0:00:08 > 0:00:11We're about to discover a secret season.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17I've explored our shores over many summers,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20but there's one coast I've never shown you -
0:00:20 > 0:00:23our winter coast.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25When it's savaged by storms...
0:00:27 > 0:00:29..yet buzzing with life,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31if you know where to look.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36The team will reveal the winter wonders of our shores.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42We're going to the extremes, the four corners of our isles.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47Way out in the wild west there's a magical isle abandoned by man,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51where it's winter warfare for Andy.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52The rut is on!
0:00:54 > 0:00:59These sheep live or die without the help or interventions from humans.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04A different winter ritual awaits in the frozen north.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Neil unleashes his inner Viking...
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Raargh!
0:01:11 > 0:01:15..for the greatest fire festival in our isles.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19To put on something on this scale, I think it's genuinely breathtaking.
0:01:24 > 0:01:30It's the secret season of a seaside resort on our eastern edge.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Wildlife cameraman Richard Taylor-Jones reveals Margate's
0:01:35 > 0:01:38mysterious winter world.
0:01:38 > 0:01:44And I'm heading south-west, based at storm capital central - Cornwall.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52This is our Coast's secret season. Welcome to winter.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20To experience winter's extremes,
0:02:20 > 0:02:24I'm exploring our wild Atlantic coast, Cornwall.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30We imagine a shore of endless summer,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32sheltered beaches,
0:02:32 > 0:02:33tranquil water.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37But Cornwall's a Jekyll and Hyde coast.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Another character emerges in the secret season.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Winter grips the land with an icy hand.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Then the Cornish shore is battered.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08I'm basing myself here to discover some surprising benefits that
0:03:08 > 0:03:10also roll in with winter waves.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16But first, it's the power of this angry sea
0:03:16 > 0:03:19to claim lives that concerns me.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23A winter tragedy haunts the picturesque little
0:03:23 > 0:03:25port of Mousehole.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36This is the loveliest village in England - that's what the poet
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Dylan Thomas said, anyway, and a host of holiday-makers would agree.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46When the sun shines, Mousehole is a tourist hot spot.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52But this is the winter view that few get to see.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57When a more unwelcome visitor comes knocking -
0:03:57 > 0:03:59wild Atlantic water.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06As the year draws to a close, the village withdraws into itself.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Wooden barriers are used to block the harbour mouth
0:04:09 > 0:04:11from the raging seas outside.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Mousehole fears winter with good reason.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23It brought this village its greatest tragedy.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30One terrible night in December 1981 will never be forgotten
0:04:30 > 0:04:32along this coast.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Events centred on this building here,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38the old Penlee lifeboat station.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Grim headlines told a heart-breaking story.
0:04:43 > 0:04:49A coastal community engulfed in grief a week before Christmas 1981.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56The worst lifeboat disaster for over 60 years unfolded in a winter storm
0:04:56 > 0:04:59of unprecedented ferocity.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04A rescue helicopter hovered above a stricken ship trying to save
0:05:04 > 0:05:05those trapped on board.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10But 100mph winds forced the chopper back.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15The only hope of rescue was the Penlee Lifeboat.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22She was here on this slipway, the Solomon Browne.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27Her crew had a proud record of coming to the aid of those in peril.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32And here's the board listing the last rescues
0:05:32 > 0:05:34the Solomon Browne returned from.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36They went out on December 6th
0:05:36 > 0:05:39to help a fishing vessel called Quo Vadis.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46But the Penlee crew's last callout was the rescue attempt
0:05:46 > 0:05:49on December 19th 1981.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57In the midst of pre-Christmas celebrations, over 12 crewmen
0:05:57 > 0:06:01volunteered to brave the worst seas they'd ever seen.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08The lifeboat coxswain picked just seven to go with him.
0:06:12 > 0:06:18When these storm-proof doors were opened that night,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22the seas out here were absolutely mountainous.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28They had to wait for a gap in the waves before launching
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Solomon Browne down here, into what was effectively a hurricane.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39The lifeboat headed for the cargo ship in distress - the Union Star.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Her engine had failed, the sea crashing her against the rocks.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48The Union Star was helpless.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51There were eight people on board as well as the ship's crew
0:06:51 > 0:06:54and her skipper, the skipper's wife were there
0:06:54 > 0:06:56and two of his step-daughters.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03I've got here a recording of the rescue on that awful night.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23RECORDING STOPS
0:07:24 > 0:07:27"There's two left on board."
0:07:27 > 0:07:32That was the last the coastguard heard from the Penlee lifeboat.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35'Penlee lifeboat, Penlee lifeboat. Falmouth Coastguard, over.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38'Penlee lifeboat, Penlee lifeboat... Falmouth Coastguard, over.'
0:07:39 > 0:07:44All aboard the Union Star, including the skipper's family, died.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48And eight volunteer life boatmen
0:07:48 > 0:07:51lost their lives in that winter storm trying to save others.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57The Penlee lifeboat station was closed,
0:07:57 > 0:08:01but remains as a tribute to bravery beyond imagining.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Nothing has changed here for more than 30 years.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10It's been left exactly as it was on that night.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15The old lifeboat station stands defiant to the sea.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21But the spirit of her lost souls lives on in the next generation.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Newlyn Harbour is the new base for the Penlee lifeboat.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32The Coxswain is Patch Harvey.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37When you go past the Solomon Browne's old lifeboat house,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39- it's a poignant sight, isn't it? - Yeah,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41and it just reminds you that things can go wrong.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44What's it like going out here in winter?
0:08:44 > 0:08:47We get a lot of deep depressions that come through, big waves
0:08:47 > 0:08:51and a big swell. Conditions can be quite testing.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56In mid-December, I'm with the volunteers on a training exercise.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00In the middle of the night, no matter what they're doing,
0:09:00 > 0:09:01if the lifeboat's called, they come.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04It's hard for me to pick a crew sometimes, cos so many turn up.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06The commitment is amazing.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08There you go, look, there's the stricken fishing vessel
0:09:08 > 0:09:10The Sovereign.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14It's now turning into a man overboard situation.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30I wouldn't like to do this in a force eight at night,
0:09:30 > 0:09:32he weighs a tonne.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35That's all so incredibly fast.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39We've got the line, man!
0:09:39 > 0:09:42We've got the tow line to the stricken vessel
0:09:42 > 0:09:44and pulling it back to the safety of port.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48It's only blowing force five or six and it's daylight.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51You've got to imagine what it would be like in hurricane force winds,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53at night.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57This almost unimaginable level of commitment.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02Cornish lifeboat crews prepare to be busy
0:10:02 > 0:10:04in and out of port as winter approaches.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10At the same time, over on the far-flung shores of Scotland,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13there's a mass exodus going on.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17As the chill winds blow,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20summer-loving sea birds take to the sky.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25They fly south to see out winter in warmer climes.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30But there's a flock of four-legged creatures who've been
0:10:30 > 0:10:33stuck on an island since the Bronze Age.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40In winter, far in the west, they run wild on the isles of St Kilda.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Andy is taking up a seasonal challenge.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Because of the severe weather the winter brings the scheduled boats
0:10:50 > 0:10:53are all cancelled, so I've had to find an alternative
0:10:53 > 0:10:57method of transport, and I'm hitching a lift on that.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04This flight is ferrying vital supplies to isolated isles
0:11:04 > 0:11:06in the North Atlantic.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14After 40 miles, I catch my first glimpse of the craggy islands
0:11:14 > 0:11:17of St Kilda peeking through the mist.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23Look closely and there's evidence of houses. People once eked out
0:11:23 > 0:11:28a living here. But there's no longer any permanent residents.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30With all the people gone, who's left?
0:11:32 > 0:11:37St Kilda is home to Britain's only truly wild population of sheep.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Foul wintry rain is our welcome to the most remarkable
0:11:44 > 0:11:47flock of sheep in our isles.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49What's unique about these sheep is they're left totally
0:11:49 > 0:11:51to their own devices.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55They live or die without help or intervention from humans.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00They've had to fend for themselves and survive out here.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04There's not another flock of sheep like this anywhere in the UK.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10I'm here to explore a mystery surrounding these Soay sheep.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14There's a puzzle at the heart of this feral flock.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18The sheep are getting smaller.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20No, they're not shrinking
0:12:20 > 0:12:25in the rain, but over generations their average weight is falling.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29What's going on? The flock's been studied for decades.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33He's a lovely normal horned male, big horned male.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35They're researching the genetics of breeding.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42Take a circumference and length of his testicles. 349.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Jill Pilkington knows the flock better than most.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48These sheep are unique
0:12:48 > 0:12:52because man hasn't managed them for thousands of years.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54There's no immigration or emigration from the island
0:12:54 > 0:12:56so we have a closed population.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57These are the original sheep.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01All those white fluffy animals you see prancing around the fields...
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Yes, man saw a bit of white on one and said, oh I'll
0:13:03 > 0:13:07breed from that. Every sheep breed came from the Soay sheep.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12A Bronze Age farmer would recognise these sheep.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17They've lived virtually unchanged for at least 3,000 years.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24So why now have the new generation started to get smaller?
0:13:24 > 0:13:28November is the ideal time to study their breeding habits.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33I've been told as winter approaches love is in the air, because as
0:13:33 > 0:13:37the females come into oestrus right about now, the rut is on.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47During the rut, rams lock horns.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51They fight for the right to have a female all to themselves.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58OK, so here we have two males outside a cleet where there is
0:13:58 > 0:14:02a very big horn dominant male, holding a ewe in oestrus.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06He's guarding her from these boys until he's ready.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09- So if they were to try and... - That's not a good idea.- Yeah.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Before the rut they go in male groups
0:14:12 > 0:14:16and they're quite friendly with each other, but as soon as the rut
0:14:16 > 0:14:21starts they want to pass their genes on, and they will fight to the kill.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38At this time of year, the sheep are horny in more ways than one.
0:14:38 > 0:14:39It's the size of these horns
0:14:39 > 0:14:43that have aroused the interest of scientists.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46So, could it be their horns are the key to understanding why
0:14:46 > 0:14:48the sheep are getting smaller?
0:14:48 > 0:14:54You can have boys with very, very big horns or very small horns
0:14:54 > 0:14:57which we call skers and they don't mate as well with the ewes.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03The skers don't have the genes to produce big horns, the rams with
0:15:03 > 0:15:08that large horn gene fight better for females and have much more sex.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14I had expected the more aggressive horny males would be bigger,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18so the average size of the sheep would increase with breeding,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21but there's a twist in this winter's tale.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25The mean size of the sheep is getting smaller.
0:15:25 > 0:15:2623.4.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31Research actually shows the size of the horns doesn't affect
0:15:31 > 0:15:33the body weight of the rams.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37There's no genetic reason for the sheep to be getting smaller.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Maybe the fact they're shrinking has to do with their winter diet.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46They forget to eat for the month of November, shall we say,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48they can lose a third of their body weight.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50They're too busy mating?
0:15:50 > 0:15:52That's right, yes.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56And therefore when they remember to eat, for some of them it's too late.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Winter is traditionally tough for the starving rams,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06and the new lambs, but recent winters have been warmer,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09kinder on the flock and their grass.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15With climate change, the winter is starting later
0:16:15 > 0:16:19and ending sooner, so that period of non-growth of grass is very short,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22so the sheep are surviving through the winters.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28I'm surprised it's no longer just survival of the fittest.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31It's a bit of a shock that life is getting easier out here.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36Warmer winters make more grass, so weaker sheep cling on.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39We're getting the little tiddlers coming through
0:16:39 > 0:16:41being weighed in the spring or the summer
0:16:41 > 0:16:46and we know that that is bringing the mean weight down.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49More of the smaller ones are surviving through winter.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Absolutely.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57It seems as winters warm up, St Kilda's sheep shrink.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Let's hear it for the little guys!
0:17:04 > 0:17:07It's been a privilege to see the sheep and to watch them
0:17:07 > 0:17:09as they go through their annual ritual
0:17:09 > 0:17:13and cling to life at the very edge of the most remote part of the UK.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34We're exploring what becomes of our coast in winter.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45To experience a secret season of wild rough seas,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48I'm based in Cornwall.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54When wild waters are in a mood they're best left alone.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Mariners make for shore.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Newlyn is officially designated a harbour of refuge -
0:18:02 > 0:18:04a very welcome port in a winter storm.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10The harbour earned its title because it has water in it at all times and
0:18:10 > 0:18:17seasons - a safe haven that's been reinforced since the 14th century.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Harbours can save ships, but sometimes it's the harbour itself
0:18:21 > 0:18:24that's in peril from the wild winter seas.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Not even Newlyn's defences can withstand the worst winter storms.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Recently, the sea's done a smash-and-grab raid
0:18:43 > 0:18:45all along our shore.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Coastal communities are left to count the cost...
0:18:52 > 0:18:56of what's been washed up,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58and washed away.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07The sea's been coming in the night to claim houses for centuries.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13In search of a whole settlement wiped off the map in winter,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16scour the shingle at Lilstock.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Mark's unearthing how a port
0:19:21 > 0:19:25and its people can vanish with a winter storm.
0:19:28 > 0:19:35This may seem an empty and barren beach, but as the tide goes out what
0:19:35 > 0:19:37is revealed are traces
0:19:37 > 0:19:41of a long-forgotten and enigmatic structure.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46You can see the slabs of stone set upright all the way along,
0:19:46 > 0:19:52and the flat paving stones. And it's built to withstand the sea.
0:19:52 > 0:19:59And at low tide it goes right out for literally 100 yards or so.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02I suspect it's some sort of breakwater or other.
0:20:02 > 0:20:08Further up the beach are other ghostly reminders of a time
0:20:08 > 0:20:10when this was a working landscape.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15From all this shingle that's been thrown up by the sea,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19this structure is emerging, it's a bit like a Middle Eastern ziggurat,
0:20:19 > 0:20:24it's all carefully laid stones, curving around to the side.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27And I suppose here on the beach it must be some
0:20:27 > 0:20:30remains of a harbour or wharf or something like that.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38These structures start to make sense on this map from 1903.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Built out into the sea, here's the breakwater.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51And look - the harbour wall, now it's buried in shingle.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57It appears this was a working port.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03There should be a lime kiln and buildings hidden in the bushes.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08The archaeologist who has explored the remains is Alex Copsey.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11- Hi Alex.- Hi.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Only now in winter,
0:21:13 > 0:21:18with the vegetation dying, is its overgrown history revealed.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22It must be a nightmare to see any of this in the summer.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Yes, my first trip here was in mid-summer wading through
0:21:25 > 0:21:27undergrowth to find things. Now that
0:21:27 > 0:21:29it's winter it's a lot more visible.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33- There's the lime kiln around the corner.- Oh, look there it is.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34With lime still here.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- From the last firing.- Yes.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40If you stand above it, there's a big cylindrical hole which
0:21:40 > 0:21:42goes down inside it and that's where
0:21:42 > 0:21:44they would have fed the limestone and coal inside,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47and then they would have raked out the lime from underneath.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Well, of course lime burning is a very important industry
0:21:49 > 0:21:52in the 19th century for agriculture, lime for the fields and...
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Yeah, and whitewashing houses...
0:21:54 > 0:21:56just really used in many different aspects.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58There's limestone behind, you can
0:21:58 > 0:22:01take it to the Welsh, who don't have much.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04- I can see a fireplace. - A very large fireplace.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08- Huge.- There was a pub in Lilstock called The Limpet Shell
0:22:08 > 0:22:09and this is probably it.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14Hang on, I want to look up the chimney. Oh, look there we are!
0:22:14 > 0:22:19This pub, The Limpet Shell, was buzzing with workers enjoying ales
0:22:19 > 0:22:22around the fireplace.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27Now, it's a lost industrial landscape that once prospered
0:22:27 > 0:22:29thanks to the sea.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31The lime kiln,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35that lime was probably shipped out from Lilstock
0:22:35 > 0:22:39over the Bristol Channel to Wales,
0:22:39 > 0:22:41and coal brought back to the harbour.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47The community thrived for generations
0:22:47 > 0:22:50but then disappeared completely.
0:22:50 > 0:22:51What happened?
0:22:53 > 0:22:58This charming Victorian port once attracted day trippers
0:22:58 > 0:23:00stopping off on the steamer.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08How did the winter seas blow them and the workers away?
0:23:08 > 0:23:11To find out, I'm going to travel further along the coast.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Only a pebble throw away is the harbour at Porlock Weir.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25When the tide's out it's a sleepy spot,
0:23:25 > 0:23:30but the locals are wary when the winter sea rolls in.
0:23:30 > 0:23:37Storms have a habit of causing havoc, as Derek Purvis knows.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40So was this once the channel into the harbour?
0:23:40 > 0:23:41That's right, Mark, yes.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45You've got this picture... Gosh, it's changed so much.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Yes over the years, yes.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50There's the lock gates there and the hotel.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52The channel came from there right down there,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55and that was the original entrance.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58And there's the channel coming up through from there right up through.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Underneath all this shingle?
0:24:00 > 0:24:06Yeah. The storm of 1910, it changed the harbour completely.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08A winter storm just shifted all this shingle.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12That's right, Mark, yes, yeah. One night, just on high water.
0:24:14 > 0:24:20The devastating storm of 1910 pushed this huge pile of pebbles
0:24:20 > 0:24:22up from the beach,
0:24:22 > 0:24:27completely blocking the old entrance to the harbour,
0:24:27 > 0:24:31forcing them to dig a new channel to the sea.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Is this the channel they cut after the big storm in 1910?
0:24:36 > 0:24:37That's right, yeah.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40And I can see there's a shingle bank there already developing.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Well, that shingle ridge came about three weeks ago after that
0:24:43 > 0:24:45storm we had, and that's what happened.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48So you're going to have to shift it again for the summer?
0:24:48 > 0:24:50That's right, yeah.
0:24:50 > 0:24:56The powerful winter sea plays cruel tricks on this coast,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59waves ruin livelihoods on a whim.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05The workers back here at Lilstock woke up one morning
0:25:05 > 0:25:08and their harbour was history.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13Now I've been to Porlock I can begin to understand how this place works.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17You can kind of imagine ships all moored up along the end,
0:25:17 > 0:25:22and here on the 1880 Ordnance Survey map is marked "sluice".
0:25:25 > 0:25:27I think this must be it,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30these are the abutments of probably a pair of lock gates
0:25:30 > 0:25:34that would have retained the water and they would have kept the
0:25:34 > 0:25:39channel clear by sluicing the water out through the harbour out to sea.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42But look, something terrible has happened.
0:25:48 > 0:25:54On December 28th 1900, a massive winter storm
0:25:54 > 0:25:56roared in from the Bristol Channel
0:25:59 > 0:26:04and threw up this shingle bank, closing the harbour for ever.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10It cost too much to create a new harbour.
0:26:10 > 0:26:17The people were left high and dry. Livelihoods lost, they drifted away.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Lilstock disappeared, the coast moved on.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30This Victorian railway in Devon has its own long-running battle
0:26:30 > 0:26:32with winter seas.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36In summer it makes glorious sense.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41But when it was built the locals warned that storms could
0:26:41 > 0:26:42derail everything.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Yet Isambard Kingdom Brunel pressed on with his plans,
0:26:49 > 0:26:54and in 1847, it connected the southwest to the main line.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02This track has been at war with winter weather ever since.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11In February 2014, a storm struck a decisive blow.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15The service was severed for weeks.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20But at the end of the line
0:27:20 > 0:27:25a secret wealth of winter riches awaits in Cornwall.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34Despite the sea's destructive power, amazingly the Cornish also
0:27:34 > 0:27:39welcome winter waves, for the warmth they bring.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47It may seem crazy going for a winter paddle but the water's not
0:27:47 > 0:27:52actually that cold. After months of being warmed by the summer
0:27:52 > 0:27:57sun our seas are actually warmer in November than they are in May.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04A satellite thermal image shows the relatively red-hot winter sea
0:28:04 > 0:28:05around Cornwall.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09The Gulf Stream brings warm water,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13and it also warms the air around our south-west shore.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Look at Cornwall surrounded by water.
0:28:22 > 0:28:28The sea around it acts like a giant hot water bottle, warming the land.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33So a relatively warm climate is a winter secret canny coastal folk
0:28:33 > 0:28:34make the most of.
0:28:36 > 0:28:42On the mainland behind St Michael's Mount, there's a strip of green
0:28:42 > 0:28:45that's known as the golden mile.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49A piece of farmland that profits in winter.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Here on the hillside, the farmers have a lofty advantage
0:28:53 > 0:28:55over their rivals inland.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02Warm sea air bathing sunny south-facing slopes keeps
0:29:02 > 0:29:05the temperature up deep into winter.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09Which is crucial to farmer John Wallis.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12So John, we're a week away from Christmas
0:29:12 > 0:29:14and you're out here harvesting food.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16Yeah, well, we've got a microclimate,
0:29:16 > 0:29:17that's what it's all about,
0:29:17 > 0:29:19that's why this is the golden mile.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23The risk of frost is a lot less than the rest of the country.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26- Look, if you imagine that. - That is beautiful.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30If we had a frost last night, that would be ruined.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33The people who traditionally grow lots of cauliflower
0:29:33 > 0:29:37up in Lincolnshire wouldn't risk planting too much during the winter
0:29:37 > 0:29:41because it is a very high risk for them, but it is a low risk for us.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45But a good cauli needs more than a good climate.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47This is very dark soil, isn't it?
0:29:47 > 0:29:50Yeah, well, it's because it's full of seaweed.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52- Seaweed?- Yes, seaweed.
0:29:52 > 0:29:53Why seaweed?
0:29:53 > 0:29:59It's such a rich source of organic material, full of trace elements
0:29:59 > 0:30:03and minerals, and it's really good compost for growing crops.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06This is an old picture, have a look at this.
0:30:06 > 0:30:07- This is these guys on the beach. - Oh, wow.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10And you imagine how many trailer loads you would have to
0:30:10 > 0:30:14put across here, to build up just one inch of soil.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16So how thick is this layer of fertile soil?
0:30:16 > 0:30:18It averages 18 inches deep.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20That is amazing.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23- It is amazing.- You've raised the land surface 18 inches.- Yeah.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27Before the age of fertilisers this was land management
0:30:27 > 0:30:33on a massive scale, improving the poor topsoil around St Michael's.
0:30:34 > 0:30:40This 200-year-old illustration shows horse-drawn carts for carrying seaweed.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45But it was the arrival of the railways opening up new wider
0:30:45 > 0:30:51markets for fresh produce that put Operation Seaweed into overdrive.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56We owe them such a debt of gratitude.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00We wouldn't be able to farm the way that we farm now without that.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06The mild Cornish winter lets John steal
0:31:06 > 0:31:08a march on his cauliflower competitors.
0:31:10 > 0:31:16But the farm's real secret is the ability to plant seed potatoes in winter.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19What advantage are you getting by putting
0:31:19 > 0:31:20these in the ground in winter?
0:31:20 > 0:31:23We can get them out of the ground earlier than anybody else, and
0:31:23 > 0:31:28into the market when there's hardly any British produce in the market.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32'In a good year John plants in mid-December to
0:31:32 > 0:31:37'harvest in late April, beating most other farmers to get the best price.'
0:31:38 > 0:31:42- The first potatoes, they can be around £1,000 a tonne.- Yeah.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47And the price will crash and crash and crash so quickly. As more
0:31:47 > 0:31:51produce comes into the market it will drop £100 a tonne a day.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54- What?! - Yeah, £100 a tonne a day.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57So when you're tucking into your first British
0:31:57 > 0:32:01potatoes of the year, piping hot, sweet, glazed in butter
0:32:01 > 0:32:04and sprinkled with mint, you know who to thank.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12For most of our coast the big money-spinner isn't soil.
0:32:12 > 0:32:18Converting sand and sea into cash is the trick for successful resorts.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22As the sun sets on summer,
0:32:22 > 0:32:27spectacular light shows extend the season at places like Blackpool.
0:32:28 > 0:32:34They brighten up Autumn, bringing a last wave of tourists.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39But in winter when we leave the seaside, a secret season
0:32:39 > 0:32:41begins for wildlife.
0:32:43 > 0:32:48To see the natural wonders we miss, we're off to Margate.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01Wildlife cameraman Richard Taylor-Jones reveals a rich
0:33:01 > 0:33:03variety of creatures.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11I'm proud to call this Eastern corner of Kent home.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Yet for many it's a winter coast left behind.
0:33:16 > 0:33:17A coast forgotten.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28But this very special seaside has secrets, natural secrets,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30and they bring this winter world to life.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48Wading birds, feathered migrants on the wing from their Arctic
0:33:48 > 0:33:49summer breeding grounds.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54Our coast is a much warmer winter home,
0:33:54 > 0:33:57and here they'll stay until spring.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08Sanderlings and turnstones are the most common sight.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14Pecking and prodding at whelk egg cases washed in by the sea.
0:34:16 > 0:34:21And as the sea washes out, tidal rock pools are revealed.
0:34:24 > 0:34:29Oystercatchers hunt the pools, a low winter tide making them
0:34:29 > 0:34:31more accessible for them and me.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42Starfish prowl with touching tentacles.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45A hermit crab sits filtering microscopic
0:34:45 > 0:34:52food from seemingly empty space, and a shanny looks on hungrily,
0:34:52 > 0:34:58waiting for what heavy winter seas surge in.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04And one more seasonal secret to share,
0:35:04 > 0:35:10from more exotic shores, wild ring-necked parakeets.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16It may be winter, but these birds are already
0:35:16 > 0:35:21thinking about breeding, seeking nests next to our wintry seas.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28Whether they were released into the wild, or took flight themselves,
0:35:28 > 0:35:32they bring colour in the bleakest of seasons.
0:35:37 > 0:35:42So, Margate, an empty winter world?
0:35:42 > 0:35:48No, I don't think so. I don't think it's empty at all.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58We're in the deep midwinter.
0:36:00 > 0:36:05As the land freezes, the coast rises to the challenge.
0:36:11 > 0:36:16Our ports keep us fuelled up with gas, oil and coal.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Fleets of boats also keep us fed.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32In Cornwall there's a little band of fishermen who only set sail
0:36:32 > 0:36:34when winter arrives.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39In search of a seasonal catch I'm on the Fal Estuary.
0:36:41 > 0:36:46It's a chilly December morning, but there's a warm air of anticipation.
0:36:46 > 0:36:52Out in the estuary is a prize fishermen have been eyeing for months.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Now winter's here, the hunt is on for oysters.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02Harvesting shellfish is an age-old pastime in these parts.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06But why wait for winter to cast-off for oysters?
0:37:06 > 0:37:09And why do fishermen insist on doing it under sail?
0:37:12 > 0:37:15I'm hooking up with a fifth generation oyster man.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21'Tim Vinnicombe goes winter dredging for the shellfish on his classic boat, the Boy Willie.'
0:37:21 > 0:37:26If you can take her about, Nick, I'll get the dredges ready, to see
0:37:26 > 0:37:29if we can catch a few oysters later.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32Tim, how long have you worked with this boat?
0:37:32 > 0:37:34Well it's been in my family since 1923,
0:37:34 > 0:37:39it's the oldest boat in the harbour by far, and here we can see,
0:37:39 > 0:37:44this is Boy Willie probably in about 1950 I would guess.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46And who's that standing in the deck...?
0:37:46 > 0:37:49That's my father. He always wore his beret.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52So what I'm going to do now, Nick, is we're about to start dredging.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54- Ready to go? - Yeah, all ready to go.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56Perfect.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01The oysters are found on the sea bed.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05To harvest them a dredge is dragged along under power of sail.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12So why, Tim, are you using sailing boats in this day and age?
0:38:12 > 0:38:15You know many years ago obviously they did use sailboats
0:38:15 > 0:38:18all the time, and it's obviously been a very successful method
0:38:18 > 0:38:19to conserve the stock.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22There was a big panic when they brought engines out
0:38:22 > 0:38:25and they thought, "they're going to ruin everything".
0:38:25 > 0:38:26Of course in some places that was right.
0:38:26 > 0:38:32For these slow moving wind-powered dredgers winter is crucial -
0:38:32 > 0:38:35there's less growth on the sea bed.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Basically you wouldn't be able to fish in the summer anyway cos
0:38:38 > 0:38:41you get a lot of weed on the bottom and the dredges clog up,
0:38:41 > 0:38:45and the oysters they wouldn't be fit to eat then cos they're spawning.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48- Not a bad haul.- Yeah, got lots of shells anyway.- Yeah.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51All the shells we call cultch.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54So the cultch are all the empty shells that have been chucked back in over the years.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57That's right. Some of the oysters die naturally you see.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00You can see how an oyster, he lands on a piece of cultch
0:39:00 > 0:39:03and he grows there, so this is a cultch tack, and then we...
0:39:03 > 0:39:04Knock that off.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08We clean that up, and that's a perfectly good oyster,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11that's about an 80 gram oyster, I suppose.
0:39:11 > 0:39:12OK.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15We actually have a ring here just alongside you,
0:39:15 > 0:39:18that we actually check the size of the oysters now.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21He's OK. And how old would this one be roughly?
0:39:21 > 0:39:24I think that oyster is probably six or seven years old.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28- So they've got to grow for six or seven years before you can take them out of the sea?- Yeah.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43Very difficult to tell an oyster from a rotting shell.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45It all looks the same to me.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Bingo, I've got one.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58It's incredibly labour intensive.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01If you're trying to sail a big old heavy wooden boat
0:40:01 > 0:40:04and operate two dredges, do you do this on your own?
0:40:04 > 0:40:06Yeah, yeah, I mean a lot of the guys do it on their own,
0:40:06 > 0:40:08you get used to it, you know.
0:40:12 > 0:40:18After a hard day's graft in December, time to sample the reward.
0:40:18 > 0:40:19Well, I hope it's rewarding.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24I think it was Jonathan Swift who said
0:40:24 > 0:40:27"he was a brave man that first ate an oyster." Well, this is a bravery test
0:40:27 > 0:40:32for me because I've got to confess I've never eaten an oyster and erm...
0:40:32 > 0:40:35- You eat them completely raw?- Yeah. - No salt, nothing on at all?
0:40:35 > 0:40:39Personally I like them natural and just chew them up and savour that taste.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42- OK. - Watch out for a bit of shell.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48Mm. You'll find them quite salty.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51All right, here goes.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Mm...
0:41:01 > 0:41:02That's an experience.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05- It's an acquired taste. - That's a very strong taste.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09- That's the strongest tasting seafood I've ever had.- Yeah.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13It's fleshy, isn't it?
0:41:13 > 0:41:17Yes, very fleshy. Some people like it with a squeeze of lemon, Tabasco sauce, what have you.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20A squeeze of lemon perhaps for you on your first attempt might have been better.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23It's the slithery slimy texture that gets you first,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26if you've never had one before. It's like eating a sort of crushed slug.
0:41:26 > 0:41:31The French eat snail, don't they? Now I couldn't eat a snail to save my life, but oysters, yeah.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36The bitter December winds Cornish oystermen put to good use
0:41:36 > 0:41:41also blow over the frozen peaks of the Scottish Highlands.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48Winter daylight is in short supply this far north.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Long nights need livening up.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55On the northeast coast at Stonehaven it's the last night of the year.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57MUSIC PLAYS
0:41:57 > 0:42:01And on Hogmanay they go hog wild.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07Yay! Woo-hoo!
0:42:07 > 0:42:10Great balls of fire indeed.
0:42:10 > 0:42:17But for the greatest fire festival in Europe keep heading north.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19And north.
0:42:21 > 0:42:22And even further north.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Until you can travel no further.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41Then you've arrived at Shetland.
0:42:45 > 0:42:50Here on the last Tuesday in every January, the sky burns.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54An experience to warm Neil's heart.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57"Now is the winter of our discontent."
0:42:57 > 0:43:01And the glorious Shetland summer is a distant memory!
0:43:06 > 0:43:10In this bleak season some of Britain's strongest winds
0:43:10 > 0:43:12whip over the island's flat table top.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20The land is scoured by driving rain and hail in winter.
0:43:20 > 0:43:25On the shortest day there's just six hours of daylight.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34No wonder the good folk of Shetland feel the need of a party to
0:43:34 > 0:43:37ward off the winter blues.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39And what makes a party go with a real bang?
0:43:40 > 0:43:41Vikings.
0:43:45 > 0:43:50These guys are upholding a long-standing island tradition.
0:43:50 > 0:43:55A love affair with Viking warrior ancestors, and a festival of fire.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58You've got to see this, it's a little film that was shot
0:43:58 > 0:44:02in the 1950s. You can see hundreds of Vikings with horned helmets, each
0:44:02 > 0:44:05one of them is carrying a flaming torch, and look, there's a
0:44:05 > 0:44:09dragon-headed longship being hauled through the streets of the town.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16This epic Viking celebration has set Shetland alight every
0:44:16 > 0:44:21winter for over a century. This is Up Helly Aa.
0:44:21 > 0:44:23CHEERING
0:44:25 > 0:44:31Today's photo-call is about publicity for the Up Helly Aa fire festival.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35Everything about it suggests it's a genuine Viking tradition.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Even the name Up Helly Aa is suitably Scandinavian.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42But I know a wee bit about Vikings, and I've always suspected
0:44:42 > 0:44:47that something about Up Helly Aa isn't all that it seems,
0:44:47 > 0:44:51so I want to discover the real truth about Shetland's festival of fire.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58The leader of this Viking horde is the so-called Guizer Jarl.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01'This year the honour falls to Ivor Cluness.'
0:45:03 > 0:45:08Ivor, how long does it take every year to get this organised?
0:45:08 > 0:45:12Well, we've been designing and making our suits for two years now.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14Two years. Does it take over your life?
0:45:14 > 0:45:17I don't think so but my wife would probably agree with that.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19Really it's fun,
0:45:19 > 0:45:22but is there kind of a deeper significance for you guys?
0:45:22 > 0:45:25'I think definitely. People from Shetland believe that there's
0:45:25 > 0:45:27'still a little bit of Norse in them.'
0:45:27 > 0:45:30I've got to ask you, are you or do you think you are a Viking?
0:45:30 > 0:45:34Oh, I can't be dressed like this today and not think that.
0:45:34 > 0:45:35THEY LAUGH
0:45:38 > 0:45:42'Vikings are literally in the blood of folk here.
0:45:42 > 0:45:46'DNA tests have shown many Shetlanders have Scandinavian ancestors.'
0:45:49 > 0:45:52To get to the roots of Up Helly Aa I'm going back over 1,000 years,
0:45:52 > 0:45:58to when the Vikings first rolled in over the North Sea.
0:46:02 > 0:46:07This is Jarlshof, a remarkable settlement at the Southern tip of Shetland.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13People have hunkered down here against winter weather since Neolithic times.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20Then around AD 800 the Vikings moved in.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24Archaeologist Val Turner knows how the Scandinavians made
0:46:24 > 0:46:26themselves at home.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30So this is unmistakably a Viking long house,
0:46:30 > 0:46:33- so with living down there and the animals in here.- Yeah.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37This is pretty brutal weather even by Shetland standards,
0:46:37 > 0:46:41how are the Vikings living and making themselves comfortable and enjoying life?
0:46:41 > 0:46:46Well, they would have a huge long hearth in the middle of the living
0:46:46 > 0:46:50area, and inside the stone and turf walls you'd have timber lining,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53you'd probably have woven cloth and skins and things on the wall.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57But you can very much imagine that the focus of life would have been the fires.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00Certainly in weather like this, yeah.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03You see, I suppose, the inspiration for the modern festival
0:47:03 > 0:47:06of Up Helly Aa because the Vikings would have been all about fire.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10Well, these stones they're heat shattered. You can see from the colouring
0:47:10 > 0:47:12that they've been heated in a fire
0:47:12 > 0:47:14and then they've come into contact with water.
0:47:14 > 0:47:19And they may have been for cooking, and it may have been from a sauna.
0:47:19 > 0:47:20Oh, really?
0:47:20 > 0:47:25Yeah, and one of the outbuildings here looks as if it was a sauna.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29Wow. That gives a nice unexpected angle, cos you think about life here
0:47:29 > 0:47:32being very harsh, but a sauna sounds like luxury.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37The Vikings carried their hothouse tradition with them
0:47:37 > 0:47:41when they left the frozen fjords of Norway in the ninth century.
0:47:45 > 0:47:50Exactly why they struck out from their icy motherland is still shrouded in mystery.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56But we do know how they got to the Scottish Isles.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01I rode in a replica longship when I was in Norway for Coast.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04Such craft propelled the Vikings to Britain.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10The torching of a longship has for over a century been
0:48:10 > 0:48:14the climax of Shetland's Up Helly Aa fire festival.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19Is burning the boat a tradition they've inherited from the Vikings?
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Would Vikings have done that? Would they have disposed of such
0:48:22 > 0:48:26a valuable creation as a ship in that way?
0:48:26 > 0:48:29Well, of course they did bury their dead in ships and there's
0:48:29 > 0:48:34plenty of evidence of that, but there's only one documented
0:48:34 > 0:48:40example of them having buried someone and set fire to the ship.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44Looks like the long ship ritual has gone up in flames.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47If that's not historically accurate,
0:48:47 > 0:48:49how about the dress of the modern day Norsemen?
0:48:49 > 0:48:53Clearly there's a bit of showbiz involved in what they're
0:48:53 > 0:48:57wearing, but how close to anything authentic have we got here?
0:48:57 > 0:49:00Well, certainly they could have had the cow skin cloaks
0:49:00 > 0:49:04and the tunics. The helmets with wings on, I think that would
0:49:04 > 0:49:07probably hamper you going into battle, so that's not very
0:49:07 > 0:49:11authentic. But don't take it too seriously, it's a piece of fun.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15'And the Shetlanders love it.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18'Every January these local celebrities live it up,
0:49:18 > 0:49:20'come what may.'
0:49:20 > 0:49:25Apparently it's the worst weather for an Up Helly Aa in 21 years or more.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28'But come on, they're Vikings, so they can probably take it.'
0:49:28 > 0:49:31CHEERING
0:49:35 > 0:49:38Oh, looks just the part. There's a beard missing though.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42- Go on give us your roar. - Come on, Neil!
0:49:42 > 0:49:44THEY ROAR
0:49:44 > 0:49:48'Real Norse warriors wouldn't recognise themselves in Up Helly Aa.
0:49:48 > 0:49:53'These are party Vikings in playful dress with made-up traditions.
0:49:56 > 0:50:00'It's a whole lot of fun right enough, but who made it up?'
0:50:06 > 0:50:09The origins of the fire festival go back two centuries,
0:50:09 > 0:50:13to veterans returning from the Napoleonic wars,
0:50:13 > 0:50:17or so I'm told by Up Helly Aa expert Brian Smith.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22Young men came back to Shetland having seen all that action,
0:50:22 > 0:50:24all that fire, all that light
0:50:24 > 0:50:27in the Napoleonic Wars.
0:50:27 > 0:50:32These guys decided that they wanted to liven things up in dark, boring Lerwick.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37First of all they went around with guns. There are accounts
0:50:37 > 0:50:42of small bombs being placed on people's doorsteps, and then they
0:50:42 > 0:50:46got burning tar barrels and pulled them around the town in sledges.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50- So it was a real lawless rabble? - It was utterly lawless.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53When do we get anything that we would
0:50:53 > 0:50:57recognise as the Up Helly Aa festival that we see today?
0:50:57 > 0:51:02What happened is in the early 1870s the promoters,
0:51:02 > 0:51:06people like Sandy Ratter and his friend Willie Sinclair wanted
0:51:06 > 0:51:12to try a festival with disguise in it, and they called it Up Helly Aa.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16The Viking idea arrived on the scene
0:51:16 > 0:51:22when a translation of the Orkneyinga Saga into English was produced.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25The Orkneyinga Saga is a written account of Viking
0:51:25 > 0:51:28adventures in the Northern Isles.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32It was translated into English in 1873.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36It was then that the islanders rediscovered their Norse heritage.
0:51:37 > 0:51:42And the Shetlanders really get stuck into that Viking theme.
0:51:42 > 0:51:47So for something that feels so old, it's actually quite a fresh and evolving idea.
0:51:47 > 0:51:51Yes, it's the perfect example of the invented tradition in the 19th century.
0:51:53 > 0:51:58From humble and recent beginnings it's grown to become Europe's largest fire festival.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06HE ROARS
0:52:06 > 0:52:10'For Ivor, the Guizer Jarl and his squad, the wait is over.'
0:52:13 > 0:52:16Now that is an impressive sight. I don't know how many
0:52:16 > 0:52:19torches that is but it looks and feels like a thousand.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31CHEERING
0:52:34 > 0:52:38'I just wish you were here because as well as the sight of it, you know, it's the smell
0:52:38 > 0:52:41'of the paraffin from the torches, and it's the heat from them.'
0:52:41 > 0:52:44You can actually feel the warmth, and then the air is filled with these
0:52:44 > 0:52:48red hot ashes that are just being carried in this incredible wind.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51For such a small island and a small community,
0:52:51 > 0:52:55to put on something on this scale, I think it's genuinely breathtaking.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58And it's what everybody's wearing.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01You tend to think of it all being about Vikings, but it's not.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04There's people in every manner of fancy dress, there's people
0:53:04 > 0:53:07in suits, there's men in dresses. You name it they're all here.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11MUSIC: "Firestarter" by The Prodigy
0:53:18 > 0:53:21After the blazing procession, the Jarlsquad
0:53:21 > 0:53:24and their long ship arrive at the burning site.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30One of the many things that amazes me about this is all these
0:53:30 > 0:53:33torches - there's hundreds, thousands of them, and every single
0:53:33 > 0:53:36one of them is going to end up pitched into that galley.
0:53:45 > 0:53:49It's not exactly authentic, but even for real Vikings,
0:53:49 > 0:53:51winter was long and dark.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55Maybe that's the real root of Up Helly Aa,
0:53:55 > 0:54:00a rage against the endless night, with flaming light.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09It's the dying embers for the tourists, only a few get to join
0:54:09 > 0:54:16the private after-hours celebration, and party like it's AD 800.
0:54:16 > 0:54:17Ya-a-ay!
0:54:17 > 0:54:22# Sha la la la la la la la la di da
0:54:22 > 0:54:23# We sing
0:54:23 > 0:54:29# Sha la la la la la la la la di da... #
0:54:29 > 0:54:32THEY CHEER
0:54:32 > 0:54:34How are you doing?
0:54:34 > 0:54:37I hope you've enjoyed the Up Helly Aa experience?
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Oh, yeah, fantastic.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41Who cares about weather?
0:54:41 > 0:54:42There you go.
0:54:45 > 0:54:46I belong now.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57This is almost certainly going to go on all night,
0:54:57 > 0:55:00it'll probably go on all day tomorrow as well, but you see
0:55:00 > 0:55:03I'm not a Viking, I'm a Celt, so I think I'd best be off to my bed.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09I'll leave the islanders to party.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12This is their long winter night to shine.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21At the height of summer, it's full-on for coastal folk.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28Whether you're above it
0:55:28 > 0:55:30or in it,
0:55:30 > 0:55:32the sea is a tough place to hang out.
0:55:34 > 0:55:38On Cornwall's front line they welcome a wind-down in winter.
0:55:40 > 0:55:45As Christmas closes in, it's time for celebration at Mousehole.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52It's mid-December and they've shut up shop on the sea,
0:55:52 > 0:55:56in preparation for some seasonal sparkle.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01How many fisher folk does it take to change a light bulb?
0:56:01 > 0:56:05Well, here in Mousehole it takes 25 people four months.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08That's because this little village is home to one of the most
0:56:08 > 0:56:12spectacular coastal illuminations in Britain.
0:56:12 > 0:56:17Over 7,000 bulbs will be used to create a winter seascape
0:56:17 > 0:56:19like no other.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23Martin Brockman is the Mousehole Lights' technician.
0:56:23 > 0:56:24OK, you're looking pretty busy.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27Yeah, last-minute running around changing bulbs,
0:56:27 > 0:56:29we've got a couple out here. Want to change that one for me?
0:56:29 > 0:56:31Yeah, that one's dead. So have you got a lot to do
0:56:31 > 0:56:33- before the big switch-on? - Yeah, quite a bit now.
0:56:33 > 0:56:37Unfortunately the weather's come in which brings with it a few problems.
0:56:37 > 0:56:38Are you going to be ready in time?
0:56:38 > 0:56:40We'll be stressed but we'll be ready in time, definitely.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43Who started this wonderful tradition?
0:56:43 > 0:56:47It was started in 1963 by a lady called Joan Gilchrest who was
0:56:47 > 0:56:49a local artist, and it just grew and grew and grew.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51Who pays for it all?
0:56:51 > 0:56:53All comes from voluntary contributions.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55They estimate that while the lights are on
0:56:55 > 0:56:57Mousehole will receive in excess
0:56:57 > 0:57:02of 30,000 visitors, so if every one of them puts a pound in the box
0:57:02 > 0:57:05we'll be able to run a really, really nice light show next year.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09If Martin hasn't got his wires crossed
0:57:09 > 0:57:11we're in for a treat tonight.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16This is mid-winter, Cornish style.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19The streets of this tiny fishing village
0:57:19 > 0:57:23are absolutely packed on a wild and furious night
0:57:23 > 0:57:27when there's a gale blowing out there - quite amazing.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33And finally, the big switch-on!
0:57:37 > 0:57:40CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:58:10 > 0:58:15Winter can be a dark time, but coastal folk know that the secret
0:58:15 > 0:58:21of this season is to find the chinks of light in the long cold months,
0:58:21 > 0:58:25to relish the beauty of Christmas lights twinkling on the waters
0:58:25 > 0:58:29of a safe haven, and to remember that the brightest lights of
0:58:29 > 0:58:34all shine in the eyes of the people who make our coast what it is.