A Sense of Spring! Countryfile Spring Diaries

Springtime, when the days lengthen

and signs of change

are everywhere.

LAMBS BLEAT

There's not a corner of the British Isles

that doesn't warm to the arrival of spring.

It's our most extraordinary season, for one big reason -

it's a time of astonishing growth and regeneration.

From pond life to birdlife,

from the scent of fresh blossom,

to our smallest mammals reawakening, after months of hibernation.

We'll be bringing you the most remarkable stories

of this wonderful time of year.

Tales of survival, endurance and occasional indulgence.

Join us for this special week of programmes,

as we celebrate the secrets of spring

here on Countryfile Diaries.

Spring - it's a season that provides the essential ingredients

of water, warmth and light that combine to ignite all of our senses.

LAMB BLEATS

More than 900 years ago, the New Forest here in Hampshire

was the favourite hunting ground of William the Conqueror.

Now, it's the perfect place to hunt down the sights,

sounds and scents of spring.

And Keeley is meeting a man who says he can taste all of them.

The actual sound of the name daffodil gives me a taste

of corned beef.

On the Yorkshire coast, Margherita meets a man on a mission

to make wildlife sites accessible for all.

Look at this, you can look for miles!

And we'll be catching up with Paul

as he breathes new life into his Wiltshire smallholding.

Today, he is getting to grips with how to grow his own heritage apples

with a little expert help.

How big will it be?

-These ones will be full-size fruit trees.

-That's great.

For most of us, the coming of spring

means that our senses are bombarded with all kind of new fragrances,

the fantastic smells of blossom.

In fact, it's said that you can actually develop a nose for spring.

But can that be possibly true, Keeley?

Well, do you know what, John?

There might be a bit more to it than just an old wives' tale.

We recognise the smell of spring, like you say,

with the beautiful smell of blossom, but what if there was something else

that we can't see, but we can still smell?

-But...where would that come from, then?

-Down here, John.

Beneath our feet...in the soil.

As the weather heats up, plants release oils into the soil

and bacteria's released in there, too.

And this has a smell to it and we call that petrichor.

I'm pretty sure there'll be some keen gardeners out there

-that know what I'm talking about.

-That very earthy smell.

-Absolutely.

But how does it get, then, from the earth into the air?

Well, it is down to a very simple concept

that water droplets can carry aromas with them.

Now, recent studies show that when a raindrop hits the ground,

it creates tiny microscopic bubbles.

It's these tiny little bubbles that carry the smell with them.

And, do you know what? Some scientists actually think

that we might appreciate that smell

because our ancestors needed rain for survival.

Of course, those smells become more abundant in spring

when temperatures rise and those good old April showers.

So now we know more clearly

just why we have these wonderful fragrances in springtime.

But is it possible to put those smells into a bottle?

I went to the West Coast of Scotland, to find out.

I'm meeting renowned biochemist George Dodd,

a world authority on the science of sense,

whose nickname is Dr Smell.

-Good morning.

-How are you, George?

-Fancy meeting on a beach like this!

-Welcome to the Highlands.

-Thank you very much.

What's it like to be known as Dr Smell...

-Well...

-..in the nicest possible way?

You just get used to it.

In truth, I was born downwind of Guinness' brewery in Dublin.

I always say it's the wonderful, tangy aroma

that stimulated my sense of smell.

And what a perfect place here to smell the ocean.

In the spring, the ocean warms up very quickly here.

The algae, the green seaweed, begins to bloom

and that emits a very telltale aroma of spring,

particularly for birds.

Literally, you have the cleanest air in the world.

You know, it's coming across 3,000 miles of Atlantic Ocean

from America and it's filtered and clean.

You can't beat it, John.

You know, we were designed to smell the world,

but sadly very few of us do.

Do you think it's possible, then, to smell the different seasons?

Oh, absolutely.

There's a sensory smelly triad here

of green smells and herby smells

and woody smells.

Those blended together give you that inimitable freshness of spring here.

Let's go find some woody smell, shall we?

There a nice wood up here and the green, look!

'George is also a master perfumer

'and his triad of smells has inspired him

'to create a scent that captures spring in the Highlands.

'First up, it's the green smells.'

Pluck a little bit and have a sniff.

Hold it up to your nose.

That's one of the most important biological molecules for humans.

That's the smell of spring as the earth warms up,

to tell us the vitality of life is coming back

along with the green... You get the green note on top of the earth.

-Now that's a much softer smell, isn't it?

-Much softer.

-Yep.

A magical molecule called geosmin -

"geo" from earth, the Greek for earth,

and "osmic" is the Greek word for smell.

Natural green smells are happy.

We're biologically engineered to respond,

to feel good feeling.

I must say I feel quite happy now.

Where shall we go next?

'Next, it's the smell of Highland wood,

'although I discovered that this time my nose isn't as finely tuned as George's...'

-So what am I supposed to be smelling?

-That's...

It's a very faint, but very deep woody smell.

-No, nothing at all there, George, I'm afraid...

-Yeah.

-..for me.

-We'll have to give you some smell-training lessons.

-Yes!

'Overlooking Loch Ewe lies the last component

'in George's trio of spring smells.'

This is unique, this is Highland myrtle,

these are miniature myrtle.

These are only found, these plants...

Only found in the Highlands, where they grow wild.

Oh, goodness me, smell that, smell that!

I mean, it leaps out at you.

-It's a lovely green resin-y smell.

-Oh, it does! Fantastic smell.

'Down by the loch, it's time to put to the test

'whether those three distinctive smells of spring

'can be bottled. Adrian Hollister was one of George's biochemistry

'students in the 1970s.'

Hello, Adrian.

-Ah, John.

-How are you? Good to see you.

-Good morning.

'He now owns and runs the perfume business that George set up.

'I spot some unexpected additions to that basic triad of smells.'

Amongst your bottles here are things that I would never associate

with spring in the Highlands, like pineapple and coconut.

Well, pineapple, we have pineapple broom, grows not very far from here.

We have gorse and if you walk through a thick gorse bush

you will smell coconut.

So what else has got to go in now, then?

We've got Atlantic Clean Air.

I've never seen that before!

Yeah, I can smell a sea breeze.

'But will the finished blend

remind me of my sensory walkabout with George?'

So this is the final product.

This is the final product...

Springtime in the Highlands...

-Springtime in the Highlands.

-..in a jar.

Yes, yes, I'll buy that.

I'll buy that as the Highlands in a bottle.

-Here's is a bottle I bottled earlier for you, John.

-Oh!

Thank you.

Now here's an interesting fact.

79% of Britons say they'd like to spend more time

visiting the countryside.

So what's holding them back?

Well, in some cases,

it could simply be that the places that they want to go to

just aren't accessible.

But one man is on a crusade to change all that.

Margherita reports.

Last spring, more than a quarter of us

headed to the countryside to take in the clean air,

tackle hills and mountains or witness some wildlife wonders.

But for an estimated 6.5 million people in the UK

with restricted mobility,

not all of these experiences are within easy reach.

Gates, hurdles, rough terrain,

all make it difficult for people with a disability to access nature.

Two years ago, the RSPB decided to create a disabled sea view

at Bempton Cliffs Bird Reserve on the East Coast of Yorkshire.

It was kick-started by RSPB area manager Roy Taylor.

Roy, what are your biggest concerns for accessibility?

Look at this place.

This is one of the largest sea bird colonies in the UK.

Wildlife can add so much to a disabled person's life.

If you can't get to it,

how can your life be enriched by being outside in this place?

How can you connect with wildlife?

At various places, I take my wheelchair,

you're holding on for dear life.

The adventure is staying in your wheelchair,

it's not absorbing all these natural sights and sounds around you.

So, actually, to be able to come along and just be so relaxed

and feel safe.

Roy has always been an active outdoors man.

But three years ago, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease

which left him in a wheelchair.

Driven by his own love of nature,

he set out on a countryside revolution.

His plan?

To get rid of anything preventing access to the outdoors for everyone.

To do that, he went on an epic journey,

raising funds and awareness.

Well, it was fun.

We went from coast to coast.

We started off in Southport and we did 215 miles in ten days.

We had to lift the wheelchair over a few things,

had to take a few diversions, so it's all been good fun.

'Now, Roy's hard work is beginning to pay off -

'Bempton Cliffs is the first of many nature reserves

'to be transformed, and the rewards are instantaneous.'

It's taken two years to get to this point.

Wow, look at it, it's amazing, isn't it?

You're perched on top of 250,000 sea birds -

one of the best wildlife spectacles anywhere in the world.

And you can get right on top of it, look right down to it

and it's a walk in the park to do it.

You can't get better than that, can you?

'Roy's discovered that simple changes make a big difference -

'lowering handrails, repairing muddy footpaths

'and providing mobility scooters,

'all help to make inaccessible places become welcoming

'for everyone to enjoy.'

When I first came to Bempton Cliffs a couple of years ago,

your wheelchair view was a plank of wood, when everyone else could see

above it. Look at this, you can look for miles!

Roy, what should I be looking out for today?

Well, most people that come here want to see puffins.

And puffins are incredibly cute.

But for me, the stars of the show are these big guys,

these gannets.

These beautiful creamy yellow heads,

these long effortless wings, with the black tips.

They look like they could just cruise effortlessly for miles.

-And look at this long line of them on the cliff here.

-Yeah, got it.

12,500 nesting pairs crammed onto these cliffs.

How does it feel to take in that view

at the end of two years at work?

It makes you feel better.

Look at this gannet. You can almost see its eye as it's going past you.

That's how close you are to these birds.

And how do you feel knowing that

this is hopefully the way forward across the UK?

Well, I guess my biggest hope is, I get so much pleasure from this,

I find it inconceivable that other people wouldn't enjoy it.

Thousands and thousands of people who might be sitting at home

thinking, "I can't get out to see places like this,"

can take a look at this and say, "Yes," and come and see it,

because they'll be blown away.

There is still room for improvement across the UK

to make off-the-beaten-track routes accessible for all.

After all, in spring, when nature's woken up and come out to play,

it really is time to get out there and enjoy the fun.

GANNETS CAW

Many of us can't get enough of the sights and sounds of springtime.

Doctors recognise there's a growing number

for whom this season can be quite overwhelming.

Keeley's gone in search of a truly multisensory experience.

The smell of the fresh rain,

the sound of the birdsong,

the sight of blooming flowers

and the taste of that first stem of asparagus.

For most of us, it brings joy to our senses,

but for some, it can all be just too intense.

In fact, 4% of Brits have a trait known as synaesthesia.

It is a neurological phenomenon

where a sensation in one of the senses, such as hearing,

triggers a sensation in another, such as taste.

Some celebrities have reported having this secondary sense,

from the artist David Hockney to Happy man Pharrell Williams

and singer Lady Gaga.

It sounds extraordinary, but around one in 20 of us

have this kind of super sense -

an amazing ability that some don't even realise.

Meet James Wannerton. He's had synaesthesia all his life.

He doesn't just see spring, he tastes it.

The dawn chorus is exactly like eating melted green wine gums.

'For James, this multisensory affair in spring

'can be a lot to take in.'

-Hello there, James.

-Hello.

So, tell me, what is synaesthesia?

Synaesthesia is probably best described

as being a mixing or blending of the senses.

You may touch something and you might taste something

at the same time, as well.

Or a synaesthete may see a colour and hear a sound.

There's probably around 60-plus types of synaesthesia

that have been documented so far.

Mine is simply a case of hearing a sound

and it gets instantly translated into a taste.

It's not just an association, it's a real mouth feeling,

as if I am eating something.

What is spring like for you?

Spring's a...tremendously stimulating time for me.

Being out in spring gives me... Well, it intensifies everything.

'But it's not all as exciting as it might sound.

'Sometimes beautiful things can give an unpleasant flavour.'

The actual sound of the name "daffodil"

-gives me a taste of corned beef.

-Oh. gosh!

-So, when I look at a daffodil,

I'm getting a taste of corned beef

and I am also getting this horrible tangy,

wine gum, kind of, taste over the top of it.

Um...and it's not nice.

As president of the thousand-strong UK Synaesthesia Association,

James is far from being alone. But scientists reckon

around 2.5 million people in Britain have some form of synaesthesia.

After 20 years of research, this neurological trait,

which blends the senses, is now recognised in more of us

than ever before. Researchers at Sussex University

are now examining the effects of the condition

and new ways to diagnose it.

I've walked around Bolton Abbey lots of times before,

but I've never really thought about it in terms of senses,

so I wonder if James might be able to give me a taste

of what it would be like for him.

So, James, there are lots of things going on here at the moment.

I can hear the water behind us, I can hear the birds singing.

There are some sheep over there and every now and again

they let off a baa. There's lots going on here.

How are you experiencing this?

That river is tremendous.

It's a cross between lemonade and cream soda.

It's just fizzy and...

Tree bark, it tastes like flaky chocolate.

So it's something to do with the...

Yeah, the texture.

This is the first time I've been here

and it's - I have to admit, it's a fantastic place,

it's very, very, very sensory.

That building over there, the Priory,

arches, funnily enough - and rather apt in this case -

-give me a taste of Yorkshire Pudding.

-That's an odd association.

-It is, isn't it?

-Yeah. Is there anything specifically

around here that you find unpleasant?

Well, there is, yeah, cos I heard a dog barking earlier.

That gave me a very strong taste of that stuff you get

-at the bottom of electric kettles.

-Like limescale?

-Yeah.

-Right at the back of the throat.

-Would you be without it?

-Would you rather not have it?

-No, it's...

I mean...it's a fundamental part of who I am.

It the way I think, it's the way I act,

everything is based around taste. So, no, definitely not.

It's opened my eyes to a whole new dimension of spring's beauty -

sights and sounds sensed in an entirely different way.

BEE BUZZES

Spring is an ideal time for planting,

but it's reckoned that 90% of our traditional orchards in England and Wales

have been lost since the 1950s.

Now Paul Martin, who's a sort of fledgling smallholder,

has decided to do his bit by planting his own heritage orchard.

But, first of all, he has to find the right fruit trees.

After years of hard graft, my once derelict smallholding

is slowly taking shape.

This spring, I'm learning how to turn the land

into a home for wildlife

and for producing food for the family.

The next spring project is all about Grow Your Own

and, in this case, it's Britain's favourite fruit - apples.

When we first moved here, I was chuffed to bits to discover

that this is a lovely old apple tree and it produces wonderful cookers,

and towards the end of the summer,

we get a great harvest.

This grand old apple tree has whet my appetite for Wiltshire apples.

And now that we have heritage sheep on the land,

what we really need is a heritage orchard...

Fortunately I know a man who can help me out -

a local fruit farmer, Chris Good,

who can show me what apple trees I can grow in my new orchard.

Traditional orchards cover 24,000 hectares of Britain

and are incredibly important for British wildlife.

Early spring is the perfect time to plant saplings

before the buds begin to bloom.

And if anyone can help me choose a variety, Chris can.

-We've got 65 different varieties here.

-Gosh!

They're all old heritage varieties.

So you're never short of apples, are you?

No. Sometimes we feel we're disappearing underneath them!

But before I make my final choices, the real test is in the taste.

Oh, I like this. Look at all these bottles.

I think until my orchard gets going you've got a regular customer.

Excellent. We'd be more than happy to see you.

It's time to see what the real experts think.

I hope they like my choices.

-Hi, guys.

-Hi, Daddy.

-Apple juice has arrived.

-Cheers!

-Ready, Meredith?

-That's really nice.

-Oh, it tastes earthy!

-Oh, it does, doesn't it?

-That's nice.

That's got a nice bitter taste to it.

I like the Steeple Ashton one, but I think Burn's Seedling,

this last one we had.

Is that your favourite?

-No, the first one.

-The first one? Steeple Ashton.

But there's a problem.

The rarest local varieties that I've selected -

Roundway Magnum and Dredge's Fame -

aren't available fully-grown anywhere in the country...

So I'll need to grow my own

by grafting the roots from a standard root stock variety

with cuttings, or scions, from each of our heritage trees.

-Shall we give it a go?

-Yes, sure.

And here to show me how is Orchard Project Officer

Megan Gimber from People's Trust For Endangered Species.

Megan, I'm really excited because I've never seen this done before.

It's actually a lot easier than you'd think it would be.

It's essentially just cutting up some root stocks,

cutting up the scion wood and sticking them together, creating a new tree.

-So the root stocks you pick up from any good garden centre?

-Yes.

You choose your root stocks depending on what size tree you want eventually.

So looking at those root stocks, how big will it be?

-These ones will be full-size fruit trees...

-Oh, brilliant!

..because these ones are nice and big, they live the longest

-and they're the best for wildlife.

-That's great. How does it work?

What we want to do is we want to do a sloping cut in this.

So that's the layer that's going to fuse the root stock with the scion material.

Right, that's the layer between the white bit and the green bit.

It is, it's just below the bark.

Yep, that looks all right.

-Now we want to do the same on a piece of scion wood.

-Right.

Now we need to do the tongue cuts

and this basically locks the scion and the root stock in contact,

cutting a little cut in here.

-So rock the knife rather than pushing it down.

-Wow!

-This is why you need a sharp knife.

-Yes.

You're so cool when you did that.

It's kind of like... I can't believe that.

-And then they lock into each other.

-The tongues should lock into each other...

Perfect, that looks perfect.

-It's amazing how they hold together under tension, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So what we want to do now is wrap them up to hold them together,

chop the scion woods down to one or two or three beds,

label them and pot them.

-Brilliant.

-Fantastic.

And with any luck, this will produce a nice big tree

that you can plant out next year.

I won't get to plant these in my new orchard just yet -

they need to be potted and protected until the following year.

But with regular, watering to allow the roots to spread,

these will be a real treat for next spring.

To kick-start my orchard this year,

I have managed to find a two-year-old pre-grafted Victorian classic -

the Sturmer Pippin.

And for £20 per tree,

these are ready to plant today.

Well, that's the Sturmer Pippin safely in.

Obviously keen to get fruit from it in a few years' time,

but also keen to encourage more wildlife.

Well, orchards are fantastic for wildlife.

They're what you call mosaic habitats,

which means they've got elements of woodlands,

elements of pasture land, wild flower meadow...

All these habitats are great for biodiversity,

-but, actually, altogether in an orchard, it's better than the sum of its parts.

-Really?

It's a fantastic habitat for animals, yeah.

I know it doesn't look like much right now,

but this time next spring,

these three Victorian favourites will be joined

by five of the very best from Wiltshire,

and then you could say, I've got the makings of a good old-fashioned English orchard

with some real local history.

That's a great start.

All this week we're celebrating spring

in the New Forest in Hampshire.

More than 200 square miles of wild open heath, woodland and coast.

For centuries, people and animals have lived side-by-side here -

historic rights allow thousands of animals

to roam and graze freely in the forest.

They help shape the landscape.

One of the oldest residents, the New Forest Pony,

is on a rare-breed watchlist,

but every care is being taken to make sure this breed lives on.

Jules now joins the locals for an important date

in theirs and the ponies' spring diary...

Good boy.

Well, after the long dark days of winter,

spring is the perfect time to gather together all of the stallions for an annual inspection.

It's also a chance for their owners to have a good catch up.

'All the ponies in the New Forest are owned by locals known as commoners.

'They have an ancient right to graze their animals on the open common.

'These pony inspections are crucial for male ponies.

'Only those who make the grade will be released back into the forest

'to breed and add to the bloodline.

'Jonathan Gerrelli is one of five agisters, or forest wardens,

'responsible for the welfare of the ponies out on the heath -

'some of which belong to him.'

-But it is like the OK Corral, isn't it?

-It very much is.

What are you looking for?

They have to be purebred registered New Forest stallions,

they have to come and pass this extensive vetting and judging procedure

to make sure they're the right type,

so we know the foals we're producing out here

will be hardy - good strong hardy foals, that will thrive in the forest.

I've got a young stallion here today and he will come up for selection.

Hopefully he'll get picked to be turned out.

Well, I can't wait to see how the day unfolds. Cheers, see you later.

'As the inspections get under way,

'commoner and chairman of the New Forest Livestock Society

Lucinda Lang will be my guide.'

So this is Michael. Michael's one of our handlers for the Livestock Society.

Hello, Michael, nice to see you.

Are you hoping this is going to go through the inspection successfully?

-Yes, he's come here today, he's in good order, looks well.

-COLT WHINNIES LOUDLY

We'll have to see if the judges like him.

Well, Michael, we wish you the best of luck today.

What's the name of your noisy colt?

He is called Mike the Knight!

-Mike the Knight?

-That is correct.

-THEY LAUGH

'The young males up for selection have to be scrutinised.

'Any signs of being too tame and they'll be out of the running.'

-He's got a lovely shape through his neck, hasn't he?

-Yes.

Once they're happy that they've seen everything,

they'll ask Mike to walk around the ring.

It's a good opportunity to see them moving freely.

You get to see the stride and actually see their true frame.

'Just 15 of these ponies will run with 5,000 mares in the forest.

'Exhausting as the ratio may sound,

'these stallions have a serious job to do,

'ensuring future generations of the breed thrive.'

'The first results are in.'

So, Michael, how did it go with Mike the Knight?

-He looked beautiful in the ring.

-Yes, he did look good.

-Unfortunately, he was referred today.

-Was he?

Yes, so that means that he didn't get a straight fail,

but he gets the opportunity to come back in September and have another stab at it.

Gosh, those standards are high, aren't they?

They are high. Unfortunately.

That's why we have these, so, um, what can I say?

'But Jonathan has had better luck.

'His yearling has been accepted amongst the ranks of the elite.'

Well, Jonathan, that's it for you for this year.

Another inspection over.

-How has it gone, do you think, over all?

-Very well, yes.

I'm pleased at how it's all gone.

A good number of colts forward and very pleased with the quality, as well.

'It's fascinating to see the community effort

'that goes into safeguarding the New Forest Pony.

'And to think that these horses hold the future of their breed in their hands...

'Or should it be hooves?'

PONY WHINNIES

And that's it for today.

We'll be back again at the same time tomorrow.

Hope you can join us then. Bye for now.