0:00:02 > 0:00:05The South West Coast Path is one of the world's best-loved walks.
0:00:05 > 0:00:10At 630 miles, it's also England's longest national trail.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13It's not for the faint-hearted.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15This can be challenging walking.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18But, boy, is it worth it!
0:00:18 > 0:00:22I'm Paul Rose, and I've explored the world.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25But although I love the South West coast,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I've never actually walked its path.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Until now.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34'In this series, I'll be discovering adventure at every turn.'
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Wow! We're flying, buddy!
0:00:40 > 0:00:41How big of a cliff is it?
0:00:41 > 0:00:44High enough to make your knees wobble!
0:00:46 > 0:00:50'I'll be discovering wildlife and wild traditions.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Now, that's what you call an entrance!
0:00:54 > 0:00:57This is where land and sea collide.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02It really is the walk of a lifetime.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Minehead in Somerset.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Its Victorian promenade offers plenty of temptations.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25But there's no time to hang around.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29This is what I'm looking for.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32The monument marking the official start of the South West Coast Path.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36From here, it leads me that way, up into the wilds of Exmoor.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Here goes!
0:01:42 > 0:01:45I'm walking the path the traditional way round, from Somerset,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47through North Devon and Cornwall,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49around the Land's End Peninsula,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and then up along the South Coast,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53ending in Poole in Dorset.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54I'm not walking every inch,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57but I will be sampling as many highlights as I can.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02BIRDSONG
0:02:04 > 0:02:06It's a challenge from the off.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Exmoor boasts some of the highest cliffs in the country.
0:02:17 > 0:02:18Park ranger Tim Parrish
0:02:18 > 0:02:21has looked after this area for the past 15 years,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24so he's the perfect companion for my first stretch.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30It certainly starts with a bit of a bang! You're not wrong there.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34It's a bit of an introduction to what's going to be coming.
0:02:34 > 0:02:35But it's worth it, right?
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Because we've only walked just... What, three miles maybe?
0:02:37 > 0:02:39If that. If that. Yeah.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43It's a pretty steep climb and then you're out of the trees,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45on the top of the open moor.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Got the skylarks singing, sun's shining.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50It's just an amazing place to be, isn't it?
0:02:52 > 0:02:55You've walked the whole South West Coast Path, haven't you?
0:02:55 > 0:02:56I did, yeah. It took me six weeks. And, er...
0:02:56 > 0:03:01Yeah, it's, er...it's something I'd really recommend to anybody to do.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03It's one of the greatest walks in the world, without a shadow of doubt.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07Great. Well, let's get going! Yeah, let's do it. Let's get on. OK.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11The coast path was created in the 19th century
0:03:11 > 0:03:13for the coastguard to patrol for smugglers.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18There's so many different ways of exploring this path. Oh, yeah.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Some of their lookout huts are still standing,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23like this one at Hurlstone Point.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Between the sort of mid 1600s to the 1800s,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33smuggling was a fair old industry around the South West,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35and this was one of the many attempts by the government
0:03:35 > 0:03:37to try and crack down on it.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Well, it's the perfect spot for a lookout.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43You can see unlimited that way, miles this way.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45It's THE spot if you want to look at the coast, isn't it?
0:03:45 > 0:03:47That was why they built it here.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Back in the day, there would have been a huge bay window up on there,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53and that's where the excise men would have stood,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55looking out to see what was moving up and down the Channel.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59GULLS CRY
0:04:01 > 0:04:04We take this coast path now pretty much for recreation. I mean, look at me!
0:04:04 > 0:04:06THEY LAUGH Exactly.
0:04:06 > 0:04:12But access to these lonely spots was primarily for these lookouts.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13Absolutely, and this is it.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17You can go the whole way round from Minehead round to Poole,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21thanking those coastguards and those excise men for the privilege, yeah.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Tim's given me a great start.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28And I'm glad I've soaked up the views,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32because just ahead of me, they disappear into a wooded shroud.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44There's barely a glimpse of the sea,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48but the ancient trees of Culbone Woods more than make up for it.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55This is the longest stretch of coast of woodland in the country,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59and it's been unchanged for centuries.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03For six miles, the coast path is cloaked in its canopy.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07And nestled deep in the heart of this forest is a tiny structure
0:05:07 > 0:05:10even older than the trees themselves.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13CHORAL SINGING
0:05:17 > 0:05:19This is St Beuno's Church.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22It's thought to be the smallest in England.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34The only way of accessing the church is by walking the coast path.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39I believe in one God, the Father Almighty.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42But that doesn't stop its dedicated congregation.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Today, they are four-strong.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Well, six, if you count our four-legged friends.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Stand for the holy gospel.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Glory be to thee, oh, Lord.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Soon afterwards, Jesus went to a town called Nain
0:05:56 > 0:05:59and his disciples and a large crowd went with him.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02This word about him spread throughout Judea
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and all the surrounding country.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Here ends the holy gospel.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11ORGAN RECITAL
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Culbone Church is in the Domesday Book.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17The rector here is Colin Burke.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Colin, I enjoyed that. I particularly enjoyed it with such a small congregation.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26It felt very intimate. And is that a typical size?
0:06:26 > 0:06:29We usually manage five or six on Sunday.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31We meet every fortnight.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34And in view of the fact there are only nine people living in the entire parish,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37it's a pretty good percentage.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Percentage-wise, it's probably a national record!
0:06:39 > 0:06:42I think the cathedral would be pleased if they could manage that.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43THEY LAUGH
0:06:47 > 0:06:50And why here? Is this a special, sacred spot?
0:06:50 > 0:06:53If you could tell me that, I would be very pleased. I don't know!
0:06:53 > 0:06:56There was never really a village here.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00It was just a church built in a hollow in the woods.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09From the church, the coast path leads deeper into the woodland.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18But eventually, the views are back.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28I'm leaving Somerset for North Devon,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30and the picturesque village of Lynemouth.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Remember, it's slippery on the wet stuff.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Matthew Oxenham's family have fished here for generations.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45All right, you lot, well done.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Now, then, Matthew. Hello, Paul. You all right, mate?
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Family business here today! Very nice to see you.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52This is when it all comes right. The tide's in, the weather's calm.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54That happens three times a year in Lynemouth. Ha!
0:07:54 > 0:07:57And it looks like a whole next generation of seafarers.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59We've got plenty of crew on board today.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00All right, I'm ready. Can I get on?
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Catch hold of the post and we'll cast off. Fantastic. Thank you.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Today, Matthew and his family are fishing for lobster.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16He's going to show me how it's done.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21So we've got two types of bait. Yeah.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22You've got gurnard.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25The lobsters have a good sense of smell and poor sense of sight. Yes.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27So you need the fish to be stinky. All right, great.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29You've got to use the dogfish, as well. Let's have a look.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Dogfish have got very tough skins. Yeah.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35And it takes a lot longer for the meat to start falling apart.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Ah, so, this lasts longer? It'll last longer.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38You give them a taste of gurnard to start with
0:08:38 > 0:08:40and leave them with the dogfish.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42How long are you going to have the pots in for?
0:08:42 > 0:08:45It depends on the time of year, but a week might be average.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48First of all, a bit of dogfish. Yeah. Sling him in.
0:08:48 > 0:08:49Just one? One, and then a gurnard.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Watch the spikes on the gurnard, they hurt your hand.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53One fish, one gurnard, yeah.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56One fish, one gurnard. One fish, one gurnard. You've got the hang of this.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00There you are, easy. Now, this is the spot for the first pot.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02We've got to put half a dozen out here. OK.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07There we go. He'll sink to the seabed and stay there for a week.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13The next job is to haul up the pots Matthew sent down last week.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15With any luck, they'll be full.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Two of them! Two lobsters! Look at that!
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Holy smokes! Bring them in?
0:09:24 > 0:09:27There you go. One little lobster. Look at that!
0:09:27 > 0:09:28They've got two sorts of claw, lobster.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Not always on the right and left, as these are.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33That one would break your fingers. Yep.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36And that one's quite quick, like a pair of scissors.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37Little shrimps.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Great combination, one that's slow and powerful and one that's fast.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43'With dinner aboard, we're headed east.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45'There's something just around the corner
0:09:45 > 0:09:48'that Matthew says I simply cannot miss.'
0:09:49 > 0:09:53The cliffs near Lynemouth host all kinds of nesting sea birds.
0:09:55 > 0:09:56What kind of birds have we got here?
0:09:56 > 0:09:58We've come to the first colony of kittiwakes,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01which look like seagulls, but they're not, they're smaller.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04And they actually make a nest, which the other birds don't.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07It's interesting, because these ledges look as if they lay back a little bit.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Just perfect. Further down and further up the coast,
0:10:10 > 0:10:11the angle of the rocks is different,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13so the birds know exactly what they're doing.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15They've come to the right place.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Amongst the kittiwakes, you've got the black-and-white birds. There's two types.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24There's chocolate guillemots and black razorbills.
0:10:26 > 0:10:27'Unlike the graceful kittiwake,
0:10:27 > 0:10:32'the guillemot and razorbill are almost comical when they fly.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35'But their short wings are perfect for swimming.'
0:10:35 > 0:10:38With guillemots, your first flight is the one you've got to get right
0:10:38 > 0:10:40because when you jump off the cliff,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42if you don't get it right, that's it.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49'It's a real treat to see these birds in such a spectacular setting.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52'And to get a new perspective on the Exmoor coastline.'
0:10:54 > 0:10:59It's absolutely great to swap the rhythm of walking for the rhythm of the sea.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01There you go. With the sea, it's tide and time,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03and that means it's time to go home.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06Thank you.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21BELL TOLLS
0:11:21 > 0:11:23GULLS CRY
0:11:25 > 0:11:28After all that action, I'm more than happy to skip the steep climb up
0:11:28 > 0:11:33to Lynemouth's double-decker town of Lynton and hop on the cliff railway.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41It's been here since 1888.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52There's something wonderfully nostalgic about travelling like this.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54And, of course, it's the perfect way to soak up the view.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06But there's barely time to get comfortable
0:12:06 > 0:12:08before I'm back on the path.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19And just ahead of me is a spectacular landscape,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21the Valley of the Rocks.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37The rocks in these gnarly formations are around a million years old.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Many people have speculated as how they came to be here.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43But the one I like best is a local legend.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47On a Sunday, a group of druids were up here having a terrific old time,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50drinking, dancing, hooting, making merry.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53The devil saw them and turned them instantly into stone.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57And here they remain, frozen forever in situ.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Exmoor has been stunning, but it's time to move on.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12GULLS CRY
0:13:14 > 0:13:18As I head further into North Devon, the scenery changes.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Dark, jagged rocks stretch out into the deep, like fingers.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30It's easy to see why this area became known as a ship's graveyard.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37I'm stopping off at the forebodingly named, Morte Point.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43From down here, you can really appreciate just how dangerous it was
0:13:43 > 0:13:45for sailors passing these shores.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49The sight of these rocks lurching out of the sea
0:13:49 > 0:13:51like the spines of a mighty stegosaurus
0:13:51 > 0:13:55was enough to make even the toughest mariner's blood run cold.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04In the days of sail, many a ship's crew met a grisly end here.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07And it wasn't just the rocks that sailors had to contend with.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11The villagers of Mortehoe were dangerous, too.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14They were infamous wreckers and smugglers.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17If a ship ran aground here, the villagers might just murder
0:14:17 > 0:14:19any survivors and steal their cargo.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24They became known as the feared Morte Men.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26And sailors who were shipwrecked here
0:14:26 > 0:14:28would rather drown than come ashore.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Today, the villagers of Mortehoe are not nearly so fearsome,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47and the most the average walker will come up against is a sheep or two.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51They belong to local farmer, David Kennard.
0:14:55 > 0:14:56Oh, yeah, wow!
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Oh, this is a great spot.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01And all of what we see here is what you farm?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04There's a couple of hundred acres here and then a little bit on the other side of the road
0:15:04 > 0:15:06that I rent from the National Trust.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09But it's a lot of acres, but it's a rough farm, you know.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11It's rough, coastal heathland, they call it. OK.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Lots of rock, lots of gorse, lots of bracken
0:15:13 > 0:15:15with a bit of grass in between for my sheep.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19What kind do you have? The flock originally was based around Romney,
0:15:19 > 0:15:20from the Romney Marsh in Kent.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22And it's the most widespread sheep in the world.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24The reason being it's a really hardy sheep.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27In the winter, the wind blows, the rain blows,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29the storms blow in and you've got to have a tough sheep.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31I'd imagine without a good dog,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33you could never work the sheep in this land.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35It would be hopeless, you know?
0:15:35 > 0:15:37The sheep know when you haven't got a dog with them.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40They'll run, they'll hide, they'll run in the opposite direction.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42They'll run straight past you and virtually laugh at you.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Once you've got a dog with you, they suddenly think,
0:15:44 > 0:15:45"Oh, we'd better behave now".
0:15:45 > 0:15:48And that's what Fly's all about.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50So, shall we send her off? Yeah, great. Love to see it.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52So a little right-hand command is...
0:15:52 > 0:15:54HE WHISTLES
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Wow!
0:15:56 > 0:15:58So if I just...
0:15:58 > 0:16:00HIGH-PITCHED WHISTLE
0:16:02 > 0:16:04You see her just picked up here, on the path? She's right behind there!
0:16:04 > 0:16:06So she's come up behind the sheep. Oh, wow!
0:16:06 > 0:16:09She's stopped and she's asking, "What do you want me to do now?"
0:16:09 > 0:16:11HE WHISTLES
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Now, the sheep always, always drop down on to the lower path here.
0:16:22 > 0:16:23They never walk on the main path.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Why do they do that? That's because they're sheep
0:16:25 > 0:16:29and sheep are the most ridiculous creatures ever born.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31HE WHISTLES
0:16:43 > 0:16:45BLEATING
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Obviously, along here, there's some nasty little drops.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49It's only 30 or 40 foot down,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52but that's quite far enough if you're a sheepdog.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54So I've got to be really careful
0:16:54 > 0:16:56where I'd ask her to pass those sheep, to turn them.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58BLEATING
0:16:58 > 0:17:01HE WHISTLES
0:17:02 > 0:17:05So it's just a little right, asking her to go on a bit,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07and then a slowing-up whistle.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09HE WHISTLES
0:17:13 > 0:17:16They're close to that edge, aren't they? Yeah. RIGHT!
0:17:18 > 0:17:20They're right on that edge there.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23And Fly has just obviously got them away. Yeah.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27HE WHISTLES
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Oh, look at her go!
0:17:33 > 0:17:36So she's now about 600 yards away, something like that.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Working down there. Now, the wind's not bad.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42It's certainly not with us.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45But even at this range, her hearing is absolutely perfect.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47It's extraordinary what these dogs can hear.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54BLEATING
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Let's just move her on now, just give her a little bit.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59HE WHISTLES
0:18:00 > 0:18:02I love to work Fly like this.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04This is what border collies are all about.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07This is why they're so different from any other breed.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12You take a tiny puppy, eight weeks old,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15you select it, and then over the next three years, you train it,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17and you end up with something you can take out here
0:18:17 > 0:18:21and here she is, you know, 600 yards away, taking every little command.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24And just being such an important part of my working life.
0:18:24 > 0:18:25To me, it's just incredible.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Fly, Fly, Fly, come on! There's a good girl. Wow!
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Well done. What a great thing! Yeah.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Yeah. Yeah. And she absolutely loves it.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45My journey has already been full of contrasts.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47But as I cross the vast, sandy bay of Woolacombe,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51I get the chance to see the coast path from a new perspective.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07Since the age of 18, Sam Jeyes has had one obsession.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Trying to fly like a bird.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20All right, Sam? How's it going? Hello, Paul. How are you?
0:19:20 > 0:19:23All right. I understand you've got something lined up for me. Yes, we do today.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27We're going to take you flying in the sky, over the coastline.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Well, this sounds absolutely great. How are we going to do it?
0:19:30 > 0:19:32We're going to use a tandem hang glider,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34which is this beautiful wing we have here.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36And that will allow both of us to fly together.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38I'll be the pilot and you'll be the passenger.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Great. We're going together? We will be.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43And we will soar exactly the same way as the birds do.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Using the lift coming off the hill.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Wow! It is a perfect way to fly.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55Now, I've done a lot of crazy things in my time, but never this.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59You're good to go. It feels great.
0:19:59 > 0:20:00Ready to go. I'm ready.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02PAUL LAUGHS
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Nothing to do now but hold on tight.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13OK, clear! Run, run, run, run, run!
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Wow! We're flying, buddy!
0:20:21 > 0:20:24How does that feel, pretty good? Sam, this feels so fantastic!
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Wow!
0:20:34 > 0:20:37The glider's got a lot of different speeds, Paul. Right.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Its regular speed that it flies at, which we call trimspeed,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43is where it is now, where I'm not really holding it at all.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46No, OK. But if you want to go faster, we can pull in on the speed,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48which means pulling the bar towards us. OK.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50So we go like this, look. Oh, yeah, wow!
0:20:50 > 0:20:53And it speeds it up pretty quick. No kidding!
0:21:04 > 0:21:06How high do you think we are here, about a couple of hundred feet?
0:21:06 > 0:21:08We're about 600 above the beach now.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10600 above the beach? Wow!
0:21:12 > 0:21:14We're going faster downwind. Can you feel the speed?
0:21:14 > 0:21:16No kidding. There's a sense of acceleration there, isn't there?
0:21:16 > 0:21:18We're zooming around now. How fast are we going?
0:21:18 > 0:21:21This is about 60-70 kilometres an hour.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24Now, if you look down to our right,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26you can see the coastal path going through the dunes there.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Yeah. We're right over the coastal path.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31And it's very good to just see it going off into the distance.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33That's right. Because that's my route.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39That's the scene for me. We've got the Atlantic Ocean,
0:21:39 > 0:21:43we've got these beautiful dunes and we've got us up in the wind.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48PAUL CHUCKLES
0:21:49 > 0:21:52So what we'll do, we'll build the height up along this section
0:21:52 > 0:21:54and then we'll fly over the edge of the cars. Yeah.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57When we come into land, keep in the same position as you're in now.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Right. We're going to land on the wheels. I'm ready.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06The sheep aren't quite sure what to make of us. No.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10They'll move out of the way quickly. Yeah?
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Slow it down.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19PAUL LAUGHS
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Well done. That was just awesome!
0:22:22 > 0:22:23How was that, good? Unbelievable.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25More beautiful than I could've imagined.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27What did you enjoy most about the flight?
0:22:27 > 0:22:30I thought the views were great. And especially for me,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32to see the South West path heading off the way I'm going
0:22:32 > 0:22:35was a really great feeling. There's a sense of energy about that.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38It's a different angle from above, to look at it, isn't it?
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Yeah. It was great. So this has energised me for more walking.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42You've got a long road ahead.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47GULLS CRY
0:22:49 > 0:22:52My next stop is bringing me back down to earth.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57I'm headed deep within the largest sand dune system in Western Europe.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Braunton Burrows.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Braunton Burrows is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Internationally important for its wildlife.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13But as beautiful as they seem today, these dunes harbour secrets
0:23:13 > 0:23:15of conflict and war.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22In World War II, the dunes were used by the Allies as a practice area
0:23:22 > 0:23:26for the largest seaborne invasion in history.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28The Normandy beach landings.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36MEDIA BROADCAST: Tanks to each assault section lend supporting fire to the attack.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38GUNFIRE
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Securing a foothold on the beach.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Richard Bass is an expert on this period of North Devon's history.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56This was the only area in the United Kingdom where the American troops
0:23:56 > 0:23:59were actually trained in the new tactics
0:23:59 > 0:24:02for the assault upon the beaches of Normandy.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04And is that because this beach is a dead ringer for Normandy?
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Yes, but nobody knew that at the time.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09It was quite a surprise to everybody, particularly the troops,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12that it was in fact a duplicate, a replica, of Omaha Beach.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Flat sand and bluffs right behind.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19It was absolutely chaotic.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21The American training involved using live ammunition,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24live explosives, every single time.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Really, just to sort of acclimatise the troops
0:24:26 > 0:24:27to what battle conditions were really like.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30And was it common knowledge what was going on here?
0:24:30 > 0:24:32No, the local population had absolutely no idea.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34They knew there were a lot of Americans here
0:24:34 > 0:24:35and they knew it was very secret.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37And people, obviously, were used to wartime secrecy.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39They didn't ask questions.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41So they knew, quite obviously,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44that there were thousands of pounds of bombs being dropped on the dunes?
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Yes. But they didn't know why. No, not a clue.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53For six months, 14,000 American troops trained here.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01But as suddenly as they came, they were gone.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05On 6th June, 1944, they launched their attack on Normandy.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14Could you say what it would have been like if this training hadn't existed?
0:25:14 > 0:25:16It's probably best summed up by Paul Thompson,
0:25:16 > 0:25:17who was the commandant here,
0:25:17 > 0:25:19who said that without the beaches of North Devon,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22the success of his D-Day simply wouldn't have happened.
0:25:24 > 0:25:25WAVES CRASH
0:25:28 > 0:25:31It's a legacy that hasn't been forgotten.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35And today, locals are commemorating North Devon's role in the invasion.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38It's a glimpse into the past.
0:25:46 > 0:25:47Oh!
0:25:51 > 0:25:54And this is the centrepiece of the day's programme,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56a D-Day re-enactment.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14YELLING
0:26:16 > 0:26:18APPLAUSE
0:26:23 > 0:26:25The event here might be a bit of fun,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28but it marks a sombre moment in our history.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Despite all their training, the Allies took a pounding,
0:26:32 > 0:26:37losing almost 4,500 men in just one day.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Even so, the invasion was a success.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44It gave them an important foothold from which to begin
0:26:44 > 0:26:48the liberation of German-occupied Europe from Nazi control.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52And ultimately led to the Allied victory on the Western Front.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56And it all began here, in a quiet seaside village in North Devon.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05The coast path of Somerset and North Devon
0:27:05 > 0:27:09has been every bit as wild and varied as I'd hoped.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13And my final stop of this stretch is the most dramatic yet.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Hartland Point.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20GULLS CRY
0:27:29 > 0:27:32This is where the Bristol Channel meets the Atlantic Ocean,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35and the currents are fierce.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37The Romans used to call Hartland Point...
0:27:37 > 0:27:40ECHOES: ..the Promontory of Hercules!
0:27:40 > 0:27:42And it certainly lives up to its name.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58True to its Roman name,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00this promontory is gathering the elements.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04But somewhere over there, shrouded in mist, is North Cornwall.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06And that's where I'm headed.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16'Next week on Coastal Path,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20'I'll be put through my paces by Newquay's young life-savers.'
0:28:20 > 0:28:21I didn't get one!
0:28:21 > 0:28:24'And channelling my inner Turner in St Ives.'
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Look at that!
0:28:26 > 0:28:28That's all right, that, isn't it? Yeah.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30If you squint a little bit.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04As spaceship Earth spirals towards its finale,