Browse content similar to Peak District Industry. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Line | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|
Today, I'm on a journey through the beautiful Peak District, | 0:00:18 | 0:00:21 | |
beginning in the hamlet of Buxworth | 0:00:21 | 0:00:23 | |
and ending up in Matlock in the Derbyshire Dales. | 0:00:23 | 0:00:27 | |
I'll be travelling from Buxworth village to Kinder Scout. | 0:00:29 | 0:00:32 | |
From there, I head south-east into Hope and on to Bamford. | 0:00:32 | 0:00:35 | |
I then cross over to the Longshaw Estate, travel on to Stanton Moor, | 0:00:35 | 0:00:39 | |
and I'll finish my journey in style, | 0:00:39 | 0:00:41 | |
heading out by train from Darley Dale. | 0:00:41 | 0:00:45 | |
Along the way, I'll be bringing you the very best | 0:00:45 | 0:00:47 | |
of the BBC's rural programmes from this part of the country. | 0:00:47 | 0:00:51 | |
This is the Alton. She was built 74 years ago, | 0:01:03 | 0:01:07 | |
and one of her main roles was to carry coal, a job she still does today. | 0:01:07 | 0:01:12 | |
Surprisingly, in the 18th and 19th centuries, | 0:01:12 | 0:01:16 | |
it wasn't coal that was the primary material transported in this region. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:20 | |
I'm heading into Bugsworth Basin, | 0:01:22 | 0:01:24 | |
at the terminus of the Peak Forest Canal, at one time the hub of local industry. | 0:01:24 | 0:01:30 | |
I'm meeting with Don Baines to find out about the Peak District's core product. | 0:01:30 | 0:01:35 | |
-Good morning. How are you? Good to see you. -And you. | 0:01:35 | 0:01:38 | |
So this is Bugsworth Basin? | 0:01:38 | 0:01:40 | |
-Yes. -This was famous as a big main interchange. Is that right? -That's right. | 0:01:40 | 0:01:46 | |
Between the tramway and the canal. | 0:01:46 | 0:01:48 | |
So the tramway would bring what down here? | 0:01:48 | 0:01:53 | |
Limestone and burnt lime, both. | 0:01:53 | 0:01:56 | |
The burnt lime would be loaded undercover, | 0:01:56 | 0:02:00 | |
and the limestone itself would be loaded straight onto the boats, | 0:02:00 | 0:02:04 | |
-and it would go away to Manchester, to Cheshire, Liverpool and wherever. -So where was the limestone quarried? | 0:02:04 | 0:02:11 | |
The limestone was quarried up at Dove Holes, up in the White Peak. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:15 | |
-Which is how far away, roughly? -Six miles. | 0:02:15 | 0:02:17 | |
So quarried six miles away, then brought down here by tram? | 0:02:17 | 0:02:21 | |
Some tramway wagons would come along the top there, charge the kilns there, | 0:02:21 | 0:02:26 | |
and was loaded in a warehouse, or lime shed, that stood here. | 0:02:26 | 0:02:29 | |
A breakthrough in 1791 meant limestone became the key material | 0:02:29 | 0:02:34 | |
in the production of glass, soap, building and textile industries, making it a very precious commodity. | 0:02:34 | 0:02:39 | |
The rock was burnt in kilns on the bank of this canal interchange. | 0:02:39 | 0:02:44 | |
So this was quite a big, important interchange. Describe the scene. | 0:02:44 | 0:02:48 | |
What would it have been like here? | 0:02:48 | 0:02:50 | |
It was very bare. There were no trees, a lot of smoke, | 0:02:50 | 0:02:54 | |
because the burning process is layers of coal and limestone, and it's continuously fed. | 0:02:54 | 0:03:02 | |
You've got this sulphurous smoke coming out of the top all the time. | 0:03:02 | 0:03:06 | |
-In the night-time, you'd get limelight, the glow. -Limelight? That's where the term comes from. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:11 | |
-Exactly. -What about in the canals here? Would there have been dozens and dozens of boats? | 0:03:11 | 0:03:16 | |
Yes, anything up to about 80 boats a day were turned round here. | 0:03:16 | 0:03:20 | |
It was the largest inland port on the narrow canal system. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:24 | |
By the 1960s, Bugsworth Basin was an unused and derelict site. | 0:03:24 | 0:03:30 | |
It was at this point, a passionate small group of people stepped in and set about the restoration. | 0:03:30 | 0:03:36 | |
The old couple that started it were called the Bunkers. Bessie and John Bunker. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:40 | |
-Quite a couple, really. She was a very formidable, feisty lady. -Was she? | 0:03:40 | 0:03:45 | |
She fought very hard to keep canals open in the days when they were being closed all over the place. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:51 | |
She fought very hard. She'd think nothing of going into a council meeting, | 0:03:51 | 0:03:56 | |
storming in and taking them to task, calling them a fool to their faces! Quite an amazing lady. | 0:03:56 | 0:04:03 | |
So if that began in the '60s, when was it completed to its current state? | 0:04:03 | 0:04:08 | |
To its current state - in 1998, '99. We had an opening, but we had problems. | 0:04:08 | 0:04:13 | |
Lots of leaks, a terrible place for leaks. | 0:04:13 | 0:04:15 | |
We had to close again. | 0:04:15 | 0:04:17 | |
-We finally opened in 2005. -You've studied a lot of the history of the area. | 0:04:17 | 0:04:22 | |
What is it that captivates you? | 0:04:22 | 0:04:25 | |
It's the only one of its kind remaining in the country. All other canal tramway interchanges have gone. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:31 | |
They're under bypasses or motorways, or whatever. | 0:04:31 | 0:04:34 | |
It's now a scheduled monument to protect it, preserve it. | 0:04:34 | 0:04:37 | |
It's an important part of our history, really. Yeah. | 0:04:37 | 0:04:42 | |
Leaving Bugsworth behind, I'm hiking into the wild to the Peak District. | 0:04:42 | 0:04:47 | |
From the village of Buxworth, I'm heading north towards the famous mountain Kinder Scout, | 0:04:47 | 0:04:52 | |
which marks the beginning of the Pennine Way. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:56 | |
Millions of years ago, this area was submerged. A sea bed. | 0:04:56 | 0:05:00 | |
The layers of lime, sand and grit stone laid down then | 0:05:00 | 0:05:03 | |
have given us one of the most beautiful upland areas in Britain. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:08 | |
This really is a walkers' paradise. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:10 | |
But it wasn't always so. An event here on Kinder Scout in 1932 | 0:05:10 | 0:05:15 | |
changed walking history for ever. | 0:05:15 | 0:05:18 | |
In the 1930s, Britain was in recession, with unemployment at over 3 million. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:24 | |
Locally, people longed for the freedom of the countryside. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:28 | |
But there was a problem. This part of the Peak District was controlled by a few landowners, | 0:05:28 | 0:05:33 | |
who preserved it for the occasional grouse shoots. | 0:05:33 | 0:05:36 | |
In fact, walkers were regarded as trespassers, with gamekeepers often chasing people off. | 0:05:36 | 0:05:41 | |
Kinder Scout had become a forbidden mountain. | 0:05:41 | 0:05:44 | |
On April 24th 1932, over 400 people set out | 0:05:46 | 0:05:51 | |
on what would later become known as "the mass trespass". | 0:05:51 | 0:05:54 | |
The idea was simple. | 0:05:54 | 0:05:56 | |
Gamekeepers simply wouldn't be able to deter people en masse, | 0:05:56 | 0:06:00 | |
who would then claim the right to climb to the top of one of the UK's most dramatic landscapes. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:05 | |
The trespassers from the surrounding towns converged triumphantly on the summit of Kinder Scout, | 0:06:07 | 0:06:12 | |
but on their return to the bottom, they found the police waiting. | 0:06:12 | 0:06:17 | |
The mass trespass has become an iconic historical event. | 0:06:17 | 0:06:21 | |
And in 1989, Chris Baines went to meet one of the young ringleaders. | 0:06:21 | 0:06:25 | |
At the age of only 21, Benny Rothman's political drive and love of the countryside | 0:06:25 | 0:06:31 | |
led to his leading role in the mass trespass of 1932. | 0:06:31 | 0:06:34 | |
The ramblers walked from Hayfield, from the recreation ground, | 0:06:34 | 0:06:41 | |
and we finally gathered here in this quarry. | 0:06:41 | 0:06:44 | |
There were far more people than we expected. | 0:06:44 | 0:06:48 | |
We had a membership | 0:06:48 | 0:06:50 | |
in the whole of Lancashire of about 150 to 200 members. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:55 | |
There were between 400 and 600 ramblers had gathered. | 0:06:55 | 0:06:59 | |
We'd given the signal and they'd responded. | 0:06:59 | 0:07:02 | |
There was a real demand for something like that. | 0:07:02 | 0:07:04 | |
And was there much effort to stop you? | 0:07:04 | 0:07:07 | |
There was virtually no effort between Hayfield and here to stop us. | 0:07:07 | 0:07:12 | |
All we were doing was walking along a public footpath | 0:07:12 | 0:07:16 | |
and along the road, and they'd no grounds for stopping us. | 0:07:16 | 0:07:20 | |
In fact, when we had the meeting here, in the quarry, there was quite a big group of policemen | 0:07:20 | 0:07:25 | |
at the back of the crowd who had followed us there, | 0:07:25 | 0:07:28 | |
detectives who were listening and possibly taking notes. | 0:07:28 | 0:07:33 | |
-But the whole idea was to get up onto the hill, wasn't it? -Absolutely. | 0:07:33 | 0:07:37 | |
We felt highly elated coming along here, | 0:07:37 | 0:07:42 | |
talking, singing and, as I say, | 0:07:42 | 0:07:47 | |
the police were in the rear | 0:07:47 | 0:07:50 | |
just wondering what to do. | 0:07:50 | 0:07:52 | |
# I'd been over Snowdon I've slept up on Crowden | 0:07:52 | 0:07:56 | |
# I've camped by the Wain Stones as well | 0:07:56 | 0:08:00 | |
# I've sunbathed on Kinder | 0:08:00 | 0:08:02 | |
# Been burned to a cinder | 0:08:02 | 0:08:04 | |
# And many more things I can tell | 0:08:04 | 0:08:07 | |
# My rucksack is often me pillow | 0:08:08 | 0:08:12 | |
# The heather has oft been my bed | 0:08:12 | 0:08:16 | |
# And sooner than fall from the mountains | 0:08:16 | 0:08:20 | |
# I think I would rather be dead | 0:08:20 | 0:08:24 | |
# I'm a rambler... # | 0:08:24 | 0:08:25 | |
So how bad was access up onto the tops? | 0:08:25 | 0:08:29 | |
It wasn't bad, it was impossible. | 0:08:29 | 0:08:32 | |
In those days, with the unemployment in the villages and the towns around here, | 0:08:32 | 0:08:40 | |
they were able to recruit a whole army of keepers. | 0:08:40 | 0:08:44 | |
They would station themselves on all the vantage points, | 0:08:44 | 0:08:49 | |
on hilltops and that, particularly at weekends, | 0:08:49 | 0:08:52 | |
and they would make sure that ordinary people | 0:08:52 | 0:08:56 | |
wouldn't set their unclean feet on the forbidden land. | 0:08:56 | 0:09:01 | |
They made sure about that. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:03 | |
What do you think they made of 400 or 500 of you marching up the path? | 0:09:03 | 0:09:07 | |
That was quite a headache for them. | 0:09:07 | 0:09:09 | |
They very valiantly kept us under observation, | 0:09:09 | 0:09:14 | |
then when we were halfway up Sandy Heys, | 0:09:14 | 0:09:19 | |
approaching the top of Kinder, | 0:09:19 | 0:09:21 | |
they made a charge downhill, waving their sticks and shouting, "Get back!" | 0:09:21 | 0:09:27 | |
Well, they didn't get back. There were a few scuffles, | 0:09:27 | 0:09:30 | |
but the ramblers went on to hold a victory meeting on the summit of Kinder | 0:09:30 | 0:09:34 | |
and then walked triumphantly back down the mountain. | 0:09:34 | 0:09:37 | |
Several of the leaders, including Benny, were sent to jail, | 0:09:37 | 0:09:41 | |
but the trespass worked, and now Kinder's accessible to everybody. | 0:09:41 | 0:09:44 | |
I was longing to see the summit of Kinder in the company of the great Benny Rothman, | 0:09:44 | 0:09:49 | |
but I had a nasty feeling that if we walked, I'd get left behind on the steep bits. | 0:09:49 | 0:09:54 | |
I suggested he might like to see his old battleground from the air. | 0:09:54 | 0:09:57 | |
It's a lot quicker by helicopter than on foot, isn't it? | 0:09:57 | 0:10:00 | |
Very much so! | 0:10:00 | 0:10:02 | |
Very much so. | 0:10:02 | 0:10:03 | |
The route on to Kinder itself, up Sandy Heys here, | 0:10:05 | 0:10:08 | |
it looks quite flat but it's quite a scramble. | 0:10:08 | 0:10:15 | |
# ..So I'll walk where I will over mountain and hill | 0:10:15 | 0:10:21 | |
# And I'll lie where the bracken is deep | 0:10:21 | 0:10:25 | |
# I belong to the mountains The clear running fountains | 0:10:25 | 0:10:30 | |
# Where the grey rocks rise rugged and steep | 0:10:30 | 0:10:34 | |
# I've seen the white hare in the gullies | 0:10:34 | 0:10:38 | |
# And the curlew fly high overhead | 0:10:38 | 0:10:42 | |
# And sooner than fall from the mountains | 0:10:42 | 0:10:46 | |
# I think I would rather be dead | 0:10:46 | 0:10:50 | |
# I'm a rambler... # | 0:10:50 | 0:10:52 | |
-Wrong foot... Wrong-footed it again! -There we go. -Thanks, Chris. | 0:10:52 | 0:10:59 | |
Here we go. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:01 | |
Back on terra firma. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:03 | |
What will all your mates think if they know | 0:11:03 | 0:11:06 | |
Benny Rothman arrived on the top of Kinder in a helicopter, eh? | 0:11:06 | 0:11:10 | |
Well, why not? | 0:11:10 | 0:11:12 | |
I've come up in the world. | 0:11:12 | 0:11:14 | |
I can afford a helicopter trip every few days. Why not? | 0:11:14 | 0:11:19 | |
-I think you'll have a lot of complaints about helicopter noise, won't you? -I'm sure I would. | 0:11:19 | 0:11:24 | |
But in spite of that, | 0:11:24 | 0:11:26 | |
it's still lovely to be able to come up on your own pair of feet | 0:11:26 | 0:11:32 | |
and there's nothing like the wind and the sun in your face. | 0:11:32 | 0:11:39 | |
A bit of rain, too, now and again. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:42 | |
So what are we looking at? | 0:11:42 | 0:11:44 | |
Well, you're looking down the valley from the downfall, of course. | 0:11:44 | 0:11:49 | |
Look at some of the young chaps there. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:52 | |
Taking an opportunity of climbing on these rocks. | 0:11:52 | 0:11:55 | |
I think that if we get general access to all uncultivated land, | 0:11:55 | 0:12:01 | |
with the exception, of course, | 0:12:01 | 0:12:04 | |
of those parts of the country | 0:12:04 | 0:12:07 | |
where walking will positively damage wildlife, | 0:12:07 | 0:12:12 | |
if we can get more access, | 0:12:12 | 0:12:15 | |
then I think the pressures on the countryside will be less. | 0:12:15 | 0:12:20 | |
We'll spread the load. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:23 | |
# ..I may be a wage slave on Monday | 0:12:23 | 0:12:25 | |
# But I am a free man on Sunday... # | 0:12:25 | 0:12:30 | |
'Benny sadly passed away in 2002, but he and the other trespassers | 0:12:33 | 0:12:38 | |
'left us all a fantastic legacy - the freedom to roam. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:42 | |
'Walking around the slopes of Kinder Scout, | 0:12:42 | 0:12:45 | |
'I'm joining the Pennine Way, | 0:12:45 | 0:12:46 | |
'and a family of ramblers who are taking full advantage of that freedom.' | 0:12:46 | 0:12:50 | |
So who's the keenest walker of the family? | 0:12:50 | 0:12:54 | |
-Claire. -Claire? So Claire, how did you get into walking? | 0:12:54 | 0:12:58 | |
I started walking the dogs and that, | 0:12:58 | 0:13:01 | |
just around the village and around the local footpaths. | 0:13:01 | 0:13:04 | |
Is it important for family values to spend time like this together? | 0:13:04 | 0:13:09 | |
I think it's very important for families to get out, | 0:13:09 | 0:13:12 | |
talk to each other, which they don't do when they're sat at home in front | 0:13:12 | 0:13:17 | |
of the television, things like that. | 0:13:17 | 0:13:19 | |
There's no communication. | 0:13:19 | 0:13:22 | |
What about enjoying this great landscape of ours, the Peak District? | 0:13:22 | 0:13:27 | |
Yeah, there's so much to see. | 0:13:27 | 0:13:29 | |
Some beautiful sights. | 0:13:29 | 0:13:32 | |
Claire, do many of your friends of your age come out walking like this? | 0:13:32 | 0:13:36 | |
-No. -What do they think about you doing it? | 0:13:36 | 0:13:39 | |
They think I'm mad, but they're supportive. | 0:13:39 | 0:13:42 | |
Remember the newborn lamb that you saw being born just over here? | 0:13:42 | 0:13:47 | |
-Really? -Yeah, literally just born before our eyes. | 0:13:47 | 0:13:50 | |
-So you go back with all these tales? -We've got some good memories. -Yeah. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:54 | |
One of the best things must be going home, feeling that you've actually done some exercise... | 0:13:54 | 0:13:59 | |
You feel shattered at the end of the day! | 0:13:59 | 0:14:02 | |
And you deserve it - that big, big meal and that hot cup of tea? | 0:14:02 | 0:14:06 | |
Yes, definitely. | 0:14:06 | 0:14:08 | |
And a bar of chocolate. | 0:14:08 | 0:14:09 | |
-Ooh yes, chocolate! -Does anybody have one in their backpack? | 0:14:09 | 0:14:13 | |
This really is quite beautiful up here, isn't it? Just look out there. | 0:14:15 | 0:14:19 | |
-Magnificent. -Isn't that amazing? | 0:14:19 | 0:14:22 | |
Of course, this is the start of the Pennine Way, and you have actually walked the whole way? How far is it? | 0:14:22 | 0:14:27 | |
280 miles or something. | 0:14:27 | 0:14:30 | |
We did about 286. | 0:14:30 | 0:14:32 | |
She was 10 at the time. | 0:14:32 | 0:14:34 | |
10 at the time? And what are your memories, did you enjoy it? | 0:14:34 | 0:14:38 | |
-Yeah, it was fun. -She raised £1,700 for Rainbow's Children's Hospice. | 0:14:38 | 0:14:43 | |
Brilliant. So are you both proud of your daughter's achievement? | 0:14:43 | 0:14:46 | |
Absolutely. How many 10-year-olds have done that all in one go? | 0:14:46 | 0:14:50 | |
Non-stop, carrying a big pack, | 0:14:50 | 0:14:52 | |
bed and breakfast, youth hostels, all the way. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:57 | |
While we're looking at these views, how would you describe those? | 0:14:57 | 0:15:01 | |
With scenery like this, who wants to go abroad? | 0:15:01 | 0:15:03 | |
We've got everything in this country that we could ask for. | 0:15:03 | 0:15:06 | |
It's absolutely stunning. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:08 | |
-Where are you guys heading now? -Back down to Eden, hopefully. | 0:15:08 | 0:15:11 | |
OK. I've got an intriguing meeting in Hope. | 0:15:11 | 0:15:13 | |
So I'll say goodbye, and enjoy the rest of your trip. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:17 | |
Nice to meet you. | 0:15:17 | 0:15:20 | |
The hills of the Peak District are shaped by the rock that has been | 0:15:20 | 0:15:22 | |
a valuable resource to the area for centuries. But sometimes, | 0:15:22 | 0:15:26 | |
these hills harbour something much more precious. | 0:15:26 | 0:15:29 | |
Treak Cliff Cavern is one of two mines in the hill where Blue John is dug out. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:35 | |
It's a form of fluoride which was first discovered in the 18th century by miners looking for lead. | 0:15:35 | 0:15:42 | |
These days, visitors come to the caves to see the Blue John that's still left in the rocks. | 0:15:42 | 0:15:47 | |
The name comes from two French for words, "bleu," | 0:15:47 | 0:15:50 | |
meaning blue, although it looks a bit more purple to me, and "jaune," which is yellow. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:55 | |
There are thin veins of Blue John | 0:15:55 | 0:15:57 | |
stretching for around about half a mile in the middle of this hill. | 0:15:57 | 0:16:01 | |
It's basically fluorspar, which is common, | 0:16:03 | 0:16:06 | |
but the fluorspar in this one hill, trapped within its crystal system, | 0:16:06 | 0:16:11 | |
peculiar chemicals, and it's those chemicals within the crystal system | 0:16:11 | 0:16:15 | |
that give Blue John its colour. | 0:16:15 | 0:16:18 | |
And how long have you been mining for Blue John? | 0:16:18 | 0:16:21 | |
I started mining here about 1945. | 0:16:21 | 0:16:24 | |
But I've been cutting and polishing it and mining it for a lot of years. | 0:16:24 | 0:16:30 | |
You actually, you begin to love the stone. | 0:16:30 | 0:16:33 | |
Agreements with the government agency Natural England limit the extraction | 0:16:33 | 0:16:37 | |
of Blue John to 500 kilos per year in each of the two mines, and work goes on away from the public areas. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:45 | |
We just follow old veins. | 0:16:45 | 0:16:47 | |
Occasionally, while you're mining, a vein will narrow | 0:16:47 | 0:16:50 | |
and almost peter out, and you think | 0:16:50 | 0:16:52 | |
that's finished now, then suddenly it'll open out again and keep going. | 0:16:52 | 0:16:56 | |
How difficult is it to mine the Blue John? | 0:16:56 | 0:16:58 | |
It's difficult, because we have to get the limestone out that surrounds the Blue John first. | 0:16:58 | 0:17:03 | |
So it gives us a nice lip, if you like, of Blue John. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:06 | |
And the chisels, as we hammer them in, they split the wooden pegs, | 0:17:06 | 0:17:11 | |
and that cracks the limestone, and hopefully we get a nice piece, a solid piece falling out. | 0:17:11 | 0:17:16 | |
We don't know exactly how much there is left, but certainly | 0:17:16 | 0:17:19 | |
we're still finding it in little bits here and there. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:23 | |
Workshops on the hillside turn the brittle Blue John into ornaments and jewellery. | 0:17:23 | 0:17:29 | |
It's treated with resin to strengthen it and allow it to be shaped. | 0:17:29 | 0:17:32 | |
What will it look like when it's finished? | 0:17:32 | 0:17:34 | |
That one there, there's one here that's nearly finished. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:39 | |
This is just ready for its final polish. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:41 | |
What we normally do is start off with something like that, | 0:17:41 | 0:17:46 | |
and we mount it on the chucks, | 0:17:46 | 0:17:48 | |
get a shape similar to this one, take out the centre, | 0:17:48 | 0:17:52 | |
so all that centre would come out, | 0:17:52 | 0:17:54 | |
and eventually we end up with something like this. | 0:17:54 | 0:17:58 | |
-A beautiful bowl like that. -This is from our Cliff Blue Vein. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:02 | |
Some of the results are worth many thousands of pounds. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:05 | |
Here we have two items, Peter, that are among the pride of your collection. | 0:18:05 | 0:18:10 | |
Absolutely. Two very nice ornaments. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:12 | |
This one, quite old, about 1800. | 0:18:12 | 0:18:14 | |
This one we made on these premises in about 1960. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:21 | |
Hold it up like that, John, look at the banding. | 0:18:21 | 0:18:25 | |
Beautiful light there. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:28 | |
-Can I pick this one up? -Carefully. | 0:18:28 | 0:18:31 | |
It's much heavier than I thought. | 0:18:31 | 0:18:33 | |
Very heavy. | 0:18:33 | 0:18:35 | |
That's why, if it's dropped, it breaks, because of its weight. | 0:18:35 | 0:18:41 | |
I'd better be careful putting it down again! | 0:18:41 | 0:18:45 | |
Together, these two, how much are they worth? | 0:18:45 | 0:18:49 | |
-Altogether, I'd say there wouldn't be much change out of £40,000. -Goodness me. | 0:18:49 | 0:18:54 | |
As you'd expect, Blue John features heavily | 0:18:54 | 0:18:56 | |
in the gift shops of nearby Castleton, | 0:18:56 | 0:18:58 | |
but it's also found in some of the world's greatest collections, | 0:18:58 | 0:19:02 | |
including those of Windsor Castle, the White House and the Vatican. | 0:19:02 | 0:19:06 | |
And the good news for anybody who owns a fine example of Blue John is that its value is bound to increase, | 0:19:06 | 0:19:13 | |
especially once the mines are worked out | 0:19:13 | 0:19:16 | |
and these rare gems become a precious part of the Hope Valley's past. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:20 | |
Crossing the heart of the Peak District, I'm travelling south-east | 0:19:27 | 0:19:31 | |
into Hope Valley, to pick up the Hope to Bamford trail. | 0:19:31 | 0:19:35 | |
Our line should be 220, Skip. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:42 | |
-Got that, Derek. -It's a bit murky down there, Guy. | 0:19:42 | 0:19:44 | |
Makes it the perfect training run. | 0:19:44 | 0:19:46 | |
I hope it's more steady when we level out. | 0:19:46 | 0:19:48 | |
We'll see what we can do. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:50 | |
I understand there's some twisting to cope with as well. | 0:19:50 | 0:19:52 | |
OK, Skip. | 0:19:52 | 0:19:53 | |
Don't worry, you're not hearing things. | 0:19:53 | 0:19:55 | |
That was the crew of the Dam Busters. | 0:19:55 | 0:19:58 | |
You see, I'm taking part in a new twist in the history lesson. | 0:19:58 | 0:20:01 | |
On these headphones, I'm listening to the Spirits Of The Past audio tour. | 0:20:01 | 0:20:06 | |
It was created by the Moors For The Future Project. The idea is simple. | 0:20:06 | 0:20:10 | |
You go on to the website, download the tour on to your MP3 player, | 0:20:10 | 0:20:13 | |
step out into the countryside and back in time. | 0:20:13 | 0:20:17 | |
-Steady. -Standby. | 0:20:17 | 0:20:19 | |
High of 100, 80, 70, 60... | 0:20:19 | 0:20:24 | |
Narrated by the ghosts of yesterday, this tour brings to life the rich | 0:20:26 | 0:20:30 | |
history of the landscape surrounding the Hope and Derwent valleys. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:33 | |
The Dam Busters, set here above the famous Howden Dam, | 0:20:33 | 0:20:37 | |
is just one of many tales from the past that you can experience. | 0:20:37 | 0:20:41 | |
That was fun! Can I have a go? | 0:20:41 | 0:20:43 | |
By all means. | 0:20:43 | 0:20:45 | |
In fact, I'll just take up a bit higher. | 0:20:45 | 0:20:49 | |
Keep the same line. | 0:20:49 | 0:20:50 | |
Forward! For the honour of Wessex! | 0:20:50 | 0:20:56 | |
MEN CHARGE AND SHOUT | 0:20:56 | 0:21:00 | |
This is the battle scene of Win Hill and Lose Hill. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:11 | |
An assassination attempt on the Anglo-Saxon king of Northumbria | 0:21:11 | 0:21:15 | |
led to a bloody clash between the kings of Wessex and Mercia, and the army of the King of Northumbria. | 0:21:15 | 0:21:21 | |
Archers, let fly! | 0:21:21 | 0:21:25 | |
It's as if the whole hill has come alive to the sound of fighting. | 0:21:26 | 0:21:32 | |
I can smell the fires, it really is as if the ghosts of the past | 0:21:32 | 0:21:37 | |
have come back to haunt these hills. | 0:21:37 | 0:21:39 | |
The day is long and hard fought on both sides, | 0:21:39 | 0:21:44 | |
but as the shadow of the Western Peak grows long, | 0:21:44 | 0:21:48 | |
it soon becomes clear to all but blinded eyes that Northumbria has the better of the day. | 0:21:48 | 0:21:56 | |
King Quickelm has wit to see that the battle is lost. | 0:21:56 | 0:21:59 | |
This morning I've decided to blow away any ghostly cobwebs | 0:22:06 | 0:22:10 | |
by taking my mountain bike across this stunning landscape. | 0:22:10 | 0:22:14 | |
42% of us own a bicycle in the UK. | 0:22:14 | 0:22:18 | |
If you're one of the ones that doesn't, it's never too late to learn. | 0:22:18 | 0:22:21 | |
Sheffield is right on the edge of the Peak District National Park, | 0:22:37 | 0:22:40 | |
which attracts around 20 million visitors per year. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:43 | |
But there are people born and brought up in the city who just don't use this amazing natural resource. | 0:22:43 | 0:22:48 | |
That's something that Kevin Buerk of the Reach For The Peaks scheme aims to change. | 0:22:48 | 0:22:53 | |
Here we are, surrounded by really beautiful countryside and yet loads of people don't go. Why? | 0:22:55 | 0:23:00 | |
There are a number of reasons, really. | 0:23:00 | 0:23:03 | |
People are nervous to go because they don't know | 0:23:03 | 0:23:05 | |
how to repair a bike and they're scared to go very far. | 0:23:05 | 0:23:08 | |
We can teach that very easily. | 0:23:08 | 0:23:10 | |
On other levels, people don't know what routes they can use. | 0:23:10 | 0:23:14 | |
One lady came to me and said, "How do I get to Bradfield?" | 0:23:14 | 0:23:17 | |
It's not far from here. I said, "Go across the commons." | 0:23:17 | 0:23:19 | |
She said, "But there's a bridleway." She wasn't aware she could ride on a bridleway. | 0:23:19 | 0:23:23 | |
People don't know the routes they can take, | 0:23:23 | 0:23:24 | |
or that there's a bus service you can put your bike on. | 0:23:24 | 0:23:27 | |
There is a problem around here - the sheer number of hills. | 0:23:27 | 0:23:29 | |
I'd imagine that you do have to be quite fit. | 0:23:29 | 0:23:32 | |
You do, yes, but what we're saying to people is, | 0:23:32 | 0:23:34 | |
with the routes we've created, you can park in any part of those. | 0:23:34 | 0:23:37 | |
So you can drive to the top of the hill where it's flat and | 0:23:37 | 0:23:39 | |
cycle for a while up there and build your fitness up. | 0:23:39 | 0:23:42 | |
Fitness is a big issue now, certainly with children. | 0:23:42 | 0:23:45 | |
I've noticed that with kids it's difficult to get them to do more than four or five miles. | 0:23:45 | 0:23:49 | |
The keen cyclists tend to have their head down and off they go. | 0:23:49 | 0:23:53 | |
What we're trying to say is that this is fantastic countryside, just stop and look. | 0:23:53 | 0:23:56 | |
So we're allowed, are we, to stop and look at the view a lot? | 0:23:56 | 0:24:00 | |
It's a good excuse if you've got a group out who are less fit than others, because you can stop | 0:24:00 | 0:24:05 | |
the group for good reason, and nobody realises that you're stopping to have a rest as well. | 0:24:05 | 0:24:09 | |
Debbie McCart lives in the heart of the city, but getting out of it is something she really values. | 0:24:11 | 0:24:16 | |
You're amazingly lucky to live so close to both the centre of a city and open countryside. | 0:24:16 | 0:24:21 | |
Sheffield, it has a really hard south-west edge, so yes, it's great. | 0:24:21 | 0:24:26 | |
We're so close to the city, all the facilities, and yet we can be out on the Peak in less than half an hour. | 0:24:26 | 0:24:32 | |
-Is that important to you and the rest of the family? -Incredibly. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:35 | |
That's one of the reasons we've stayed in Sheffield for so long. | 0:24:35 | 0:24:38 | |
We've looked at other cities and maybe moving, we love Scotland, | 0:24:38 | 0:24:42 | |
but Sheffield is just ideal, because you have the Peak District right on your doorstep. | 0:24:42 | 0:24:47 | |
It's just being out in the fresh air, away from the city, enjoying the views and the countryside. | 0:24:47 | 0:24:53 | |
Morning, thanks for coming along. | 0:24:53 | 0:24:55 | |
Many of us have put off cycling in the countryside by the fear of being alone or our bike breaking. | 0:24:55 | 0:24:59 | |
Reach For The Peaks runs group rides and maintenance classes. | 0:24:59 | 0:25:02 | |
There are two types of inner tube... | 0:25:02 | 0:25:05 | |
These bike maintenance classes are essential, because if you get out into the Peak District | 0:25:10 | 0:25:15 | |
and get a puncture, you look pretty silly if you have to walk home. | 0:25:15 | 0:25:18 | |
-It's fairly straightforward... -Basically, all I know about bikes | 0:25:19 | 0:25:23 | |
is that they've got two wheels that go round. | 0:25:23 | 0:25:26 | |
So in the case of an accident, it's going to help me out a lot. | 0:25:26 | 0:25:29 | |
Getting back home in one piece, really. | 0:25:29 | 0:25:31 | |
Kevin. What have I done wrong? | 0:25:35 | 0:25:40 | |
For novices, changing an inner tube | 0:25:40 | 0:25:42 | |
seems a challenge, but after some tuition it's surprisingly easy. | 0:25:42 | 0:25:47 | |
Hey, hey! | 0:25:49 | 0:25:52 | |
I'm just trying to get it to 40lbs. | 0:25:56 | 0:25:59 | |
Even with a really lovely pump, it's a bit harder than it looks. | 0:25:59 | 0:26:02 | |
Ah, there we go. Success. | 0:26:02 | 0:26:05 | |
And so we head for the hills... | 0:26:09 | 0:26:11 | |
Well, actually, the flattish bit around Ladybower Reservoir, and I team up with fellow newcomer | 0:26:11 | 0:26:16 | |
Philip Thorpe, hoping we won't get left too far behind. | 0:26:16 | 0:26:19 | |
So what made you come out today? | 0:26:19 | 0:26:22 | |
I've always liked to be out and about in the country, | 0:26:22 | 0:26:25 | |
and this seemed like another thing that I could potentially do. | 0:26:25 | 0:26:29 | |
There are quite a lot of challenges to master. | 0:26:29 | 0:26:31 | |
I've just about worked out the gears. | 0:26:31 | 0:26:33 | |
When I used to be on a bike, there were only three, so there are some difficulties, aren't there? | 0:26:33 | 0:26:38 | |
Yeah, I think I did ride a Chopper last time I had one! | 0:26:38 | 0:26:42 | |
This is new for me, but I'm really enjoying it. | 0:26:42 | 0:26:46 | |
It's surprisingly good fun. | 0:26:46 | 0:26:49 | |
So how often do you actually get out of Sheffield? It's a lovely city, but there's a lot on the doorstep. | 0:26:49 | 0:26:53 | |
I probably don't get out as much as I should, but hopefully, | 0:26:53 | 0:26:57 | |
doing this, it'll allow me to have an incentive to get out and about and patrol | 0:26:57 | 0:27:03 | |
all the networks that Sheffield provides. | 0:27:03 | 0:27:05 | |
Time to look at that view, and Kevin turns out to be a mine of information. | 0:27:07 | 0:27:12 | |
Just worth stopping here to point out the trees on the far bank there. | 0:27:12 | 0:27:17 | |
They're pine tree, but they actually lose their pines at this time of year, which makes them deciduous. | 0:27:17 | 0:27:22 | |
They actually make a fantastic colour at this time of year as well. | 0:27:22 | 0:27:25 | |
They really break up the green which goes all away round the dam. | 0:27:25 | 0:27:28 | |
At the moment, we're on the Derwent Dams which is part of the Ladybower | 0:27:28 | 0:27:32 | |
system of dams, and it's probably most famous of all for the Dam Busters. | 0:27:32 | 0:27:36 | |
This is where Barnes Wallis tested the bouncing bombs. | 0:27:36 | 0:27:39 | |
I was talking to somebody who cycled round the Ruhr Dams | 0:27:39 | 0:27:41 | |
which is where they actually dropped them, and he said | 0:27:41 | 0:27:44 | |
that he cycled alongside of that, and thought he was at Ladybowers. | 0:27:44 | 0:27:47 | |
It's so, so similar you can't believe it. It's uncanny. | 0:27:47 | 0:27:50 | |
So this place has a real place in British history. | 0:27:50 | 0:27:53 | |
For once, I feel I actually deserve the cake that I've almost finished eating. | 0:28:02 | 0:28:07 | |
When you've been cycling around, even a bit, it's nice to stop and even sit down. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:14 | |
What would you say to people who have been watching this and are thinking, "I'm not sure"? | 0:28:14 | 0:28:19 | |
Just go for it. You don't have to do a huge day out, just come out for | 0:28:19 | 0:28:23 | |
the morning, hire a bike, have a little poot around, it's great. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:29 | |
And with this scenery, who wouldn't be enticed out to the Peaks? | 0:28:29 | 0:28:33 | |
This is the perfect terrain to bring a mountain bike. | 0:28:51 | 0:28:54 | |
But all isn't quite what it seems. | 0:28:54 | 0:28:57 | |
These mounds around me aren't natural. They're man-made. | 0:28:57 | 0:29:01 | |
They're the remains of Tin Town, a settlement once built for the construction workers of Howden Dam. | 0:29:01 | 0:29:08 | |
2,500 navvies were used to build the dam, | 0:29:11 | 0:29:13 | |
and they lived in this specifically designed village of Birchin Lee, | 0:29:13 | 0:29:17 | |
which earned the nickname Tin Town | 0:29:17 | 0:29:19 | |
because its buildings were constructed of corrugated iron. | 0:29:19 | 0:29:22 | |
The town itself is long gone, buried beneath the moorland. | 0:29:22 | 0:29:26 | |
These hillocks are just another reminder of how the landscape | 0:29:26 | 0:29:29 | |
in the Peak District has been shaped by its industry. | 0:29:29 | 0:29:32 | |
But it's not just the industrial past that dominates this landscape. | 0:29:34 | 0:29:37 | |
Wherever you go in the Peak District, you can't get away from farming, and in particular, sheep. | 0:29:37 | 0:29:42 | |
Leaving Tin Town behind me, I'm heading 11 miles south | 0:29:42 | 0:29:46 | |
to the Longshaw Estate to meet Jim Fulton, | 0:29:46 | 0:29:49 | |
president of the sheepdog trials that are held here each September. | 0:29:49 | 0:29:53 | |
This should certainly be the place for sheep in the Peak District, | 0:29:53 | 0:29:57 | |
as they claim to have the oldest sheep dog trials in the country. | 0:29:57 | 0:30:00 | |
-Jim, how are you, a little bit misty up here, isn't it? -It's really bad. | 0:30:00 | 0:30:05 | |
There's obviously been a rich heritage and history of sheep dog trialling here. | 0:30:05 | 0:30:09 | |
When did it actually begin on the estate? | 0:30:09 | 0:30:11 | |
It began on the estate in 1898. | 0:30:11 | 0:30:15 | |
-So, that's doing the maths about one 110 years ago. -Very good. | 0:30:15 | 0:30:18 | |
With the first trial there were only, I think, 36 people here. | 0:30:18 | 0:30:23 | |
It's gone from...its popularity has increased | 0:30:23 | 0:30:26 | |
up to about 10,000 spectators at one point with buses every 10 minutes from Sheffield | 0:30:26 | 0:30:33 | |
and a train from Manchester. | 0:30:33 | 0:30:35 | |
Obviously it's waned as other things have taken over, but it still | 0:30:35 | 0:30:39 | |
continues to be a very popular spectator and competitor event. | 0:30:39 | 0:30:43 | |
So how and why did it all begin? | 0:30:43 | 0:30:46 | |
It began as a competition. | 0:30:46 | 0:30:49 | |
The Duke of Rutland had a gamekeeper and a shepherd and | 0:30:49 | 0:30:52 | |
they had a competition, the first competition was actually shooting. | 0:30:52 | 0:30:56 | |
And then the gamekeeper had a gun and the shepherd didn't so the shepherd chose the next competition | 0:30:56 | 0:31:02 | |
and they decided to use their dogs to round sheep up. | 0:31:02 | 0:31:05 | |
And the competition was born from there on? | 0:31:05 | 0:31:08 | |
From then it's continued until this day. | 0:31:08 | 0:31:10 | |
And obviously many viewers will remember One Man And His Dog, | 0:31:10 | 0:31:13 | |
especially in its heyday, did that have an effect on the estate | 0:31:13 | 0:31:17 | |
-and its popularity of sheepdog trialling? -It did do. | 0:31:17 | 0:31:20 | |
It made it more popular, obviously, seeing it on the television. | 0:31:20 | 0:31:23 | |
After the war the BBC were the first people to come here to show | 0:31:23 | 0:31:29 | |
that normal life continued, in 1945. | 0:31:29 | 0:31:32 | |
Now, I've been lucky enough to present One Man And His Dog | 0:31:32 | 0:31:35 | |
for the last few years, I remember watching it as a little boy. | 0:31:35 | 0:31:38 | |
I've never had a chance to actually try sheepdog trialling. Is there anyone who can give me a lesson? | 0:31:38 | 0:31:43 | |
I'll introduce you to our shepherd, Tony, his great-grandfather | 0:31:43 | 0:31:48 | |
-was a founder member of the Association. -Tony Priestley is a third generation shepherd | 0:31:48 | 0:31:53 | |
whose family have always had the Peak District and its sheep trialling in their blood, | 0:31:53 | 0:31:58 | |
and I'm hoping some of his expertise will rub off on me. | 0:31:58 | 0:32:03 | |
When you're operating the dog he works in circles, | 0:32:03 | 0:32:05 | |
so it either goes to the left clockwise or anti-clockwise. | 0:32:05 | 0:32:09 | |
So you'd start off sending the dog | 0:32:09 | 0:32:11 | |
to the left, round to the left is "come-by". And to the right hand side is "way to me". | 0:32:11 | 0:32:16 | |
Which one is most likely to listen to me? Meg, presumably. | 0:32:16 | 0:32:19 | |
-Meg, presumably, yeah. -So what command shall I give her now? | 0:32:19 | 0:32:22 | |
-Try a way. -Meg, way! | 0:32:22 | 0:32:25 | |
Meg, way! | 0:32:25 | 0:32:27 | |
No. Unfortunate. Sorry about that. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:29 | |
I thought I have command over canines, obviously none at all. | 0:32:29 | 0:32:34 | |
Obviously my voice sounds different. | 0:32:34 | 0:32:36 | |
-You could try "come by". -Meg, come by. Come by. | 0:32:36 | 0:32:40 | |
-No. -And the whistle, can I just have a quick go anyway? | 0:32:40 | 0:32:43 | |
Because I've never really been, just remind me. | 0:32:43 | 0:32:46 | |
Get your tongue at the back of it. | 0:32:46 | 0:32:48 | |
So the tongue against here? | 0:32:48 | 0:32:50 | |
And just blow, yeah. Don't try and blow too hard. | 0:32:50 | 0:32:54 | |
Again, it's practice. | 0:32:54 | 0:32:56 | |
Did you hear that? | 0:33:02 | 0:33:04 | |
No, neither did I. I think that's why I'll stick to presenting | 0:33:04 | 0:33:07 | |
One Man And His Dog rather than actually participating in it. | 0:33:07 | 0:33:10 | |
-Given that I was so hopeless, can I just see an expert running these dogs? -I can try. -Can you try? | 0:33:10 | 0:33:16 | |
I'm just going to show you the basic commands. So we'll go to the right first, anti-clockwise. | 0:33:16 | 0:33:21 | |
We lie down, lie down. Now she's walking behind so that is "walk on". | 0:33:21 | 0:33:26 | |
Walk-on. Then we got lie-down. | 0:33:26 | 0:33:27 | |
Meg, lie down. She'll stand. | 0:33:27 | 0:33:30 | |
So we'll go for left hand command now. | 0:33:30 | 0:33:32 | |
Lie-down. Come by, come by. | 0:33:32 | 0:33:35 | |
So there we're to the left. | 0:33:35 | 0:33:37 | |
Lie-down. Lie-down, Meg. | 0:33:37 | 0:33:39 | |
There we go, and the dogs obviously love this, don't they? | 0:33:39 | 0:33:41 | |
Oh yeah, a day's walk on the moor, gathering sheep, | 0:33:41 | 0:33:45 | |
you know, taking a dog and as it gets better and better the more times you go, | 0:33:45 | 0:33:49 | |
you get a lot of satisfaction out of being able to get it probably half a mile, a mile away. | 0:33:49 | 0:33:54 | |
It takes a bit of doing for a start, you know, so there's a lot of satisfaction in it, yeah. | 0:33:54 | 0:34:00 | |
So far my journey's taken me from Buxworth Basin in the village | 0:34:03 | 0:34:06 | |
of Buxworth and on to Kinder Scout. | 0:34:06 | 0:34:09 | |
I've crossed the heart of the Peak District through Hope, | 0:34:10 | 0:34:13 | |
Bamford and Tin Town, and then finally on to the Longshaw Estate. | 0:34:13 | 0:34:18 | |
I'm now heading south into the Derbyshire Dales, | 0:34:18 | 0:34:22 | |
an area famed for its industrial past. | 0:34:22 | 0:34:25 | |
Old disused industrial structures still scatter the horizon. | 0:34:28 | 0:34:32 | |
Industry and the countryside are not usually seen as natural bedfellows, | 0:34:32 | 0:34:36 | |
which raises the question, do these monuments of industry enhance or spoil the landscape? | 0:34:36 | 0:34:43 | |
Lead mining in the Peak District was once one of the largest, richest | 0:34:46 | 0:34:50 | |
and longest worked heavy metal mining industries in Europe. | 0:34:50 | 0:34:53 | |
In the 17th and 18th centuries, lead vied with iron, behind wool, as Britain's major export. | 0:34:53 | 0:35:00 | |
There are very few lead mines that survive in the area today. | 0:35:00 | 0:35:04 | |
This one I've crawled into is only open to tourists now. | 0:35:04 | 0:35:07 | |
The mines that are still being worked | 0:35:07 | 0:35:09 | |
are for the minerals that were thrown away by their original lead miners, | 0:35:09 | 0:35:13 | |
which still have a commercial value today. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:15 | |
Minerals such as calcite, byrites | 0:35:15 | 0:35:17 | |
and fluorspar, used as fluoride in toothpastes | 0:35:17 | 0:35:21 | |
and other manufacturing industries, and still currently mined in the area. | 0:35:21 | 0:35:27 | |
The most visual sign that mining was once so prevalent in the area | 0:35:27 | 0:35:31 | |
are these lumps and bumps that you find when you're out walking in the Peak District. | 0:35:31 | 0:35:36 | |
But it's these surface remains, | 0:35:36 | 0:35:38 | |
known as lead rake landscapes which are declining. | 0:35:38 | 0:35:42 | |
Enter the three big-hitting organisations determined that no more lead rake land is lost. | 0:35:42 | 0:35:47 | |
English Heritage, English Nature and the National Park Authority | 0:35:47 | 0:35:50 | |
have joined forces to form the lead rakes project. | 0:35:50 | 0:35:54 | |
Lead mining has been a feature of the Peak District for over 2,000 years. | 0:35:54 | 0:35:58 | |
And it's significant for the wildlife habitats, | 0:35:58 | 0:36:02 | |
for the cultural history. | 0:36:02 | 0:36:05 | |
It's been a part of the local communities for hundreds of years. | 0:36:05 | 0:36:09 | |
In practical terms what are you hoping to achieve? | 0:36:09 | 0:36:11 | |
We're hoping to keep what's left of the lead mine landscape that still remains. | 0:36:11 | 0:36:15 | |
We've lost about three-quarters of lead mine remains in the Peak District. | 0:36:15 | 0:36:21 | |
So what's left is pretty significant and we need to retain as much of that as we can. | 0:36:21 | 0:36:27 | |
Why have those areas been lost over the last 100 years? | 0:36:27 | 0:36:30 | |
It's primarily because people have perceived of them as waste and derelict land. | 0:36:30 | 0:36:35 | |
Farmers have wanted to improve the landscape to get better grazing. | 0:36:35 | 0:36:41 | |
Mineral companies have been reworking the areas for what were the waste materials. | 0:36:41 | 0:36:47 | |
Evidence of mining history in the Peak District is clearly visible here at Magpie Mine. | 0:36:47 | 0:36:53 | |
But this is one of only a few sites with buildings still standing. | 0:36:53 | 0:36:57 | |
But to get a real sense of history you need to go underground. | 0:36:57 | 0:37:01 | |
Like down here - | 0:37:04 | 0:37:05 | |
most mines in the Peak District are now closed to the public, | 0:37:05 | 0:37:10 | |
although this was once a show mine, in Victorian times. | 0:37:10 | 0:37:13 | |
And it isn't until you get underground that you fully appreciate | 0:37:13 | 0:37:16 | |
the extent of the work that's gone on here. | 0:37:16 | 0:37:19 | |
The mine was probably worked in the 18th century | 0:37:19 | 0:37:22 | |
but before that it probably goes back to the 16th century, | 0:37:22 | 0:37:26 | |
at that point the mining would have been very tough. | 0:37:26 | 0:37:29 | |
They didn't have explosives, they used to have to light fires | 0:37:29 | 0:37:32 | |
underground to heat their rocks up to make it break. | 0:37:32 | 0:37:35 | |
How much lead would they get out of this rock every day? | 0:37:35 | 0:37:38 | |
Probably in terms of advance in rock, probably about two inches, 50mm. | 0:37:38 | 0:37:44 | |
-In a whole day? -In a whole day. | 0:37:44 | 0:37:46 | |
That would probably be between three men. | 0:37:46 | 0:37:48 | |
During the Middle Ages, mining was a family occupation or a secondary source of cash income. | 0:37:48 | 0:37:54 | |
It was not unusual for farmers to run their farms and operate a small mine at the same time. | 0:37:54 | 0:37:59 | |
This early form of the diversification means that there are many miles of legacy to explore. | 0:37:59 | 0:38:05 | |
We don't know for sure how many miles and miles of tunnels there are | 0:38:07 | 0:38:11 | |
but there it has been suggested | 0:38:11 | 0:38:12 | |
there are at least 3,000 which are actually known about. | 0:38:12 | 0:38:15 | |
But even I can think of one single tunnel which is 4.5 miles long, that's one of many. | 0:38:15 | 0:38:21 | |
Are you hoping to bring groups of people down into the mines and show them the history and what went on? | 0:38:21 | 0:38:25 | |
Yes, that's right. There are some show mines in the Castleton area and where we are here in Matlock Bath, | 0:38:25 | 0:38:31 | |
but the main thing is to actually work out what we've got. | 0:38:31 | 0:38:34 | |
We need to understand what we've got before we can start making decisions about the future. | 0:38:34 | 0:38:39 | |
It's a fantastic world, I think, which at the moment relatively few people get to see, it would be great | 0:38:39 | 0:38:44 | |
if we could find ways to actually broaden the experience of people. | 0:38:44 | 0:38:48 | |
In terms of unique landscape the lead rakes have much to offer, due to the environment, mineral deposits | 0:38:49 | 0:38:55 | |
and the way the land has been managed since the mining operations were abandoned. | 0:38:55 | 0:39:00 | |
They've become home to some very specialist plants. | 0:39:00 | 0:39:02 | |
Because of lead and other heavy metals which remain in the soil | 0:39:02 | 0:39:06 | |
old lead spoil heaps encourage particular plants. | 0:39:06 | 0:39:09 | |
The nationally scarce leadwort, a small white flower, thrives here. | 0:39:09 | 0:39:14 | |
If you looked at a distribution map | 0:39:14 | 0:39:17 | |
of this species you'd find it really closely linked to the ore fields. | 0:39:17 | 0:39:22 | |
It's a nationally scarce plant. | 0:39:22 | 0:39:24 | |
In Derbyshire you only find it on spoil heaps, basically. | 0:39:24 | 0:39:28 | |
Part of the reason they can cope on these lead spoil heaps is that not many other plants can. | 0:39:28 | 0:39:34 | |
-What are those ones over there? -This is mountain pansy. | 0:39:34 | 0:39:38 | |
You know, one of the features of these sites is that they're unique in that | 0:39:38 | 0:39:43 | |
each spoil heap will have varying levels of lead and heavy metals. | 0:39:43 | 0:39:46 | |
It'll have perhaps a different sort of soil layer on it. If some of them are going to be mainly limestone, | 0:39:46 | 0:39:53 | |
-some of them will have acidic soils. -How important is it to preserve them? | 0:39:53 | 0:39:58 | |
It's really important to raise awareness to farmers | 0:39:58 | 0:40:01 | |
and to local people, really, because the more people that realise | 0:40:01 | 0:40:05 | |
what's here, the more people will want to keep them, basically. | 0:40:05 | 0:40:09 | |
-They're sitting on a little conservation gold mine. -Definitely. | 0:40:09 | 0:40:13 | |
It's impossible to look across the Peak District without being | 0:40:15 | 0:40:18 | |
reminded of the centuries of lead mining activity that went on here. | 0:40:18 | 0:40:22 | |
Hopefully with this new project, there's now a will to preserve | 0:40:22 | 0:40:26 | |
this historically unique landscape for many years to come. | 0:40:26 | 0:40:31 | |
Continuing my journey I'm walking on the edge of Stanton Moor, which is not only naturally beautiful | 0:40:31 | 0:40:38 | |
but also archaeologically important | 0:40:38 | 0:40:40 | |
with several stone circles and even a Bronze Age burial site nearby. | 0:40:40 | 0:40:44 | |
This area is incredibly peaceful. | 0:40:47 | 0:40:50 | |
It's even home to a herd of wild Norwegian fallow deer. | 0:40:50 | 0:40:53 | |
But it hasn't always been like this. | 0:40:53 | 0:40:56 | |
Only recently this was a battleground over the proposed | 0:40:56 | 0:40:59 | |
extension of a quarry just 200 metres from this spot. | 0:40:59 | 0:41:03 | |
John Craven visited in the heat of the battle. | 0:41:03 | 0:41:06 | |
This stone circle called the Nine Ladies date back to the Bronze Age. | 0:41:06 | 0:41:12 | |
It was built by people who lived in this part of the Peak District | 0:41:12 | 0:41:16 | |
around 4,000 years ago. | 0:41:16 | 0:41:18 | |
Now it's a scheduled national monument. | 0:41:18 | 0:41:21 | |
It's a place of tranquillity. But for how much longer? | 0:41:21 | 0:41:24 | |
Quarrying is one of the major industries in the Peak District National Park. | 0:41:27 | 0:41:31 | |
Producing both blocks of stone for building and aggregates for road making. | 0:41:31 | 0:41:35 | |
Now there are plans to bring back to life a number of quarries | 0:41:35 | 0:41:39 | |
on Stanton Moor in the park that haven't been worked for many years. | 0:41:39 | 0:41:43 | |
And the protests are growing because these quarries are close to the ancient Nine Ladies monument | 0:41:43 | 0:41:49 | |
and to modern-day living. | 0:41:49 | 0:41:51 | |
Just look across here - you can see all those trees. | 0:41:51 | 0:41:54 | |
Those trees are going to disappear because they're going to quarry right through there. | 0:41:54 | 0:41:59 | |
You can see down the bottom there you have a little bit of a wall, | 0:41:59 | 0:42:02 | |
that's my boundary wall, | 0:42:02 | 0:42:03 | |
behind that wall, that piece of ground, it'll get filled up | 0:42:03 | 0:42:06 | |
with what they call spoil - waste. | 0:42:06 | 0:42:08 | |
They're going to bring it all across here and that's | 0:42:08 | 0:42:11 | |
going to come within 50 metres of this property here, my property. | 0:42:11 | 0:42:14 | |
And didn't you know anything about this threat when you bought the house? | 0:42:14 | 0:42:18 | |
We knew the quarries were there but those quarries had never been worked. | 0:42:18 | 0:42:22 | |
This particular one hasn't been worked since 1959. | 0:42:22 | 0:42:25 | |
The other side - Lee's Cross, the other side of the road, hasn't been worked since 1932. | 0:42:25 | 0:42:30 | |
And there has been no need for these quarries to be worked | 0:42:30 | 0:42:34 | |
because there are so many other quarries in the area. | 0:42:34 | 0:42:37 | |
There are more than 60 sites within this national park with quarrying permission, | 0:42:37 | 0:42:42 | |
many of them granted just before the park was created. | 0:42:42 | 0:42:45 | |
Ten of them are now working and many of the others, including | 0:42:45 | 0:42:49 | |
the dormant ones on Stanton Moor, could start up again. | 0:42:49 | 0:42:52 | |
And there's not much that the park planning committee, which was set up | 0:42:52 | 0:42:56 | |
to protect this beautiful landscape, can do to stop them. | 0:42:56 | 0:42:59 | |
If a quarry company wants to use one of these old permissions the planners can insist on certain new conditions. | 0:42:59 | 0:43:07 | |
But then they may run the risk of having to pay out millions of pounds in compensation. | 0:43:07 | 0:43:11 | |
Many planners feel they're trying to do their job with one hand tied behind their back. | 0:43:11 | 0:43:16 | |
It is very frustrating. | 0:43:16 | 0:43:18 | |
They were granted in the days when stone was perhaps taken out | 0:43:18 | 0:43:22 | |
by horse and cart, certainly nothing like the highly mechanised methods used today. | 0:43:22 | 0:43:27 | |
And in many cases the road network is winding and inadequate. | 0:43:27 | 0:43:33 | |
And the effects on the landscape | 0:43:33 | 0:43:35 | |
are of a devastating sort that we just wouldn't allow today. | 0:43:35 | 0:43:40 | |
And yet these permissions cannot be wound up without | 0:43:40 | 0:43:43 | |
-quite a laborious process. -So, what do you think about that? | 0:43:43 | 0:43:46 | |
Well, I think most people who come into the Peak Park are amazed to see quarries here, | 0:43:46 | 0:43:53 | |
still of this level of impact on the landscape. | 0:43:53 | 0:43:58 | |
But the country does need quarries. | 0:44:00 | 0:44:03 | |
This is the biggest single road-building scheme in Britain, | 0:44:03 | 0:44:05 | |
the new motorway north of Birmingham, and with many more road projects being planned, as well as millions | 0:44:05 | 0:44:11 | |
more houses, there's going to be even greater demand on the quarrying industry to supply aggregates. | 0:44:11 | 0:44:17 | |
They're materials, like sand, gravel and crushed limestone. | 0:44:18 | 0:44:21 | |
On this motorway project they're trying to cut back on the amount | 0:44:21 | 0:44:25 | |
that's taken from quarries by using gravel excavated as they dig the route of the road. | 0:44:25 | 0:44:31 | |
But large quantities of limestone are also needed, and they've got to be quarried. | 0:44:31 | 0:44:36 | |
Sure, we need some. | 0:44:36 | 0:44:37 | |
The question is whether we need to dig quite as much, whether we can't | 0:44:37 | 0:44:40 | |
use them more efficiently, get them from somewhere else. | 0:44:40 | 0:44:43 | |
You look at this road, you can see the damage it's doing, it's covering | 0:44:43 | 0:44:47 | |
27 miles of the West Midlands Green Belt with all the damage to the countryside that comes from that. | 0:44:47 | 0:44:52 | |
But then every mile of that motorway takes 70,000 tons | 0:44:52 | 0:44:55 | |
of aggregates which have got to come from a quarry. | 0:44:55 | 0:44:59 | |
Quarry companies say they're responding to environmental concerns. | 0:44:59 | 0:45:03 | |
At this plant, old concrete is being recycled and the industry has reached | 0:45:03 | 0:45:07 | |
an agreement not to open new quarries for aggregates in national parks. | 0:45:07 | 0:45:12 | |
They resent charges that they're "raping the countryside". | 0:45:12 | 0:45:16 | |
We can only quarry where the good Lord puts the stone. | 0:45:16 | 0:45:20 | |
I think that we've shown, with our attitude with the national parks | 0:45:20 | 0:45:23 | |
over the last three years, that we've taken a responsible view | 0:45:23 | 0:45:26 | |
of where and where we shouldn't be quarrying. We are a vital industry. | 0:45:26 | 0:45:30 | |
We produce the materials that create homes, hospitals, roads, airports. | 0:45:30 | 0:45:35 | |
And yet, we only take one third of 1% of the total land mass of the UK | 0:45:35 | 0:45:41 | |
and I think that's fairly reasonable for such a vital industry. | 0:45:41 | 0:45:44 | |
Back on Stanton Moor, eco-warriors have occupied some | 0:45:44 | 0:45:47 | |
of the dormant quarry sites, hoping to stop any moves to reopen them. | 0:45:47 | 0:45:52 | |
It's now the largest protest camp in the country with around 40 young activists and their main concern | 0:45:52 | 0:45:57 | |
is for the Nine Ladies monument. | 0:45:57 | 0:45:59 | |
Well, it's basically the proximity | 0:45:59 | 0:46:00 | |
of the stone circles where the quarrying is going on at the moment | 0:46:00 | 0:46:04 | |
and where quarrying has taken place | 0:46:04 | 0:46:06 | |
in the past and the fact that it's causing subsidence in the hillside. | 0:46:06 | 0:46:10 | |
We feel that the stone circles themselves, as well as the whole hillside, is under threat. | 0:46:10 | 0:46:14 | |
It's also the whole place is an old quarry that has grown back | 0:46:14 | 0:46:19 | |
and it's over 50 years ago. | 0:46:19 | 0:46:22 | |
It's all took root again now. | 0:46:22 | 0:46:23 | |
There are badger setts, there are Norwegian fallow deer, there are bats, there's two types of owl here. | 0:46:23 | 0:46:30 | |
There's a lot of wildlife and it's 38 acres stretching right | 0:46:30 | 0:46:33 | |
across both sides of the road that could be gone forever. | 0:46:33 | 0:46:36 | |
The quarry companies involved didn't want to talk to Countryfile, | 0:46:36 | 0:46:40 | |
but the scene is set for what could be a major confrontation. | 0:46:40 | 0:46:44 | |
So how could situations like this be avoided? | 0:46:44 | 0:46:47 | |
The government needs to back the local authority, the National Park Authority, much more strongly | 0:46:47 | 0:46:52 | |
than it has hitherto in objecting. | 0:46:52 | 0:46:55 | |
It also needs to look long and hard, as part of its review | 0:46:55 | 0:46:59 | |
of minerals policy nationally, at the whole issue of compensation to quarry operators. | 0:46:59 | 0:47:04 | |
What we would prefer is rather than protest groups lobbing bricks at us from the sidelines, is join us | 0:47:04 | 0:47:10 | |
in a debate that will move this system forward and give everybody an opportunity of having their say. | 0:47:10 | 0:47:16 | |
This highly contentious issue may become a little clearer later this year when the government, | 0:47:16 | 0:47:21 | |
after consulting all sides, publishes new national guidelines | 0:47:21 | 0:47:25 | |
on just how and where quarrying should take place. | 0:47:25 | 0:47:29 | |
One of the joys of Country Tracks is that we get to revisit stories | 0:47:30 | 0:47:35 | |
and see what has happened since. | 0:47:35 | 0:47:37 | |
So I've come back to the protesters' camp to meet Geoff Henson to do just that. | 0:47:37 | 0:47:42 | |
So this is where it all happened. | 0:47:42 | 0:47:44 | |
This is where it all happened, and where it's all finishing. | 0:47:44 | 0:47:47 | |
-What's the outcome? -Well, the outcome is that we've revocation on the two quarries, | 0:47:47 | 0:47:52 | |
we finally got the government to sign to say that the quarrying here | 0:47:52 | 0:47:55 | |
would be revoked for ever and a day. | 0:47:55 | 0:47:58 | |
You must have a big smile on your face. | 0:47:58 | 0:48:00 | |
We are very chuffed. But common sense has ruled. | 0:48:00 | 0:48:03 | |
That's what it's important. Common sense has taken over. | 0:48:03 | 0:48:06 | |
And through talking to people, we've realised that quarrying | 0:48:06 | 0:48:09 | |
has always taken place here and it'll remain to take place here, but in a much smaller way. | 0:48:09 | 0:48:14 | |
I can't help notice all this activity behind us. What's going on? | 0:48:14 | 0:48:17 | |
Well, the tree houses are all down now. | 0:48:17 | 0:48:20 | |
They're taking them down now. | 0:48:20 | 0:48:22 | |
This is all part of the agreement with the protesters. | 0:48:22 | 0:48:25 | |
-Are the original protesters here? -Oh, yes. There's Ann. Here she is. | 0:48:25 | 0:48:28 | |
Hi, there. | 0:48:28 | 0:48:30 | |
-Hello. -You must feel so thrilled - how long have you been here? | 0:48:30 | 0:48:32 | |
-Nine years and the camp's been here for nearly ten. -Wow! | 0:48:32 | 0:48:35 | |
-So this has probably become your home over that time. -It is, yes. | 0:48:35 | 0:48:39 | |
It's nice to be able to leave it as woodland as well to regenerate. | 0:48:39 | 0:48:43 | |
-I have a spare pair of hands. Is there anything left to be done? -OK, do you see that little barbecue? | 0:48:43 | 0:48:49 | |
The Nine Ladies issue was resolved after the Peak District National Park Authority negotiated a deal. | 0:48:49 | 0:48:55 | |
This involved the company that owns the quarry giving up its right to work the site in return | 0:48:55 | 0:49:01 | |
for extending another quarry in a less sensitive area. | 0:49:01 | 0:49:05 | |
Right, I think that's almost the last thing. I'll pass you that. | 0:49:05 | 0:49:08 | |
What happens to all this stuff now? | 0:49:08 | 0:49:10 | |
Well, the whole camp was built from recycled materials and we're recycling as much of it as possible | 0:49:10 | 0:49:15 | |
-now afterwards. -So it will be re-used? | 0:49:15 | 0:49:17 | |
-Yes. -Fantastic. Well, good luck with whatever you do next. | 0:49:17 | 0:49:19 | |
-Thanks very much. -You don't need to clean your hands! Congratulations to both of you. | 0:49:19 | 0:49:23 | |
-Fantastic. I'm going to go and catch a train, sadly. But good luck. -Thank you. -Bye-bye. -Thank you. | 0:49:23 | 0:49:28 | |
My travels through the Peak District have taken me from Buxworth Basin, | 0:49:35 | 0:49:39 | |
in the village of Buxworth, on to Kinder Scout and then across | 0:49:39 | 0:49:43 | |
the Hope to Bamford trail to Tin Town. | 0:49:43 | 0:49:45 | |
From there, I travelled across to the Longshaw Estate | 0:49:45 | 0:49:48 | |
and on to Stanton Moor. To end my journey, I'm going to join | 0:49:48 | 0:49:51 | |
the Peak Railway at Darley Dale station. | 0:49:51 | 0:49:53 | |
I'm just in time to catch the Peak Rail service to Matlock | 0:49:57 | 0:50:01 | |
and meet Robin Smith, who's the driver of our train today, the Royal Pioneer. | 0:50:01 | 0:50:06 | |
-How are you? -Nice to meet you. -Likewise. | 0:50:06 | 0:50:08 | |
Just tell me a little bit about the history of this train. | 0:50:08 | 0:50:11 | |
Right, well, this locomotive was originally designed for shunting | 0:50:11 | 0:50:16 | |
collieries and steelworks. | 0:50:16 | 0:50:19 | |
-So it worked with the industry in this area? -Exactly. | 0:50:19 | 0:50:21 | |
-This is obviously coal-driven. Can we have a look down? -Certainly. -It's called the Royal Pioneer. | 0:50:21 | 0:50:26 | |
That's correct. After the Royal Pioneer Corps. | 0:50:26 | 0:50:29 | |
-Can I touch that? Is it hot? -No, that's the water tank. | 0:50:29 | 0:50:32 | |
So, that's the water tank and that's where the steam comes out. | 0:50:32 | 0:50:36 | |
That's correct, yes. | 0:50:36 | 0:50:38 | |
I couldn't help but notice back here, just peering out, presumably, that's a fireman, or firewoman. | 0:50:38 | 0:50:43 | |
-That's Lisa. -You've got all the coal dust all over your face. | 0:50:43 | 0:50:47 | |
-That's the dirty job. -How much coal does it take to run one of these? | 0:50:47 | 0:50:52 | |
In a working day, including lighting up and working the train, you're looking at about a ton and a half. | 0:50:52 | 0:50:58 | |
Obviously, there are a number of different types of steam train and one of the obvious differences | 0:50:58 | 0:51:04 | |
-is between oil and coal-driven steam trains. -That's correct. | 0:51:04 | 0:51:08 | |
The main difference is Lisa's job. | 0:51:08 | 0:51:11 | |
Instead of using a shovel to apply the coal, | 0:51:11 | 0:51:14 | |
she'll use control valves to feed the oil into the firebox. | 0:51:14 | 0:51:18 | |
Briefly, remind me how | 0:51:18 | 0:51:21 | |
-a steam train works. -Well, you have a fire in the firebox, | 0:51:21 | 0:51:26 | |
which is heating the water in the barrel around the fire box itself. | 0:51:26 | 0:51:30 | |
That in turn creates steam and the steam is sent down to cylinders | 0:51:30 | 0:51:36 | |
where it'll act on pistons, through a crank, | 0:51:36 | 0:51:38 | |
just like the pedals of a bicycle and that drives it along. | 0:51:38 | 0:51:42 | |
And off we go. This is obviously a pretty significant part, given that | 0:51:42 | 0:51:46 | |
the Peak District has a heavy industrial past. | 0:51:46 | 0:51:49 | |
This was a work horse for this area. | 0:51:49 | 0:51:51 | |
Absolutely, yes. | 0:51:51 | 0:51:53 | |
Especially on the high peak, where these did sterling work. | 0:51:53 | 0:51:56 | |
-But today, just pulling passengers. -Just pulling passengers today, yes. | 0:51:56 | 0:52:00 | |
-Like me. Where are you heading today? -Today, to Matlock. | 0:52:00 | 0:52:04 | |
You've passengers waiting, so I'm going to hop on board. Very nice to meet you. | 0:52:04 | 0:52:07 | |
-Nice to meet you, Lisa. -Thank you. -Bye. | 0:52:07 | 0:52:10 | |
Morning. | 0:52:10 | 0:52:13 | |
Sorry to interrupt your rail journey. | 0:52:22 | 0:52:24 | |
I was wondering whether you've been on Peak Rail before? | 0:52:24 | 0:52:27 | |
Yes, we have. Many times. We're local. | 0:52:27 | 0:52:29 | |
You have been on many times? What is it you love so much about it? | 0:52:29 | 0:52:32 | |
It's just seeing lots of different places, isn't it? | 0:52:32 | 0:52:34 | |
-Yes, I love the countryside and the views. -Fantastic. | 0:52:34 | 0:52:37 | |
-Is this your first time on Peak Rail or have you been on before? -Yeah. | 0:52:37 | 0:52:42 | |
-What do you think so far? -Fantastic. It's great for the kids. | 0:52:42 | 0:52:46 | |
Are you enjoying it? Is it fun? | 0:52:46 | 0:52:48 | |
What do like most about it? Do you like looking outside? | 0:52:48 | 0:52:51 | |
-What's your name? -Ruben. | 0:52:51 | 0:52:53 | |
-Do you like being on the train? -Yeah. | 0:52:53 | 0:52:57 | |
Is it fun? Would you like to be a steam train driver maybe? | 0:52:57 | 0:53:00 | |
No! | 0:53:00 | 0:53:02 | |
No?! That would be a fun job, wouldn't it? | 0:53:02 | 0:53:05 | |
The Peak District was once a haven for industry. | 0:53:09 | 0:53:13 | |
Today, it's a haven for walkers, for ramblers, for cyclists. | 0:53:13 | 0:53:17 | |
They're all here to enjoy and celebrate this magnificent land rather than exploit it. | 0:53:17 | 0:53:22 | |
And I, for one, have enjoyed every single minute of it. | 0:53:22 | 0:53:26 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:53:31 | 0:53:35 |