0:18:50 > 0:18:57.
0:19:29 > 0:19:35The rocky outcrop of Portland shelters the waters of Weymouth Bay.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41But holidaymakers who stray too far from this haven
0:19:41 > 0:19:43court disaster.
0:19:45 > 0:19:51I'm venturing beyond the bay to brave some of the most dangerous waters in Britain.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Headlands are wild places.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59Both wind and sea whip around them.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Strong currents in the English Channel
0:20:05 > 0:20:10accelerate as they skirt the headland at Portland Bill.
0:20:10 > 0:20:16It creates a treacherous tidal surge known as the Portland Race.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Skipper Alan Smith is expert at running the race.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23What is the water doing as it's coming down here towards the tip of Portland Bill?
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Well, what's happening, the water from this big bay the other side
0:20:27 > 0:20:29is going down the channel
0:20:29 > 0:20:32and it's being pushed out by Portland and compressed,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35and so it's accelerated due to the fact that the island's sticking out
0:20:35 > 0:20:38and forcing all the water together.
0:20:38 > 0:20:39How bad can it get, Alan?
0:20:39 > 0:20:43It can get very, very dangerous. If it gets beyond rough
0:20:43 > 0:20:45it can be quite life-threatening here.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51'I may be in a powerful boat with an experienced skipper,
0:20:51 > 0:20:56'but I hope my legs and my stomach are up to this.'
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Alan's in the wheelhouse. He's about to cut the engine
0:20:59 > 0:21:01and we're going to get sucked into the Portland Race.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04My heart's in my mouth, I don't mind admitting it.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09As we come round the headland, the tide starts to pull us in.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10Here it comes.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16The boat is going all over the place like a cork.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23It's pretty scary. I've never seen anything like it in British waters.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28We're now gripped by the tide race,
0:21:28 > 0:21:33and are being propelled westwards, towards the Atlantic.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37It's exhilarating but it's also a bit frightening.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43'The tidal race is intensified by a submerged rock shelf
0:21:43 > 0:21:46'sticking out for a mile beyond the headland.'
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Here the depth suddenly decreases,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52'and the waters racing around Portland
0:21:52 > 0:21:57accelerate even more as the tide pushes over the shallow shelf.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01Once over the obstruction, the Race hits slow-moving water,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04a clash of currents that creates crunching waves.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Unfortunately, to get home, there's little choice -
0:22:11 > 0:22:17a long detour or head straight back through the Portland Race.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19It's like the Cresta Run of the English Channel.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34The irresistible tidal forces of the Channel
0:22:34 > 0:22:38chiselled this awe-inspiring 18-mile strip of shingle.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50This is Chesil Beach, where you learn to cherish...
0:22:50 > 0:22:51the pebble.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58There's 180 billion of the blighters here, piled 45 feet high.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03To tourists, it's a must-see.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09To school kids, it's the answer to geography exam questions.
0:23:10 > 0:23:16To me, these pebbles are stepping-stones to what lies beyond.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26Most people come for the beach, but trapped behind the shingle bank
0:23:26 > 0:23:30is a lagoon that looks more like an inland sea.
0:23:36 > 0:23:42This glistening gem is The Fleet, a mixture of salt and fresh water
0:23:42 > 0:23:46that makes a rare and rich environment.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Around the 11th century, a monastery on the edge of The Fleet
0:23:53 > 0:23:56started farming the lake's wild birds.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Some thousand years later, and that swannery
0:24:04 > 0:24:07is the oldest survivor of its kind anywhere in the world.
0:24:10 > 0:24:16I'm meeting the latest in a very long line of swan herds.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21How long have the swans been here?
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Well, possibly for a few thousand years,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27but the earliest written record we have at the moment
0:24:27 > 0:24:29dates back to the mid 1300s.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33And what is it about this landscape that attracted them in the first place?
0:24:33 > 0:24:38The habitat is great - although the lagoon is almost eight miles long,
0:24:38 > 0:24:43it's very shallow, so they have no difficulty reaching eel grass,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45their natural plant food in the mid-Fleet,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49and it can support an awful lot of swans.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53The highest count in recent years is close to 1,400
0:24:53 > 0:24:56and that's a winter...wintering herd.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01We have quite a number of swans that will come from neighbouring counties,
0:25:01 > 0:25:06particularly the Somerset Levels, and they come to use the food source here
0:25:06 > 0:25:08when food becomes depleted on rivers.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12I assume that people wanted swans because they could eat them.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16We know that Benedictine monks were really farming swans,
0:25:16 > 0:25:21they were used for food and it was an important thing, yes.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26These days, you won't find swan on the menu.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29They're protected, so it's illegal to kill them.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35They're magnificent birds. I have to admire their loyalty.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38The parents do the absolute best for their young -
0:25:38 > 0:25:40they're beautiful, yes.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45We don't eat them now, but we do feed them.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49These days, the swans put on a spectacular show for the tourists.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58This coast is a roller-coaster of ups and downs.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Vantage points rise up to bookend the beaches.
0:26:04 > 0:26:05At over 600 feet,
0:26:06 > 0:26:11Golden Cap is the highest sea cliff on England's southern shore.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18The peak towers over the town of Lyme Regis,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21giving great views over the harbour.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Miranda's down at sea level in Lyme Bay,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36searching for visitors who prefer to peek up from the depths.
0:26:41 > 0:26:46Our waters are the playground for a wonderful variety of wildlife,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50most of which we rarely glimpse.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55But occasionally, big marine mammals reveal themselves.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01Bottlenose dolphins, porpoises and even minke whales
0:27:01 > 0:27:04are regular visitors to the English Channel.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08The one I've come to see, we know very little about.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11In fact, many people have never even heard of it.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14I'm here in search of the White-Beaked Dolphin.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19These creatures are rarely seen off our shores -
0:27:19 > 0:27:23they prefer the cold waters of the Northern Atlantic,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27but excitingly, a family group's been spotted in Lyme Bay.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31If there's the chance of a close encounter, I've got to try.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43I'm with Marine Life, a group who monitor the local dolphin population,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46including the white-beaks.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48I'm hoping they're out there, somewhere.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54So what are our chances of seeing them today, then?
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Well, we've seen them on the last five trips,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00so quite high in that respect, but on the other hand,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04as you can see, there is a bit of a swell out here, there's white caps,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09it's a bit choppy and that always makes it difficult to spot dolphins.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13A lot of the dolphins that feed on shoals of fish have seabirds as well,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17but when we see white-beaked, there's not really seabirds around.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20We think that they feed towards the bottom of the seabed,
0:28:20 > 0:28:2250 or 60 metres down.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27We won't see them if they're feeding underwater,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29and to make matters worse,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33they're only here because of a patch of chilly water in Lyme Bay.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37This makes finding white-beaks even harder because we've got to hit
0:28:37 > 0:28:42the elusive cold spot, which itself moves with the seasons.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45The white-beak dolphins follow cooler waters,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48because that's where they find their favourite food.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Like us, they love white fish such as cod and whiting.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00We've combed the bay over and over...
0:29:00 > 0:29:01nothing.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03Wildlife can drive you wild.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06The very few times we've been able to get out to sea this year,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08we've seen them virtually every time.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10It's such a shame we've not seen them today.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13A bit disappointing but it's the way it goes, I guess.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16We gave it our best shot and we didn't see them, unfortunately.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20We always say no guarantees with these things.
0:29:22 > 0:29:23The group were lucky enough
0:29:23 > 0:29:26to get these great pictures early in the year.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31Little is known about white-beaked dolphins,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34but sightings suggest there's around 60 in Lyme Bay,
0:29:34 > 0:29:38and it's encouraging that a young calf was spotted for the first time.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51For me, these enchanting creatures have proved elusive,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54but it's great to know they're out there.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08Dolphins may like the chilly water, but some of us like it hot.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Tourists are drawn to Dorset's warm sands.
0:30:23 > 0:30:29Others are attracted to the cliffs and the rocks that come out of them.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33Adrian Gray finds the stones a solitary inspiration.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37I know this beach really well.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41Very isolated down here. You get very few people.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45This whole area of coastline here is renowned for landslip,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49so you have a constant supply of new rocks being washed out,
0:30:49 > 0:30:53and then the wind and the rain and the ocean will wash them,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56and, of course, they get shaped by the erosion as well.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09My friends and I used to balance stones for fun on the beach,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12and then about five years ago,
0:31:12 > 0:31:18I decided that I was intrigued by that illusionary quality
0:31:18 > 0:31:20of a stone balanced in a certain way,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23and I realised I was on to something, you know, quite special.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26I need to have a look at it.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43It's the paradox between fragility and solidity which basically
0:31:43 > 0:31:46is like you've got two very big, heavy stones,
0:31:46 > 0:31:48and they're balanced in a very fragile way.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59I focus in completely - you close out everything else because
0:31:59 > 0:32:01you have to have a sort of stillness within you,
0:32:01 > 0:32:05and you listen to the rocks, you listen with your hands,
0:32:05 > 0:32:10and you move them very, very gently, and then when you get a feel for it,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13you'll find a weightlessness.
0:32:18 > 0:32:23'It's like scoring a goal or falling in love - that "yes!", you know.'
0:32:23 > 0:32:25Gotcha.
0:32:26 > 0:32:31And you can move away from it and look at it and you're, like,
0:32:31 > 0:32:33"How on earth is that staying there?"
0:32:33 > 0:32:36I like to come down here. I like to work down here on the beach,
0:32:36 > 0:32:42it's quiet, you can get into the zone, all my materials are around me.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48This is where I like to do it, really.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50HE LAUGHS
0:32:51 > 0:32:54Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk