0:00:02 > 0:00:04The days may be some of the shortest in the year,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07and the hours are the darkest,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09but winter casts its own special spell.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16A time to embrace the magic of our wonderful British landscape...
0:00:18 > 0:00:20..be captivated by our wildlife...
0:00:22 > 0:00:24..and enjoy the bracing great outdoors.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32The season may be beautiful, but winter's not without its problems.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37All week, we're travelling the length and breadth of the UK...
0:00:39 > 0:00:41The sieves make perfect feeders.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Brilliant! And do you know what? My kids would love to do this.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49..bringing the very best seasonal stories that matter to you.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53We've had landslides, the railway moved 40 metres towards the sea.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55It's a real challenge to look after.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00A warm welcome to Countryfile Winter Diaries.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10And here's what we've got for you on today's programme.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14That's a great view!
0:01:14 > 0:01:16You can see for miles!
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Paul's on a mission to show us why our forests are in danger.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22This is what this fungus does,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25it attacks the needles and, once it's established here,
0:01:25 > 0:01:27you won't get rid of it.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Margherita discovers how the winter cold can take a terrible toll
0:01:30 > 0:01:33on some of our most vulnerable loved ones.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35How does the cold and winter affect your health?
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Last year, it was five times I was in hospital.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43And I'll be showing you what it takes to survive winter
0:01:43 > 0:01:45on a remote island.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57All week, we're here on Anglesey.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00This is Llanddwyn Island, and there's plenty to see and do here,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03with its salt marshes and sand dunes.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06And it's also known for these curious rock formations.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Known as pillow lava rocks,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12they were formed by ancient undersea volcanoes.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14But how do they get their name?
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Well, some say they look like pillows.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25There's cold comfort here as the icy wind blasts through but, of course,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28I'm lucky enough to have a nice, warm home to go back to.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31But for many of us, winter comes with a real threat.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36Four million families across the UK are trapped in fuel poverty,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39facing heating bills they simply can't afford.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Last winter claimed thousands of lives,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43with the elderly the most vulnerable.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47But Margherita's on the case to find out what we can all do
0:02:47 > 0:02:49to help keep our loved ones safe and warm.
0:02:54 > 0:02:55What could be lovelier?
0:02:55 > 0:02:59A picture postcard English village with a dusting of snow.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Aston Abbotts in Buckinghamshire.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04But behind many front doors across the UK,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08there's a battle going on right now, a battle to stay warm -
0:03:08 > 0:03:10and in some cases, stay alive.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16It's a plight that 71-year-old Elaine Harris knows only too well.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Elaine, hi! Can I come in?
0:03:18 > 0:03:20- Yes, certainly.- Thanks!
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Elaine has lived here for 41 years.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29She brought up her family here and can't imagine living anywhere else.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33But winters are getting tougher and tougher to get through.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Especially with severe asthma.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Well, you hope it's going to be a mild winter.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42But then it turns out like this,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45and then you worry even more because you think,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48"Oh, well, how am I going to cope?"
0:03:48 > 0:03:52And I notice that even inside your house, you've got so many layers on.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55- Yeah, I've got three.- In the middle of the afternoon now, and...
0:03:55 > 0:03:56Jumper, dressing gown...
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Yeah, three layers. I've got to keep warm. Yes.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03And how does the cold and winter affect your health?
0:04:03 > 0:04:04Well, if you're not careful,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06I'll end up going into hospital
0:04:06 > 0:04:10with chest infections because, last year,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12it was five times I was in hospital.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Why don't you put the heating on at home?
0:04:15 > 0:04:16Because we can't afford it.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20We only have this fire on, and it's just all electric.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22My son's got one in his bedroom,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and there's one in the bedroom I use.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28And the cost is astronomical.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33What percentage of your income is going on keeping warm?
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Well, I get £80 a week,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39and, last week, we spent nearly £60
0:04:39 > 0:04:41in five days.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44And then you've got food, and then you've got your water
0:04:44 > 0:04:45and what have you.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48So, what sacrifices are you making just to keep warm?
0:04:48 > 0:04:50It's a struggle at times.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52But you learn...
0:04:52 > 0:04:55You learn to economise. Like, you don't...
0:04:55 > 0:04:57You don't cook meals.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59You have sandwiches.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01And things like that, to save money.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03So, you're missing out hot meals,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05so you can keep the house warm.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Because we just couldn't afford to have the cooker on.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10And what happens at Christmas?
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Well, we'll probably have some cold meat,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and a few vegetables.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20And that...that'll be it.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Can you see a way out of this?
