0:00:02 > 0:00:03Look out the window.
0:00:03 > 0:00:05Go on. What's out there?
0:00:05 > 0:00:10Buildings, probably. Traffic. More buildings.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15But look further, beyond all that,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18beyond the urban sprawl.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Even beyond the suburbs.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Yeah, there.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31That's it.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Fields, hills, forests.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39All that damp, green, cold, muddy stuff.
0:00:39 > 0:00:49Perfect for walking, fishing, climbing, cycling and picnics.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55So get your cagoules on people, because that's where we're going.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Welcome to the Great British Outdoors.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28We love the great outdoors.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31We can't wait to get out in it.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Sun on our faces,
0:01:35 > 0:01:40air in our lungs, the springy mountain turf beneath our feet.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46The promise of an eagle soaring overhead...
0:01:47 > 0:01:52Hang on a minute! We haven't thought this through.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54This is Britain.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02What we actually get is rain and midges,
0:02:02 > 0:02:04barbed wire,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07angry landowners,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11rain, more rain,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13naturists,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15morris dancers,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17rain and mud.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Lots and lots of mud.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Jolly John Betjeman loved all this stuff.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33"All put your macs on, run for shelter fast,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36"crouch where you like until it's fine again.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39"Holiday cheerfulness is unsurpassed.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43"Why be put out by healthy English rain?
0:02:43 > 0:02:45"Are we downhearted?
0:02:45 > 0:02:51"No, we're happy still! We came here to enjoy ourselves, and we will!"
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Or as Will Shakespeare had it -
0:02:56 > 0:03:00"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin".
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Maybe that's why we do it. I mean really, what's in it for us?
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Every year, millions of us head for the British countryside.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10It's cheaper, easier
0:03:10 > 0:03:15and warmer to holiday abroad, lie on the beach and eat home-made pasta.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Instead, we spend a fortune to get damp and eat tinned ravioli.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22What is it about the British that drives us to do this?
0:03:22 > 0:03:26To feel we have to prove something, suffer a bit?
0:03:26 > 0:03:29That maybe scraping the skin off our knees and eating like students will
0:03:29 > 0:03:33make us healthier, happier, closer to nature?
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Who wants to be close to nature anyway?
0:03:35 > 0:03:38How the heck did this all start?
0:03:42 > 0:03:47Having lived, struggled, frozen and died outside for thousands of years,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51we quite sensibly forgot all about it once we had a cave to huddle in.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Then, when all the caves were full and stank to high heaven,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57someone invented houses.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00And along with a house came a door.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04This door must have been there for at least 400 years.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07At a stroke, the Great British Indoors was born.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11And everything else, by default, became the Great British Outdoors.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19Then, in the late 18th century, the Industrial Revolution happened
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and we spent all our time in dark factories, where we could develop
0:04:22 > 0:04:27exciting new hobbies like rickets and emphysema.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31Even if people had wanted to go out for a bit of a walk, they couldn't.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Most of them didn't have money, leisure time or shoes.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37For those few that did, there were no cars, no buses,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41no roads, no railways and no B&Bs.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47None of that mattered anyway, because while everyone was indoors,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51the whole country had been stitched up by wealthy landowners so they
0:04:51 > 0:04:55could carry out the essential work of hunting, riding around to check
0:04:55 > 0:04:58if anyone had stolen their land, and getting richer.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Then one day, a romantic poet noticed a hill, went
0:05:02 > 0:05:05for a walk up it and wrote this -
0:05:17 > 0:05:23Suddenly, the outdoors was A GOOD THING.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25# Let's go outside
0:05:25 > 0:05:28# In the sunshine
0:05:28 > 0:05:31# I know you want to but you can't say yes
0:05:31 > 0:05:34# Let's go outside, let's go outside
0:05:34 > 0:05:38# In the moonshine, take me to the places that I love best. #
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Gradually, the idea took root that hauling your sorry backside up
0:05:44 > 0:05:48a mountain in the snow was good for you, physically and spiritually.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54The fact there was a lovely view from the top was by the by.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Nowadays the view from the top is the bit that matters, but we've
0:05:57 > 0:06:01never quite managed to shake off the sense that this is good for us,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04that sleeping next to a vole or wiping your arse with a dock leaf is
0:06:04 > 0:06:08going to make us stronger, happier, better.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11So, here we are. In a field.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Camping.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Cunningham Camp was the first
0:06:20 > 0:06:27campsite in Britain and opened in 1894, and was for men only.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32Just to ram the point home, it was actually on the Isle of Man.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34600 blokes turned up every week.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37It was like a big festival...
0:06:37 > 0:06:39of men.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44Only teetotallers were allowed, and the other selling points were -
0:06:44 > 0:06:46tepid water, free lantern slides
0:06:46 > 0:06:50and a professional orchestra playing during every meal.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53It was like Glastonbury without the hangover, or stilt-walkers.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06By the 1960s, camping was king.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08More people spent their holidays
0:07:08 > 0:07:10under canvas than in boarding houses,
0:07:10 > 0:07:14which tells you how grim those boarding houses must have been.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Tents are a shapeless tangle
0:07:19 > 0:07:23of ropes, poles and fabric, that transform into a cold,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27damp and uncomfortable place in which to get very little sleep.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Any form of accommodation that requires the use of a mallet
0:07:30 > 0:07:32before you can go to bed can't be right, can it?
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Over the years, various attempts have been made
0:07:37 > 0:07:40to make tents a bit less... rubbish.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43None of them have succeeded.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Back then potential buyers were seduced by
0:07:46 > 0:07:49the association of camping with nookie.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53It's often pretty cold on the beach, but this transparent solarium
0:07:53 > 0:07:57allows over 80% of the sun's ultraviolet rays to reach the body.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03But, like everything wrapped in polythene, you can look at the goods
0:08:03 > 0:08:04but you can't always touch 'em.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Now, out of that sleeping bag and start the day with a shower.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15He'll need one after this.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Camping certainly doesn't lack interest - you never know what
0:08:20 > 0:08:23you'll find under the groundsheet.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28She seems to have found something...
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Now you know what's meant by loitering within tent.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Anyway, you've dodged the clowns and finally bought a tent.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44You're out there.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Good morning. Did you sleep well?
0:08:51 > 0:08:53No, of course you didn't.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57But that's not the point, is it?
0:08:57 > 0:09:00The point is we're outdoors.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Rise and shine, it's...
0:09:03 > 0:09:06quarter past four?!
0:09:10 > 0:09:13That's, er, hot water, right?
0:09:14 > 0:09:17No, it's not, is it?
0:09:19 > 0:09:25Oh! Oooh, blimey!
0:09:27 > 0:09:29As a way of waking up,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32this ranks just below having your door kicked in by Special Branch.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Oooh!
0:09:39 > 0:09:42I prefer being woken up by room service delivering
0:09:42 > 0:09:45breakfast about eleven o'clock.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Where is breakfast served, by the way?
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Ah, out in the field. Of course.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57So what are we having?
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Eggs, and eggs,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02and more eggs...
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Bacon! Ho ho ho!
0:10:05 > 0:10:07That's more like it.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11One of the really great joys of camping is the open air cooking.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14The most delicious smells mingle and fill the air.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28And all this without a kitchen.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30- Hey, you didn't break the eggs! - Ha ha ha!
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- Cheek!- But that didn't stop us wanting to take one with us.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37So here we are, kids, let John and Peter tell you
0:10:37 > 0:10:40all about camping accessories.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42You make think it looks just like an ordinary roof
0:10:42 > 0:10:44rack, but just watch this. Johnny, will you give me a hand to unload?
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Right, off now. Place it on the ground,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51tip it up
0:10:51 > 0:10:54and hey presto! It's a set of shelves.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57And the sink just drops nicely into there.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01And then on top of that you have a water container which just goes
0:11:01 > 0:11:05on there, and by turning a tap you've got constant running water.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Ha! You're not fooling anyone, mate.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10That's not a kitchen; it's a roof rack with a bucket.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12If you're going camping you've got to camp in comfort, haven't you?
0:11:12 > 0:11:16- I reckon so.- Even with all this paraphernalia, for many people
0:11:16 > 0:11:20camping felt a bit too much like holidaying in the Crimean War.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22They didn't want trench foot and hypothermia.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27They wanted net curtains and mattresses. They wanted walls.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Over a million British households own a caravan
0:12:00 > 0:12:04which let them take a little piece of suburbia with them on holiday.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08A few days by the sea is a thing tackled by different people
0:12:08 > 0:12:10in different ways.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14To some it is panic-stricken rush to the railway station with
0:12:14 > 0:12:15bulging suitcases.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19To others it is a car crammed with buckets, spades and fretful children.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22But to many a modern young couple,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24the trip seems to be simplicity itself.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32The caravan, built at Emsworth, Hampshire is not complicated.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Even a moron, mechanically-speaking, can fix it up in a matter of minutes.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37And it provides comfortable accommodation
0:12:37 > 0:12:39for two adults and a child.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42It's vital statistics when raised are 6ft, 6" high,
0:12:42 > 0:12:466ft, 6" long, and 4ft 9" wide.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49In other words, it's tiny.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52I'd have brought one of these instead.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55It's something of a caravan and something
0:12:55 > 0:12:59of a car. In fact, the Homecruiser is a clever combination of both.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Thanks to a special device you can raise the roof,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03then you see the plushy interior.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07In fact, every mod con just behind the driving seat.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Yes, a self-contained house on four wheels. And at home everyone likes
0:13:09 > 0:13:12privacy, especially at bathtime.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Just a step to the bathroom.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16And this saucy little sales film would have definitely sealed
0:13:16 > 0:13:18the deal for me.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Yes, it looks an interesting set-up.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Coach work's good, too.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Hey, hey! Do you mind?
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Nice accessories, though.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43This man is so fed up with his caravan,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45he's pushing it into the river.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Oh, sorry, mate, it's amphibious. Nice try.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52If you're contemplating regular river holidays in this fashion a bottle of
0:13:52 > 0:13:55champagne each time can be expensive, so Alan and Ron get used to launching
0:13:55 > 0:13:57her without the usual trimmings.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03And if you think you've seen it all, just see how adaptable that home
0:14:03 > 0:14:07on wheels, or rather waves, can be, because in this amphibious trailer
0:14:07 > 0:14:12you set sail in a holiday house that floats.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15The camping and caravanning boom of the '60s
0:14:15 > 0:14:21also coincided with the Golden Age of another Great British obsession -
0:14:21 > 0:14:23things that fold away.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53This is a folding caravan. They're becoming very popular with a lot of
0:14:53 > 0:14:55people for a number of reasons.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Right, well, this is the little
0:14:57 > 0:15:01caravan that I've decided to buy after a year's research in looking
0:15:01 > 0:15:04at caravans, because it is the only caravan I've found that suits
0:15:04 > 0:15:08my purposes admirably for when away on location, for example,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11so you can use it as a place to get out of the rain and keep warm.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13It folds down absolutely flat
0:15:13 > 0:15:16into a very small trailer, and it doesn't need 21st century
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Doctor Who magic to so, in fact it only takes about 11 seconds.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22So, if you'll excuse me a minute, we'll have a go.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47How's that? 11 seconds!
0:15:47 > 0:15:4911? No, it's not.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53That's 22 seconds, actually, Doctor. You're meant to be a Time Lord.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Huh, you don't get that with David Tennant.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59But not everyone loves caravans.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Even old Betjo had a pop.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07"Where yonder villa hogs the sea was open cliff to you and me
0:16:07 > 0:16:12"The many-coloured caras fill the salty marsh to Shilla Mill,
0:16:12 > 0:16:17"And foreground to the hanging wood, are toilets, where the cattle stood."
0:16:17 > 0:16:20What you're trying to say, John, is "get off my scenery".
0:16:20 > 0:16:24And he calls them "caras" to make it scan. That's cheating.
0:16:24 > 0:16:30"Perhaps one day a wave will break, Before the breakfaster awake,
0:16:30 > 0:16:36"And sweep the caras out to sea, The oil, the tar, and you and me,
0:16:36 > 0:16:42"And leave in windy, criss-cross motion, A waste of undulating ocean."
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Let it go, John.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50But campers really look down on caravans.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52For a start, they've got doors.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54You can't be outdoors if you've got a door!
0:16:54 > 0:16:59They've got heating, electricity, toilets, televisions...
0:16:59 > 0:17:02What happened to the suffering, mmm?
0:17:02 > 0:17:06But frankly, the campers should put a sock in it.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08After all, they're not having the real wilderness
0:17:08 > 0:17:11experience they think they are.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14If you want to know what it's like with all the creatures
0:17:14 > 0:17:18and none of the comforts, here's ex-Blue Peter presenter,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20the former Chief Scout, Peter Duncan.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23He's taken up the challenge to spend a week living in the wild
0:17:23 > 0:17:28with just a bit of help from survival expert, Lofty Wiseman.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- That's home for a few days, is it? - Yeah. You want me to lead the way?
0:17:31 > 0:17:33- I think so,- Here we go then.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Has it got an outside toilet?
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Erm, I think so.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Lots of sticks for the shelter.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- That's it.- Lovely, smashing.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53So we sleep on top of that?
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Lovely.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59So, there you are, the real deal.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03Right, come on, we can't sit around this campsite all day.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05What do you mean, "we can"?
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Well, we're not going to. We're not here to enjoy ourselves, remember.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11We've got things to do.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I quite fancy a walk,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21but that's not outdoors enough.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24I'm going to have to go for a ramble instead.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34But rambling's no walk in the park.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36You need boots.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Serious boots...
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Good quality leather boots and shoes with reasonably stout soles, the feet
0:18:41 > 0:18:43encased in woollen, are the order.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47A few light hob nails are an advantage, even for easy walking.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50And don't wear silkstocking, says Tom Stevenson, open-air
0:18:50 > 0:18:52correspondent of the Daily Herald.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Well, that's the boots sorted what else do we need?
0:18:56 > 0:19:03Woollen sweater, preferably the sort that mother makes, silk cravat,
0:19:03 > 0:19:09and a long-skirted wind jacket made like a lot of pockets sewn together.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Countrymen can't have too many pockets.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17I favour a heavy, green,
0:19:17 > 0:19:22water-proof jacket, worn by the Norwegian cod fishers in the Arctic,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26which has over-trousers, also waterproof, you can wear with it.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33So that's hobnailed boots, a silk cravat, trousers from
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Norway, jumpers from mother...
0:19:35 > 0:19:40Oh, there's something missing, er, a nice gun, maybe?
0:19:40 > 0:19:44So we're all dressed up and ready to go!
0:19:47 > 0:19:50American cardiologist Paul Dudley White thought that...
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Right, Paul. Let's ramble.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07We're free to wander where we like, aren't we?
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Er, no.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Most open countryside was and still is private land.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20The likes of you and me had to keeps our grubby boots off it.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22They might not look like it, but this lot were
0:20:22 > 0:20:25the frontline troops in a class war.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29This is Kinder Scout in the Peak District.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Nice, isn't it?
0:20:31 > 0:20:34It's owned by the local duke, and he thought so, too.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Back in 1932, the British Workers
0:20:36 > 0:20:40Sports Federation staged a mass trespass here and threatened
0:20:40 > 0:20:44to overthrow the established order simply by going for a walk.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49They're all there, these ramblers. Tall and short,
0:20:49 > 0:20:53fat and lean, some in shorts, some in kilts and some in their Sunday best.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55They've all come here to make their protest.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Still they come, there's many a stout soul going over the hill.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02They soon came face to face with the duke's gamekeepers.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05There was a bit of argy-bargy, and some of the ramblers found
0:21:05 > 0:21:09themselves back indoors at Her Majesty's pleasure.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14But the rambling genie was out of the bottle.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19Whether dukes and landowners liked it or not, change was on the way.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22In postwar Britain, the public were heading for the hills in their
0:21:22 > 0:21:25thousands, but they needed to behave themselves out there.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30They needed a code. Fortunately, the Country Code was easy to crack.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35There's a nice line of conduct amongst ramblers which makes a jaunt
0:21:35 > 0:21:38enjoyable not only for themselves but for those who come after.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Shutting gates and keeping to the path are two little points
0:21:41 > 0:21:45in the rambler's code which should always be observed. Take notice.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Oh, Joe, I have enjoyed our country walk.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Yes, we've come a long way, Petunia.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Look, you can see our tracks right across that yellow cornfield.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Oh, yes! It's ever so nice in this field.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59But I'm glad those cows have gone.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02They've taken themselves off for a walk down t'road.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06- Look, through that gate I opened, the one marked private.- Oh, yes.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10The hedges and walls in the country aren't just for decoration.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12They're functional ones to keep sheep
0:22:12 > 0:22:15and cattle safe and away from all the crops the farmer grows.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Our little Bingo is having a lovely time
0:22:18 > 0:22:19playing with those sheep.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21The exercise will do him good.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Most dogs enjoy a day in the country.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34But their exuberance isn't always appreciated by the locals.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Do you know, there's a farmer down there with a purple face?
0:22:38 > 0:22:41I expect it's all that sun and the open-air life, Joe.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Now he's doing one of those country dances.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47- Well, I don't think he looks very friendly.- Maybe you're right.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48It can't be anything we've done.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50No.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52The Country Code can only do so much.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Decades after Kinder Scout, there's still the odd bit of argy-bargy
0:22:56 > 0:22:58- out there.- You get on that road there.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00I'm going here.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Over my dead body. There is no foot road
0:23:02 > 0:23:05where you cut a hole in the hedge.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08There has never been a foot road in that field.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10When did you see me cut this?
0:23:10 > 0:23:13- Last time you was here.- You didn't. - I did, you big liar.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Let her go, then.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Go on. There's a road there.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Go on, get up that road.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Oh, there must be a solution to all this aggravation.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28I know, let's go and kill things.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Hunting. Shooting.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Fishing.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38They all have their rallying cries.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Hunting - Tally Ho!
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Shooting - Pull!
0:23:46 > 0:23:48And fishing...
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Ssssh.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Man invented hunting out of necessity in the Iron Age
0:23:56 > 0:24:01when fast food was really nippy. We had to chase everything we ate
0:24:01 > 0:24:05until we invented fencing to keep our dinner in one place.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09But we've developed a taste for the chase and started hunting stuff
0:24:09 > 0:24:11we couldn't even eat.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Not big things like Buffalo.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14We didn't have any of them.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18We had little things like foxes.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23There's nothing like hunting after Christmas
0:24:23 > 0:24:26and in this case hounds met at Tunbridge Wells, the pack,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28you know. Met plenty of friends, by the look of it.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Of course, however well you did at Christmas,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38there's no harm in a stirrup cup. Hair of the hound that bit you, what?
0:24:41 > 0:24:44When it comes to looking beautiful,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47hunting has an unfair advantage over other sports.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51To begin with there's no such thing as an ugly horse.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55And the people who go hunting can dress themselves in a splendid pink
0:24:55 > 0:25:00that almost persuades you there's no such thing as an ugly man, either.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Hunting needs its own kit, of course.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12You need horses, hounds, ridiculous outfits,
0:25:12 > 0:25:18posh accents, loads and loads of land, and some peasants.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20And who had all these things?
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Well, the upper classes. Fancy that.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Bouncing about on the back of a horse has an effect on
0:25:38 > 0:25:44the glands, and I think that hunting makes people rather highly sexed.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Yoiks! Tally-ho! Doing plenty of that clears the throat, what?
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Tally-ho, gone away.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55Packs streaming out
0:25:55 > 0:26:00across the fields, thundering hooves, the thin, high note of the horn,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04the whole atmosphere of a medieval tapestry brought to life.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07You have to admit that hunting has got something that,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10say, golf hasn't got.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13The peasants were allowed to join in the fun doing things like
0:26:13 > 0:26:14picking up hats.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Oh, it's great fun.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- What's in it for the fox?- The fox isn't in the least vindictive.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27He knows that when he's chased by heaps of horses and dozens of dogs,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31it's fine sport, and a good time is had by all.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Oh, yes.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35As the day draws to a close, the huntsmen show the local kids
0:26:35 > 0:26:38a good time, too.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42It's not until the evening that the fun really begins. Then they take
0:26:42 > 0:26:44a pile of pennies and turn them over the fire into hot pennies,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46and really hot. Then the ladies of the hunt throw
0:26:46 > 0:26:48them down to the waiting children.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51The first boy or girl who can hold one can keep it.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52And would you believe it?
0:26:52 > 0:26:55The kids think it more fun than the hunt.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02Fishing is altogether more sedate and doesn't involve hot metal.
0:27:05 > 0:27:103 million of us regularly huddle on riverbanks and piers to do it.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12As an unknown fisherman once said...
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Look at them, eh, sitting in the rain like
0:27:25 > 0:27:27cats looking at a goldfish bowl.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Fox hunting might be bloodthirsty and cruel,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36but it's a bit livelier than this.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Oh, that's not very big.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45How long is a piece of string?
0:27:45 > 0:27:50Still, at least with fishing you can eat what you catch.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Which reminds me, I'm hungry.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Isn't it odd how camp food always tastes so good?
0:28:05 > 0:28:09Black and burnt sausages, tea with grass floating in it, stew
0:28:09 > 0:28:12that looks like nothing on earth, and they're all marvellous when
0:28:12 > 0:28:15you've cooked it yourself on a paraffin stove or on a camp fire.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19I like it better when there's a hamper involved.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25Oh, there's something about
0:28:25 > 0:28:30the picnic because you know what picnics are...
0:28:30 > 0:28:32Oh, no, that's sailors.
0:28:32 > 0:28:33But you know what I mean.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Picnics conjure up memories of meadows,
0:28:42 > 0:28:46rolling fields, butterflies, flowers in a gentle breeze.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49A comfy blanket.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53There's a wasp! There's there wasp!
0:28:53 > 0:28:57Get it off me! Get it off! Hang on, that's a cow pat.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02- THUNDER RUMBLES - Oh, bloody hell.
0:29:02 > 0:29:03How does that work?
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Oh, it's that one.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16Oh, well, at least we've got some proper grub.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Lovely summer weather makes you want to spend long days in the country,
0:29:19 > 0:29:22but does your husband grouse because the picnic food you give him isn't
0:29:22 > 0:29:25as appetising as the meals prepared in your kitchen?
0:29:25 > 0:29:27If he does, perhaps it's your own fault.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29This little lady's picnic dishes
0:29:29 > 0:29:32are guaranteed to make the most hardened gourmet's mouth water.
0:29:32 > 0:29:33Little baskets can be made out of cucumbers.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36There's a tremendous scope for imagination with regards
0:29:36 > 0:29:39to the filling, but just to give you an idea, what about a mixture
0:29:39 > 0:29:42of grated cheese with mayonnaise with perhaps a little flavouring?
0:29:42 > 0:29:45We don't suggest you can use the basket to do your shopping
0:29:45 > 0:29:49when you've eaten the inside, but they do look neat, don't they?
0:29:49 > 0:29:52It's a picnic, love. Can you knock up some sausage rolls?
0:29:52 > 0:29:53Sausage rolls are easy.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56When you've made the pastry, put the meat in.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59It's a good idea to pace the edges with beaten up eggs.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01The rolls should be done in about 10 minutes.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03No wonder our cook looks pleased.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06She's made a really appetising picnic lunch, and so can you if you try.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Of course, we've got Gregg's for that now.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16Being British, we can take the fun out of anything, even picnics.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Let's take a peep at the picnic of the future.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22Tomorrow's hikers are carrying all they need for a good, hot meal.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25The secret is all in a few small tins.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27There's not even a tin opener to get left behind,
0:30:27 > 0:30:29and everything is dehydrated.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31In a little while, those handfuls of dehydrated food will
0:30:31 > 0:30:35have absorbed enough water to bring them back to their original form.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Dinner is served. Two lovely platefuls of meat and three veg,
0:30:41 > 0:30:45looking as fresh as if they'd never seen a tin in their life.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48They eat better than that on a space shuttle.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Perhaps you too will be enjoying the picnic of the future in a year
0:30:50 > 0:30:52or two. Who knows?
0:30:55 > 0:30:57The crucial thing about getting
0:30:57 > 0:31:00a proper British picnic right is to choose your spot.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02You want somewhere scenic
0:31:02 > 0:31:06and relaxing yet not too far from the road.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10Let's get back to Peter Duncan.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12It's no picnic for him.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14Hey, we've got sausage rolls, mate.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17- What are you having? - I was so hungry.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20'Food was becoming an obsession.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25'This was the first of many strange foods I was to eat. Bulrushes.'
0:31:25 > 0:31:29It's full of protein, so if you can get seeds, it's excellent to eat.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32This is stinging nettle. It's particularly useful.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34This is like spinach. Full of vitamins and minerals.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Knowing what to eat is one thing.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Actually eating it is another.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42OK, mussels.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44What you've got to make sure, once the tide's gone out,
0:31:44 > 0:31:46all this stuff here, they're all dead 'uns, obviously.
0:31:46 > 0:31:52Anything still clinging that's firmly closed, OK, pick them.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55Still anchored, that's good to eat.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58We're going to boil that up, and it's really nutritious.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01There's no poisonous seaweeds, but some have irritating hairs.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06It didn't look very nourishing but it was my best meal for six days.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Where did you find that?
0:32:14 > 0:32:16Seafood.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20In fairness to Gregg's, they wouldn't sell you that.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25And when you finish your picnic, the best thing to do with all the litter
0:32:25 > 0:32:30is leave it behind. Well, otherwise it wouldn't be litter, would it?
0:32:30 > 0:32:33The British devotion to litter makes us the envy of the world.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36Who else would take an old mattress halfway up
0:32:36 > 0:32:38a mountainside to dump it?
0:32:38 > 0:32:41That sort of thing takes commitment.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44They were just wondering whether to take their litter home or leave it
0:32:44 > 0:32:46under a convenient boulder.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50They've found the answer.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53Nowadays we just get told to Keep Britain Tidy.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57But in the 1930s, the Chew Valley moor wardens had a more medieval
0:32:57 > 0:32:59solution to the litter lout.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08The moor wardens' movement, which began about a year ago,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13is solely and entirely
0:33:13 > 0:33:15an educational movement.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20We're going to symbolise our movement by taking the litter lout
0:33:20 > 0:33:22hanging there on the gibbet.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25We're going to bring him down here in the place of judgment
0:33:25 > 0:33:27and we're going to burn him.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35I hope they cleared that lot up when they'd done.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Anyway, no time for hanging around.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45Get that litter in the bin. We've got more stuff to do - rugged stuff.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54There's something about the great outdoors that compels
0:33:54 > 0:33:59adults to dress children in uniforms and make them do something intrepid.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12Robert Baden Powell came up with this idea when he noticed that other
0:34:12 > 0:34:14countries had healthier soldiers.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16He thought that scouting for boys
0:34:16 > 0:34:21were transform feeble British youngsters into men fit for war.
0:34:21 > 0:34:26I'm so glad to see you turn out smart and clean
0:34:26 > 0:34:28and evidently efficient.
0:34:28 > 0:34:33It all began in Dorset in 1907, when 20 boys got together to tie
0:34:33 > 0:34:36knots and go around the local village offering to carry
0:34:36 > 0:34:37your shopping and wash your horse.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41As Baden Powell also said...
0:34:48 > 0:34:52Like take some long trousers in case it snowed.
0:34:55 > 0:35:00Meet winter campers from the 2nd Westminster and the 20th Ealing
0:35:00 > 0:35:03troop, proving just how tough they'd come in the scouting movement these
0:35:03 > 0:35:07days and what wonderful scenery you can enjoy if you press on regardless
0:35:07 > 0:35:12and learn to live under canvas even when the blizzard blows all round.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Shorts and snow - what were they thinking?
0:35:20 > 0:35:23Girls soon got in on the act and were taught important outdoor skills
0:35:23 > 0:35:27like tying yet more knots,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29pretending how to have a broken arm...
0:35:36 > 0:35:38and four-way synchronised dancing.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52By the '60s, the girls were as rugged as the boys.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55At one time, it would have been unthinkable to see young ladies,
0:35:55 > 0:35:59especially Guides, clambering about over rock faces.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Today it's all part of the programme
0:36:01 > 0:36:05to develop mental and physical qualities. And have fun, too.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07But if these
0:36:07 > 0:36:11boys and girls hadn't been transformed into model citizens
0:36:11 > 0:36:14through stressful outdoor activities by the age of 15,
0:36:14 > 0:36:16they could be sent for further treatment.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20This is the Upward Bound School at Eskdale in Cumberland
0:36:20 > 0:36:23where they'll make a man and a mountaineer out of any young lad who
0:36:23 > 0:36:26goes there for a four-week course in character training through adventure
0:36:26 > 0:36:28and truly spartan experience.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33It's all a sort of motivational kick up the backside for youngsters.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35There's no smoking and no drinking for the Outward Bounders
0:36:35 > 0:36:37at this school.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40They're there to learn self-reliance and a capacity for facing hardship
0:36:40 > 0:36:43and hazards of all kinds.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47The day begins with this 7:30 run, and it's all right - any ice
0:36:47 > 0:36:50in the stream will get caught up in the chute.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53The theory was that if teenagers insisted on being surly
0:36:53 > 0:36:58and difficult, they could jolly well do it outside in cold water.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Supplementary to the normal school curriculum, the emphasis here is on
0:37:07 > 0:37:10character-building, enabling a boy to discover for himself his
0:37:10 > 0:37:12capacity in every field of endeavour.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16Through adventure he meets face to face the tests and hazards of life.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23At last, they stand midway between heaven and earth, along with
0:37:23 > 0:37:26their own personal pride of achievement.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28Yet the effect has really much greater.
0:37:28 > 0:37:29Having lived with nature they've discovered its beauty.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Having gained self-confidence, they've discovered a useful purpose
0:37:33 > 0:37:37in life, a happy sign for the future of the youth of today.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40Well, that's the theory.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42What do the boys really think?
0:37:45 > 0:37:49'When we started out we intended to have a pretty good time there,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52'but all the walking and that got you down a lot.'
0:37:52 > 0:37:56'You don't really feel it, you just kind of go into a hypnotic trance.
0:37:56 > 0:38:02'You kind of walk, walk, walk, walk, and you don't really get anywhere.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06'All the countryside looks exactly the same. All the bridges
0:38:06 > 0:38:10'look exactly the same and all the streams look exactly the same.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13'I got a bit cold and wet and me hands froze to me haversack.'
0:38:13 > 0:38:15Stop moaning.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17At least you didn't have to do this.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20The boys are dumped 70 miles from the school and given
0:38:20 > 0:38:23three days to find their way back.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Three days? They'd have the mountain rescue
0:38:25 > 0:38:28called out within the hour now.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35Some people enjoyed this type of trauma so much that once
0:38:35 > 0:38:38they grow up they do it voluntarily.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44Orienteering, for example. This involves running around
0:38:44 > 0:38:47on steep hills while reading a map and a compass at the same time.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Uh-oh! He's forgotten his egg and spoon.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57He'll have to go back for that.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02The sport was originally developed by people trying to find their way
0:39:02 > 0:39:08home from the pub after six pints and was called disorienteering.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12That's why this this event was sponsored by a beer company.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19If the great British outdoors is just too, well,
0:39:19 > 0:39:23outdoors for you, why not find yourself a cave?
0:39:23 > 0:39:25Potholing presents its physical
0:39:25 > 0:39:29problems, but a fear of the unknown must be conquered too, when you're
0:39:29 > 0:39:35crawling about almost blindly in the darkness of subterranean corridors.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39Potholing has the perfect balance between indoors and outdoors.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42It has walls, floors and a ceiling,
0:39:42 > 0:39:47yet retains all the cold, damp discomfort of being in the open air.
0:39:47 > 0:39:48Genius!
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Let's see how Peter Duncan is getting on with his rugged stuff.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59He's probably been dreaming about having his own cave for days now.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02'At dawn on the fifth day of my ordeal, instructor Lofty Wiseman
0:40:02 > 0:40:04returned after two days'.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07- Cold, was it?- Freezing. My feet are like blocks of ice.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11'Lofty decided it was time to make a bid to reach civilisation and safety,
0:40:11 > 0:40:15- 'and that meant heading for the coast'.- You going to miss that thing?
0:40:15 > 0:40:17I am.
0:40:17 > 0:40:18'I'd become very attached
0:40:18 > 0:40:20'to my shelter, and the forest had felt like home.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24'But to survive, I had to move on'.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27- How far have we come? - Oh, a few miles.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34'I'd never felt as bad as I did at this moment.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37'I began to think Lofty was deliberately making life tougher
0:40:37 > 0:40:39'than need be to wear me down.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42'I was so tired, I could hardly think straight.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45'I just did what was necessary to survive another night in the open'.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49Looks fit for a guinea pig. I don't know about a human being!
0:40:49 > 0:40:53I always thought the only things you needed to survive in the wilderness
0:40:53 > 0:40:56were a hat, a Swiss Army knife and a pub.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Apparently not.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01For a start, how are we going to do any cooking?
0:41:01 > 0:41:04The boys of Mount House School
0:41:04 > 0:41:07at Tavistock in Devon, on a pioneering course with Ross Salmon.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09They learn the art of cooking without utensils.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12How to cook an egg, for example.
0:41:14 > 0:41:19Hang on, that knife's definitely a utensil, you little cheat.
0:41:19 > 0:41:20Mmm, delicious.
0:41:20 > 0:41:25- It takes a real man to appreciate an egg like that.- Hey!
0:41:25 > 0:41:26Spoon - utensil.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33This is Monkey's Delight, a flour and water mixture that is wrapped around
0:41:33 > 0:41:35a stick and cooked over the fire.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38In schoolboy style, you can stuff all sorts of things in the middle -
0:41:38 > 0:41:42bananas, jam, any old thing, and still be sure of rapturous
0:41:42 > 0:41:44munching noises from your clientele.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48Mmm, scorched dough.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Ray Mears is pretty rugged.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58He doesn't need scorched dough or any utensils.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01That's a really good find. I didn't expect to find these.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05This is horse chestnut. Of course, the leaves of these make a good soap.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08So I'm going to take a few with me for later.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Don't normally expect to see this plant growing in the open.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18This is wood sorrel, and it loves the shade. It's a good find.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Tastes of apple peel.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Really refreshing on a hike.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27There's loads of sphagnum moss
0:42:27 > 0:42:30thriving on the edge of the river here.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34This plant has been used for centuries as a wound dressing.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37Interestingly, in this area, children during the last war
0:42:37 > 0:42:43were sent out to gather this to make emergency field dressings.
0:42:43 > 0:42:49So that's soap, apple peel and, er...wound dressing.
0:42:49 > 0:42:54The scorched dough is starting to look rather good.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58Despite all Ray's talents, Professor Stephen Hawking is
0:42:58 > 0:42:59of the opinion that:
0:43:05 > 0:43:09Sorry, Ray. This crowd have taken the idea of getting back to nature
0:43:09 > 0:43:12just that little bit further.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14For them, the less Gore-Tex, the better.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28This is nudism as the nudist likes to see it - sun and fresh air,
0:43:28 > 0:43:30with fun and games for all the family.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32These naturists - that's the label
0:43:32 > 0:43:35they prefer - are members of the Manchester Sun and Air Society.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39Each fine weekend, a hundred campers pitch their tents,
0:43:39 > 0:43:42park their caravans, take off their clothes and relax.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46I bet they didn't take long to pack. "Let me see, what shall we take?
0:43:46 > 0:43:50"Shoes, socks...yeah, that's it. Let's go".
0:43:50 > 0:43:52For the die-hard nudist, catching
0:43:52 > 0:43:56the sun on a cloudy day can be a chilly, uphill struggle.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Isn't it rather wishful thinking, sunbathing on a day like this?
0:43:59 > 0:44:02Well, the sun does come out, and when it does, it's very pleasant.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05- It's not cold.- It's not cold?
0:44:05 > 0:44:07No. Well, I'm used to it.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11This is a vivid illustration of the phrase "Health and safety
0:44:11 > 0:44:13"will have a field day".
0:44:17 > 0:44:20But isn't it a real case for clothes, doing a job like that?
0:44:20 > 0:44:22Could be, of course.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25But...it's obvious, I'm puffing.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27It's a warm job.
0:44:27 > 0:44:28You probably perspire.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32It's easier to perspire, more comfortable, shall we say, than to be
0:44:32 > 0:44:37lumbered with a boiler suit and wellingtons and the usual garb.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39A pair of pants would do, mate.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42And look at this.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46That man isn't wearing any eye protection.
0:44:46 > 0:44:47Tut-tut!
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Isn't that dangerous with no clothes on?
0:44:52 > 0:44:54I suppose several jobs are.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57The most dangerous job a naturist can do is to fry sausages.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Not this, then?
0:45:05 > 0:45:08Sometimes, while you're in the countryside, resting
0:45:08 > 0:45:13from your exertions, if you're quiet, and still, and very lucky,
0:45:13 > 0:45:16you may catch a fleeting glimpse of something wild.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20A flash of fur, the glint of a yellow eye,
0:45:20 > 0:45:24the musky scent of things that live in dark, warm places.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30These are the locals.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35And this is the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance.
0:45:35 > 0:45:42The date of the Horn Dance is every year on the first Monday after
0:45:42 > 0:45:45the first Sunday following 4th September.
0:45:45 > 0:45:52We always turn out on the date as it comes, no matter what the weather is.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57They're not really even dancing. I mean, it's nice, fellas,
0:45:57 > 0:45:59but it's no Strictly.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03I've seen old Jim do this dance
0:46:03 > 0:46:07in the yard for 36 years, and still we don't know what it's all about.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09Or you
0:46:09 > 0:46:13might end up in Gloucestershire, chasing a bit of cheese down a hill.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19This is basically extreme picnicking.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21There's another lot coming down in a minute, with the pickle.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26"Sorry, Mrs Parsons, I can't come to school today.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30"I've, er, broke me leg chasing a cheese".
0:46:31 > 0:46:36In Tetbury, they race up and down while carrying 60lb sacks of wool.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38Oh, this is knackering.
0:46:38 > 0:46:44There must be stuff to do outdoors if you're, you know, a little less
0:46:44 > 0:46:45outdoorsy.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57The best way of getting around the countryside is by car.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00But technically, that's indoors.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02What you really need to do is get rid of the roof,
0:47:02 > 0:47:06the walls, the doors, the engine and two of the wheels.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08Or you could just get a bike.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20If you're not aching enough after a few days
0:47:20 > 0:47:23of rambling, climbing, caving
0:47:23 > 0:47:26and sleeping in fields, try cycling.
0:47:26 > 0:47:27That'll do the trick.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39Out from the towns stream the cyclists,
0:47:39 > 0:47:43seeking sun, air and exercise in the countryside.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45What a rest cure those wide horizons,
0:47:45 > 0:47:50how ennobling to the mind the gracious expanses of rural beauty.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Anyway, you can't deny that beauty is there in the countryside
0:47:54 > 0:47:56for those who have time to see it.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59The villages of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland
0:47:59 > 0:48:01all lovely in their charm.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07And the waterways, limpid,
0:48:07 > 0:48:11iridescent, translucent - forgive me, it must be a touch of spring.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17The lanes winding through the gentle folds of the hills. How delightfully
0:48:17 > 0:48:21they vary the succession of unexcitingly flat roads.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25What would life be without its ups and downs? What would life be?
0:48:25 > 0:48:27Thank goodness we're reaching the down.
0:48:27 > 0:48:32Coasting downhill on a push bike. Is there any more wonderful sensation?
0:48:32 > 0:48:36And the joy of cycling is the freedom.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38You can go anywhere.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40Cyclists who have explored the paradise of
0:48:40 > 0:48:45the valley stop, foxed for a moment by the full ford.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49It's only a bit of water, you lightweights.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52Maybe they will have to make a detour, for the evening is getting
0:48:52 > 0:48:55late. It is time to turn home.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57If you're scared of a little stream
0:48:57 > 0:49:00like that, you'd better not get on one of these.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06Boats were invented by the Greeks as a way of travelling on water
0:49:06 > 0:49:08without getting wet.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19Since then, they've become popular as a way
0:49:19 > 0:49:24of enjoying the great outdoors while holding a gin and tonic.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26Now, that's progress.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43These ladies are the Norfolk Broads,
0:49:43 > 0:49:46and they've kidnapped a photographer called Eric.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49The photographer, by the way, is Eric,
0:49:49 > 0:49:52and he's one of the chaps who work on those Come To Britain posters,
0:49:52 > 0:49:55drawing the attention of visitors from overseas to the attractions of
0:49:55 > 0:50:00the English countryside - in this case, the Norfolk Broads.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02The added, um, decoration,
0:50:02 > 0:50:06is provided by girls from London's Windmill Theatre.
0:50:06 > 0:50:08Eric was eventually released in exchange for two cardigans
0:50:08 > 0:50:10and his woolly hat.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12It's not as warm as it looks out there.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Sailing
0:50:16 > 0:50:19involves quite a bit of jargon, and John Betjeman knows the lot.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22"They've taken our wind
0:50:22 > 0:50:24"Oh, no, she's going about
0:50:24 > 0:50:26"Stand by to gybe
0:50:26 > 0:50:28"Ready about. Leo!
0:50:30 > 0:50:33"Starboard
0:50:33 > 0:50:37"Out there, it's solitude
0:50:37 > 0:50:39"They can't build on the sea."
0:50:39 > 0:50:43Looks lovely, John, but a bit dull, possibly?
0:50:47 > 0:50:50Whoa! Hang on a minute! I want one of those!
0:50:57 > 0:51:00That's more like it.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08Actually, I'm getting a bit dizzy.
0:51:13 > 0:51:20Ah...bliss, tranquillity, harmony.
0:51:24 > 0:51:29- What the bloody hell's that? - HIGH-PITCHED WHINE
0:51:29 > 0:51:30Oh, it's them.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34Throughout the year, the promise of treasure flushes out Britain's
0:51:34 > 0:51:38metal detectors, an estimated quarter of a million of them.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42Hold on, he's found something.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45That means there's something down there?
0:51:45 > 0:51:47Yes.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50There it is. Hey!
0:51:50 > 0:51:52- It's a bit grubby.- Yes.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54It's 10p!
0:51:55 > 0:51:59- Oh.- You have that. - The secret of metal detecting is
0:51:59 > 0:52:02to have very, very low expectations.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04That's a lump of iron.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07That's a great big lump of iron.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09It's a big key.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12- What's that?- Gold.- Gold?- Yes.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15So, 10p - "Hmm".
0:52:15 > 0:52:18Lump of iron - "Hmm".
0:52:18 > 0:52:19Actual gold - "Hmm".
0:52:19 > 0:52:23All right, I get it.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25You're not meant to enjoy this, are you?
0:52:25 > 0:52:29Oh, that sounds good, doesn't it?
0:52:29 > 0:52:31Oh, yes, it's a Roman coin.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34No, no, mate, you've got it wrong.
0:52:34 > 0:52:35You're far too happy.
0:52:35 > 0:52:40Next time, try giving it more of a sense of vague disappointment.
0:52:40 > 0:52:41"Roman coin. Oh".
0:52:41 > 0:52:46We'll wait till we get it home, and then we'll wash it under the tap
0:52:46 > 0:52:48and have another look at it. What do you say? OK?
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Now, this lot have turned vague disappointment into
0:52:55 > 0:52:57an art form. They like
0:52:57 > 0:53:01to sit indoors and look at the outdoors through a little window.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04They're called birdwatchers.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06They sit in something called a hide.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09It's not exactly clear what they're hiding from.
0:53:09 > 0:53:14Unless you're a worm, birds aren't actually all that dangerous.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19These are twitchers, and they're
0:53:19 > 0:53:22on the trail of a really rare bird that's hardly ever seen in Britain.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31There it is! There it is!
0:53:31 > 0:53:33Sorry.
0:53:34 > 0:53:39The less patient amongst us can just fly their own paper birds
0:53:39 > 0:53:40on a bit of string.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55There's nothing on earth quite as relaxing as flying a kite.
0:54:01 > 0:54:06So, we've found ways of making it stressful,
0:54:06 > 0:54:09frightening and dangerous. Brilliant!
0:54:09 > 0:54:13'His next kite was a giant - so big, its framework was made of
0:54:13 > 0:54:15'thick aluminium tubes.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18'I couldn't believe these would ever fly.
0:54:18 > 0:54:22'The spine of the kite is two aluminium tubes bolted together,
0:54:22 > 0:54:25'and the sails are the strongest polythene that Peter can find.
0:54:25 > 0:54:31'When I saw the full size of the kite, I realised it was huge.'
0:54:31 > 0:54:32Right.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40'The kite took off so suddenly, things quickly got out of control.
0:54:40 > 0:54:45'As the kite shot up, David hung on, then let go.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48'Then Peter was lifted several feet off the ground.
0:54:50 > 0:54:51'The kite had shot up into the sky at a fantastic speed, and up
0:54:51 > 0:54:57'there the wind was much stronger than anyone had bargained for.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02'Suddenly, disaster struck.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16'The giant kite had pierced the ground, and as it eventually
0:55:16 > 0:55:19'keeled over, we all went off sadly to inspect the damage.'
0:55:19 > 0:55:24Well, a disappointing end to a challenging day.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26Oh, God, let's just get back to the campsite.
0:55:33 > 0:55:37Tired, wet, aching...
0:55:37 > 0:55:40this is what we came out here for.
0:55:40 > 0:55:42Let's head back.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46I say head, I mean trudge.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48Tell you what I'm ready for -
0:55:48 > 0:55:54a lovely hot bath, a pint and a delicious dinner.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56Oh, no. I forgot.
0:55:56 > 0:55:57We're still camping.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02All you've had to eat today is two crackers, a square of
0:56:02 > 0:56:04Kendal mint cake and half a wasp.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08If you don't eat in the next half hour, you'll probably die.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11Right, what's for tea?
0:56:11 > 0:56:14Oh, bloody hell.
0:56:14 > 0:56:18I think I might just have a nice cup of cocoa and go to bed.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22The best thing about sleeping under the stars is...the stars.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27But let's face it, you're not going to see them.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31It's quarter past seven and you're knackered.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33The sun comes up in half an hour.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35Get your head down.
0:56:35 > 0:56:39Life on a campsite has its own natural rhythm.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42You sleep when it's dark and rise at the crack of dawn.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44It's getting back to nature.
0:56:50 > 0:56:55What are you doing here, anyway? You could be
0:56:55 > 0:56:59warm and comfy and well fed, a cold beer in your hand
0:56:59 > 0:57:03and a warm bed waiting for you.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05OWL HOOTS
0:57:07 > 0:57:11You could be...indoors.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18Oh, that's better, isn't it?
0:57:18 > 0:57:22No rain, no mud, no...naked lumberjacks.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26Ah, bliss.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29But hang on a second.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33Don't you think maybe you're missing something? Something like...this?
0:57:36 > 0:57:38Look at it, it's fantastic.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40It's beautiful.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43It's Britain.
0:57:43 > 0:57:46Yeah, it can be cold, wet and muddy.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48But it's worth it, isn't it?
0:57:48 > 0:57:51So get your cagoule on and get out there.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54Fly a kite.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00Chase a cheese.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02Wake up in a tent.
0:58:02 > 0:58:07Because only then, when you unzip that canvas and feel
0:58:07 > 0:58:13the crisp bite of the morning air on your face, will you see this.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19Only then are you truly alive.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23Only then are you really, truly,
0:58:23 > 0:58:26in the Great British Outdoors.
0:58:52 > 0:58:54Subtitles by RED BEE MEDIA LTD
0:58:54 > 0:58:57E-mail: subtitling@bbc.co.uk