0:00:20 > 0:00:23Today, I'm in the south-west of England
0:00:23 > 0:00:26on a journey through the moorland landscape
0:00:26 > 0:00:28and beautiful coastline of Exmoor.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41'My journey starts in Dulverton
0:00:41 > 0:00:47'where I'll find out how one of the region's iconic animals is being saved from the verge of extinction.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53'I'll then head into the heart of the moors to track down a local legend -
0:00:53 > 0:00:56'wildlife cameraman Johnny Kingdom.'
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Just imagine if Mr Piggy comes, Mr Pig will be that big...
0:01:00 > 0:01:05MAKES GRUNTING SOUNDS That'll be up there on my camera.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10'I'll travel north to the coastal town of Lynmouth, the scene of Britain's worst post-war floods,
0:01:10 > 0:01:15'discovering rumours of a sinister cause to this perhaps not so natural disaster.'
0:01:15 > 0:01:21The sound of the river in full flood, the sound of the rocks crashing, it's frightening.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25'Finally, as darkness falls, I'll head inland to Dunkery Hill,
0:01:25 > 0:01:30'where I'll experience mountain biking as I've never experienced it before.'
0:01:30 > 0:01:35Cycling while holding a camera is not easy on this terrain, but it's brilliant.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42Along the way, I'll look back at some of the best BBC rural programmes
0:01:42 > 0:01:44from this part of the country.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Welcome to Country Tracks.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Exmoor is a national park
0:01:49 > 0:01:54whose 694 square kilometres of land straddle Somerset and North Devon.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59Although it's famous for its rugged moorland, it also boasts 55 kilometres
0:01:59 > 0:02:02of some of the most breathtaking coastline in the country.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07Until 1818, this whole area was a royal forest and hunting ground.
0:02:07 > 0:02:14But it was post-war hunting that brought one of Exmoor's most famous animals to the brink of extinction.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23Ponies have been mentioned on Exmoor as far back as The Domesday Book,
0:02:23 > 0:02:29but it's thought they originated from Alaska 130,000 years ago.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33In that ancient time, they would have roamed this countryside
0:02:33 > 0:02:36alongside animals like the sabre-toothed tiger.
0:02:39 > 0:02:45The tigers may be long extinct, but these lovely ponies still graze these moors.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51'Although they live wild, they are privately owned and I'm meeting a man
0:02:51 > 0:02:57'who has made looking after them a lifetime's work with over 40 years as a farm manager in these hills.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05'We're heading out to see the ponies in their natural habitat.'
0:03:06 > 0:03:11How do you actually find a herd of ponies in such a vast moorland?
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Well, you just drive around.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19Years ago, when I came here first, we used to ride after 'em with ponies.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25They're quite easy to find, especially at this time of the year when the bracken's very long.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29- There we go. Is that a mare and foal?- That's a mare and foal.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32That foal still looks pretty shaky on its legs.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Yeah, that foal was only probably born yesterday.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45They're tough-looking horses.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49I mean, they're quite short. They've got a good build to them.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52They're bred for being in the wild.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Oh, yes, they're certainly bred for living here
0:03:56 > 0:04:00at 1,200 feet or whatever. We're 1,200, 1,300 feet above sea level.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05It doesn't matter what weather gets thrown at them, snow, sleet, they'll live up here all right.
0:04:05 > 0:04:12- All through the winter, they're fine?- All through the winter. Very rarely have we ever had to feed them.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18- How many horses have you got up here?- We have about 40 mares and we run one stallion here.
0:04:18 > 0:04:24- We're not very far away from them here. They don't seem to be very wild.- When I came here 40 years ago,
0:04:24 > 0:04:30you would come out and see the ponies, they were that blooming wild then, they would take off.
0:04:30 > 0:04:36To read the numbers of them... This time you can, now they've slipped their coats a bit.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38You'd have to have field glasses.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43But over the years with a lot more people walking around and coming here on holiday,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47people with dogs and children, the ponies have just accepted it.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00After 40 years working with these ponies, you must have some fantastic memories.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04I've got a very good photograph of the first branding we ever had.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10- That's my mugshot in the middle with a lot more hair than I've got now. - Is that you? Fantastic.
0:05:10 > 0:05:17- And so you'd bring the ponies off the moor and this would be to mark them as part of the breed?- Yes.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21'Derek looks after the Anchor herd which are a pure Exmoor breed.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26'They are descended from the Acland ponies, given as a parting gift
0:05:26 > 0:05:31'to Sir Thomas Acland, the last royal warden of Exmoor in 1818.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35'They were eventually sold on into the hands of the Green family,
0:05:35 > 0:05:40'but in the 1940s, the entire herd was nearly wiped out
0:05:40 > 0:05:44'and it was only thanks to the Greens that they survive today.'
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Why were the ponies' numbers in such decline?
0:05:48 > 0:05:54I think during the war there was a lot of ponies killed for meat. There's no question about that.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59And we were lucky that none of our ponies here...
0:05:59 > 0:06:03I don't think we lost any ponies, put it that way,
0:06:03 > 0:06:10but I think it was through the Greens' alertness that the Anchor ponies were maintained.
0:06:10 > 0:06:16I'm pretty sure and there is a story going round that some people were after some of the Anchor ponies,
0:06:16 > 0:06:23- but the Greens certainly rescued them from the meat wagon.- They could have ended up as wartime rations?
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Well, they could have done.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30Quite a number of people think they would have done if it hadn't been for the Green family.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Unfortunately, Exmoor ponies are still a rare breed,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39but Derek is giving me a lift deeper into the hills
0:06:39 > 0:06:45to meet some modern-day heroes doing their bit to make sure these magnificent creatures survive.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52When Nicholas Crane visited the area, he headed for the coast
0:06:52 > 0:06:58and found a much more extreme way of crossing Exmoor's challenging landscape.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05It's 1953 and the world's highest mountain has been conquered
0:07:05 > 0:07:09in a breathtaking 29,000-foot ascent.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14The achievement prompted one mountaineer who had missed out on the Everest adventure
0:07:14 > 0:07:20to plan a conquest of his own - not up, but along, and it was a lot more than 29,000 feet.
0:07:20 > 0:07:26In his younger days, Clement Archer had been working in India when Everest was conquered.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31It's thought that he had secretly hoped to join that expedition.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Instead, Archer pioneered a new concept here on the Exmoor coast.
0:07:35 > 0:07:41Nowadays, we might call it "coasteering", a 14-mile climb along sea cliffs,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44sandwiched perilously between pounding sea and sky.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48The purists know this route as the Exmoor Traverse.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52It runs from Foreland Point to Combe Martin,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56nearly three times longer than the ascent of Everest.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01And this route wasn't completed until 25 years after Everest.
0:08:02 > 0:08:10In 1978, Terry Cheek and a team of three young police cadets finally conquered the Exmoor Traverse.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12It took them four days and nights.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Their achievement has not been matched since.
0:08:15 > 0:08:2030 years later, Terry and two of his team are back at the Exmoor Traverse.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Now, what is going on there?
0:08:23 > 0:08:28You've got no ropes. You're creeping round under an overhang above the water,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31wearing what looks like soggy jeans.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33And it was flares back 30 years ago.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- You did this in flared jeans? - LAUGHTER
0:08:36 > 0:08:42- Do you remember this part of it, Trevor?- Yeah, and talking about the clothing, the boots were made
0:08:42 > 0:08:46of like pressed cardboard with a rubber sole. They were very cheap.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49And not very flexible to begin with.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54Of course, they get saturated with water. It's almost like wearing papier mache!
0:08:54 > 0:08:58It's a real challenge. If you don't get it right, you're cut off.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Without being over-dramatic, that may mean drowning.
0:09:01 > 0:09:07What they call nowadays "risk assessment", I don't remember us using those words 30 years ago.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11- I'm not sure there was one. - No, or we wouldn't have done it.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16'Terry was already an experienced climber in 1978.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19'He's in his 60s now and still loves these cliffs.
0:09:19 > 0:09:25'He's challenged me to take on a section of this daunting traverse.'
0:09:25 > 0:09:30- The Exmoor Everest? - The Exmoor Everest, yes. - Shall we go down?- Yes, certainly.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Doesn't sound like a walk in the park.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43Below! Just kicked a rock down which is not good when you've got somebody below.
0:09:47 > 0:09:53Terry, the nature of this route in rock-climbing terms is pretty bizarre, really, it seems to me,
0:09:53 > 0:09:59because I associate climbing as going up mountains, not going horizontally along cliffs.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04The climbing is much the same. You really set your own rules.
0:10:04 > 0:10:10We set the rule of not entering the water and not climbing out on to the grass line above the rock.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13This is probably one of the harder spots.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19Because we're only about three feet above the high water mark now.
0:10:21 > 0:10:28- So, only a couple of hours ago, the waves were bashing at the bottom of this?- Just below my feet, yes.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31This is a bit of a tricky move, isn't it, Terry?
0:10:31 > 0:10:33It's quite difficult.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Yes, cling your hands underneath that spike.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41- I'm clinging on to everything I can, I can tell you!- You'll be OK there.
0:10:41 > 0:10:47- Under here, it's all wet and slimy, covered in sea water.- Yeah. Jam the hands up in that crack.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49I know it's wet and it's painful.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53It's very tricky now.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57Some of the finger holds are really pretty minute, aren't they?
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Whoa!
0:10:59 > 0:11:04This is not quite as easy as... sitting at a desk,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08working on my laptop, it has to be said.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15If you get caught by a rising tide or a storm surge in the Bristol Channel, what do you do?
0:11:15 > 0:11:21Once you've been driven above the high water mark, then you are in unknown territory.
0:11:21 > 0:11:27You could be in absolute hell about 70 feet up on crumbling rock and vegetation.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34We had to resort to climbing at night, waiting on the cliffs
0:11:34 > 0:11:39for the tide to recede to get past a difficult section.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44And it was freezing. We also discovered what barnacles could do to your hands.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49It's like very rough, coarse sandpaper and it's very painful.
0:11:49 > 0:11:55'I've only done a section of this climb and as we haul ourselves up the cliff, I'm feeling exhilarated.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01'I've got nothing but admiration for the achievement of Terry and his team three decades ago.
0:12:01 > 0:12:08'I'm left too with a new respect for the awesome cliffs and the fierce tides of the Severn Sea.'
0:12:08 > 0:12:13'Nicholas Crane and an extreme way of crossing Exmoor's stunning coastline.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17'My Exmoor journey has taken me to Dulverton
0:12:17 > 0:12:21'where I'm parting company with farm manager Derek Sparks
0:12:21 > 0:12:27'and making my way to the Moorland Mousie Trust, a refuge for Exmoor's famous ponies.'
0:12:34 > 0:12:40The Trust takes its name from popular children's books written in the '30s about these ponies.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45It's been re-homing unwanted Exmoors for just over a decade.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49I'm really keen to get hands-on experience and see what they do here
0:12:49 > 0:12:54but rather strangely, I've been told the only thing I'll need is this.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58'Farming these ponies is a commercial enterprise.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02'They go to market where they're sold as grazing animals.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06'Even though classed as a rare breed, before the Trust was set up,
0:13:06 > 0:13:12'the surplus animals which didn't sell could end up in pet food or exported as meat.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17'Now, thanks to the work of Linzi Green and her colleagues, there is another option.'
0:13:18 > 0:13:22- Hi, you must be Linzi. - I am. Hello.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25What are you doing? What's the duster?
