0:00:04 > 0:00:07The British countryside in winter.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Cold, unforgiving.
0:00:15 > 0:00:16As temperatures plunge,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21the skies open, the winds rage and the light fades early.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25This winter, we've seen extremes of weather,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28mild, wet and freezing cold.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Conditions that have been treacherous,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34sometimes even deadly for wildlife and people here.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Britain in the winter can seem devoid of life,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41as if the natural world has shut up shop.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45But scratch below the surface and it's amazing what you can find.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48In this series,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52I'm exploring five of our most extreme winter landscapes.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56I'll be including some of my BBC colleagues' experiences
0:00:56 > 0:00:57from over the years.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01- Hello.- Together, we'll reveal what's really out there
0:01:01 > 0:01:03during this challenging season.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Warmth is one of those simple pleasures
0:01:06 > 0:01:07that we just take for granted.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Today, I'm looking at mountains,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15and where better than the Scottish Highlands?
0:01:15 > 0:01:19I'll be discovering secrets hidden deep in its past,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22learning how to spot signs of an impending avalanche.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Oh, look. Look, look, look! That's quite terrifying.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27SHE LAUGHS
0:01:27 > 0:01:31And meeting a shepherd who looks after a rather unique herd.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- Is this a good spot? - Yes, this will be fine.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35# Loh-oh-h. #
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Welcome to the great British winter.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52The British Isles celebrates a wealth of landscapes,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54from windswept estuaries...
0:01:55 > 0:01:57..to dense woodlands.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01And in parts of England, Wales,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Scotland and Northern Island,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06majestic mountains dominate the horizon.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13These impressive ranges embrace the cold weather,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17clutching the snow and mist to them like a warm winter coat.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20but it's much tougher for people and wildlife
0:02:20 > 0:02:21to survive out here.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30I've come to the Cairngorm mountains in Scotland.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It's a range that features the tallest,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36coldest and the snowiest plateau in the British Isles.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38In the winter, it's the closest you can get
0:02:38 > 0:02:41to experiencing the Arctic in Britain.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45It is these conditions,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47which make the range both breathtakingly beautiful
0:02:47 > 0:02:49and extremely dangerous.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55Tragedy struck here for the third time this year just weeks ago.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Police in the Scottish Highlands have confirmed tonight that a man
0:02:58 > 0:03:02and a woman have died following an avalanche in the Cairngorms.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06There had been warnings of the potential for avalanches,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08and it is yet another reminder
0:03:08 > 0:03:12of just how dangerous the Scottish mountains can be in winter.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16The risks are considerable up here,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19but the allure of the mountains keeps drawing people back.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26This is the most extensive range of high mountains in the UK.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32At just over 4,200 feet, the Ben Macdui peak
0:03:32 > 0:03:35is the second highest mountain in the UK after Ben Nevis.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42The Cairngorms plateau is 18 miles long and 12 miles wide
0:03:42 > 0:03:43and in the depths of winter,
0:03:43 > 0:03:48winds of up to 170 miles an hour can blast across it.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54These mountains are made of some of the Earth's oldest walls of granite.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58INDISTINCT
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Dr Stuart Archer, a geologist from Aberdeen University,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05has spent years studying the rock formation here.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10You have to go back 500 million years
0:04:10 > 0:04:13to understand how the Cairngorms were created.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15It's hard to get your head around those figures, isn't it?
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Really is. 500 million years ago.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20A long time ago, but essentially, at that point,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23Scotland was much further south latitudinally,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25and there was a large collision between England and Scotland.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28England suddenly came in, rammed into Scotland,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31and basically the two plates collided and they created a mountain chain.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Wow. And so when was the ice age that we talk about?
0:04:34 > 0:04:36How long ago was that?
0:04:36 > 0:04:39The classic ice age would seem to be about 2.5 million years old,
0:04:39 > 0:04:40but it's lasted right up to today,
0:04:40 > 0:04:44so we're actually still in the grips of an ice age, technically speaking.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46The best examples are of rows of valleys.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Those were all created around 24,000 years ago,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52as the ice was probably at its maximum extent.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53So, 24,000 years ago,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57I want you to imagine a mile thick of ice at this location,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59eroding and scouring all these borders and leaving this
0:04:59 > 0:05:03beautiful scenery we've got at the Cairngorms, these U-shaped valleys.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05What about this? Tell me what you're carrying this for.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Well, it's a very simple tool but what it allows us to do
0:05:08 > 0:05:11is explain the age of the Earth in one metre.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- So this is how old the Earth is? - Yes, 4.6 billion years.- Ooh.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18So if this is the age of the Earth, I just want to tell you
0:05:18 > 0:05:20that Scotland's oldest rocks, or the UK's oldest rocks
0:05:20 > 0:05:24- are basically created here.- Wow. - And as we come up through time,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28this is when the Cairngorms were actually created, at this point here.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30That's 500 million years ago.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32So fairly recent in... the age of the Earth?
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Exactly, if you look at the full extent of the Earth.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Now the mountains were created 500 million years ago
0:05:37 > 0:05:40and the granites we see in the Cairngorms were intruded here,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43nine centimetres ago, on this stick.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Now to tell you about the ice age, the last ice age,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50I have to go and get another prop, an even smaller piece of paper
0:05:50 > 0:05:52and this is just a set of Post-it notes.
0:05:52 > 0:05:53These Post-it notes represent
0:05:53 > 0:05:56- the Ice Age that we see the evidence for here.- Very recent?
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Really, really recent and then this last piece of the Post-it note,
0:06:00 > 0:06:05just that last sheet, would be man's influence on the Earth and...
0:06:05 > 0:06:08the actual Homo sapiens evolutionary story.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- It's that tiny, skinny one page at the top?- That one page at the top.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12That's impressive.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16It's a great way of visualising the age of what we're seeing around us.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18It's a simple tool, but it shows the antiquity of the Earth
0:06:18 > 0:06:21and all the events relative to each other.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26- So the mountains here are mostly made up of granite?- Exactly, yes.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29All of the Cairngorm plateau, all the Cairngorm massif is made of granite.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32It's much harder than the surrounding rock.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Because it's much harder, it's remained proud and stood high.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38That's why really we're dealing with high altitudes in the Cairngorms,
0:06:38 > 0:06:39as the granite's so really hard.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42- We could open a piece if you want and see what's inside.- Yes.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45So to do so, we'll just have to take a safety precaution,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49- so if you don't mind sticking these glasses on.- Oh, go on then. He-he.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50Good thinking.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- Ah.- And so, when we look inside the granite,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59what we can see is that there's actually three minerals here.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03In grey, we see a glassy mineral here, which is quartz.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06In orange, we see a second mineral called feldspar.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08It's this mineral that gives
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- the granite its classic orange kind of colouration.- Right.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13There is one other mineral, in small quantities,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16- but can you see this black mineral here?- Oh, yes. Tiny bits.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18So the tiny bits are biotech mica,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20and this mica is in small quantities,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24but it's actually very important for the chemistry of this granite.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27So bringing it on to nowadays,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30erosion happens all the time, I suppose, whenever water's around,
0:07:30 > 0:07:31what sort of erosive processes
0:07:31 > 0:07:34are still going on, particularly in the winter?
