0:00:03 > 0:00:06I'm taking a hike through one of the least trampled parts of the UK,
0:00:06 > 0:00:11a land of big skies and majestic views.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13This is the Yorkshire Wolds,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15a swathe of rolling chalk hills
0:00:15 > 0:00:18in the eastern part of God's Own County.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21It's a tranquil corner of England that's well off
0:00:21 > 0:00:23the normal tourist track.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25But I've heard the Wolds are full of surprises.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30CHUCKLING: I just love it, they're so close.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33I love that feeling that they're sort of like little kids.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35In this series, I'll be following the 79 miles
0:00:35 > 0:00:38of Britain's least well-known national trial.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42I'll get a very different view of the Wolds.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46I'm flying over the Wolds Way. Wow, this is amazing.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50I'll be going underground, too.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54This might have been for Queen and country, but to me, it seems like
0:00:54 > 0:00:56a job from hell.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01And I'll see a side of the Wolds that's hidden from view.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03- There we go.- Wow.
0:01:03 > 0:01:04That's a big thing up there.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10This is Yorkshire as you've never seen it before.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Welcome to the Wolds.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I'm used to gruelling expeditions in far-flung places.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35So, for me, the Yorkshire Wolds Way is a joy.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38It's almost 80 miles of easy-going terrain across
0:01:38 > 0:01:41the most northerly chalk landscape in England.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46And even if you take your time, you can cover it in just over a week.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50The hike starts by the Humber Estuary
0:01:50 > 0:01:52and finishes by the North Sea.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54And I'm almost at the halfway point.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01But before I hit the trail, I'm taking a short detour to Pocklington
0:02:01 > 0:02:04for a chance to see the Wolds from a whole new perspective.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09This aerodrome was once an RAF bomber base.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11These days, the flying's a lot more peaceful.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21I'm here for one of the big events in the club calendar.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24It's the national Two Seater Competition.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27The way they win these things is to fly a prescribed course,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30and the further they go, the more points they pick up.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31But if they're too ambitious,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33they're going to land in a farmer's field,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35or Sheffield, or the M62.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39More than 30 gliders are involved in the week-long event.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Gordon Basey is a leading contender.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47But 12 years ago, his whole world came crashing down.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50One Wednesday I was on my motorbike
0:02:50 > 0:02:54and this drunk-driver turned in front of me, right in front of me,
0:02:54 > 0:03:01and I just T-boned, went over the top and landed a bit funny.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06Just nipped my spinal cord, left me paralysed from the waist down.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09The accident happened on his way to the airfield.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12It seemed Gordon's flying career was over.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16I got back in the club glider before I got driving on the road.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19- Yeah!- How did that feel?
0:03:19 > 0:03:21It felt really good.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25- How do you fancy your chances today? - We always fancy our chances.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30It's a fun event, but there's always that element of competition.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32And we like winning!
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Gordon now flies a specially adapted glider, and like the rest of
0:03:38 > 0:03:41the pilots, he'll be pitting his skills against the British weather.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Ah, here's Gordon.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46Good luck, mate!
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Gordon's towed to the right height by one of the tug planes.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55They're the workhorses.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00And one pilot here now has 40,000 sorties under his belt.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I started towing in 1974.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- OK.- And I've been towing regularly ever since.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Are you one of the oldest tug pilots in the country?
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Well, I've been told I am the oldest in the country.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15- How old are you?- 87.- 87!
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Wow. Well, the extent of my research shows that being a tug pilot
0:04:18 > 0:04:20- is very good for your health. - Yeah, keeps you going!
0:04:20 > 0:04:21PAUL LAUGHS
0:04:21 > 0:04:23With the gliders now up and away,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27instructor Graham Wadforth is going to show me the Wolds
0:04:27 > 0:04:28from a few thousand feet.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Hang on.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I'm looking forward to the very good feeling of being in this bird.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35- No engine.- No engine.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41Here we go, Graham.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48We've floated off, the tug is off,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51and now it's just a case of remaining behind the tug.
0:04:51 > 0:04:57He is staying low to increase speed and, once he's got a bit more speed,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00as you can see now, we start to climb.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01Beautiful, wow!
0:05:01 > 0:05:03It's great to be up, Graham!
0:05:03 > 0:05:04PAUL LAUGHS
0:05:04 > 0:05:06It doesn't take much, does it?
0:05:06 > 0:05:09It doesn't. Going to release now,
0:05:09 > 0:05:11so watch the ripple travel along the rope.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- OK.- Look out to the left, it's clear.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Pull the rope. There's the ripple. Climbing turn to the left,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20and the tug has done a diving turn to the right.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23- And he's disappeared. - And it's so peaceful.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29I feel as if I can see almost the whole of the Wolds Way.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31- Well, you can, actually.- Yes!
0:05:31 > 0:05:32You can, literally.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38'You can fly one of these things aged just 14,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41'which means I'm definitely old enough to have a go.'
0:05:43 > 0:05:45See the way the nose is tracking around the horizon?
0:05:45 > 0:05:50- Yeah.- Keep the same angle of bank and just make small adjustments
0:05:50 > 0:05:53- to keep it in this turn.- OK. - You have control.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55- OK.- So you're doing the flying now, Paul.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Yeah, I've got it. Trying to keep my eye on the horizon.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00Oh, I'm actually flying, Graham!
0:06:00 > 0:06:02You're actually doing the flying, Paul.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04I'm flying over the Wolds Way!
0:06:07 > 0:06:12This has to be the perfect way to reflect on the bit of the Wolds Way
0:06:12 > 0:06:16I've done, and make a very accurate reconnaissance of where I'm going.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21'Now that's what I call an uplifting experience.'
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Wow, Graham. Thank you very much, sir.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37- Thank you!- You're welcome. - HE LAUGHS
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Did you enjoy it?
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Did I ever enjoy it! As you say,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43it can be addictive, or it is addictive,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45so I'm hooked.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49I've been up and down, but Gordon is still flying high.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53The gliders have been gone for most of the afternoon.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Now the race is on to get back to the Wolds.
0:06:58 > 0:06:59Good man. There comes Gordon.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02He's been doing about 150mph.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03He's going to come down and land.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06He's had a long flight, so I expect he's done really well.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Gordon's covered almost 200 miles.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11It's been a great effort,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14but not enough this time to land him the championship.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16CHUCKLING: Welcome back, Gordon.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- That was good fun.- Was it good fun? It looked fantastic.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23I know you're busy thinking about the competition,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25but what I was thinking about was the sense of freedom.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Here's a man who got knocked off his bike.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29When you're driving around, walking around,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32you have a bit of a hard time. But when you're up there flying,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- you're free as a bird.- You don't think about that when you're flying,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39because you just fly along, doing it like anybody else.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Hats off to Gordon and the rest of the gliders who ride the thermals
0:07:47 > 0:07:49high above the Wolds. But, for me,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52the view from ground level is just as stunning.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Boy, these valleys are beautiful.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00We call them the dry valleys,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and they're one of the real special features of the Wolds Way.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04It looks for all the world
0:08:04 > 0:08:07as if it's been sort of man-made, doesn't it?
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Like a railway cutting.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12But, in fact, it's been cut by a run-off from the last ice age.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15When the glaciers melted 11,000 years ago,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17all that water cut these wonderful valleys,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20and that water has now gone down, deep in the chalk.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22I find these valleys really beautiful.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24I'm looking forward to getting amongst it.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32There's a whole network of dry valleys in the Wolds.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36And, in summer, these well-drained banks, with its calcium-rich soil,
0:08:36 > 0:08:37burst into colour.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49You find these benches all along the Wolds Way.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50They're beautiful shapes,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52and this natural, weathered wood
0:08:52 > 0:08:55reflects the shape and texture and geology
0:08:55 > 0:08:58of the landscape. Plus, most of them have got this poetry on,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02which helps us connect with the whole idea of walking the Wolds Way.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07All in all, this is just a great place to sit and take in the view.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17There are great views around every corner,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and artist Robert Fuller has one of the best.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23But his main interest isn't the landscape, it's the local residents.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26We've got live cameras, and these are
0:09:26 > 0:09:28all around the garden and just the surrounding area.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31So all of these are within 100 yards of here,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33but they're all live cameras on wildlife.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36So we've got all sorts of things going on here.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40And, just to be clear, this isn't your garden fenced in, you know,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42zoo-type thing. This is the wild Wolds?
0:09:42 > 0:09:44- It is, yeah.- You just happen to have cameras in there?
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Yeah, yeah. Across the Wolds, all this action is happening,
0:09:46 > 0:09:51but we've managed to capture some of the stuff that's happening locally.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55The cameras at his gallery near the village of Thixendale have captured
0:09:55 > 0:09:58almost every detail of these animals' lives.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00So, this is the garden.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Yes. And this is exactly what I mean.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Because it looks at first glance just like a beautiful garden.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10With no hint of all this wonderful activity that's going on.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Yeah, and if you start looking closely, you can see we've got
0:10:13 > 0:10:15a pile of old roots there, but inside there,
0:10:15 > 0:10:16it's like technology in there.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20We've got a feeding box, we've got a camera in there,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23we've got motion sensors, so when the weasel arrives,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26I know straightaway, it alerts me to their presence.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29The thing that really strikes me, standing here,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32is that there is the beautiful Wolds, out there,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35and of course all of this wild activity is going on all the time,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37but we can't see it when we're walking around.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42But you've managed to capture all of these secret, intimate lives?
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Yeah. It's looking into the secret world of them,
0:10:44 > 0:10:45especially the weasels.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48And then, just around the corner here, we've got the kestrel nesting.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51He's actually got so used to me now, he actually nests in the garden,
0:10:51 > 0:10:52which is just great.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57With a remarkable amount of patience,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Robert's got close to the very best of British wildlife,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05including a family of tawny owls that nest near his gallery.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08They're tricky to spot, but they're up in this canopy.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11I can see there's one right here, he's looking straight at us.
0:11:11 > 0:11:12Yeah, they're beautiful, aren't they?
0:11:12 > 0:11:14They're about ten weeks old, these owls,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- so they're well on their way. - So they are flying?- Oh, yeah.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20They can fly, yeah. They look fluffy, but they can fly well, yeah.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Young tawny owls sometimes fall out of trees,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26and people mistakenly think they've been orphaned.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Over the years, Robert's looked after many owlets.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31So, to keep them wild,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35he takes advantage of the fact that his own adult owls can't count.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36I've got away with putting seven in.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38They already had three chicks of their own,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41and we managed to get them to raise ten one year.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43But we do that by supplement feeding the parent birds,
0:11:43 > 0:11:48so we're not adding a vast amount of extra pressure on those birds,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and we actually then put the food up in the garden at home,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53and the chicks then learn to come up into the garden.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01This extra feeding means Robert gets an amazing night-time show.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10One by one, the tawny owl chicks arrive for their free meal.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I've never seen so many owls in one place.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21We've had seven baby owls, just all in the garden,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23- plus one of the parents. So it's been really good.- Yeah.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26CHUCKLING: I just love it, they're so close.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28I love that feeling that they're sort of like your kids.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Yeah, they are. I do feel responsible for them.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33I've brought them into this area, some of the chicks.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36I just think it's a lovely connection
0:12:36 > 0:12:39between the real bit of the wild Wolds,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41and your bit, which is right onto it.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43I think it's just terrific.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51I'm now 50 miles into the Wolds Way.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55And nestled deep in the land of dry valleys is the isolated village
0:12:55 > 0:12:59of Thixendale. A place where, for centuries, not much changed.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Steve Lyus and Ivy Eden grew up in the village,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11just as Thixendale of old was giving way to the new.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17One day, I came home from school and my mother was scrubbing the floor
0:13:17 > 0:13:21with the light on. I couldn't believe we'd got electric!
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Electric! There was no traffic.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Look at that, that's the main street.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Everybody played in the street.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30And everybody made things.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33You know, you'd lose your coat in September,
0:13:33 > 0:13:35and it'd come back at Christmas as a teddy bear.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37And you thought, "I've seen that before somewhere!"
0:13:37 > 0:13:39PAUL LAUGHS
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Nobody mentioned disease or anything.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45And whatever was wrong with you, Paul, does not matter.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Whatever was wrong with me, "Thou's been in a draught."
0:13:49 > 0:13:51What were you doing for entertainment?
0:13:51 > 0:13:54When I first came to Thixendale,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57it was just a black-and-white TV then,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59with a really poor signal.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04Watching football was like watching through a snowstorm.
0:14:04 > 0:14:05Oh, you can't...
0:14:05 > 0:14:09The only way you could tell where the ball was was by watching
0:14:09 > 0:14:11which way the players were running.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12THEY LAUGH
0:14:12 > 0:14:15The signal was poor because Thixendale lies at the bottom of
0:14:15 > 0:14:17these steep valleys.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19A communal aerial was set up with
0:14:19 > 0:14:22a cable that went in and out of people's houses.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27But interference from passing cars played havoc with the TV reception.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29You would know who was passing by the line,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32dot or square that was going along.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Ah, because each car had a different signal?
0:14:34 > 0:14:36We knew when our George... "Where's he been?
0:14:36 > 0:14:38"He's late tonight!
0:14:38 > 0:14:39"He's going home.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41"Fred's coming."
0:14:41 > 0:14:44You know, "He shouldn't be here tonight."
0:14:44 > 0:14:49Everybody knew everybody's business by these lines on the television.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53With the arrival of digital TV in the late 1990s,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Thixendale became one of the last places in the country to get
0:14:56 > 0:14:58a decent television signal.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00So with all those beautiful stories in mind,
0:15:00 > 0:15:04what would you sooner have - Thixendale then or Thixendale today?
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Then. Definitely then.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08- No hesitation?- No hesitation.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12- Then.- Then was really good, but I think possibly a bit of both.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- Ah, well, you're very wise. - PAUL LAUGHS
0:15:15 > 0:15:16You're very wise.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22The great thing about doing the Wolds Way is that it's so quiet,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24you can have much of the trail to yourself.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Well, some of the time.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Blimey, look at this lot.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36- Hello!- Hello there. - This is quite a parade here.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- Where are you going?- We're going to Sledmere, Sledmere House.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41- I'm going to Sledmere House. - Are you? Do you want a lift?
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- Yes, please!- Hop in.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47We're actually... There's a car rally on this weekend,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50so you couldn't have picked a better weekend to come.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- Perfect timing. My name's Paul. - I'm Chris. Nice to meet you.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54Thank you.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58There's a whole group of you. How many?
0:15:58 > 0:16:01We've got 30 of us out on a road run.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Every summer, around 500 vehicles gather on the Wolds for one of
0:16:05 > 0:16:09the biggest classic car rallies in the north of England.
0:16:09 > 0:16:10Beautiful car. Is it your car?
0:16:10 > 0:16:12It is, yes, yes, thank you.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15It's a 1923 Crossley.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- Wow.- Perfect for a sunny summer's evening.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20It's absolutely beautiful.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Made in Manchester. So a proper northern car.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24- Home brewed!- Bit of northern steel.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30We're so lucky in Yorkshire. We've got the Dales to the west,
0:16:30 > 0:16:34we've got the Yorkshire Wolds with these big rolling, massive views,
0:16:34 > 0:16:35got the North York Moors.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37And this is the way to see it, isn't it?
0:16:43 > 0:16:45The cars are taking me to Sledmere,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48one of the Wolds' great country houses.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51It's been in the hands of the Sykes family since the middle of
0:16:51 > 0:16:55the 18th century. But this Georgian pile isn't all it seems.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00- Good to see you. - Christopher, thanks a lot.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- Come in, come in. - Thank you very much.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08It appears to be Georgian, but in fact, the entire house is a fake.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Because it was destroyed by a fire in 1911 and gutted,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15leaving only the outside walls.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19They were able to evacuate 90% of the contents of the house.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Everybody in the village came.
0:17:21 > 0:17:22There was a human chain started
0:17:22 > 0:17:24with the men inside
0:17:24 > 0:17:26and the little children out on the lawn.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29The very last thing to go was the great statue of Apollo,
0:17:29 > 0:17:33which was carried out at the end by four or five men.
0:17:33 > 0:17:34Weighs at least a tonne.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Work to rebuild the house started in 1913.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43The Great War soon followed. But despite that,
0:17:43 > 0:17:48the refurbishment continued and wasn't finished until 1916.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51It's remarkable that 90% of these contents could be salvaged.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53But even more remarkable, don't you think,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55that a house like this can be rebuilt
0:17:55 > 0:17:56during a time of such conflict?
0:17:56 > 0:18:02I know. It was rebuilt by elderly men, because all the young men
0:18:02 > 0:18:05were at the war. I mean, the fact that during the war,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07while people were dying on the battlefield,
0:18:07 > 0:18:09this house was being built,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12you know, a great house being built in Yorkshire,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14it is quite odd, isn't it?
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Today, Sledmere House is playing host to a nostalgia weekend.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32And as well as the classic cars that are on parade,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35everyone's getting in the mood with a bit of dressing up.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42I've ended up with a little mismatch of uniforms here.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46But it doesn't necessarily fit that well,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49but I was more interested in the medals and the ranking.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Lieutenant Colonel.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00It's fun now, but back in 1940,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03the Yorkshire Wolds was on full invasion alert.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06For Charlie Mason,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10it was the start of a secret life in a small unit of volunteers who were
0:19:10 > 0:19:15recruited to harass the enemy with bombs, bullets and assassinations.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19This is Charlie in his latter years, and you can see he took his role
0:19:19 > 0:19:22very seriously. Charlie's no longer with us,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25but his daughter Jo knows his story.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27My father, during the war,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31was an aircraft engineer and he worked at what was then
0:19:31 > 0:19:32Blackburn's aircraft factory.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34And during the war he was in reserved occupation.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36- Good-looking fellow, fit. - Yes, he was.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Yes, very fit, yes, kept himself active all his life.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42My mother didn't know anything about what was happening.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44The only thing that he did say to my mother was,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47if the invasion took place, that what she was to do was
0:19:47 > 0:19:49to let the chickens out of the coop so they could fend for themselves.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52She was to get on her bike and go to her parents
0:19:52 > 0:19:53and stay there with them,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55because he said, "You won't see me again."
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Having signed the Official Secrets Act,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03the men were determined that no-one should know their role.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05I think some people started to get
0:20:05 > 0:20:07a bit suspicious, particularly the local gamekeeper,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09who, obviously, by the nature of his job,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11was used to prowling around and keeping an eye on things.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14He said to my dad one time, "I know what you're doing.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15"I know what's going on."
0:20:15 > 0:20:18My dad thought, "Well, that's not very good."
0:20:18 > 0:20:19So when he talked to the rest of the unit,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23they made an agreement between them that should the invasion take place,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25that he was going to be the first one to go.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27They weren't going to let him fall into enemy hands
0:20:27 > 0:20:29and betray their secrets.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37There's a rich vein of military history running through the Wolds,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39but not all of it is obvious.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42I'm on the trail of some strange structures that were built
0:20:42 > 0:20:45when the country was gripped by the Cold War.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48You could easily walk past this,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51assuming it was water supply or something to do with services,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53but it's actually a nuclear bunker.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57And ten feet below me, three men would have been sheltering.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02And their job? To report back on how badly Britain had been damaged
0:21:02 > 0:21:04in a nuclear war with Russia.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05SIREN DRONES
0:21:05 > 0:21:07'When you hear the attack warning,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10'you and your family must take cover at once.'
0:21:12 > 0:21:16As East and West pointed an increasing number of warheads
0:21:16 > 0:21:18at each other, the government made preparations
0:21:18 > 0:21:20for nuclear Armageddon.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26This might have been for Queen and country, but to me,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28it seems like a job from hell.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32You leave your family and friends behind, come down here,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34wait for the bomb to drop.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43The men were volunteers and trained to use monitoring equipment
0:21:43 > 0:21:47for detecting the size and direction of a nuclear attack.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50And this 7x16 foot room would have been their home.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Wow. It feels pretty good down here.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56I thought it was going to smell like hell,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58but it's in pretty good condition.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00It's warm, pretty dry.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07This concrete bunker high on the Wolds was one of around 1,500
0:22:07 > 0:22:11built across the UK. They were only stood down in the early 1990s.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16The team down here had one single important thing on their mind,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18and that was, after the blast,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21get up, retrieve the equipment, come back down,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24report the findings to their headquarters in York.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28It was then a case of sitting out the nuclear fallout.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30But with limited air filtration,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33it's sobering to think that this building
0:22:33 > 0:22:35could so easily have become a tomb.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43The Cold War bunkers aren't easy to find.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46But there are other wartime locations on the Wolds
0:22:46 > 0:22:48that are impossible to miss.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51These buildings can be seen for miles,
0:22:51 > 0:22:52and they have a proud history.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57In the late 1930s, with a war against Germany on the cards,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01the government set up a network of radar bases
0:23:01 > 0:23:03to keep the Luftwaffe at bay.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07Remote Radar Head Staxton Wold is the only one that remains,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10making it the oldest radar base on the planet.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12At the height of the Battle of Britain,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Staxton Wold was in the thick of it,
0:23:15 > 0:23:16countering German attacks
0:23:16 > 0:23:20during a critical part of the air war in August 1940.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24The Wolds Way passes right by the base.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28And I've been given special permission to have a look inside.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Oh, yes, good afternoon. It's Paul Rose here, BBC.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34All right to come in? Oh, thank you very much, thanks.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39The original radar has been replaced by something
0:23:39 > 0:23:42a lot more sophisticated. But it's still looking
0:23:42 > 0:23:45for unauthorised incursions into British airspace.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49There she is up close.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51And, of course, it's a bit noisy, isn't it?
0:23:51 > 0:23:54It is, there's a lot of moving parts going round and round.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- How far can that thing see?- It can see out to 250 nautical miles.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Which is quite a way.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03That gives us a 360 degrees look.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06So we've got a series of these air defence radars all round
0:24:06 > 0:24:08- the UK's coast.- OK.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Which give us long range look-out so that we can identify and detect
0:24:12 > 0:24:14anything flying around the UK's airspace.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Wow. 250 nautical miles, 360 degrees.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22- That's right.- We're looking at the whole of our skies.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Staxton Wold has been a lookout post for more than 1,000 years.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Viking raiders were spotted from here.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31And today, it's still keeping the country safe.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Here's the radar picture that we can see from the radar we've just been
0:24:34 > 0:24:37looking at. Just to give you a bit of orientation,
0:24:37 > 0:24:41we've got Humber down here, up to Flamborough Head,
0:24:41 > 0:24:42Filey, and on up to Scarborough.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45So this is the Wolds Way, which is good, because there's Filey.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- Exactly what you've walked.- There's the Wolds Way, great, OK!
0:24:48 > 0:24:50All the green responses you see,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52that's where we've detected something
0:24:52 > 0:24:54and the radar's making up its mind
0:24:54 > 0:24:56whether there's an aircraft there or not.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58When it's happy there's an aircraft,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00we get one of these yellow responses,
0:25:00 > 0:25:02- such as this one down here.- Yeah.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05And the leader, the little stick you see on the front,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08- the longer that is, the faster it's going.- Right.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Anything suspicious could mean fighter jets
0:25:11 > 0:25:13being scrambled to intercept.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16A few months ago, we had some Russian aircraft coming through
0:25:16 > 0:25:18the UK Flight Information Region.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22The Russian aircraft don't send out a...
0:25:22 > 0:25:24secondary surveillance response,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26which our air traffic-ers use to tell
0:25:26 > 0:25:28where it's going and what height it's at.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32So by us launching a pair of Typhoons and intercepting it,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34it was making that area safe for flight.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Keeping the skies safe by this brilliant technology.
0:25:38 > 0:25:39Exactly.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44With the radar base behind me,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I'm on the downhill stretch to the coast.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53Ah! An important moment. I can see the sea.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Filey's just five miles away.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58But before I head there,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I'm going to spend my final night on the Wolds
0:26:00 > 0:26:04at one of my favourite spots on the east coast.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07There's a great view, which I'm going to save till morning.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13That's it. It's the end of a long, pretty hard day
0:26:13 > 0:26:17and I can't think of a better way to celebrate
0:26:17 > 0:26:19than camp right up here. Fantastic.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43Wow. It is the east coast. Couldn't see this last night.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45It's beautiful.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48And sheep. Good morning!
0:26:48 > 0:26:49SHEEP BLEATS
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Has to be THE perfect place to wake up in the morning.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02I've camped close to the RSPB reserve at Bempton Cliffs.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05At the height of the breeding season,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07there's 250,000 sea birds here.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09They call it a "seabird city",
0:27:09 > 0:27:13and these chalk cliffs are its skyscrapers.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16I can see the end of my walk, just around the corner.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19And at last, I can see what I've been walking on for all these miles.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21The chalk that is the whole bedrock
0:27:21 > 0:27:23and underlays the complete Wolds Way.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25It's terrific to be here.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Filey is a fitting end to a great walk.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33It's not the biggest of Yorkshire's seaside resorts,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36but it is one of the prettiest.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38When the railways arrived in the 1840s,
0:27:38 > 0:27:43Victorian holiday-makers flocked here, building these grand villas.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Today, Filey remains timeless and popular.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52The walk ends just outside the town on Filey Brigg,
0:27:52 > 0:27:56a dramatic spit of land that juts into the North Sea.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Well, that's it. My walk is over.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06It's almost 80 miles from the Humber Estuary to the North Sea,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08here at Filey Brigg.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11And, you know, some hikes can be just sort of tests of endurance,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15but I found it accessible, easy, surprising.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19There's something great around every single corner.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21So if I can encourage you to do one thing,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24it's go and take a walk on the Wold side.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27And I think you'll find it every bit as great as I did.