0:13:25 > 0:13:31The duster is to show this little foal that being approached by me isn't so scary
0:13:31 > 0:13:35and also when we first start handling our foals,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39it's an extension of our arm to keep me nice and safe,
0:13:39 > 0:13:44so that if he wanders off, I can keep the duster with him until he stands still,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47so that he realises, "OK, this isn't too bad."
0:13:47 > 0:13:51When they come to us, they're quite nervous, quite worried
0:13:51 > 0:13:57and it's our job to show them that being approached and touched by people can actually be nice.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00I also noticed that you're not looking at him.
0:14:00 > 0:14:06I'm not. We use a lot of body language to stay non-threatening to the ponies,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09just to, at this stage with them,
0:14:09 > 0:14:16just to make sure that we're using all the right tools, so that they can learn that we're not too bad.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Do you know where a pony like this will end up?
0:14:19 > 0:14:24A pony like him is probably going to end up in a foster home or a grazing site.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28We try to get as many of our ponies into foster homes as possible.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32We're always looking for homes that can continue their training
0:14:32 > 0:14:36and they can then become... Good boy. ..nice riding ponies
0:14:36 > 0:14:43or working ponies, family ponies, because they have all the right qualities for being in a home.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48It's giving them the skills to live a domestic life with families or in other homes.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58'I'm keen to have a go at training a pony myself.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03'Linzi thinks they're too dangerous for me to work with.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06'Instead, she starts me off on Jaeger
0:15:06 > 0:15:11'who has been here for two weeks and is ready to move on to the next stage of training.'
0:15:16 > 0:15:19LOUD NEIGHING
0:15:19 > 0:15:22You want to pick one of your dusters
0:15:22 > 0:15:27and you're going to turn, so that your right hand is going towards him.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31It doesn't need to touch him. It can go into thin air, then come away.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- OK.- Then just bring the duster over in a nice movement.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38It doesn't need to be too slow, and then away. And again.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42- You can see from his ears that he's not unhappy.- No.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46- He's quite inquisitive. - There we go.- Happy face.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49He seems remarkably relaxed.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Does this mean that I have the magic touch or is he calmer than most?
0:15:53 > 0:15:58No, you're doing all the right things and you're using the techniques that he's used to,
0:15:58 > 0:16:03so he says, "I don't know you, but I know the method." It's working well.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07- What was he like when he first came in?- He was a lot different to this.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10He was quite a jumpy pony.
0:16:10 > 0:16:17It did take several sessions before he would allow us to touch around his face and wear a head collar.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20They're such characters. They're so loveable, aren't they?
0:16:20 > 0:16:27You can see that as long as they're safe to be around, they're going to make fantastic companions.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Absolutely. Every pony is an individual.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34They all have their own personalities and they're great ponies.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45Well, cyclist? Yes. Country Tracks presenter? Yes.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48And I can now add horse whisperer as well.
0:16:51 > 0:16:57'These ponies adapt well to human contact, but there is a much wilder side to life on Exmoor -
0:16:57 > 0:17:01'other animals who roam the moors avoiding humans wherever possible.
0:17:01 > 0:17:08'One man who made it his business to track them is local legend and cameraman Johnny Kingdom.'
0:17:09 > 0:17:14I'm Johnny Kingdom. I've been filming wildlife now for over 30 years.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16This is my home - Exmoor.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19The deer is so important to Exmoor.
0:17:20 > 0:17:26I believe in getting out there and seeing the deer in their natural habitat,
0:17:26 > 0:17:32seeing them feed, seeing them mate and seeing them play. That's what I think of the red deer of Exmoor.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44The only way to get close to the deer is to stalk them
0:17:44 > 0:17:47and the best time to do that is early in the morning.
0:17:48 > 0:17:54Today, I'm going to look for this certain nasty stag which I've met before.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56I want to show you him roaring.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59This is what they do in the autumn.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04This is when it could be dangerous. It's foggy.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09You may walk right into the stag, so this is a chance you're taking.
0:18:09 > 0:18:15This big, black stag is down here somewhere, so we've got to be very careful we don't walk right into him.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19If we do, he'll charge us. I'm just telling you.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27My best chance to find him is here on Molland Common.
0:18:30 > 0:18:37What I'm trying to do now is I'm listening to hear this big stag, to locate where he's stood.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46If we can hear the roar, it will give me a rough idea of which way to approach it.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50He's a stag that I came very close to last year
0:18:50 > 0:18:57and what I want to do this year is get closer than ever to show you the lovely shot of a big stag roaring.
0:18:57 > 0:19:03But this is the way I do it. I just stand on top of the moor and wait for him to call.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05LOW-PITCHED ROAR
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Right, do you hear that?
0:19:09 > 0:19:13I think we'll get ready and start to move right now.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16What I do... Wait a minute.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22The way I do this is to cover my face because it shines, right?
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Come with me. Come this way. Come on.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Keep right behind me.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32You've got to bend down. Bend down low if you can.
0:19:34 > 0:19:40If you're out looking for stags, be very careful because these animals can kill you.
0:19:40 > 0:19:46Especially in the month of October. This is the time of their rutting season, when they're mating.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Right, get down.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58WHISPERING: There he is.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00My big beast.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03That's the sod that chased me last year.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12He's going left to right.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Oh, my God. He could have seen me.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27This is when you want a tripod, you see.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32What a beast!
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Very, very hard to film, you know.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Just look at this.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51This is where a stag will mark his territory.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54This here was done a month ago, rubbing the velvet off.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58This is fresh. This is the rut. That's the difference, you see.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02They rub the velvet off, sharpen the points, then mark their territory.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05That's why this is fresh.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10There's deer all the way round us now, but we're going to look for this big, black stag again.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14This is a very crafty stag.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18This is the worst stag I ever stalked in my life.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35I'm shaking like hell because I'm very close to it, you know?
0:21:37 > 0:21:39There, you can see his points.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Very old stag.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45That's a beautiful shot.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48He's going around now to pick his hinds.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52He's collected all his hinds together.
0:21:52 > 0:21:58This stag now will stay with his hinds and wait until each one comes into season.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06One stag can take 30 hinds, if not more. Hard to believe, but it's true.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Lucky sod.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14Gosh, he's gone like a rocket.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16That's your problem on Exmoor.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Two other stalkers, look.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Making things very difficult.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27It takes a long, long time to get these shots.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34I've got a shot of him, but I haven't got a shot of him roaring,
0:22:34 > 0:22:39so, the next few weeks, I shall try and keep following until I get that shot.
0:22:42 > 0:22:48'My journey today has brought me deep into the Exmoor hills to meet the man himself - Johnny Kingdom.'
0:22:51 > 0:22:57I want to find out what it is about this place and the wildlife that is so special to him
0:22:57 > 0:23:02and also discover the secrets to capturing some of the wildlife in action.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07And what better place to find him than in his natural habitat -
0:23:07 > 0:23:11a home-made hide miles from anywhere.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14- Hey, Johnny!- Hey!
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Hello there. Hi, Mark. Where have you been, boy?
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Come right up here. Come on.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25- A-ha!- Hi, Johnny.- Hello, Mark. - How are you doing?
0:23:25 > 0:23:31- You come and see what I've just done, mate. Nice to meet you.- It's quite an entrance.- Yeah, it's a bit high up.
0:23:31 > 0:23:37- It's like a big boys' treehouse. - Look out through there. It's a good old view out there.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38Fantastic.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43It's a wonderful vantage point. You're four or five metres up here?
0:23:43 > 0:23:49You can see down over the woodland. It's a good time of year to look out because there's not many leaves.
0:23:49 > 0:23:55That's right. And I've picked a place where there's not many trees in the centre as well.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00I found the old rotten stump down there. That looked like a good feeding base.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05The old badger likes to dig a bit, so I go down there with a shovel
0:24:05 > 0:24:11and I dig my food and I bury it, then I hope to see the animal come along and dig it all up.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15It sounds silly, really, but that's how you keep an animal in one spot.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Out the front here I can see a wire. What's that on the tree there?
0:24:19 > 0:24:23- That's a cable that goes to my wide-angle camera.- OK.
0:24:23 > 0:24:29- And there's another wire going down to the camera down there. That's a close-range one.- Oh, yeah.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33WHISPERING: They disagree when there's not much food left like that.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35You see?
0:24:35 > 0:24:40It is very strange. With the animals, you've got to work on it.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43This hide, I've worked on it for a long, long time.
0:24:43 > 0:24:49Before I even put the hide up, I put some more food around the area. I was working on it all the time.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53I thought when this hide goes up, then it'll come running to action.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- In under 24 hours I had my first badger.- Really?
0:24:56 > 0:24:59That's incredible. Then I had a roe deer.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02You know what I mean? You've just got to work on it.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05WHISPERING: This is a wild boar.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09One of the shiest animals you can film.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17It's pretty cosy in here. You wouldn't want too many people in here for too long.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21- How long do you spend in here? - Five or six hours.
0:25:21 > 0:25:27- To me, that's nothing. I'll come back here this afternoon. There's a few jobs I want to do.- Yeah.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32I've been married for 48 years. That's why we're still together because I'm never home.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34- Hiding in your hides.- I love it.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42'Johnny's been capturing Exmoor's wild animals on film for over 20 years.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47'But even with his years of experience, sitting and waiting isn't always enough.'
0:25:53 > 0:25:57- So you've got pigs' food? Are we feeding pigs?- Not really, no.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Well, it could be, but it's mainly for the badger.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03We're going to work right here.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08- OK, what I want you to do, look... - You've been here before? - Let me just show you.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10- Right.- You watch this.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Just like that. You see?
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Just like that. And you bury that in for me.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24- You see, like that? Just bury that in with the shovel. Shovel that into there.- Right.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29Yeah, in there. You carry on. You're doing a good job.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33What's this hanging down here, Johnny?
0:26:33 > 0:26:35Oh, I forgot about that. Sorry.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Now, that's important. That's a little microphone.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Why?
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Because just imagine if Mr Piggy comes.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Mr Pig will be that big. HE GRUNTS
0:26:47 > 0:26:51That'll be up there on my camera, you see. Same with the badger.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54MIMICS BADGER SOUNDS You can hear him chewing.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57I want the noises of the animal.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02I'm hoping the wild boar or any animal that comes will be eating away like this.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06- And the camera's there on the tree, look. See?- Yeah.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09That's right in here. I told you at the top.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13That's the stump we saw. That camera's showing that close-range.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17'All this is a far cry from where Johnny started out.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21'As a young man, he worked as a lumberjack and even a gravedigger.'
0:27:21 > 0:27:23I want to get one right underneath.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27So after gravedigging, how did you get into filming wildlife?
0:27:29 > 0:27:33- A man lent me a camera.- Yeah? - Listen to this little story.
0:27:33 > 0:27:39My mate Roger Gregory said, "Take my camera." The only camera where I lived. "Take it on the moors.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44"Let's see if you can film some deer." I went on the top of Exmoor up there.
0:27:44 > 0:27:50To the big stone on Anstey Common. I parked there. I took out my binoculars and I saw my target.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52About half a mile away.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57I got down on all fours like you do in the forces. Like this, see?
0:27:57 > 0:28:02With your camera like this. Push your camera right in front of you like that. Right?
0:28:02 > 0:28:08I got to the wire, I turned the camera on. It was about 25 yards away.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13I could see in that viewfinder I'd got some brilliant shots. I could not wait to get home.
0:28:13 > 0:28:20Plugged into the television and I was watching it come on and there was all the heather.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24I said, "I can't remember doing that. I didn't film no heather!"
0:28:24 > 0:28:31And then I had the stones in the river! Then I had the gorse, then the wire fence. Guess what happened.
0:28:31 > 0:28:37When I started, I turned it on and when I went to film the deer, I put it off. I got nothing!
0:28:41 > 0:28:48So you were hooked from the start. The first time you tried to film deer, you thought, "I'll go back."
0:28:48 > 0:28:55- Yes, that was the turning of my life. - From gravedigger to lumberjack and now wildlife cameraman/presenter.
0:28:55 > 0:29:02- It's quite a varied career. - Yeah. I've quite enjoyed it. I loved it.- I can imagine.
0:29:02 > 0:29:08'Getting back to nature with Johnny and seeing his new hide close up has been a fantastic experience,
0:29:08 > 0:29:14'but as Jules Hudson found out, building in a national park is often a much more contentious issue.'
0:29:21 > 0:29:27Don't be fooled by the graceful sweep of its acres or by the charm of its too pretty villages.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30There's a storm brewing on Exmoor.
0:29:30 > 0:29:35It's all because of this innocuous, classic post-war bungalow.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39It's not that special or pretty. It's not even listed.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44But it has lit the proverbial blue touch paper on an almighty row.
0:29:44 > 0:29:49It all began three years ago when the National Park Authority bought this property
0:29:49 > 0:29:54with plans to demolish it, but they hadn't reckoned with Molly Groves.
0:29:54 > 0:29:59Molly, you really have kicked up quite a fuss with this property,
0:29:59 > 0:30:03but the good news is it's no longer going to be knocked down.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08- Why were they going to knock it down?- The idea was, apparently,
0:30:08 > 0:30:12that they were going to improve the view from two walks.
0:30:12 > 0:30:19What the point of improving the view by demolishing a house is I cannot imagine.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23This was a property many local people wanted to buy,
0:30:23 > 0:30:29but the Parks bought with a view to re-wilding the area, to remove it from the landscape.
0:30:29 > 0:30:35This is a perfectly habitable home. Why remove something perfectly habitable, seem from hardly anywhere,
0:30:35 > 0:30:40to knock it down when people desperately need homes?
0:30:40 > 0:30:45'The National Park promised to renovate Blackpitts, but it's still not fit to live in,
0:30:45 > 0:30:51'adding to local people's housing woes. I've come to see Richard Floyd and his fiancee Emma.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55'They're about to have their first child and need somewhere to live.
0:30:55 > 0:31:00'In the meantime, they're living on his mum's land in this caravan.'
0:31:00 > 0:31:06- You put your name on the list for Blackpitts, with numerous others. - Definitely.- What have you heard?
0:31:06 > 0:31:10Very little. We've heard it would be up for let in August.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15- Not entirely sure which August! - That's the question to ask them!
0:31:15 > 0:31:19Exactly. But that's all we've been told so far.
0:31:19 > 0:31:24No idea if it would be affordable for local people or if it'll be for anybody.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27What other avenues have you tried?
0:31:27 > 0:31:31Everything. We went in for a mortgage, to see if we'd get one.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34- But...- It's not happening.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36So...
0:31:36 > 0:31:41We've inquired about planning permission in the village here.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46The National Park came back and said the village was exempt from building.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51If it's discreet, for a local person why can't you build on your own land?
0:31:51 > 0:31:55'It's a sentiment that runs deep among the local community.
0:31:55 > 0:32:03'Nathan Exley is also struggling for somewhere affordable to live. His hopes are on temporary housing.'
0:32:03 > 0:32:08There is places where farmers would allow me to build a log cabin
0:32:08 > 0:32:11if only we could get planning permission.
0:32:11 > 0:32:18I like the idea of a log cabin. They say you can build them for £30,000-£40,000.
0:32:18 > 0:32:25I've got ground which people would allow me to do that for little or no money, I think.
0:32:25 > 0:32:31'Unless this situation changes, Nathan can see no future for his young family here on Exmoor.'
0:32:31 > 0:32:37If you want to live in this area and do this kind of work... I can't go into an office and do 9 to 5.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41..then sacrifices have to be made, I suppose.
0:32:43 > 0:32:48Well, it's tricky, isn't it? Exmoor is a very nice place to live.
0:32:48 > 0:32:54No surprise, then, that average house prices here are nearly 60% higher than the national average.
0:32:54 > 0:33:00Even affordable housing is often out of range for many on an agricultural wage.
0:33:00 > 0:33:06So what is wrong with building some temporary housing in a corner of a field to ease the housing crisis?
0:33:06 > 0:33:11Well, you can't just build where you like in a national park,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14but locals say affordable homes aren't being built.
0:33:14 > 0:33:20Many say, "You're not letting us build what we want to build where we live and work."
0:33:20 > 0:33:25Well, I'd say to that we've got some fantastic countryside here.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29And in other parts of England and Wales as well.
0:33:29 > 0:33:35It's been national policy for the last 60 years to restrict development in the open countryside.
0:33:35 > 0:33:41That applies in the National Park and outside it. What we're trying to do is meet local need,
0:33:41 > 0:33:43but within that policy framework.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46That does mean building homes
0:33:46 > 0:33:51next to or adjacent to settlements or converting existing buildings
0:33:51 > 0:33:55so we're looking not to add to a general sprawl of development,
0:33:55 > 0:34:01but to focus development in a way that helps us to maintain and enhance the wider countryside.
0:34:01 > 0:34:08I can understand the frustration and concerns. People who love and have lived here want to stay here,
0:34:08 > 0:34:12where they've got connections. We can understand that,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15and we really want to get into a more positive dialogue
0:34:15 > 0:34:22and how can we use the existing policies to meet the needs of the people who definitely have a need.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32Do you think that conservation is overtaking...
0:34:33 > 0:34:38- the need to conserve communities? - I do have that feeling.
0:34:38 > 0:34:44I do have that feeling that now it is biased too far on the side of conservation.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48I'm not against national parks. They're absolutely right.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52But I think now we have gone far too far on the conservation side
0:34:52 > 0:34:59and, let's face it, what's wrong with conserving the indigenous people as well as the heather and all that?
0:34:59 > 0:35:03Molly's campaign has enlisted the help of a local MP
0:35:03 > 0:35:08who is taking their battle all the way to Westminster.
0:35:08 > 0:35:14It's a battle with national implications and a question that goes to the heart of rural life:
0:35:14 > 0:35:19what comes first - beautiful views or vibrant and viable communities?
0:35:28 > 0:35:33'My journey has brought me to the Devon coast
0:35:33 > 0:35:39'where I'll be exploring the twin villages of Lynmouth by the sea and Lynton, high up on the cliff.'
0:35:46 > 0:35:51Lynmouth is a name that for many lives long in the memory.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55Today it's an idyllic seaside town,
0:35:55 > 0:36:01but in the 1950s it was the scene of the worst flooding in post-war Britain.
0:36:01 > 0:36:06These floods claimed many lives and ripped the community apart.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Oh, I remember it vividly.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25On the day of the flood, the Friday, there was torrential rain.
0:36:25 > 0:36:31We could see something was going to happen, but nowhere near like it did happen.
0:36:36 > 0:36:43'Roy Pugsley was a 19-year-old builder when, on the 16th of August, 1952,
0:36:43 > 0:36:49'torrential storms blew in across the moors, bringing with them 9 inches of rain in just 24 hours.'
0:36:50 > 0:36:55I think the sound, the sound of the river in full flood,
0:36:55 > 0:37:00the sound of the rocks crashing. It was like an express train, the old steam trains,
0:37:00 > 0:37:05going through a wayside station at speed. It's a frightening noise.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10'A torrent of water burst the banks of the River Lyn,
0:37:10 > 0:37:15'cascading down onto Lynmouth, which lay helplessly below.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19'Roy knows all too well the horror that followed.'
0:37:19 > 0:37:25- It happened at night, so what were your first memories? - It was as far as you could see
0:37:25 > 0:37:28it was pitch dark, no street lights.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31The rainstorm made it
0:37:31 > 0:37:35very cloudy and foggy that you couldn't see anything.
0:37:35 > 0:37:42All you could see was the river in front of you. All you could see was a roaring mass of water.
0:37:42 > 0:37:50So you couldn't see any houses falling in the river because you couldn't see that far in front.
0:37:50 > 0:37:56- Describe the next morning when daylight came and you saw the destruction.- Absolutely frightening.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00It was impossible to know where to start.
0:38:00 > 0:38:06The roads were washed away, bridges were washed away. Everything was covered with rocks and boulders
0:38:06 > 0:38:11and trees and everything was just smothered.
0:38:11 > 0:38:16You'd see a tree sticking in somebody's front window,
0:38:16 > 0:38:20or something like that. Absolutely frightening.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24- 34 people lost their lives.- Yes.
0:38:24 > 0:38:30Did you know at the time that houses had been taken away, that people were going to...?
0:38:30 > 0:38:36Yes, at the end of the night we realised one or two houses had been destroyed because we saw them.
0:38:36 > 0:38:42I myself was in the little road up there, the footpath up there, looking down on a big hotel.
0:38:42 > 0:38:48- We watched that collapse in the sea. - A couple of the houses had complete families in them.
0:38:48 > 0:38:55- Yes.- And you knew them.- Oh, yes. One was a building worker, Mr Bill Richards. He lost his...
0:38:55 > 0:38:58I think he went back in the house
0:38:58 > 0:39:05to get the children and his wife and their handbags and what have you, and it was all too late.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10And another was three old people.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14They lived in very poor old tumbledown cottages,
0:39:14 > 0:39:19but they were cottages that people lived in and they were at the edge.
0:39:19 > 0:39:26They'd seen the floods before and the principle was to put the chairs on top of the kitchen table,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29roll the mat up and go to bed.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34I'm afraid it was a lot bigger flood than they'd ever been through before.
0:39:34 > 0:39:40- It must have been an incredibly tough thing to come to terms with. - Oh, frightening.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43Nobody... You couldn't even imagine it.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47It was one of these things that nobody had ever seen anything...
0:39:47 > 0:39:52Other than the Blitz in London or in any big city,
0:39:52 > 0:39:57but to be a little village here, it was absolutely frightening.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03'Slowly, the village began to recover and rebuild,
0:40:03 > 0:40:10'but persistent rumours started to emerge that maybe Lynmouth's floods weren't simply an act of God.'
0:40:15 > 0:40:21Within months, incredible claims started to circulate about a secret military experiment,
0:40:21 > 0:40:24codename Operation Cumulus.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29The Ministry of Defence conducted secret cloud seeding experiments,
0:40:29 > 0:40:34dropping silver iodine crystals into clouds to make it rain.
0:40:34 > 0:40:39The idea was to create bad weather on demand to repel possible enemy forces.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50'The authorities initially denied these experiments were taking place,
0:40:50 > 0:40:55'but in 2001 new documents and RAF log books were uncovered,
0:40:55 > 0:41:01'along with an interview with a pilot carrying out the experiments further inland.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07'The interview makes fascinating listening.
0:41:08 > 0:41:14'We'd assembled at Cranfield in Bedfordshire in mid-August, 1952,
0:41:14 > 0:41:16'studying clouds.
0:41:16 > 0:41:22'There was no disguising the fact that the seedsman had said he'd make it rain and he did,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25'The combined enterprise attracted a lot of attention.
0:41:25 > 0:41:32'The BBC television unit visited us to make a film and explain the probable advantages to the world
0:41:32 > 0:41:34'of a controlled rainfall.
0:41:34 > 0:41:41'The day before the programme was due, the rain fell with unprecedented vigour and washed Lynmouth away.'
0:41:42 > 0:41:48'The programme was never broadcast and no link was ever proven between these two events,
0:41:48 > 0:41:53'but it's not the only question about the floods that's unanswered.'
0:42:06 > 0:42:10Lynmouth buried its dead, but only 33 were named.
0:42:10 > 0:42:15The 34th victim is buried here in this cemetery.
0:42:15 > 0:42:21It was the body of a young woman, but to this day nobody knows who she was.
0:42:35 > 0:42:41'I'm continuing my journey by leaving Lynmouth and travelling 900 feet up to the village of Lynton.'
0:42:43 > 0:42:50To get there, I'll be using a train to take the strain and quite an unusual one at that.
0:42:58 > 0:43:04The Lynton-Lynmouth cliff railway is one of the oldest examples of mechanised green transport.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09It carries over 300,000 people up and down this cliff face every year,
0:43:09 > 0:43:12powered only by gravity and water.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16'And the man in charge of it all is Chief Engineer Ashley Clarke.'
0:43:28 > 0:43:30BELL RINGS
0:43:30 > 0:43:37The driver has contacted the other driver at the top and you'll hear the water start going out.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41- We'll become lighter, the top car will become heavier.- There it is!
0:43:49 > 0:43:53So what was it that caused this to be here in the first place?
0:43:53 > 0:43:58It was an idea of a guy called Sir George Newnes.
0:43:58 > 0:44:04He used to holiday in the area and fell in love with Lynton and Lynmouth.
0:44:04 > 0:44:09All the goods used to come in via ship into Lynmouth harbour,
0:44:09 > 0:44:15and was loaded onto carts and pack horses had to drag it up to Lynton, a one in four hill.
0:44:15 > 0:44:20He hated to see the horses thrashed to haul this to Lynton.
0:44:20 > 0:44:25It IS incredibly steep. So this was originally quite a secluded community.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28Everything had to be dragged up.
0:44:28 > 0:44:34It's got to be a lot quicker as well than using pack animals to get up the hillside.
0:44:34 > 0:44:39- It is amazingly steep. That view is quite something.- It is.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43We don't... There's transport which will drive up the hill now,
0:44:43 > 0:44:50so we don't need to use it for heavy goods. It is mainly people that we carry nowadays.
0:44:53 > 0:44:57'Thanks to the cliff railway, the appeal of Lynton and Lynmouth boomed
0:44:57 > 0:45:03'and Victorian holidaymakers called these villages Little Switzerland of England.
0:45:07 > 0:45:13'Now when Matt Baker visited the area, getting around was very much a matter of horse power.'
0:45:16 > 0:45:20Horses have been an integral part of life on Exmoor for centuries,
0:45:20 > 0:45:24but today they don't pull ploughs, bit people.
0:45:24 > 0:45:31Horseboarding is the latest horse-powered extreme sport and it's pretty hair raising!
0:45:37 > 0:45:43'Daniel Fowler-Prime first decided to bring a horse and board together in this unique way four years ago.
0:45:43 > 0:45:50'A trained horse rider, he was looking for a new challenge and created this groundbreaking sport.
0:45:51 > 0:45:56'He and his brother Tom take part in horseboarding competitions all over the UK.'
0:45:56 > 0:46:00Daniel, how are you doing? That was unbelievable!
0:46:00 > 0:46:06Where on earth did it come from, this idea? It looks pretty crazy if you don't mind me saying.
0:46:06 > 0:46:12Originally, horseboarding was used as a method of training horses for horse surfing.
0:46:12 > 0:46:18You tow a surfboard along shallow water, which can be a lake or a river or whatever.
0:46:18 > 0:46:24But then this came to be more accessible for people so it's taking off in a better way.
0:46:24 > 0:46:29- Is it harder for the rider or the boarder?- You need a good rider,
0:46:29 > 0:46:35- but your board rider takes all the knocks.- Sounds delightful(!) Have you had any major incidents?
0:46:35 > 0:46:40Not a lot of major injuries because you don't have a long way to fall,
0:46:40 > 0:46:43but a lot of bruises, grass burns,
0:46:43 > 0:46:48a few sprained wrists and that sort of thing.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52- But when you do stay on, what does it feel like?- Amazing.
0:46:52 > 0:46:57The competitions are unbelievable. It's drag racing with horses.
0:46:57 > 0:47:03- How does a competition work? Is there a measured track? - We race over a 100-metre drag strip.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05So you have two lanes, A and B.
0:47:05 > 0:47:12The winning team gets two points, the losing team one, and if you fall off, you don't get any points.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16Daniel, I would love a go and I've brought a competitor, Jules.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19I guess we just get training, eh?
0:47:19 > 0:47:22'Now Jules and I are both accomplished riders,
0:47:22 > 0:47:26'but riding a board behind a horse is something we've never attempted.'
0:47:26 > 0:47:29Look at us, eh?
0:47:29 > 0:47:34It's not exactly classic country wear, but I'm glad we're wearing it!
0:47:34 > 0:47:39- So, Daniel, what happens from here. We've got the horse roped up.- Yeah.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42The next thing is to get you on the board.
0:47:46 > 0:47:51When the horse is going, try to stay as in line with it as possible.
0:47:54 > 0:48:00You bend your knees and you put weight on your toes. You don't want to lift your heels.
0:48:00 > 0:48:05What everybody should do is that from the floor.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09- So I'm going first, then. - Good luck, mate.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15Oh, I'm gone! See you later.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19Oh, we're going. I tell you what, this is brilliant!