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Well, we've just broken this up with a hammer, but essentially
0:07:36 > 0:07:40these processes are ongoing in the landscape all the time, as you say.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44And granite, for example, could be whole and then split apart
0:07:44 > 0:07:46just because of the action of frost.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- There's a 9% expansion from water to ice.- Wow.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53And that 9% volume expansion allows...
0:07:53 > 0:07:55that process to operate a bit like a jack
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and you can imagine rocks being cleaved away from each other
0:07:58 > 0:08:00because of that frost process.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05For two million years,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Scotland would've been a frozen wasteland
0:08:08 > 0:08:10with the nearest signs of life on the ice margins
0:08:10 > 0:08:12in the south of the country.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Successive ice ages have advanced and retreated
0:08:18 > 0:08:20with cycles of climate change,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24moulding this Scottish landscape into what we see here today.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31It's hard to imagine that just 10,000 years ago,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Scotland would've been in the grip of a permanent winter.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Back then, all sorts of unusual animals
0:08:38 > 0:08:40would've roamed the frozen landscape,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44as Alan Titchmarsh discovered on a winter visit to the Highlands.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51At the end of the 19th century, a Mr Peach
0:08:51 > 0:08:55and a Mr Horne were exploring this area,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59when they came upon this cave.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01And inside it,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05they found something almost unbelievable.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Something that had never been found in Britain before.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16But it wasn't in the mouth of the cave that they made their discovery.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21Oh, no. It was way down in its darkest recesses.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36Imagine exploring this eerie cave by candlelight.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Especially with what was hidden deep underground.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49What did they find when they got here?
0:09:50 > 0:09:55They found the remains of a bear.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57But not just any old bear.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01This is the skull of a polar bear.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04And for a polar bear to have lived here,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07it must have been as cold as the Arctic.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12We're not talking millions of years here.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18The skull they found wasn't a fossil. It was real bone.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Polar Bears must have been stalking the Scottish Highlands
0:10:23 > 0:10:25practically yesterday.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28So could this have been a scene,
0:10:28 > 0:10:33not from the north of Norway, or the high Canadian Arctic,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37but from where Blackpool, or Bristol are situated today?
0:10:39 > 0:10:43A British Isles where musk ox and polar bears roamed wild?
0:10:59 > 0:11:01It's almost impossible to imagine Britain
0:11:01 > 0:11:04in the constant freeze of the Ice Age.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06But the polar bear skull found in the cave
0:11:06 > 0:11:10is a tantalizing clue to a frozen past.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14A past when large mammals roved these Highlands.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Just 300 years ago, the Cairngorms were the last stronghold
0:11:18 > 0:11:20of the grey wolf in Britain.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21HOWLING
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Roaming wild and feeding on carrion,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28this large mammal is able to hear another wolf from six miles away
0:11:28 > 0:11:32and smell their prey from one and three quarter miles.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34This made them both perfectly suited
0:11:34 > 0:11:37to surviving the winter on exposed mountain terrain
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and also very good at keeping deer numbers down.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45But hunting and loss of habitat through deforestation
0:11:45 > 0:11:47resulted in the deer's natural predator
0:11:47 > 0:11:51disappearing from this landscape and this country altogether.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55WOLF HOWLS
0:11:55 > 0:11:58However, there is a distant relative of the wolf on the rise
0:11:58 > 0:12:00here in the Cairngorms.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02And though they may look very similar,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04they're a very different breed altogether,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08as Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury discovered on a recent visit here.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Aviemore is home to the biggest dog sled race in the UK.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14200 teams compete over a four-mile track
0:12:14 > 0:12:16and for all of the mushers that travel here
0:12:16 > 0:12:17from right across the country,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20it's the culmination of years of training.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22WOLF HOWLS
0:12:22 > 0:12:24These sled dogs aren't pets.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29They're animal athletes, and need lots of exercise and training.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Like any sporting star, you have to start them young.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Well, if you think there's just one type of sled dog, the husky,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38think again and let me introduce you to this lovely lot.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41We've got the Alaskan Malamute. There you are, my friend.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46What about the Siberian Husky? There you are, just 11 weeks old.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49The Canadian Eskimo Dog, there's a treat for you.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51And last but by no means least, the Samoyed,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54all distinctive breeds with special characteristics.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Once you've picked your breed, then you have to start training.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00Matt Emery and wife Helen
0:13:00 > 0:13:02have raised Siberian Huskies for over a decade.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Let's go!
0:13:07 > 0:13:11So, Helen, of all the sled dogs, why do you go for the Siberian Husky?
0:13:11 > 0:13:15'Siberian I like, because they're an athletic breed, um...'
0:13:15 > 0:13:18they run fast and also, they're stunning to look at, as you can see.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21They're all different, they're all beautiful,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23but their working capability is just phenomenal.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Well, there's no doubt about it, Helen, these dogs are born to run.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29But at what age do you start honing that instinct?
0:13:29 > 0:13:30Really start them off
0:13:30 > 0:13:33from as soon as they've had their vaccinations at 12 weeks old.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36They come out, watch the team and they pick up so much
0:13:36 > 0:13:39from the excitement that when they start running
0:13:39 > 0:13:42a very short distance at five, six months old,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45they know very much what's going on because they've watched the others
0:13:45 > 0:13:49and picked up on the vibes coming through from them.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51But of course, basic training is important too.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Before dogs are even hitched to a sled,
0:13:53 > 0:13:58they need to learn their left from their right. DOG HOWLS
0:13:58 > 0:14:00After they've found their voice, of course.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Julie, you've got me on a tricycle.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Yes, but this is the best way to start.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09This is actually called a rig, it's not called a tricycle.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11- Mmm.- The same principles, I suppose, with three wheels.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15But this is what we train and race on in the UK almost every year.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Right, so, give me some instruction.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21- The first thing for you to do is make sure you're balanced OK.- Yes.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24It's a bit like riding a bike - make sure you've got your balance,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26- make sure you know where the brakes are.- Yes.- OK?
0:14:26 > 0:14:28- I've got those tight. I'm holding onto those.- Great.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Hold on tight, so the dogs don't pull you away.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33The next thing for you to learn is the commands.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35We say, "hike" or "hike on".
0:14:35 > 0:14:38That's when you want them to go, "Come on, guys, let's go. Hike on."
0:14:38 > 0:14:41And then the other word is "whoa" when you want to stop them.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43That's the most important word for me to learn.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45- They might not listen to you.- Great.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48- Because they might just want to run.- OK.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- Oh, my God!- Go!
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Slow, slow. Whoa.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Hike. Hike!
0:14:58 > 0:15:02'After a shaky start, I'm getting the hang of it, I think.'
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Hike! Hike! Hike!
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Julia and I are going head to head in a race soon,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09so I've come to see how her tuition's going.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Look who it is, it's Miss Marple in a ski suit.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15THEY LAUGH
0:15:15 > 0:15:17I'll have you know,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21- this is a very important part of the training process.- Is it?- Yes.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Have you got snow tyres on? THEY LAUGH
0:15:24 > 0:15:28- This is what most people race in on. - Uh-huh?- It's a rig.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30- How is it going? All right? - Yes, I think so.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32If I were you, I'd be worried.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34- Would you?- Yes.- OK, well... - Miss Marple's on fire!
0:15:34 > 0:15:35THEY LAUGH
0:15:35 > 0:15:39- Have fun. I think I'm going straight for the sledge. - Are you?- See what happens.- Show off.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41DOGS HOWL
0:15:44 > 0:15:47'We're not going to tackle the entire four mile track today.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51'We're racing each other against the clock over a short distance.'
0:15:51 > 0:15:54..three, two, one. Go!
0:15:54 > 0:15:58There we go, we're off, we're off. Way-hey, I pulled a wheelie!
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Oh, lovely stuff. Come on, girls!
0:16:00 > 0:16:01Hike, hike, hike!
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Ooh, it's a bit rickety there. Straight through.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Oh, they're kicking up some snow. Come on, girls! Get up.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Hike, hike, hike...
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Ooh, I've taken a... Ooh, just caught a bit there.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Hike, hike, hike!
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Listen to him. "Hike, hike."
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Hike, hike! Hike, hike!
0:16:19 > 0:16:23'Approaching the final stretch, I'm looking for any advantage I can get,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26'bobbing down, to make myself more aerodynamic.'
0:16:26 > 0:16:27Hike, hike!
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Come on! Go, go, go!
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Hand brakes are on.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34'One minute 42 to beat.'
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Wow, I can't hardly see.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- THEY LAUGH - You've got tears in your eyes.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Oh, that is brilliant. It's literally a take off to start with.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43It's a bit tricky on that left-hand side,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- you might sort of go up as the dogs try and go right.- Oh...
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Now it's my turn.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51- Are we going? - DOGS BARK
0:16:51 > 0:16:55- ALL:- Four, three, two, one...
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- DOGS BARK - Go. Hike, hike, hike,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01hike, hike, hike, hike, hike...
0:17:01 > 0:17:03'Poor dogs. I can't shut up.'
0:17:03 > 0:17:06HE LAUGHS It's a good start.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- I tell you what, she's in the groove as well.- Hike, hike, hike.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14Go on, we've got it! Go. Running! Go! Hike, hike, hike, hike,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16hike, hike. Whoa!
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- Whoa!- She's gone!- Whoa! Whoa!
0:17:20 > 0:17:24- SHE SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY - Oi, stop!
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- This is unbelievable. - I'm still going. I'm still going.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35- You know that, you know that turn into the snow?- The bit I... Yes?
0:17:35 > 0:17:37- Bump!- Yes, you've got half of it on your helmet.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Hike! Hike! Whoa!
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- Are you all right though?- I'm absolutely fine.- No aches and pains?
0:17:42 > 0:17:45No aches or pains. But I've lost something quite important.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47- Not the race, the dogs. - THEY LAUGH
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- You might want to take that as a souvenir.- Thank you. It might melt.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Dog sled racing in the mountain lowlands
0:17:54 > 0:17:56is becoming ever more popular as a sport.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00And it's not the only winter activity on the rise here.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04The higher slopes have always attracted climbers and walkers,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07but nowadays these slopes also play host to skiers.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Around 55,000 people a year come skiing in the Cairngorms.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Conditions between November and March can be extreme,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21so this number of visitors requires a dedicated team of workers
0:18:21 > 0:18:24to ensure their safety and wellbeing.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28The weather can change in a heartbeat,
0:18:28 > 0:18:33so it needs to be monitored 24-7 for all the tourists that come here.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37For some, that can mean a very early start.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Mountain rescue, avalanche and ski patrol teams are on hand,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49making sure the area's ready
0:18:49 > 0:18:52for the onslaught of Britain's winter thrill seekers.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56- Hi, Adam.- How are you, Ellie?- Nice to meet you. All right?- Yes, good.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59- What an amazing piece of kit this is.- It's nice, huh?- Yes.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01- Can you show me how it works? - Yes, job done.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Although it's only 7am, ski patroller Adam
0:19:03 > 0:19:07has already been working for several hours.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10His job, to use his piste basher
0:19:10 > 0:19:12to flatten the snow that's fallen overnight
0:19:12 > 0:19:15and prepare the slopes for the day's skiers.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20- When it's busy, we'll maybe start at three or four in the morning.- Ooh.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24Um... It depends on what the weather's been like.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28If it's this time of year, early, like, January, February,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31if it's good weather, we'll work through the night
0:19:31 > 0:19:33and leave it prepared for the next day.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35I'm not usually impressed by machines,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37but this is a really amazing piece of kit.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40This slope seems very steep to me.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42We're coming up over the brow of the hill,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46but that has been incredibly steep. How steep can this machine work on?
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Er, 45 degrees. Yes, no problem.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Does it ever... Do you ever look up at a slope and think, no way?
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Sometimes, yes. THEY LAUGH
0:19:55 > 0:19:58For the really steep stuff, we have the winch on here
0:19:58 > 0:20:01and that allows me to work on the steep slopes,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03working down to stop us sliding down.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Have you got any tales of extreme weather? How bad's it been?
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Oh, we get lots of extreme weather up here,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11so there's lots of tales to tell.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13We did have to evacuate the guys from the top station,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- the top of our funicular once.- Wow.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19They had two snowmobiles up there. They'd gone up there to do some work
0:20:19 > 0:20:21while the train was switched off.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Um... When they come out the door, the weather had closed in
0:20:24 > 0:20:26and they could hardly see their hand in front of them.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28They just had to feel their way down.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33- So the wind was over, in excess of 130 miles an hour.- You're kidding.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35And, yes, the whole machine was getting blown about.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Even you must have thought, "I'm not sure if we're going to make this."
0:20:38 > 0:20:40That must have been touch and go for you.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42We have all the snow fences, so if you find a fence,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44you can follow it down, like a road map.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47But you're driving with your head out the window
0:20:47 > 0:20:49and when you're outside...
0:20:49 > 0:20:52all the fresh, drifting snow is taking your breath away.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55- It was so, so wild.- That's extreme.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00The threat of danger up here
0:21:00 > 0:21:04in the Scottish Highlands in winter is very real.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Two PhD students and a junior doctor
0:21:07 > 0:21:09have been named among the four climbers
0:21:09 > 0:21:12who were killed in an avalanche in Glencoe in the Highlands.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15The climbers who died had fallen about 1,000 feet...
0:21:15 > 0:21:17A man and a woman have died
0:21:17 > 0:21:19following an avalanche in the Cairngorms...
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The avalanche happened at 12:30.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Three people were caught in the avalanche...
0:21:25 > 0:21:29This is thought to be one of Scotland's worst climbing accidents.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31We know...
0:21:31 > 0:21:36Only last winter, there were 178 known avalanches here,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40ranging from a one to a four, with five being the worst.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44And 22 of those were thought to have been caused by humans.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Although it's incredibly beautiful here,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48it's also very dangerous.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52As a senior forecaster,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Mark is one of the unseen heroes of the mountain.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58He helps determine the likelihood of a snow event,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00such as an avalanche.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02He has various ways of profiling the snow
0:22:02 > 0:22:05to judge which areas might be at greatest risk,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08but no one way can provide a definitive answer
0:22:08 > 0:22:11whether an avalanche will happen or not.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13So there's a whole different raft of tools,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17I suppose, that you use in order to assess the likelihood of avalanches?
0:22:17 > 0:22:20That's right. We can see what we've got.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22I'm amazed you fit it all into that small rucksack there.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Obviously, I've got a shovel, which I'm going to use to excavate...
0:22:26 > 0:22:30a hole, if you like, so I can sort of see the different layers.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35Really, what we're interested in is how those layers knit to one another.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- OK.- Because that really is how an avalanche occurs.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41If the layers aren't knitting together,
0:22:41 > 0:22:43then you get one layer sliding on top of another.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47And especially now when we have such stormy weather,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49it's really unstable at the moment.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53This gives me an idea of how those layers are sticking together.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56And is this something you would do every day that you're out
0:22:56 > 0:22:59looking for signs of avalanche potential?
0:22:59 > 0:23:01- Yes, every day.- Every day? Wow.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09So what can we see here? To me, this just looks like a wall of snow.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11- Right. If you look at it we can see...- Oh, yes.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13- ..there's a very distinct layer. - Yes.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Obviously, that's really light and that gets really icy and hard
0:23:17 > 0:23:20and that's because it really rained and began to freeze
0:23:20 > 0:23:21and so that's this top layer.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23So this snow here's all since yesterday.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27This is really sort of what's come through last night
0:23:27 > 0:23:29and during the day.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31I mean, we are quite low down in the mountains.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33We're about 500 metres here.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Higher up, in certain places, that would be really deep.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40- I mean, it may well be chest deep in places.- Wow.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42- Because the wind is pushed into those areas.- Yes.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47- So is that any kind of risk? Would that profile be of concern?- Yes.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50What we need to do now is explore and see how the snow behaves.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53This top stuff, you'll see, see how loose it is.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56You squeeze and it's not exactly gone into...
0:23:56 > 0:23:59- With one squeeze, into a really good snowball.- Yes.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02- It's quite dusty even, isn't it? Dry looking.- Dusty, light.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06I would say that given how loose and powdery it is,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08there's going to be weaknesses in there.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10What else do you look for?
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Um, well, what we can do is actually see how this top layer
0:24:13 > 0:24:17is adhering to this icy layer.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21- All right?- Yes.- So what I can do is take a sample, isolate a little area
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and tap it from below and see how it behaves.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28OK, so, now we're going to see
0:24:28 > 0:24:32- if there's any layers in that new snow that may fail, all right?- Right.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35So, we're putting a shock on it, a bit like a person would
0:24:35 > 0:24:39if they were on the surface, all right? So we tap it underneath.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- Not so much yet. Let's give it a bit firmer...- Oh.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- And see how it cleaves. - It cleaves right off there.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49OK, so if there's a little layer in there,
0:24:49 > 0:24:53there's something in there that made it slide. All right?
0:24:53 > 0:24:55And that might only be a millimetre thick,
0:24:55 > 0:24:59- but you can see how it builds up and builds up.- Yes.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04So that layer will remain weak, but more and more snow on top of that
0:25:04 > 0:25:07- will make that much more significant, won't it?- Yes.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11So then with a magnifying glass, you can look at what the grain is.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14In this layer that's cleaved off, you look at that...
0:25:14 > 0:25:17- Because that's what producing the sliding surface.- Right.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- See how...- Ooh, that looks different.- Fluffy.- Yes, it is.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Like dust, almost.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25- Yes.- So you pick up, you build up a picture from all these
0:25:25 > 0:25:28different tests that you do as well as looking around you.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30What do you do with that information?
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Right, well, this is only part of it.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35The next most important thing is to actually travel
0:25:35 > 0:25:38because this sample, it's only a little metre square.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41You know, we want to make sure how relevant it is
0:25:41 > 0:25:43to the whole landscape.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47And from that, we can then produce a true avalanche report,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50because we know what the distribution is of any weak snow.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53And they'll range from relatively small-scale events
0:25:53 > 0:25:56to the more epic ones that potentially cause...
0:25:56 > 0:26:01- cause harm.- That's right. We scale them in different sizes.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04So one... Zero's not quite big enough to bury somebody,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07then another size is big enough to bury somebody
0:26:07 > 0:26:09and the next is big enough to bury a car.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Then the next one, which would be a three, or a four,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14would bury a train carriage.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18So that's how we sort of grade the size of the avalanches, if you like.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Avalanches rarely occur unprovoked
0:26:22 > 0:26:26and there are some other tell-tale signs to look out for.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Light snow drifting over a frozen surface,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35large, irregular collections of snow on rounded contours,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38or overhanging crags
0:26:38 > 0:26:41and cracks radiating outward from your footprints.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45These are just some things that can indicate avalanche-prone snow.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50With Mark's expert guidance, he takes me to a safe place
0:26:50 > 0:26:53to show just what can happen if you're caught out.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56So, we can do a little test if you like.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58We'll go across towards that edge
0:26:58 > 0:27:00and see if it fractures near our feet.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03- OK, that sounds quite nerve-racking. - Do you want to go first?
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- Not really, but go on... - So, go across there.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Sort of go in that direction. Let's see what happens underneath our feet.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13- Keep going.- Whoa. - It's quite deep, so...
0:27:13 > 0:27:16- Are you sure this isn't going to send me down the edge?- Let's see.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22I'm up to thigh level here. And... There's some cracking over there.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Oh, my God. Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa! Wow.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28- THEY LAUGH - I'm quite close to the edge.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Yes, I can see how that happens. That's quite terrifying.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- There it goes, there it goes. - SHE LAUGHS
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Do you need any more clues than that?
0:27:38 > 0:27:40- I'm convinced. I am convinced. - THEY LAUGH
0:27:40 > 0:27:42There we go. Ah...
0:27:44 > 0:27:47- I'm relieved to be back up here, I can tell you. - SHE STRAINS
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Jobs like Mark's are vital,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56because tragedy can often just be a step away.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00It's clear this terrain deserves the utmost respect,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03because temperatures can often go below minus 15
0:28:03 > 0:28:06and blizzards are pretty commonplace.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Extreme climber John Lyle knows this better than most.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17Last winter, BBC cameras joined him on the mountains.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18At this time of year,
0:28:18 > 0:28:22only the most skilled mountaineers can tackle this range.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25And though John's climbed the Andes and the Himalayas,
0:28:25 > 0:28:26it is these mountains in winter
0:28:26 > 0:28:30that keep drawing him back, time and time again.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34The Cairngorms have got a vastness...
0:28:34 > 0:28:38a sort of beauty to tap into that other areas don't have.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40To get to some of the more remote spots,
0:28:40 > 0:28:42John will often overnight on the mountain
0:28:42 > 0:28:45and this means building a snow hole,
0:28:45 > 0:28:47which is a skill he's still perfecting...
0:28:49 > 0:28:52I think over years, mountaineers have, sort of improved them,
0:28:52 > 0:28:57and learned, as we all do, by our mistakes, of getting dropped on.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01John and his companion need to work fast,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04as daylight hours in winter are limited.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07He works out which part of the snow bank is least likely to collapse
0:29:07 > 0:29:09and gets stuck in.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13Getting through the most recent snowfall is the easy part.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15As you dig further and further in,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18you just get through all the ages of the snow, really.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21All the months going back, all the way back to the end of November.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27If there are two of you, you normally dig two tunnels in,
0:29:27 > 0:29:30and then you dig towards one another.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33Ah. Mr Preston, I presume.
0:29:34 > 0:29:40A snow hole is the only way to get through the night up here during the winter.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44The temperature on the inside of the snow cave is around 20 degrees higher
0:29:44 > 0:29:46than on the outside.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49Up here, without shelter, you could freeze to death.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53It makes for a decent night's rest
0:29:53 > 0:29:56and means John can make the most of the next day's climbing.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07'I think it's great. One candle lights up the whole place
0:30:07 > 0:30:10'and it makes a really cosy place, out of the wind.'
0:30:10 > 0:30:11Cheers. Slange.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20The Cairngorms can be just as testing as the Arctic.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23When it comes to the weather, no two days are the same up here
0:30:23 > 0:30:26and the next morning high winds
0:30:26 > 0:30:28and temperatures way below freezing greet them.
0:30:30 > 0:30:35In the Cairngorms, temperatures can dip as low as minus 27 degrees,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39but it's the wind chill that makes the peaks so hostile.
0:30:40 > 0:30:48170mph winds, the highest ever in the UK, have been recorded here on the summit of Cairngorm.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56This is the sheer crag known as Helm's Lan.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01The climb is a mix of rock and ice,
0:31:01 > 0:31:05perilous because the conditions of the ice are ever-changing.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12'The snow will be blowing down onto the face you're climbing on.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14'You can't see where your ice axes
0:31:14 > 0:31:18'and crampons are because there is so much snow moving around you.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21'But you can still climb in those conditions.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30'Ah, winter climbing in the Cairngorms is the best climbing there is.
0:31:30 > 0:31:31'I think it's very special.'
0:31:33 > 0:31:38Despite its dangers, for someone like John the appeal of pitting himself against this
0:31:38 > 0:31:42terrain in winter easily outweighs the risks involved.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48'The big, wild expanses of plateaus, the hidden quarries,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51'the places that take a lot of effort to get to,
0:31:51 > 0:31:55'to me they've got as many challenges as I can want in my whole life.'
0:32:02 > 0:32:07John Lyle shares the mountain in winter with a variety of wildlife.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10All of them, like him, incredibly tough.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14One of the most resilient here in the Cairngorms is the mountain hare.
0:32:17 > 0:32:22This mammal is very well adapted to withstand the arctic conditions here
0:32:22 > 0:32:25and will be found living above 1,600 feet.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30In winter, its fur changes colour from russet brown to grey or white,
0:32:30 > 0:32:36which helps to camouflage the hare against the snow from potential predators like peregrine falcons.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42Indigenous to Scotland, with around 350,000 of them in all,
0:32:42 > 0:32:47the mountain hare is smaller and more compact than the more common brown hare in Britain.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54Their smaller size helps to conserve body heat in the cold of winter.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59This mammal will also conserve food.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02As there's little to eat, it has one meal,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05and then consumes it again by eating its droppings,
0:33:05 > 0:33:07getting every last nutrient out of each feed.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Mountain hares are perfectly adapted to life up here,
0:33:15 > 0:33:17but they're not alone.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21At more than 1,000 feet, there is a surprising winter
0:33:21 > 0:33:24resident in these mountains as Alan Titchmarsh explains.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32There's a creature living here that defies the odds.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38I'm pond dipping.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43Now, I know it sounds bizarre, and although this pond's been frozen,
0:33:43 > 0:33:47on and off, for the last couple of months,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50it still contains some rather surprisingly forms of life.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55What's more, I'm collecting something you'd expect to see
0:33:55 > 0:33:56at a very different time of year.
0:33:59 > 0:34:05Tadpoles. What are they doing here in the middle of winter?
0:34:05 > 0:34:08Well, to find the answer to that, we have to discover what
0:34:08 > 0:34:11went on here last spring.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18In early spring, our Highland pools are often fringed with snow
0:34:18 > 0:34:22and covered by ice but it doesn't deter the frogs around here.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25They're common frogs, the sort you find in your garden
0:34:25 > 0:34:29but these are undoubtedly the Sherpa Tenzings of the species.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36They are busy even when the temperature is below zero.
0:34:36 > 0:34:42They mate in the snow and the females lay their eggs in ice cold ponds.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45Then they leave them to grow on their own.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51But their development into froglets is far from ordinary.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56In my garden in the south of England,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59the frogspawn appears in the pond towards the end of February.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04The tadpoles follow and the young frogs emerge from the pond in around July.
0:35:04 > 0:35:09But up here, it's so cold they don't have a chance to complete
0:35:09 > 0:35:11the life cycle in a single season.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16So although these little fellows hatched last spring,
0:35:16 > 0:35:20they won't turn into frogs until this coming summer,
0:35:20 > 0:35:24which means they'll have taken a record 1.5 years to develop.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27I think perhaps it's time to put them back into this pond
0:35:27 > 0:35:30and let them get on with growing.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33You know, it's tough being a Cairngorm tadpole.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36Well, it's hard being a Cairngorms anything.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43Regardless of size, you have to be pretty tough to survive out here
0:35:43 > 0:35:45in these hostile conditions in winter
0:35:45 > 0:35:46and that goes for plants, too.
0:35:53 > 0:35:54In the colder months,
0:35:54 > 0:35:59heather dominates many of the UK's mountain ranges when our other native plants die back.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04It is this humble plant that is food
0:36:04 > 0:36:06for many of the Cairngorms' winter residents
0:36:06 > 0:36:11and forms an essential part of the intricate ecosystem here.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14David Lambie is a local heather expert.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18- Hi, David. How are you doing? - Hi, how are you?- Good to meet you.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20- Pleased to meet you. - What are you digging for here?
0:36:20 > 0:36:24- Well, believe it or not, I'm digging for heather.- Really? Are you having much luck?
0:36:24 > 0:36:27We've gradually got down to it.
0:36:27 > 0:36:33There's a sprig down here which I'll get for you. There we are.
0:36:33 > 0:36:34There it is.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37So how is it able to survive in these incredibly cold conditions?
0:36:37 > 0:36:42- They have needlelike leaves. - Little tiny ones there.
0:36:42 > 0:36:47Yeah, the needles are covered in hair, which helps to insulate it.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50And actually, calluna, this is Calluna vulgaris,
0:36:50 > 0:36:54wild heather, we've got about three million acres of that here.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58And it produces its own antifreeze protein,
0:36:58 > 0:37:03which I believe has been used for some confectionery,
0:37:03 > 0:37:05- ice cream and suchlike.- Amazing.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09But it's these three factors, which help to protect
0:37:09 > 0:37:12the plant during the winter months.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14And it seems to survive pretty well, even under the snow.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18Well, the snow actually is good for it in many respects
0:37:18 > 0:37:24and underneath the snow, a blanket of snow, it's probably a degree
0:37:24 > 0:37:28or two warmer under the snow than it is without any snow.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32- So it's preferable to be under the snow?- Absolutely.
0:37:32 > 0:37:33A degree or so warmer.
0:37:33 > 0:37:38How high in altitude can you find heather growing?
0:37:38 > 0:37:43It diminishes in size the higher you go.
0:37:43 > 0:37:49When you get up to probably around the 2,500, 3,000 foot contour,
0:37:49 > 0:37:56you are probably going to get very prostrate heather. Very flat.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59In latitude terms, where are we level with now?
0:37:59 > 0:38:01In latitude terms, believe it or not,
0:38:01 > 0:38:08- we are level with Moscow, Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Alaska.- So chilly.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10That's our latitude.
0:38:10 > 0:38:15- So it's not really surprising that we have these conditions.- Indeed.
0:38:15 > 0:38:20What kind of wildlife does the heather sustain?
0:38:20 > 0:38:23Does anything dig down for it or does anything live on it?
0:38:23 > 0:38:28At high attitude, you'll probably get ptarmigan, mountain hare.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31The main beneficiary, probably, of heather is the red grouse.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Black grouse feeds on it as well.
0:38:35 > 0:38:40The grouse needs the young shoots for nutritional value,
0:38:40 > 0:38:44but it also needs the long, rank heather to hide from prey
0:38:44 > 0:38:47like peregrine falcons and suchlike.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50Do humans make use of the heather in the winter?
0:38:50 > 0:38:55Yeah, they very often use it for, or would do in days gone by,
0:38:55 > 0:38:59they would use it for insulation, insulating the houses,
0:38:59 > 0:39:04for kindling, pots, covers, floor tiles, doormats, besoms.
0:39:04 > 0:39:10- Wow, plenty of uses!- Lots of different uses.- That's wonderful.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15Our humble heather is used in such a variety of ways by both wildlife
0:39:15 > 0:39:19and humans living here. It's a key ingredient to sustaining life
0:39:19 > 0:39:22during this most unforgiving season.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26To survive the tough conditions of the British mountains in winter,
0:39:26 > 0:39:28you have to be fairly resourceful.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32From December to March, it can be a pretty uncomfortable place to be.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36But there are those who are not put off by the demands of this environment.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39Over in Snowdonia, it can be a welcome challenge.
0:39:41 > 0:39:46Last winter, the BBC came here to film park warden Rhys Gwynn as he headed to work.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Winter down here in the southern end of the park can be very
0:39:53 > 0:39:56different to the weather north in the high mountains.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Snowdonia's only about 40 miles long or thereabouts
0:39:59 > 0:40:02but my patch can seem like a different world altogether.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05For Rhys, there's nowhere he'd rather be than
0:40:05 > 0:40:08here in southern Snowdonia in wintertime.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13Humans have been living here for over 6,000 years,
0:40:13 > 0:40:16but it's only in the last 60 that we've sought to preserve it
0:40:16 > 0:40:20with a national park and Rhys's role as park warden is relatively new.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23Over the space of a year, the challenges of his job will
0:40:23 > 0:40:26change as often as the weather.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28He has to balance protecting Snowdonia's wildlife
0:40:28 > 0:40:32and culture with the coming and going of some 9 million people
0:40:32 > 0:40:34who visit the park every year.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36In the quieter months, his only distraction
0:40:36 > 0:40:39comes from the animals which remain over the winter.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44The sound of winter for me is the sound of ravens.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46This is the time of year, January,
0:40:46 > 0:40:50when the ravens start to establish their territories.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52It won't be long before they'll be nestbuilding.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54They are perhaps the spirit of the mountain,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57they keep an eye on the Welsh.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00It's almost like an open-air concert for free.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08But Snowdonia is more renowned for its unique plant life than its birdsong.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12And it falls upon Rhys to know the flora in minute detail,
0:41:12 > 0:41:17even though they're spread across an area larger than Liverpool.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21And winter is the time to visit one of the area's rarest residents.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25Juniper's a very rare plant in the southern part of the park.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28They seem to be limited to three individual shrubs.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35The male ones produce cones with pollen on them
0:41:35 > 0:41:38and the female ones obviously produce the berries,
0:41:38 > 0:41:42the juniper berries that are so famous for flavouring gin.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46They are obviously in difficult circumstances
0:41:46 > 0:41:49and anything we can do to help should be done, really.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54By taking hardwood cuttings at the end
0:41:54 > 0:41:57of their growing season when the plant is at its strongest,
0:41:57 > 0:42:02Rhys is ensuring that these rare junipers have the best chance of taking root.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05It'll be another year before he can return the sapling
0:42:05 > 0:42:10to its mountainside home but the pay-off is worth it.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14A healthy juniper plant can live another 250 years.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Higher up in the mountains of North Snowdonia,
0:42:20 > 0:42:25shepherd Gwyn Thomas was also filmed facing his own challenges last winter.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27He sees his job as more of a calling.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32If you asked any shepherd or any farmer,
0:42:32 > 0:42:35very few would say that it's just a job.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41You farm from your heart.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51People often say how lucky I am.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54And over the years, I'd be thinking, "Me, lucky?
0:42:54 > 0:42:56"Running after sheep and wrestling with cattle?"
0:42:56 > 0:43:00And now that I'm getting older, I think, "Yes, I am lucky."
0:43:00 > 0:43:04I have been very, very fortunate to spend all my life on the mountains.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09This is one of the hardest places in Britain to farm sheep.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12The unpredictable climate in winter means that Gywn has to be
0:43:12 > 0:43:14constantly aware of the conditions.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20Penning sheep down here in the Ogden Valley is done much the same
0:43:20 > 0:43:23as it was three centuries ago when Gwyn's family first started farming.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31Because the winter is coming in now,
0:43:31 > 0:43:34we're preparing the sheep for the winter holidays,
0:43:34 > 0:43:37checking that they're fit and healthy on their feet,
0:43:37 > 0:43:40and also it's been a very wet season,
0:43:40 > 0:43:43so we're giving them a drench against fluke, liver fluke.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45That can affect them.
0:43:45 > 0:43:50And because I'm organic, I'm limited to the treatments I can give,
0:43:50 > 0:43:53so we're just preparing the ewes now, ready for them to leave the farm,
0:43:53 > 0:43:55go down to lowland pastures for the winter.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04Welsh mountain sheep have been bred especially to cope with
0:44:04 > 0:44:08the inhospitable mountain conditions, but Gwyn still has to
0:44:08 > 0:44:11send his flock to lowland pastures just to survive the winter.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16Little grass grows at high altitude at this time of year,
0:44:16 > 0:44:18and without it, the sheep could starve.
0:44:21 > 0:44:23When they've gone away, at least you know,
0:44:23 > 0:44:25well, if the weather does turn bad,
0:44:25 > 0:44:28at least they've got a better opportunity to stay alive.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41The old shepherds used to say the best shepherd is the white shepherd.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45The snow will bring them off the tops.
0:44:49 > 0:44:55If we do get a good covering of snow, then everything stops.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08I like a good, hard winter, where things do go to sleep.
0:45:09 > 0:45:14It charges the battery of the Earth, you know, to kickstart it for spring.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19People might think that I'm a bit odd, but maybe they're right too.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23But I really enjoyed the quietness of this period.
0:45:26 > 0:45:31There are not many farmers left who can make a living in these mountains.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34In winter, Gwyn has to rely on a lifetime of experience
0:45:34 > 0:45:38if he is to keep his flock from succumbing to Snowdonia's unpredictable environment.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47Conditions like this can really test the mettle of anyone working
0:45:47 > 0:45:49with animals in the mountains, where it's just you
0:45:49 > 0:45:52and your herd against the elements.
0:45:56 > 0:46:00Here in the Cairngorms, there's a shepherd with a herd that's unique in Britain.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05Although there are no longer any completely wild reindeer here,
0:46:05 > 0:46:09Tilly's herd, brought over from Scandinavia in the 1950s,
0:46:09 > 0:46:11comes fairly close.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14- So how do you call a reindeer? - Loudly!- Right, OK.
0:46:14 > 0:46:21And quite melodically. So it's... # Lohhhh-ohhhhh, come, now. #
0:46:21 > 0:46:25- But a bit louder than that.- OK. Louder still?- If possible.
0:46:25 > 0:46:26OK, I'll do my best.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30# Lohhhhhhh-ohhhhhhh. #
0:46:30 > 0:46:34- Let's see what happens.- Very melodic, isn't it, very tuneful.- It is.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37You want your sound to carry and interestingly, even if the wind's against you,
0:46:37 > 0:46:40and it is today, the wind's blowing down to us,
0:46:40 > 0:46:42it's amazing how they just hear that sound.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45'The call we're making is meant to replicate the sound
0:46:45 > 0:46:49'a reindeer herder's horn would have historically made.'
0:46:49 > 0:46:52Although it's very snowy, and it's very cold,
0:46:52 > 0:46:56and we're hungry, actually, the reindeer aren't.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58Their appetite falls in the wintertime
0:46:58 > 0:47:00and they have a much lower metabolic rate.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03They've done all their feasting in the summertime, all their growing,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06all their getting ready for the winter, preparing themselves.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08They're then in calf
0:47:08 > 0:47:12and they survive in calf right through the winter time,
0:47:12 > 0:47:14just feeding on lichens and heathers and sedges,
0:47:14 > 0:47:20- and it's their own body fat that helps the calf grow.- No sign yet.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23We'll give another shout, I think. OK, go for it.
0:47:23 > 0:47:29# Lohhhhhhhh-ohhhhhhhhh. #
0:47:29 > 0:47:32So here they are, just coming over the skyline now.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35And actually the leader is a young female called Diddly.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39There's plenty! I'm not expecting this many. How many in the herd?
0:47:39 > 0:47:43Well, there should be 65 or so in the group here today.
0:47:43 > 0:47:48Some of them have calves born last year, so they're now nine months old,
0:47:48 > 0:47:51and the cows will be in calf. They're calving in May.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55Some of the reindeer will have their antlers still from last year. Some of them may have lost them.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59Am I right in thinking they sometimes chew on the antlers once they've shed?
0:47:59 > 0:48:01Very much so. It's a real recycling process. Full of calcium,
0:48:01 > 0:48:05that's how they've grown. And to grow new ones, they need the calcium back in their bodies.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08And for a female reindeer in particular,
0:48:08 > 0:48:09it's quite important because not only does
0:48:09 > 0:48:13- she have to grow antlers, which need calcium, she produces milk.- Wow.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17- Hello!- And as we see,
0:48:17 > 0:48:20we've got mothers coming down with their calves.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23Not getting any milk now, the calves,
0:48:23 > 0:48:25but still enjoying the bond with their mother
0:48:25 > 0:48:30because if the mother does nothing else for them, it gives them status in the herd.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33Their antlers are there for pushing other reindeer around and Hopper,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36although she doesn't protect her calves, she certainly doesn't,
0:48:36 > 0:48:38if anyone gives it a hard time,
0:48:38 > 0:48:43- she would certainly have something to say about it!- Wow, this is fantastic.
0:48:43 > 0:48:48As you can see, a lot of bolshiness, a lot of pushing around.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52When the food's under the snow and you've got to dig a hole for it,
0:48:52 > 0:48:54you want to protect that. So the antlers are there for that.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58What adaptations do the reindeers have to living in this climate?
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Well, it's all about their coats.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04They have hair from the tips of their noses to the bottom of their feet.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08And that coat is so well insulating, when they lie on the snow,
0:49:08 > 0:49:11they don't even melt it. No cold gets in and no heat gets out.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14Everything says we live in a cold climate.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16And you may be cold today and I may be cold today,
0:49:16 > 0:49:20- but these reindeer are in their element!- Extraordinary.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24Winds of 170mph have been known on the top of Cairngorm.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28- Do they come down when the conditions are that bad?- No.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30They stay out here all the time.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33And in fact, they don't even seek shelter, these reindeer,
0:49:33 > 0:49:38because if they seek shelter, they go to areas where the snow drifts,
0:49:38 > 0:49:40and then it will be completely heaped up with snow.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43So they actually go up on these exposed ridges
0:49:43 > 0:49:44and they just sit it out.
0:49:44 > 0:49:49But this is really one of the few places in the UK that's ideal for them, this sort of environment.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52It's actually the only place in the UK.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56The Cairngorms is the only Arctic and sub-Arctic area
0:49:56 > 0:49:59left in Great Britain and that's because of its positioning
0:49:59 > 0:50:02in Great Britain, centrally placed in the Highlands, and its height.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05So that's why they were originally brought here back in 1952.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08And you've got the space, of course. And they like to roam.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11They certainly do, and they've roamed a long way to get here today!
0:50:11 > 0:50:15- Well, let's make it worth their while. Shall we give them some food? - That's a good idea.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19Right, so we just put the feed out in a line, basically.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23- There's a lot of interest here. - There is a lot of interest.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25You can see they're very quickly eating it. All of that will go.
0:50:25 > 0:50:30- I'm right in their way.- They'll soon tell you if you're in the way.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34It's been a strange weather year. How has that been for the reindeer?
0:50:34 > 0:50:37It's actually been a very good year for them. The farmers have complained
0:50:37 > 0:50:40that the stock have come through the summer in bad condition
0:50:40 > 0:50:43but my reindeer couldn't have come off the mountain looking better.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45And the ones to indicate that are the calves.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49They've come back with lovely antlers, points on their antlers,
0:50:49 > 0:50:52big, stocky chaps all ready to face the winter time.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56- Why do you think this is?- They just are adapted for this environment.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59- So the tougher it is, the better they do, really? - They certainly do that.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06These reindeer are uniquely adapted for insulation
0:51:06 > 0:51:08and conservation of energy.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11Down at this low level, for animals like the reindeer,
0:51:11 > 0:51:14life is pretty easy.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17Higher up the mountain, at 2,000 feet,
0:51:17 > 0:51:21conditions can get particularly tough for wildlife and for humans
0:51:21 > 0:51:24as cameraman Gordon Buchanan discovered when he came here
0:51:24 > 0:51:27to try and film Britain's toughest bird, the ptarmigan.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37Is really hard to believe that anything can exist up here
0:51:37 > 0:51:39when the weather's so harsh like this.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41I've got layers and layers of clothing on.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44I don't think I'm going to last much more than one night here
0:51:44 > 0:51:48but there is a bird that spends its entire life up here in the mountains.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00It's a true Arctic specialist. The ptarmigan.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03It's a type of grouse that adapted to live in the extreme
0:52:03 > 0:52:05conditions of the high mountains,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08and it has the reputation of being the UK's toughest bird.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14I've been given special permission to camp up here.
0:52:14 > 0:52:19Winter days are short and it means that I can be out at first light.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22But putting a tent up in gale force winds isn't easy.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32Oh, gosh, that's nice. Warmth is one of those simple pleasures
0:52:32 > 0:52:34that we just take for granted.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37Incredible to think that these ptarmigan are living
0:52:37 > 0:52:40out there without all of the kind of comforts I've brought up with me.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48Oh, boy, that's good. I'm going to try and get some rest.
0:52:55 > 0:53:00In the morning, the weather has closed in.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02It is foul out there.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05I took all this equipment up, the tent, all this clothing,
0:53:05 > 0:53:08to stay warm, dry, cosy up here at the top of the mountain,
0:53:08 > 0:53:10but I'm having an increasing appreciation
0:53:10 > 0:53:12for what these ptarmigan are up against.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16I'm not warm, I'm not dry and I'm definitely not cosy.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24I'm going to have a look around this area. Apart from the cold
0:53:24 > 0:53:27and wind, the other thing we've got to compete with is visibility.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30Trying to see anything up here is difficult.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Something as well camouflaged as a ptarmigan,
0:53:33 > 0:53:36I think, is going to be pretty tough on a day like this.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38With conditions so bad, I've got no choice
0:53:38 > 0:53:41but to move down the mountain, below the cloud line.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48It's really incredible, not only how quickly the weather changes
0:53:48 > 0:53:51but the weather down here is completely different
0:53:51 > 0:53:54to how it is up on the top. Now we can actually see where we're going.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10Oh, there we go. I knew they were going to be around here. Perfect.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17There's lots of cool ways that ptarmigan have evolved to exist up here.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20They're entirely covered in this soft, very downy feather.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22Even their feet are feathered.
0:54:22 > 0:54:26They act as snowshoes as well as insulating their feet.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28They're even feathered right up to their nostrils.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33You can see them picking away on the vegetation.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36It's this kind of Alpine, low, woody,
0:54:36 > 0:54:39kind of shrubby type of stuff that they're picking on.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43They'll actually store food in their crop so that through the dark,
0:54:43 > 0:54:46cold nights, they can sit there, regurgitating the things
0:54:46 > 0:54:50that are in their crop and feed through the night. It's like a packed lunch built into your neck.
0:54:52 > 0:54:53The thing that really does it from me
0:54:53 > 0:54:57with these birds is their ability to change colour.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00As the mountaintops get covered in snow and become white,
0:55:00 > 0:55:04the ptarmigan also change their colour and become white.
0:55:04 > 0:55:05That's pretty clever.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07When the weather's really bad,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10the ptarmigan will actually dig little snow holes
0:55:10 > 0:55:12and tuck themselves down in there.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20Ptarmigan definitely are one of my favourite birds.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25It incredible that they can exist up here, 365 days of the year.
0:55:25 > 0:55:27And it's not just the birds themselves that I love,
0:55:27 > 0:55:29it's where they live, their habitat,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32the mountains of Scotland that I just simply adore.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34It's the most fantastic place on the planet.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36And what I learned after last night
0:55:36 > 0:55:39is that they belong here and I don't.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52Ptarmigan are perfectly suited to these snowy slopes,
0:55:52 > 0:55:57but the Cairngorms also boasts one of our most iconic raptors.
0:55:57 > 0:55:59And to see them, you have to look to the skies.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14Golden eagles were originally found all over Europe,
0:56:14 > 0:56:18but like most other raptors, they were widely killed by farmers
0:56:18 > 0:56:21and gamekeepers which caused serious declines,
0:56:21 > 0:56:23both in their numbers and range.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32Despite this, the eagle managed to survive in small numbers in Scotland.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34Aided by conservation measures,
0:56:34 > 0:56:38today, over 400 pairs of golden eagles live here.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46One of our largest raptors, the golden eagle's wingspan
0:56:46 > 0:56:51measures around 6.5 feet and they can range up to 90 miles.
0:56:51 > 0:56:56They have over 2,000 feathers, from tiny, warming, down feathers
0:56:56 > 0:56:59to keep out the cold, to broad flight feathers.
0:57:03 > 0:57:07The golden eagle normally hunts down its prey, but in winter,
0:57:07 > 0:57:12snow and ice can deplete the supply and even this skilful predator is forced to scavenge,
0:57:12 > 0:57:17feeding off hares, grouse and ptarmigan as well as large mammals.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22Its success in the highlands is partly due to the high stocks
0:57:22 > 0:57:24of red deer and sheep in these glens,
0:57:24 > 0:57:28and the inevitable casualties of the harsh winters here.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32The population density of the golden eagle in Scotland
0:57:32 > 0:57:34is now one of the highest in the world
0:57:34 > 0:57:39and winter here is the perfect time to observe this majestic bird.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54Surviving winter in our British mountains isn't an easy task
0:57:54 > 0:57:56for wildlife or the people who live here.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00It requires adaptation, specialist skill,
0:58:00 > 0:58:02and, ultimately, the acceptance
0:58:02 > 0:58:05that it's the weather that rules the terrain
0:58:05 > 0:58:08and decides how each day plays out.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10It's a pretty humbling experience
0:58:10 > 0:58:14to realise how insignificant we are in this British winter wonderland.
0:58:21 > 0:58:22Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd