Photography/Caves Weather Watchers with Barra Best

It's all around us. It connects us.

Should it be wind from the west,

rain from the east

or the sun above, it's our weather.

We have been forecasting our weather for centuries.

We once looked at plants

and animals for hints about what the weather would do.

We thought rain was on the way

if cows were seen to be lying down, frogs croaked more frequently,

pine cones opened and sheep's wool uncurled.

Sayings and proverbs were our barometer.

"Red sky at night, shepherd's delight.

"Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning."

These are natural forecasting methods, but today,

the weather team at BBC Northern Ireland have the most up-to-date,

scientific data at their fingertips to bring you an accurate forecast.

Let's get the latest on the weather forecast now.

As our weather is so changeable, it makes it very interesting

for forecasters, because each day is different in one way or another.

So we need lots of things -

computer models, satellite imagery and observations from the ground.

We collate these

and work out what is going to happen for the next few days.

But, as Angie explains, where we live plays a part too.

People often ask why the weather is

so changeable here in Northern Ireland

compared to other areas,

especially those on similar latitudes.

And a lot has to do with positioning.

Take, for example, Moscow.

It's more or less on the same latitude as ourselves,

but it's in the middle of a large landmass.

Now, land heats up very quickly in the summer months.

The air passing over the land heats up as well

and they get very high temperatures.

In contrast, Northern Ireland - well, we are positioned

at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

Water doesn't heat up at the same rate,

and a lot of our weather of course is coming across that water,

off the Atlantic, so we don't get the same extremes.

Now, the opposite then happens in the winter months.

Over the land, it cools down extremely quickly,

plummeting temperatures.

Here in Northern Ireland, again, the sea modifies our temperatures.

The water doesn't cool down at the same rate

and that is why we have what is called a moderate climate.

I'm going to go out and experience how that moderate climate

shapes our lives.

And I'm starting with my head in the clouds.

# It's a bright, sun-shiney day

# Skies are so blue

# And I'm leaving... #

I have come to the Ulster Gliding Club

at Bellarena to meet Alan McKillen, and even though I am

taking to the skies, I won't be in a plane, but a glider -

an aircraft that doesn't have an engine

and relies solely on the weather for power.

-OK, Barra.

-Great.

-Just put this on.

-And obviously this is just for emergencies.

-Absolutely.

-Totally.

-There we go.

-Brilliant.

To get off the ground, we need a bit of help.

There we are. We'll be off in about three seconds.

One, two, three.

-That's us off.

-And we're off, we're up!

-We're going to go to 3,000 feet today, Barra.

-3,000 feet.

-That's quite high up for something that doesn't have an engine.

-Well!

One way the glider stays in the air is by using a thermal, which is

a stream of rising warm air formed by the sun hitting the ground.

What do you know to look for at this stage?

We try and interpret the clouds ahead of us.

And we'd look for nice, young, wispy clouds,

which would be an indication of a thermal just starting to grow.

And it's a perfect gliding day, with lots of puffy cumulus clouds.

And you're kind of in a privileged position, because you have

all sorts of weather coming from different directions that helps you.

A multitude of different types of weather.

The skill of a glider pilot is interpreting

the weather on the day and making best use of it.

It's time to release ourselves from the tug plane and fly solo.

-OK, off we go.

-Tell me when.

-Now.

Whoo! We're doing it ourselves.

That's it. We are on our own.

Wow, look at that. That is beautiful.

It's the weather now that's literally allowing us

to fly without an engine.

Absolutely. We are soaring.

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

It's a bit scary!

The flying club is ideally situated

at the foothills of Binevenagh Mountain,

and Alan is going to use the mountain ridge to gain altitude.

Whoo! Ha!

You're going to give me a heart attack.

MUSIC: Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Well, that's just a very small taste of the energy

-that can be in the atmosphere, Barra.

-This must be how birds feel.

-This is really just harnessing the power of the weather.

-Absolutely.

That is what soaring and gliding is all about.

# Cos I'm as free as a bird now

# And this bird you cannot... #

-You really do get a buzz from it, though.

-Absolutely, Barra.

I've done a 300-kilometre flight.

The buzz when you land and the sense of achievement...

But I'll maybe come round now

and head in the general direction of back towards the airfield.

-OK?

-OK. Whoo!

That's a long way down.

Wow. We generally think of clouds,

we think, "Aw, there's going to be a chance of rain here, what do we do?"

You know, bring the washing in. But we harness it for this.

The weather might be keeping us airborne,

but how do we land this thing?!

Oh-ho!

Now I know what they mean by a wing and a prayer.

-Here we go.

-Yes.

-Almost touchdown.

-Whoo!

Wow!

Touchdown! Phew!

-Fantastic! And surprisingly smooth!

-Thank you.

Didn't know what to expect there.

Thankfully, I didn't need my parachute.

THEY LAUGH

And from gliding, which relies on clouds,

to a profession that requires a cloudless sky.

Across Loch Goil, as the crow or indeed the glider flies,

is the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal,

and I'm going there now to meet up with photographer Martina Gardiner.

Martina's photographs are dramatic nightscapes

featuring constellations, auroras and the Milky Way.

Martina, you have a lot of night-time photographs here.

It is a real passion of yours. What got you interested in it?

Well, I was always interested in photography, but it is really in the

last four or five years that I have got into night-time photography.

There's just something about being out there on a great starry night

and just looking up and enjoying the stars.

Yeah, I just can't help myself. I just love it.

It can't be as easy as that. I mean, looking at this photograph...

I mean, that's fantastic. But surely you can't just go out and think,

"I'm going to get that photograph tonight"?

No, to catch the Milky Way in a photograph,

it has to be the right time of the month.

That's a time when there is little or no moonlight.

The other thing is you need an absolutely clear sky.

So trying to get the two on the one night, that's the difficult part.

What are the chances of both of those things

-happening at the same time?

-Well, we have picked the right day.

There is no moon by the time we can photograph the Milky Way tonight.

And the weather... I'm not too sure about.

It's little iffy, but maybe you know better.

Well, sure, why don't we have a wee look before we head off?

We can see a few wee breaks in the cloud. Hopefully they'll continue

and we'll get a few photographs like this.

-Yeah, fantastic.

-Perfect.

We're off to Malin Head,

the most northerly tip on the island of Ireland.

With the wild Atlantic Ocean for a neighbour,

you'll have heard of Malin Head because

there's a weather station there.

'Malin: South five or six, fair, good. Hebrides...'

And the weather element which distinguishes this from other

stations throughout the country is the wind speed.

Storm-force 12 winds are regularly recorded.

Well, it looks like we're in a bit of luck. Some clear skies.

Yeah, it's always good when you see some clear skies. That's for sure.

You've been here before when it's been like this

and you've got some amazing shots.

-So perhaps we'll get some more of those tonight.

-Yeah.

If we get a clear sky even in one direction,

we'll be able to work with it. So, yeah, I'm quite optimistic so far.

-This is the spot you reckon we'll get a good shot from?

-Yeah.

We'll get a good shot of the tower from here,

and the sky is looking, actually, even better than I thought it might.

But we did have a look at the weather apps earlier.

It did tell us that the cloud was going to clear off for us.

-And it looks like it has done so.

-It's really shaping up nicely.

I'm really very excited.

-OK, so, tripod, camera, and that's us?

-Yeah.

-We're ready to go.

So we just line it up here and... Have a look.

Try to get all of the tower in and leave space for the stars as well.

So there we go.

It's not looking too bad so far.

No, the main thing is we've got the whole tower there

and we've got plenty of sky. When that fills with stars,

-it will be a pretty amazing shot.

-And it's not a bad night to wait out.

I'm sure you've been here when it's been much worse.

It's the windiest place in Ireland.

Yes, like tonight, as nights on Malin Head go,

I think this is amazing.

Having no wind is really something.

-So we sit back, wait for that perfect shot?

-Yeah.

'It mightn't be windy tonight, but it's cold. Very cold.

'It's no wonder the Romans called Ireland Hibernia,

'the land of winter.'

We haven't got long to wait.

-That's hopefully going to heat us up for a wee while. Cheers.

-Cheers.

-OK, Barra, we're ready for a shot.

-OK, ready.

So we've got to stay steady for 25 seconds. Ready? And... Action!

Deep breath in. I don't want to end up a blur on the landscape.

Here goes.

-That looks great. Come on down, have a look.

-OK, breathe out.

OK.

Let's have a look.

Well, that's fantastic.

-All the colours have really come out well, haven't they?

-Yeah.

They've turned out pretty well.

We haven't got, like, all the stars I'd like.

A few stars at the top, but...

But the weather hasn't completely let us down.

It's been a great day, great photograph.

-It has got a bit chilly, though, hasn't it?

-Yeah!

But it's all been worth it.

Maybe not as starry as Martina would have liked,

but I think it's picture perfect.

The blanket bog of Cuilcagh Mountain in County Fermanagh

is one of the finest examples in Western Europe.

This may look like a nice scenic path for the ordinary rambler,

but of course it's doing something important for the conservation of this area.

Yeah, the sole and only reason we put the boardwalk in is to

help conserve the habitat.

What was basically happening was the footfall of walkers was

eroding this rare blanket bog,

so we had to take some remedial action to protect it.

Today is quite a nice day,

but it's not great for the midges here. I'm been eaten alive!

-I think we need to go for a higher altitude.

-Yes, I think so.

We can try and find a bit of breeze.

-Over halfway up. It's longer than it looks, isn't it?

-It is, yes. Indeed.

But some of the views are spectacular.

The views are certainly worth it. There is no doubt.

You're looking right across Fermanagh here, out into Donegal.

-It's pretty breathtaking, all right.

-And what?

-We've got about 200, 300 steps still ahead of us.

-Well, we'll get there.

-So no trees?

-No, no trees, no.

Peat's not a very good growing medium, so it's only

specialised plants that can tolerate those nutrient-poor conditions.

We're almost at the top.

The trail across the bogland is over 7km long,

and takes us to the summit of Cuilcagh Mountain,

but so far, it's been worth it.

Well, here we are, Richard. Up to the top. 660 metres.

It's still quite squelchy, isn't it?

And you can really tell that the rainfall

shaped this land in front of us.

Yes, it has a profound effect on the landscape around us.

And how important is the bogland and why?

Well, the bog is important in its own right for its biodiversity

and its intrinsic environmental value.

But equally, it acts as a carbon store.

This blanket bog and other bogs in Ireland are literally storing

millions of tonnes of carbon.

The peat is basically vegetation which hasn't completely rotted,

so it's locked away in the bog over thousands and thousands of years.

So this is really almost playing the same role as

the Amazon rainforest in helping with climate change.

This is a European protected habitat

and without that level of rainfall, it wouldn't exist.

So essentially, you don't mind Fermanagh being called

one of the wettest counties of Northern Ireland,

-if not Ireland?

-At times.

On my day off, I'd rather it was a bit drier, maybe sometimes.

-But what can you do?

-Still, a day like today,

the views are breathtaking.

Yes, it's fabulous. It really is.

And from a breathtaking but treeless landscape to a lush forestry,

and my pathway to the underground, where the waters that fell

on Cuilcagh bogland have made their way to the marble arch caves.

-Michelle.

-Hello, how are you?

-How are you? God, that's some walk!

-Great weather for it, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Are you ready to go underground?

-I am indeed. Let's go.

-If you follow me, we'll head on in.

-Perfect.

Michelle's going to be my guide through this fascinating

natural underworld of waterfalls, rivers, caves and winding passages.

It's beautiful and brilliant.

We are deep below Fermanagh, and you may be forgiven for thinking

-the weather above won't affect us, but it does.

-Yes, it does.

Rainwater that falls on Cuilcagh Mountain, it's actually

the catchment area for the three rivers that flow into

the marble arch caves, and we're actually

making our way up one of the rivers.

It is called the Cladagh Glen.

So you can imagine that the weather we experience in Fermanagh, and in

particular up on Cuilcagh Mountain, has a large impact

in relation to the show cave.

We are able to come comfortably through this cave, but that all

depends on the amount of rainfall that we get above, doesn't it?

This cave tour is very much weather dependent.

There are days when we have to opt that we don't have a cave tour available.

It really depends on the blanket bog,

whether or not the blanket bog is dry or if it's saturated.

It depends on if it's local rain or if it has fallen at a distance.

And it also depends on what the rivers are like, if they've

had a period of time where they've dried up or if there's water in it.

That is why the staff that work here monitor the weather forecast

on a daily basis. You are actually going outside

and visually looking at Cuilcagh Mountain to see if it's under cloud,

if it's raining, what you think is happening on the mountain.

Because it has its own little climate.

In terms of weather, what is your perfect scenario?

Best-case scenario is probably the rarest situation

that we ever have, which is when we have a heat wave.

I knew you were going to say that.

But even at the moment, you know, we have had a period of a whole

week now where we have had just dry weather.

It is not hot, it is not sunny.

But there has been no rain up on Cuilcagh Mountain,

and that changes everything.

It changes the amount of water coming off the mountain.

It changes the atmosphere in the cave.

I really like it when we've had a little bit of rainwater,

and it's coming into the cave, and the rivers are rising slightly,

and you can hear the rumbling of the river.

And that is part of the experience

and the excitement for members of the public.

So people who do arrive on a rainy day,

I don't think they are losing out.

I think they are seeing it in a different way, and to me,

-that's what it's all about.

-Every cloud has a silver lining.

Yes, we could say that.

The relationship we have with the weather is a complex one.

We do enjoy sunshine, and we might complain about days being wet

and cold, but rain is refreshing, and wind is bracing.

So I like to think that there is no such thing as bad,

only different types of good weather.

There is scientific evidence that the profusion of red hair,

fair skin and freckles is the result of living in a sun-starved climate.

I'm living proof. So there you have it.

No doubt that the weather is part of who we are and what we are.

Until next time, bye-bye.