Browse content similar to The Secret Life of Sea Cliffs. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Line | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|
This is Coast. | 0:00:11 | 0:00:13 | |
Our stunning sea cliffs. | 0:00:43 | 0:00:45 | |
An imperious borderline, stitched with a rainbow tapestry of stone. | 0:00:45 | 0:00:51 | |
Deceptive and dramatic, yielding and treacherous. | 0:00:54 | 0:01:00 | |
Over millennia, we've learnt to negotiate this tricky terrain... | 0:01:00 | 0:01:05 | |
..and carve surprising uses from its rocky skeleton. | 0:01:07 | 0:01:11 | |
My quest has brought me to the Isle of Wight. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:16 | |
I'm on a mission to delve into the hidden world of our sea cliffs, | 0:01:18 | 0:01:23 | |
and I'm going to start with this key. | 0:01:23 | 0:01:26 | |
MUSIC: Mission Impossible Theme | 0:01:28 | 0:01:30 | |
Over a century ago, the locals unlocked a secret. | 0:01:35 | 0:01:40 | |
This solid sea cliff had a helpfully soft core. | 0:01:40 | 0:01:44 | |
Behind this grill is a disused lift shaft - | 0:01:49 | 0:01:52 | |
a man-made hole bored straight into the cliff. | 0:01:52 | 0:01:55 | |
I'm going to extreme lengths, investigating mysteries | 0:02:02 | 0:02:07 | |
at the heart of our sea cliffs. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:09 | |
And I'm not alone. | 0:02:09 | 0:02:11 | |
Tessa is on the south coast, | 0:02:11 | 0:02:14 | |
discovering a cliff that went to war. | 0:02:14 | 0:02:17 | |
These cliffs were the perfect testing ground for the tactics | 0:02:17 | 0:02:20 | |
that would be used for the D-Day landings. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:23 | |
While Andy joins the military on a modern day mission. | 0:02:28 | 0:02:32 | |
This cliff is a challenge you've got to conquer if you want to be a Royal Marine. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:37 | |
And new experts Cassie Newland and Sarah Beynon | 0:02:41 | 0:02:44 | |
share insider knowledge of unexpected treasures. | 0:02:44 | 0:02:48 | |
These guys can shift serious amounts of poo. | 0:02:49 | 0:02:52 | |
We've got all this amazingly interesting stuff that's just falling out of the cliff. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:57 | |
And I'll be exploring the surprising shores of Yorkshire, | 0:02:57 | 0:03:02 | |
where cliffs are towers of strength, and soft as butter. | 0:03:02 | 0:03:06 | |
Road to nowhere. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:08 | |
Our island's edge, as you've never seen it before. | 0:03:08 | 0:03:12 | |
This is The Secret Life of Sea Cliffs. | 0:03:13 | 0:03:16 | |
My journey will take me on a 70-mile adventure | 0:03:24 | 0:03:28 | |
across the vast and varied cliffs of Yorkshire. | 0:03:28 | 0:03:32 | |
But first, I need to free myself from the depths of the Isle of Wight. | 0:03:32 | 0:03:37 | |
Here, the sea has bitten chunks out of the headland. | 0:03:40 | 0:03:44 | |
If nature could carve through the chalk, why not man? | 0:03:48 | 0:03:52 | |
I've walked across cliffs, I've climbed up cliffs, | 0:03:58 | 0:04:01 | |
but I've never abseiled through a cliff, | 0:04:01 | 0:04:03 | |
and it's completely other-worldly. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:06 | |
In the late 19th century, the Government had the cliff's centre scooped out. | 0:04:09 | 0:04:15 | |
Part of a secret defence plan. | 0:04:15 | 0:04:17 | |
This looks like a spur tunnel, this. | 0:04:19 | 0:04:22 | |
It's got a very high roof and it's full of debris. | 0:04:22 | 0:04:24 | |
This one looks like the main one. | 0:04:24 | 0:04:26 | |
These tunnels have lain untouched for decades, | 0:04:29 | 0:04:32 | |
but clues to their use still remain. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:35 | |
Old electrical cables carried in this rusty steel pipe. | 0:04:37 | 0:04:41 | |
There's a gigantic rusting engine. | 0:04:45 | 0:04:47 | |
This must have been used to power the lift. | 0:04:47 | 0:04:50 | |
A window ahead sheds some light. | 0:04:54 | 0:04:56 | |
Look at this! Unbelievable! | 0:05:02 | 0:05:05 | |
What could be more secure than a fortress built into a cliff face? | 0:05:07 | 0:05:12 | |
Beginning in 1860, the military chiselled out the chalk | 0:05:16 | 0:05:21 | |
to create a rock-solid defence. | 0:05:21 | 0:05:24 | |
A fort dug into the cliff top. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:27 | |
And near sea level, camouflaged gun positions, | 0:05:27 | 0:05:32 | |
ideal for troops facing hostile warships in the Channel. | 0:05:32 | 0:05:36 | |
They had worked a way to make the most of their cliff edge. | 0:05:41 | 0:05:45 | |
And this rocky border can lead me to further surprises. | 0:05:45 | 0:05:49 | |
Imagine following this seam of chalk back inland. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:54 | |
It would be an underground journey | 0:05:55 | 0:05:57 | |
through the soft underbelly of England, | 0:05:57 | 0:06:00 | |
emerging on the east coast in God's own country. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:03 | |
The chalk rears its head again here. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:07 | |
These are the White Cliffs of Yorkshire. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:10 | |
This is the ideal location to celebrate our sea cliffs | 0:06:19 | 0:06:24 | |
at their most splendid, and their most scary. | 0:06:24 | 0:06:28 | |
While I explore the Yorkshire shore, | 0:06:32 | 0:06:35 | |
the team will discover their own highlights. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:38 | |
Every cliff has its own secret and surprising story to tell. | 0:06:38 | 0:06:42 | |
During the Second World War, our chalky southern shore | 0:06:49 | 0:06:54 | |
was immortalised in song. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:56 | |
A reminder of peace. | 0:06:56 | 0:06:58 | |
# There'll be blue birds over | 0:06:58 | 0:07:03 | |
# The White Cliffs of Dover | 0:07:03 | 0:07:09 | |
# Tomorrow | 0:07:09 | 0:07:12 | |
# Just you wait and see. # | 0:07:12 | 0:07:17 | |
But this coastline wasn't remote from the war. It helped to win it. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:23 | |
Courageous exploits are remembered in Burton Bradstock. | 0:07:23 | 0:07:27 | |
For centuries, this rocky precipice protected the tiny village, | 0:07:34 | 0:07:39 | |
but when the Second World War came knocking, | 0:07:39 | 0:07:42 | |
a door opened to an extraordinary invasion. | 0:07:42 | 0:07:45 | |
Tessa's discovering a cliff that went to war. | 0:07:45 | 0:07:49 | |
In 1944 the tide was about to turn in Europe, | 0:07:52 | 0:07:58 | |
and Britain's un-breached borders | 0:07:58 | 0:08:00 | |
were braced for a new chapter in their long history. | 0:08:00 | 0:08:04 | |
This line of defence was about to play a crucial role | 0:08:06 | 0:08:09 | |
in an attack on the enemy. | 0:08:09 | 0:08:11 | |
In early 1944, a line of assault craft | 0:08:12 | 0:08:16 | |
was advancing on our south coast. | 0:08:16 | 0:08:18 | |
The sleepy village of Burton Bradstock | 0:08:18 | 0:08:21 | |
was about to be exposed to war. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:23 | |
Janet Guppy was 13 at the time. | 0:08:25 | 0:08:28 | |
The cliffs brought danger to her doorstep. | 0:08:28 | 0:08:31 | |
We weren't allowed to use the cliff at all. | 0:08:33 | 0:08:35 | |
It was just barbed wire all the way along here, | 0:08:35 | 0:08:37 | |
right the way along the coast. | 0:08:37 | 0:08:39 | |
And one morning, Janet, you saw something untoward, didn't you? | 0:08:39 | 0:08:43 | |
Yes, I noticed something on the cliff top. | 0:08:43 | 0:08:47 | |
Looking through the wire I could see this dark shape. | 0:08:47 | 0:08:49 | |
-There were several of them there. -Did you go and investigate? | 0:08:49 | 0:08:52 | |
No, we couldn't get there because of all this barbed wire. | 0:08:52 | 0:08:55 | |
I had to go off because I had to go to school. | 0:08:55 | 0:08:58 | |
Grappling hooks were hurled on to the cliff top. | 0:08:58 | 0:09:02 | |
Unique film shows the cliff face under siege. | 0:09:02 | 0:09:06 | |
But the threat wasn't what the villagers feared. | 0:09:06 | 0:09:09 | |
Look closely and you can see the American uniforms. | 0:09:10 | 0:09:14 | |
This wasn't an enemy invasion. The Yanks were coming. | 0:09:14 | 0:09:16 | |
Burton Bradstock had become a training ground | 0:09:20 | 0:09:22 | |
for America's elite cliff assault team. | 0:09:22 | 0:09:25 | |
The leading men race to the top. | 0:09:28 | 0:09:31 | |
Two men can climb each ladder at the same time. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:35 | |
The US Rangers were preparing for a daring mission | 0:09:37 | 0:09:40 | |
to decide the fate of Europe. | 0:09:40 | 0:09:42 | |
These cliffs were the perfect testing ground | 0:09:43 | 0:09:45 | |
for the tactics used during the D-Day landings. | 0:09:45 | 0:09:48 | |
120 miles away over the Channel lay the Normandy coast. | 0:09:50 | 0:09:55 | |
The cliffs there are a mirror image of those at Burton Bradstock. | 0:09:55 | 0:10:00 | |
30 metres high, the same stone, they loomed over the beach. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:05 | |
High ground the Americans had to take. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:08 | |
The cliffs at Burton Bradstock | 0:10:12 | 0:10:13 | |
were chosen to test the troops' equipment for real. | 0:10:13 | 0:10:17 | |
If they could successfully scale these cliffs in England, | 0:10:19 | 0:10:22 | |
then they had a chance of overcoming the German fortifications | 0:10:22 | 0:10:26 | |
on the cliffs of occupied France. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:28 | |
Waiting for D-Day, a group of GIs were stationed nearby. | 0:10:29 | 0:10:35 | |
Locals weren't usually allowed to access their camp, | 0:10:35 | 0:10:38 | |
but there's evidence of one exception to the rule. | 0:10:38 | 0:10:41 | |
A little girl posing for a publicity shot with the GIs all those years ago. | 0:10:42 | 0:10:47 | |
And here she is now. | 0:10:47 | 0:10:49 | |
-Hi, Liz. -Hi, Tess. | 0:10:49 | 0:10:52 | |
Liz Mackay was six years old when she was picked to meet the troops. | 0:10:52 | 0:10:57 | |
Photos of her visits were published stateside, | 0:10:57 | 0:11:00 | |
part of a propaganda campaign to reassure American families | 0:11:00 | 0:11:04 | |
that the Brits were giving their boys a warm welcome. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:08 | |
-I have here some copies of those original photographs. -Oh, gosh! | 0:11:08 | 0:11:12 | |
So here you are with your pigtails. | 0:11:12 | 0:11:14 | |
Yes! | 0:11:14 | 0:11:16 | |
Oh, yes! | 0:11:17 | 0:11:19 | |
-And this is my favourite. Isn't that special? -Yes. | 0:11:19 | 0:11:23 | |
You were as cute as a button. | 0:11:23 | 0:11:25 | |
I bet they really indulged you, didn't they? | 0:11:25 | 0:11:28 | |
Oh, absolutely indulged. | 0:11:28 | 0:11:30 | |
We came out with armfuls of goodies, you know. | 0:11:30 | 0:11:33 | |
Chocolate and candies and hair ribbons. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:36 | |
Had you ever even met an American before? | 0:11:36 | 0:11:39 | |
No. No, I'd only seen them on film. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:42 | |
They were all like movie stars and I think we felt part of a big movie. | 0:11:42 | 0:11:48 | |
Were you aware of why they were stationed here? | 0:11:48 | 0:11:51 | |
Not really, no. I was a little too young to fully comprehend | 0:11:51 | 0:11:57 | |
the seriousness of what was going on. | 0:11:57 | 0:11:59 | |
For the Americans, their peaceful stay had an abrupt end. | 0:12:01 | 0:12:05 | |
Janet caught a remarkable glimpse of their top-secret departure. | 0:12:05 | 0:12:10 | |
-We were haymaking and... -There you are. | 0:12:10 | 0:12:13 | |
There was a hayrick there and my uncle was at the top and he shouted to me and he said, | 0:12:13 | 0:12:17 | |
"Come up on to the top of the hayrick. | 0:12:17 | 0:12:20 | |
"There's a sight that I hope you'll never see in the rest of your life." | 0:12:20 | 0:12:23 | |
And when we looked out across here, it was black, the sea. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:28 | |
You couldn't see the sea. It was just boats. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:31 | |
The water was thick with soldiers. | 0:12:34 | 0:12:36 | |
On the 6th June 1944, the Allied forces launched | 0:12:37 | 0:12:41 | |
their crucial landings on the Normandy coast. | 0:12:41 | 0:12:44 | |
The next few hours have been immortalised in drama. | 0:12:45 | 0:12:49 | |
The Americans stormed the beach and attacked higher ground | 0:12:50 | 0:12:54 | |
where German fire threatened GIs exposed on the sand below. | 0:12:54 | 0:12:57 | |
At the cliffs, the Rangers' training kicked in. | 0:13:00 | 0:13:03 | |
Thanks to practice in England, the first men were up in minutes | 0:13:03 | 0:13:07 | |
and heroically stood fast. | 0:13:07 | 0:13:10 | |
More than 100 US Rangers, over half the cliff assault force, | 0:13:21 | 0:13:26 | |
were killed or injured during the D-Day operation. | 0:13:26 | 0:13:29 | |
The survivors were eventually relieved, | 0:13:29 | 0:13:31 | |
having held on to their lethal position. | 0:13:31 | 0:13:34 | |
Overcoming the cliffs of France, | 0:13:36 | 0:13:39 | |
the Allies secured the beaches and advanced. | 0:13:39 | 0:13:42 | |
Within a year, the war in Europe was won. | 0:13:42 | 0:13:45 | |
Back in Burton Bradstock, two women come again to the cliffs | 0:13:48 | 0:13:52 | |
to remember desperate days. | 0:13:52 | 0:13:54 | |
What about for both of you, | 0:13:56 | 0:13:57 | |
being so connected to such a significant moment? | 0:13:57 | 0:14:02 | |
It honed your sights in on what could go on on the cliffs. | 0:14:02 | 0:14:08 | |
-We were part of that. -It's history. | 0:14:08 | 0:14:10 | |
And I feel quite proud of that. | 0:14:10 | 0:14:12 | |
Even though it's a tiny, tiny speck, it's good. | 0:14:12 | 0:14:17 | |
You were the poster girl for the GIs! | 0:14:17 | 0:14:20 | |
Don't tell everyone! | 0:14:20 | 0:14:22 | |
Our coastline can feel like a full stop. | 0:14:27 | 0:14:30 | |
But here, when destiny came knocking, | 0:14:30 | 0:14:33 | |
these cliffs opened us up to events beyond our imagining. | 0:14:33 | 0:14:37 | |
We're exploring the secret life of sea cliffs, | 0:15:09 | 0:15:12 | |
a journey that's brought me to Yorkshire. | 0:15:12 | 0:15:15 | |
The cliffs here at Flamborough Head are 100 million years old. | 0:15:20 | 0:15:25 | |
It's easy to believe they're set in stone, but not so. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:30 | |
This rocky skeleton creaks at the joints. | 0:15:36 | 0:15:40 | |
Lifeless rock is stealthily on the move, | 0:15:42 | 0:15:46 | |
creating cathedrals hewn from stone. | 0:15:46 | 0:15:49 | |
These arches are the magnificent leftovers of cliff formations. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:57 | |
Extraordinary examples of coastal architecture. | 0:15:57 | 0:16:00 | |
The tide washes in and out of small holes in headlands like this one | 0:16:08 | 0:16:14 | |
and it creates a small arch. | 0:16:14 | 0:16:17 | |
That arch gets worn bigger and bigger, higher and higher, | 0:16:17 | 0:16:20 | |
until finally, the top of the arch collapses | 0:16:20 | 0:16:23 | |
and you get a free-standing pillar. | 0:16:23 | 0:16:25 | |
And here is a perfect example. | 0:16:30 | 0:16:33 | |
Nature is perpetually busy, remodelling our coast. | 0:16:40 | 0:16:44 | |
Grand pillars. | 0:16:47 | 0:16:48 | |
Majestic archways. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:52 | |
Vast halls. | 0:16:54 | 0:16:56 | |
Wild splendour that's home to our wildlife. | 0:17:06 | 0:17:10 | |
Where we keep clear, others congregate. | 0:17:15 | 0:17:19 | |
And there's no better residence than Ramsey Island. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:29 | |
Here on the knife edge of West Wales the rock face is daunting, | 0:17:35 | 0:17:40 | |
but look closely and you'll discover a secret community of cliff dwellers. | 0:17:40 | 0:17:46 | |
Insect expert Sarah Beynon is onboard to bring us a bug's-eye view. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:52 | |
Ramsey Island is about a mile from where I grew up. | 0:17:56 | 0:17:59 | |
I've been out here countless times but I never tire of the sea cliffs. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:05 | |
At 120 metres tall, they're not very people-friendly. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:14 | |
There are only two permanent residents, but a wealth of wildlife. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:19 | |
And a few surprise day-trippers. | 0:18:19 | 0:18:22 | |
Normally, it's the sea birds that entertain the tourists. | 0:18:29 | 0:18:33 | |
Ramsey Island is a bird watcher's paradise. | 0:18:33 | 0:18:35 | |
But I know a secret. | 0:18:35 | 0:18:38 | |
Some species only thrive thanks to remarkable insects | 0:18:38 | 0:18:42 | |
that stalk these cliffs. | 0:18:42 | 0:18:44 | |
The dung beetles. | 0:18:49 | 0:18:51 | |
I've studied these fascinating insects for years. | 0:18:52 | 0:18:56 | |
Fortunately, they're not hard to find. | 0:18:56 | 0:18:58 | |
There's always an 'X' to mark the spot. | 0:18:58 | 0:19:01 | |
Unfortunately, that 'X' is a cowpat. | 0:19:01 | 0:19:04 | |
Let's see what we find. It's a bit squishy. | 0:19:05 | 0:19:08 | |
Ah! Here we go. | 0:19:08 | 0:19:10 | |
So here is a dung beetle. | 0:19:12 | 0:19:14 | |
Now, this is one of the dung beetles that Ramsey Island is renowned for. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:18 | |
This one is called Anoplotrupes Stercorosus. | 0:19:18 | 0:19:22 | |
Not an easy name to remember. | 0:19:22 | 0:19:24 | |
This is a flightless dung beetle | 0:19:24 | 0:19:26 | |
that will potter along from dung pat to dung pat. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:29 | |
It will just hide itself underneath the dung | 0:19:29 | 0:19:32 | |
and then bury the dung in a tunnel it digs under the pat. | 0:19:32 | 0:19:36 | |
Observe them closely, and you'll discover these humble creatures | 0:19:39 | 0:19:43 | |
play an illustrious role in Ramsey's rich ecosystem. | 0:19:43 | 0:19:47 | |
They are the biggest draw for the island's more famous feathered residents. | 0:19:47 | 0:19:51 | |
Dung beetles attract other cliff dwellers | 0:19:54 | 0:19:57 | |
that bird watchers flock here to spot - the chough. | 0:19:57 | 0:20:00 | |
On the cliff tops, these rare red-billed birds have a field day. | 0:20:04 | 0:20:08 | |
They feast on the plentiful, protein-rich dung beetles. | 0:20:08 | 0:20:12 | |
RSPB warden Greg Morgan keeps a close eye on the precious chough. | 0:20:14 | 0:20:18 | |
They're a special breed on Ramsey for the fact that | 0:20:20 | 0:20:23 | |
they are scarce nationally and this is one of the strongholds for them. | 0:20:23 | 0:20:27 | |
They're very charismatic birds. | 0:20:27 | 0:20:29 | |
When you watch them as long as I do, | 0:20:29 | 0:20:31 | |
you start noticing all these nuances. | 0:20:31 | 0:20:32 | |
They nest in sea caves, and it doesn't matter what the weather | 0:20:32 | 0:20:35 | |
throws at them, they'll put up with that. | 0:20:35 | 0:20:37 | |
You just start to love these birds. | 0:20:37 | 0:20:39 | |
Where we're standing now, it's absolutely rife with insect life, | 0:20:39 | 0:20:42 | |
so is this the kind of place the chough would be feeding? | 0:20:42 | 0:20:45 | |
Absolutely. This is ideal for them. | 0:20:45 | 0:20:47 | |
This is what they need. They need the grass to be short. | 0:20:47 | 0:20:50 | |
If it gets too long they can't forage properly and as a result of livestock out on the island, | 0:20:50 | 0:20:57 | |
that helps to provide that environment and provide dung. | 0:20:57 | 0:21:00 | |
So the dung beetles, their only predator is really the chough | 0:21:00 | 0:21:04 | |
and other birds that are foraging in dung. | 0:21:04 | 0:21:06 | |
Exactly. It all starts at the bottom. | 0:21:06 | 0:21:08 | |
You get your insects right and then you get your birds right. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:12 | |
It's heartening to see Ramsey's cliff top food chain flourish. | 0:21:21 | 0:21:25 | |
Birds eat beetles. | 0:21:25 | 0:21:27 | |
Beetles eat dung. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:30 | |
Dung that comes from cattle and sheep, that feed on the flora | 0:21:30 | 0:21:35 | |
that thrives in the soil tilled and nourished by burrowing dung beetles. | 0:21:35 | 0:21:40 | |
To ensure this food cycle remains unbroken, | 0:21:48 | 0:21:51 | |
I monitor the beetle population. | 0:21:51 | 0:21:53 | |
A harmless trap, baited with a cowpat, lures them in. | 0:21:53 | 0:21:57 | |
So here's one of the dung pats we laid a few days ago, | 0:21:57 | 0:21:59 | |
and hopefully, there'll be something inside. | 0:21:59 | 0:22:03 | |
Oh, look at this! What have we got? | 0:22:08 | 0:22:11 | |
This one here is called Trypocopris Vernalis. | 0:22:13 | 0:22:16 | |
You can see its front legs that he's waving around here have got lots and lots of spines on them. | 0:22:16 | 0:22:21 | |
They're so strong, these legs. | 0:22:21 | 0:22:23 | |
They use them for digging and pulling the dung down | 0:22:23 | 0:22:25 | |
into the burrows. | 0:22:25 | 0:22:27 | |
They can push the equivalent to me pushing | 0:22:27 | 0:22:29 | |
three and a half double-decker buses! | 0:22:29 | 0:22:31 | |
Ramsey's miniature world is going from strength to strength, | 0:22:34 | 0:22:37 | |
thanks to the giant sea cliffs. | 0:22:37 | 0:22:40 | |
For us, this margin is inhospitable, | 0:22:41 | 0:22:44 | |
but where we fear to tread, nature can roam free. | 0:22:44 | 0:22:48 | |
The ribbon of sea cliffs around Ramsey is a precious place. | 0:22:52 | 0:22:56 | |
I wish we could manage more of our land like this, | 0:22:56 | 0:22:59 | |
so the beetles are left alone to do their bit for the environment. | 0:22:59 | 0:23:03 | |
We've learnt to keep a safe distance from our cliff edge, | 0:23:32 | 0:23:36 | |
but what happens when cliffs edge closer to us? | 0:23:36 | 0:23:40 | |
Our shore shrinks by the day here in Yorkshire. | 0:23:42 | 0:23:45 | |
Rising some 200 metres, | 0:23:52 | 0:23:54 | |
these white precipices are among the loftiest in England. | 0:23:54 | 0:23:59 | |
But they have a secret. | 0:24:00 | 0:24:02 | |
They stretch much further than it seems on the surface. | 0:24:02 | 0:24:06 | |
In many places, the white cliffs are actually brown. | 0:24:07 | 0:24:11 | |
The gleaming face of the chalk | 0:24:11 | 0:24:13 | |
is covered in a thick layer of sand and clay. | 0:24:13 | 0:24:16 | |
This false facade extends for miles. | 0:24:18 | 0:24:21 | |
The clay of an ancient seabed | 0:24:21 | 0:24:23 | |
that was smeared up over the chalk during the ice age. | 0:24:23 | 0:24:27 | |
Now, the sea's reclaiming her lost property. | 0:24:27 | 0:24:30 | |
Seen from a distance, this cliff might look fairly solid, | 0:24:31 | 0:24:35 | |
but up close it reveals its alarming secret. | 0:24:35 | 0:24:38 | |
This stuff is so soft, it falls apart in your hand. | 0:24:40 | 0:24:44 | |
As sea levels rise, | 0:24:46 | 0:24:48 | |
this boulder clay along our east coast is crumbling. | 0:24:48 | 0:24:52 | |
This massive structure from the Second World War | 0:25:01 | 0:25:06 | |
is just lying on its back on the beach. | 0:25:06 | 0:25:10 | |
It's made of brick, concrete, steel. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:14 | |
Once upon a time, it stood up there on top of a cliff, | 0:25:14 | 0:25:18 | |
and it was constructed to defend Britain from enemy forces. | 0:25:18 | 0:25:24 | |
But it's been brought to its knees not by war, | 0:25:24 | 0:25:27 | |
but by the attacking sea. | 0:25:27 | 0:25:30 | |
In 2006, our cameras captured the same tower | 0:25:32 | 0:25:36 | |
sitting a few metres from the cliff edge. | 0:25:36 | 0:25:39 | |
Just three years later, the ground disappeared beneath it. | 0:25:39 | 0:25:43 | |
Here's the present cliff. | 0:25:45 | 0:25:47 | |
It's been receding over the last century and a half | 0:25:47 | 0:25:50 | |
at an astonishing average of 1.27 metres for every year, | 0:25:50 | 0:25:55 | |
which means that since 1941 when that military emplacement was built, | 0:25:55 | 0:26:00 | |
this cliff has receded about 76 metres. | 0:26:00 | 0:26:05 | |
So I'm going to take a walk back through time, | 0:26:05 | 0:26:08 | |
one pace for every year. | 0:26:08 | 0:26:11 | |
One, two, three, four... | 0:26:11 | 0:26:14 | |
30 paces in, I'm back in the 1980s. | 0:26:18 | 0:26:22 | |
Ten paces more, I hit the glam rock days of the 1970s. | 0:26:25 | 0:26:29 | |
# Ch-Ch-Changes... # | 0:26:29 | 0:26:31 | |
Through to the swinging '60s. | 0:26:31 | 0:26:34 | |
# Talking about my generation | 0:26:34 | 0:26:35 | |
# I'm not trying to cause... # | 0:26:35 | 0:26:37 | |
And after 72 paces... | 0:26:37 | 0:26:40 | |
# As time goes by... # | 0:26:40 | 0:26:44 | |
This... | 0:26:44 | 0:26:45 | |
was the line of the cliff in the 1940s. Look at it now! | 0:26:45 | 0:26:51 | |
Extraordinary. | 0:26:51 | 0:26:53 | |
# As time goes by. # | 0:26:53 | 0:27:01 | |
Knowing how quickly this cliff is eroding | 0:27:04 | 0:27:07 | |
makes you feel uneasy standing on the edge. | 0:27:07 | 0:27:10 | |
So imagine living here! | 0:27:10 | 0:27:12 | |
Since Roman times, over 30 villages on the east Yorkshire coast | 0:27:16 | 0:27:20 | |
have been lost to erosion. | 0:27:20 | 0:27:22 | |
Now the community of Aldbrough is under threat. | 0:27:22 | 0:27:26 | |
While I'm at the seaside end of the village, it all looks pretty normal. | 0:27:26 | 0:27:30 | |
Pretty little houses, village pub. | 0:27:30 | 0:27:33 | |
What's not normal... | 0:27:35 | 0:27:37 | |
..is this! | 0:27:40 | 0:27:42 | |
A road to nowhere. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:44 | |
Our edge is a precarious place to be. | 0:27:46 | 0:27:50 | |
But some refuse to see this as the end of the line. | 0:27:50 | 0:27:54 | |
I'm meeting Nigel Fairclough. | 0:27:54 | 0:27:57 | |
Less than 20 years ago, he bought a seafront house here. | 0:27:57 | 0:28:01 | |
But as the cliff started to nibble at his garden, | 0:28:01 | 0:28:05 | |
it was condemned as unsafe. | 0:28:05 | 0:28:07 | |
Now only a ghost house remains. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:10 | |
We'd be walking up the front footpath here to the house? | 0:28:11 | 0:28:14 | |
That's correct, yeah. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:15 | |
So if we go in here and we turn left... | 0:28:15 | 0:28:17 | |
You're in the living room. | 0:28:17 | 0:28:20 | |
Lovely and cosy when the storms were from the sea. | 0:28:20 | 0:28:23 | |
You walk straight through the living room. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:26 | |
We had like a galley kitchen running along the back of the bungalow. | 0:28:26 | 0:28:30 | |
So this is where we'd be standing here to make a pot of tea. | 0:28:30 | 0:28:33 | |
Yeah, and you could stand here and look out. | 0:28:33 | 0:28:36 | |
Beautiful view. You can see Bridlington. | 0:28:36 | 0:28:38 | |
Could you hear the sea at night? | 0:28:38 | 0:28:40 | |
Yeah. Odd stormy nights, the house would shake. | 0:28:40 | 0:28:44 | |
Literally, we had a lot of ornaments up | 0:28:44 | 0:28:47 | |
and when the sea were banging in on the cliff, the whole house shook. | 0:28:47 | 0:28:51 | |
-You're kidding? -No, no. | 0:28:51 | 0:28:53 | |
-The ornaments would tremble? -Yeah, yeah. | 0:28:53 | 0:28:55 | |
We've had to move them back, if they were on a shelf, | 0:28:55 | 0:28:58 | |
sometimes we had to push them back | 0:28:58 | 0:28:59 | |
because they were working their way forward. | 0:28:59 | 0:29:01 | |
Didn't that tell you that you were living somewhere quite precarious? | 0:29:01 | 0:29:05 | |
Yeah, but... | 0:29:05 | 0:29:06 | |
comparing where you live, | 0:29:06 | 0:29:09 | |
living in a town to living somewhere like this, | 0:29:09 | 0:29:11 | |
it were well worth putting up with it. | 0:29:11 | 0:29:13 | |
Do you remember the day your house was knocked down? | 0:29:13 | 0:29:17 | |
Yeah. We had to watch while they came in with their digger | 0:29:17 | 0:29:21 | |
and virtually crushed it, turned it into matchwood | 0:29:21 | 0:29:25 | |
and loaded it in a skip and took it away. | 0:29:25 | 0:29:27 | |
Today, the street is slowly being bulldozed house by house | 0:29:30 | 0:29:34 | |
as the cliff edge inches closer. | 0:29:34 | 0:29:37 | |
It just seemed so solid. | 0:29:37 | 0:29:40 | |
And you never expected this to happen to it. | 0:29:40 | 0:29:44 | |
But Nigel is undeterred. | 0:29:46 | 0:29:48 | |
He's just bought a new house 100 metres down the road. | 0:29:48 | 0:29:52 | |
They reckon that's got 50 years, so it won't worry me one little bit. | 0:29:56 | 0:30:01 | |
That one is going to be to see me out now, you know. | 0:30:01 | 0:30:04 | |
It's a lovely area, it is great. | 0:30:04 | 0:30:06 | |
It's just sad it's going. | 0:30:08 | 0:30:09 | |
All our cliffs are shifting structures | 0:30:17 | 0:30:20 | |
slowly being reclaimed by the sea, | 0:30:20 | 0:30:23 | |
as they know in Scarborough. | 0:30:23 | 0:30:25 | |
In 1993, the Holbeck Hall Hotel was demolished | 0:30:29 | 0:30:34 | |
after its east wing was lost to coastal erosion. | 0:30:34 | 0:30:37 | |
When cracks started to show in Cornwall, | 0:30:44 | 0:30:46 | |
a local geologist was lucky enough | 0:30:46 | 0:30:49 | |
to capture a Rocky Horror Show on his phone. | 0:30:49 | 0:30:52 | |
SHRIEKING | 0:30:52 | 0:30:54 | |
Stretches of our coast do tumble into the sea - | 0:31:03 | 0:31:07 | |
a story they recognise at Lyme Regis. | 0:31:07 | 0:31:10 | |
These gentle slopes are evidence of the cliff's downfall, | 0:31:14 | 0:31:19 | |
and as the land slips, it spills the beans on its past life. | 0:31:19 | 0:31:24 | |
Cassie Newland is an archaeologist with a difference. | 0:31:26 | 0:31:31 | |
She's raking up history the town thought it had buried long ago. | 0:31:31 | 0:31:35 | |
Some archaeologists love Roman villas or Saxon hoards. | 0:31:36 | 0:31:40 | |
I like more unusual things, | 0:31:40 | 0:31:43 | |
and today I'm trawling for trash. | 0:31:43 | 0:31:45 | |
The 1950s is the birth of our modern throwaway society. | 0:31:49 | 0:31:53 | |
But what we chuck away as rubbish, | 0:31:53 | 0:31:55 | |
we're not expecting to get confronted by again. | 0:31:55 | 0:31:58 | |
Here at Lyme Regis, we can do just that, | 0:31:58 | 0:32:00 | |
and get into all the details | 0:32:00 | 0:32:02 | |
of people's everyday lives in the past, | 0:32:02 | 0:32:04 | |
when the sea cliffs give up their secrets. | 0:32:04 | 0:32:06 | |
Remarkably, these cliffs were once used as a rubbish dump. | 0:32:15 | 0:32:20 | |
Right on the edge of town, the locals can re-live past lives, | 0:32:23 | 0:32:27 | |
revealed from the old dump. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:29 | |
As the cliff crumbles, its curious contents litter the beach below. | 0:32:33 | 0:32:37 | |
We've got an actual kitchen sink! | 0:32:38 | 0:32:40 | |
And it's enamel. How '50s is that? | 0:32:43 | 0:32:46 | |
It's fascinating to think that these domestic relics | 0:32:47 | 0:32:50 | |
have lain hidden in the cliffs for decades. | 0:32:50 | 0:32:53 | |
I'm meeting local geologists Paddy and Chris | 0:32:53 | 0:32:56 | |
to make sense of the jumble. | 0:32:56 | 0:32:57 | |
They've sifted out some prize pieces. | 0:32:57 | 0:33:00 | |
-Chris, Paddy. -Hi. -Hello. | 0:33:00 | 0:33:03 | |
This looks interesting. Is there anything you know dates of? | 0:33:03 | 0:33:06 | |
That's 1937, that's a beer bottle top from Bridport. | 0:33:06 | 0:33:10 | |
-Fantastic. -So that's got a date. | 0:33:10 | 0:33:12 | |
Oh, I like that. | 0:33:12 | 0:33:13 | |
That was actually found the day before yesterday... | 0:33:13 | 0:33:16 | |
So that's George V. | 0:33:16 | 0:33:17 | |
..by my youngest son, Leon. | 0:33:17 | 0:33:19 | |
These ones you see give you a bit of a telltale. | 0:33:21 | 0:33:23 | |
They're...they're machine-made. | 0:33:23 | 0:33:25 | |
You can see that because they've got a seam going all the way down. | 0:33:25 | 0:33:28 | |
And the reason you can tell is it also goes all the way over the top, | 0:33:28 | 0:33:31 | |
so we know that these have to be after 1909, | 0:33:31 | 0:33:33 | |
when the machine that did that was invented. | 0:33:33 | 0:33:35 | |
We've got all of this interesting stuff | 0:33:36 | 0:33:39 | |
that's just falling out of the cliff. Is that normal? | 0:33:39 | 0:33:41 | |
When it gets wet, particularly in the winter, | 0:33:41 | 0:33:44 | |
the rocks over on that side, they fail and they slide down. | 0:33:44 | 0:33:47 | |
And it so happens the rubbish dump was up at the top of the cliff | 0:33:47 | 0:33:50 | |
and all of that came with it. | 0:33:50 | 0:33:51 | |
And all of this material fell down in May 2008 | 0:33:51 | 0:33:53 | |
when there was a very big fall, | 0:33:53 | 0:33:55 | |
-about three quarters of a million tonnes. -Gosh! | 0:33:55 | 0:33:58 | |
So we've got archaeology and geology. | 0:33:58 | 0:34:01 | |
Archaeology and geology literally all muddled up and all mixed up. | 0:34:01 | 0:34:04 | |
Out of sight and out of mind. | 0:34:05 | 0:34:08 | |
No-one gave a thought to the cliff top dump. | 0:34:08 | 0:34:11 | |
But oddly, the bin men who collected | 0:34:11 | 0:34:14 | |
the town's trash became local treasures. | 0:34:14 | 0:34:16 | |
No-one knew them better than Ken Gollop. | 0:34:16 | 0:34:19 | |
So, Ken, your dad was a dustman? | 0:34:21 | 0:34:23 | |
Yes. My old man was a dustman. | 0:34:23 | 0:34:25 | |
# He wears a dustman's hat | 0:34:25 | 0:34:27 | |
# He wears cor blimey trousers | 0:34:27 | 0:34:29 | |
# And he lives in a council flat. # | 0:34:29 | 0:34:31 | |
-Which one's your dad? -There you are. The big one. | 0:34:31 | 0:34:35 | |
-Actually, it does look like you. -The big one. | 0:34:35 | 0:34:37 | |
-They're amazing! -Yeah. | 0:34:37 | 0:34:38 | |
They were on their rounds one day and a gentleman was moving house. | 0:34:38 | 0:34:42 | |
And he had loads of bowler hats, top hats, | 0:34:42 | 0:34:45 | |
dress coats, morning coats and things. | 0:34:45 | 0:34:47 | |
He said to the dustmen, | 0:34:47 | 0:34:49 | |
"Look, I got all these, do what you like with them." | 0:34:49 | 0:34:52 | |
So, of course, Father being Father, | 0:34:52 | 0:34:55 | |
he put a set straight on | 0:34:55 | 0:34:57 | |
and they went around the town emptying dustcarts in top hats. | 0:34:57 | 0:35:00 | |
-Fantastic! -They were so popular and that, | 0:35:00 | 0:35:04 | |
that people used to stop and take photographs of them. | 0:35:04 | 0:35:06 | |
The sartorial binmen were tourist favourites, | 0:35:10 | 0:35:13 | |
but Lyme Regis was no holiday for them. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:16 | |
So, this is very steep, isn't it? | 0:35:16 | 0:35:18 | |
-This is a dustman's nightmare. -It is, isn't it? | 0:35:18 | 0:35:21 | |
The cliff edge is a top spot to share some lost treasure. | 0:35:22 | 0:35:26 | |
Hidden in the BBC archives, | 0:35:26 | 0:35:28 | |
I've dug up a recording Ken's never heard. | 0:35:28 | 0:35:31 | |
Now, Ken, tell me if you recognise this at all. | 0:35:31 | 0:35:36 | |
"You sound as though you enjoy your job. You're very happy." | 0:35:38 | 0:35:41 | |
"Oh, we four are the happiest men in Lyme. | 0:35:41 | 0:35:44 | |
-"Yes, happiest men in Lyme, sir." -That's my father. | 0:35:44 | 0:35:46 | |
"Oh, yes! We've had so many as 20 or 30 around us taking our photos. | 0:35:46 | 0:35:51 | |
"We've had our photos took over 1,000 times this summer." | 0:35:51 | 0:35:54 | |
"You're very interested in hats." | 0:35:54 | 0:35:56 | |
"Hats? Yes, sir. I expect I've got more hats than anybody in the land." | 0:35:56 | 0:36:00 | |
He was taking the mickey out of the interviewer, wasn't he? | 0:36:00 | 0:36:03 | |
He was, he was just...he was a clown all the time. | 0:36:03 | 0:36:07 | |
And he made the best of everything. | 0:36:07 | 0:36:10 | |
He really enjoyed his life, | 0:36:10 | 0:36:13 | |
and he made a lot of people happy, | 0:36:13 | 0:36:15 | |
and I think he realised he did that. | 0:36:15 | 0:36:18 | |
-I loved that! -Oh, that was really wonderful, that was. | 0:36:18 | 0:36:22 | |
The top-hatted dustmen of Lyme Regis are now long gone, | 0:36:24 | 0:36:28 | |
but this cliff top time capsule continues to reveal its secrets. | 0:36:28 | 0:36:33 | |
Oh, my goodness! | 0:36:33 | 0:36:35 | |
These are Crittall windows, these metal-framed windows. | 0:36:35 | 0:36:38 | |
If these were still in your house, | 0:36:38 | 0:36:40 | |
you wouldn't be allowed to take them out. | 0:36:40 | 0:36:42 | |
These may not be the jewels and relics some archaeologists crave, | 0:36:44 | 0:36:48 | |
but to me, they are priceless. | 0:36:48 | 0:36:51 | |
They tell the story of everyday people. | 0:36:51 | 0:36:53 | |
It's the archaeology of us. | 0:36:53 | 0:36:55 | |
We're scratching at the surface of our sea cliffs | 0:37:08 | 0:37:11 | |
to expose their secrets. | 0:37:11 | 0:37:13 | |
I've made my way to north Yorkshire, | 0:37:16 | 0:37:18 | |
but my precise location must remain under wraps. | 0:37:18 | 0:37:22 | |
Here on the Yorkshire coast, there's a small group of locals | 0:37:24 | 0:37:27 | |
who keep their cliff top activities rather secret. | 0:37:27 | 0:37:31 | |
This precipitous spot is famous for its cliff top walks. | 0:37:33 | 0:37:38 | |
The steep slopes keep many from the beach below, but not everyone. | 0:37:38 | 0:37:43 | |
Nothing comes between a Yorkshireman and his fish. | 0:37:43 | 0:37:47 | |
Only a select few know how to reach the real fishing hot spots. | 0:37:50 | 0:37:56 | |
At the bottom of these cliffs lies the area's best fishing ground, | 0:37:56 | 0:38:01 | |
and with some resourceful DIY, | 0:38:01 | 0:38:03 | |
Glen and Mike have constructed an interesting route | 0:38:03 | 0:38:07 | |
to the pleasure pools below. | 0:38:07 | 0:38:09 | |
So, how long have you been coming down here? | 0:38:10 | 0:38:12 | |
I would think I've been coming roughly 20 years now, | 0:38:12 | 0:38:15 | |
so we know it really well. | 0:38:15 | 0:38:17 | |
So is that white thing what you slide down on? What's that made of? | 0:38:17 | 0:38:21 | |
This is a fireman's hose. | 0:38:21 | 0:38:23 | |
NICK LAUGHS | 0:38:23 | 0:38:25 | |
This is unbelievable. | 0:38:35 | 0:38:38 | |
It's an incredibly long way down. | 0:38:38 | 0:38:40 | |
I had no idea fishermen did this kind of thing. | 0:38:40 | 0:38:43 | |
It's quite scary the first few times. | 0:38:47 | 0:38:49 | |
You do seem to get used to it the more you come. | 0:38:49 | 0:38:51 | |
At the bottom, you find the perfect boys' getaway. | 0:39:05 | 0:39:09 | |
But this beach doesn't give up its fishing secrets easily. | 0:39:09 | 0:39:14 | |
Hidden from view under the sea, | 0:39:14 | 0:39:17 | |
a deep channel lies unseen below these waves. | 0:39:17 | 0:39:21 | |
A gully carved into the seabed which funnels fish right up to the shore. | 0:39:21 | 0:39:26 | |
What you've got here is a lot deeper water in here. | 0:39:29 | 0:39:31 | |
And the fish, like, roam up and down looking for food. | 0:39:31 | 0:39:34 | |
So really this is about gully fishing, rather than open sea? | 0:39:34 | 0:39:38 | |
Gullies are the natural place for bait to rest, come to rest. | 0:39:38 | 0:39:41 | |
And the fish know that, you see. | 0:39:41 | 0:39:42 | |
But why is this fish-friendly gully | 0:39:44 | 0:39:46 | |
under these cliffs in the first place? | 0:39:46 | 0:39:49 | |
I think one of the main reasons why the gully fishes so well | 0:39:51 | 0:39:54 | |
is the fact that it was actually deepened by man through industry. | 0:39:54 | 0:39:58 | |
-You see the tunnels here? -Oh, right, yeah. | 0:39:58 | 0:40:01 | |
Workers tunnelling into the cliffs | 0:40:02 | 0:40:04 | |
also carved the underwater channel where the fish gather. | 0:40:04 | 0:40:09 | |
In the 18th century, | 0:40:09 | 0:40:11 | |
they quarried valuable minerals from the cliff edge. | 0:40:11 | 0:40:14 | |
But without a natural harbour, | 0:40:14 | 0:40:16 | |
they needed to gouge deep clefts into the seafloor | 0:40:16 | 0:40:20 | |
to berth their trading boats. | 0:40:20 | 0:40:22 | |
The boats may be gone, | 0:40:24 | 0:40:26 | |
but their berths are a happy fishing ground for those in the know, | 0:40:26 | 0:40:30 | |
and local industry brings other benefits. | 0:40:30 | 0:40:33 | |
We've sort of had a helping hand with the...another mining industry, | 0:40:35 | 0:40:39 | |
they're actually underneath us now mining away for potash. | 0:40:39 | 0:40:42 | |
And they have an outlet pipe which is about a mile out to sea. | 0:40:42 | 0:40:46 | |
And all the slurry and stuff that comes out of there | 0:40:46 | 0:40:49 | |
is mixed in with the water and it colours the water, | 0:40:49 | 0:40:51 | |
which is really good for fishing. | 0:40:51 | 0:40:53 | |
Why do the fish like cloudy water? | 0:40:53 | 0:40:56 | |
I think they've got more confidence to come inshore | 0:40:56 | 0:40:58 | |
looking for bait, especially during the daylight. | 0:40:58 | 0:41:01 | |
So without the hand of man, there wouldn't be good fishing here. | 0:41:01 | 0:41:04 | |
-It's a combination... -There'll always be fish there, | 0:41:04 | 0:41:06 | |
but it's been a lot better since that happened, without a doubt. | 0:41:06 | 0:41:10 | |
And how long might you just stand here like this, | 0:41:16 | 0:41:18 | |
waiting for something to happen? | 0:41:18 | 0:41:20 | |
If there's fish in the gully, they're at it straight away. | 0:41:20 | 0:41:23 | |
-Oh, really? -Yeah, yeah. -Fast. | 0:41:23 | 0:41:25 | |
Oh, he's got a fish. He's got a fish, yeah. | 0:41:25 | 0:41:28 | |
-Pouting. -Pouting. I haven't seen a pouting before. | 0:41:28 | 0:41:31 | |
Our sea cliffs are the setting for daring pursuits - | 0:41:43 | 0:41:47 | |
a grown-up's adventure playground, where danger brings delight. | 0:41:47 | 0:41:53 | |
It's a far cry from those dark days of the Second World War | 0:41:54 | 0:41:58 | |
when cliffs became a front line. | 0:41:58 | 0:42:01 | |
But sea cliffs still present an obstacle for our military. | 0:42:05 | 0:42:08 | |
A challenge looms at Whitsand Bay. | 0:42:09 | 0:42:12 | |
This tranquil shoreline is where families play by day. | 0:42:21 | 0:42:26 | |
By night, it hosts more dangerous manoeuvres. | 0:42:26 | 0:42:30 | |
Ex-soldier Andy Torbet is heading into battle, | 0:42:31 | 0:42:34 | |
where cliffs test the mettle of our armed forces. | 0:42:34 | 0:42:37 | |
When I was in the military, | 0:42:42 | 0:42:43 | |
part of my training was to scale sheer cliffs like these ones. | 0:42:43 | 0:42:48 | |
And once you've done it, it's an experience you'll never forget. | 0:42:48 | 0:42:52 | |
It takes strength, skill and sheer will to succeed. | 0:42:52 | 0:42:57 | |
This cliff is a challenge you've got to conquer | 0:42:57 | 0:43:00 | |
if you want to be a Royal Marine. | 0:43:00 | 0:43:02 | |
But if that's not tough enough, | 0:43:02 | 0:43:03 | |
these would-be Marines have to do it all at night. | 0:43:03 | 0:43:06 | |
And when they reach the top, they'll be facing enemy fire. | 0:43:06 | 0:43:10 | |
The Royal Marines specialise in amphibious assault. | 0:43:13 | 0:43:16 | |
For decades, climbing sea cliffs has been part of the job | 0:43:21 | 0:43:25 | |
and a critical challenge in their training. | 0:43:25 | 0:43:28 | |
Today, this cliff is what stands between a new generation of recruits | 0:43:28 | 0:43:33 | |
and their coveted green beret. | 0:43:33 | 0:43:35 | |
Replicating a real war situation, | 0:43:38 | 0:43:40 | |
an advance party is already setting ropes on the beach. | 0:43:40 | 0:43:44 | |
Sergeant Chris Lewis is about to fire the first shot. | 0:43:44 | 0:43:48 | |
Can you run me through what you're about to do? | 0:43:48 | 0:43:50 | |
We're going to fire this grapple launcher from the bottom | 0:43:50 | 0:43:53 | |
up to the top there to establish the cliff head. | 0:43:53 | 0:43:56 | |
-Well, I'll get out of your way and let you crack on. -Thanks a lot. | 0:43:56 | 0:43:59 | |
Cliff-assault training, | 0:44:10 | 0:44:12 | |
how important is that to training Royal Marines? | 0:44:12 | 0:44:14 | |
In my view, it's extremely important we set the standards. | 0:44:14 | 0:44:18 | |
It's what we train to do, it's a key skill | 0:44:18 | 0:44:19 | |
and it's something we can't really let go. | 0:44:19 | 0:44:22 | |
At the Plymouth HQ, the Commando recruits | 0:44:24 | 0:44:27 | |
make ready for tonight's mission. | 0:44:27 | 0:44:29 | |
This is rehearsal for a real war, | 0:44:29 | 0:44:33 | |
and it carries real risk. | 0:44:33 | 0:44:35 | |
I've got painful memories of just how dangerous exercises can be. | 0:44:35 | 0:44:39 | |
During training, I suffered a serious spinal injury, | 0:44:42 | 0:44:45 | |
which, at the time, the doctors thought was unfixable. | 0:44:45 | 0:44:48 | |
But with a bit of hard work and effort, | 0:44:48 | 0:44:50 | |
I managed to get myself back to the front line. | 0:44:50 | 0:44:52 | |
It's going to come full circle. 15 years later, | 0:44:52 | 0:44:55 | |
I'm back on a Royal Marines recruit exercise again. | 0:44:55 | 0:44:57 | |
I'll have to wait and see if the old body is up to the challenge. | 0:44:57 | 0:45:01 | |
Because on tonight's raid, I'm not just observing, I'm taking part. | 0:45:01 | 0:45:06 | |
I'm going to be embedded with the Royal Marines as a reporter, | 0:45:06 | 0:45:09 | |
which means I've got to climb up there, too, and record the action. | 0:45:09 | 0:45:14 | |
In an attack, the next man can't follow until you reach the top. | 0:45:14 | 0:45:19 | |
You've got to be fit and fast. | 0:45:19 | 0:45:22 | |
What you're looking for is to find the least-steep part of the cliff, | 0:45:24 | 0:45:27 | |
and once you start climbing, | 0:45:27 | 0:45:28 | |
use as much of the weight as you can on your legs and off your hands, | 0:45:28 | 0:45:32 | |
and keep your grip nice and loose and then just power up. | 0:45:32 | 0:45:35 | |
And tonight, the Marines will be carrying | 0:45:37 | 0:45:40 | |
all the kit they need to do the attack. | 0:45:40 | 0:45:43 | |
The mission is to reach and destroy this communications tower, | 0:45:47 | 0:45:52 | |
and tonight, that tower will be guarded | 0:45:52 | 0:45:55 | |
by over a dozen serving Marines. | 0:45:55 | 0:45:58 | |
Over at Plymouth HQ, the recruits are embarking. | 0:46:00 | 0:46:04 | |
Soon, we'll rendezvous under war conditions | 0:46:04 | 0:46:08 | |
as night falls and they hit the beach. | 0:46:08 | 0:46:11 | |
The troops are out there somewhere and the cliff is waiting for them. | 0:46:16 | 0:46:20 | |
And now darkness has fallen, | 0:46:20 | 0:46:21 | |
you can really appreciate just how hard a test this will be. | 0:46:21 | 0:46:24 | |
Out of the gloom, shadowy figures emerge. | 0:46:27 | 0:46:31 | |
Night vision reveals what the darkness conceals. | 0:46:31 | 0:46:34 | |
Silence is key for this next phase. | 0:46:39 | 0:46:41 | |
Any noise will alert the enemy to the lads' positions. | 0:46:41 | 0:46:45 | |
It's time to go. | 0:46:45 | 0:46:46 | |
In stealth, they regroup on the cliff top. | 0:46:59 | 0:47:02 | |
-WHISPERING: -So the troops split into three sections. | 0:47:03 | 0:47:05 | |
It's the third section I'm going to be attached with. | 0:47:05 | 0:47:08 | |
It's them that's will take that communication tower. | 0:47:08 | 0:47:11 | |
As the last men assemble, attack hour looms. | 0:47:11 | 0:47:15 | |
It's one minute to H hour, that's when the attack starts. | 0:47:15 | 0:47:18 | |
That's when it moves from a stealth operation | 0:47:18 | 0:47:20 | |
into something entirely more noisy. | 0:47:20 | 0:47:23 | |
Cover's broken. The cliff top is now a battlefield. | 0:47:27 | 0:47:31 | |
Guys, move on me! | 0:47:35 | 0:47:37 | |
INDISTINCT SHOUTING | 0:47:43 | 0:47:45 | |
The objective is over-run. | 0:47:48 | 0:47:50 | |
The comms tower is secured. Mission accomplished. | 0:47:50 | 0:47:54 | |
INDISTINCT SHOUTING | 0:48:00 | 0:48:01 | |
One Section's ready to move! | 0:48:03 | 0:48:04 | |
-What's the plan? -We'll be straight out of this position ASAP | 0:48:04 | 0:48:07 | |
and back down to the LCU on the beach. Abseil down. | 0:48:07 | 0:48:10 | |
Job done, they dissolve into the darkness. | 0:48:12 | 0:48:15 | |
It harkens back to the days of my youth, but it was, er... | 0:48:16 | 0:48:20 | |
..it was nice just to be able to keep up. | 0:48:20 | 0:48:22 | |
This cliff has had a taste of war | 0:48:24 | 0:48:27 | |
and put us all through our paces. | 0:48:27 | 0:48:29 | |
WAVES CRASH | 0:48:29 | 0:48:31 | |
JAUNTY MUSIC PLAYS | 0:48:34 | 0:48:36 | |
Scaling our coastal cliffs can test brains, as well as brawn. | 0:48:41 | 0:48:47 | |
There's more than one way to rise to the top. | 0:48:47 | 0:48:49 | |
One final, uplifting experience awaits me back in Yorkshire, | 0:49:00 | 0:49:05 | |
here at Saltburn-by-the-Sea. | 0:49:05 | 0:49:07 | |
This Victorian seaside resort is sitting pretty on the cliff edge, | 0:49:12 | 0:49:19 | |
and it's the spectacular cliff lift | 0:49:19 | 0:49:22 | |
that's the secret of the town's success. | 0:49:22 | 0:49:26 | |
This glorious invention allows holiday-makers to reach the beach. | 0:49:26 | 0:49:31 | |
The two carriages might look independent, | 0:49:34 | 0:49:38 | |
but they're ingeniously linked on a pulley system. | 0:49:38 | 0:49:41 | |
As one falls, its twin rises. | 0:49:41 | 0:49:45 | |
I'm meeting Paul Wakeford to get the full low-down. | 0:49:47 | 0:49:51 | |
-Hello, there. -Hello! -Mind if I have a snoop? | 0:49:51 | 0:49:54 | |
-What an incredible engine room. -It is. | 0:49:54 | 0:49:57 | |
How does it work? | 0:49:57 | 0:49:58 | |
Well, these trams weigh the same as each other. | 0:49:58 | 0:50:02 | |
I've just filled one with water | 0:50:02 | 0:50:03 | |
and it gets heavy and down it goes, pulls the other one up. | 0:50:03 | 0:50:06 | |
Close the doors... | 0:50:06 | 0:50:07 | |
..turn the tap on, start filling it. | 0:50:09 | 0:50:11 | |
How do you know when it's heavy enough? | 0:50:14 | 0:50:15 | |
There you go. It's now heavy enough with water. | 0:50:15 | 0:50:18 | |
-It goes off on its own. -Yes. | 0:50:18 | 0:50:20 | |
Down she goes. The sheer weight of it. | 0:50:22 | 0:50:24 | |
Gravity is making it work. | 0:50:24 | 0:50:26 | |
It can be people. If you had 12 people going down, no-one coming up, | 0:50:26 | 0:50:30 | |
you wouldn't need water. | 0:50:30 | 0:50:31 | |
The tram, when it gets to the bottom, | 0:50:37 | 0:50:39 | |
will empty all of the water out automatically. | 0:50:39 | 0:50:42 | |
-The water's down the bottom? -Yes. | 0:50:42 | 0:50:45 | |
It collects in a tank at the bottom. | 0:50:45 | 0:50:47 | |
And then we set the pump going, that's the only power needed | 0:50:47 | 0:50:50 | |
is to pump the water from the bottom tank back up to our top tank. | 0:50:50 | 0:50:53 | |
What do you call it? They're not carriages, are they? | 0:50:53 | 0:50:56 | |
It's a funicular tramway. | 0:50:56 | 0:50:58 | |
And it's funicular, not "funny colour", funicular! | 0:50:58 | 0:51:02 | |
There you go. Thank you very much. | 0:51:04 | 0:51:06 | |
It was in 1870 that the first cliff lift opened the beach to tourism, | 0:51:06 | 0:51:11 | |
but it took a few goes to get it right. | 0:51:11 | 0:51:13 | |
Originally, it did have a vertical drop of 120 feet, | 0:51:15 | 0:51:20 | |
but the walk out to the gantry to get it down, | 0:51:20 | 0:51:23 | |
you would have had to be brave. | 0:51:23 | 0:51:25 | |
The gantry out to the lift dissuaded Victorians | 0:51:26 | 0:51:29 | |
from braving a visit to the newly-built pier below. | 0:51:29 | 0:51:33 | |
But the lone hotel in this photo is now one of many. | 0:51:36 | 0:51:40 | |
Tourism took off, thanks to the funicular railway, | 0:51:41 | 0:51:47 | |
and on rainy days when holiday business is slow, | 0:51:47 | 0:51:50 | |
Paul finds a way to raise spirits, if not passengers. | 0:51:50 | 0:51:54 | |
# Until a certain little lady comes by | 0:51:55 | 0:51:59 | |
# Oh, me, oh, my | 0:51:59 | 0:52:03 | |
# She's absolutely wonderful | 0:52:03 | 0:52:05 | |
# Marvellous and beautiful | 0:52:05 | 0:52:07 | |
# And everyone will understand why | 0:52:07 | 0:52:10 | |
# I'm leaning on the lamppost at the corner of the street | 0:52:10 | 0:52:13 | |
# Until a certain little lady comes by. # | 0:52:13 | 0:52:17 | |
Originally, the Victorians would career down the cliff in 33 seconds. | 0:52:19 | 0:52:24 | |
A white-knuckle ride. | 0:52:24 | 0:52:26 | |
Today, for health and safety reasons, | 0:52:26 | 0:52:28 | |
it's a much more leisurely 55-second journey. | 0:52:28 | 0:52:32 | |
While the lift did the hard work, | 0:52:32 | 0:52:34 | |
the visitors could relax and take in the view | 0:52:34 | 0:52:37 | |
until they were deposited safely beside the seaside. | 0:52:37 | 0:52:40 | |
-Hello, there! -Thank you. | 0:52:40 | 0:52:43 | |
As I reach the end of my journey | 0:52:54 | 0:52:56 | |
perhaps I've arrived at the best secret of all - | 0:52:56 | 0:53:01 | |
how we've managed to surmount the challenges | 0:53:01 | 0:53:04 | |
presented by our sea cliffs. | 0:53:04 | 0:53:06 | |
Coming up with solutions to coastal conundrums | 0:53:06 | 0:53:10 | |
has created some of our most exciting environments. | 0:53:10 | 0:53:14 | |
Cliffs might look like dead-ends, | 0:53:14 | 0:53:17 | |
but they're where we think outside the box. | 0:53:17 | 0:53:19 | |
Where the edge of land is steepest, we're really tested. | 0:53:19 | 0:53:24 | |
On our sea cliffs, a secret and surprising world awaits. | 0:53:24 | 0:53:28 |