0:48:19 > 0:48:23We are at canter and we're going strong!
0:48:26 > 0:48:29All right, then. Try a walk?
0:48:29 > 0:48:34- There you go. You're off. - Oh, my goodness, me!
0:48:34 > 0:48:38- Try to turn in to the horse. - Trying to turn in to the horse...
0:48:38 > 0:48:42He's definitely gone into the rough there!
0:48:42 > 0:48:44This is the best 4x4 by far!
0:48:47 > 0:48:51- Baker, you are better than I am! - Good effort(!)
0:48:52 > 0:48:56- Right, mate.- OK! This is it. Take it away, girls.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00We're off, we're off. A gentle start to start with.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03Hang on, we're behind! Go on!
0:49:03 > 0:49:06That's lovely, keep it going.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10Aaaargh!
0:49:11 > 0:49:13Go on! I'm still here!
0:49:16 > 0:49:21Takes it! Delighted! I don't know what happened to Jules.
0:49:22 > 0:49:23Ouch!
0:49:24 > 0:49:29- What happened to you, man?! - It was all going so well.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33- Where are the boys?- In you come. - Well done.
0:49:33 > 0:49:39- I thought you were going to have him. - I did, too!- A very big thank you to Rohan.- The stars of the show.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41Taking a bow, there you are.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50'I've travelled back inland and I'm ending my journey on a high,
0:49:50 > 0:49:57'the highest point on Exmoor, Dunkery Hill, where I'm about to have my own encounter
0:49:57 > 0:50:03'with extreme sports. I'm about to discover the nocturnal thrills this area has to offer.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05'Night mountain biking.'
0:50:06 > 0:50:10But first here's the Country Tracks weather for the week ahead.
0:51:50 > 0:51:57.
0:52:07 > 0:52:13'I'm on a journey across the rugged moorlands and dramatic coastline of Exmoor.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16'I started in the south-east at Dulverton,
0:52:16 > 0:52:20'before heading deep into the moors to meet local legend Johnny Kingdom.
0:52:20 > 0:52:26'Moving on to the north Devon coast, I discovered the tragic and fascinating histories
0:52:26 > 0:52:33'between the twin towns of Lynmouth and Lynton. Now I've travelled back inland to Dunkery Hill
0:52:33 > 0:52:37'where my journey's drawing to an end.'
0:52:37 > 0:52:43Well, the sun is setting, but I'm promised that there's a lot more that Exmoor has to offer.
0:52:43 > 0:52:49So I'm finishing my journey by trying out the new craze of night mountain biking.
0:52:49 > 0:52:54'I'm joining Dan French, who's been riding on these moors all his life
0:52:54 > 0:53:00'and now makes a living showing the region's thrill-seeking tourists the more extreme side of Exmoor.
0:53:00 > 0:53:06'I've held the world record for cycling around the world, but never thought of night riding as fun.'
0:53:10 > 0:53:12- Evening.- Hiya.
0:53:12 > 0:53:18Well, I've come dressed for the part, but it's not the sort of cycling that I'm used to.
0:53:18 > 0:53:23- What am I in for?- Right, we're going to do some night mountain biking.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27Up here on Exmoor we've got over 400 miles of bridle way,
0:53:27 > 0:53:29so there's loads to choose from.
0:53:29 > 0:53:34- We have strong lights on the front. - I have literally never done this,
0:53:34 > 0:53:40riding off-road at night. Surely it's a lot harder as you can't see what's coming up ahead?
0:53:40 > 0:53:46All you've got is that pocket of light in front of you. That's where your focus is.
0:53:46 > 0:53:51That's what I'm worried about - a sixth sense I'm not sure I have. We'll soon find out!
0:53:55 > 0:53:58Well, I'm kitted up
0:53:58 > 0:54:04and ready to go. It's a totally new experience for me. I've not mountain biked in ages
0:54:04 > 0:54:10and never at night, so it looks fairly interesting terrain. I'm sure these guys will look after me.
0:54:10 > 0:54:16I've got a camera to try to capture some of the action. We've got last light.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18It'll be dark soon. Let's go.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27OK, let's speed up a wee bit.
0:54:33 > 0:54:40- Dan, is this a typical night up here?- Well, we're pretty lucky with the weather here tonight.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43Look how clear it is. It's amazing.
0:54:57 > 0:55:02It's now too dark to use the normal camera. We're onto night cam.
0:55:02 > 0:55:08And you can actually see quite a lot with this headlight of the bike.
0:55:08 > 0:55:15And, well, cycling while holding a camera is not so easy on this terrain, but it's just brilliant.
0:55:15 > 0:55:21It gives you definitely a new insight into this territory, being up here at night.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36Excellent!
0:55:36 > 0:55:38First night ride.
0:55:39 > 0:55:44That was absolutely excellent. That was a real first for me.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48You could actually see a lot more than I thought you'd be able to
0:55:48 > 0:55:54and riding from sunset into what is now completely dark... I can see the moon rising.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58You just feel completely alone up here. Except for these guys.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01That was just brilliant. Thank you.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05- This is the top of Exmoor.- Yeah, Dunkery Beacon. We've done well.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08I enjoyed it. Absolutely superb.
0:56:09 > 0:56:14'What better place to end my journey than here at Dunkery Beacon
0:56:14 > 0:56:17'on the very top of the moors?
0:56:18 > 0:56:23'I always thought of Exmoor as just that - the moors.
0:56:23 > 0:56:28'But as I've discovered, there's much more this area has to offer.
0:56:28 > 0:56:35'From its unspoilt coastlines to its villages, steeped in history and mystery.'
0:56:35 > 0:56:40As I've found out, it's a place with lots to explore. Even after dark.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43- I guess it's downhill from here?- OK.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00Subtitled by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2011
0:57:01 > 0:57:03Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk