0:00:21 > 0:00:22Today I'm in Kent
0:00:22 > 0:00:26exploring the green and glorious Garden of England.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31From its shingle beaches in Dungeness, all the way to the outskirts of London.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40I'm starting my journey in Dungeness.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Then I'll head to Flatropers Wood,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46in Beckley, before a visit to a fruit farm at Ticehurst.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50I'll stroll through the hot fields of Golden Green
0:00:50 > 0:00:52before my Kent travels comes to an end
0:00:52 > 0:00:55in the skies over Biggin Hill's famous airfield.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00And along the way I'll be looking back at the very best
0:01:00 > 0:01:03of the BBC's rural programmes from this part of the world.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05This is Country Tracks.
0:01:15 > 0:01:21From here, you can see the famous expanse of shingle that characterises Dungeness.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26The shingle has built up over the century and has formed a kind of Peninsular that has proved deadly
0:01:26 > 0:01:30to ships and their cargo, not to mention the thousands of lives lost.
0:01:32 > 0:01:38By the 17th century, as the shipping lanes around the South Coast became increasingly crowded,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Dungeness was in desperate need of a lighthouse.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48There have been five lighthouses in the last 400 years.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Each new structure had to be built bigger and closer to the shore,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55as the shingle beaches grew and the sea continued to retreat.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01The first was built in 1615.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04It was a simple, wooden structure with a fire on top.
0:02:04 > 0:02:11A second brick lighthouse, much taller at 110 ft, was built in 1635.
0:02:11 > 0:02:12It lasted over 100 years
0:02:12 > 0:02:16but it, too, fell victim to the increasing shingle bank.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18After complaints at sea of poor light visibility,
0:02:18 > 0:02:24a third lighthouse was demanded and eventually built in 1790.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28The third lighthouse was similar in height and design.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30It was lit by 17 argon lamps,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34fuelled first by oil and later by petroleum.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Electricity first came to Dungeness in 1862.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40The fourth lighthouse came in 1904
0:02:40 > 0:02:45after a grand opening ceremony by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47later King George V.
0:02:47 > 0:02:53At 150 ft, its lights flashed every 10 seconds and it could be seen for 18 miles.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59The fourth lighthouse still stands proud on the landscape here today.
0:02:59 > 0:03:04For 56 years it provided a welcome light to local fishermen
0:03:04 > 0:03:07and other mariners negotiating the perils of the English Channel.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10It was decommissioned in 1960.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17It wasn't the shingle that prompted the building of the fifth lighthouse
0:03:17 > 0:03:21but the arrival of Dungeness power station in the late 1950s.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24The building was so high that it obscured the light from the sea,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27so a new automatic lighthouse was built closer to the water's edge.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30It's still in use to this day.
0:03:33 > 0:03:40Kent's coastline stretches for around 350 miles, making it one of the longest in the country.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Some of its bays and sandy beaches are renowned for their beauty.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Some are known for their perfusion of fossils.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51One such place is Botany Bay.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58This landscape of chalk and sand is a rich hunting ground
0:03:58 > 0:04:01for geologists searching for evidence
0:04:01 > 0:04:03of life many millions of years ago.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07These cliffs are a natural storehouse of fossils.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08They are a treasure trove.
0:04:08 > 0:04:14We are very privileged that we have one of the longest stretches of unbroken chalk cliff in Britain.
0:04:14 > 0:04:15It's also particularly soft.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21That's one of the key factors in determining the preservation level we find in the fossils here.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23What are you carrying there?
0:04:23 > 0:04:25This is a portion of a large ammonite
0:04:25 > 0:04:27that lived here in the seas about 80 million years ago.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30These are a relatively common fossil we find here.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32And just a portion - it's huge.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36This is tiny, the full-size would have been a metre and a half across.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Are you still finding them here?
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Yes, we've got one in the cliffs above us here.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44With it being chalk you must get a lot of erosion.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Yes, these clips are quite soft.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Although the island itself is girdled mainly by a concrete promenade,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53this is one of the few bays that's actually completely wild.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56We can see erosion happening on a day-to-day basis.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58After that storm we had yesterday afternoon,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00I noticed there's a cliff fall round the corner.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04It would be wise to have a look at that, you never know what we might find.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- Here we are.- Isn't it amazing? A relatively fresh fall.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13We need to be careful not to climb too close to it.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16It is a fantastic place to start looking.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21- There's some here, loads of material. - What's that?
0:05:21 > 0:05:23This is a fossil sea urchin.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25All of the spines have come off.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28This is another one.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31It's quite a common fossil. None the less, every fossil is unique.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34There is a lump here which I know from looking at it
0:05:34 > 0:05:38has a very nice heart-shaped fossil urchin in it.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41That one will definitely be coming home with me today.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Along the coastline of Thanet
0:05:43 > 0:05:47you'll also find plant life that can't have changed much
0:05:47 > 0:05:50since flying dinosaurs feasted on giant ammonites.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53It's seaweed in huge variety.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57On the rocks that we can see towards low tide here,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01we have a combination of species that makes it unusual.
0:06:01 > 0:06:07This is also the last outcrop of rock on the east coast of England
0:06:07 > 0:06:10before we get to Yorkshire. It's the last spot where there's hard rock.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Seaweeds like hard rock to attach to and grow on.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15What have you been finding?
0:06:15 > 0:06:17All sorts of things.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Most commonly we see this one, the toothed wrack.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23A very common, widespread species.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28This red one is called dulse.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31It was collected by the Scots.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Dulse is a Gaelic name.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Eaten in Scotland as a kind of salad.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40What else can you find around here?
0:06:40 > 0:06:47In this pool here, what we have is a large brown seaweed, several seaweeds. This is kelp.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51It's anchored to the chalk.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55It is. The holes you see in this chalk
0:06:55 > 0:07:00are actually bored by a mollusc that actually lives...
0:07:00 > 0:07:04You can just about see the shells inside.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08It lives inside the chalk and weakens the chalk.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13So the effects of waves and tides, and storms
0:07:13 > 0:07:19actually call against the seaweed and cause the chalk to break away.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24We see the seaweed on a piece of chalk here.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Lots of these beaches along the Kent coast have got blue flags because they are so clean.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Is that good for the seaweed?
0:07:30 > 0:07:33It's very good for seaweed and all marine organisms.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36The cleaner the sea, the more growth we will get.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40So Thanet's record number of blue flags will benefit
0:07:40 > 0:07:44not just holidaymakers but life in the sea as well.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58As one of the largest expanses of shingle in the world,
0:07:58 > 0:08:04this desolate landscape is officially the UK's only desert.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Punctuated by crumbling structures,
0:08:06 > 0:08:11this apparent wasteland is a habitat to a unique variety of wildlife
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and over 600 different types of plants,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18a third of all plants found anywhere in the UK.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Dungeness is also one of the best places in Britain
0:08:23 > 0:08:30to find a rare species of moths, butterflies, bees, beetles and spiders.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Many of the insects here cannot be found anywhere else.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39It's a really barren landscape in Dungeness, I didn't really instantly warm to it.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43But it has, on closer inspection, got a certain type of prettiness.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Having said that, I'm not sure I could live here so I'm intrigued to find out why people would.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50I'm off to meet a local resident now.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Each property has its own individual charm.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57But, over the years, alterations to some of these dwellings
0:08:57 > 0:09:03have disguised the signs of their previous life as a fleet of classic Pullman train carriages.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08- Wow!- Here is the carriage. - It's beautiful.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13- You can really feel how it still has that carriage shape.- Indeed.
0:09:13 > 0:09:21What's great about it is because we've got the curved roof then the stove behind you,
0:09:21 > 0:09:26the Hunter, that convects the heat all the way round so you can be snug.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30How did a railway carriage come to end up on a beach?
0:09:30 > 0:09:35The railway workers who work on the gravel extraction
0:09:35 > 0:09:38loved it here.
0:09:38 > 0:09:45When that was finishing they arranged for the last train to
0:09:45 > 0:09:46become holiday chalets.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48And this was a first-class carriage?
0:09:48 > 0:09:51First class non-smoking.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54But I smoke and it because it's my carriage.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56You can do what you like.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Dungeness is such a unique landscape, I've never come across anywhere like it.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04- What was it that drew you here? - I was born and brought up in Africa.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10The majority of the time I was in the Kalahari Desert,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12which is not unlike this landscape.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16All the plants that you see and the landscape,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20they give enough space because nothing will survive
0:10:20 > 0:10:24if they don't allow themselves three metres, six metres, eight metres.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27That has the effect of making the landscape even larger
0:10:27 > 0:10:31because you see these little puffballs receding forever,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34so you've got this sense of vastness.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Already a successful artist,
0:10:38 > 0:10:43Paddy escaped London ten years ago to settle here in Dungeness.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47He's offered me a personal tour of his studios.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52What is it about Dungeness that gets your creative juices flowing as an artist?
0:10:52 > 0:10:56I basically wander around looking at the same things
0:10:56 > 0:10:59and then one day I look at them and make a small connection
0:10:59 > 0:11:01between something that's there,
0:11:01 > 0:11:06something that might be over there and find a meaning.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Or I see something so remarkable
0:11:08 > 0:11:11that I drop whatever else I'm doing
0:11:11 > 0:11:15and immediately come back and paint something like this.
0:11:15 > 0:11:21Talk me through this, it's an amazing piece.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26It's the THV Patricia, which is the Trinity House vessel
0:11:26 > 0:11:30that services the buoys all around the coast.
0:11:30 > 0:11:36This ship is perpetually making its way around the British coastline.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41Looking at this picture doesn't look like a particularly bright day.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44It was, it was a day almost exactly like this.
0:11:44 > 0:11:51The boat was as close as it could be and then this strange mist,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53fog mixture, took me over,
0:11:53 > 0:11:58and I couldn't believe what had just happened because the bright sun,
0:11:58 > 0:12:03that was still going through the mist
0:12:03 > 0:12:06and lighting the ship in the most beautiful way.
0:12:06 > 0:12:12I couldn't have imagined it. There was nothing I could do but come back.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17I stopped what I was doing and got to work.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20It's a technical painting but it works.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25I can imagine looking out towards the sea there's some really obvious beauty there.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29But looking over towards the power station, does that ever give you any inspiration?
0:12:29 > 0:12:34Oh, yes! It's Las Vegas at night.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39It's a grey hill in the day, you need a hill.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42We call it The Beast.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45It has its own beauty because the walkways are lit up at night.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51You can see people walking, these tiny people walking along these gantries.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53It's a happy place.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56The people who work there whistle, smile.
0:12:56 > 0:13:03The Tannoys are interesting, banal but sometimes slightly scary.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Bing-bong-bong, bing-bong-bong, you don't expect it.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10"Reg, can you call your wife, please?"
0:13:14 > 0:13:16It's hard to be indifferent about Dungeness.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19It has an intoxicating effect.
0:13:19 > 0:13:25Paddy has certainly made an intimate connection with the landscape, as both his subject and his home.
0:13:29 > 0:13:36Kent is a county of varying vistas, and my journey takes me through some of the finest it has to offer.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Flat horizons at its beaches.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Bountiful orchards Inland and, not far from here,
0:13:42 > 0:13:48dense woodland that provides the perfect hiding place for an elusive animal.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53This positively medieval mammal had been extinct in Britain for centuries.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58Then wild boar farms to provide meat with a difference were set up in Kent.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00And, yes, some animals escaped.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02They avoid contact with human beings
0:14:02 > 0:14:04if at all possible.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Derek Harman, a former agricultural worker,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10has been on the trail of the wild boar for more than a decade.
0:14:10 > 0:14:11He knows all the signs.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14There's definitely something going on here.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17This is a typical example of wild boar.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19The whole place has been turned over.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22The whole wood is all chestnuts.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25They are looking for the remains of last year's chestnut crop.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Bluebells and grubs, and worms.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32The evidence for the bluebells is there, tiny shoots where they've uprooted the main bulbs.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36So they have literally turned all the soil over looking for anything they can eat.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Anything edible.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40What have we got here, Derek?
0:14:40 > 0:14:43We have an actual boar run.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47They come through every night and into the patch of forest on the other side.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49They use the same route night after night.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Yes, which is why it's smooth.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Similar to a badger.
0:14:54 > 0:15:00Since their escape, the shy, largely nocturnal creatures have been breeding and spreading.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04From Kent, over the border into East Sussex.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09And it seems there's nothing to stop these animals recapturing all their old stomping grounds.
0:15:09 > 0:15:15Within five to ten years, the whole of the South of England will have a population of wild boar.
0:15:15 > 0:15:21Eventually I would think within ten years, there won't be a large patch of forest in the country
0:15:21 > 0:15:23that hasn't got a population of wild boar.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28And that could cause nationwide hysteria because when the boars first got loose in Kent,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30there were dire warnings.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Watch out for your pets! Keep your children safe!
0:15:32 > 0:15:34It was a great over-reaction.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Look what's happened, absolutely nothing.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Wild boar are very shy animals.
0:15:37 > 0:15:43I spent a week in a forest in Poland looking for bison, but it was full of wild boar. I only saw them once.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47So unless you're unlucky or foolish enough to corner one, you'll be completely safe.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50There hasn't been a problem. Animals haven't been attacked,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53dogs haven't been attacked, people haven't been attacked
0:15:53 > 0:15:57and I think these animals have literally earned their right to stay
0:15:57 > 0:16:01in the countryside, providing they're left alone and not confronted.
0:16:01 > 0:16:07But on the edge of the wild woods where the wild boar live, there are other problems.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11It's harvest time in the hop garden. Hops for British beers.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17This year's crop is good but not good enough to remove the bitter taste in Jenny Farrant's mouth.
0:16:17 > 0:16:23She's had to come to terms with an advancing army of ravenous boars who'll eat anything.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28We have lost half a hop garden because we gave it up after two years of rooting.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32They particularly like the young hop as it comes,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34looking not unlike an asparagus,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37they find that quite delicious so they root up the plant.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Failing finding hops,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43they'll move on to maize and also spring wheat, delicious.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47We're also on the borders of Romney Marsh and we're famous for our sheep.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Lambs go too.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52It's a serious problem to us all.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Given all these worries over the wild boar
0:16:54 > 0:16:58and the fact that their numbers are rising and the territories are spreading,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00what's amazing is the British government
0:17:00 > 0:17:07has no policy on this native British mammal so what's the future for the wild boar? What are the options?
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Wild boar will need to be controlled in exactly the same way that deer,
0:17:10 > 0:17:15if the population gets too high then you need to take certain animals out of the population
0:17:15 > 0:17:19in order to maintain a healthy population of animals left.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23The difference with wild boar and deer being that deer will have one fawn a year,
0:17:23 > 0:17:28wild boar will have four or five piglets a year, so the numbers will increase dramatically.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33Wild boar is a native animal, they do good things in our woods, they root around, they bury seeds,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36so I suggest we do nothing. We enjoy the fact they're here.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39We might be lucky enough to see one. We can see their hoof prints.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Something else interesting in the countryside.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Wild boar will cause some problems for farmers
0:17:43 > 0:17:47but farmers have all sorts of things to worry about, this can be another quite small one.
0:17:47 > 0:17:52The accidental reintroduction of wild boar into Britain seems to be unstoppable
0:17:52 > 0:17:55and whether they're hunted for their meat or simply ignored,
0:17:55 > 0:17:59wherever you are, there are likely to be a lot more of these
0:17:59 > 0:18:01in your neck of the woods.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13I've left the spare landscape of Dungeness behind and headed for Flatropers Wood in Beckley.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17It's been almost ten years since that report,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21so have wild boar colonised the forest?
0:18:24 > 0:18:29Derek, were your predictions correct about the population of boars exploding?
0:18:29 > 0:18:31To a certain extent, no.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35The population is governed by the amount of food
0:18:35 > 0:18:36available in the autumn.
0:18:36 > 0:18:42If there's plenty of food about then the majority of the breeding sows will carry piglets.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46If there's very little food about, then probably only one or two,
0:18:46 > 0:18:51maybe will produce piglets and the litter sizes will be down
0:18:51 > 0:18:54so they are in fact, like most wildlife,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56governing their own numbers.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01What's happened to the population you were researching?
0:19:01 > 0:19:02They don't like disturbance
0:19:02 > 0:19:05and the Forestry Commission has been thinning
0:19:05 > 0:19:07and clearing areas of woodland,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11which has driven the boar out and that's been going on for two years.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14What's left of the population?
0:19:14 > 0:19:17The odd boar.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19One or two left in here
0:19:19 > 0:19:23but most of them, due to the disturbance, moved out.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Flatropers Wood is managed by the local Wildlife Trust
0:19:26 > 0:19:29but the Beckley and Bixley Forests that enclose it
0:19:29 > 0:19:32are owned and managed by the Forestry Commission
0:19:32 > 0:19:35and these forests are now being clear-felled for timber.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39So this is the disturbance you were talking about?
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- My goodness.- Totally clear-felled.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45This is where the wild boar would've been seen?
0:19:45 > 0:19:51They'd have been laying up because there was enough under story under this to keep them
0:19:51 > 0:19:54settled, calm and away from humans.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57How do you feel about the Forestry Commission's work here?
0:19:57 > 0:20:02Their argument is that this is a commercial forest and it needed to be felled.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08It was a bit upsetting, for a start, a bit disturbing,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12but it will come back and the boar will come back.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15What do you think the wild boar bring to the British countryside?
0:20:15 > 0:20:18It does an awful lot of good.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22It's turning over the soil and it's planting any seeds
0:20:22 > 0:20:25that have fallen on to the surface, like a gardener.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27They're nature's gardeners.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32Providing we leave it alone, it'll leave us alone.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37A representative from Beckley and Bixley Forest said that the Forestry Commission
0:20:37 > 0:20:42follows the Government's national policy on wild boar issued in 2008,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45which states that while there is no need for complete eradication,
0:20:45 > 0:20:52local communities and landowners can manage the populations of wild boar in their area as necessary.
0:20:52 > 0:20:58However, they added that no action has been needed in the last 20 years, as the wild boar in this area
0:20:58 > 0:21:01have been a stable and peaceful population.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Although they didn't reach the numbers Derek was predicting,
0:21:08 > 0:21:13there is still a significant population in the UK.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17It's estimated there could be 1,000 wild boar throughout Britain,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22with the largest population in the Forest of Dean, where they number well into the hundreds.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Kent's reputation as the Garden of England makes you think of orchards
0:21:37 > 0:21:42and rolling grasslands but on the border with East Sussex,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45it's densely wooded with shaded walks and towering trees.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Bedgebury Pinetum and Forest here in High Weald combine
0:21:56 > 0:21:59two very different types of woodland environment.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02There's the Pinetum, which is 320 acres.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06It's very quiet and tranquil and you can sit here and soak up
0:22:06 > 0:22:11the atmosphere created by thousands of fabulous conifers.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Whilst in the forests surrounding the Pinetum,
0:22:23 > 0:22:27they've developed what will be an all-ability outdoor activity site,
0:22:27 > 0:22:31although I think I've chosen quite a tricky route to start on!
0:22:35 > 0:22:39The Pinetum's been in existence since the early 1920s
0:22:39 > 0:22:42and the forest has been there for another 1,000 years
0:22:42 > 0:22:46before that but there's not a lot of access into the forest for people,
0:22:46 > 0:22:53so what we've tried to do is create new paths, upgrade other paths so we can get people
0:22:53 > 0:22:58from all sorts of social backgrounds and people with disabilities into taking some sort of activity.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Fun day, lots of activity.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04It's not really important how you do you scores,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06it's how you get on with each other.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Now that more of the forest is accessible,
0:23:08 > 0:23:12it can welcome schoolchildren who wouldn't normally visit the countryside.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Today the kids are from John Donne Primary School in Peckham, South London,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18and after some instructions, they're off.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Go, go, go!
0:23:20 > 0:23:21Orienteering.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40And after a quick break for lunch,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44the kids are taught some basic survival skills, starting with building a shelter.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50So what's the best thing you've learnt today so far?
0:23:50 > 0:23:52- Work in a team. - To work harder and to listen.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56How good do you think today has been for the kids?
0:23:56 > 0:24:02It's been wonderful, it's nice to get in the fresh air. It's very different to where we come from in Peckham.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03Can you close the door?
0:24:07 > 0:24:11# I want to ride my bicycle... #
0:24:13 > 0:24:17And she's going off-road!
0:24:21 > 0:24:24The Pinetum is in a separate part of the forest.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29It was established in 1925 as a result of the London smog,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32where air pollution and poor soil made Kew Gardens unsuitable
0:24:32 > 0:24:36for growing conifers, so they were brought here instead,
0:24:36 > 0:24:40but this is where I have to get off my bike because as the sign says, no cycling.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47As home to 330 species, the Pinetum is the most complete collection
0:24:47 > 0:24:50of conifers on one site in the world.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56They're not everybody's favourite tree.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59But to me and to a vast number of people
0:24:59 > 0:25:02they're just fantastic living organisms.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04They are huggable trees, aren't they?
0:25:04 > 0:25:06They're like the cuddly bears of the tree world.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08You hit the nail on the head there.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12They're just huggable. Some of these trees, you look around here,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16behind us you've got the coast redwoods. That's the tallest living organism.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19That's pretty tall, but they can grow much taller than that, can't they?
0:25:19 > 0:25:23They grow to about 376 foot when they grow out in the Californian coast.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25That's a very, very large tree.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28And if you look behind us, you've got the giant redwood.
0:25:28 > 0:25:34And that is the largest living organism, the largest living thing on the planet.
0:25:34 > 0:25:40They're only babies here, of course, because in the wild they grow to several thousand years old.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54From the shade of Flatropers Wood
0:25:54 > 0:25:57I'm travelling on to the fertile fields of Ticehurst.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06The south east of England produces 50% of Britain's eating apples,
0:26:06 > 0:26:0865% of its cooking apples,
0:26:08 > 0:26:13three quarters of its pears and 90% of Britain's cherries.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Many of these orchards are found right here in Kent,
0:26:17 > 0:26:22and several offer the chance to go onto the farm and pick your own.
0:26:27 > 0:26:33Why did you decide to do pick-your-own rather than growing for supermarkets?
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Well, when my parents started doing it back in the '60s,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39people were getting their first freezers in the home,
0:26:39 > 0:26:44and a lot of families getting their first car loved to come out to the countryside.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47It was an economy thing, people would do it because the fruit was cheaper.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49But really that's changed now.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52People come just because they enjoy being in the countryside.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54And so it's quite a good business for us.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56What have we got here looking so red and tempting?
0:26:56 > 0:27:00These are tayberries. You hardly see them in the supermarket
0:27:00 > 0:27:03because they haven't really got a very good punnet life.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07When you're picking them you have to grasp the whole fruit,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10and that tends to squash them and you end up with a bit of juice at the bottom.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13No difference in flavour but it does make a difference in the supermarket.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18I've got this real hedgerow feeling where you see red berries and you instantly feel like jumping in.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20- Would I be allowed to try one? - Of course, yes.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22There you go, try that one.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25It's a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27You can get both of them coming through.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31That blackberry flavour's really clear in there. How lovely.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39What are these trees here?
0:27:39 > 0:27:41- These are apricots. - Apricots in England?
0:27:41 > 0:27:42- Yes!- Wow!
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Wow, these cherries look amazing, Tom, they look absolutely fabulous.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54- They're my favourites! - Me too! And lots of other people.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Hmm...
0:27:58 > 0:28:00They're amazing.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05How lovely. On the farm you've got such a huge variety of fruit,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09you pick your own season - it's actually incredibly long, isn't it?
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Yeah, we open the beginning of June and run through till the end of September.
0:28:12 > 0:28:19We start off with strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, then the cherries and cane fruits,
0:28:19 > 0:28:23and lots of different sorts of plums, because I'm a great plum fan.
0:28:23 > 0:28:29And apples and nuts. But lots of different varieties within that so that I've got a longer season.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34For example, we should have cherries from about late June through to late July, early August.
0:28:34 > 0:28:40Similarly with the strawberries, I try to have about a five or six-week season with different varieties.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43And that also spreads the risk, particularly with cherries,
0:28:43 > 0:28:46if you get cold weather during flowering, you don't get a crop.
0:28:46 > 0:28:52And so if you've got different flowering dates, you're more likely to get one of them coming up trumps.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57There's been a bumper crop of cherries this year,
0:28:57 > 0:29:01with over ten tonnes expected to be picked on the farm this season.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06But if there's one fruit synonymous with pick-your-own, it's the British strawberry.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12The smell of strawberries hits you as you come around the corner.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14The air smells so sweet.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16- Let's pick a row.- OK.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20This is the bit I'm looking forward to - I've even brought a punnet along!
0:29:20 > 0:29:22What variety have you got here?
0:29:22 > 0:29:28These ones are Amelia, which is a new variety for this year, bred in Kent.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32And it's one that comes at the end of the season.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37There's quite a lot of green fruit still there, but there's also some nice red ones just starting.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40- I'm really pleased with it. - I've just spotted a massive one.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42- Can I try before I buy?- Yes!
0:29:42 > 0:29:45You certainly can.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47Oh, this is a whopper.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51- Check that out! - Looks good.- Looks good.
0:29:54 > 0:30:00I had supermarket strawberries not so long ago, and the only similarity to strawberries was the texture.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03This is a lovely strawberry flavour, just as I remember.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07- Lovely background flavour, yeah. - Gorgeous.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Right then, that's the only one I'll try, I promise!
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Well, I'll believe you! And I'll leave you to it.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18All right, thank you very much. Bye!
0:30:19 > 0:30:24Unlike many commercial growers who prioritise supermarket shelf life and high yields,
0:30:24 > 0:30:28the traditional pick-your-own farmer grows for taste.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31And it's this that keeps people coming back year after year.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40From the fruit fields of Ticehurst I'm travelling on to Golden Green,
0:30:40 > 0:30:44once at the heart of Kent's hop growing industry.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49The county of Kent is particularly famous for producing hops,
0:30:49 > 0:30:51and you can't walk too far without
0:30:51 > 0:30:54coming across a relic of its once booming brewing industry.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56Kent's iconic oast houses
0:30:56 > 0:31:01are a lasting symbol of Britain's cultural heritage.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05These picturesque buildings were used for drying hops
0:31:05 > 0:31:08in preparation for the brewing process.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12Freshly picked hops were brought in from the fields, spread out on the
0:31:12 > 0:31:15floor and dried by hot air from a wood or charcoal-fired kiln.
0:31:15 > 0:31:20They were then left to cool and bagged up for the brewery, ready to make beer.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Oast houses spread up all over Kent
0:31:23 > 0:31:27in the Victorian era, the height of Britain's hop industry.
0:31:27 > 0:31:33They were carefully constructed and extremely attractive for what was really just a farm building.
0:31:33 > 0:31:38Throughout history, well over half the hops produced in the UK
0:31:38 > 0:31:40were grown here in Kent.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44In recent years the industry has suffered a marked decline.
0:31:44 > 0:31:50But at its height hops were grown on 72,000 acres of land, nationwide.
0:31:51 > 0:31:58Last year only 2,644 acres of land was used to grow hops in the UK.
0:31:58 > 0:32:04And with the number of producers dwindling to only 37, the industry has shrunk dramatically.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09Kent is a county that's proud of its farming heritage.
0:32:09 > 0:32:15The hop fields may not be quite so abundant, but memories of their heyday are very much still alive.
0:32:17 > 0:32:23In its heyday Kent had hundreds of farms growing hops for the brewing industry.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Every September up to 4,000 Londoners,
0:32:26 > 0:32:30most of them from the East End, would flock here to pick the crop.
0:32:30 > 0:32:35Here at Paddock Wood, this was once the largest hop farm in the county.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37Now it's the Hop Farm Country Park.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40And it's coach parties, not pickers,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43who come here for the annual Hop Festival.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46When the hops got taller...
0:32:46 > 0:32:49Colin Felton dresses as an old-time picker to lead the tours.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53Fifty years ago he was one of six children in a family
0:32:53 > 0:32:57that combined hop picking with a bit of a holiday away from the smoke.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02We always started first week in September,
0:33:02 > 0:33:04and then it was four weeks, maybe five,
0:33:04 > 0:33:07which we used to lose a lot of school.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11But no one worried because we earned money for the family to get clothes to go back to school.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14So at the age of four and five you were earning money?
0:33:14 > 0:33:18Even younger. As soon as you could walk.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21If you couldn't reach the bin, you'd pick into an umbrella.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25Or you'd go behind the bin and pick up the loose hops in a box, so you was earning money.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28- It wasn't much of a holiday then? - Oh, it was for us.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30We didn't want to go down the coast.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Every year we got the letter from the farmer to say that we
0:33:33 > 0:33:35could come, and we knew we was going on holiday.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38The farmers provided some rough accommodation, didn't they?
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Yeah, the huts, the famous huts.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44They was about eight foot by eight foot.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48Sometimes they were made of corrugated iron, and as we couldn't leave anything here for the winter,
0:33:48 > 0:33:52cos it was so damp, and we used to hire a lorry with the other families,
0:33:52 > 0:33:58we had to fetch all the bedding, me mum used to fetch curtains, and most times we even
0:33:58 > 0:34:03papered the corrugated iron - and you can imagine how it was getting round the corrugated iron with paper!
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Trying to make it home from home.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08Me brothers and sisters and me mum used to come down here.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10We'd have two beds.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14The boys would be in one bed, and and all the girls would be with me mum in the other one.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16- A bit noisy I should think, wasn't it?- It was.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20When me dad and that would come down, they'd all go off to the pub.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Me mum would give us our tea, then she'd go off to the pub.
0:34:23 > 0:34:29And these huts, there was only the walls, they didn't have no apex walls, so the whole huts was joined.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33And when they come back from the pub, usually late at night,
0:34:33 > 0:34:35worse for wear, some of them,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38you could hear everything that was going on.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41The rows...more. Everything that was going on.
0:34:41 > 0:34:46And the kids used to be all there giggling because we could hear everything that was going on.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51Nowadays children come here to glimpse into bygone days.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54But for some visitors this place brings back memories.
0:34:54 > 0:35:00I had three children and it was hard work getting them out for the field for seven in the morning.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04You'd put 'em in the pram and you'd go across the fields till you got to the hop field.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07It was hard work but it was good, it was lovely.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10It was great fun, really.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14- Yeah.- I believe I earned £7.14. - That was a lot of money then.
0:35:14 > 0:35:15- Oh, it was, yeah.- A lot of money.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19In the 1960s, crop picking machinery changed everything,
0:35:19 > 0:35:23and Londoners were more prosperous anyway.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26So the annual hop down to Kent came to an end.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30Today they are fully mechanised you do need people do help out.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32Where do they come from nowadays?
0:35:32 > 0:35:36They're still from the east, but instead of the East End of London, it's Eastern Europe.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40They're still living in temporary accommodation,
0:35:40 > 0:35:45but it's far superior to what the Londoners had in the old days.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Now the toilets flush and there are showers.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52- So the golden days have gone, really?- The romance is still there.
0:35:52 > 0:35:58As far as I'm concerned it still will be and ever will be, although at times it drives me mad!
0:36:00 > 0:36:04When you look back now on those days, what are your thoughts?
0:36:04 > 0:36:07I do regret it all finishing and going onto machines.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09And a lot of Londoners, that was it.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13They never went on holiday after that, all the older people.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15It was just a fabulous time down here.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26Following the spiralling fall in demand for British hops,
0:36:26 > 0:36:28the market now seems to have stabilised,
0:36:28 > 0:36:33with the renewed call for traditional ales and the increase of micro breweries.
0:36:35 > 0:36:40I'm continuing my journey through Kent, from its vast empty coastline
0:36:40 > 0:36:43towards the increasingly urban fringes of London.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45My next stop is Biggin Hill.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52Kent is blessed with some of the most fertile and productive fields and orchards in Britain.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56Even though the South East is densely populated,
0:36:56 > 0:36:5870% of Kent's land is farmed.
0:37:02 > 0:37:09But this agricultural heartland has a long-standing bond with another institution - the armed forces.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18I've come to Biggin Hill to get a taste of life in the forces
0:37:18 > 0:37:20with the Air Training Corps.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24MARCHING INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN, WHISTLE SOUNDS
0:37:29 > 0:37:35Squadron 2427 is one of 36 cadet squadrons based here in Kent.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40Their headquarters is the legendary Battle of Britain fighting station just behind me.
0:37:40 > 0:37:45And they are the last uniformed unit to be stationed here at Biggin Hill.
0:37:45 > 0:37:50It's a very disciplined environment of uniforms, drills and parades.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53It's only fair that I have a go and see how I fare in comparison.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58- Would you like to fall in there, please?- Yes. I look so scruffy!
0:37:58 > 0:38:01You're all right. Stand to attention with your heels together.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05Your left foot goes from there up to the bend the knee position,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08which is thigh parallel to the ground and out to shoulder width.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Squad! Attention!
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Squad, stand at ease!
0:38:13 > 0:38:15Oh, wrong foot!
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Squad, move to the right!
0:38:19 > 0:38:22Right, turn!
0:38:22 > 0:38:24'I feel Corporal Jones from Dad's Army!'
0:38:24 > 0:38:30March! Left, right, left, right, left, right...
0:38:30 > 0:38:34'Actually this is a real insight into the emphasis on discipline
0:38:34 > 0:38:36'which starts early in the armed forces.'
0:38:38 > 0:38:40- Very well done.- A bit better!
0:38:41 > 0:38:45When I say, "Squad halt", they're gonna stop. Squad, halt!
0:38:47 > 0:38:51- Thank you for being so patient with me!- You're welcome.- Fantastic.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Seventy cadets meet twice a week
0:38:54 > 0:38:56and take part in a huge range of activities,
0:38:56 > 0:39:01such as drill practice, kayaking and go-kart building.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04A lot of it is fun, but the programme is designed
0:39:04 > 0:39:05to discipline the mind
0:39:05 > 0:39:09and create a unit who act to orders, as one body of people.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14And I get to try out the squadron's flight simulator. Jump in?
0:39:14 > 0:39:17- Yeah, jump in.- This is extraordinary.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20This feels very real. It's all metal.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22It used to be a real air frame.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25- It did?- OK, you see this flap on the right-hand side?
0:39:25 > 0:39:27- This?- Yeah. Pull it down for me.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30OK, and push the little red button.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33That'll start the aircraft underneath the flap. There we go.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43OK, so we reached our safe height of 3,000 feet.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46So, what we're going to do is do our first manoeuvre,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49- which is a barrel roll.- This is normal practice, is it, for a cadet?
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Yes, this is normal practice.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54- I'm teaching you the same thing that everybody else does.- OK.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56- So, we reach a safe speed of 120 knots.- There's the ground.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Pull the stick back.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03Feet touching horizon. We pull the stick back and left and left foot.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07Horizon rolls.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10As we straighten up again, feet and stick level.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14And pull back up until we see the horizon as it was before.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18- I'm sure I'm going to crash this thing.- OK, you happy with that? - No! But yeah.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22- No?- No, I will, I'll have a go. - OK, pull the stick back.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Back a little bit.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26A little bit more. A little bit more.
0:40:26 > 0:40:27There we go.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32Pull the stick back to left, and feet to the left. All the way.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37There we go. As we're coming round, stick it into the middle.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39Oh, I'm going a funny place.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41There we go. There we go.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45- I've seen worse first times.- You've assisted me very kindly there.
0:40:45 > 0:40:50One other thing you can do in this aircraft is explore its envelope and do a stall.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53Its basically where the aircraft falls out of the sky.
0:40:53 > 0:40:54It's completely safe.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56It's completely controlled.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00What we do is, we cut off the power and let the aircraft rise.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02Why would it rise if the power went off?
0:41:02 > 0:41:05- Sorry?- Why would the plane rise if the power went off?
0:41:05 > 0:41:09What I'm doing is, I'm pulling the stick back, just to let the air speed bleed off.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14- It's gone quiet. - And it'll go very quiet.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18Then, all of a sudden you hear a very loud warning telling us that we're falling out of the sky.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22- ALARM SOUNDS - And you see the ground racing towards you.- Yeah.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26What you'd do is just power on.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Stick down. Get a load of airspeed back up.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35- Resume straight to level flight. - Shall we take it in to land?
0:41:35 > 0:41:38- Yes, that's what we're turning round to do.- OK.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42- So, as you can see, the airfield is in front of us. - Is that Battersea Power Station?
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Yeah, that's Battersea Power Station over there.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48You can also see the Millennium Wheel.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Gently, gently.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55That's incredible.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59OK, and we're down.
0:41:59 > 0:42:00Look at that. Perfect.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04Barely bounced. All in a day's flying.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Thousands of soldiers, sailors and pilots have passed through
0:42:09 > 0:42:11the airfields and barracks of Kent.
0:42:11 > 0:42:16I'm sure that many of these guys will one day find themselves as new recruits,
0:42:16 > 0:42:18continuing that proud, military heritage.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23But there are some people who have a totally different take
0:42:23 > 0:42:26on celebrating our armed forces.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34UP-TEMPO '40's-STYLE MUSIC PLAYS
0:42:41 > 0:42:43Hello, my name is Joanne Bater.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45I live here on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.
0:42:45 > 0:42:51During the week, I'm a mother of two and a housewife, but during the weekend, I go back to the 1940s.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59Right, today, we're off to Whitstable Castle. It's a big 1940s event.
0:42:59 > 0:43:05'Everyone will be there with their 1940s vehicles, all re-enacting, and we're taking a along the NAAFI wagon.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07'It's quite the star of the show.
0:43:10 > 0:43:15'My father was into it, and he said, come along to a big show, and we just fell in love with everything.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17'We absolutely loved it.
0:43:17 > 0:43:18'We didn't own a vehicle at that time,
0:43:18 > 0:43:21'but everything escalated and now, we've got our vehicles
0:43:21 > 0:43:24'and we just go to a show most weekends throughout the summer.'
0:43:26 > 0:43:30When I first got into this, I said to my husband, there's no way I was going to dress up,
0:43:30 > 0:43:34but when you've got the vehicles, you really do have to look the part,
0:43:34 > 0:43:37so I've got the NAAFI overalls that go with the NAAFI wagon.
0:43:37 > 0:43:38I roll my hair every morning.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42Now this obviously takes quite a bit to do, and I have to tell my
0:43:42 > 0:43:48hairdresser not to cut the layers in too much so I can get it in, so that's what takes over my life a bit.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51The shoes that I wear goes with the overalls, and then you have to think
0:43:51 > 0:43:58about your make-up, the jewellery that you've got on, that will look in time, that will look 1940s.
0:44:02 > 0:44:07We're inside the mobile canteen which was more affectionately calls a NAAFI wagon.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11This would have followed the fire service around during the Second World War.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14If the firemen went out to a house that had been bombed, it would go behind them and
0:44:14 > 0:44:18would be there providing tea and other things for the firemen.
0:44:18 > 0:44:23We were so lucky when we got this NAAFI wagon that it did have a lot of the cups with it.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26We do, obviously collect them if we're out and about
0:44:26 > 0:44:29but everyone loves having a cup of tea out of these enamel cups,
0:44:29 > 0:44:32and when we got it we couldn't believe that they were all here.
0:44:32 > 0:44:37Also, we've collected between us, lots of these tins to go inside, cos everyone loves seeing the
0:44:37 > 0:44:40tins, perhaps remembering what their nan and granddads had, and every
0:44:40 > 0:44:46time we see one, we have to buy it to put it on display, because this is what everyone really enjoys.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49As we all know, the British love a cup of tea.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52If there's a crisis, we all have a cuppa tea. So, when in doubt,
0:44:52 > 0:44:55brew up.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59# Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me
0:44:59 > 0:45:02# Anyone else but me
0:45:02 > 0:45:04# Anyone else but me... #
0:45:04 > 0:45:09We belong to a society which is the Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12IMPS, for short. We just love the atmosphere of it.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15There's a lot of vehicles on the parade today.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19My husband and my son are in the parade, and this is what we like to do.
0:45:25 > 0:45:29We must remember that there was a lot of lives lost during World War Two.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31We like to keep the memory alive,
0:45:31 > 0:45:33not that the Second World War was something
0:45:33 > 0:45:39that perhaps was to be celebrated, of course it's not, but the memory, we can't forget, we can't forget
0:45:39 > 0:45:44those people and we haven't got many veterans alive from the Second World War anymore, and it's nice that the
0:45:44 > 0:45:50younger people and especially younger than me, my son and my daughter, will come and keep the memory alive.
0:46:02 > 0:46:07Right, it's the end of the day, I've had a fabulous show here at Whitstable Castle.
0:46:07 > 0:46:13It's a shame to go back to real life, but I do miss my lip-gloss and my high heels, so, never mind!
0:46:28 > 0:46:31I've just arrived at the last stop on my journey,
0:46:31 > 0:46:33Biggin Hill International Air Fair.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37Before I go and explore, I'm getting to go up in this amazing biplane,
0:46:37 > 0:46:40exposed like this, hence the warm jacket,
0:46:40 > 0:46:46and see from above, some of the countryside that I'd been roaming through on my journey so far.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50I started my journey through Kent on the shingle banks of Dungeness.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53I visited Flatropers Wood in Beckley
0:46:53 > 0:46:57and stopped to sample fruit in Ticehurst.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59I travelled through the fields of Golden Green
0:46:59 > 0:47:05and then went on parade with Biggin Hill's 2427 Air Cadet Squadron.
0:47:05 > 0:47:12My last stop is going to be at the Biggin Hill International Air Fair, but first, I've got to land.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19'I'm in a modern biplane usually used for wing walking stunts.
0:47:19 > 0:47:24'I'm safely in the co-pilot's seat, but I still feel very exposed.'
0:47:28 > 0:47:32I've certainly flown before, but I've never felt this connected.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34To the skies, to the wind.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41If you took away the noise, this would be the closest to flying like a bird.
0:47:41 > 0:47:46This area has a long and historic association with the Royal Air Force.
0:47:46 > 0:47:51It was from Kent airfields like Biggin Hill below me that fighter planes
0:47:51 > 0:47:55flew to the beaches of Dunkirk, and it was in the skies over this
0:47:55 > 0:48:02great county that one of the Second World War's most famous battles took place, the Battle of Britain.
0:48:02 > 0:48:07It really gives you a sense of how early flying was very risky,
0:48:07 > 0:48:09very brave.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13You can imagine all of that in amongst warfare.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17It becomes quite imaginable.
0:48:35 > 0:48:41Spitfires, Lancaster Bombers and Hurricanes all landed at Biggin Hill.
0:48:41 > 0:48:46And the rich history of this golden era is celebrated every year at the
0:48:46 > 0:48:49Biggin Hill National Air Fair just down there.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53Woo! Ha ha!
0:48:54 > 0:48:56Oh.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59That's amazing.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16This year's show is expecting 120,000 visitors to flood through
0:49:16 > 0:49:21the gates, but today is reserved for a more exclusive group, the potential pilots of the future.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Today, it's Youth Day.
0:49:24 > 0:49:29Invited from local schools and colleges, the boys and girls will have a unique opportunity to sample
0:49:29 > 0:49:35the latest equipment on site and talk to career experts from across the armed services.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39The day is set to inspire and excite the next generation.
0:49:39 > 0:49:44A truly hands-on opportunity for young people to pursue their ambition.
0:49:45 > 0:49:50In its 46th year, the Biggin Hill Air Show has been an inspiration to many.
0:49:50 > 0:49:55One of those who've turned that inspiration into the ultimate dream is Red Arrow's number seven.
0:49:57 > 0:50:03Local man and ex-Biggin Hill Squadron Air Cadet, Mike Ling, discovered his dream as a child
0:50:03 > 0:50:08after seeing the Red Arrows display for the first time at this very show.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11Now, he's part of this elite group, renowned throughout the world as
0:50:11 > 0:50:16ambassadors for both the Royal Air Force and the United Kingdom.
0:50:16 > 0:50:24The Red Arrows were officially formed in 1965 and have completed over 4,000 displays in 53 countries.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29I'm so, so excited about being this close to a Red Arrow.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33- Can you hop out to show me around? - Yes, sure.- That would be fantastic.
0:50:35 > 0:50:40- This is amazing.- This is my aeroplane. We get issued or allocated an aeroplane for the season.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43So, how long have you been in the Red Arrows?
0:50:43 > 0:50:48This is my second year with the Red Arrows, so I've been doing the job for just over 18 months.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50I've got another year. We all do three years as the pilots.
0:50:50 > 0:50:54We're here at Youth Day, is it important for you to inspire young people here,
0:50:54 > 0:50:56- cos that's what inspired you? - Absolutely.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00I came as an air cadet and I remember seeing the teams performing, not just the Red Arrows,
0:51:00 > 0:51:04performing on Youth Days and meeting the pilot and talking to them, and asking them
0:51:04 > 0:51:09what's required of me at school and what I have to do to be able to do this job. So, it's important to me.
0:51:09 > 0:51:13How did you feel from being a small boy, seeing the Red Arrows
0:51:13 > 0:51:14to now being in the Red Arrows.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17- How was that?- Amazing. I never thought it would happen.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20I didn't think that was possible for me to be able to do that,
0:51:20 > 0:51:23but when I got told I'd got the job, I was over the moon.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25I didn't cry, but I was close.
0:51:25 > 0:51:26- My wife cried!- Did she?!
0:51:26 > 0:51:33Today's event is filled with excitement and expectation, but the past is never forgotten.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36This show, and so much more, exists thanks to the courage
0:51:36 > 0:51:40and skill shown by those who flew over this county
0:51:40 > 0:51:43defending Britain when so much was at stake.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45One of those heroes is here today.
0:51:45 > 0:51:52Wing Commander Peter Ayerst joined the RAF in 1938 when he was just 18 years-old.
0:51:54 > 0:51:59How long after you arrived before you actually got up in the air, on your first flight?
0:51:59 > 0:52:02- About half a day. - Is that all?! Half a day!
0:52:02 > 0:52:06I arrived about midday,
0:52:06 > 0:52:09- by 4 o'clock I was airborne. - That's extraordinary.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11- Were you nervous?- No!
0:52:11 > 0:52:16But I already had some experience with this friend of mine, so I knew a little bit about it.
0:52:17 > 0:52:22Clocking up 975 Spitfire flights in his career, Peter flew a staggering
0:52:22 > 0:52:26four operational campaigns during the Second World War.
0:52:26 > 0:52:31This was a rarity. Many brave pilots were killed during their first.
0:52:31 > 0:52:36With such an outstanding record, Peter has become one of the most celebrated pilots of his time.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39From his early days as the face of an RAF recruitment campaign,
0:52:39 > 0:52:42to his place at today's event here at Biggin Hill,
0:52:42 > 0:52:45he's still inspiring the pilots of tomorrow.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49You've had the most extraordinary career,
0:52:49 > 0:52:52what are your most memorable and proudest moments from flying?
0:52:52 > 0:52:58We'd been patrolling over our front lines, protecting our troops,
0:52:58 > 0:53:03and we got mixed up with some German fighters.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05I shot two down.
0:53:05 > 0:53:11And I was going after another one when there were a lot of anti-aircraft fire coming up.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17I was hit by the anti-aircraft fire and I saw a track ahead of me
0:53:17 > 0:53:20and I thought, "I've got to land there, come what may."
0:53:20 > 0:53:24So I made a wheels up crash-landing on that track.
0:53:24 > 0:53:31I leapt out of the aircraft and lay flat on the ground, because the Germans were still firing at me.
0:53:31 > 0:53:36So, I just let them think they'd got me, and I didn't move, I lay flat on the ground.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38I was going to start walking off in an easterly direction
0:53:38 > 0:53:41and I heard a motor vehicle coming up and I thought,
0:53:41 > 0:53:48"Oh, my God, here come the Germans," instead of which an Australian voice called out, "Anybody there?!" So...
0:53:48 > 0:53:52I said, "Yes," he said, "Jump in quick."
0:53:52 > 0:53:57So, I jumped in quick and we tore off at a terrific speed in an easterly direction
0:53:57 > 0:54:03across the desert, and after about 25 minutes, half-an-hour, when we got into a safe area,
0:54:03 > 0:54:07the major said to me, "You know that track you crash-landed on?" I said, "Yes."
0:54:07 > 0:54:11He said, "You couldn't have landed anywhere else, it was all mined!"
0:54:11 > 0:54:13Goodness! What luck!
0:54:13 > 0:54:16ENGINES ROAR OVERHEAD
0:54:16 > 0:54:18Pretty spectacular.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21- What you think of the Red Arrows display?- Very good.
0:54:21 > 0:54:25- It's a remarkable sight.- Very good. - Never get tired of seeing that.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39Kent beaches have long been on the front line of defence.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42Its skies have witnessed bitter battles.
0:54:42 > 0:54:46Its fields and orchards have produced food for millions.
0:54:46 > 0:54:52All this makes it a quintessential and today, a really quite perfect image of England.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd