0:00:07 > 0:00:10England's stunning South West coast.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14- # In Brixham I was born - Bring 'em down!
0:00:14 > 0:00:17# But Exmouth is me home from home... #
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Boatmen know this shore better than most, and we're here to join them.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22# We're never a day behind the tide
0:00:22 > 0:00:25# Around Cape Horn we'll go... #
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Bring 'em down!
0:00:26 > 0:00:30We're embarking on a voyage of discovery in boats -
0:00:30 > 0:00:32both big and small!
0:00:32 > 0:00:37I'm not the only one of the Coast crew who's taken to the water.
0:00:41 > 0:00:46Alice makes a splash as she encounters the power of the waves.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49There we go!
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Full steam ahead for Dick, with an engineering revolution
0:00:53 > 0:00:56that rolled out of Cornwall around the world.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01And I hit the high seas - head on!
0:01:01 > 0:01:02Bring 'em down!
0:01:02 > 0:01:05- # This is now your home, my boy - Bring 'em down! #
0:01:05 > 0:01:07This is Coast.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Our journey takes us along Devon's coast and into Cornwall,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39out to the Isles of Scilly,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43then back to the mainland to drop anchor near Bideford.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45But we begin at Brixham.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52This small harbour has a big story to tell.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57It's the birthplace of this beautiful class of sailing craft,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59the famous Brixham Trawler.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04I'm on board one of the last that's left afloat.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08But this quayside - and many others around Britain -
0:02:08 > 0:02:12used to bustle with Brixham Trawlers.
0:02:12 > 0:02:19How did this port come to pioneer a trawling revolution that spread around our shores?
0:02:20 > 0:02:23The old fish market is quiet today,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26but 100 years ago, this place was swimming in fish.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31I'm meeting up with veteran Brixham fisherman, Bill Wakeham.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34What would the atmosphere have been like where we're standing?
0:02:34 > 0:02:36It would be like a main street of London,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38people would be going back and forth all day,
0:02:38 > 0:02:43coming down picking up fish, there'd be boats taking stores on board to go away,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47there'd be filleters, packers, people with horse and carts,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50small lorries coming in and out all the time.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52- What are these fish on the ground? - That'd be skate.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55So these were trawled and brought into the market to be sold?
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Yeah. But then in the 1860s,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01they brought the railway into Brixham, and all of a sudden...
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Manchester, Birmingham, London was open then overnight.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07- The railway changed everything? - Everything.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12The boats doubled in number in a matter of ten years.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17Harbour towns like Brixham began to boom when the railways arrived.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Before then, there was little point catching more fish than the locals could eat.
0:03:21 > 0:03:27But rapid transport by train meant fish could now be sold fresh in the big cities.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35Brixham seized the initiative, taking the ancient art of trawling to a new level.
0:03:36 > 0:03:42Large, fast sailing craft capable of dragging big, heavy nets were commissioned.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43Their purpose?
0:03:43 > 0:03:47To catch more fish than ever before.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Only when you get close you realise how big these sailing trawlers are.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Yeah, some size, aren't they? Everything's solidly built with it.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02The Keewaydin is one of the few Brixham Trawlers still sailing.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08100 years ago, they went out in waters teeming with fish.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Trawlers like this one landing up to a ton a day.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14But could they manage that now?
0:04:14 > 0:04:20We're on a mission to see what impact these boats have had on the seas they once sailed.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23'Beam trawlers like this used a massive net,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27'held open by a wooden beam, cast over the side of the boat.'
0:04:27 > 0:04:29- All right?- Yeah.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35100 years on, the concept's still the same.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42This 1988 footage shows how trawl nets scour the seabed
0:04:42 > 0:04:46for bottom-feeding fish, like cod and plaice.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51It's a simple - and brutally effective - form of fishing.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54The technique was pioneered by boats like this,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57with big sails to drag the heavy nets.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Brixham Trawlers were adopted all along our coast,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04'opening up the seas of Britain to trawling like never before.'
0:05:06 > 0:05:09A century on, we are counting the cost.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Ruth Thurstan, from the University of York,
0:05:14 > 0:05:19has analysed records of UK catches going back to 1889.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25So we can see the effect of the trawling revolution started by these boats.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Throughout the late 19th century, fish landings were increasing -
0:05:31 > 0:05:35this was because vessels were getting bigger and more seaworthy
0:05:35 > 0:05:37and could go further out to sea to fish.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42And then, once you get to really the 1970s, you get this big drop.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45It just goes over the edge of a cliff, doesn't it?
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Yes. You can see from that point, it keeps dropping.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51However, fishing vessels have been getting more sophisticated,
0:05:51 > 0:05:56and their ability to catch fish has been increasing and increasing over this entire period of time.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- So you'd think landings would continue to go up and up. - Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04And of course, they haven't, because the stocks couldn't take that pressure.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10The impact of beam trawling on fish like cod and plaice has been immense.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14The research indicates that nine out of ten
0:06:14 > 0:06:19of these bottom-feeding fish have been scooped from our seas.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22So if stocks are down to just a tenth of what they were,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25our chance of a bumper catch looks slim.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29They're pinned down, are they? Pinned down.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32'And there's another setback to contend with.'
0:06:34 > 0:06:39We put the beam over the side with a net, but it's snagged on a rock.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43So the ship is stuck fast.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48So they're now using a diesel winch to try and drag the net up.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53One of the hazards of trying to trawl using a sailing boat.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58After striking a rock, our wooden beam has snapped in two.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Well, we tried...
0:07:00 > 0:07:02but failed.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05So the beam trawl is busted.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09And there won't even be a minnow stuck in that net.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Fishing has always been tough,
0:07:13 > 0:07:18but with dwindling fish stocks, today's fishermen have to work even harder.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24Research into the history of catches reached a staggering conclusion.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Fishing vessels today are having to work 17 times as hard
0:07:28 > 0:07:31in order to catch the same amount of fish that they were catching in 1889.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36- 17 times harder to get the same number of fish?- Yes.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41We're chasing some of the last fish in the sea.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46Decent catches are only possible because of the technology in today's trawlers.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Fishermen work more effectively than their grandfathers,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54but some fish stocks are much lower.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59Nine out of ten cod, plaice and haddock have been taken in just over a century.
0:07:59 > 0:08:05The Brixham Trawlers began a boom that fed the appetite of Britain.
0:08:05 > 0:08:06Now these boats have gone...
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and so has their catch.
0:08:15 > 0:08:21We're leaving Devon behind as we cross the Tamar Estuary, the gateway to Cornwall.
0:08:29 > 0:08:35It's not hard to see why more than five million tourists flock here every year.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Some are lucky enough to own a stretch of this coastline,
0:08:39 > 0:08:44but a fortunate few get an entire island to themselves.
0:08:49 > 0:08:55What's it like living the dream on tiny St George's Island?
0:08:55 > 0:08:59The only full-time residents are Gus and Sheila Ravine.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04The first time I saw the island,
0:09:04 > 0:09:09my tummy just did a flip, and that was it.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11There we are.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17We've actually lived here permanently now for 13 years.
0:09:19 > 0:09:26Through the winter time, we get our shopping and our post every two or three weeks,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28depending on the weather.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33Through the summertime, we still have groceries every two or three weeks,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37but we perhaps get the post every week.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Main difficulty is, of course, getting ashore when you need to get ashore.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45The weather is invariably bad.
0:09:45 > 0:09:51We've had some really nasty storms, but they're quite interesting to watch.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57But at the back of minds, we know we've to leave, don't we?
0:09:57 > 0:09:58One day...
0:09:58 > 0:10:03When we can't climb on and off boat, we'll have to go.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09It's just so special, just so special.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Like many historic ports along the Cornish coastline,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23the harbour at Charlestown was once packed with cargo ships.
0:10:23 > 0:10:30150 years ago, the town was a hub for the booming china clay industry.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34Now Charlestown has re-invented itself for the heritage industry.
0:10:34 > 0:10:40It's the home port for a fleet of square riggers that often star on our TV screens.
0:10:40 > 0:10:47'The ships and harbour have had cameos in many films and TV series.'
0:10:49 > 0:10:55One of the best-known being a starring role in the classic series, The Onedin Line.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09The biggest star of all along this coastline, though,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12is the coast itself.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27The mouth of the River Fal offers a deep, natural harbour -
0:11:27 > 0:11:32a safe haven for shipping and a prime target for invasion.
0:11:32 > 0:11:38Guarding the eastern side of the Fal estuary is the Tudor castle of St Mawes.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Its original role as a military fort is long over.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Now, as well as a tourist attraction,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47it's also a popular venue for weddings.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53But ironically, St Mawes Castle was built because of a famous divorce.
0:11:55 > 0:12:02Back in 1533, Henry VIII divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07This act enraged the Pope and all countries faithful to Rome.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12Fearing an invasion, Henry thought the coast needed new fortifications,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15but where was best to build them?
0:12:16 > 0:12:21In 1538, maps were few and far between,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23so Henry VIII commissioned his own,
0:12:23 > 0:12:28creating the first detailed map of England's south coast.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33Henry's divorce had become a contributor to the birth of modern cartography.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36This is a full-size replica.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39So here's Exeter...
0:12:39 > 0:12:43and here's the coastline all the way down here to Land's End here.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Now, this is not a geographically accurate map.
0:12:46 > 0:12:47In fact, it's not really a map at all.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50It's a view - an oblique view - of the coastline,
0:12:50 > 0:12:55intent to draw the viewer's eye to two geographical features...
0:12:55 > 0:12:59cliffs, which were natural defences and impregnable,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03and beaches, which were exposed to invasion.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Using these views of the coast, Henry and his military advisors
0:13:09 > 0:13:14picked prime locations to build a new chain of defences.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17They built not only St Mawes,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21but also Pendennis on the opposing headland,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25as well as constructing 26 other forts from Cornwall to Kent.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Over four centuries, many of these fortifications
0:13:30 > 0:13:35were carefully maintained as the first line of defence against invasion.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39A testament to the strategic vision of Henry VIII,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42brought about by his infamous divorce.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51We're continuing our journey south.
0:13:51 > 0:13:57When it comes to the British mainland, as far south as you can go, Lizard Point.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02This peninsula is often pounded by big Atlantic seas,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06but what drives those waves to our shore?
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Arriving on the golden sands of Porthcurno,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16on a mission to discover how waves are born, is Alice.
0:14:18 > 0:14:24'As an island nation, we're surrounded by the restless shifting of the sea.
0:14:26 > 0:14:32'Stroll along a beach, and it looks like the entire ocean is advancing towards you.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35'But it's not the water that's moving -
0:14:35 > 0:14:38'it's something moving through the water.'
0:14:38 > 0:14:43So these waves certainly look as if they're moving towards the shore,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46but the water isn't - it's moving in a very particular way.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49If you imagine yourself swimming in the sea,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52facing the shore, and a wave coming up behind you,
0:14:52 > 0:14:56you get dragged backwards towards it, lifted up in the air
0:14:56 > 0:14:58and then come back down forwards again.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00So you're travelling in a circular motion.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04And that's what all of the water is doing as the waves pass through it.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08So the water itself isn't travelling towards the shore -
0:15:08 > 0:15:12what's moving towards us is energy.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17So where does that wave energy come from?
0:15:17 > 0:15:20I'm meeting up with Gavin Pretor-Pinney,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24a wave-watcher extraordinaire, who's made a study of the sea.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Gavin, where do waves come from, where does this energy come from?
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Well, waves like this, the energy comes from winds out at sea,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37maybe storms out at sea, which have long since dissipated.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40They gave this energy to the water's surface,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42and then the wind dies down, and the waves roll on
0:15:42 > 0:15:45and eventually they crash ashore like here.
0:15:45 > 0:15:52'It's remarkable to think that all these waves are made by winds way out at sea.'
0:15:52 > 0:15:54So how far can waves travel?
0:15:54 > 0:15:58They have been measured travelling 7,000 miles
0:15:58 > 0:16:03from storms off Antarctica, right up through the Pacific to Alaska.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06So it doesn't need the wind... once the waves have been formed,
0:16:06 > 0:16:08- they don't need the wind to keep them going?- No.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11The energy's been given to the water and it just keeps rolling.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15So it's the wind that whips up the seas.
0:16:15 > 0:16:22That energy then travels in waves huge distances to our shores.
0:16:25 > 0:16:31We're going to try to make waves by creating our own perfect storm
0:16:31 > 0:16:34on a much, much smaller scale.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40This swimming pool is our Atlantic Ocean,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44and we've bought in some big fans to make a miniature storm.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Here to help me whip up the calm waters of our small-scale sea
0:16:49 > 0:16:53is Dr Simon Boxhall of the National Oceanography Centre.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58- So these fans are going to give us 100mph winds at this end of the pool.- Right.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01They'll create a confused sea, with waves going in different directions.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05And what we should see is, as we move down the pool,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09the longer waves move faster than the shorter waves, so the waves spread out.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15We're taking a scale model of the Atlantic and putting into this pool in the middle of Cornwall.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Time to power up our perfect storm.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30There's a bit of a delay, but it's started to...
0:17:30 > 0:17:32ripple across the surface now.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34The wind area is just in front of us,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38probably the first two or three metres, but as you move away,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42you can start to see a more sort of directional, more ordered wave train
0:17:42 > 0:17:47going down the pool, which is extending further and further.
0:17:47 > 0:17:52Even on this tiny scale, you can see how seemingly chaotic waves,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55created in a storm far out at sea,
0:17:55 > 0:18:00sort themselves out into the rhythmic, regular waves that hit our coastline.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05As we get to sort of the beach that's square onto the waves,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08you can see how the waves are crashing straight into the beach.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11This is a sort of a perfect surf beach.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Yeah, if I was a miniature little surfer, I would be very happy with those waves.
0:18:16 > 0:18:22OK, our waves may look a little puny, but this pool is supposed to represent the size of the Atlantic,
0:18:22 > 0:18:28and on that scale, our piddly little waves would actually be as big as houses.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34So we've seen how the rhythmic waves that cascade onto our coast
0:18:34 > 0:18:38are created from that chaos whipped up by winds far out at sea.
0:18:40 > 0:18:47But what happens when a wave that's travelled 1,000 miles finally hits the shore?
0:18:48 > 0:18:52So, Gavin, this is it, the end of the wave as it hits the beach.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57What's going on is that the wave is slowed down as it enters shallower water,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01and the bottom of the wave becomes slower than the top of the wave,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and the top therefore tumbles over.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06And that's what produces this white water.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11When the wave tumbles over and its energy is released into the environment,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14some of it goes into the sand that we can hear.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16So water waves into sound waves?
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Into sound waves but other waves as well.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21When you have strong surf, you feel the vibrations through the ground,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24so the energy arrives here, the wave breaks,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28it's released and then it carries on in other forms.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31So the wave never really dies.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32Never dies.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38I've discovered how waves get their energy.
0:19:38 > 0:19:44Later on, I'll try to capture that raw power with a snapshot.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54On our journey around the South West,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56I'm heading out to the edge of the Atlantic -
0:19:56 > 0:19:59the Isles of Scilly.
0:20:03 > 0:20:09It takes around two and a half hours to reach the islands aboard the Scillonian ferry.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14The Atlantic swell and rolling waves make this one of Britain's great voyages.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Believe it or not...
0:20:24 > 0:20:27this is a fairly mild day!
0:20:27 > 0:20:34This passage of water is notorious for its heaving seas,
0:20:34 > 0:20:40a reputation which has given this little ship the nickname...
0:20:40 > 0:20:43The Great White Stomach Pump.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47And I'm beginning to know why.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53The ferry fights with fierce tidal currents off Land's End.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58'And we passengers have to roll with the Atlantic's punches.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04'At the ship's helm is Captain Dave Redgrave.'
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Oh, my goodness, look at that!
0:21:09 > 0:21:11This is...
0:21:12 > 0:21:15This is a calm day, isn't it? It feels like the perfect storm already.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18No, this is a normal day.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21On a scale of one to ten, this would be a five.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24How bad can it get out here, when it's really blowing?
0:21:24 > 0:21:29As we go down on a wave, the next wave would be the same height as us.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- As the wheelhouse?- Yeah.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- Does that not bother you? - A little bit, yes.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- And do you suffer from sea sickness, Dave?- I have been, yes.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41When I first went to sea, I had bouts that lasted...
0:21:41 > 0:21:44- sometimes five days.- You're kidding!
0:21:44 > 0:21:47- Any tips? - Focus on something else, anything!
0:21:50 > 0:21:52This vital link between the Isles of Scilly
0:21:52 > 0:21:57keeps going through all weather and it's an unforgettable journey.
0:22:01 > 0:22:07The Scillies are an archipelago with over 100 islands of all shapes and sizes.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Getting around means hopping off one boat and straight onto another.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21'Only five of the isles in the Scillies are inhabited.'
0:22:23 > 0:22:25The most northerly is St Martin's.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33It may be a small community with a slow pace of life,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36but you can still get fast food.
0:22:36 > 0:22:42Here on St Martin's is one of the most remote fish and chip shops in the UK,
0:22:42 > 0:22:47but that's not the only reason it's unusual.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52Unlike other chippies, this one doesn't rely on a delivery van for its ingredients.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Islanders have to be resourceful.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58To get the catch of the day,
0:22:58 > 0:23:04I'm meeting up with the restaurant's fisherman, cook and owner, Adam Morton.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09What made you open a fish and chip shop on a tiny island in the Atlantic?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11I needed an outlet to sell my fish.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15There was nothing of that nature on the island,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17so I gave it a try and haven't looked back since.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24When Adam goes out, he only takes enough fish for a night's serving.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27He uses a line to catch pollock.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- There's definitely one on there. - You got one?- Yeah.- Got a fish!
0:23:30 > 0:23:32- These...- That's a good-size fish.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35- ..will go in the restaurant. - That is beautiful.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39I think we might just have another one - can you feel that?
0:23:39 > 0:23:40Yeah.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46OK, that will do us for today. That's all I need for tonight in the restaurant.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50'A fish supper wouldn't be complete without chips.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54'Adam's brother James looks after the spuds.'
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Quite a family team - one brother catching the fresh fish and the other one...
0:23:59 > 0:24:03growing the organic potatoes.
0:24:03 > 0:24:04Yeah, well, over here, you know,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07there's only a 100 people on the island in total,
0:24:07 > 0:24:12so you do tend to end up working with family most of the time.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Within half an hour, the spuds are sizzling,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21along with the pollock plucked this afternoon from the sea.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25A small-scale, sustainable operation.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29Fiona, thank you very much indeed. That looks fantastic, thank you.
0:24:29 > 0:24:35This is the freshest plate of fish and chips I've ever been served - it's barely two hours old.
0:24:37 > 0:24:38The pollock...
0:24:38 > 0:24:42A bit sad, given it was such a beautiful fish, but look at that.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Just around the corner from Land's End
0:24:52 > 0:24:56is one of Cornwall's most popular spots - Sennen Cove.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01During the summer, thousands of visitors pack onto the beach
0:25:01 > 0:25:05and spill out into the water.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08The lifeguards are never far away.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17The RNLI watch over those who venture out to sea -
0:25:17 > 0:25:19whoever they may be.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24When it comes to swimming,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Newfoundlands like Bilbo are in a class of their own.
0:25:28 > 0:25:34Elsewhere in the world, with the right training, they've been known to save lives at sea.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36But Bilbo's in it just for the fun.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44What makes these shaggy dogs such strong swimmers?
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Bilbo's owner is Steve Jamieson.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Coming from Newfoundland, the water around...
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Newfoundland is really cold,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54with the Labrador current and what have you.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57So these dogs are adapted for that. They have a double coat.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02The top coat is a really efficient waterproof coat - the small hairs underneath never get wet.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05- He's got his own wetsuit on, in effect. - How much does Bilbo weigh?
0:26:05 > 0:26:10He's almost 12 stone. He's pure muscle, a very strong boy in the water.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12If you can see here, he's got very ticklish feet,
0:26:12 > 0:26:17- but if you spread his feet out, he's got webs that goes right down to his toes.- He's a natural-born swimmer.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21When he spreads his feet, he's got massive paddles to push him through the sea.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25- You're a duck. - He's got extra-large lungs for long-distance swimming as well,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27so he's really adapted for water work.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31And, of course, he uses his big tail as a rudder to steer him through the water.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34You intelligent dog.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36It's fantastic to see him going into the sea,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38because he just loves it so much.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Bilbo doesn't work as a lifeguard at Sennen Cove,
0:26:43 > 0:26:49but he does have a roll promoting beach safety to local children.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01The northern coastline of Cornwall sits on the edge of a mighty sea.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05The Atlantic Ocean battering Fistral Beach
0:27:05 > 0:27:09produces some of the best surf in Europe.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19It's the perfect place to marvel at the power of the waves,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22a mystery that's become a mission for Alice.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Earlier, I discovered how the waves that perpetually pound our coast
0:27:27 > 0:27:31are formed miles out to sea by storms.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Ocean winds drive the rolling surf.
0:27:35 > 0:27:43The artist in me yearns to capture the power of those seas in a split-second image.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46'Capturing that perfect wave isn't easy,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49'but professional photographer Lucia Griggi
0:27:49 > 0:27:52'travels the world to do just that.'
0:27:55 > 0:27:58It's obviously a very specialist type of photography.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00What really excites you about it?
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I love turning up to a destination where
0:28:02 > 0:28:06I don't know about the culture, I don't know what waves to expect,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08I don't know what the surf conditions will be like,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10and you just have to go out there and deal with it,
0:28:10 > 0:28:14and the excitement and anticipation of having to put all that together...
0:28:14 > 0:28:15just excites me.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Being out there in the water with the best surfers in the world
0:28:19 > 0:28:22is never the same, and that's what I love about it.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25Every time is different, no wave is the same. Ever.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Is there a chance of a decent photograph in this sea?
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Yeah, the conditions are medium today. The wind's onshore,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33so it's a little bit choppy and messy,
0:28:33 > 0:28:37but we can still do a lot in this, and it makes it even more fun, really.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45The surf's up, and soon I'll be out there trying to take a picture.
0:28:47 > 0:28:53'Lucia uses a digital SLR camera, cocooned in a waterproof case.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58'Now it's time for my crash course in underwater photography.'
0:28:58 > 0:29:01In order to get a good picture of the wave, will I have to be level with it?
0:29:01 > 0:29:05Yeah, you need to be level with the surf or the wave, whatever you're shooting.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08Right now, there's a wave coming, and you're going to get down,
0:29:08 > 0:29:10hold onto the right-hand trigger point
0:29:10 > 0:29:12and shoot as it starts curling towards you.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14- OK.- And keep them down low,
0:29:14 > 0:29:16and there you go, perfect. Like now!
0:29:18 > 0:29:20'Are we having fun yet?
0:29:20 > 0:29:23'Believe me, it's harder than it looks.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27'The waves hit you with incredible force.
0:29:28 > 0:29:33'In fact, a metre-high monster is roughly equivalent
0:29:33 > 0:29:36'to a ton of weight walloping you.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41'It's a real challenge to hold onto the camera as the waves hit me
0:29:41 > 0:29:45'and try to take some decent snaps at the same time.'
0:29:51 > 0:29:53Wow! That's brilliant.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56And I love the super-wide angle of the fish-eye.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59It's a great lens to shoot with when you want to get the landscape in.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Just water over the lens.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06- These are the ones I like, cos you can see underwater.- Yeah.
0:30:06 > 0:30:11And you can see above as well, so half and half, I love that kind of effect.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13It's quite amazing to capture something as dynamic,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16as moving, as a wave and just capture an image of it.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23My pictures put me back in that moment, at one with the wave.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Worth getting wet for.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40Along the north coast of Cornwall,
0:30:40 > 0:30:45the pounding waves meet their match where the cliffs stand proud.
0:30:47 > 0:30:52The debris of the war between land and sea litters the shore,
0:30:52 > 0:30:57with some spectacular results, like the Bedruthan Steps.
0:30:58 > 0:31:05Legend has it that a giant used these rock stacks as enormous stepping stones to cross the bay.
0:31:11 > 0:31:17But people have been making giant strides to and from this coast for centuries.
0:31:17 > 0:31:22Quaint harbours now were once thronging with a rich trade in travellers,
0:31:22 > 0:31:24like here, at Padstow.
0:31:25 > 0:31:31Engineer Dick Strawbridge is exploring some curious comings and going.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35Today, Padstow harbour is full of tourists from all over the world,
0:31:35 > 0:31:37but 150 years ago,
0:31:37 > 0:31:39this quayside would have been full of people
0:31:39 > 0:31:42who were leaving Cornwall for a new life abroad.
0:31:44 > 0:31:49They were miners, emigrating from these shores in the early 19th century.
0:31:49 > 0:31:54They chose to go, because their skills were wanted overseas.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58Competitors around the globe envied Cornish mining technology,
0:31:58 > 0:32:03so Cornish men were head-hunted to mine new seams in new worlds.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10Look at this picture from Australia.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12Mine workings from Down Under!
0:32:14 > 0:32:17If you note, it's a stone building with an arch door and windows,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20and beside it, there's a big chimney, obviously for the boiler.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23This is the Cornish original, built 50 years earlier.
0:32:23 > 0:32:28From Australia...to North America,
0:32:28 > 0:32:32you'll see copies of the Cornish engine houses throughout the world.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36The buildings all look alike,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39because they were made to accommodate similar steam engines,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42used to pump water from the mines.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48'Anthony Power, from the Botallack mine,
0:32:48 > 0:32:53'is going to show me how a steam engine fitted snugly inside its engine house.'
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Look at this - they're solid old buildings, aren't they?
0:32:56 > 0:33:00Fantastic, aren't they? You can see why they've lasted such a long time!
0:33:00 > 0:33:02It's amazing. What's the layout in here?
0:33:02 > 0:33:05Well, we've got cylinder here - you can see these four bolts -
0:33:05 > 0:33:07you've got a massive great cylinder here.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10Steam pumped into that, activating piston inside,
0:33:10 > 0:33:12piston rod going up and down.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14And then attached to this end of it, is the beam.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18The beam pivots on the wall in front of us, massive wall in front of us.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22Half the beam is on the outside of the wall, so the thing is rocking on that wall.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25- That's why the walls are so chunky! - Absolutely.- They're solid.- Yeah.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28These dramatic Cornish landmarks
0:33:28 > 0:33:31are the tombstones of giant pumping engines
0:33:31 > 0:33:33that proudly epitomised the age of steam.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37But the engines had to be big,
0:33:37 > 0:33:42because, surprisingly, early steam power wasn't very powerful at all.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46Most of the work was done using the pressure of the atmosphere.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50To see how, I've cooked up an experiment.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54This is a tin can with some boiling water, which means it's full of steam.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56When I put the lid on it and quench it,
0:33:56 > 0:33:59what'll happen is the air in the atmosphere is going to squish it,
0:33:59 > 0:34:01as the steam will have condensed inside.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17There you can see the power of the atmosphere,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20but the problem they had was harnessing it.
0:34:22 > 0:34:27When I cooled the can, the steam trapped inside started to shrink.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30It condensed into water, creating a vacuum.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Air pressure then crushed the can.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37The trick was to make that destructive power do constructive work.
0:34:39 > 0:34:44The early engines used a cylinder, a super-sized version of my can.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50But inside, they put a piston that was connected to the beam.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Steam came in at the bottom, pushing the piston up.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00Then a jet of water cooled the steam down,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03so the steam condensed, creating a vacuum.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10The air pressure pushed on the top of the piston, forcing it back down.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14As the steam comes in again, the cycle repeats,
0:35:14 > 0:35:18rocking the beam back and forward to pump water from the mine.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23The designs did improve,
0:35:23 > 0:35:27but the engines were so low-power, because they used low-pressure steam.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29But at the start of the 19th century,
0:35:29 > 0:35:34a Cornishman unleashed the full power of high-pressure steam.
0:35:34 > 0:35:40Maverick engineer Richard Trevithick had a passion to harness "strong steam".
0:35:45 > 0:35:49Trevithick invented this, a high-pressure steam engine.
0:35:54 > 0:35:59To show off its power, he built his boiler into a remarkable locomotive,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01just like this replica.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04How fast does this thing go?
0:36:04 > 0:36:08It will do 15mph if we open her up.
0:36:08 > 0:36:09Here we go!
0:36:09 > 0:36:15That's it! Hang on, Dick, we are going to hit the sound barrier soon!
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Richard Trevithick's high-pressure steam
0:36:18 > 0:36:22created the first passenger-pulling, self-propelled vehicle -
0:36:22 > 0:36:24The Puffing Devil.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30'Kingsley Rickard helped bring The Devil back to life.'
0:36:30 > 0:36:33This is phenomenal!
0:36:33 > 0:36:35We're talking 210 years ago,
0:36:35 > 0:36:37the old Puffing Devil must have been a sight!
0:36:37 > 0:36:41It was absolutely fantastic and a huge step forward. So exciting!
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Nobody had seen anything like this, had they?
0:36:44 > 0:36:49- This is high-powered steam in action.- Much more power, cheaper to run, smaller than the old engine.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54It was a marvellous thing at the time, it really was.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Sadly, The Puffing Devil wasn't reliable enough to beat horse power,
0:36:59 > 0:37:03but it proved that high-pressure steam was the way forward.
0:37:04 > 0:37:09The mines of Cornwall kept their big, old-style engines pumping for a while,
0:37:09 > 0:37:13but by the mid 1800s, these dinosaurs had begun to shut down.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17The power of high-pressure steam,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20pioneered in The Puffing Devil,
0:37:20 > 0:37:24helped open up deep mines all over the world.
0:37:24 > 0:37:29The boom that began in Cornwall eventually caused her mines to close,
0:37:29 > 0:37:31as competition took its toll.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Cornwall became a victim of its own success,
0:37:35 > 0:37:40exporting its expertise and making mining a global industry.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42In the century leading up to the First World War,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46it's reckoned that up to 500,000 people left the county of Cornwall.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49That was more than half the population at that time.
0:37:50 > 0:37:55The emigration of miners from Padstow that began with the promise of rich rewards abroad
0:37:55 > 0:37:58ended with families fleeing poverty at home.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03People desperate to leave this coast, while pining for its beauty.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14In a quiet back alley of Bideford,
0:38:14 > 0:38:18the age-old tradition of carving figureheads is being kept alive...
0:38:18 > 0:38:23by woodworker John Butler.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31'This is a little ship's figurehead that I'm working on.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34'I'm very fond of figureheads.
0:38:34 > 0:38:35'I just love the power of them
0:38:35 > 0:38:40'and I like the idea also of female figureheads being on the front of a ship -
0:38:40 > 0:38:44'the idea of the sailors having an image of their favourite barmaid
0:38:44 > 0:38:48'attached to the front of their vessel seems rather pleasing to me.'
0:38:51 > 0:38:54So using a few separate pieces...
0:38:57 > 0:39:01These are the trail boards that are going sit either side to suggest...
0:39:01 > 0:39:05motion through the water, really, I suppose.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07And then her arms...
0:39:08 > 0:39:11One hand on her heart and the other...
0:39:13 > 0:39:14..down there like that.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25I live right by the river in Riverbank Cottages
0:39:25 > 0:39:31and I've walked up and down the River Torridge every day for the last 30 or so years.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35When I started carving, I tended to use driftwood.
0:39:35 > 0:39:40We get a surprising range of timber washed down the River Torridge.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42Alder wood, sycamore, oak.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47I love living in Bideford
0:39:47 > 0:39:51and I love looking at the characters that are wandering around.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55One of my carvings was of a couple that I saw at the bus stop,
0:39:55 > 0:39:58and he was very tall, and she was very short.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01They were a little bit gormless but very much in love.
0:40:01 > 0:40:08I also saw a couple of older ladies gossiping in the Pannier Market,
0:40:08 > 0:40:12and they were just a gift to the woodcarver's art.
0:40:12 > 0:40:17Trying to capture the whole range of human emotion, really,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19as best one can with a chisel.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30Bideford's link to the sea is the River Torridge,
0:40:30 > 0:40:33which opens into a peaceful estuary...
0:40:36 > 0:40:40..with skeletal remains concealed in the mud.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43This is like an elephant's graveyard for ships.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46It's where old boats come to die.
0:40:46 > 0:40:51It might look like the maritime heritage here is dying,
0:40:51 > 0:40:55but these wrecks litter the lair of a much bigger beast.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57That'll be the shipyard, then.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03This sleepy corner of Devon
0:41:03 > 0:41:10is the unlikely home of a ship-building industry dating back over 500 years.
0:41:10 > 0:41:15The Appledore Shipyard has built more than 350 vessels -
0:41:15 > 0:41:17among them, the Scillonian ferry
0:41:17 > 0:41:20that took me to the Isles of Scilly earlier.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27They've also worked on some of the Navy's biggest ships.
0:41:27 > 0:41:33Gerald Lee was here when this building was opened 40 years ago.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37We've built tankers, gas carriers, platform support vessels,
0:41:37 > 0:41:41ferries, tugs. You name it, we've had a go at it.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43What are you particularly proud of?
0:41:43 > 0:41:49HMS Scott has got to be up amongst it, for the Royal Navy.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53When you think that she was 128 metres long, and the dock is only...
0:41:53 > 0:41:57124, it takes some working out.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Did you build her without a front? How did she fit?
0:41:59 > 0:42:03We fitted her in diagonally, and the bowsprit came right out over the dock head,
0:42:03 > 0:42:05so it was an achievement, yes.
0:42:30 > 0:42:37My journey around the south west coast has taken me onto the water in boats of all shapes and sizes.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Oh, my goodness, look at that!
0:42:44 > 0:42:49Here, the call of the open sea is very much alive.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01In the ebb and flow of history, industries come and go,
0:43:01 > 0:43:03empires come and go.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06But there are some traditions, some ways of life -
0:43:06 > 0:43:08boat-building, fishing, sailing -
0:43:08 > 0:43:14that are so much a part of what it means to be an islander that they'll never disappear.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17And here in the West Country, they seem to be thriving.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd