Episode 5 Countryfile Winter Diaries

This is the toughest time of year,

but it can also be the most spectacular season

in the entire calendar.

Winter is upon us.

It's a time when days are short and temperatures can plunge.

But there are still plenty of ways

growers can make the most of the season.

It's the time when the British weather throws

everything it's got at us.

And while some animals are hibernating,

others are bringing new life into the world.

All this week, we're travelling the length and breadth of the UK...

There you go.

I really thought that we would struggle to capture this

and they'd be off... Freedom!

..bringing the very best seasonal stories that matter to you.

Look at what's happened to the ground underneath my feet.

That can't be good for business.

JOHN EXHALES The very warmest of welcomes.

This is Countryfile Winter Diaries.

OWL SCREECHES

Coming up for you on today's programme...

Paul discovers some tips on how you could reinvent

your garden this winter.

There's plenty of people who've got ponds -

what should they be doing at this time of the year?

I'll be checking progress on an ambitious project

we last visited several years ago.

Since you guys were here, we've planted 2 million trees.

We're ten years in, but it's a 200-year project.

It's going well so far.

And I'll be sampling salad that can be grown

with a little help from your pet fish.

All this week, we've been enjoying the rugged beauty

of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.

4 million visitors come here every year to enjoy

its lochs, and forests, and peaks.

It's also a magnet for dog-owners.

There are 8 1/2 million dogs in Britain,

which shows just how much we love them,

but the question is, do we love them too much?

Many of the nation's dogs are overweight,

and that includes Teddy, Jules Hudson's canine pal.

My canine sidekick is spoiled,

and he's not alone - we spent an incredible £923 million

on dog food every year.

But, of course, dogs need exercise,

and my Labrador, Teddy, here,

is no exception.

At just over two years old, he's a big kid.

He's a bit like Tigger.

Everything, in Teddy's world, is exciting,

and it tends to unfold at about 100mph,

and, as for the rain and the cold, well, as you can see,

he doesn't seem to mind it at all.

But, of course, the winter can be a problematic time for some dogs,

so, if you want to save yourself an expensive trip to the vet,

well, there are a few things that you should be aware of.

'Ian Fleming is a vet working for the PDSA,

'one of the UK's leading veterinary charities.

'He's based in Birmingham and is an expert in dog health.'

So, can you give us your top tips, Ian,

for helping us look after our dogs during the winter?

OK. It's important after they've been out for a walk

in the wintertime to get them home, dry them up properly,

and check their feet to make sure

there are no foreign bodies in there.

If there is any great or gravel that's got stuck in between

the paws in the wet and the mud,

get that washed out before it causes a serious problem.

Going out on dark nights or dark mornings,

it's important to maybe use something

like a high-visibility jacket,

or even some of these LED collars that you can get these days,

which have flashing safety lights,

and that can make a dog a lot more visible.

Now, Ian, tell me, one thing has always fascinated me about dogs,

and Teddy in particular -

how is it that these feet can cope with freezing temperatures

which would tear our skin apart?

If we have a quick look at Teddy's paw...

-Show us your foot, Teddy.

-There we go.

-Oh, good boy.

-You can actually see the skin here is quite thickened

and quite tough, so it acts as a natural insulation there,

to help stop getting the cold into the deeper layers of his paw.

But, on very, very cold days,

-they can actually be subject to frostbite.

-Good boy.

So, although they're much, much tougher than you or me,

they're not indestructible.

Well, there you are, Teddy. I know you love the snow,

but we might just have to moderate how much time you spend in it

as and when it comes.

Now, during the winter, of course, we all like to cosy up at home.

Is there a danger that we don't give our dogs enough exercise?

Dogs like a regular walk -

about 16% of our dogs don't get walked even once a day,

and that's not acceptable.

'Yes, it's a shocking statistic that 250,000 of our dogs

'never get the exercise they so badly need,

'and a further 6 million get out for less than an hour every day,

'but, despite there being a distinct wintry chill

'in the air this morning,

'it's best paw forward for a group of local dog-owners

'and their pets.'

-Hello, everybody. How are you?

-Hello.

-Fantastic!

This is a very jolly gathering, isn't it?

Well, it's great to see all of us doing our bit to give our dogs

the exercise they need,

but I dare say we've all been spoiling them with

-a few treats on the walk. Yes?

-THEY LAUGH

Well, the thing about this time of year,

it's a really good opportunity, I think,

when the days are a bit shorter, and we've got a bit more spare time,

to give them a little bit of an MOT.

Who fancies a trip to the vet?

A nice trip to the vet!

-Come on.

-I certainly do. Come on, then, Daisy.

-Come on, now.

Many animals put on weight for winter, and dogs are no exception -

a spare tyre or two acts as insulation -

but, as is the case for humans,

canine obesity is becoming a serious problem.

We're taking our pets for a medical checkup and weigh-in,

with vet Namnish Heran,

to find out the perfect weight for each pooch.

Teddy is first in the queue.

Mr Hudson with Teddy, please.

-Hi. How are you?

-Hello. I'm fine, thank you.

So, if you pop him on the scale straight away,

-so we have his current weight.

-Sure. Come on, Teddy.

-Just...

-There we go. As you can see, he's full of beans this morning.

How is he? Good boy, sit down. There we go.

Oh, you are an angel.

'Some dogs are more prone to obesity,

'including pugs, dachshunds and cocker spaniels -

'unfortunately for Teddy, Labradors also come high up on the list,

'so I'm feeling nervous.'

He's 39.2 kilos.

Teddy... That's heavier than I would like him to be.

-I think, yes.

-It's certainly heavier than he has been,

-certainly before Christmas.

-I do agree with you there.

He is a bit heavier than

-what he should be, OK?

-Oh.

-JULES LAUGHS

Shall we give them a quick examination?

That would be fantastic if you would, yes.

So, a general way of looking at them is you just rub your hands

around the chest there, OK?

And when you are running your arms, just gently, there,

you should be able to feel the ribs, OK?

And you should be able to feel the hips there, as well.

What do you feed him?

-He gets a dry mix...

-OK.

-..a cold-pressed mix...

-All right.

..and then he gets a little quarter of a little tray of meat

to go with it to make it a bit exciting.

-How many times are you feeding him?

-Twice a day.

That is a lot.

He gets breakfast and dinner.

-He shouldn't have to.

-Really?

OK, at this point, if you can just, just take it less there,

-just about probably a quarter of it away...

-Yeah.

..cos the concern is that once it piles up,

it's very difficult to get it down afterwards.

'We pet-owners have also got to kick the habit of giving our canine chums

'too many doggie treats -

'some of them contain as many calories as a chocolate bar,

'so it's not hard to see how our beloved mutts pile on the pounds.

'Let's see how Teddy's new friends measure up.'

How much did you say she was?

7.278.

Eight kilos.

So, we need to lose a minimum of about two kilos.

OK.

Good girl.

On the scales.

30.5 kilos.

-If you can get down to probably 28...

-OK.

..I would be more happy with that.

Four-ish? Three, four?

-Four kilos. Oh, perfect weight, there.

-Four kilos!

-Yeah.

This way. Come on.

There we go. There we go. Good girl.

76 kilos, there.

She is overweight.

'Incredibly, just one of the dogs weighed here today

'is a healthy weight,

'and that's just the tip of a very large obesity iceberg.'

I mean, it is quite a common problem, I'm afraid.

People don't realise it.

One in three dogs are overweight.

'Nationally, that's nearly 3 million dogs.

'It's actually very, very serious -

'all that chubbiness comes at a price.'

What you have to understand -

what any kind of obesity brings with it

is diabetes, heart disease, joint problems,

breathing problems, problem of overheating, exercise intolerance...

'And none of us wants that for our beloved family pets.'

Good boy, Teddy.

So, there you have it.

That mantra that we've all learnt in recent years

about eating less and moving more,

perhaps it does apply as much to our dogs as it does to us -

and so, next time those big brown eyes look up at you,

demanding that one extra treat,

well, now you know what to say.

I'm afraid the answer is going to be no.

Come on, Teddy, let's work of some of that fat.

Good boy.

And I'm sure there's plenty of us who could do with

going on a diet this winter.

We Brits have a growing appetite for salad all the year round,

and for other unseasonal crops,

and that's led to a revolutionary system of food production.

Not only is it energy-efficient,

it's also something that you could try at home.

Margherita is taking the taste test.

We don't normally associate our cities with growing food,

but this unassuming industrial unit in London's East End

could house the answer to our current lettuce shortage.

They produce 20,000 kilos of salad here all year round,

and they're doing it with the help of something rather surprising -

fish.

'It's the brainchild of biologist turned urban farmer Tom Webster,

'who's agreed to show me around.'

And what do I need this for,

-on the farm?

-Erm...

So, this just reduces any contamination risks of you

bringing anything in from the outdoors.

-It's a germ-free environment.

-Germ-free environment, exactly.

-Shall we go through to the fish farm?

-Great. Here we go.

'For the last four years,

'Tom's been using a pioneering process called aquaponics.'

Tom, what is aquaponics?

It is the combination of two well-established farming practices.

The first is fish farming, or aquaculture,

and the second is hydroponics.

'Hydroponics is a method where plants are grown in water

'rather than soil.'

What we do is we take the waste water from a fish farm,

and we use that as a fertiliser in a hydroponics system

where we grow salads and leafy herbs.

And what is it about the fish waste that is so good for growing plants?

Fish waste is extremely high in nitrogen, and it contains

a lot of the essential nutrients a plant needs for its growth,

and because it's already dissolved in the water,

it means that we can easily use it as a fertiliser for the plants.

So it's...

It's the fish poo in the water that you're using to grow the plants.

Exactly.

'The waste water is then filtered to take out any contaminants

'before being fed to the plants.'

The great thing about this is that it's really replicating what

happens in nature, so what may seem like quite an artificial system

is really based on a very natural process.

And aquaponics, is it relatively new?

As we're looking at it here, it's fairly new.

We're one of a few companies doing it on this sort of scale,

and we really think it's got a large part to play

in the future of food production.

'Now the fish have done their bit, I'm keen to see what happens next.

'When I heard I was spending the day at a farm,

'I didn't think it would look like something out of

'a science-fiction film.'

Wow. Oh, my goodness.

-Welcome to the farm.

-MARGHERITA LAUGHS

'Unlike a conventional farm,

'here they have to provide everything their crops need.'

So, we maintain it at a steady temperature throughout the day.

We reduce that at night so the plants get their day and night.

And you've used every last inch of this space.

Cities aren't cheap, so we really have to make the most

out of every square foot of the building.

And, Tom, what are you actually growing in here?

We grow a variety of leafy salads.

These are pea shoots - the young leaves of a pea plant -

it's one of our salad varieties,

and we grow them in around two weeks from seed to harvest.

And the great thing about this sort of environment is that

that's two weeks, in the middle of December,

but it's also two weeks in the middle of August,

so it's always the same.

So, these plants don't see sunlight or get any rain. It's...

They're all grown indoors under artificial conditions.

Correct. Our plants are grown in a very stable environment.

They are put through very little stress.

'There's one thing I haven't seen yet.'

-The fish poo that we saw earlier...

-Yeah?

..how does that get into here? What happens?

All right, let me show you.

The waste is all fed to the root of the plants.

So, if you look here,

these plants are grown on a recycled carpet fabric.

-This is old carpet?

-This is old carpet.

Why have you got...? You use carpet?

Carpet is, you know, it's a recycled material.

It provides everything the plant needs for its early stage of growth.

So, here you can see the water comes up...

-So, the seeds are soaking in this nutrient-rich water.

-Exactly.

'But, ultimately, when it comes to food,

'the proof of the pudding - or rather the freshly-washed salad -

'is in the eating,

'so, what does it actually taste like?'

Middle of winter, still snowing outside. What have we grown?

First of all, we've got the pea shoots, then the sunflower shoots.

There you go.

OK...

I don't think I've tried these before.

It's literally like... The sunflower is the same plant.

Oh, there's a nutty kind of flavour to that.

-It's delicious, isn't it?

-Mmm. I like that one.

'And not the slightest tang of fish poo.'

-And then more familiar will probably be the watercress.

-OK.

-So, all grown aquaponically?

-All of it.

I'll just take a little...

Oh, it's got a real kick to it.

-Yeah, very peppery.

-Real pepper...

Well, now I've, sort of, had my hands in all these,

I was just thinking maybe I could...

It would be silly to throw them away, wouldn't it?

You know, no-one else would want them now, would they?

No. There you go.

'Aquaponics is set to become big business in the UK,

'and, amazingly, with the right kit, it's something you can do at home.

'Specialist Vlad Petric has agreed to show me the ins and outs.'

And what kind of fish have you got in this system?

Tilapia, which is a warm-water fish,

so it has to be kept at really high temperatures.

It's more for indoor use.

People generally start off with aquaculture,

so, guys, they have an aquarium at home and have an interest in fish in

general, and they want to step it up and have their herb garden as well.

A system like this would cost around £600, but they do come smaller.

Now, this looks simple enough.

How much work I going to have to put in?

Once it's up and running, you'll have to spend, maybe,

five minutes to ten minutes a day,

and do weekly maintenance that might take half an hour,

and that's pretty much it.

It's pretty simple and it's really enjoyable.

You can also get the kids involved.

You can start off as a complete beginner and do the basics,

but then you can learn more, so it's a science as well as a hobby.

So, is it that...that simple?

-Fish food, regular cleaning...

-Yeah.

-..and I've got herbs, salad...

-To feed your whole family with.

-..year-round.

-Yeah.

It's amazing to think that putting your pet goldfish to work at home

could help provide greens for your table.

Good news, there, for lettuce-lovers.

Now, from state-of-the-art to more traditional methods

in the snowcapped Yorkshire Dales... COWS MOO

..and a reminder that, although spring is around the corner,

winter still has a sting in its tail.

Adam braved the elements to find out how farming

has influenced this breathtaking landscape.

Every time I come here, I'm amazed at how different it is

-from back home in the Cotswolds.

-SHEEP BLEAT

This scenery is classic Yorkshire Dales,

and with the snow on the ground, it looks absolutely stunning.

And dotted around down in the valley and up on the hills,

you can see the odd sheep and cow,

but they look very small in this huge landscape,

and quite insignificant, but, actually, they've played

a major role in shaping this land for thousands of years.

Nothing is as natural as it appears.

Farmers down the millennia have worked and made this land

what it is today.

Those early farmers must have found it pretty tough going up here.

The landscape is hard and unforgiving,

and the weather, at times, can be harsh and unpredictable,

so shelter was essential.

Just imagine what it must have been like for those prehistoric farmers

when they came across this place.

Malham Cove -

this natural limestone amphitheatre

offered protection from the elements,

somewhere to shelter from the ice and the snow.

The survival of those early farmers would have depended on it.

It's been described as one of the natural wonders of Britain.

So, those early farmers had shelter.

Apparently, evidence they were here is in the landscape all around us.

To find out more, I'm meeting Miles Johnson -

he's the archaeological adviser for the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

But how do we get a look at this evidence?

We fly over it.

DRONE BUZZES

Our eye in the sky shows us more than just prehistoric remains -

there are clear signs of medieval farming below.

What can you see here, then, of some significance, Miles?

If you look across,

you can see that there's long lines running through the shot.

-Yeah, those stripes.

-That's right.

Those are what we call cultivation terraces or lynchets.

They are basically the remnants of the medieval farming landscape,

and each of those terraces will represent a farmer's strip,

and on that strip the farmer will have planted oats, or turnips,

or swedes, or something like that.

And now, you know, we just use it for grazing, don't we, up here?

Exactly, and that's part of the beauty of it,

in that, you know, the more recent pastoral management

has preserved this wonderful older landscape.

So, these acres have been farmed for millennia,

and they're still being farmed.

I'm joining my old mate Neil Heseltine.

-COWS MOO

-Neil farms a herd of native

Belted Galloways, hardy cattle suited to this land.

-Hi, Neil.

-Hi, Adam. How are you doing?

All right. I was told you were out with your cattle,

-but it's quite a walk, isn't it?

-It is.

-You managed it all right, though.

-I did, yeah.

-Good.

And the cattle seem to thrive up here.

Yeah, we're really pleased with them, actually.

You know, they obviously live up here all winter,

and they're looking in good fettle at the moment.

So, it's about grazing to suit the environment,

-as well as looking after the cattle?

-Yeah, it is.

It's about getting this grass down so that the flowers are

allowed to flower in spring and come through,

and so the sward isn't dominated by grasses.

We've got to move these to another field to,

sort of, do the same thing there,

so, if you want to give us a hand, that'd be great.

You always get me working up here when I come and see you.

Yeah, well, I know you do very little at home,

so we'll put you to some work.

Yeah, all right.

Come on, girls.

They're going along very nicely, aren't they?

Yeah, well, they've been along the route a few times now,

so they, kind of, know their way,

and with a bike and trailer in front of them with a load of silage,

they just follow their noses.

These dry-stone walls are amazing -

quite different to what we have in the Cotswolds.

Yeah, I mean, obviously there's a plentiful supply of stone around,

so they could make them as high as they wanted, really,

and I think these roads would originally be, sort of,

-built and enclosed for moving stock along, primarily...

-Yeah.

..and it's only probably in recent times that

-they've become actual roads for cars.

-Yeah.

We've got to get them round this car. Is that a problem?

Well, not really, as long as they get sided up, as we call it,

as long as they get well in the side,

and the cattle will get past OK as long as he turns his engine off,

but, erm...

They sometimes get a bit funny with us,

but it's the cars that are impostors on the road, not the cows.

COW MOOS

So, are your cattle fed purely on grass,

or do you feed grain and concentrate pellets to them?

No, we... We've had them for about 12 years now,

and we've never fed them any grain whatsoever.

And is there a premium for that kind of meat?

Well, yeah. We've actually...

We've become approved suppliers of

the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association,

which deal entirely with mainly beef and lamb,

which is all produced without any use of grain whatsoever.

It's incredible, isn't it, when you think of the archaeology

and some of the people have been here for thousands of years,

producing meat that you're now doing today?

'And just like those old farmers, we have to be ready for anything...'

WIND BLOWS

COWS MOO

'..because nature has a tendency to bite back.

'The blizzard comes out of nowhere.

'The Belted Galloways just plough on, seemingly oblivious.

'For Neil and I, it's not quite so easy,

'and we soon fall behind the herd...

'..but there's more trouble ahead.'

SO, it looks like the last bit of the journey's going to

be the hardest bit, Adam.

How are we going to get this open?

I think all we can do is dig it out, I think.

-So, if you...

-Is this is the field where they're going?

Yeah, this is where we're going to finish up,

so if you could just start digging that out, Adam...

-ADAM LAUGHS

-Yeah. Righto.

Give me the sunny Cotswolds any day.

ADAM LAUGHS

Keep going that way with it.

I told you to bring a shovel.

THEY LAUGH

'With the gate finally open,

we tempt the cattle through with some tasty silage.'

Go on, girls!

'When the snow melts, they'll get to work grazing,

'keeping the grass short,

'allowing wild flowers to burst through later in the spring.'

So, this is their nice new home.

Yeah, they'll be glad we brought them, won't they?

It's horrible!

And they're stood here as steady as rocks, whereas I'm freezing.

Yeah, yeah, it comes back to that hardiness

we were talking about before,

and, you know, they're bred to do this...

-Yeah.

-..so, hopefully, like I say, in the next couple of days

we'll keep an eye on them, but they should be fine.

'From earliest times, farmers have worked this countryside,

'battling the elements, eking out a living,

'but they've left their mark and continue to shape this land.'

There's a sort of serenity to this winter landscape,

but being outdoors can be inspirational

even on a smaller scale.

Gardens, for instance,

can be at their colourful best in spring and summer,

but even at this time of year they can offer some surprising riches,

and Paul has been to a grand garden in Wiltshire

to get some seasonal tips for all of us.

It's nippy this morning, but wintertime really provides us

with the opportunity to look at

the areas of the garden that need working on,

when it's bare-bones or exposed.

Most of us want a garden that's pleasurable to look at and be in.

In this area of the garden, on our front lawn,

I'm really happy with it,

because it gives us lovely splashes of greens and greys and silvers.

It looks good all year round,

but, when I turn here to this bank,

I just don't know what to do with it.

It looks a complete mess, so now I want to turn it into meadow grass,

maybe wild flowers, or turn it into a border to add a splash of colour.

I think it needs a splash of colour.

So, that's my challenge, and I need some advice,

because I haven't got a clue what to do or what to plant up.

So, for winter planting tips,

I'm going somewhere the kids and I love visiting.

The Courts Garden is an attractive, seven-acre, formal garden,

and it's something of a local gem, even in the heart of winter.

The house dates back to the 18th century,

but the grounds are heavily inspired by the Arts and Crafts style

of English country garden from the early 20th century.

It's a big job keeping the gardens looking their best all year round.

For the last six years, Neil Carter has been part of the team

bringing their skills to the job.

I love these gardens, and we come here as a family quite a lot,

all year round.

Talk me through the layout and the design.

Well, the garden itself is laid out in a series of rooms -

both formally, with the use of hedges of varying heights,

and informally, with the use of borders -

and that means you can turn a corner

and there's something new on every corner.

Cos, I mean, it's quite exciting -

you don't know what's going to happen next.

And it's a garden designed by the owners,

who really weren't horticulturalists.

-Mm-hmm.

-It's just the personal touch.

And it's a privilege to work in a garden like this.

This is just so beautiful, it really is.

My garden pond's gone a bit wild. I'm a bit embarrassed by it.

But plenty of people have got ponds -

what should they be doing at this time of the year?

At this time of the year, it's a good idea to get in there

and clean it out.

-Not too much. Leave some stuff in...

-OK, OK.

-..cos all the wildlife is...

-Elsewhere at the moment.

-..elsewhere. Yeah.

-So it's a safe time to do it.

So, what have you got planted up around it?

Along both sides, we've got Iris sibirica, which is...

Yeah, and irises like water, don't they?

Irises do like water, yes.

-They're very nice blue flowers in June.

-Mm-hmm.

And then, following those, there's Angels' Fishing Rods,

-which have lovely, long, arching stems.

-Oh, I know...

Not a lot of colour this time of the year,

but, boy, does that look good, that vista,

when you look down there and you see the reflections,

and it's just so calming, isn't it?

It is, and you can plant around the pond for winter...

-with winter interest that reflects within the pond.

-Such as?

-Dogwoods are a good...a good idea.

-DOG BARKS

Is that a shrub?

-It's a shrub with colourful stems.

-OK.

'Great. Neil's green-fingered tips are just what I'm after,

'but what can he suggest for a border?'

Well, if you've got a bank, and you want, really,

year-round interest, I would probably recommend periwinkles.

-And what colour's that?

-Blue.

Blue. Brilliant.

A solid blue like that, it'd be a streak of that -

I think that'd look quite dynamic.

When should I plant that up?

Well, any time of year.

The most economical way of planting a large bank like that

-would be to buy plug plants.

-OK.

-You can get 200-300 plug plants...

-Right.

..and I would recommend planting them through a membrane.

So, I have to scalp it and get rid of the grass.

You will have to get rid of the grass. Yeah.

OK, and what about maintenance? It's a hard area to get at.

It doesn't need any maintenance. You...

All the maintenance that'll be needed is keeping it on the banks,

-so you'll probably have to move past it or clip...

-Yeah.

-..clip the bottom of it.

-Which we do anyway.

-Yeah.

I think it sounds brilliant. You've sold me on that idea.

I can't wait to get started.

Winter is the time when gardeners get ahead

and prepare for the coming spring.

Here at Courts Garden, they're getting things in order for

when they open to the public later this month.

Neil's keen that we tackle the herbaceous borders

and, over in this bed, there's a lot of plants that need dividing up.

So, you're getting tight in?

You are. You get right under it.

The ground's really hard, isn't it, at this time of the year?

Are you not frightened to, sort of, chop right in, right on it?

Not really, no.

-Do you want a hand on this side?

-Yeah, go on.

-You use two forks, then, to split it apart.

-OK, I reckon we can do that.

Yeah, and back-to-back.

-Pop it in...

-Yeah.

..and prise them apart.

-They are tough, but they split quite easy.

-They are tough.

As long as you've got the crown.

So, we've managed to get four out of that one.

-We have, yeah.

-Yeah.

If we were going to divide them further for planting into a pot,

you could take that further or you could keep going.

Gosh. Five out of one.

-Shall we put them in a bucket and do some more?

-Yeah.

I love the sound of that crunch. It's rather satisfying.

Gosh, it keeps you warm as well, at this time of the year.

Ah...

'Winter's not just about digging stuff up -

'there's pruning to be done as well.

'Neil has got some tips to ensure these roses look their best

'later in the year.'

A good, hard cut back. Don't be scared of it.

No, don't be scared of it, and you prune them down to the first bud.

-No more than an inch.

-Yeah, OK. Yeah.

And you just keep going.

'Once they're pruned, you can leave the stems as they are.

'On the other hand, you can try Neil's nifty little trick

'with hazel poles and a ball of twine.'

So, how will you start with this? What are you looking at?

Well, you need to take the hazel, and you see, carefully, then?

-OK. OK. Over your knee.

-Cos there's nothing more frustrating than

-getting to the end and it snaps.

-And it snaps!

So, yes, you've got to gently get it to bend.

-OK, gently, and it becomes quite pliable.

-Gently.

'The poles are pushed down into the soil,

'just a couple of inches at each end, to form an arch.'

That's perfect. Nice and supple.

-It is, isn't it?

-Yeah.

'Once you're happy with your arches,

'the pruned rose stems are tied in with twine.'

It looks neat and tidy, and that's very quick as well,

but I like the fact that you've created shapes that you

wouldn't expect to see, and I'm going to give that a go.

'These hazel supports will train the roses and, come summer,

'they'll blossom into arches of colour.'

Come back and see this in June, when it's in full bloom,

-for the final effect.

-Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that.

If you want to do up your garden,

I can definitely recommend visiting a place you love.

You'll be amazed at what you see that can inspire you,

even at this time of the year, in the heart of winter.

As we come to the end of this year's Countryfile Winter Diaries,

let's get a progress report on a remarkably bold project

which is taking place right here,

in the heart of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park,

which has been our base for all this week.

An enormous forest for the future is springing up all around me,

thanks to the Forestry Commission, the RSPB, and the Woodland Trust.

8 million trees will eventually cover an area as large as Glasgow,

but don't hold your breath -

the estimated completion date is 2207.

Countryfile was here eight years ago,

shortly after the project was launched.

Deforestation and overgrazing had destroyed many habitats

vital to the survival of native species,

but, by connecting adjacent areas of woodland, it was hoped that

these habitats would be restored and wildlife would return.

No easy task, as Katie Knapman discovered at the time,

when she helped John Mulgrew of the Forestry Commission.

And how many are you hoping to plant?

Erm, this year, about 250,000 trees.

Oh, so we've got quite a way to go.

-We have a long way to go, yeah.

-OK.

'Now, in the depths of winter,

'and almost a decade since we visited,

'I can see lots and lots of saplings.'

What a view, isn't it, eh?

It's absolutely beautiful.

'Project manager for the Great Trossachs Forest is Sue Morris,

'and she's giving me an update.'

And what a huge challenge everybody's taken on -

I mean, 8 million trees in a forest the size of Glasgow.

How's it going now?

So, since you guys were here, we've planted 2 million trees.

We've got areas that are naturally regenerating.

We're working hard to tackle invasive species,

and encouraging biodiversity,

so we're ten years in, but it's a 200-year project, so...

Going well so far, then?

We've got a long way to go, but it's going well so far.

-And here's just one of those trees.

-Yeah.

It's a birch, isn't it?

It is a birch, yes.

And as well as birch, what other trees are you planting?

So, we're planting Scots pine, hawthorn, juniper,

a lot of oak, ash, alder,

a variety of species depending on what the soil

-and what the aspect looks like.

-A lot of...

-A lot of traditional trees.

-All native trees.

'But recreating the ancient woodlands that once stood here is

'not simply a matter of planting row upon row of saplings.'

-When the project is finished...

-Yeah.

..it's not going to be all trees, though?

It's not going to be, you know, the traditional forestry thing.

It's going to be like this -

this open mosaic of woodland and open habitats.

But what about conifers?

Because when people think of Scotland,

they think of regimented rows of conifer trees.

No, we're not planting conifers.

We do have some remnants left, as you can see across the lochside,

but they ultimately will come out. They will be felled.

Red squirrels love conifers, don't they? What about them?

-They do, and...

-And you've got lots of red squirrels.

-We do.

We have... We have a very... We have a stronghold for red squirrels,

so whilst creatures like that need their food,

and whilst the young trees can't provide those seeds at the moment,

we're retaining some conifers to enable the food source

and the wider population to thrive.

'Increased biodiversity is the overarching goal of the project,

'and an unlikely creature has been lending a helping hoof.'

We have Highland cattle.

We have Luing cattle over on another part of the Great Trossachs Forest.

They are used for different purposes. They break up the ground.

They help push tree seeds into the ground,

to encourage natural regeneration.

They break up the bracken,

which, then, the frost gets in and helps to kill the bracken,

and then we also have this really important habitat,

called wood pasture, which requires an element of grazing to create this

habitat, so the cattle are key to us to deliver that habitat as well.

'Well, it's still early days,

'but there seems to be encouraging signs of life.'

We monitor certain species,

and there are certain species that we expected to come back.

Black grouse is one of them.

We've had a huge increase in the black grouse population,

which, as a nationally declining population,

-we were really pleased with.

-Yeah.

It's since stabilised because the black grouse need a woodland edge.

They need moorland.

They're very fussy, but they're beautiful creatures.

'The mating ritual of the black grouse is something to behold.

'The males perform an elaborate dance

'on what's known as a lekking site.'

These leks are popping up in new locations -

as our woodland expands and the woodland edge moves, so do the leks,

having these open glades, encouraging wild flowers

and the understorey of woodlands to come back.

So, only 6 million trees left to plant.

Well, we've got quite a lot of them in.

I think the regeneration will do most of that for us, so we...

We've done the bulk of the planting now.

I think now we need to wait and see what happens, so it's exciting.

It is, and I think everybody in the world of conservationists

is watching this with bated breath.

Everybody wants to succeed, don't they?

Absolutely, and it will - I'll make sure of it.

The National Park is home to a wonderful array of wildlife,

everything from deer and osprey to seals and porpoises,

but there's one creature that Ellie always wanted to see in the wild,

and she went further north,

to the Uist Islands in the Outer Hebrides,

to see how their community of otters are coping with the harsh winters.

The islands here take on a different character in the winter.

The last of the holiday-makers have gone

and the wildlife reclaims the land.

This footage was taken by our crew before I arrived,

but they only managed to get a glimpse.

Typical - I'm never in the right place at the right time.

'So, I'm not taking any chances.

'I'm joining Steve Duffield -

'he's the Hebrides' top otter-spotter

'and he knows the best places to look.'

THEY LAUGH

So, Steve, what are our chances of actually seeing otters today?

Well, they're not bad.

There's probably something like about 75%, 80% chance

-of actually seeing one.

-Mmm. I like those odds.

A lot of it's to do with the timing.

If you're there at the right time of day, with the tides

either rising or falling, you've got a better chance than,

say, if you were there at low tide, or at high tide.

This is pretty much the bleak midwinter -

how come this season is good for them?

The weather's much harsher at this time of year.

It's cold, and so they actually have to feed more,

so they're actually active for much longer periods.

-So, it gives us a better chance of seeing them, then?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Yeah.

-Hmm, let's hope so.

'We need to track down these elusive creatures,

'so Steve and I are looking for telltale signs -

'their poo, or spraints as they're called.

'Mmm, nice(!)'

So this is a great patch here.

You can see that there's loads of signs around here that

-otters have been using it.

-Oh, yeah.

You see that it's all flattened but lots of spraints as well.

See that?

That's incredibly fresh there.

Oh! So fresh it's a bit too wet to pick up.

-Still wet, yeah.

-How delicious.

-There are spraints all over this.

-There are, yeah.

If you actually smell that, it's not that...

It's not a bad smell!

No, it's not horrendous.

But once you know what it is, it puts you off.

THEY LAUGH

Sort of mushroomy, would that be right?

Actually, I've never thought of it like that but, yeah,

I would say that, yeah. It's sort of a slightly fishy, musky smell.

Not something you'd obviously make a perfume out of.

-You wouldn't hurry to do that.

-But it's not unpleasant.

Well, you know, they could be watching us right now.

From a distance!

Yeah, watching us poke around in their poo.

Yeah! "Weirdos."

It's very green here, you see,

compared with all the area around it and it's almost definitely

because the otters have used this area for a long time

and they've been sprainting here, so they've actually enriched the area.

This is why it looks so bright green compared to the rest of the place.

-It's been fertilising it.

-It has, absolutely, yeah.

It's a good location but there's an even better one just over here.

Oh, great. We'll take a look.

So there's solid evidence that they've been here recently.

Now all I need is an eagle eye to see one.

-Is this a good spot?

-This is an excellent spot, yeah.

We've actually been seeing otters here throughout the summer.

There's actually been a family,

two youngsters and a female, using this area.

It's a cracking place for them

and a good place to stay for a while and scour the area.

You've got a good vista all the way around across...

Yeah, that's right and they do use all of this area as well.

-OK, a big range.

-Yeah.

They could turn up virtually anywhere in this bay.

So far all I can see is the odd heron.

-A bit of a waiting game, isn't it, Steve?

-It is, yeah.

It's a long time coming, but right on cue...

There's one, just up, just over there.

You see, if you look up the left-hand side of the island

then towards the seaweed, there's one just...

Oh, yes!

Fantastic.

I've never seen an otter in broad daylight before.

This is amazing.

Yeah, there it is, right-hand side, coming down this side of the island.

Oh, yes.

You can see it roll. If you have a look in the telescope, Ellie,

-it was just rolling in the seaweed there.

-Part of its grooming process?

Yeah. It's really important

that they maintain the quality of their fur

and they're actually a freshwater creature

but it's using the marine environment to its advantage

because there's more food in here

but they do have to sort of maintain their coat,

so they can't let it get matted up with salt water.

-They'll have to return to freshwater to actually wash...

-To clean off?

-To clean off, yeah.

-Oh, right.

-Hello, heading off.

-It's going up the rock, yeah.

The tail's amazing, isn't it?

You see that, the way it's stiffened its tail there?

-Yeah.

-That's sprainting at that moment.

You see, it's just got a very stiff tail

so it's leaving a scent marking there for the other otters.

I honestly didn't think we were going to see one today.

That was quite a waiting game.

I know. It often is that way

and you often have a feeling that there's nothing here at all.

It just takes time, really,

but if you're patient, you will eventually see them.

And for the next hour,

these amazing creatures frolicked in the sea right in front of me.

It felt like my own personal show.

-All the water coming out of their fur.

-It's got a fish!

The Uists are about the best place in the UK to go otter spotting

and thanks to Steve, I've realised

one of my lifelong ambitions, to see them.

One just popped up, it's got another fish.

Successful day today.

Oh, that's amazing.

And that's all we've got time for from our Winter Diaries.

It's been a real pleasure to celebrate the season here

in the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park,

but we'll be back soon with Countryfile: Spring Diaries

and we hope that you will be watching. Until then, goodbye.