0:00:18 > 0:00:22Today I'm following the route of one of the main arteries in Britain -
0:00:22 > 0:00:23the River Thames.
0:00:23 > 0:00:30Steeped in history, teeming with wildlife and an inspiration to some of our finest novelists.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38London provides many classic images of the Thames,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41but England's capital is only a small part of its journey.
0:00:41 > 0:00:48Rising in the Cotswolds, this mighty river winds and weaves for 214 miles
0:00:48 > 0:00:50into the Thames Estuary at Southend-on-Sea.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58I'll travel from Maidenhead to Stoke Row, near Reading,
0:00:58 > 0:01:02and on to Goring, where I'll join the Thames Path to Sandford Lock.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Then it's up to Eynsham before ending my journey in the Cotswolds,
0:01:06 > 0:01:08near the village of Bampton.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12And along the way, I'll be looking back
0:01:12 > 0:01:15at the very best of the BBC's rural programmes from this part of the world.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Welcome to Country Tracks.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21My journey begins in Maidenhead,
0:01:21 > 0:01:26on board a double scull with the junior national rowing champion.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Ailsa, how long have you been rowing?
0:01:30 > 0:01:31Five years this summer.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- Just five years?- Yep! - And you're a tender age anyway!
0:01:34 > 0:01:37You must have been pretty young when you started?
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- Yeah, about 13.- My goodness.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45- Even though you've only been doing it for five years, you are the national junior champion.- Yes.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50What an incredible title. Do you intend to keep rowing and represent Britain?
0:01:50 > 0:01:52- Yeah, definitely. - What's the next step up?
0:01:52 > 0:01:55- Great Britain, really.- Wow.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57- And how are plans going for that? - Yes, good.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01I'm back in full summer training now, starting some sprint work.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06- What's it like, training and rowing on the Thames?- It's brilliant.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08It's the iconic river of the sport, really.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13There's the Henley Regatta and the Oxford-Cambridge race all on the Thames.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Have you got a favourite stretch?
0:02:16 > 0:02:20I think anybody is drawn to the stretch that they train on, they know it so well.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22So when it comes to the regattas on your stretch,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26you know it like the back of your hand, you know how to steer it,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28you know the best lane to take.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31- Are we on that stretch now for you? - Yep.- A-ha.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33I can see why.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36I can feel my arms are definitely getting worked.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39What are the muscles that you work on when you do this rowing?
0:02:39 > 0:02:42It's an all-body workout, really -
0:02:42 > 0:02:44it's like swimming - but mostly your leg muscles.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49- Mostly legs?- They're stronger muscles, so you're supposed to use them more than your arms.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53My technique's all wrong. I'm definitely not using my legs!
0:02:53 > 0:02:59It's a glorious day today and I'm having a lovely time, although I'm doing fairly badly.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02But of course, this isn't how it always is, is it, for you?
0:03:02 > 0:03:05- It's not glorious, sunny days all the time.- Not at all.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Talk to me about some of your training.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12- In the winter... We train every day throughout the year.- Wow.
0:03:12 > 0:03:13We have one day off.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18- Even though you're a student, you train every day? - Sometimes two sessions a day.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23- Goodness. In the winter, I presume that means in the dark.- Yep.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Seven o'clock, half past six,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29weekend mornings out on the water just as it starts to get light.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Goodness, that's incredible dedication. I'm very impressed.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37No wonder you're national champ. This river is absolutely beautiful.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39It's glass flat,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42it's a lovely day,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44and although I'm pretty hopeless,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I'm having a really lovely time.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49Oh!
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- Oh, man!- Come on, Harrison!
0:03:54 > 0:03:58'Enjoying a leisurely paddle with one of Britain's fastest rowers is an odd feeling,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02'almost as if I'm holding her up a bit, especially when I keep losing my flow.'
0:04:02 > 0:04:08If I lose my concentration for more than half a second, I've just lost the whole thing.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13'Our jaunt on the river brings us to the famous Maidenhead Railway Bridge.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17'It's the handiwork of a man whose name often crops up around bridges.'
0:04:17 > 0:04:23The bridge was designed by the famous engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1838.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27The railway runs over two brick arches,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31which, at the time, were the widest and the flattest in the world.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Brunel had a battle on his hands with the cynics of his day.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39The board of the Great Western Railway simply couldn't believe
0:04:39 > 0:04:42the arches would hold the weight of the trains
0:04:42 > 0:04:45and ordered him to leave the wooden supports in place.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48But when they eventually washed away, the bridge didn't budge,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51and finally proved the strength of Brunel's arches.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56'As we face upstream, the right-hand arch is known as the Sounding Arch
0:04:56 > 0:04:58'because of its impressive echo...
0:04:58 > 0:05:00'which I couldn't resist trying out.'
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- Hello! - VOICE ECHOES
0:05:03 > 0:05:06- Hello! - VOICE ECHOES
0:05:06 > 0:05:10Ben Fogle is no stranger to the River Thames.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14He travelled here in 2005 to count the Queen's swans.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17# As I went down in the river to pray
0:05:17 > 0:05:21# Studyin' about that good old way... #
0:05:21 > 0:05:25'For one week in midsummer, a group of men in red and blue blazers
0:05:25 > 0:05:28'row in skiffs up the River Thames.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31'These men are Her Majesty's Swan Uppers.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36'I'm joining them for part of their journey,
0:05:36 > 0:05:40'to search for swans and their cygnets, so that they can be checked and tagged.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44'It's a traditional job that's been going on for centuries.'
0:05:44 > 0:05:48'Swan Upping started in the 12th century.'
0:05:48 > 0:05:53Of course, naturally then it was an important food source.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55The Crown claimed all swans
0:05:55 > 0:05:58in the United Kingdom,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02and they've claimed swans ever since that date.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04So, what exactly is Swan Upping?
0:06:04 > 0:06:09Swan Upping is the way of monitoring the Thames' swans.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14We go from Sunbury-on-Thames to Abingdon on a five-day journey.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17'We have six Swan Uppers in each boat,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19'and we'll go up the river
0:06:19 > 0:06:23'and we'll lift each family of swans out of the river and we'll take them ashore.
0:06:23 > 0:06:29'They'll be weighed, measured, checked, all for fishing tackle,'
0:06:29 > 0:06:31and then a small ring will be put on their leg
0:06:31 > 0:06:34so we can monitor them for the future.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38'The first boat to spot a brood of swans gives a call of, "All up!"
0:06:38 > 0:06:41'This signals that everyone should move in for the catch.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46'The birds then have their feet and wings tied so they can be given a health check.'
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- First thing I look for is to check whether we know who it is. - Right, so 12C?
0:06:53 > 0:06:58Yes, it's got a metal ring with a long serial number on,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and it's got this one, which saves us trying to catch them,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05and at other times of the year, we can read it in the water.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Just hold that there, do I?
0:07:07 > 0:07:10'After the tagging comes the weighing.'
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- And then you have to read it off. You need glasses!- I do...!
0:07:13 > 0:07:183.5? 3.5 kilograms. Shall I take that?
0:07:18 > 0:07:21If I open it...
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Do I lift it out?
0:07:23 > 0:07:26- Yep.- Like that?
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- That's fine.- Wow. There you go.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33'The professor's been doing this since 1978.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37'Back then, swans were dying at an alarming rate.'
0:07:37 > 0:07:40A lot of the problems was lead-fishing weights
0:07:40 > 0:07:43that they were swallowing and dying from lead poisoning.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45'Most of that, not all of it, has been stopped.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47'The population is recovering quite well.'
0:07:47 > 0:07:50'You've noticed an improvement through the years?'
0:07:50 > 0:07:52'Yes, enormous. The first year I ever did the lower stretch,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55'we caught one cygnet in the morning,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57'and this year, we caught about 30.'
0:07:57 > 0:08:00'Swan Upping used to be about claiming ownership over the birds.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05'But now it's more focused on getting the word out about how we can protects swans.'
0:08:07 > 0:08:09It's changed now, we're in modern days now.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14It's a conservation exercise, where years ago, it was bread for the table
0:08:14 > 0:08:17and people were eating the swans at these banquets.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Now it's purely conservation.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24'Of course, the swan has more of a difficult time now with all the boats on the rivers,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28'their natural habitat disappearing, lots of fishermen around.
0:08:28 > 0:08:29'So, it's quite a struggle.'
0:08:29 > 0:08:35We lose, usually, probably about 40% of all the young cygnets that are born.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38We lose them to fishing tackle problems, predators.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41It's quite colossal, really.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47'The boats snake after one another upstream through the Thames' locks.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50'There's a growing crowd watching from the shore,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52'and they're making me a little nervous
0:08:52 > 0:08:56'as I've been given the chance to get more hands-on with the swans.'
0:08:57 > 0:09:00(Look at this!) I caught this myself.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03- CROWD:- Aww! - Oh, listen to the, "Aww!"
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Where shall I put this one?
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Next door?
0:09:07 > 0:09:10There you go.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Oh, dear. I didn't do very well, did I? Let's try again.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16I failed on my first attempt.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19That's not very good. I don't think I'll make a very good Swan Upper.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26'Once it's weighed, I get some advice on the best way to carry a young cygnet.'
0:09:26 > 0:09:31- You hold them that way, away from you.- Yep.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Because sometimes there's accidents.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37'After the wise words, I meet some local children.'
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Does anyone want to have a look at this one here? Stroke it very gently.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Is this the closest all of you have ever been to a swan?
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- ALL:- Yes! - Once, I got pecked.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51You haven't been packed by a swan, have you?
0:09:51 > 0:09:53- I have, I have.- Have you?
0:09:53 > 0:09:56I'm going to put this back in the water now. Say bye, everyone.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58- ALL:- Bye!
0:10:03 > 0:10:09'But I've long forgotten Dave's advice to hold the cygnet's bottom away from me.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11'Suddenly, it does what babies do best.'
0:10:12 > 0:10:13Ooh! That's nice!
0:10:13 > 0:10:15LAUGHTER
0:10:15 > 0:10:21See? I didn't listen to him, did I? That will teach me.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26'It's been a long day of catches, checks and releases.'
0:10:27 > 0:10:29There you go.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31'This year's cygnets face a tough struggle
0:10:31 > 0:10:36'if they're going to survive and graduate from ugly ducklings into white swans.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38'But they've had a good start in life,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40'and at least these little birds
0:10:40 > 0:10:43'are no longer destined for the cooking pot.'
0:10:43 > 0:10:47A glorious day on the Thames, and no trip along this river would be complete
0:10:47 > 0:10:51without seeing the brilliant white of swans
0:10:51 > 0:10:53gliding the surface.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55I've left Maidenhead behind
0:10:55 > 0:10:59and travelled upstream to Stoke Row, just north of Reading.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Just a little way off the Thames Path, there's a structure
0:11:02 > 0:11:05you wouldn't expect to find in rural Oxfordshire.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24This ornate well was built in 1864, thanks to the benevolence
0:11:24 > 0:11:28of an Indian maharajah who took pity on the people of Stoke Row.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31He'd been speaking to Edward Anderton Reade,
0:11:31 > 0:11:36the British governor of India's northwest provinces and son of an Oxfordshire squire.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40He told him the story of a boy on his father's estate
0:11:40 > 0:11:44who'd been beaten for using the last of his family's water during a drought.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49So the great king of modern-day Varanasi, a hot and humid region,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51donated money to rainy old England.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Today it looks as good as new,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57and its unusual story is well remembered locally.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Its depth is greater than the height of Nelson's Column.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03The well was in use for 70 years
0:12:03 > 0:12:05and provided 700 gallons of water per day.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09The entire depth of the well was dug by hand.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12The Queen owns an ivory replica of the well.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15It takes ten minutes to wind a bucket up from the bottom.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18The maharajah was apparently so touched by the story
0:12:18 > 0:12:21that he financed the well
0:12:21 > 0:12:24as well as the keeper's cottage and cherry orchard.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28This area has provided inspiration to some of our finest storytellers,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32and in 2007, Michaela Strachan went on the Thames trail
0:12:32 > 0:12:36of Kenneth Grahame, author of Wind In The Willows.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- READER:- "Never in his life had he seen a river before.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43"This sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46"chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle
0:12:46 > 0:12:49"and leaving them to fling itself on fresh playmates
0:12:49 > 0:12:52"that shook themselves free and were caught and held again,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56"all was a-shake and a-shiver, glints and gleams
0:12:56 > 0:13:00"and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and bubble..."
0:13:00 > 0:13:04The River Thames has provided inspiration for all sorts of writers.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Jerome K Jerome.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13But there's one author who lets the river flow through the book from start to finish.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15This is Wind In The Willows country,
0:13:15 > 0:13:21and I'm here to explore the world of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Mr Toad.
0:13:21 > 0:13:27I'm travelling upriver along the Thames to follow in the footsteps of Kenneth Grahame.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30I'm starting in Cookham, passing through Henley-on-Thames
0:13:30 > 0:13:32before finishing up in Pangbourne.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh in 1859,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41but at the age of five, after the death of his mother,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43he came to live in Cookham with his grandma,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47to a beautiful old house called The Mount, with a rambling garden.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51For the rest of his life, the natural world became an escape
0:13:51 > 0:13:54from a rather claustrophobic reality -
0:13:54 > 0:13:56working for the Bank of England.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03In 1906, just before he started to write his Wind In The Willows stories,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Kenneth Grahame moved back to Cookham Dean
0:14:06 > 0:14:09to escape the pressures of working life in London.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13This was the house he bought, the perfect place for his son
0:14:13 > 0:14:18to experience the same sort of outdoor lifestyle that he himself had had.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22So how did the book, Wind In the Willows, actually come about?
0:14:22 > 0:14:25It started with a bedtime story to his son Alastair,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27who they called Mouse.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30This had been going on since Mouse was four,
0:14:30 > 0:14:31but in the summer of 1907,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Kenneth and Elspeth decided that the little boy, Mouse,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37should go on holiday to Littlehampton,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40which they didn't like as a place, but they would go to Cornwall.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42So off went Alastair with his nanny.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45But before he went, he said, "I must have the bedtime story.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47"I'm not going unless I get the bedtime story!"
0:14:47 > 0:14:51A stroppy little lad! So Kenneth said, "Well, all right.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54"I'll tell you what I can do. I'll write them in letter form."
0:14:54 > 0:14:57And so, here we have the hotel where they were in Cornwall,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01the Fowey Hotel, the letterhead, 31st May 1907.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04"My dearest Mouse, I hope you're quite well..."
0:15:04 > 0:15:07And after a very few sentences about how Mouse is,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09we're straight into the story of Toad.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13These letters were kept, and eventually became The Wind In The Willows.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Kenneth added to them, added from early bedtime stories
0:15:16 > 0:15:19and other chapters which he wrote towards the end of 1907,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22and these were published as the Wind In The Willows in 1908.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Are any of the characters in the book like the characters
0:15:25 > 0:15:27- in his real life?- Very much so.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32Toad was written initially as poking gentle fun at his son,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34because his son was precocious and bumptious,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37and he said, "You'll get your comeuppance like Mr Toad, so be a good boy."
0:15:37 > 0:15:40The other characters are very much like Kenneth himself.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43The shy, retiring, but rather gruff badger,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47slightly at one, removed from the world,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51and then Ratty, who loved boats - Kenneth adored boating and the river.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56Then the little mole who, although a little animal, is actually quite keen to go on a big adventure.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00In this book, Kenneth actually goes on a very big adventure.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06- READER:- "It was a cold, still afternoon with a hard, steely sky overhead
0:16:06 > 0:16:10"when he slipped out of the warm parlour into the open air.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13"The country lay bare and entirely leafless around him.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18"But with great cheerfulness of spirit, he pushed on towards the Wild Wood."
0:16:18 > 0:16:22The scariest part of the book is the Wild Wood,
0:16:22 > 0:16:27a place where stoats, weasels and foxes roamed.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30"It led him on to where the light was less
0:16:30 > 0:16:33"and trees crouched nearer and nearer,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36"and holes made ugly mouths at him on either side."
0:16:39 > 0:16:43This is a Quarry Wood in Cookham Dean, a place where Kenneth Grahame
0:16:43 > 0:16:45would have spent many a day as a young boy,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49and this is no doubt where he got his inspiration from.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52It's hardly surprising that Mole and Ratty were so pleased
0:16:52 > 0:16:54to find their friend Badger
0:16:54 > 0:16:57in such a dark place so far from the river bank.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Here in Henley-on-Thames, it's easy to hire a rowing boat,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11and as Ratty said, "There's nothing,
0:17:11 > 0:17:16"absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
0:17:18 > 0:17:22"The mole, intoxicated with the sparkle, the ripple,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24"the sense and the sounds and the sunlight,
0:17:24 > 0:17:29"he trailed a paw in the water and dreamt long, waking dreams."
0:17:29 > 0:17:34As a poet and a local resident, what does Wind In The Willows mean to you?
0:17:34 > 0:17:39I think for all poets, all writers probably, the river
0:17:39 > 0:17:41is one of the great literary metaphors.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44I think people understand this even if they are not writers.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46There is something elemental,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48unchanging about the river.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52You stand by the river and you have a kind of sense
0:17:52 > 0:17:56that you are in the still centre of something.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00I think Grahame picked up on that in Wind In The Willows.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04You helped set up the Wind In The Willows exhibition in the Rowing Museum.
0:18:04 > 0:18:05How did that come about?
0:18:05 > 0:18:08I think the museum was really keen,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12knowing that this is Grahame territory here in Henley,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15and, of course, what's possible for visitors now
0:18:15 > 0:18:18is that you can go round the exhibition
0:18:18 > 0:18:22where the models are all based on EH Shepard's classic drawings.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25They're his drawings brought to life, really - 3D.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29You step outside onto the meadow and you see the river, the Thames,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33which Ratty was so in love with, and it makes sense.
0:18:36 > 0:18:42Further up the river passed Reading is Mapledurham, a fine stately home on the banks of the Thames.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Many say that this is the inspiration for the famous Toad Hall.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51Wind In The Willows was not an overnight success.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56It grew in popularity in 1929 when it was dramatised by AA Milne
0:18:56 > 0:18:59as Toad Of Toad Hall, focusing on the animals,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02especially Toad's exciting adventures.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08- READER:- "A poetry of motion, the only way to travel.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10"Here today - in next week tomorrow.
0:19:10 > 0:19:16"Villages skipped, towns and cities jumped. Oh, bliss!
0:19:16 > 0:19:18"Oh, poop, poop!"
0:19:20 > 0:19:22This was Kenneth Grahame's final home,
0:19:22 > 0:19:27where he lived from 1924, Church Cottage, another beautiful location
0:19:27 > 0:19:32situated not far away from where the Thames meets the River Pang.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Is this typical Wind In The Willows habitat?
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Yes. Over here you can see the wet woodland
0:19:39 > 0:19:42with the hazel, the alder trees, the occasional big ash tree,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45and it is exactly the kind of thing
0:19:45 > 0:19:48that there would have been in Wind In The Willows.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52How much has it changed over the last 100 years since the author wrote the book?
0:19:52 > 0:19:56The habitat hasn't really changed. We've still got a lot of the species
0:19:56 > 0:20:00that would have been in Wind In The Willows - the badgers, the weasels, the foxes.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Over there, you can see the molehills.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07Unfortunately, the really sad thing is that we don't have the water voles here any more.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10The water vole is Ratty from Wind In The Willows,
0:20:10 > 0:20:11and seven to ten years ago
0:20:11 > 0:20:16I would come here and find little holes in the ground, the burrows where the water voles lived.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18But they are no longer here now.
0:20:18 > 0:20:23Do you think Wind In The Willows has inspired people to want to protect this sort of area?
0:20:23 > 0:20:30Very much so. We appealed to the public to get £250,000 to buy some more land over there.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35It has been fantastic how members of the public have responded.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38We raised over £300,000 to buy that land.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42It's really Ratty and Wind In The Willows that inspired people.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46People have logged on to our website, donated money from Canada,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48America, France and New Zealand.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50It has been fantastic
0:20:50 > 0:20:54how people have embraced Ratty and Wind In The Willows.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Has the appeal enabled you to try to bring Ratty back to the area?
0:20:58 > 0:21:04Very much so. The new land that we bought enables us to link
0:21:04 > 0:21:09this site where the water voles were once living with a site a mile or two away
0:21:09 > 0:21:13where they are still living in a healthy population.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17I'm sure Kenneth Grahame would be delighted to know his book helped
0:21:17 > 0:21:19the Wildlife Trust 100 years on from him writing it.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Definitely. I wish he could be here now to see it.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Hopefully, when we have the water voles back - with a bit of luck -
0:21:25 > 0:21:29for hundreds of years more, people will be able to appreciate
0:21:29 > 0:21:33all the creatures that are here from Wind In The Willows.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38- READER:- "As he sat on the grass and looked, a dark hole in the bank opposite
0:21:38 > 0:21:41"just above the water's edge caught his eye
0:21:41 > 0:21:45"and dreamily he fell to considering what a nice, snug dwelling place it would make
0:21:45 > 0:21:49"for an animal with few wants and fond of a bijou riverside residence
0:21:49 > 0:21:53"above flood level, and remote from noise and dust."
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Kenneth Grahame died here in Pangbourne in 1932.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Or, as his epitaph says, "He passed the river,
0:22:06 > 0:22:11"leaving literature and childhood through him the more blessed for all time."
0:22:11 > 0:22:15He certainly left a great wildlife literary trail behind him
0:22:15 > 0:22:18and his story lives on in all of these locations.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23I'm sure that the adventures of Mole, Ratty, Badger and Mr Toad
0:22:23 > 0:22:28will continue to inspire and delight children for many generations to come.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34- READER:- "Terribly sleepy Mole had to be escorted upstairs by his considerate host
0:22:34 > 0:22:41"to the best bedroom, where he soon laid his head on his pillow in great peace and contentment
0:22:41 > 0:22:47"knowing that his new-found friend, the river, was lapping the sill of his window."
0:22:56 > 0:22:59The timeless words of Kenneth Grahame
0:22:59 > 0:23:04who, through his memorable characters, captured the gentle pace of life on the Thames.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08You can still catch that Wind In The Willows exhibition
0:23:08 > 0:23:11at the River And Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18I've moved on from Stoke Row to link up with the Thames Path south of Goring.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24What a spectacular view.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29You can see the Thames from up here snaking off into the distance.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37This is Hartslock Nature Reserve.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40The Wildlife Trust recently bought an extra 15 acres
0:23:40 > 0:23:42of neighbouring farmland,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45which boosted the reserve to just over 25 acres.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52That may not sound very big, but this small patch of grassland contains
0:23:52 > 0:23:56over 2,000 different species of plants and animals,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59including a rare monkey and a tiny lady.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02They are rare types of orchid.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Back in the 1980s there were only a handful on this site,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08but thanks to careful management by the local wildlife trust,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10they've made a significant comeback.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Debbie Lewis is the reserve's ecology manager.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- Hi, Debbie. - Oh, good afternoon, Ellie.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Cowslips I know, but what are these beauties?
0:24:19 > 0:24:23These are a special type of orchid, a Lady Orchid.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26They are basically named after what they look like.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30It looks a little bit like a lady with a big bonnet
0:24:30 > 0:24:32and little arms and a big skirt.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Now you point it out... It is actually quite detailed.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Yes, these are quite rare orchids.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41They're found across the UK but in a variety of sites.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45We also have some special orchids that are much rarer.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Goodness! Which are they?
0:24:47 > 0:24:51The ones down here are a hybrid between the Lady Orchid
0:24:51 > 0:24:54and a Monkey Orchid which also grows on the site.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59The Monkey Orchids are very rare and only found on three sites in the UK.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Hybrids are only found on this site.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06What makes this site so unique that they have colonised here?
0:25:06 > 0:25:11It's not that they have colonised here. This is what is left over.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16Monkey orchids and Lady orchids were spread wide across the country in all sorts of areas,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20wherever there was chalk grassland, but because chalk grassland is being destroyed
0:25:20 > 0:25:25and ploughed up - particularly after the Second World War - they have lost their habitat.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27This is an island where they are left.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30They must be protected here then?
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Yes, not only is this a Wildlife Trust nature reserve,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36they are also protected under the law,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38so it is illegal for people to pick them.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Do you know how many you have here?
0:25:40 > 0:25:44We actually know precisely how many we have here because every year,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46a dedicated team of volunteers come out
0:25:46 > 0:25:49and count each orchid individually.
0:25:49 > 0:25:50Every single one?!
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Every single orchid is counted, jotted down and noted
0:25:54 > 0:25:58- so we know precisely how the population is doing. - How many are they?
0:25:58 > 0:26:02- Last year, 2008, there were 477 orchids.- Precisely!
0:26:04 > 0:26:10'When you think that there were once only seven orchids on this whole site, that's a big achievement.'
0:26:10 > 0:26:15- Here we have...- Oh! - A rather tiny...Monkey Orchid.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18It's quite early in the season so it's just coming out.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20It's got lots of wiggly arms
0:26:20 > 0:26:24and much longer legs and a teeny weeny tail.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Oh, yes. Although you have to use your imagination!
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Yeah, later on in the season they look bigger
0:26:30 > 0:26:32and slightly more obviously "monkey".
0:26:41 > 0:26:44It's great to see such a thriving plant habitat
0:26:44 > 0:26:47in the densely populated south-east.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51It's an area where natural resources are under constant pressure.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56In 2007, Miriam O'Reilly reported on plans for a new Thames reservoir.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02These acres of farmland just south of Abingdon in Oxfordshire
0:27:02 > 0:27:05could soon disappear under billions of gallons of water.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08The biggest water company in the UK, Thames Water,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11want to build a reservoir half the size of Windermere
0:27:11 > 0:27:12on this very spot.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16It would be the largest stretch of open water in the south of England.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23The reservoir would cover an area of approximately four square miles
0:27:23 > 0:27:28or about the same as 2,500 football pitches.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32It is likely to cost £1 billion and will take around ten years to build.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Despite strong local opposition, Thames Water says the reservoir
0:27:36 > 0:27:41is vital if future water supplies to the south-east are to be guaranteed.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47We expect to have an additional 1.2 million customers
0:27:47 > 0:27:52wanting water from us by 2030, and because we expect climate change
0:27:52 > 0:27:55to give us hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Where will the water come from?
0:27:57 > 0:28:00It will come from the River Thames just down there.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Hopefully, in 10 or 12 years' time, if we get permission to build the reservoir,
0:28:04 > 0:28:08we will be extracting water at this time of year into that reservoir
0:28:08 > 0:28:11to serve Swindon and Oxfordshire and London during the summer.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16Thames Water are keen to convince local people that the reservoir would benefit the area.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20Displays like this one show the design they are proposing.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Not surprisingly, the plans have been met with scepticism.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30For those most affected, the reservoir threatens their livelihood.
0:28:33 > 0:28:38Bob Tyrrell's family has farmed the land at Steventon for over 200 years
0:28:38 > 0:28:42but part of it lies in the area earmarked for the reservoir.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44We would probably lose over half our land.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47It may not leave enough for us to continue farming
0:28:47 > 0:28:50or for me and my son to get a living
0:28:50 > 0:28:53so we don't really know what we're going to do.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58This is where the reservoir will be. There is winter wheat growing there at the moment.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00That's right, this is winter wheat.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03Unfortunately, this is one of our best fields.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06We will lose this 110-acre field.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08It is just going to be devastating.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15As well as laying waste to hundreds of acres of high-quality agricultural land,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19there are concerns that swamping a huge area
0:29:19 > 0:29:24will damage the environment, displace wildlife and destroy habitats.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30This is a very big project. It is four square miles,
0:29:30 > 0:29:34its floor area is around the same size as the town of Abingdon.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38There is a huge embankment surrounding it. It is 80ft high.
0:29:38 > 0:29:44The church tower behind us is only 50ft high. So we're talking 30ft higher than that.
0:29:44 > 0:29:49It is a massive project and would totally change the character of the landscape.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52What impact will the reservoir have on wildlife habitats?
0:29:52 > 0:29:56The reservoir will be very destructive of the landscape around here.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58There is a lot of wildlife in it.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01It is true to say there are no so-called "triple SI" -
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Sites of Special Scientific Interest -
0:30:03 > 0:30:07and that is one of the reasons why Thames Water chose this site.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10But it is quite a rich marshland
0:30:10 > 0:30:15and it's part of the community and part of the village landscape.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21The Environment Agency believes water companies aren't doing enough
0:30:21 > 0:30:24to make the public more aware of water conservation.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27What people need is information and advice
0:30:27 > 0:30:30so they can take ownership of the water-use issue.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33I don't think water companies do enough
0:30:33 > 0:30:34to provide information to customers
0:30:34 > 0:30:36so they can take those options.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39The reservoir, though, is being created in Oxfordshire.
0:30:39 > 0:30:44It is supposed to, according to Thames Water, be the solution
0:30:44 > 0:30:48to future water shortages in the south-east. Do you buy that?
0:30:48 > 0:30:53Well, looking ahead, I mentioned the 60,000 new homes a year.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57We believe we will need new water resources in the south-east
0:30:57 > 0:31:00and that may be reservoirs or desalination plants.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02It could be more re-use of our sewage effluent.
0:31:02 > 0:31:07Those are all options to increase supply, but we have to press home reducing demand
0:31:07 > 0:31:13and we think water companies need to show a lot more energy and interest in reducing demand,
0:31:13 > 0:31:17whether that's leakage - and Thames Water have a big programme on leakage -
0:31:17 > 0:31:20but they haven't hit their targets for the last three years
0:31:20 > 0:31:23and they have to deliver on some of their promises.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Last year, Thames Water's profits reached £386 million,
0:31:27 > 0:31:29the largest figure of any water company
0:31:29 > 0:31:35and there are those who believe that they are building the reservoir to make more money.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38It is going to cost about £1 billion.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43If that goes into building this huge grass/earth box in the countryside,
0:31:43 > 0:31:47it goes into their balance sheet and adds value to the business.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51If they spend it on repairing the water mains in London,
0:31:51 > 0:31:55it reduces their profits by spending that money over several years.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59I think there might be some financial motive behind it
0:31:59 > 0:32:03in that the way they are choosing to do it will add value to the business.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05That is their plan - to grow their business?
0:32:05 > 0:32:08That is my guess. I haven't had a satisfactory answer to that.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10I'd like to hear Thames Water address it.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12Is Thames Water building its business?
0:32:12 > 0:32:16Is it improving its assets by creating this reservoir in Oxfordshire?
0:32:16 > 0:32:20We our improving our service to our customers by making sure that by 2020
0:32:20 > 0:32:22we can continue to supply them with water
0:32:22 > 0:32:27and we don't have to restrict their use with hosepipe bans or, worse, water rationing
0:32:27 > 0:32:32if we get long, dry spells that we are forecast to get under climate change scenarios.
0:32:33 > 0:32:39As of March this year, that project has been put on hold until 2026 at the earliest.
0:32:39 > 0:32:44The economic downturn has meant that fewer houses are being built,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47meaning the pressure for water has eased for now.
0:32:47 > 0:32:52But climate change means water shortages are an ever-growing global concern
0:32:52 > 0:32:55and the idea of a Thames reservoir may not be out of the spotlight for long.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04I'm journeying along a stretch of the River Thames.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06I started out at Maidenhead,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09rowing under the magnificent Brunel railway bridge,
0:33:09 > 0:33:12before heading to Stoke Row
0:33:12 > 0:33:14and picking up the Thames Path near Goring.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16I'm getting back on the water
0:33:16 > 0:33:19for the next leg of my journey to Sandford Lock.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24So far, my journey has been under my own steam,
0:33:24 > 0:33:27but if I wanted to walk the whole of the Thames Path,
0:33:27 > 0:33:28it would take me two weeks.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31Instead, it's time to relax on this beautiful narrow boat.
0:33:31 > 0:33:36- Hello there.- Hi.- Nice to meet you. - Carol is waiting for you.- Thanks.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41'Paul Stephens and Carol Tidy swapped a cottage
0:33:41 > 0:33:44'for a 57ft long, 10ft wide boat four years ago.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47'But this is no retirement project.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51'They both have a full-time jobs and still commute by road,
0:33:51 > 0:33:54'leaving their floating home moored up in nearby Sutton Courtenay.'
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Hello. How are you?
0:33:56 > 0:33:59'The rest of their time is spent cruising up and down the Thames.'
0:33:59 > 0:34:04This is beautiful in here. What was it that made you decide to not be on land any more
0:34:04 > 0:34:06and take up a life on a boat?
0:34:06 > 0:34:10First of all, we went on a boating holiday which we loved so much
0:34:10 > 0:34:13we decided we would quite like to live on a boat.
0:34:13 > 0:34:14That's how it started.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19But you guys aren't retired, are you? You still have all the practicalities of commuting.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21Yes, we've still got full-time jobs
0:34:21 > 0:34:23but we still need to get away
0:34:23 > 0:34:26from the everyday life, like traffic lights,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29the city of Oxford, things like that. The hustle and bustle.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33What would you say are the best bits of having made this move?
0:34:33 > 0:34:35What is great about life on the water?
0:34:35 > 0:34:41The peacefulness, the views of the river, the sun coming up in the morning, the mist...
0:34:41 > 0:34:45- What about you, Paul? - I like everything about it. I mean...
0:34:46 > 0:34:51I love waking up in the morning and you hear noises at the side of the boat and you wonder what it is.
0:34:51 > 0:34:56It's the birds pecking the algae off the side of the boat at half past four on a summer's morning.
0:34:56 > 0:35:02Things like that. You open the hatch wide every morning, there's always something happening.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05New chicks, swans, geese fighting, things like that.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09When it pours with rain on the roof and you're in bed, it's so peaceful it sends you to sleep.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11- It's lovely.- Fantastic.
0:35:11 > 0:35:16- And what is it about the Thames that you love?- It's a beautiful river.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20We've been down to London, we've been up to Lechlade. We've travelled the whole lot, really.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22So you've seen it all?
0:35:22 > 0:35:26- We have, yes. Every stretch of the Thames.- Fantastic.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29You've brought Millie. How did she adapt to life on the water?
0:35:29 > 0:35:31Well, she loves the water.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35She swims, we take her for walks down the river bank,
0:35:35 > 0:35:37throw a stick, she's in.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39And she loves running up and down the top of the boat.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Yes, she loves it.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43She's got a nice life.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46We bought the boat and Millie the same year.
0:35:46 > 0:35:51It was within a couple of months, because we always wanted a springer spaniel and the boat.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19We're just about to head into the lock, so lifejackets on.
0:36:19 > 0:36:24I heard this amazing fact about Sandford Lock from a local boatman, and that is when it's full,
0:36:24 > 0:36:29the water level is a foot higher than the cross on top of the dome of St Paul's Cathedral.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32It's the second-highest lock on the Thames.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40What fascinates me about these locks is just how old they are.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45Huge feats of engineering, way before the Industrial Age was born.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49Sandford Lock was one of the first to be built on the Thames, in 1630.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09- Thanks for the lift, Carol. - You're welcome.- Thanks. Cheers.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11- Bye.- Thanks, see you again.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13'I'm back on the Thames Path following in the footsteps
0:37:13 > 0:37:17'of all those writers who've found this river such an inspiration.'
0:37:17 > 0:37:20As we're so close to Oxford, it's not surprising
0:37:20 > 0:37:24that there are so many literary connections in the area.
0:37:24 > 0:37:30Back in 1991, John Craven reported on an argument between natural and literary conservationists
0:37:30 > 0:37:35over the management of an Oxfordshire Woodland that inspired CS Lewis' Narnia stories.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03Welcome to Narnia, or at least to Narnia Woods.
0:38:03 > 0:38:08This small pocket of woodland on the outskirts of Oxford is said to have been the inspiration
0:38:08 > 0:38:12for the imaginary world created by CS Lewis
0:38:12 > 0:38:16in his classic children's books The Chronicles Of Narnia.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18The author planted the trees himself,
0:38:18 > 0:38:23and now this place has become a kind of memorial to his imagination.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27But it's also a nature reserve and it's now the unlikely setting
0:38:27 > 0:38:32of a battle, between literary conservationists and nature conservationists.
0:38:32 > 0:38:39CS Lewis was an Oxford don who found wider fame with books like The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe.
0:38:39 > 0:38:44He loved the countryside, and 60 years ago he started planting this plot just a few yards from his home.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47He died in 1963.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51Today the President of the CS Lewis Society is David Dodds.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Why did Lewis decide to plant this wood?
0:38:54 > 0:38:58Lewis was always a great outdoorsman.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01He loved to go on country walks, walking holidays,
0:39:01 > 0:39:03and the prospect of having his own land
0:39:03 > 0:39:07and being able to have his own wood on it was a great joy to him.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10'Lewis planted a wide variety, including non-native species
0:39:10 > 0:39:13'like larch, sycamore, and even bamboo,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16'because his brother had spent some time in China.'
0:39:16 > 0:39:19The wood thrived, and more than 20 years ago, it was bought
0:39:19 > 0:39:23by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Naturalists Trust,
0:39:23 > 0:39:25known more simply as BBONT.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29For a long time, they left Narnia Woods just as Lewis had created them.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33More recently, they decided to get rid of all the foreign trees,
0:39:33 > 0:39:36to create space to plant oaks, ash and rowans,
0:39:36 > 0:39:41much to the annoyance of David Dodds, who lives in the author's old home.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44I woke to the sound of chain saws so I came up and said,
0:39:44 > 0:39:48"Look, you can't do this. Please don't do this."
0:39:48 > 0:39:50And I sat there on a stump, reading CS Lewis,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53while they chopped down another tree, at least.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Did you win that little battle?
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Well, they chopped some trees down and I saved some, so...
0:39:59 > 0:40:04Why do you object so strongly to BBONT's conservation plans for this wood?
0:40:04 > 0:40:11Well, I realise conservation is important, but Lewis deliberately preserved a certain mix of trees,
0:40:11 > 0:40:16including keeping sycamores, including keeping larches, and I think that should be respected.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19It's possible to practise preservation and conservation together.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23BBONT say the place is overgrown and they believe that CS Lewis would have
0:40:23 > 0:40:26approved their plans to bring in new life to his woods.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30They contend that if they don't thin the trees, the dense cover will mean
0:40:30 > 0:40:34very little will survive in years to come on the floor of the wood.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38BBONT's objective is to preserve a better future for wildlife.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42This is a nature reserve, one of more than 100
0:40:42 > 0:40:44that we have throughout the three counties.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48So our objective here is certainly not to destroy the woodland at all.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51It's a lovely piece of woodland on the outskirts of Oxford.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55But to enhance and enrich it a little so that it can support
0:40:55 > 0:40:57a much greater variety of wildlife than it does now.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01But couldn't you make an exception here and just keep it as it was?
0:41:01 > 0:41:05The problem that we face as a wildlife conservation organisation
0:41:05 > 0:41:09is that we're here for nature conservation purposes.
0:41:09 > 0:41:16If we were to say that we were not going to try to do what we're doing here under a proper management plan,
0:41:16 > 0:41:20there wouldn't be a lot of point in BBONT having an interest in this site.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22That's the dilemma we face.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26But certainly, we need to talk more with the CS Lewis Society about this
0:41:26 > 0:41:28and we do plan to have a meeting with them very soon.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31- Will you resolve it?- I hope we do. I think that we should.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34The whole objective of conservation these days
0:41:34 > 0:41:37is to work in partnership with others, so we must resolve it.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43Nearly two decades later, that woodland is managed and protected
0:41:43 > 0:41:47by Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust,
0:41:47 > 0:41:52who say they're still working to maintain a diverse and healthy mix of trees.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58So far, my Thames journey has taken me
0:41:58 > 0:42:01from Maidenhead to Stoke Row near Reading,
0:42:01 > 0:42:04on to Goring where I joined the Thames Path.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06Then I took to the water through Sandford Lock
0:42:06 > 0:42:10and I'm now travelling along the river just south of Eynsham.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12This Georgian bridge at Swinford,
0:42:12 > 0:42:15made from the famous honey-coloured stone,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18was built in 1769 to replace a ferry.
0:42:22 > 0:42:27It's a secluded little spot, the tranquillity shared only with the cows.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30It's hard to believe
0:42:30 > 0:42:34that this beautiful old bridge is at the centre of a massive row.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38Oh, yes, it feels all peaceful and calm down here,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41but it's up there that's the problem.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49It's because there's a 5p toll to cross the bridge.
0:42:49 > 0:42:54Now, 5p won't break the bank but the time it takes for motorists to pull up,
0:42:54 > 0:42:59rummage around for coins, wind their window down, pay the toll collector, wait for change
0:42:59 > 0:43:04and drive off again, is causing huge tailbacks every morning and evening.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08This is the B4044.
0:43:08 > 0:43:14It's the main route into Oxford from commuter villages like Witney, Eynsham and Burford
0:43:14 > 0:43:19and it's estimated that 10,000 cars cross this bridge every single day.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22It's a beautiful bridge, lovely crossing over the Thames.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25I just wish they'd collect the money faster.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27It's old-fashioned. It ought to be done away with.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31You have to have a 5p. If you don't have that, you're stuck.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33I'm afraid it's a bit of a bottleneck.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35I think it's frustration.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39It's a lovely piece of architecture but it hassles us every day.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42I think the bridge is quite unusual.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45In all the places I travel around the country,
0:43:45 > 0:43:47I don't see many of these.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50It's time they built a new one. It's a pain in the bum in the mornings.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52It's queued right back into Eynsham.
0:43:52 > 0:43:58I'm not sure where the 5p goes, and that might help - a little sign telling us what the 5p is used for!
0:43:58 > 0:44:01The answer is that all these 5ps,
0:44:01 > 0:44:06which add up to around £500 a day, go towards the upkeep of the bridge.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10Except on public holidays, when the money is donated to charity.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16Having done a quick straw poll of opinion, I'm heading back to my quiet spot
0:44:16 > 0:44:21to meet the woman who's leading the campaign to make Swinford Bridge toll-free.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24And she doesn't pull any punches.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27So, Jane, what's your problem with the bridge?
0:44:27 > 0:44:33My problem with the bridge is that the real cost of it
0:44:33 > 0:44:35is much more than the 5p toll.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37It's a complete waste of time.
0:44:37 > 0:44:41Is there some argument for it being a quaint English tradition?
0:44:41 > 0:44:43You pay the bridge man 5p.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45I've never bought the tradition argument.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47If anyone wheels out the old tradition argument,
0:44:47 > 0:44:49it doesn't cut the mustard with me.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53So if you don't buy into the tradition argument, do you not buy into the idea
0:44:53 > 0:44:56that we should all just slow down, that everybody's racing around all the time.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58Absolutely! Yes, absolutely!
0:44:58 > 0:45:00So sitting in traffic's not that bad?
0:45:00 > 0:45:05Well, why add to our stress levels by having to sit in a queue every morning and every evening?
0:45:05 > 0:45:08And what's your personal experience of commuting on the bridge?
0:45:08 > 0:45:11You see, I've found my own solution.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14After 13 years of wasting my life in the queues,
0:45:14 > 0:45:19I decided that I would buy myself a small motorcycle.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23So now I just filter steadily and calmly and stress-free
0:45:23 > 0:45:25past the queues of traffic.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27I don't pay the toll,
0:45:27 > 0:45:30and I can get to work in 17 minutes rather than 50.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34But on the other side of the bridge lies the other side of the story.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38To find out why this unusual toll has stood the test of time,
0:45:38 > 0:45:41I'm going to meet a local journalist and historian
0:45:41 > 0:45:44who can explain the success of the Swinford toll bridge.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52- Hi, Chris. Good to meet you. How are you?- Very well, thanks.- Good.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56You've written lots of articles on the history of the toll bridge and the debate.
0:45:56 > 0:46:00Legally, is there anything that can be done to change the toll bridge?
0:46:00 > 0:46:03Well, it would take an Act of Parliament.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05Which seems rather extreme.
0:46:05 > 0:46:10And...it was introduced and sewn up so that it still exists now,
0:46:10 > 0:46:14by probably the most famous lawyer who ever existed,
0:46:14 > 0:46:16Sir William Blackstone,
0:46:16 > 0:46:21when he had his hat on as estate manager for the Earl of Abingdon.
0:46:23 > 0:46:28In most cases there was a time limit, or some way whereby pontage, as it was called -
0:46:28 > 0:46:32the toll is called pontage - could run out, and they could get it back.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36But he was so clever that it's sewn up, really, for ever.
0:46:36 > 0:46:42You must be able to understand the frustration of sitting in traffic for a 5p toll.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44It seems maddening in this day and age.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48- Not only do I understand it, I've experienced it a lot.- Yes.
0:46:48 > 0:46:54Of course it's frustrating, but it's quirky and I quite...
0:46:54 > 0:46:56In some ways I quite enjoy it.
0:46:56 > 0:47:01In fact, I took some German people from Hanover...
0:47:01 > 0:47:06here, and we were in a hurry to catch a train because they had to go back to Germany,
0:47:06 > 0:47:10to get the train from Oxford. They were fascinated by it.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12They said this could only happen in England.
0:47:12 > 0:47:17When I explained the history of how George III had allowed this bridge to be built...
0:47:17 > 0:47:22Of course, George III was also King of Hanover, and they said where they came from you wouldn't get
0:47:22 > 0:47:26a link to history like that, and they were absolutely fascinated by it.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36I'm told that one person or another
0:47:36 > 0:47:41has been campaigning against the bridge for the past 100 years.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43Given how solid the stonework is...
0:47:43 > 0:47:45Hi there. Thanks, cheers.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47..and how solid the paperwork is,
0:47:47 > 0:47:51it looks like they're going to be campaigning for many years to come.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01I'm travelling along the Thames Path
0:48:01 > 0:48:04and my route has edged into the Cotswolds.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07Driving through Bampton, it leaps out at you straight away,
0:48:07 > 0:48:12this typically English town filled with that oh-so-familiar golden stone.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15And not wanting to stray too far from my path,
0:48:15 > 0:48:17the Thames is never far away.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23I've experienced a Thames lock from a boatman's point of view
0:48:23 > 0:48:28but I've come to see it from the other side by trying my hand at lock keeping.
0:48:28 > 0:48:33There are 45 locks lifting and lowering boats along the Thames.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37The height of their falls range from less than a metre to almost three metres.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41Rushey Lock is 113 years old.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45Making sure all those boats have a safe and smooth passage
0:48:45 > 0:48:47is lock-keeper Graham Margesson.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49Hello, Rushey Lock.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52He's been a lock keeper on the Thames for 40 years.
0:48:52 > 0:48:57The cottage here at Rushey Lock has been his home for the last 25 of them.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01Just minutes after I arrive, it's time to get to work. There's a boat coming.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05There's always a little bit of water will have drained in there.
0:49:05 > 0:49:10- We won't be able to push it open until it's completely empty. - It's quite heavy!
0:49:10 > 0:49:12But gently.
0:49:16 > 0:49:17Look at those biceps.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21ELLIE LAUGHS
0:49:23 > 0:49:25- Got to move quickly.- What we do,
0:49:25 > 0:49:29we always open the sluice on the same side as the boat first
0:49:29 > 0:49:33because the angle of the gate, we send the water on the outside of it.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37That's it. Keep going, keep going.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43- That's it. Carry on.- More?- Just...
0:49:46 > 0:49:47See you later.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50Cheers. All the best to you.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56We didn't even have a chance to chat.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59We got straight to action, there, Graham. That was great fun.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02- You've been lock keeping for 40 years.- Yes, 40 years.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04What made you decide to start?
0:50:04 > 0:50:06I used to do something different.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09- What were you? - I was in the catering trade.
0:50:09 > 0:50:10- Oh, right.- I was a chef.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12That's a very different life.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14What was the reason for that?
0:50:14 > 0:50:18Just long hours... I suddenly thought, "You're only here once.
0:50:18 > 0:50:24"Make the most of it." I was born and brought up near Richmond Lock. I always spent my time on the river.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26Just went to Teddington Lock,
0:50:26 > 0:50:30told me that if I saw the inspector, I could sign up.
0:50:31 > 0:50:36There was a waiting list and I just kept pestering the inspector.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38And he said, "You must be keen.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41- "We'll push you in the front of the queue."- Goodness.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45I've never regretted it. Wouldn't have done any other job.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48You must have seen some changes in the lock over the last 40 years.
0:50:48 > 0:50:55I think one of the biggest ones for me is, in the '60s, late '60s, '70s, in the '80s,
0:50:55 > 0:50:57we used to get lots more hire boats.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00The sad thing is, from my point of view,
0:51:00 > 0:51:04is that a lot of the families we saw come back year after year,
0:51:04 > 0:51:07when the cheap package holidays abroad came in,
0:51:07 > 0:51:11Mum, Dad and the kids, for the same money, could get guaranteed sunshine and a beach.
0:51:11 > 0:51:15- Yes.- So, unfortunately, a lot of the hire boat companies have gone under.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18You've presumably seen a lot of the Thames in your time.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21- Yes.- What do you love about this river?- When I'm away from it,
0:51:21 > 0:51:25- the first thing when I get back is the smell of it.- Really?
0:51:25 > 0:51:27Yeah, musty, muddy old smell.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29It's horrible but it's lovely.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33I wouldn't swap it. Yes, it's the smell of it. And I'm at work.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36I'm being paid for this.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38And it's just a way of life.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41You do get a lot of people say, "Aren't you lucky, living here?"
0:51:41 > 0:51:46They don't think that you're the one who actually cuts the grass and plants the shrubs and whatever.
0:51:46 > 0:51:51I'm quite surprised there are still lock keepers. Are there many left?
0:51:51 > 0:51:53Oh, yes. I'm not sure.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56I think it's about 90...something.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00Yes, they've been cutting down a little bit, but yes,
0:52:00 > 0:52:04most locks are manned and there's reliefs.
0:52:04 > 0:52:08You're planning to retire next year. What do you think you'll do? Will you miss it?
0:52:08 > 0:52:13Oh, yes, I'll miss it. But I'm going to be very hard to please.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17I'm looking for the right place at the moment and...
0:52:18 > 0:52:21..I haven't yet found it.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23It needs to be by the river?
0:52:23 > 0:52:27Preferably. Preferably by the river, within the budget.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29So you can still smell the Thames?
0:52:29 > 0:52:32Yes. Yes. Lovely and muddy and musty.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44At 214 miles long,
0:52:44 > 0:52:49the Thames is the longest river to run its course entirely in England.
0:52:49 > 0:52:54It has supported human activity from its source to its mouth
0:52:54 > 0:52:56for thousands of years
0:52:56 > 0:52:59and has been an inspiration to artists and writers.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03It was the politician John Burns at the turn of the last century
0:53:03 > 0:53:05who called the Thames "liquid history".
0:53:05 > 0:53:10After my journey along its waters, that's just how it feels.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd