0:00:11 > 0:00:13This is Coast.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Our stunning sea cliffs.
0:00:45 > 0:00:51An imperious borderline, stitched with a rainbow tapestry of stone.
0:00:54 > 0:01:00Deceptive and dramatic, yielding and treacherous.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05Over millennia, we've learnt to negotiate this tricky terrain...
0:01:07 > 0:01:11..and carve surprising uses from its rocky skeleton.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16My quest has brought me to the Isle of Wight.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22I'm on a mission to delve into the hidden world of our sea cliffs,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26and I'm going to start with this key.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30MUSIC: Mission: Impossible Theme
0:01:35 > 0:01:40Over a century ago, the locals unlocked a secret.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44This solid sea cliff had a helpfully soft core.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Behind this grill is a disused lift shaft.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55A man-made hole bored straight into the cliff.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07I'm going to extreme lengths, investigating mysteries
0:02:07 > 0:02:09at the heart of our sea cliffs.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11And I'm not alone.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Tessa is on the south coast,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17discovering a cliff that went to war.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20These cliffs were the perfect testing ground for the tactics
0:02:20 > 0:02:23that would be used for the D-day landings.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30And new experts Cassie Newland and Sarah Beynon
0:02:30 > 0:02:34share insider knowledge of unexpected treasures.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38These guys can shift serious amounts of poo.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42We've got all this amazingly interesting stuff that's just falling out of the cliff.
0:02:42 > 0:02:48And I'll be exploring the surprising shores of Yorkshire,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51where cliffs are towers of strength, and soft as butter.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Road to nowhere.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Our island's edge, as you've never seen it before.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02This is The Secret Life of Sea Cliffs.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14My journey will take me on a 70 mile adventure
0:03:14 > 0:03:18across the vast and varied cliffs of Yorkshire.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22But first, I need to free myself from the depths of the Isle of Wight.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Here, the sea has bitten chunks out of the headland.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37If nature could carve through the chalk, why not man?
0:03:44 > 0:03:46I've walked across cliffs, I've climbed up cliffs,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49but I've never abseiled through a cliff.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52And it's completely other-worldly.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57In the late 19th century,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00the Government had the cliff's centre scooped out.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Part of a secret defence plan.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07This looks like a spur tunnel, this.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10It's got a very high roof and it's full of debris.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12This one looks like the main one.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18These tunnels have lain untouched for decades,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21but clues to their use still remain.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Old electrical cables carried in this rusty steel pipe.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32There's a gigantic rusting engine.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35This must have been used to power the lift.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42A window ahead sheds some light.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Look at this! Unbelievable!
0:04:53 > 0:04:58What could be more secure than a fortress built into a cliff face?
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Beginning in 1860, the military chiselled out the chalk
0:05:06 > 0:05:09to create a rock-solid defence.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13A fort dug into the cliff top.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17And near sea level, camouflaged gun positions,
0:05:17 > 0:05:21ideal for troops facing hostile warships in the Channel.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31They had worked a way to make the most of their cliff edge.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35And this rocky border can lead me to further surprises.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Imagine following this seam of chalk back inland.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43It would be an underground journey
0:05:43 > 0:05:46through the soft underbelly of England,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49emerging on the east coast in God's own country.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53The chalk rears its head again here.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56These are the White Cliffs of Yorkshire.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09This is the ideal location to celebrate our sea cliffs
0:06:09 > 0:06:13at their most splendid, and their most scary.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20While I explore the Yorkshire shore,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23the team will discover their own highlights.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28Every cliff has its own secret and surprising story to tell.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35With thousands of miles of cliffs circling the UK,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39there's an adventure waiting around every corner.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46But it's impossible to see the whole extraordinary mosaic at once.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Or is it?
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I've brought together rocks from around our coast
0:06:54 > 0:06:57to create a unique map of the UK.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02These pieces of a puzzle build up a picture of the birth of our isles.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06An epic saga I want to unpick.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Under my feet are the White Cliffs of Yorkshire made up of chalk,
0:07:13 > 0:07:19the remains of microscopic plants about a 100 million years old.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22# I'm building an empire
0:07:22 > 0:07:26# Starting from scratch It began with stone. #
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Now layers of long-gone sea life provide a perch for birdlife.
0:07:39 > 0:07:45And where there's chalk, you find an even softer, scarier specimen.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48In East Yorkshire, the cliffs are smothered in boulder clay.
0:07:50 > 0:07:51It's all very soft material this.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55This is a coast that's been eaten away at a ferocious rate.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00# Empire
0:08:00 > 0:08:01# Oh-oh-oh
0:08:01 > 0:08:03# Oh-oh-oh. #
0:08:03 > 0:08:08Travel to Cornwall and the granite rock is much harder.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12But locals make the most of chinks in their rugged border.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23In Wales, some cliffs are chewed away.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28Evidence of a slate industry which quarried cash from the cliff face.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30# I'm building an empire
0:08:30 > 0:08:34# I'm building With the stones in mind. #
0:08:34 > 0:08:38The oldest rocks on our coast can be found here in the Outer Hebrides.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42This is the great, great, great, great-grandfather
0:08:42 > 0:08:44of our coastal geology.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49This beautiful stripy rock is three billion years old.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52That's more than half the age of planet earth.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Mother Nature carved these rocks,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00making a maze out of the Isle of Mingulay.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08In Orkney, people sculpted the softer sandstone
0:09:08 > 0:09:11to build our oldest village - Skara Brae.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Cliffs tell us where our isles were once a desert landscape.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20The dinosaurs roamed here.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24And volcanoes bubbled lava.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Those stories make sea cliffs so exciting.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33In all, over 100 rock types.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42There you go, the bare bones that make up the skeleton of our islands.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54Our white cliffs are the famous face of the British Isles.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09During the Second World War, our chalky southern shore
0:10:09 > 0:10:11was immortalised in song.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13A reminder of peace.
0:10:13 > 0:10:19# There'll be bluebirds over
0:10:19 > 0:10:24# The White Cliffs of Dover
0:10:24 > 0:10:27# Tomorrow
0:10:27 > 0:10:32# Just you wait and see. #
0:10:32 > 0:10:37But this coastline wasn't remote from the war. It helped to win it.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42Courageous exploits are remembered in Burton Bradstock.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54For centuries, this rocky precipice protected the tiny village,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57but when the Second World War came knocking,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00a door opened to an extraordinary invasion.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Tessa's discovering a cliff that went to war.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12In 1944 the tide was about to turn in Europe,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15and Britain's un-breached borders
0:11:15 > 0:11:19were braced for a new chapter in their long history.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24This line of defence was about to play a crucial role
0:11:24 > 0:11:26in an attack on the enemy.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31In early 1944, a line of assault craft
0:11:31 > 0:11:34was advancing on our south coast.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36The sleepy village of Burton Bradstock
0:11:36 > 0:11:38was about to be exposed to war.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Janet Guppy was 13 at the time.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46The cliffs brought danger to her doorstep.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50We weren't allowed to use the cliff at all.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54It was just barbed wire all the way along here, right the way along the coast.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58And one morning, Janet, you saw something untoward, didn't you?
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Yes, I noticed something on the cliff top.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05Looking through the wire I could see this dark shape.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- There were several of them there. - Did you go and investigate?
0:12:07 > 0:12:11No, we couldn't get there because of all this barbed wire.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I had to go off because I had to go to school.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Grappling hooks were hurled on to the cliff top.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21Unique film shows the cliff face under siege.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24But the threat wasn't what the villagers feared.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Look closely and you can see the American uniforms.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32This wasn't an enemy invasion. The Yanks were coming.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Burton Bradstock had become a training ground
0:12:38 > 0:12:41for America's elite cliff assault team.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46The leading men race to the top.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50Two men can climb each ladder at the same time.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56The US Rangers were preparing for a daring mission
0:12:56 > 0:12:57to decide the fate of Europe.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01These cliffs were the perfect testing ground
0:13:01 > 0:13:04for the tactics used during the D-day landings.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11120 miles away over the Channel lay the Normandy coast.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15The cliffs there are a mirror image of those at Burton Bradstock.
0:13:15 > 0:13:2030 metres high, the same stone, they loomed over the beach.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23High ground the Americans had to take.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29The cliffs at Burton Bradstock
0:13:29 > 0:13:32were chosen to test the troops' equipment for real.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38If they could successfully scale these cliffs in England,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41then they had a chance of overcoming the German fortifications
0:13:41 > 0:13:43on the cliffs of occupied France.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50Waiting for D-day, a group of GIs were stationed nearby.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Locals weren't usually allowed to access their camp,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56but there's evidence of one exception to the rule.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02A little girl posing for a publicity shot with the GIs all those years ago.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04And here she is now.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08- Hi, Liz.- Hi, Tess.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13Liz Mackay was six years old when she was picked to meet the troops.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Photos of her visits were published stateside,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19part of a propaganda campaign to reassure American families
0:14:19 > 0:14:23that the Brits were giving their boys a warm welcome.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27- I have here some copies of those original photographs.- Oh, gosh!
0:14:27 > 0:14:30So here you are with your pigtails.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31Yes!
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Oh, yes!
0:14:35 > 0:14:39- And this is my favourite. Isn't that special?- Yes.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41You were as cute as a button.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43I bet they really indulged you, didn't they?
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Oh, absolutely indulged.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49We came out with armfuls of goodies, you know.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Chocolate and candies and hair ribbons.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Had you ever even met an American before?
0:14:55 > 0:14:58No. No, I'd only seen them on film.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04They were all like movie stars and I think we felt part of a big movie.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Were you aware of why they were stationed here?
0:15:07 > 0:15:12Not really, no. I was a little too young to fully comprehend
0:15:12 > 0:15:15the seriousness of what was going on.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21For the Americans, their peaceful stay had an abrupt end.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Janet caught a remarkable glimpse of their top-secret departure.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29- We were haymaking and... - There you are.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33There was a hayrick there and my uncle was at the top and he shouted to me and he said,
0:15:33 > 0:15:35"Come up on to the top of the hayrick.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39"There's a sight that I hope you'll never see in the rest of your life."
0:15:39 > 0:15:43And when we looked out across here, it was black, the sea.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46You couldn't see the sea. It was just boats.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51The water was thick with soldiers.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56On the 6th June 1944, the Allied forces launched
0:15:56 > 0:15:59their crucial landings on the Normandy coast.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04The next few hours have been immortalised in drama.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09The Americans stormed the beach and attacked higher ground
0:16:09 > 0:16:13where German fire threatened GIs exposed on the sand below.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19At the cliffs, the Rangers' training kicked in.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Thanks to practice in England, the first men were up in minutes
0:16:23 > 0:16:25and heroically stood fast.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41More than 100 US Rangers, over half the cliff assault force,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45were killed or injured during the D-day operation.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47The survivors were eventually relieved,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49having held on to their lethal position.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Overcoming the cliffs of France,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57the Allies secured the beaches and advanced.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Within a year, the war in Europe was won.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07Back in Burton Bradstock, two women come again to the cliffs
0:17:07 > 0:17:09to remember desperate days.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13What about for both of you,
0:17:13 > 0:17:18being so connected to such a significant moment?
0:17:18 > 0:17:23It honed your sights in on what could go on on the cliffs.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26- We were part of that.- It's history.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28And I feel quite proud of that.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Even though it's a tiny, tiny speck, it's good.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35You were the poster girl for the GIs!
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Don't tell everyone!
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Our coastline can feel like a full stop.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48But here, when destiny came knocking,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52these cliffs opened us up to events beyond our imagining.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02Nature is perpetually busy, remodelling our coast.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Grand pillars.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09Majestic archways.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Vast halls.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Wild splendour that's home to our wildlife.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36Where we keep clear, others congregate.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46And there's no better residence than Ramsey Island.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Here on the knife edge of West Wales the rock face is daunting,
0:18:57 > 0:19:03but look closely and you'll discover a secret community of cliff dwellers.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Insect expert Sarah Beynon is onboard to bring us a bug's-eye view.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Ramsey Island is about a mile from where I grew up.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22I've been out here countless times but I never tire of the sea cliffs.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31At 120 metres tall, they're not very people-friendly.
0:19:31 > 0:19:37There are only two permanent residents, but a wealth of wildlife.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39And a few surprise day-trippers.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Normally, it's the sea birds that entertain the tourists.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Ramsey Island is a bird watcher's paradise.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55But I know a secret.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00Some species only thrive thanks to remarkable insects
0:20:00 > 0:20:01that stalk these cliffs.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08The dung beetles.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13I've studied these fascinating insects for years.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Fortunately, they're not hard to find.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18There's always an 'X' to mark the spot.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Unfortunately, that 'X' is a cowpat.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26Let's see what we find. It's a bit squishy.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Ah! Here we go.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31So here is a dung beetle.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Now, this is one of the dung beetles that Ramsey Island is renowned for.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39This one is called Anoplotrupes Stercorosus.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Not an easy name to remember.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43This is a flightless dung beetle
0:20:43 > 0:20:47that will potter along from dung pat to dung pat.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50It will just hide itself underneath the dung
0:20:50 > 0:20:54and then bury the dung in a tunnel it digs under the pat.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Observe them closely, and you'll discover these humble creatures
0:21:00 > 0:21:04play an illustrious role in Ramsey's rich ecosystem.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09They are the biggest draw for the island's more famous feathered residents.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Dung beetles attract other cliff dwellers
0:21:15 > 0:21:18that bird watchers flock here to spot - the chough.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25On the cliff tops, these rare red-billed birds have a field day.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30They feast on the plentiful, protein-rich dung beetles.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36RSPB warden Greg Morgan keeps a close eye on the precious chough.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42They're a special breed on Ramsey for the fact they are scarce nationally
0:21:42 > 0:21:45and this is one of the strongholds for them.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48They're very charismatic birds. When you watch them as long as I do
0:21:48 > 0:21:50you start noticing all these nuances.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52They nest in sea caves and it doesn't matter
0:21:52 > 0:21:55what the weather throws at them, they'll put up with that.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56You just start to love these birds.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Where we're standing now, it's absolutely rife with insect life,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03so is this the kind of place the chough would be feeding?
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Absolutely. This is ideal for them.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08This is what they need. They need the grass to be short.
0:22:08 > 0:22:14If it gets too long they can't forage properly and as a result of livestock out on the island,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18that helps to provide that environment and provide dung.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22So the dung beetles, their only predator is really the chough
0:22:22 > 0:22:24and other birds that are foraging in dung.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Exactly. It all starts at the bottom.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29You get your insects right and then you get your birds right.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42It's heartening to see Ramsey's cliff top food chain flourish.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Birds eat beetles.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Beetles eat dung.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52Dung that comes from cattle and sheep, that feed on the flora
0:22:52 > 0:22:58that thrives in the soil tilled and nourished by burrowing dung beetles.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08To ensure this food cycle remains unbroken,
0:23:08 > 0:23:10I monitor the beetle population.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14A harmless trap, baited with a cowpat, lures them in.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17So here's one of the dung pats we laid a few days ago,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20and hopefully, there'll be something inside.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Oh, look at this! What have we got?
0:23:30 > 0:23:33This one here is called Trypocopris Vernalis.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38You can see its front legs that he's waving around here have got lots and lots of spines on them.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40They're so strong, these legs.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42They use them for digging
0:23:42 > 0:23:44and pulling the dung down into the burrows.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46They can push the equivalent to me pushing
0:23:46 > 0:23:49three-and-a-half double-decker buses!
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Ramsey's miniature world is going from strength to strength,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57thanks to the giant sea cliffs.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01For us, this margin is inhospitable.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06But where we fear to tread, nature can roam free.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13The ribbon of sea cliffs around Ramsey is a precious place.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16I wish we could manage more of our land like this,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20so the beetles are left alone to do their bit for the environment.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53We've learnt to keep a safe distance from our cliff edge.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57But what happens when cliffs edge closer to us?
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Our shore shrinks by the day here in Yorkshire.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Rising some 200 metres,
0:25:11 > 0:25:16these white precipices are among the loftiest in England.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20But they have a secret.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23They stretch much further than it seems on the surface.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28In many places, the white cliffs are actually brown.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31The gleaming face of the chalk
0:25:31 > 0:25:34is covered in a thick layer of sand and clay.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38This false facade extends for miles.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41The clay of an ancient seabed
0:25:41 > 0:25:45that was smeared up over the chalk during the ice age.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Now, the sea's reclaiming her lost property.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Seen from a distance, this cliff might look fairly solid,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56but up close it reveals its alarming secret.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02This stuff is so soft, it falls apart in your hand.
0:26:04 > 0:26:05As sea levels rise,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09this boulder clay along our east coast is crumbling.
0:26:18 > 0:26:24This massive structure from the Second World War
0:26:24 > 0:26:27is just lying on its back on the beach.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32It's made of brick, concrete, steel.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Once upon a time, it stood up there on top of a cliff,
0:26:36 > 0:26:42and it was constructed to defend Britain from enemy forces.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44But it's been brought to its knees
0:26:44 > 0:26:47not by war, but by the attacking sea.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53In 2006, our cameras captured the same tower
0:26:53 > 0:26:57sitting a few metres from the cliff edge.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01Just three years later, the ground disappeared beneath it.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Here's the present cliff.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08It's been receding over the last century-and-a-half
0:27:08 > 0:27:13at an astonishing average of 1.27 metres for every year,
0:27:13 > 0:27:18which means that since 1941 when that military emplacement was built,
0:27:18 > 0:27:23this cliff has receded about 76 metres.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26So I'm going to take a walk back through time,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28one pace for every year.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31One, two, three, four...
0:27:36 > 0:27:4030 paces in, I'm back in the 1980s.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46Ten paces more, I hit the glam rock days of the 1970s.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49# Ch-Ch-Changes. #
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Through to the swinging '60s.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53# Talking about my generation
0:27:53 > 0:27:54# I'm not trying to cause... #
0:27:54 > 0:27:58And after 72 paces...
0:27:58 > 0:28:01# As time goes by
0:28:01 > 0:28:03This...
0:28:03 > 0:28:08was the line of the cliff in the 1940s. Look at it now!
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Extraordinary.
0:28:11 > 0:28:18# As time goes by. #
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Knowing how quickly this cliff is eroding
0:28:24 > 0:28:27makes you feel uneasy standing on the edge.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29So imagine living here!
0:28:33 > 0:28:38Since Roman times, over 30 villages on the east Yorkshire coast
0:28:38 > 0:28:40have been lost to erosion.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44Now the community of Aldbrough is under threat.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48While I'm at the seaside end of the village, it all looks pretty normal.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Pretty little houses, village pub.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54What's not normal...
0:28:58 > 0:28:59..is this!
0:29:00 > 0:29:02A road to nowhere.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Our edge is a precarious place to be.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12But some refuse to see this as the end of the line.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14I'm meeting Nigel Fairclough.
0:29:14 > 0:29:19Less than 20 years ago, he bought a seafront house here.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22But as the cliff started to nibble at his garden,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25it was condemned as unsafe.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27Now only a ghost house remains.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31We'd be walking up the front footpath here to the house?
0:29:31 > 0:29:32That's correct, yeah.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35So if we go in here and we turn left...
0:29:35 > 0:29:37you're in the living room.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Lovely and cosy when the storms were from the sea.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44You walk straight through the living room.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48We had like a galley kitchen running along the back of the bungalow.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51So this is where we'd be standing here to make a pot of tea.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53Yeah. And you could stand here and look out.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55Beautiful view. You can see Bridlington.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57Could you hear the sea at night?
0:29:57 > 0:30:02Yeah. Odd stormy nights, the house would shake.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04Literally, we had a lot of ornaments up
0:30:04 > 0:30:08and when the sea were banging in on the cliff, the whole house shook.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10- You're kidding?- No, no.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12- The ornaments would tremble? - Yeah, yeah.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15We've had to move them back, if they were on a shelf,
0:30:15 > 0:30:17sometimes we had to push them back
0:30:17 > 0:30:19because they were working their way forward.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Didn't that tell you that you were living somewhere quite precarious?
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Yeah, but...
0:30:24 > 0:30:28comparing where you live, living in a town to living somewhere like this,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30it were well worth putting up with it.
0:30:30 > 0:30:35Do you remember the day your house was knocked down?
0:30:35 > 0:30:39Yeah. We had to watch while they came in with their digger
0:30:39 > 0:30:42and virtually crushed it, turned it into matchwood
0:30:42 > 0:30:44and loaded it in a skip and took it away.
0:30:47 > 0:30:52Today, the street is slowly being bulldozed house by house
0:30:52 > 0:30:55as the cliff edge inches closer.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57It just seemed so solid.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01And you never expected this to happen to it.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05But Nigel is undeterred.
0:31:05 > 0:31:10He's just bought a new house 100 metres down the road.
0:31:13 > 0:31:18They reckon that's got 50 years, so it won't worry me one little bit.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21That one is going to be to see me out now, you know.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24It's a lovely area, it is great.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27It's just sad it's going.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37All our cliffs are shifting structures
0:31:37 > 0:31:40slowly being reclaimed by the sea.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42As they know in Scarborough.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51In 1993, the Holbeck Hall Hotel was demolished
0:31:51 > 0:31:55after its east wing was lost to coastal erosion.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04When cracks started to show in Cornwall,
0:32:04 > 0:32:06a local geologist was lucky enough
0:32:06 > 0:32:09to capture a Rocky Horror Show on his phone.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11SHRIEKING
0:32:20 > 0:32:24Stretches of our coast do tumble into the sea.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27A story they recognise at Lyme Regis.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35These gentle slopes are evidence of the cliff's downfall.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41And as the land slips, it spills the beans on its past life.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Cassie Newland is an archaeologist with a difference.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52She's raking up history the town thought it had buried long ago.
0:32:53 > 0:32:58Some archaeologists love Roman villas or Saxon hoards.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00I like more unusual things.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02And today, I'm trawling for trash.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10The 1950s is the birth of our modern throwaway society.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12But what we chuck away as rubbish,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15we're not expecting to get confronted by again.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17Here at Lyme Regis, we can do just that,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19and get into all the details
0:33:19 > 0:33:21of people's everyday lives in the past,
0:33:21 > 0:33:23when the sea cliffs give up their secrets.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37Remarkably, these cliffs were once used as a rubbish dump.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44Right on the edge of town, the locals can re-live past lives,
0:33:44 > 0:33:46revealed from the old dump.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54As the cliff crumbles, its curious contents litter the beach below.
0:33:56 > 0:33:57We've got an actual kitchen sink!
0:34:00 > 0:34:03And it's enamel. How '50s is that?
0:34:04 > 0:34:07It's fascinating to think that these domestic relics
0:34:07 > 0:34:11have lain hidden in the cliffs for decades.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13I'm meeting local geologists Paddy and Chris
0:34:13 > 0:34:15to make sense of the jumble.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17They've sifted out some prize pieces.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20- Chris, Paddy.- Hi.- Hello.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23This looks interesting. Is there anything you know dates of?
0:34:23 > 0:34:27That's 1937, that's a beer bottle top from Bridport.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29- Fantastic.- So that's got a date.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31Oh, I like that.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33That was actually found the day before yesterday...
0:34:33 > 0:34:34So that's George V.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37..by my youngest son, Leon.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41These ones you see give you a bit of a telltale.
0:34:41 > 0:34:42They're...they're machine-made.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45You can see that because they've got a seam going all the way down.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48And the reason you can tell is it also goes all the way over the top,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50so we know that these have to be after 1909,
0:34:50 > 0:34:53when the machine that did that was invented.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56We've got all of this interesting stuff
0:34:56 > 0:34:59that's just falling out of the cliff. Is that normal?
0:34:59 > 0:35:01When it gets wet, particularly in the winter,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04the rocks over on that side, they fail and they slide down.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07And it so happens the rubbish dump was up at the top of the cliff
0:35:07 > 0:35:08and all of that came with it.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11And all of this material fell down in May 2008
0:35:11 > 0:35:13when there was a very big fall,
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- about three-quarters-of-a-million tonnes.- Gosh!
0:35:16 > 0:35:18So we've got archaeology and geology.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Archaeology and geology literally all muddled up and all mixed up.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25Out of sight and out of mind.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28No-one gave a thought to the cliff top dump.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31But oddly, the bin men who collected
0:35:31 > 0:35:34the town's trash became local treasures.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36No-one knew them better than Ken Gollop.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41So, Ken, your dad was a dustman?
0:35:41 > 0:35:43Yes. My old man was a dustman.
0:35:43 > 0:35:44# He wears a dustman's hat
0:35:44 > 0:35:47# He wears cor blimey trousers
0:35:47 > 0:35:49# And he lives in a council flat. #
0:35:49 > 0:35:52- Which one's your dad? - There you are. The big one.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54- Actually, it does look like you. - The big one.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56- They're amazing!- Yeah.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59They were on their rounds one day and a gentleman was moving house.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02And he had loads of bowler hats, top hats,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05dress coats, morning coats and things.
0:36:05 > 0:36:06He said to the dustmen,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09"Look, I got all these, do what you like with them."
0:36:09 > 0:36:12So, of course, Father being Father,
0:36:12 > 0:36:14he put a set straight on
0:36:14 > 0:36:18and they went around the town emptying dustcarts in top hats.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21- Fantastic! - They were so popular and that,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24that people used to stop and take photographs of them.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30The sartorial binmen were tourist favourites.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34But Lyme Regis was no holiday for them.
0:36:34 > 0:36:35So, this is very steep, isn't it?
0:36:35 > 0:36:38- This is a dustman's nightmare. - It is, isn't it?
0:36:39 > 0:36:43The cliff edge is a top spot to share some lost treasure.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Hidden in the BBC archives,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49I've dug up a recording Ken's never heard.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53Now, Ken, tell me if you recognise this at all.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58"You sound as though you enjoy your job. You're very happy."
0:36:58 > 0:37:01"Oh, we four are the happiest men in Lyme.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04- "Yes, happiest men in Lyme, sir." - That's my father.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08"Oh, yes! We've had so many as 20 or 30 around us taking our photos.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11"We've had our photos took over a thousand times this summer."
0:37:11 > 0:37:13"You're very interested in hats."
0:37:13 > 0:37:17"Hats? Yes, sir. I expect I've got more hats than anybody in the land."
0:37:17 > 0:37:21He was taking the mickey out of the interviewer, wasn't he?
0:37:21 > 0:37:24He was, he was just...he was a clown all the time.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28And he made the best of everything.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30He really enjoyed his life.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32And he made a lot of people happy,
0:37:32 > 0:37:35and I think he realised he did that.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39- I loved that!- Oh, that was really wonderful, that was.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46The top-hatted dustmen of Lyme Regis are now long gone,
0:37:46 > 0:37:50but this cliff top time capsule continues to reveal its secrets.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Oh, my goodness!
0:37:52 > 0:37:55These are crittal windows, these metal-framed windows.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57If these were still in your house,
0:37:57 > 0:37:59you wouldn't be allowed to take them out.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05These may not be the jewels and relics some archaeologists crave,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08but to me, they are priceless.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11They tell the story of everyday people.
0:38:11 > 0:38:12It's the archaeology of us.
0:38:23 > 0:38:29Scaling our coastal cliffs can test brains, as well as brawn.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31There's more than one way to rise to the top.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47One final, uplifting experience awaits me back in Yorkshire,
0:38:47 > 0:38:49here at Saltburn-by-the-Sea.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59This Victorian seaside resort is sitting pretty on the cliff edge.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04And it's the spectacular cliff lift
0:39:04 > 0:39:08that's the secret of the town's success.
0:39:08 > 0:39:13This glorious invention allows holiday-makers to reach the beach.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20The two carriages might look independent,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23but they're ingeniously linked on a pulley system.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27As one falls, its twin rises.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33I'm meeting Paul Wakeford to get the full low-down.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36- Hello, there.- Hello! - Mind if I have a snoop?
0:39:36 > 0:39:39- What an incredible engine room. - It is.
0:39:39 > 0:39:40How does it work?
0:39:40 > 0:39:44Well, these trams weigh the same as each other.
0:39:44 > 0:39:45I've just filled one with water
0:39:45 > 0:39:48and it gets heavy and down it goes, pulls the other one up.
0:39:48 > 0:39:49Close the doors...
0:39:51 > 0:39:53..turn the tap on, start filling it.
0:39:56 > 0:39:57How do you know when it's heavy enough?
0:39:57 > 0:40:00There you go. It's now heavy enough with water.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02- It goes off on its own.- Yes.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06Down she goes. The sheer weight of it.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Gravity is making it work.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12It can be people. If you had 12 people going down, no-one coming up,
0:40:12 > 0:40:13you wouldn't need water.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21The tram, when it gets to the bottom,
0:40:21 > 0:40:24will empty all of the water out automatically.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27- The water's down the bottom?- Yes.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29It collects in a tank at the bottom.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32And then we set the pump going, that's the only power needed
0:40:32 > 0:40:35is to pump the water from the bottom tank back up to our top tank.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38What do you call it? They're not carriages, are they?
0:40:38 > 0:40:40It's a funicular tramway.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44And it's funicular, not "funny colour", funicular!
0:40:46 > 0:40:48There you go. Thank you very much.
0:40:48 > 0:40:53It was in 1870 that the first cliff lift opened the beach to tourism.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55But it took a few goes to get it right.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Originally, it did have a vertical drop
0:41:00 > 0:41:02of 120 feet.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05But the walk out to the gantry to get it down,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07you would have had to be brave.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11The gantry out to the lift dissuaded Victorians
0:41:11 > 0:41:15from braving a visit to the newly-built pier below.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22But the lone hotel in this photo is now one of many.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27Tourism took off, thanks to the funicular railway.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32And on rainy days when holiday business is slow,
0:41:32 > 0:41:36Paul finds a way to raise spirits, if not passengers.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41# Until a certain little lady comes by
0:41:41 > 0:41:45# Oh, me, oh, my
0:41:45 > 0:41:49# She's absolutely wonderful marvellous and beautiful
0:41:49 > 0:41:52# And everyone will understand why
0:41:52 > 0:41:55# I'm leaning on the lamppost at the corner of the street
0:41:55 > 0:41:59# Until a certain little lady comes by. #
0:42:01 > 0:42:06Originally, the Victorians would career down the cliff in 33 seconds.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08A white-knuckle ride.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Today, for health and safety reasons,
0:42:10 > 0:42:14it's a much more leisurely 55-second journey.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16While the lift did the hard work,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19the visitors could relax and take in the view
0:42:19 > 0:42:22until they were deposited safely beside the seaside.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25- Hello, there!- Thank you.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38As I reach the end of my journey
0:42:38 > 0:42:43perhaps I've arrived at the best secret of all.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46How we've managed to surmount the challenges
0:42:46 > 0:42:48presented by our sea cliffs.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52Coming up with solutions to coastal conundrums
0:42:52 > 0:42:56has created some of our most exciting environments.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Cliffs might look like dead-ends,
0:42:59 > 0:43:01but they're where we think outside the box.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Where the edge of land is steepest, we're really tested.
0:43:05 > 0:43:10On our sea cliffs, a secret and surprising world awaits.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd