0:00:12 > 0:00:16The wildest parts of the British landscape seem timeless.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25But, in fact, they are constantly changing.
0:00:31 > 0:00:36The cycle of winter, spring, summer and autumn...
0:00:37 > 0:00:40..give rhythm to every year.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57The turning of the year brings new life.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03New beginnings after the dark days.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Each season bringing its own challenges and opportunities.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17The mountainous landscape here in the Lake District has been
0:01:17 > 0:01:19transformed by the elements...
0:01:22 > 0:01:25..by the glaciers of the last ice age...
0:01:29 > 0:01:33..and, more recently, by the hand of mankind.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40On whatever scale,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42there are few places in Britain
0:01:42 > 0:01:44where change is more dramatic
0:01:44 > 0:01:46and important than here.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Many changes pass almost unnoticed.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01But by seeing hours, days, even months
0:02:01 > 0:02:03compressed into a few seconds,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07these changes can now be revealed.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20And by charting the key events in the calendar
0:02:20 > 0:02:22through each of the seasons...
0:02:24 > 0:02:29..it's possible to uncover a new and unique perspective...
0:02:42 > 0:02:43..on life's journey through our...
0:02:43 > 0:02:45DEER BELLOWS
0:02:45 > 0:02:47..restless year.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16A chilly April dawn on Millbeck Farm in the Lake District.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Like all the traditional farmers here,
0:03:24 > 0:03:29for Eric Taylforth the yearly cycle has begun.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43For a shepherd and his dog, spring is the busiest of times.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Right now, flocks of pregnant Herdwick sheep
0:03:58 > 0:04:00are returning from high up on the mountains
0:04:00 > 0:04:03down into the sheltered valleys.
0:04:03 > 0:04:04SHEEP BLEAT
0:04:09 > 0:04:12They come back down here
0:04:12 > 0:04:13to give birth.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Lambing is one of the fixed points in the Lake District calendar.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29For generations, a key annual marker.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Herdwicks start their life almost completely black.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02But as they get older, their coats get paler and paler.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09This experienced ewe is one of the oldest on the farm.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15For as long as people can remember,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Herdwicks have been the livelihood of the Lake District.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23The local community depended entirely on the life cycle
0:05:23 > 0:05:25of these sheep.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31The first unsteady steps of this lamb
0:05:31 > 0:05:36mark that the traditional Lake District year has begun.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Before long, over 38,000 Herdwick ewes
0:05:45 > 0:05:48will have given birth in the valleys.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Although winter is slower to release its grip here
0:06:34 > 0:06:36compared to much of the country,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39the snow does melt away...
0:06:39 > 0:06:40eventually.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47The warming temperatures bring welcome colour
0:06:47 > 0:06:49back to the hills and valleys.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Trees, like these oaks,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58are transformed from bare branches to a canopy of green
0:06:58 > 0:07:00in just a few weeks.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08For the plants and animals,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12springtime is also the start of their yearly cycle.
0:07:35 > 0:07:41The Lake District finally shakes off the shackles of winter.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51In the high country, the rivers and streams crisscrossing the fells are
0:07:51 > 0:07:53filled with water from the melting snow.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00Just what one faithful Lake District resident has been waiting for.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Dippers are particularly at home
0:08:07 > 0:08:10amongst the Lake District's fast-flowing streams.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Generation after generation of dippers
0:08:19 > 0:08:22return to the same nest site every spring.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Some sites have been in continuous use for more than 100 years.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Dippers dive into the icy water
0:08:50 > 0:08:53to pluck the larvae of caddisflies from the riverbed.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59The dippers shake off the larva's protective jacket
0:08:59 > 0:09:02to get to the juicy grub inside.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16It won't be long before they'll be feeding them
0:09:16 > 0:09:18to a nest full of chicks.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28As April turns to May,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31this hillside above Grasmere is transformed.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35As regular as clockwork,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39one of our favourite flowers bursts into life.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Bluebells are able to flower this early
0:09:47 > 0:09:52because they can draw on energy stored in their bulbs.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02It's very unusual to find bluebells away from the shelter of woodland.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06They can only thrive here in the open because later in the year
0:10:06 > 0:10:08there'll be a blanket of bracken
0:10:08 > 0:10:11to protect them from the heat of the summer.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21But just now, dealing with the regular downpours
0:10:21 > 0:10:23is a rather more pressing problem.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27THUNDER RUMBLES
0:10:37 > 0:10:42With the springtime showers comes the first trickle of tourists.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Few spots are busier than here on Windermere.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Although perhaps because the boats offer temporary shelter
0:11:04 > 0:11:06from the elements.
0:11:08 > 0:11:14Every year over 16 million people come to enjoy the Lake District,
0:11:14 > 0:11:15whatever the weather.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21The fells give visitors the chance to get away from it all,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25whether that's for a weekend in a remote mountain hideaway,
0:11:25 > 0:11:30or a rush to a sheltered picnic spot before it rains.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Again.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45In gardens all across the Lakes
0:11:45 > 0:11:50there's a sense of urgency to get the year's seeds and bulbs planted.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54The growing season here is short.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04This is the garden at Hilltop Farm.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11The same garden where a famous rabbit once had his adventures.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17And it was home to a woman who was not only Peter Rabbit's creator,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21but one of the region's most influential residents.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Beatrix Potter.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33She used the fortune from her literary success to buy up
0:12:33 > 0:12:35thousands of acres of farmland
0:12:35 > 0:12:39and fells all over the Lakes in order to preserve the
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Lake District's traditional way of life.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47It's one reason why the landscape, and her garden,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49still looks much as she left it.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55With the planting finished just in time,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59her garden will soon undergo its annual transformation.
0:13:02 > 0:13:03ENGINE STARTS
0:13:03 > 0:13:06But there is one plant that is
0:13:06 > 0:13:09already growing at a furious pace.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13And that means extra work for someone.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21There's been a church in Hawkshead for over 800 years.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26For the groundsman the task has always been the same.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32The first cut of the year is a springtime ritual,
0:13:32 > 0:13:37but there'll be many, many more days with the mower to come.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47As spring begins to give way to summer,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50the water in the Lakes begins to warm...
0:13:51 > 0:13:53..a little.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17This is the only excuse some people need.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Here on Windermere it's time for the largest
0:14:35 > 0:14:37outdoor swimming event in Europe.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Each year around 10,000 people take the plunge.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57It's fast becoming a brand-new Lake District tradition.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Some revel in a gruelling four-hour swim.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27And some probably wish they were back on dry land.
0:15:40 > 0:15:46Back on Millbeck Farm and another important date in the calendar.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50After two months in the valleys
0:15:50 > 0:15:54the Herdwicks have grazed the pasture to the ground.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02It's time for Eric to send the lambs and their mothers
0:16:02 > 0:16:06up onto the fells to find fresh grass.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14For the youngsters this'll be their first time on the rugged peaks.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18But they'll be guided by the experienced ewes.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27The land on the high fells is completely open
0:16:27 > 0:16:31with no walls to keep them from straying or getting lost.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38But by always releasing the flock up this same valley at the same time,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40generation after generation,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44the sheep are able to remember their own way around and so,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48how to get back to this valley when the time comes to return.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52It's a system known as hefting,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55only practised by traditional hill farmers.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59With the sheep on their way,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02the walls that enclose the lowland fields
0:17:02 > 0:17:05can receive some well overdue care and attention.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10They're as much a part of the landscape
0:17:10 > 0:17:12as the hills themselves.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19Maintaining the walls is not a job for the faint-hearted.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22They run for hundreds of miles.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27On Millbeck Farm the task falls to David Birkett.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38He has spent most of his life building and rebuilding
0:17:38 > 0:17:39the walls here.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52With no mortar to hold the rocks together,
0:17:52 > 0:17:58building a dry stone wall takes a huge amount of skill and experience.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Many of the walls will have been repaired and rebuilt
0:18:08 > 0:18:11again and again for hundreds of years,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14using exactly the same techniques.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17And exactly the same stones.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30They're built with an outer layer of larger stones on each side,
0:18:30 > 0:18:35a core of smaller stones in the centre
0:18:35 > 0:18:39and, finally, a line of cam stones along the top.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Once the stones have weathered a little
0:18:43 > 0:18:47it's hard to know which bits David has repaired.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51He's one of the best in the world.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55He even spends two weeks a year building walls
0:18:55 > 0:18:57at the Chelsea Flower Show.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12These walls are more than just boundaries.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15They create an ecosystem of their own.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26In the summer heat slugs search for somewhere shady
0:19:26 > 0:19:28to escape the sun.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32A damp cranny to hide in during the day.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Deep inside the walls they have the perfect place not only to shelter,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42but to lay their eggs.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55Slug eggs can lay dormant for months, or even years,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58if conditions are not right.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02But here the wall and the damp soil keeps them moist and protected.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08In only four weeks the embryos can develop from just a few cells
0:20:08 > 0:20:12into perfectly formed baby slugs.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Soon it's time to hatch.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27Although some seem reluctant to leave the protection of their eggs.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Finally they slither off to feed
0:20:45 > 0:20:48and eventually start a new generation of their own.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01But they aren't the only ones that make their home amongst the stones.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07As the sun gets higher, the shadows retreat,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11and the wall is bathed in summer sunshine.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16This now brings out creatures that bask in the heat.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Jumping spiders just a few millimetres long.
0:21:21 > 0:21:26The walls give these fearsome, if tiny, predators
0:21:26 > 0:21:28the perfect hunting ground.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35They can jump up to 50 times their own body length.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40That's the equivalent of a person jumping over Big Ben.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04After they've eaten their prey,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07they can slink back into the shadows
0:22:07 > 0:22:09to await their next victim.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35It's mid-July and Millbeck Farm is empty.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Yet Eric is preparing for one of the busiest days of the year.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52The sheep have been peacefully grazing on the mountains
0:22:52 > 0:22:54above the farm for weeks.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02But the peace is about to be broken.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11Every July shepherds from up and down the valley
0:23:11 > 0:23:14leave their own farms to help their neighbours.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23They head up to the fell.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29The only way is on foot.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49The shepherds and their dogs
0:23:49 > 0:23:50are in position.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52It's a stand-off.
0:23:54 > 0:23:55Until...
0:23:55 > 0:23:57SHEEP BLEATS
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Finally...the annual summer herding...
0:24:05 > 0:24:06..begins.
0:24:06 > 0:24:07FARMER WHISTLES
0:24:13 > 0:24:15It's not going to be easy.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Eric's 2,000 ewes and their growing lambs are spread
0:24:18 > 0:24:22across hundreds of acres high on the fells.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31And there are cliffs, rocks,
0:24:31 > 0:24:35streams and countless places for the sheep to hide.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40If they panic them, the sheep and their lambs could easily get hurt.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Shepherds have to find them all
0:24:48 > 0:24:51and guide them safely off the mountain.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08For hundreds of years,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11shepherds have used this natural bowl
0:25:11 > 0:25:14as a place to gather the flock together.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27The sheep are then carefully driven down the steep paths
0:25:27 > 0:25:29to the farm below.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07This is a rare opportunity to check and sort the sheep.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Some are now accomplished climbers.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30The main reason they're bought down at this time, each summer...
0:26:33 > 0:26:35..is to be sheared.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Some of the shearers can clip 300 sheep in a day.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47It's backbreaking work.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08The wool is extremely hard wearing.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13It was once prized for making the finest quality carpets.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Sadly, it's much less in demand today.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26The sheep still have to be clipped once a year
0:27:26 > 0:27:29or their fleece would eventually grow so heavy,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31they wouldn't be able to walk.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50It takes days to get through the whole flock.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15After they've been sheared,
0:28:15 > 0:28:19the slightly bewildered sheep head back up the fells,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21minus their winter coats.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24With luck the weather will stay fine
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and the rain will hold off.
0:28:42 > 0:28:48Beatrix Potter's garden at Hill Top Farm has been transformed.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02The warmth of the sun not only draws
0:29:02 > 0:29:05bumblebees to the colourful blooms...
0:29:07 > 0:29:11..it also draws over 1,000 tourists
0:29:11 > 0:29:13every day to this famous place.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25Peter the gardener has his work cut out just keeping
0:29:25 > 0:29:28the plants in check, and the garden looking
0:29:28 > 0:29:33just as Beatrix Potter first planned it over 100 years ago.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41But there are some extra rewards for his efforts.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06In the summer, the grass always seems to need cutting.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09It's time to get the mower out...
0:30:09 > 0:30:11again.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23On Millbeck Farm, it's also time for the grass to be cut and baled.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27It'll provide extra food for the sheep over the winter.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38But this is the Lake District and it's a race against time
0:30:38 > 0:30:40to beat the showers.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45If the weather's dry,
0:30:45 > 0:30:47the farmers will work round the clock
0:30:47 > 0:30:50and get the grass harvested in time.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04All over the Lake District,
0:31:04 > 0:31:09the wildlife is busying itself in the summer sunshine.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27There's no rest for David Birkett, either.
0:31:28 > 0:31:33He's returned to Millbeck Farm but this time it's not the walls
0:31:33 > 0:31:35that need his attention.
0:31:37 > 0:31:42David is one of the most respected climbers in the world,
0:31:42 > 0:31:46and grew up perfecting more and more challenging routes
0:31:46 > 0:31:48across the rocky peaks.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54There are reports of a climber who's been stuck up here for days.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59And David is the one person with enough local knowledge
0:31:59 > 0:32:01to attempt a rescue.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20As he edges down the rock face, he sees the problem.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28It's one of Eric's sheep.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Sheep have an unfortunate tendency
0:32:43 > 0:32:47to get stuck on ledges like this.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54David gets calls from all over the valley
0:32:54 > 0:32:59to come and gently lower them to a safer spot.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16David has rescued nearly 800 sheep over the years
0:33:30 > 0:33:32And all out of the kindness of his heart.
0:33:37 > 0:33:38With the arrival of August,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40the year reaches another milestone
0:33:40 > 0:33:42in the calendar -
0:33:42 > 0:33:44the peak of the tourist season.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50Nowadays, tourism has replaced sheep farming as the lifeblood
0:33:50 > 0:33:51of the Lake District.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59At the busiest times over 1,000 people an hour trek up and down
0:33:59 > 0:34:02the paths that run through Millbeck Farm.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12There are also less energetic excursions.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29There have been pleasure cruises on Windermere since the 1840s.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35This boat is over 125 years old.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47The Lake District has both the longest and the deepest lakes
0:34:47 > 0:34:51in England and Windermere is the biggest of them all.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59A business which started with just one steamer
0:34:59 > 0:35:04now carries as many as 10,000 tourists a day,
0:35:04 > 0:35:08constantly ferried up and down the 10.5-mile stretch of water.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19The boats sail every day except Christmas Day
0:35:19 > 0:35:24and that adds up to over 1.5 million paying passengers a year.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Dogs, though, travel for free.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39For tourists, a high summer boat trip may offer a day of calm
0:35:39 > 0:35:42to escape the busy year.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48But for many of the locals, the next day will bring anything but calm.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55It's the climax of months of anxious preparation.
0:36:00 > 0:36:01Not mowing the grass...
0:36:04 > 0:36:07..but the highlight in the village calendar.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15The planning, growing and hard work has all come down
0:36:15 > 0:36:17to this one single day.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22First held in 1871,
0:36:22 > 0:36:26this is the 132nd Rusland Show.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31It's a traditional countryside celebration
0:36:31 > 0:36:33and there is fierce competition.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58With it comes the unenviable task
0:36:58 > 0:37:03of deciding who takes home the coveted best-in-show.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12Finally, a local favourite...
0:37:12 > 0:37:16CHUCKLES ..the egg-throwing competition.
0:37:21 > 0:37:26In Rusland, summer isn't a summer until you have egg on your face.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36Soon, it's all over but the competitors will already be planning
0:37:36 > 0:37:40for the 133rd Rusland Show.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Although summer is coming to an end,
0:37:54 > 0:37:56many plants are still thriving
0:37:56 > 0:37:59in the long, warm days.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06These touch-me-not balsam
0:38:06 > 0:38:09have sprung up to cover the woodland floor.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Each night, the leaves go limp as the balsam exudes
0:38:14 > 0:38:18any excess moisture.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20In the waterlogged soils of the Lake District,
0:38:20 > 0:38:22this is a handy adaptation.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Soon, their blooms unfurl.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52As the petals of these strange shaped flowers drop off,
0:38:52 > 0:38:55seed pods begin to form.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04These pods are the favourite food
0:39:04 > 0:39:07of the Netted Carpet moth caterpillar.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16Although it was once thought to be extinct,
0:39:16 > 0:39:21the Netted Carpet moth survives here in the Lake District,
0:39:21 > 0:39:23its last remaining stronghold.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32Touch-me-not balsam is their only source of food.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09These plants have a surprise in store...
0:40:09 > 0:40:11their seed heads...
0:40:12 > 0:40:14..explode.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19It's how they became known as touch-me-not.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23But nobody told the caterpillars this!
0:40:38 > 0:40:42The caterpillars have no warning when these little bombs go off.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50It's not just seeds that get hurled across the forest floor.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Autumn is just around the corner.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29Amongst the grazing sheep on the fells,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31something other than grass
0:41:31 > 0:41:34is pushing its way up out of the ground.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50These brightly coloured mushrooms are called waxcaps.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56They come in a huge variety of colours and grow particularly well
0:41:56 > 0:41:59in the open grasslands of the Lake District fells.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04However, if the surrounding grass gets too tall,
0:42:04 > 0:42:08then the fungi can't spread their spores,
0:42:08 > 0:42:12so the colony won't be able to reproduce.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18But they have an ally...
0:42:19 > 0:42:22..the Herdwick sheep.
0:42:32 > 0:42:37They avoid eating the mushrooms and by continually trimming the grass,
0:42:37 > 0:42:41they unwittingly secure the next generation of waxcaps.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53The cool misty mornings frame the changing colours
0:42:53 > 0:42:54of autumn.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28The animals are preparing for the approaching cold.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35The Lake District is one of the few places in England
0:43:35 > 0:43:37where red squirrels thrive.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43Now is the time to urgently collect food...
0:43:45 > 0:43:47..from wherever they can find it.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01At the church, the colder weather means the grass
0:44:01 > 0:44:03has finally stopped growing
0:44:03 > 0:44:06and the groundsman can take a well-earned break.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15For the squirrels, however, there will be no such rest.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25The food they store now will see the squirrels through the winter...
0:44:28 > 0:44:30..provided they remember where they've left it.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47It'll be a long time till spring.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54The nights are beginning to draw in.
0:45:00 > 0:45:05Come midwinter, the Lake District will have nearly an hour longer
0:45:05 > 0:45:08of darkness than the south.
0:45:09 > 0:45:14The longer nights are welcomed with traditions that go back centuries.
0:45:48 > 0:45:53We retreat to the warmth of home, pub and hearth.
0:46:08 > 0:46:13While outside, the long hours of darkness tick by.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31Yet, high up on the fells,
0:46:31 > 0:46:35it's the busiest time of year for one group of animals.
0:46:58 > 0:47:04For these red deer stags, the restless year is far from over.
0:47:05 > 0:47:10Competing calls signal their claim to a patch of the fell.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15And the females within it.
0:47:19 > 0:47:24They use the shape of the valleys to amplify the sound of their roaring.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29The louder and deeper, the more females they will attract.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38Their roars also herald the unforgiving winter weather
0:47:38 > 0:47:41that will inevitably follow.
0:47:46 > 0:47:50This winter, however, the Lake District will be battered
0:47:50 > 0:47:53by the elements like never before.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10Water has always defined the Lake District.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17And never more so than this year.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25Torrential rain begins to fall
0:48:25 > 0:48:27and it shows no sign of stopping.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40Rivers swell, crashing off the fells
0:48:40 > 0:48:42and through the valleys.
0:48:48 > 0:48:53This waterfall was home to a family of dippers in the spring.
0:48:53 > 0:48:58Now their nesting site has been completely destroyed.
0:49:04 > 0:49:09The lakes themselves simply can't contain all this water.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20This isn't just any storm.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29Over a foot of rain falls in less than 24 hours,
0:49:29 > 0:49:33the most ever recorded in the UK.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59Next morning, the people of the Lake District wake up
0:49:59 > 0:50:02to unprecedented devastation.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06'This is beyond anything even I can recall
0:50:06 > 0:50:10'and around our neck of the woods, so many roads under water there.'
0:50:14 > 0:50:17'People I've been talking to who've lived there all their lives have
0:50:17 > 0:50:19'never seen it at this level before.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24'It's incredible weather. We've not seen anything like this and,
0:50:24 > 0:50:27'you know, this is Cumbria. We are used to challenging weather.'
0:50:31 > 0:50:35Town and countryside alike have been overwhelmed
0:50:35 > 0:50:38by the floodwaters.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57This is Glenridding, one of the worst affected villages.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05But all around, the people of the Lake District refuse to be beaten.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16Machinery and workmen arrive from a nearby work site,
0:51:16 > 0:51:19stopping what they've been doing to come to the rescue
0:51:19 > 0:51:22of this and other isolated communities.
0:51:28 > 0:51:33The process will take months but when the floodwaters subside,
0:51:33 > 0:51:37the people of the Lake District will rebuild.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56Winter weather has always hit the Lake District hard.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03Snowstorms can strike without warning,
0:52:03 > 0:52:06transforming the landscape overnight.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27Blizzards can completely obscure the mountaintops.
0:52:31 > 0:52:35Yet, every day, someone must climb this,
0:52:35 > 0:52:39one of the highest peaks in the Lake District -
0:52:39 > 0:52:42Helvellyn.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45It's the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest every fortnight.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52These mountains claim several lives each year.
0:52:52 > 0:52:57Even on a sunny day, the temperature can struggle to get above freezing.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01And on a bad day, can drop to minus 16.
0:53:05 > 0:53:10These polar conditions keep everyone but the most intrepid away.
0:53:20 > 0:53:26But day after day a mountaineer heads to Helvellyn's summit.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39It's only at the top that critical information about weather and snow
0:53:39 > 0:53:40conditions can be measured.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46Not least to assess the risk of avalanche.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58The reports are vital to safeguarding the lives of anyone
0:53:58 > 0:54:00who ventures here in the winter.
0:54:24 > 0:54:29As December draws to a close, the valleys, too,
0:54:29 > 0:54:32are covered in a white blanket.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46On Windermere, the boats sail one last time
0:54:46 > 0:54:48before they and their crews
0:54:48 > 0:54:50take their one day off in the year.
0:55:11 > 0:55:16And across the land, communities gather to celebrate Christmas.
0:55:54 > 0:55:59As the New Year begins, it brings the promise of new life,
0:55:59 > 0:56:02even in the bleakest of midwinters.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12With the returning sun, slowly the thaw begins.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25And the welcome markers of the new season start to appear again.
0:56:39 > 0:56:44Before you know it, even the tourists are returning,
0:56:44 > 0:56:47eager to board the waiting pleasure boats.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04And perhaps the most important of all,
0:57:04 > 0:57:07the traditional start of the Lake District year.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15The sheep return from the fells,
0:57:15 > 0:57:17ready for lambing.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26Here in the Lake District,
0:57:26 > 0:57:30the year has come full circle.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43Wherever we live,
0:57:43 > 0:57:45the passing of the seasons...
0:57:46 > 0:57:50..the turning of the pages of the calendar,
0:57:50 > 0:57:54and the rhythms of the restless year...
0:57:55 > 0:57:58..affect us all.