0:00:07 > 0:00:10The Great British countryside. Beautiful, glorious.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13And very, very old.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18For 3 billion years,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21these British Isles have been growing and changing.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23They've never stood still.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25If you love the British landscape the way we both do,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28then you might be very familiar with it,
0:00:28 > 0:00:29but there is another story to be told.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32The story, that's always fascinated me,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34of what happened here those millions of years ago.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37And how that still affects our lives every day.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Whoa!
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Hey, look out!
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Look at that!
0:00:43 > 0:00:46For a country of our size, we have a greater variety of landscapes
0:00:46 > 0:00:49than anywhere else on earth.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53It's all down to our dramatic history.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Over millions of years,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57we've been flooded, frozen,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00and ravaged by mighty earth movements.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04What's even more astonishing
0:01:04 > 0:01:07is how that distant past
0:01:07 > 0:01:09still shapes the countryside today.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15I'm alive!
0:01:15 > 0:01:19We're going to all four corners of the country
0:01:19 > 0:01:22to discover how Britain's epic past lives on
0:01:22 > 0:01:24in the most surprising ways.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29I'm ready for a bit of adventuring, but you're the geology buff.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31- Where do you want to go first? - I want to go everywhere.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- Of course, you do. - I'm a boy.- Can I come with you?- Yes.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36- Where are you going? - Is this a footpath?
0:01:54 > 0:01:55We're in Cornwall and Devon,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58and if you like your landscape tough and craggy,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00it's paradise.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07This part of Britain was shaped by violence,
0:02:07 > 0:02:08by brutal weather,
0:02:08 > 0:02:13and molten rock, and the result is very impressive.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22I've always loved it for walks along the coast.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26Scratch the surface,
0:02:26 > 0:02:31and we'll see how the landscape has shaped the history,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34modern industry,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37even legends,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40and brought danger to these shores.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49The coastline that so many of us visit every summer
0:02:49 > 0:02:51has been created by a massive tug-of-war -
0:02:51 > 0:02:53a battle between the land,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55the sea and the weather.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00And it's proper weather when we arrive.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03But that's what happens if you go in November.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09It's a very British thing to be doing, isn't it?
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Standing here, getting blown around by gale force winds.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16It really shows how British I am because I actually love this.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20- Look at everybody.- I'm confident it's going to brighten up later.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24- That's the most British thing you could possibly say.- Yes.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27That's not confidence. That's being completely misguided.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29But this is Britain's top tourist destination,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Devon and Cornwall.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- More people come here than anywhere else.- About 10 million a year.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37You can see why - you're never very far from the sea.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40We are uncomfortably close to it, er,
0:03:40 > 0:03:41if I'm honest, at the moment.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43But, up there, you've got the moors,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46fantastic countryside. There's something for everyone.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49And that's because it this geological jigsaw,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53- a landscape for every family. - Do you want to play that game
0:03:53 > 0:03:55where you have to lean into the wind?
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- See how far forward you can lean. - When I was about 12, I did that.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- Yeah, that's all right. - Like this?
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- I'm just getting wetter, though. - Like this.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08That doesn't count if you do that. That's not leaning into the wind!
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- That's just odd.- It is odd, yeah.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12It is definitely odd.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16The wind and the sea pound this coastline.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21This corner of Britain sticks straight out into the Atlantic.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Only the toughest of tough rocks
0:04:23 > 0:04:27can survive the harsh conditions of Land's End.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33I want to see how this bit of the country stands up to such a pounding
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Yo!
0:04:35 > 0:04:37PILOT MAKES CHECKS
0:04:37 > 0:04:40So, I've hitched a ride to what must be one of
0:04:40 > 0:04:43the toughest rocks in Britain - Wolf Rock.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47This is like mowing the grass at really high speed.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Now, we've got ten miles to run.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07This isolated lighthouse was built on a tiny outcrop of rock
0:05:07 > 0:05:10in order to protect our busy Atlantic shipping lanes.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I'm with the maintenance team, who fly out regularly
0:05:13 > 0:05:17to keep it working, if they can land the helicopter.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22That's the landing pad.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24It's tiny. Little.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27That is, effectively, the size of a basketball hoop.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29And we're going to land on it.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34It all seems a bit precarious, to me.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36OK, running in, forward six, straight ahead.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41I've lost sight of it.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43It makes me feel a bit nervous.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Forward three, dead ahead.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47This is ridiculous.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Wow!
0:06:13 > 0:06:14Look at this!
0:06:14 > 0:06:16I love this.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19And so do the seagulls.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26It's a hell of a way to change a light bulb.
0:06:26 > 0:06:27But the risks have to be taken,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29because those hard rocks down below
0:06:29 > 0:06:32are a danger to shipping.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39It may seem fairly calm now,
0:06:39 > 0:06:45but principal engineer Ron Blakeley faces the very worst of the weather.
0:06:45 > 0:06:46So, sometimes if we come here
0:06:46 > 0:06:48after a winter period,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50we find half the helipad missing.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53That's amazing that we're only about a third of the way up,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55but it feels really high, here,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58but the sea gets so high that it takes out bits of the helipad out.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00That's correct.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02The helipad is at 41 metres,
0:07:02 > 0:07:07so the sea just rolls up the tower and just punches the pads out.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10So, if the sea is powerful enough to punch out the helipad,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12how come this stubborn lump of rock
0:07:12 > 0:07:13that the light house stands on
0:07:13 > 0:07:15is still here?
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Time to step back over a hundred million years.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Back then, Wolf Rock was the molten core
0:07:26 > 0:07:29at the heart of an active volcano.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34The North Atlantic was dry land,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38and you could have walked from here to America.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40When the volcano became extinct,
0:07:40 > 0:07:48the molten rock inside solidified into igneous rock - hard rock formed from magma.
0:07:48 > 0:07:54Outside, the volcanic cone then suffered 130 million years worth of erosion.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Finally, a succession of Ice Ages flooded the land with meltwater,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02which washed away the last of the cone,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06leaving only the harder inner core lurking amongst the waves.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13We're sitting on a big lump that's been left after everything else has been washed away.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14That's correct.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17It's amazing, though, isn't it? Cos all this was once dry land.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20And now it's, you know...
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Things got eroded so quickly apart from igneous rock.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25It just stays here, wrecking ships.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Which leaves me with one nagging question.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37What's the lighthouse built of?
0:08:37 > 0:08:40The answer, of course, is granite.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Tough enough for lighthouses, kerbstones,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46and industrial-strength kitchen worktops.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50And every piece of this granite also comes form Cornwall.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Tough rocks define Cornwall and Devon,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03from the granite that dominates the wild moors
0:09:03 > 0:09:07to the great jumble of rock on the craggy coastline.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12That's where I'm heading first.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16The resistant rocks
0:09:16 > 0:09:18that protect Devon and Cornwall from the Atlantic
0:09:18 > 0:09:21might prove a bit of a headache for ships,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23but there's a whole community here
0:09:23 > 0:09:26that take full advantage of that very same geology.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31And if it wasn't for that geology, life for them would be pretty dull.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41I'm in Newquay, on the north coast of Cornwall.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Here, the hard Cornish rock, the soft sand,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51and the Atlantic rollers create a surfer's paradise.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Surf school tutor Aidan Salmon is master of the waves.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05When we look out here,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08what's happening underneath that's having an impact
0:10:08 > 0:10:11on the waves and the pattern of the waves?
0:10:11 > 0:10:12OK, so, you've got the sandbanks,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16which are ever-changing. Wherever you've got rock formations
0:10:16 > 0:10:20you'll have sand that'll build up around those rocks,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23and that'll cause the waves to break.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26As a wave comes in, it hits shallower water,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28the bottom part of the wave slows down,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30whereas the top part of the wave keeps moving.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33As that crashes over and breaks,
0:10:33 > 0:10:34that's when you get your riding.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37That's what you can see. The wave goes from green to white.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39So, what is it about this place
0:10:39 > 0:10:41that makes it such a Mecca for surfers in the UK?
0:10:41 > 0:10:44The main thing is that there's waves almost every day,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47and that there's so many different features
0:10:47 > 0:10:49that make the waves break in different manners
0:10:49 > 0:10:51that are, sort of, for everyone.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04The shallow sandy bays of the north coast
0:11:04 > 0:11:06are protected by headlands of hard rock.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14When the Atlantic rolls into the bays, the rocks can create giant waves.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20When a big wave hits the rocks at the side of the bay,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22it bounces back into the wave behind it
0:11:22 > 0:11:25and pushes that second wave up even higher.
0:11:37 > 0:11:38If you're really nasty,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42you call your friend into the first wave, because that's the rubbish one,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- and you wait for the second. - You can be the best surfer,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- but if you don't know when the wave's coming... - Yeah.- ..you're stuffed.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51You probably won't be the best, unless you know that.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58I'll take his word for it.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23The rocks along the rugged coastline of Cornwall and Devon
0:12:23 > 0:12:27were all created by power struggles, millions of years ago.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33But they are not the only bits with a violent past.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39I'm heading to the wild moors.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54I'm on Dartmoor.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00I'm not so sure about this.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06It also has a reputation that doesn't encourage visitors
0:13:06 > 0:13:08to hang around when it gets dark.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16These moors are famous for weird animal sightings and legends.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20It was Dartmoor that inspired Sherlock Holmes's terrifying
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Hound Of The Baskervilles.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29'Nick Groom lectures in Landscape And Literature.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31'He knows these moors well, and he reckons'
0:13:31 > 0:13:34he knows why they're so spooky.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40Why is this place the home to so many mysterious legends,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44especially revolving around dogs and beasties?
0:13:44 > 0:13:47I think, because it's a depopulated landscape.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Years ago, it was a very busy landscape.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53There were tinners here. There were stonecutters.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55There were many more farmers.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57But all these people generally migrated off the land,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00so they left this vacuum. They left this space.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04This is a savage, untamed country that you can walk across all day
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and not see another soul alive or dead.
0:14:06 > 0:14:12And rather like the mist arising from a mere,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14these legends and these myths developed.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22And you get these abiding images of beasts, of dogs, large cats.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28It is, to our eyes, a wilderness, I think,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31and these huge tors, with their broken granite masonry,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33look like the remains of some ancient civilisation.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Dartmoor didn't always look like this.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Years ago, it was covered in dense woodland.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Then, when people moved into this area,
0:14:45 > 0:14:49they cut down the trees for building and firewood.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55The landscape was devastated. All the trees were gone.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59The people moved out, leaving the ancient rocks
0:14:59 > 0:15:02to create this eerie landscape.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08"Standing over Hugo and plucking at his throat,
0:15:08 > 0:15:09"there stood a foul thing.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13"A great black beast shaped like a hound
0:15:13 > 0:15:18"yet larger than any hound that ever mortal eye has rested upon."
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Not exactly a bedtime read, is it?
0:15:23 > 0:15:26"The three shrieked with fear and rode for dear life,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29"still screaming, across the moor."
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Shall we go home now?
0:15:32 > 0:15:33Let's go home.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51Wisely, perhaps, I've chosen to come to Dartmoor in daylight.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55But where did these massive granite peaks come from?
0:15:58 > 0:16:02What's astonishing about this landscape is that it was once
0:16:02 > 0:16:06all underground. A huge area of granite was formed,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09a huge layer of it, kilometres thick, and enormously wide,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12stretching from way over there in Devon,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16right off the end of Britain - Land's End - out to the Scilly Isles.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18And it's this granite that gives us these tors,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20it gives us the moors...
0:16:20 > 0:16:24It's fantastic to look at, to walk past, to jump off, to build with...
0:16:24 > 0:16:28It really shapes the lives of everybody who lives here.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37This rocky high ground started life as giant boils
0:16:37 > 0:16:40under the skin of Cornwall and Devon.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45They began brewing 300 million years ago,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48under a thick layer of rock.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56But seven kilometres underground, something was stirring.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Hot magma rising from the Earth's molten reservoirs,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05trying to force its way upwards.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10But the rock above was too thick.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13And instead of allowing the magma to erupt in volcanoes,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15like it did elsewhere,
0:17:15 > 0:17:20it was forced to gather in giant underground domes.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22With no volcanoes to release the pressure,
0:17:22 > 0:17:26the surface rock strained as it was pushed up.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30The underground magma eventually cooled
0:17:30 > 0:17:33into permanent domes of hard granite.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38The broken, softer rocks at the peaks were easily weathered away.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Now, we're left with the exposed underground granite
0:17:47 > 0:17:50in the form of granite tors.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55But the tors aren't the only thing that makes Dartmoor famous.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08There are lots of high areas of moorland in Britain,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12but something about this place has lodged it in the national consciousness.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16That's partly to do with the landscape, partly to do with the prison,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19but it's also down to another set of inhabitants of this area,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22who are not residing at Her Majesty's pleasure,
0:18:22 > 0:18:23Dartmoor ponies!
0:18:27 > 0:18:29This ancient breed of ponies has evolved
0:18:29 > 0:18:32to be as tough as the moors they thrive on.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36You go back 3,500 years ago, we know there was ponies,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39there was cattle and there was sheep,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42and that's exactly how farming today is carried out on Dartmoor.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43It works.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Dru Butterfield runs the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51She's helping a local farmer round up his ponies from common land on the moor.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Each farmer will own so many ponies depending on the number of rights
0:19:00 > 0:19:02that they have to graze the common.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05And this particular farmer has got about 20 mares
0:19:05 > 0:19:09running with the stallion, and we're bringing them in, now,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13because we're going to pick out some ponies to be sold to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20The ponies help preserve the landscape that our ancestors created,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22by grazing.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30If we didn't graze the area, if we didn't keep the gorse
0:19:30 > 0:19:33under control, it would just turn into a huge scrub area.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36People wouldn't be able to access the moor.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39It would look a totally different place.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46They graze in such a different way to cattle and sheep.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49They browse the moor and they're eating up
0:19:49 > 0:19:52for 18 hours a day, so they're our organic scrub cutters.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03They are integral to this area.
0:20:03 > 0:20:09To lose them is like losing your family silver. It's unthinkable, actually.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Back in the 1930's, Dartmoor's ponies worked in the mines
0:20:18 > 0:20:21and quarries that were here then.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25And there were 30,000 of them on the moor.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30Nowadays, about a thousand ponies are enough to conserve it.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34Now all that mining's gone, they have a rather more sedate life,
0:20:34 > 0:20:39if you can say that about living in this harsh moorland environment.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40But they're still vital.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45Because they keep this moor looking exactly how we like it.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56But the powerful forces that created the moors
0:20:56 > 0:21:00did more than just build up this high ground.
0:21:02 > 0:21:08They also created a giant mash-up on what is now Cornwall's north coast.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17I've come to Tintagel, where nothing is where it should be.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22All rocks are higgledy-piggledy.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25And it's all rather magical.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Which maybe why it's such a centre of folklore and legend.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34King Arthur was supposedly conceived here.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37So, in spite of the fact that you don't get this landscape
0:21:37 > 0:21:39anywhere else in these islands,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42you can't really get much more British than this.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51The reason for Tintagel's extraordinary landscape is, well,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53delightfully complicated.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01As Geologist Jane Anderson will explain, these rocks are interlopers,
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Johnny-come-latelys,
0:22:02 > 0:22:07brought here by the massive forces that shaped Cornwall and Devon.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08These rocks have not come from here.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11It's at least Bodmin Moor,
0:22:11 > 0:22:13and maybe further beyond that.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16So that's, like, 30 miles or something is it?
0:22:16 > 0:22:17At least.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20And the drag associated with them has folded and faulted them,
0:22:20 > 0:22:26and when they've come to rest here, they've been uplifted to angles of 45 degrees,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28but it's all weakened the rock.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Incredibly, millions of years ago,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35even before the sea was here,
0:22:35 > 0:22:40great chunks of ground from inland were dumped here at Tintagel.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44A giant lasagne of hard and soft rocks.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49Volcanic rock, slate, sandstone, slid down hill
0:22:49 > 0:22:53and concertina-ed into this folded and jumbled landscape.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58And when the sea arrived, it got in wherever it could.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06At the end of each fault, the sea has got in at the base.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09It produces these wonderful landforms, caves,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11and even a waterfall here.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13And one of these is Merlin's Cave, isn't it?
0:23:13 > 0:23:15That one, there. Yep.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18And you can, at low tide, you can walk all the way through.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20So, it basically,
0:23:20 > 0:23:21it is fantastically weird,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24because it's fantastically weird.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Yeah, exactly it, yeah. Very, sort of, mystic,
0:23:27 > 0:23:28and craggy and...
0:23:28 > 0:23:29It's great, isn't it?
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Tintagel is a chaotic mix of rocks,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55and I'm on the lookout for one rock in particular.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04The rock formations here are really strange.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Now, normally you would expect to get younger rocks, sheets of them,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12on top of older rocks. Here, there's so much buckling and twisting,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15that you sometimes get older rocks, and sheets of that,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18on top of younger rocks. It's very bizarre.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20But if you want proof of how bizarre it really is,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23you want to have a look at this compass.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28Now, at the moment, it's telling me that north is over there,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30but when I hold it up to this rock here...
0:24:32 > 0:24:34..it spins right round. Whoa!
0:24:34 > 0:24:38That's cos this is a mineral called magnetite.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41It's the most magnetic mineral on Earth,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and it makes your compass go crazy.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47You actually have no idea where you are.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54So, next time you lose your bearings in Tintagel,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58maybe outside the pub, you can blame it on the rocks.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16We've really begun to get a sense of the powerful forces that shape
0:25:16 > 0:25:18this dramatic, beautiful landscape
0:25:18 > 0:25:21and the lives of the people that live here.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26But there's even more for me and Hugh to discover.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28- That's a proper "we woz here" mark. - Certainly is.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31- From deep underground... - Big wave!
0:25:31 > 0:25:32..to the craggy coastline.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37That was fantastic!
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Before that, we're off to a very special bit of the coast.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51How many people do you think know that Devon gave its name
0:25:51 > 0:25:54to one of the great geological periods?
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Well, not very many, I don't suppose, but it did.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58It's called the Devonian.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I suspect more people know that this
0:26:00 > 0:26:05swathe of coast, from here right through to Dorset,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07is called the Jurassic Coast.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11- Well, you can't forget that, can you?- Well because of Jurassic Park.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14And it's the same thing, it is the time of the dinosaurs.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Which goes back a long time. Older than you, even!
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Considerably older than me, and thank you for that.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21If you combine the age of Bruce Forsyth,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Michael Parkinson,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26and the entire cast of Last Of The Summer Wine,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29you would get nowhere near it.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32It's About 150-200 million years ago.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34It's good, though. Look!
0:26:37 > 0:26:42This is the magnificent Jurassic Coast.
0:26:42 > 0:26:4695 miles long and one of the best places in Britain
0:26:46 > 0:26:48to look for prehistoric fossils.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Which is what I'm doing, with dedicated fossil hunter
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Mike Harrison.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59Most people start off looking for small bones,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02small backbones off ichthyosaurs, vertebras.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09'But do most people start on a stormy beach at low tide
0:27:09 > 0:27:10'just before nightfall?'
0:27:13 > 0:27:16So, this isn't great weather for fossil hunting, presumably?
0:27:16 > 0:27:20- This is perfect condition for fossil hunting!- Is it?- Perfect.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Lots of rain, rough sea. Rain washes down the clay,
0:27:23 > 0:27:28washes the face of the cliffs. The sea erodes what's washed out.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33'In Jurassic times, this was the seabed of a warm tropical ocean,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35'filled with prehistoric creatures.'
0:27:35 > 0:27:39- Is that...?- This is something from the Cretaceous, right at the very top.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43'When storms come in, more fossils come to light.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47'Though, not where I am, it seems.'
0:27:51 > 0:27:54'All it takes is time and patience - more than I've got -
0:27:54 > 0:27:56'especially for the big finds,
0:27:56 > 0:28:01'of which Mike has plenty, and one in particular.'
0:28:01 > 0:28:04A fossil discovery of huge scientific interest.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Oh, that is ridiculous!
0:28:12 > 0:28:16- You found that?- I did. Yep. - And what is that?
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- It's an ichthyosaur skull. - It's a marine reptile, is it?
0:28:19 > 0:28:23- Marine reptile. Top predator at its time.- And this is just its head!
0:28:23 > 0:28:26So, how big was an ichthyosaur?
0:28:26 > 0:28:30This one would have probably been about 25 to 30 foot.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32So, there's a lot more to collect.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36What are you going to do? You're going to run out of room. Have it right to the front door.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Well, it would be, wouldn't it? Except for...it's going to take me a few years to get it all.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46'Mike first discovered parts of this huge reptile in 2008
0:28:46 > 0:28:49'after the coast's biggest landslip in 100 years.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52'The trouble is, he'll have to wait for more storms
0:28:52 > 0:28:54'to reveal the rest of it, piece by piece.'
0:28:56 > 0:28:59How did you feel when you found it?
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Like winning a very big scratch card.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04Massive scratch card, like the Euro lottery,
0:29:04 > 0:29:05I would have thought, really.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08Well, you spend years looking for this sort of thing,
0:29:08 > 0:29:10and people don't realise
0:29:10 > 0:29:13that you go out time and time again and, you know,
0:29:13 > 0:29:18pretty fruitlessly, so these things don't come up very often.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20But that's fantastic because
0:29:20 > 0:29:23- you're not a professional fossil hunter are you?- No, no.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27- So, what do you do most of the time? - I work at Tesco's.- Do you?
0:29:27 > 0:29:30How did you get that in your trolley?
0:29:31 > 0:29:34There's incredible detail in this find.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37It's thought the silt on the Jurassic Coast seabed
0:29:37 > 0:29:41was so fine there was very little oxygen in it.
0:29:41 > 0:29:47So, this whole creature decomposed slowly enough to become a perfect fossil.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54And what a journey this thing has had, then, if you think about it.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57- Well, it is fascinating. - It popped out of the cliff.- Yes.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59In Dorset.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01Mow it's heading back to the sea.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04And now it heading back to the, well, it's heading to your kitchen.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07That's the most unexpected bit of its journey.
0:30:07 > 0:30:12- It didn't see that, did it? No-one saw that coming.- It didn't see that coming, no.- No, no.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19Mike knows there are many other prehistoric creatures hidden here.
0:30:21 > 0:30:26If he finds any more big ones, he might just need a bigger kitchen.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39There are many other hidden treasures here.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44These are Cornwall's famous tin mines.
0:30:44 > 0:30:49For centuries, they brought wealth to the area,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52then the industry fell on hard times.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54All the mines were closed.
0:30:56 > 0:31:01But now, preparations are underway to reopen one ancient Cornish mine.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04These rocks don't surrender their rewards
0:31:04 > 0:31:08without a lot of hard work, dirt, and some risk taking.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13Glynn, we've got a situation. Need the team ready as soon as possible.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19This is the South Crofty Rescue Team.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Like firefighters, every member of the team has to be on call 24/7.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Just be aware, Keith, of team safety.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33And, like firefighters, they have to be prepared for anything.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36We have a vehicle that's crashed and there are reports of smoke.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40But unlike firefighters, these men do it all underground.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44Air On.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46South Crofty Tin Mine is about to re-open
0:31:46 > 0:31:50after a shutdown that's lasted more than a decade.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Mine Rescue. Can you hear us?
0:31:54 > 0:31:57Practice drills like this are essential.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02- Got a simulated fire in the engine bay!- Right hold it there!
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Normal emergency services aren't trained to deal with the extreme conditions.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11Johnny, air? 217!
0:32:11 > 0:32:15If things go wrong down here, they can go wrong fast.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18Can you hear us? He's not responding.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20We've got to get him out of here quickly.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24The team must be ready to deal with situations up to a kilometre underground -
0:32:26 > 0:32:32fire, floods, tunnel collapse, or total darkness.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34We're almost out, OK?
0:32:41 > 0:32:43All this effort to prepare the mine should be worth it.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48South Crofty's geologist, Gareth Joseph
0:32:48 > 0:32:50wants to show me what's still down there.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54He's discovered new veins of metals,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57like copper, that were previously ignored.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05OK, so we can look here, and this tells us
0:33:05 > 0:33:09we've got some copper here. 1% And then tin. Just over 4%.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11- That's pretty good. - Very good.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13If we had a few tons of that I'd be very happy.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17So, basically, you need to get back to that seam.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19- This would be a good place to be working.- That's right.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22With this drilling, is we've identified a zone.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25So, we now have to put some more holes into that,
0:33:25 > 0:33:27and, eventually, connect those points together,
0:33:27 > 0:33:30and then we know exactly where we can go on mine.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34Super hot liquid carried
0:33:34 > 0:33:38these valuable metals from deep underground,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40and left them behind in the rock.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45There is such a variety of rock here, isn't there?
0:33:45 > 0:33:48- That's right. - It's a geologist's dream, really.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50It is, a geologist's dream. Some might say,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52at times, it can be a geologist's nightmare.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56It all makes it very challenging to piece it all together
0:33:56 > 0:33:58and work out the best way to find the metals.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00It's well worth the effort.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06Metals like copper and tin have rocketed in value again
0:34:06 > 0:34:08because they are essential components
0:34:08 > 0:34:10of our electronic gadgets.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14South Crofty mine is poised to re-open
0:34:14 > 0:34:17for its fifth century of business.
0:34:17 > 0:34:23I bet when you studied geology, you didn't think you'd end up here.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25I didn't. I grew up in this area.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28The mine closed the year that I left 6th form.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31So, to actually be here, 10, 12 years later,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34being involved with helping to re-open it.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37You couldn't imagine it. So, it's a real opportunity.
0:34:37 > 0:34:38It's quite exciting.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44It's not just the geologists who are excited.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50Local miners like Chief Health And Safety Officer, Robin Whale,
0:34:50 > 0:34:52look forward to a whole new era of mining.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58I've yet to meet a miner who isn't truly passionate about their job.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00I mean, what is it
0:35:00 > 0:35:03about spending hour upon hour
0:35:03 > 0:35:06underground in dark, wet, cold conditions?
0:35:06 > 0:35:08What goes on in your head?
0:35:08 > 0:35:10It's a bit of a strange thing.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12I remember when I was a teenager, my doctor told me
0:35:12 > 0:35:15if you spend six months underground, your brain turns to granite.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18That was his official medical opinion.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20- And is he right?- Oh, yes.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23The Cornish miners have travelled all over the world.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26- Oh, yes.- Delivering their expertise to mines everywhere.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30There's a saying - if the hole is deep enough, you'll find a Cornishman at the bottom of it.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33And one of the main reasons is,
0:35:33 > 0:35:35in Cornwall our geology is so different,
0:35:35 > 0:35:40one week you can be drilling rock so hard your drill bounces off it,
0:35:40 > 0:35:44the next week, you can hit a patch of granite so soft you can push your finger in.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48So, we have lots of different geologies, rock types, and problems.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57Precious metals and fossils aren't the only things
0:35:57 > 0:36:01that the violent past of Cornwall and Devon have given us.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15I'm en route to discover another ancient treasure,
0:36:15 > 0:36:19in a tiny valley tucked away near the village of Beer in Devon.
0:36:22 > 0:36:23It's not metal ore,
0:36:23 > 0:36:27it's a very special kind of stone.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33A rock that has built some of the greatest buildings in Britain.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40People started carving through this rock 2,000 years ago.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43And these are not natural grooves, they're tool marks.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49This labyrinth of underground stone quarries
0:36:49 > 0:36:52was first dug out centuries ago.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01You can find rounded arches carved by the Romans,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05square Saxon tunnels,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07even Norman pillars.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15'Owner John Scott explains what's so great about the stone down here.'
0:37:15 > 0:37:17What attracted the Romans to this stone?
0:37:17 > 0:37:20Well, they realised that it was perfect
0:37:20 > 0:37:23for very fine detail carving.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25But when you take it in the outside world it dries,
0:37:25 > 0:37:27then it becomes five times harder.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30So, it is the perfect building material.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35You can still find reminders of the lives
0:37:35 > 0:37:37of the quarrymen who worked here.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43To think, these candle holes were first blackened
0:37:43 > 0:37:46by Saxon candles over 1,000 years ago.
0:37:47 > 0:37:52Julia, we always say that every pillar here tells a story centuries later.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57You can actually see where two men, who were quarrying Beer stone, here,
0:37:57 > 0:37:59wrote their names in 1750.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03You can tell they were quarrymen because they always wrote with charcoal,
0:38:03 > 0:38:08whereas every Stonemason who worked here throughout the centuries carved his name with pride.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12So, even a signature, to this day, will tell you what trade a man was, all those years ago.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15That is an incredible thought.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17John Hayes and George...
0:38:17 > 0:38:20- Kofsiter Senior.- Ah.
0:38:20 > 0:38:211750.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25That's a proper "we woz here" mark.
0:38:25 > 0:38:26Certainly is.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35The fine quality limestone from Beer has always been in great demand.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Four-ton blocks were hauled hundreds of miles
0:38:43 > 0:38:48to decorate some of the most important buildings in Britain -
0:38:49 > 0:38:51the Tower of London,
0:38:51 > 0:38:52St Paul's Cathedral,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54and Westminster Abbey,
0:38:57 > 0:38:59And, close by,
0:38:59 > 0:39:00there's Exeter Cathedral.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03Resident master mason
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Gary Morley is still using stone from Beer
0:39:06 > 0:39:09to maintain this magnificent building.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15Why is this stone, Beer stone, so magical to work with?
0:39:15 > 0:39:18Well, we've got a very fine grain, for a start,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21and you can get very fine detail carved into the stone.
0:39:21 > 0:39:26And it also gives a good sharpness in the cut of the stone,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29and also forms shadow and so gives it that crisp look.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33And that really is unique. That is different from any other stone.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43In Exeter Cathedral, Beer stone was reserved
0:39:43 > 0:39:46for the most delicate carving work.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54These carvings are hundreds of years old.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Limestone is usually soft and erodes easily.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03But, when the damp lime in Beer stone eventually dries in the air,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07it forms a hard skin, like cement setting.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16So, what you're doing is taking level by level.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18And as you're working, you then follow the same
0:40:18 > 0:40:21chisel line, what you've just done, and then work the next line in.
0:40:21 > 0:40:22Right, can I have a go?
0:40:22 > 0:40:25'This is a great stone for a great craftsman to work with.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29'And, apparently, even I can't mess it up.'
0:40:29 > 0:40:32So, let's have a go.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41Oh, it's not easy.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48What I'm frightened to do is to go too far down.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52I'm trying to follow the line.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54That's OK.
0:40:55 > 0:41:00- Right, I've done a bit. Let's have a look.- All right. That's all right.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03- How's that?- That's OK. - It's not a big block,
0:41:03 > 0:41:05not a big lump out of there, is there?
0:41:05 > 0:41:07That's ideal.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09I'll take you on. OK, all right?
0:41:14 > 0:41:18The limestone of Beer has been used all over Britain.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26Another treasure from Cornwall and Devon is even more widespread.
0:41:26 > 0:41:27It's not as grand,
0:41:27 > 0:41:31and you've probably got some on your kitchen table right now.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38We associate mining and quarrying with serious industrial activity
0:41:38 > 0:41:40and it's not difficult to imagine
0:41:40 > 0:41:42where those heavy-duty raw materials end up.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Although, you might be surprised.
0:41:53 > 0:41:58Mysterious landscapes that look like distant planets...
0:42:01 > 0:42:03..are actually much closer to home.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15This is not the birthplace of extra-terrestrial life.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19It's actually the birthplace of millions of teacups.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28These are the china clay deposits near St Austell in Cornwall.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31And they're even a source of inspiration for artists.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Whenever I come into the clay pits,
0:42:35 > 0:42:39it's a heightening of the senses, completely.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42Jenny Beavan is Artist In Residence,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46well, artist knee-deep in clay and water, anyway.
0:42:47 > 0:42:52I think, to any outsider, it might seem quite a crazy thing
0:42:52 > 0:42:55to do on a day like this,
0:42:55 > 0:42:57which is, for me, just great fun, actually.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Jenny uses china clay for her ceramics,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04because it's uniquely strong and delicate.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09That's why it makes such fabulously good tea pots, cups and saucers.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13But, unlike some artists, Jenny likes to get hands-on with her raw materials.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Well, just being here,
0:43:15 > 0:43:18you can see the graduation between the rock
0:43:18 > 0:43:21and then something that's a bit softer,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24and it gets softer and softer until you can really,
0:43:24 > 0:43:26you know, dig it.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30And it's quite nice taking it in layers
0:43:30 > 0:43:35because the kind of transition from hard to soft is quite inspiring.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39Being so pliable is one of the things
0:43:39 > 0:43:41that makes china clay great to use.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44It was created in an act of unbelievable alchemy.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48These hills were originally granite
0:43:48 > 0:43:52until a corrosive chemical cocktail attacked the rock.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56It was so powerful,
0:43:56 > 0:43:59it transformed parts of the rock
0:43:59 > 0:44:01into a substance called kaolin.
0:44:01 > 0:44:06When it's fired, this soft clay goes rock hard.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09Perfect for the finest quality china.
0:44:09 > 0:44:14And, in its raw form, lots of other things in our homes.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18Of course, you find china clay in things like plates and cups,
0:44:18 > 0:44:19but what about paper?
0:44:19 > 0:44:23Plastic toys? Toilet seats? Even indigestion remedies?
0:44:23 > 0:44:26You've probably come into contact with china clay today.
0:44:33 > 0:44:38If all this clay is in Cornwall, why is it known as china clay?
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Well, China was the first to use kaolin successfully.
0:44:41 > 0:44:46But Cornwall became the world's biggest producer over 200 years ago.
0:44:48 > 0:44:54So far, £15 billion worth of this glorified mud has been sluiced out.
0:44:55 > 0:45:00But that's worth more than all of Cornwall's tin and copper put together.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08MALE CHOIR SINGS
0:45:15 > 0:45:17And like many of Britain's mining communities,
0:45:17 > 0:45:21the clay pits have inspired a strong musical tradition.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28Some say the singing helped to clear out the lungs
0:45:28 > 0:45:30after a hard day's work in the mines,
0:45:30 > 0:45:33in the days when it was all a lot dustier.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10We've had a good look at the rocks hidden underground.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12But, above ground, one thing you notice
0:46:12 > 0:46:15is that the fields of Cornwall
0:46:15 > 0:46:18are divided by these very distinctive hedges.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22Distinctive, mainly,
0:46:22 > 0:46:25because they're not hedges at all.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30We all know what a hedge is. It's a hedge.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34It's a long row of plants separating fields or gardens.
0:46:35 > 0:46:36Not in Cornwall.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46Down here, the hedges are, in fact, made from rock.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49And making them is an ancient tradition.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03- Hi, John.- Oh, hiya.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06'John Wakefield is a member of the Guild Of Cornish Hedges.'
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Will he show me how to build a hedge?
0:47:09 > 0:47:11Oh, that doesn't sound right.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Why is it called a hedge, then, when it's quite obviously a wall?
0:47:15 > 0:47:17Because it's a living thing.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21You've obviously got grass growing on the top,
0:47:21 > 0:47:26or any other shrubs, gorse, any local vegetation.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28It's different to the dry stone walling
0:47:28 > 0:47:31because the dry stone has stones from one side to the other
0:47:31 > 0:47:34whereas this has two independent sides.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36- There's Earth in the middle. - Massive stones in the bottom.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39- Yup - the grounders. - That makes sense.
0:47:39 > 0:47:40It's like that, isn't it?
0:47:40 > 0:47:42It's thicker at the bottom than it is at the top.
0:47:42 > 0:47:47Yeah, it's thicker at the bottom, so, the way it's angled will tighten itself.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51The design of the Cornish hedge is actually very clever.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55It makes a solid windbreak for farming.
0:47:55 > 0:47:56It also prevents soil erosion
0:47:56 > 0:47:58and reduces flash flooding,
0:47:58 > 0:48:01which is just the thing in a landscape
0:48:01 > 0:48:04as weather-beaten as this one.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08And how fast can you do this, then?
0:48:08 > 0:48:10On a double-sided hedge, a meter long,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13would take about a day.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16- Do you want me to do a bit? - If you like. There's a hammer.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27I will not have weird-looking stones in my wall.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31Listen, there are standards.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35Some of these walls -
0:48:35 > 0:48:39sorry, hedges - were first laid down in the Bronze Age.
0:48:39 > 0:48:44Loose stones from the fields have been used to top them up ever since.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57If a wall is built properly, like this one, how long would it last?
0:48:57 > 0:49:00Oh, hundreds of years, yeah.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04The Guild of Cornish Hedges guarantee them 100 years
0:49:04 > 0:49:06- You guarantee 100 years.- Yeah, yeah.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09- That's without the extended warranty. - Yeah. Without, yeah.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17'As the sun sets on a satisfying bit of proper manly work,
0:49:17 > 0:49:21'it's good to know there is a little piece of Cornwall
0:49:21 > 0:49:24'that will for ever be Hugh Dennis,
0:49:24 > 0:49:27'until the cameras have gone, and John builds it again, properly.'
0:49:34 > 0:49:38Devon and Cornwall bear all the scars of the continual battle
0:49:38 > 0:49:42between the landscape and the relentless forces of nature.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45And if you want to feel close to them, there's no better place.
0:49:45 > 0:49:51Wild weather and merciless winds scour the hills.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56But the coastline is still the biggest battleground.
0:49:56 > 0:50:01So, I'm going back to the front line for one last bit of Cornish fun.
0:50:07 > 0:50:13Coasteering! A daring mix of jumping, swimming and climbing.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15And, apparently, it's sufficiently dangerous
0:50:15 > 0:50:18that I have to look like I'm going to a fancy dress party
0:50:18 > 0:50:21dressed as Tinky Winky.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25We'll stop here, have a quick chat about safety.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29'For adrenaline junkies Sam Starkie and Dave Rainbird -
0:50:29 > 0:50:31'even their names are out there -
0:50:31 > 0:50:36'the wild coast of Cornwall is the perfect venue for coasteering.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39'I wonder if it began as some sort of dance craze.'
0:50:40 > 0:50:41Roman handshake, OK?
0:50:45 > 0:50:49And it's November. I said I wanted to look at what was underneath Britain,
0:50:49 > 0:50:52but this isn't really what I meant.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55Yeah, try and keep your mouth closed.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58So, try get your feet nice and high up against the rocks.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05'And it's feet first. My only defence against being dashed on the rocks.'
0:51:09 > 0:51:13So, whenever we are around the rocks, this is the position we want you to be in.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17So, that way, you can just fend it off quite happily.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20If you can try and get used to just relaxing and floating around.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23'Oh, yeah. I'm really relaxed now.'
0:51:23 > 0:51:24Big wave!
0:51:26 > 0:51:29'There's nothing more likely to take your mind off things
0:51:29 > 0:51:33'than being tossed around in the world's second biggest ocean.'
0:51:37 > 0:51:38Stand back a little bit.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40Just waiting for it to get nice and calm.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44'The Cornish coast has been standing up to the sea
0:51:44 > 0:51:46'for over 50 million years.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49'I, by contrast, am finding five minutes a bit of a challenge.'
0:51:49 > 0:51:51Swim in!
0:52:09 > 0:52:11Grab those rocks.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23Well done, Hugh. That's brilliant.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26'Just to cling on to these jagged rocks is really difficult,
0:52:26 > 0:52:29'because they are a razor-sharp mixture of hard slates
0:52:29 > 0:52:33'and soft clays, laid down over millions of years.'
0:52:33 > 0:52:36Some areas can be quite fragile and break off in your hands,
0:52:36 > 0:52:40so you've got to be a little bit careful. Watch out for the waves splashing up.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46'Yes, the trouble with following Sam and Dave up here,
0:52:46 > 0:52:49'is that you know what's going to have to happen.'
0:52:53 > 0:52:56Nice big step out of here, Hugh.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59Whenever you're ready, you can go for it.
0:52:59 > 0:53:00OK.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08'Common sense tells you not to try swimming,
0:53:08 > 0:53:11'climbing, or jumping around here.'
0:53:15 > 0:53:17I'm alive.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19'But once you've mastered doing all three safely,
0:53:19 > 0:53:22'you can do things like this.'
0:53:23 > 0:53:25- Ready?- Ready.
0:53:25 > 0:53:26Whoop!
0:53:30 > 0:53:34I imagine they are thinking an awful lot about the geology, at the moment.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39I think it's probably the thing that really excites them.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45One, two, three.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51'Coasteering gives you access to parts of the coastline
0:53:51 > 0:53:53'that you would never find in any other way.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59'Like the caves that once made perfect hiding places for smugglers.'
0:54:03 > 0:54:07They've just been in a group of caves called the Tea Taverns.
0:54:07 > 0:54:13They're called that because a lot of tea was smuggled here. There was a very high tax on tea at one point.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16So, all the contraband was put into those caves
0:54:16 > 0:54:18and then horses would wait at the top of the hill.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21And then they'd take all that contraband away.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Pretty good swimmers, aren't they?
0:54:26 > 0:54:29Do you not think you'd be happier, maybe, working in an office?
0:54:33 > 0:54:35Yee-ha!
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Whoop!
0:54:46 > 0:54:51After all that, Sam and I will share a moment of geological contemplation.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55That is a real proper mixture, isn't it? Of soft and hard.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58Yeah, as you can see behind us, totally burrowed out by the sea,
0:54:58 > 0:55:02drawn out and leaving some amazing little features.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06- This is fantastic, isn't it? That arch is great.- Yeah, it's amazing.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09- And to think that... - And that's scary, isn't it?
0:55:09 > 0:55:12Tons of rock is just being held up by this foot diameter of...
0:55:12 > 0:55:14OK, do don't go on about it!
0:55:29 > 0:55:32It's not something you're really going to think about
0:55:32 > 0:55:34when you're lying on a beach here, but for centuries,
0:55:34 > 0:55:37from piracy and smuggling, right through to the present day
0:55:37 > 0:55:41with coasteering and the whole tourist industry,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44in these beaches and in these coves,
0:55:44 > 0:55:48life in Devon and Cornwall has been determined, really,
0:55:48 > 0:55:50by this fantastic landscape,
0:55:50 > 0:55:56by this intricate jumble of rocks and water,
0:55:56 > 0:55:58and by the jigsaw of its geology.
0:56:13 > 0:56:17Picture postcard views are just the cover page of the story of Britain.
0:56:17 > 0:56:21Scratch the surface in an area like Cornwall and Devon,
0:56:21 > 0:56:26and you see how much geology is part of who we are,
0:56:26 > 0:56:28and how the tough rocks
0:56:28 > 0:56:31created millions of years ago still shape our lives today.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35There's an iceberg melting
0:56:35 > 0:56:38and a volcano erupting somewhere.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41It's changing everything, as we speak.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45- It all changes all the time, in fact, doesn't it?- But so slowly.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48Yeah, and this coast is going, and, you know,
0:56:48 > 0:56:51in hundreds of millions of years it's not going to look like this.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53Nothing will be, like, the same.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57I think it's my favourite toe of Britain.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59Sort of stuck into the Atlantic.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02You're thinking of Britain as someone sitting down with their legs out,
0:57:02 > 0:57:06- sticking out the front, aren't you? - Yeah, with bits, with dangly bits.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Very oddly shaped person.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20The landscapes of Cornwall and Devon have had a tough upbringing,
0:57:20 > 0:57:23but they wear it well.
0:57:24 > 0:57:30And we get breathtaking scenery that's world-class in its variety.
0:57:39 > 0:57:43Next time, Hugh and I are deep in Britain's biggest county,
0:57:43 > 0:57:47getting a taste of Yorkshire's rocky past.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49And discovering its spectacular landscape.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52How fantastic is that!
0:58:12 > 0:58:14Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd