can I come aboard? - Come aboard, yes.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24As Nick and I travelled through the Broads,
0:23:24 > 0:23:25we're surrounded by a plant
0:23:25 > 0:23:28that thrives in these watery conditions -
0:23:28 > 0:23:30reeds.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35The common reed is a perennial grass,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37but one with tremendous growth rates.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40The stems can reach six metres in height every year.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47It's easy to forget that until the development of the rail network
0:23:47 > 0:23:50that carried cheap Welsh slate across the country,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53most buildings in the UK were roofed with thatch.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57So much of it was harvested here
0:23:57 > 0:24:01that the common reed became known as Norfolk reed.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04These reedbeds roofed the country.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Today, the cut reeds are still used for thatch,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18as well as wickerwork and fencing.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22The reedbeds are so dense that they provide great cover,
0:24:22 > 0:24:26ideal for wildlife but also giving privacy to people.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Houses can be hidden away from public view,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31great places to escape to.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33This is Whiteslea Lodge.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35According to the locals,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39a certain young Prince Charles came here on holiday as a boy,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41when he took advantage of the thatch
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and tobogganed down the sides of the roof.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46And it's totally fringed by these reeds,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49which used to be very economically important.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50Very much so.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Still harvested in the winter time
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and that's really important for the conservation of the wildlife
0:24:55 > 0:24:56that lives in the reeds.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00If you leave a reedbed be,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03gradually, you end up with more and more land, drier and drier habitat
0:25:03 > 0:25:04and that becomes something else.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07It becomes a scrub of willow and eventually a wood.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10- Yeah.- And so it's very important that the reed be cut
0:25:10 > 0:25:14in order to keep the wildlife that specialises in living in reed.
0:25:14 > 0:25:15That's really interesting.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17So it depends on human intervention, then?
0:25:17 > 0:25:18It does.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21In a human-dominated British landscape,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24places with reeds are really, really rare,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26so we fight to keep them as reed.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Originally, managed by landowners for commercial gain,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33this land is now looked after by conservation groups
0:25:33 > 0:25:38to maintain the unique habitat that it offers to wildlife.
0:25:40 > 0:25:46As we move through the reedbeds, Hickling Broad opens up before us.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49So we're getting out of the reeds now and onto the broad itself.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Onto Hickling Broad,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53which is the biggest of all of the Norfolk Broads.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56There are about 30 Norfolk Broads. The biggest is Hickling.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59It's only in the '50s that Dr Joyce Lambert of the UEA
0:25:59 > 0:26:01discovered that these lakes -
0:26:01 > 0:26:03that had always been assumed to be natural -
0:26:03 > 0:26:05were, in fact, peat diggings.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Peat, of course, being a really valuable fuel at the time
0:26:08 > 0:26:09that was shipped from here to London
0:26:09 > 0:26:12and was mostly controlled by monasteries.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16It's estimated that 25 million cubic metres of peat
0:26:16 > 0:26:22were dug up from here and exported to London and across the country.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26In the 12th century, the monks at St Benet's Abbey
0:26:26 > 0:26:30managed to acquire ownership of all of the peat diggings
0:26:30 > 0:26:32and made huge profits.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37The abbey became so powerful that it was the only abbey
0:26:37 > 0:26:39not to be shut down by Henry VIII.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45But gradually, the water levels rose and by the 1400s,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48the dugouts were flooded and abandoned -
0:26:48 > 0:26:51a happy accident that created the wonderful Broads
0:26:51 > 0:26:53that we enjoy today.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02At last, I'm catching up with Alice to see for myself.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13We're a long way from the Lakes, there's not a hill in sight,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16but the Norfolk Broads is a real waterworld.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18You just can't see it from here.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21The only way to truly appreciate the water is to get on it,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23and for that, I need a boat.
0:27:29 > 0:27:35There are over 200km of navigable waterways in the Broads -
0:27:35 > 0:27:38the legacy of their industrial past.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40For a sailor like me, that's irresistible.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48Since the late 1800s, they've been a popular playground for boaties
0:27:48 > 0:27:50and it's easy to see why.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52We're hidden down here in the reeds
0:27:52 > 0:27:56and the only way people actually know we're here, if you're any distance
0:27:56 > 0:28:00away, you'll see a little white sail moving through the countryside.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06The Norfolk Broads may be man-made,
0:28:06 > 0:28:11but they've got an amazing feeling of tranquillity.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Hear the birdsong.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18We're completely surrounded by nature.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Man-made environment, yes, we're in a man-made boat,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24but we're only going where the wind lets us.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26We're trying to tame it and harness it,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30but you never move away from the fact that nature's in charge.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36I'm charting the same course as the children in Coot Club.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Ransome described them passing the ancient ruins
0:28:40 > 0:28:42of St Benet's Abbey...
0:28:42 > 0:28:46through a country as flat as Holland, past huge old windmills
0:28:46 > 0:28:48and low-lying meadows.
0:28:51 > 0:28:56That was almost 90 years ago, but it hasn't changed a bit.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10We're sort of sneaking our way through the countryside here
0:29:10 > 0:29:13and because we're quiet, the wildlife is phenomenal.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21Oh, look at those grebes!
0:29:21 > 0:29:23What a lovely sight.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29Great crested grebes were almost hunted to extinction
0:29:29 > 0:29:32for Victorian fashion - to be worn as hats.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35They have the peculiar habit of eating their own feathers
0:29:35 > 0:29:37and feeding them to their chicks.
0:29:37 > 0:29:38No-one is quite sure why.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41It might be to help them deal with slimy fish dinners,
0:29:41 > 0:29:45or to pad out sharp bones that they regurgitate.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48They're attentive parents, ferrying the kids around
0:29:48 > 0:29:49and teaching them what to eat -
0:29:49 > 0:29:52though perhaps they could really do with some traffic awareness.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55They're in the middle of the traffic here.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58There's somebody over there trying to run one over.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Just a little bit of care. Is he in a rush?
0:30:04 > 0:30:05He's in the Broads.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07You leave all that stress behind.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13Believe it or not, the Norfolk Broads are really, really peaceful.
0:30:13 > 0:30:14As we're sailing along, there is
0:30:14 > 0:30:18no noise whatsoever until the hullabaloos come.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20But if the popularity of the Broads ensures
0:30:20 > 0:30:25their future as a haven for wildlife, traffic's a small price to pay.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32Oh, we're so... We all smile, but turn your motors off.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34HE CHUCKLES
0:31:07 > 0:31:08It's easy to lose yourself
0:31:08 > 0:31:12in the calm backwaters of the Norfolk Broads.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14I'm mooring up outside a hidden thatched lodge
0:31:14 > 0:31:17to enjoy this perfect evening -
0:31:17 > 0:31:20the ideal chance to revisit one of my favourite
0:31:20 > 0:31:22passages from The Coot Club.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27"It was growing dark now.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31"The only noise was the loud singing of the birds on both banks
0:31:31 > 0:31:32"over the marshes.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35"Whistling blackbirds, throaty thrushes,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38"starlings copying first one and then the other,
0:31:38 > 0:31:41"a snipe drumming overhead.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44"Everything was all right with everybody.
0:31:44 > 0:31:50"And then a pale barn owl swayed across the river like a great moth.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03"A perfect ending to a perfect day."
0:32:16 > 0:32:19This is the third and final Ransome water landscape
0:32:19 > 0:32:21that Dick and I will be exploring,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24and it is very different from the Lake District
0:32:24 > 0:32:26and the Norfolk Broads.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Here on the wild and windswept East Anglian coast,
0:32:29 > 0:32:33you feel the power of the North Sea.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37And the rhythm of life here is very much dictated by
0:32:37 > 0:32:39this sea and its tides.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45We've travelled about 140km south along the coast
0:32:45 > 0:32:48to the border between Suffolk and Essex.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54It's a stretch of coast dominated by the giant port of Felixstowe.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58This deepwater dock has been at the heart of our trading history
0:32:58 > 0:33:00for hundreds of years.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02Today, it's our largest container port,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05handling over two million containers a year.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08And the big seas and powerful tides
0:33:08 > 0:33:10have created a very special landscape.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16I'll be discovering the crumbling shoreline of the North Sea
0:33:16 > 0:33:18and a secret tidal lagoon.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24And I'll be sailing down the River Orwell to the sea to meet Alice.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27Well, that's the plan, assuming we both catch the tides right.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34These churning waters and fierce tides are the backdrop
0:33:34 > 0:33:39to Arthur Ransome's Secret Water, and We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43It's a powerful and thrilling landscape.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46Arthur Ransome's children imagined prehistoric creatures
0:33:46 > 0:33:48leaving tracks in the mud.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51I wonder if they knew how close they were to the real thing.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Down here on the beach at the Naze,
0:33:54 > 0:33:58these cliffs are pretty much crumbling in front of my eyes.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01The rate of erosion here is astonishing.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05But it means that there are treasures falling out of the cliffs,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08traces of ancient life here.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12Now, this grey layer is very ancient indeed.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14It dates to 50 million years ago.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19The orangey layer up there is much later, about 2.5 million years ago,
0:34:19 > 0:34:23very young in comparison, but both of them are packed full of fossils.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28So, just looking here, I can see pieces of fossilised wood
0:34:28 > 0:34:30just sticking out of the cliffs here.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34And, in fact, not only wood, but other remains,
0:34:34 > 0:34:36things like sharks' teeth.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39The rest of their skeleton is made of cartilage and rots away,
0:34:39 > 0:34:42so it's really the teeth that are left as clues
0:34:42 > 0:34:46to the fact that they were ever here, preserved for posterity.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50Now, these sharks are 50 million years old from the London clay,
0:34:50 > 0:34:53but from the layer above, the red crag formation,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56there's an entirely different trace of shark found in that layer,
0:34:56 > 0:35:00and I've got a cast of the tooth of the shark in my pocket.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04This is it.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07It's absolutely massive,
0:35:07 > 0:35:12and the beast that it belonged to was enormous.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16This was a shark that could reach up to 20 metres in length
0:35:16 > 0:35:18and weigh up to 100 tonnes.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20It was called "megalodon".
0:35:20 > 0:35:25It is astonishing to think of this monster of a shark
0:35:25 > 0:35:30roaming the shallow tropical seas of the Naze two million years ago.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34So even two million years ago,
0:35:34 > 0:35:38this place was leaving its mark on the world around it.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42But I'm picking up the story in more recent times.
0:35:42 > 0:35:43This is the River Orwell.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46It rises in mid-Suffolk and flows south-east to the sea
0:35:46 > 0:35:51at Felixstowe, where it broadens out into a dramatic estuary.
0:35:51 > 0:35:56For hundreds of years, this was one of Britain's most important rivers.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00Right back to the Roman times, it was transporting people and cargo
0:36:00 > 0:36:03from across Europe into the heart of Britain.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05I'm going to sail down a part of it,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08starting here in the tiny village of Pin Mill
0:36:08 > 0:36:09and making my way to the sea.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19This pub has been here for the best part of 400 years
0:36:19 > 0:36:22and Arthur Ransome himself used to come here drinking.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24His house was just behind the pub.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28And as it has always been, life here is dictated by the tides
0:36:28 > 0:36:31and by the flow of the river - there's a special rhythm to it.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37In a place like this, travelling by water depends on the tides.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41I can't set sail until the water level rises.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44What a great place to explore while I'm stranded.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57The Button Oyster pub, Alma Cottages -
0:36:57 > 0:36:59you can make them out from here.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02Arthur Ransome would recognise this place still today,
0:37:02 > 0:37:03but it's a little bit busier.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07Believe it or not,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10there are 25 houseboats tucked along the side of the river.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Resident David Potter has invited me on board.
0:37:16 > 0:37:17Hello!
0:37:18 > 0:37:20David! Lovely to meet you.
0:37:20 > 0:37:21Hi, Dick. Good to meet you.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23I wasn't quite sure what I was going to find
0:37:23 > 0:37:25when I came down through there.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27- What do you think? - Oh, it's big, isn't it?
0:37:27 > 0:37:30- She's a barge. - She's a Dutch clipper.- Yeah.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33- Would you like to have a look on board?- Of course I would.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35This is the vestibule.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38Or the library, whichever you'd like to call it.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Oh, it's definitely a library. It's lovely!
0:37:41 > 0:37:43Come through. Come through.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46It's a bit of a maze.
0:37:46 > 0:37:47Wow, this is lovely.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49This is great, isn't it? Yeah.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51- Sitting room. - On a boat, it's a salon.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54- It's the salon.- Come upstairs and see the deckhouse.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59It's the balcony.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02- It's the terrace, it's the terrace. - DICK LAUGHS
0:38:02 > 0:38:05- This isn't too shoddy, is it? - It's very lovely, actually.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07When it comes to being here, do you find
0:38:07 > 0:38:10you're really in touch with tides and everything else?
0:38:10 > 0:38:12High tides and strong winds
0:38:12 > 0:38:15are something you need to be a bit wary about.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19'Every day, a three-metre tide washes up and down the river
0:38:19 > 0:38:22'and the houseboats rise and fall with it.'
0:38:22 > 0:38:26The variation in tides, is it enough to worry you, or is it just normal?
0:38:26 > 0:38:28There have been problems.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31In 2012, there was a tidal surge,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34which gave us another two or three metres on the tide.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38People were unravelling their mooring ropes.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41This surge tide actually cleared the jetty and more.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43I'm just thinking, you're down here,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46you've got the woods on one side, you've got the river,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48the estuary, on the other side - what about wildlife?
0:38:48 > 0:38:52There's an awful lot of birdlife and waterfowl.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55Seals. You'll find a seal maybe once or twice a year
0:38:55 > 0:38:56will get this far down the river.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58You get the best of both worlds,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01because you get the freshwater waterfowl and you get sea birds,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04you get egrets here. There's an awful lot of wildlife.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08I'm surprised that more people haven't discovered Pin Mill,
0:39:08 > 0:39:10because look at it, it's...
0:39:10 > 0:39:11It's fantastic.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26It sounds as if the low tide has left Dick stranded
0:39:26 > 0:39:28in a wildlife paradise.
0:39:32 > 0:39:33Whilst for me,
0:39:33 > 0:39:37it brings an opportunity to explore a very special secret place.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44This is Hamford Water, and out there is Horsey Island,
0:39:44 > 0:39:47and at the moment, we're looking out over mudflats
0:39:47 > 0:39:49because it's low tide, but when the tide comes in,
0:39:49 > 0:39:54this entire area will become inundated, all 7,000 acres of it.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59There's something magical about the idea of
0:39:59 > 0:40:01walking across the water to an island,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04and that's exactly what you can do here,
0:40:04 > 0:40:07because twice a day, at low tide,
0:40:07 > 0:40:11a causeway is revealed across the lagoon to the island.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16And it formed the setting for Arthur Ransome's Secret Water.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23In Secret Water, he's very faithful to this very landscape.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27The Walker children get marooned here deliberately by their parents
0:40:27 > 0:40:31and set off to explore, and their father leaves them
0:40:31 > 0:40:35with a very basic chart of the area
0:40:35 > 0:40:38and challenges them to fill it in, and this is the chart,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41and I can already recognise what we've got here.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44So this is Horsey Island just behind me
0:40:44 > 0:40:47that ends up becoming Swallow Island in the book,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51and gradually the children explore and fill in the details
0:40:51 > 0:40:55and, eventually, they fill it all in,
0:40:55 > 0:40:57so on the flyleaf here,
0:40:57 > 0:40:59we've got there a complete map.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02Swallow Island, Mastodon Island, Flint Island.
0:41:02 > 0:41:03Beyond Swallow Island,
0:41:03 > 0:41:06the secret water that forms the title of the book.
0:41:06 > 0:41:11And just in front of me here, this is the area they called the Red Sea,
0:41:11 > 0:41:13for a very good reason, actually.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16One of the girls, Titty, says she's going to call it the Red Sea,
0:41:16 > 0:41:19and Roger says, "Well, why?" And Titty says,
0:41:19 > 0:41:23"Well, Pharaoh and the Israelites, it's just the place for them.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25"The waters divide when the tide comes down
0:41:25 > 0:41:27"and then when the tide comes back in,
0:41:27 > 0:41:30"it sweeps them away, chariots and all."
0:41:34 > 0:41:36And so it's time now for me
0:41:36 > 0:41:41to follow in Pharaoh's footsteps across the causeway to Horsey Island
0:41:41 > 0:41:45before the tide comes back in and the land bridge disappears again.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56All around me, the landscape is teeming with birds,
0:41:56 > 0:42:00and the low tide is key to their survival.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02The mudflats are exposed,
0:42:02 > 0:42:04allowing thousands of wading birds
0:42:04 > 0:42:08to hunt for worms, molluscs, and other small sea creatures.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10And added to that,
0:42:10 > 0:42:14Hamford Water offers the extra benefit of Horsey Island itself.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19Islands form sanctuaries for wildlife, offering them
0:42:19 > 0:42:22relative protection from predators, especially birds,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25and at this time of year, there are birds nesting on the island.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31Shore birds nest on the ground
0:42:31 > 0:42:32and their eggs and chicks
0:42:32 > 0:42:36are particularly vulnerable to predators like foxes,
0:42:36 > 0:42:40so an island like Horsey, surrounded by deep seawater,
0:42:40 > 0:42:44offers a secure place to raise their young families.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47All these black headed gulls are nesting on the island,
0:42:47 > 0:42:51so a fantastic way of avoiding predators,
0:42:51 > 0:42:53but it's quite clear that they see me as a threat.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56As soon as I've walked this close to them,
0:42:56 > 0:42:57they've all gone up in the air.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00They're circling round, and that's all about me.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02That's all about trying to scare me off.
0:43:02 > 0:43:03The gulls are gregarious.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06They like to stick together and they think that they can
0:43:06 > 0:43:09scare off the threat better that way.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11I think they're probably right.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20Whilst the gulls build their nests close together,
0:43:20 > 0:43:22taking safety in numbers,
0:43:22 > 0:43:26these oystercatchers nest in pairs, well apart from the other birds.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30Their best line of defence is to skulk about
0:43:30 > 0:43:34and try not to draw attention to their nests.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37I can already see an oystercatcher over there
0:43:37 > 0:43:38wandering around.
0:43:40 > 0:43:41They're very striking.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47Beautiful reddish orange beaks and striking red eyes.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55There's also one of our most beautiful coastal birds here -
0:43:55 > 0:43:56the avocet.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03Avocets have slightly upturned bills,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06which they sweep sideways across the surface of the wet mud
0:44:06 > 0:44:09to find food like worms and small shellfish.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12Their long legs and webbed feet
0:44:12 > 0:44:15are perfect for wading through these shallow waters.
0:44:16 > 0:44:21And they're sharing the beach with another rare British bird.
0:44:21 > 0:44:25Over there, there is a little tern sitting on its nest.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29And I presume her mate, who's coming and feeding her fish.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35But every now and then, there's another one
0:44:35 > 0:44:38that comes in to try to feed her fish as well.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44So I think she's attracting a little bit of extramarital attention.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46It's a wonderful sight.
0:44:46 > 0:44:50There are very few places with these delicate little terns breeds.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54That is astonishing,
0:44:54 > 0:44:55just how much is going on...
0:44:56 > 0:44:59..on this little corner of Horsey Island.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05'I can hear the tide is turning.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09'I can't use the causeway to get back to the mainland now.'
0:45:09 > 0:45:12Hamford Water has been a real delight to explore,
0:45:12 > 0:45:15a very special water-land paradise,
0:45:15 > 0:45:20where the big tides are key to the survival of so much wildlife.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24And it's not just the wildlife that depends on it.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27For thousands of years, the big tides and strong currents
0:45:27 > 0:45:30have been the key to getting around this landscape.
0:45:31 > 0:45:36While Alice is at the estuary end of the river, I'm in Pin Mill.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38A few kilometres downriver from here,
0:45:38 > 0:45:41the River Stour and the River Orwell converge
0:45:41 > 0:45:44and flow into the huge harbour of Felixstowe.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51The River Orwell has a long history as a shipping superhighway.
0:45:51 > 0:45:56It provided a vital trade route deep into the Suffolk countryside.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05I'm going to grab a lift on a very special old vessel.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07It's huge!
0:46:07 > 0:46:11- Not bad for an old girl.- No. - 121 years old.- 121?- Yeah.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15Starboard runner on, David, when you've got a chance.
0:46:15 > 0:46:20This is the Thistle, a Thames barge built to ship cargo.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22She was the white van of her day.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26At the turn of the 20th century, there were 2,000 Thames barges
0:46:26 > 0:46:30ferrying goods along the East Coast and beyond.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32- Two, six. Heave! - HE STRAINS
0:46:32 > 0:46:35Two... Two, six. Heave!
0:46:35 > 0:46:36Two six. Heave!
0:46:36 > 0:46:38- STRAINING: It's a one-man job?! - That's it.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41It's a one-man job? You are joking.
0:46:41 > 0:46:42- Got it?- Yep.
0:46:43 > 0:46:44There we are.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48But we do have laboursaving gadgets,
0:46:48 > 0:46:51because we could actually put the rope around there
0:46:51 > 0:46:53and use a winch handle.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55Whoa, whoa, whoa... HE LAUGHS
0:46:55 > 0:46:57And the reason you didn't tell me about that?
0:46:57 > 0:46:59The reason you didn't...?!
0:46:59 > 0:47:00"Oh, Dick, pull on this one!"
0:47:02 > 0:47:05Thames barges were flat-bottomed, versatile and economical.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10They could get into shallow creeks to load local produce,
0:47:10 > 0:47:13but they were also designed to withstand the challenges
0:47:13 > 0:47:18of the landscape and could weather heavy swells along the coast.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23I think today's conditions may just put her to the test.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32The notoriously changeable weather has put in an appearance -
0:47:32 > 0:47:34sunshine to rain in ten minutes.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38Time to warm up my crew with a nice hot brew.
0:47:38 > 0:47:39Tea.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41Milk, milk, milk.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48This is a huge galley,
0:47:48 > 0:47:53but can you imagine a barge this big with so much space put over to food?
0:47:53 > 0:47:56In the olden days, I think it had a little wood burner,
0:47:56 > 0:47:58probably up in the back somewhere.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00This is nice. Very nice!
0:48:01 > 0:48:03When the Thistle was built,
0:48:03 > 0:48:06this entire galley would have been devoted to cargo.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09She could have carried over 100 tonnes of cargo
0:48:09 > 0:48:12like coal, timber, or grain.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14LOUD METALLIC RATTLING
0:48:14 > 0:48:16There's something a little bit off-putting
0:48:16 > 0:48:18about being down below deck
0:48:18 > 0:48:20and hearing all these sort of noises above you.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22Yeah, we're perfectly safe(!)
0:48:22 > 0:48:25- Here you go, skips. - Thank you very much, sir. Very good.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28Right, what...? The banging noise that was down there.
0:48:28 > 0:48:29A ship went past,
0:48:29 > 0:48:32so a little bit of wash and the leeboards which hang off the side...
0:48:32 > 0:48:34It just... Yeah.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37It sounds like the world's about to collapse round your ears, doesn't it?
0:48:37 > 0:48:39And if you'd have been out in this,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42carrying coal in the North Sea, there'd have been
0:48:42 > 0:48:44a lot more banging around than when you were making the coffee.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46The power of nature is all around you.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49- Nature just keeps you in your place, doesn't it?- Yeah, very much so.
0:48:49 > 0:48:50The seas and the winds and the weather
0:48:50 > 0:48:52can change around here really dramatically.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55The ways the rivers come down and they interface with the land
0:48:55 > 0:48:58and it's all very shallow, and on a hot, sunny day,
0:48:58 > 0:49:00it can be flat calm one day, and then, all of a sudden,
0:49:00 > 0:49:02an absolute maelstrom in an area like this,
0:49:02 > 0:49:04where you've got two rivers meeting,
0:49:04 > 0:49:06and then you've got a sort of harbour and then the sea.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09Today, we've got a southerly wind blowing into the harbour,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12but we've got a reasonably strong tide coming down the Orwell,
0:49:12 > 0:49:14meeting a strong tide coming down the Stour.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17You've then got this sort of conflict going on,
0:49:17 > 0:49:19and that can be pretty tricky.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21You can use it to your benefit and advantage,
0:49:21 > 0:49:23and that's the whole point. If you know what you're doing
0:49:23 > 0:49:26and you get your timings right and you're working with the weather,
0:49:26 > 0:49:28you get to the right place at the right time.
0:49:28 > 0:49:29But if you get it wrong,
0:49:29 > 0:49:32you end up, you know, in the field over there.
0:49:32 > 0:49:33Or nearby. Not where you want to be.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Going back to old Arthur Ransome and his stories, you know -
0:49:36 > 0:49:37We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41Can you imagine being a youngster, 10-, 12-year-old,
0:49:41 > 0:49:43and actually sailing,
0:49:43 > 0:49:48because you didn't know what was happening, past sandbars, out to sea?
0:49:48 > 0:49:50What would it be like without the knowledge we have now?
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Well, it would've been amazing
0:49:52 > 0:49:55and, I mean, Arthur Ransome did it in his boat.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59You know, to get the realism, which I think comes through the book,
0:49:59 > 0:50:01he had some pretty hairy experiences
0:50:01 > 0:50:04and it would have been quite terrifying because, you know,
0:50:04 > 0:50:07where we were, at Pin Mill - where the children were, on the Goblins -
0:50:07 > 0:50:10all very nice, as it was today, pretty calm.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13And then, not very far away, you know, the wind comes in,
0:50:13 > 0:50:15the weather comes in - in their case, the fog came in.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17You've really got no idea where you are, to be honest.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19The landscape becomes very, very bleak.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21You know, the shore is not far away,
0:50:21 > 0:50:24but you've got plenty of sandbanks all around the place.
0:50:24 > 0:50:25You can't actually get to the shore,
0:50:25 > 0:50:28because you're going to run aground way before you get there.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31I think he captures it very well in the book, to be honest.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36A fabulous hour's sailing later
0:50:36 > 0:50:40and we reach the mouth of the Orwell as it enters North Sea,
0:50:40 > 0:50:45and the deepwater port of Felixstowe looms up at our port-side.
0:50:45 > 0:50:493,000 ships, including some of the largest in the world,
0:50:49 > 0:50:52visit this port every year.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55The harbour reaches 50 metres deep.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59A deep harbour so close to the open sea is the key to our success.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05It's an amazing feeling to be sailing this little piece of history
0:51:05 > 0:51:09past the towering giants of today's global commercial fleet.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13We've got the River Stour, we've got the River Orwell,
0:51:13 > 0:51:15we've got the sea out that way.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18And you can just imagine there's a lot of sand moving around -
0:51:18 > 0:51:22there's an awful lot of tides that have effects around here.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26Because of that, you have to be able to warn shipping where not to go.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30While barges like the Thistle were built
0:51:30 > 0:51:33to be robust and manoeuvrable in these shallow tidal waters,
0:51:33 > 0:51:37other ships were built for very different purposes.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39And that's one of them.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41It's a cross between a boat and a lighthouse.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44It doesn't carry cargo or go anywhere.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47It simply flashes a warning to shipping - stay away.
0:51:49 > 0:51:53We're heading over to Harwich and, actually...
0:51:53 > 0:51:55there's flashing lights on a light vessel over there.
0:51:55 > 0:52:00Underwater obstructions, like sandbanks and shingle, move around.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09And unlike a permanent lighthouse, a light vessel can move with it.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13- Thank you very much, skips.- We'll come on a nice, sunny day, one day.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15Off one boat and straight on to another.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17My idea of heaven!
0:52:17 > 0:52:20LV18 is a museum.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24But it's so well-preserved - everything is just as it was,
0:52:24 > 0:52:27so you get a real feel for how people must have lived there.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30Imagine nine people down here for 30 days at a time,
0:52:30 > 0:52:32being thrown around by the sea.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34It would have driven you up the walls.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39I've never been here before but, as a betting man,
0:52:39 > 0:52:43I reckon we keep going down and we'll find engineers.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Oh, Tony, this smells like an engine room, mate!
0:52:49 > 0:52:51- Yeah. It's quite remarkable, really.- Wow!
0:52:51 > 0:52:53Yeah, magnificent stuff, isn't it?
0:52:53 > 0:52:56- Wow. Good to see you. - Good to see you, Dick.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00'Now, call me picky, but there's clearly something missing here.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02'Where's the propeller shaft?'
0:53:02 > 0:53:05Um, hold on. This isn't driving the ship.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08No, no. None of these engines actually drive the ship.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10The ship's actually got no propeller at all.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14Light ships are towed to the obstacle, obstruction at sea
0:53:14 > 0:53:15that they're there to protect.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18Light vessels like this one are unique
0:53:18 > 0:53:20because they have no means of propulsion.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22The whole idea was they didn't move,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25but simply signal to shipping to stay away.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31To hold position during raging North Sea storms and big tides
0:53:31 > 0:53:34while still broadcasting an unwavering warning to ships
0:53:34 > 0:53:36takes a tough old lady.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42To keep her operational, there's a lot of engine power down here.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44Can you just take me through what some of these things do?
0:53:44 > 0:53:47- Cos if we look over here - see this one?- Yeah.- That's huge.- OK.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49So this is the three-cylinder Gardner,
0:53:49 > 0:53:52one of the most powerful engines that the vessel's got aboard.
0:53:52 > 0:53:53What's this for?
0:53:53 > 0:53:56Well, basically, just for pulling the anchor up, Dick.
0:53:56 > 0:54:00LV18 has not just one anchor, but four.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03The light must have been powerful.
0:54:03 > 0:54:04Yeah, yeah, yeah. Very powerful.
0:54:04 > 0:54:10There's eight bulbs up there, 260 watts per piece, I believe.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13- Two kilowatts of power?- Yeah. Two kilowatts of power.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16- Can I turn something on?- Yeah, yeah.
0:54:16 > 0:54:17I'd like to see one of these...
0:54:17 > 0:54:20OK, so, like, one of the duties may be when you get up in the morning,
0:54:20 > 0:54:21you might want another engine running.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23This is one of our typical engines.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26Unfortunately, there's no button to press, Dick,
0:54:26 > 0:54:28so see if you can start the Gardner.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30- Single cylinder.- Single cylinder.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33- Yeah.- OK. - Just about as good as it gets.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36So, we'll get you to get it up to speed, Dick,
0:54:36 > 0:54:37and then I'll do this for you.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40I'm just feeling this is going to be...
0:54:40 > 0:54:43If it doesn't go fast enough, it doesn't start.
0:54:43 > 0:54:44OK, here we go.
0:54:51 > 0:54:52That should do you.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54And throw the decompressor.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56ENGINE SPINS FASTER
0:54:56 > 0:54:58And away she goes!
0:54:59 > 0:55:01Come on!
0:55:01 > 0:55:05ENGINE PUTTERS
0:55:13 > 0:55:16ENGINE WHIRS
0:55:21 > 0:55:24I know. I don't know what it is. I just know!
0:55:30 > 0:55:32You know what's quite interesting here -
0:55:32 > 0:55:36in the 21st century, second decade, you know how you do that?
0:55:36 > 0:55:38- You flick a switch. - You flick a switch, yeah.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40That's wrong, isn't it?
0:55:40 > 0:55:41It's so wrong!
0:55:41 > 0:55:43With this, you have to start an engine,
0:55:43 > 0:55:44you have to throw a big switch.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49Where's the switch? Can I turn it on?
0:55:49 > 0:55:51Over on the switch... You certainly can do.
0:55:59 > 0:56:00I did that!
0:56:05 > 0:56:08It's a real wrench to leave LV18,
0:56:08 > 0:56:10but Alice and I have got a rendezvous.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20It struck me throughout my whole journey
0:56:20 > 0:56:24how water influences the landscape and the people in it.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26Even here, it's so obvious -
0:56:26 > 0:56:30we've got our coastal defences to stop the sea reclaiming our land.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32We've got the groynes, we've got the sea wall.
0:56:32 > 0:56:37Our relationship with the sea and our worries about it go back a long way.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39Up on the cliff, that's Naze Tower.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41There used to be a beacon on top of that
0:56:41 > 0:56:44and the beacon was to warn sailors of dangers.
0:56:44 > 0:56:46It also provides the best viewing point in the area,
0:56:46 > 0:56:49and I reckon that's where Alice is.
0:56:49 > 0:56:54The tower was built in 1720 as a navigational aid to shipping.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57Hi, Alice!
0:56:57 > 0:57:00Dick! Hello! Come on up.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02It's 111 steps.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11It stands proud, towering 26 metres above the cliffs.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23- LAUGHING: I knew you'd be up here. - Hello, Dick!
0:57:23 > 0:57:25- Hello.- Phew!
0:57:25 > 0:57:26How many stairs?!
0:57:26 > 0:57:29End of the journey. Well, it's worth it, isn't it?
0:57:29 > 0:57:31- Beautiful. - It's so gorgeous, isn't it?
0:57:31 > 0:57:32It's great.
0:57:38 > 0:57:43We have had such diversity - the Lakes, the Broads, these estuaries.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45Well, they're all different, aren't they?
0:57:45 > 0:57:47The Lakes, you've got this kind of sense of the epic
0:57:47 > 0:57:50and this landscape carved by ice.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52And the Broads, where you're sort of hiding down.
0:57:52 > 0:57:54You don't even know the water's there.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57We're blessed in Britain, I think, with such a diverse
0:57:57 > 0:58:00and beautiful range of landscapes.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03There's something particularly magical
0:58:03 > 0:58:07about standing on the edge of a lake or standing on the seashore.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09Got to tell you, I want my kids
0:58:09 > 0:58:11to go out and be Swallows And Amazons children.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14I'm desperate for my kids to, yeah.
0:58:14 > 0:58:16Have a bit of a play and go out there and discover.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18There's loads left to explore. Where next?
0:58:18 > 0:58:20HE LAUGHS