0:05:22 > 0:05:24No.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26That's why I keep well wrapped up.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Elaine is one of a million pensioners
0:05:31 > 0:05:33believed to be in fuel poverty.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36But there are another three million people
0:05:36 > 0:05:40across the UK struggling to meet their heating bills.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43And the problem's even more acute here in the countryside, where
0:05:43 > 0:05:45older, less energy-efficient homes
0:05:45 > 0:05:47mean more people are living in fuel poverty
0:05:47 > 0:05:49than they are in the average town.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53And high energy costs and static wages
0:05:53 > 0:05:55mean more and more villages
0:05:55 > 0:05:59are finding staying warm in the winter a real struggle.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01But for the very worst-off,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05this fight to stay warm can have serious health consequences.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Gabby Mallett is director of operations
0:06:08 > 0:06:10at the National Energy Foundation.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13It has a sort of chicken and egg impact, really.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16If you have a health condition already, it will make it worse.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19If you don't have a health condition, then it can give you one.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22And it's not just the cost of getting someone's house warm -
0:06:22 > 0:06:25if it's not warm, that costs us as a society.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Yeah, there's an enormous cost to the NHS.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32Estimates are that the NHS is going to spend about £22 billion over
0:06:32 > 0:06:37the next 15 years, treating people who have these kinds of conditions.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Because they're in fuel poverty.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41And it's not just a monetary cost to the NHS.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- This is costing lives. - Oh, it is, absolutely.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46If you look at last year's statistics,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49about 34,000 extra people died
0:06:49 > 0:06:52because they're living in cold homes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57But surely a winter fuel allowance of up to £300 makes a difference?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00That just goes to the energy companies - people use it
0:07:00 > 0:07:01to pay their fuel bills.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04It's not making any difference to their fuel bills for the future.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07So, if that money was spent on energy efficiency measures,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09people would be saving money next year,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11the year after and the year after that.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14If they want to make a genuine difference to these people,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16in terms of fuel poverty and in terms of their health,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19then they need to invest a lot of money
0:07:19 > 0:07:20and they need to invest it soon.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24The first step to a warmer home is to make it as energy efficient
0:07:24 > 0:07:26as possible.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29So we asked assessor Andy Stevens to check out Elaine's house
0:07:29 > 0:07:31to see what savings she could make.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35An assessment free to anyone on a low income,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38in poor health or at risk.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Simple measures like energy-saving light bulbs
0:07:40 > 0:07:43could save you £6 per bulb a year.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Foil behind radiators, another ten.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Stand-by plugs cost £20.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52But you could easily recoup that in a year.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54And always be sure to shop around
0:07:54 > 0:07:56for the cheapest energy tariff.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59But in Elaine's case, there are bigger problems.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Obviously, it's hard not to bring up the heating situation first of all.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06It's obviously not working.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08I don't know how long that's not been working for.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10- Yeah, three, four years. - Three years...
0:08:10 > 0:08:13So, you've been without heating and hot water for three years.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18We have to boil a kettle if we want a wash or whatever.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22OK, that's frightening. It's a big concern.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25The temperatures upstairs in the bedrooms are 12 degrees,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27which is not safe living.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30I know you re used to the temperatures in the house.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Does it worry you that he's worried?
0:08:32 > 0:08:35You don't...you don't realise yourself,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37you just get on with your life.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41But when somebody comes in and says, "It shouldn't be like this,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44"you should have such and such," you think,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47"Yes, I really ought to do something about it."
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Especially when you're not well.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51That's it.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Advisers like Andy from LEAP, the Local Energy Advisory Programme,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58can get you the help you need over grants and allowances.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01What we have found is that she's potentially
0:09:01 > 0:09:03not claiming the Warm Home Discount,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06which is also potential money back in her pocket of £140 a year,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08off the energy company.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11So, after Andy's visit, what do you think?
0:09:11 > 0:09:16I think it's very good, and with the money that we save,
0:09:16 > 0:09:17it will make a lot of difference.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21I mean, even £20 a year is a lot...
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Makes a lot of difference.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28And if he's going to refer us to the people about our heating,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31that will take a lot off of our shoulders
0:09:31 > 0:09:34because we won't have to worry so much.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37So, even the small changes today will make a big difference.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Yes, it will.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43It's surprising what a difference just changing light bulbs will make.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48You know, you don't realise what a difference it will make.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Once Elaine submits the paperwork,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56she should be able to get a new boiler. Fingers crossed.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Whilst these energy-saving measures are far from the complete solution
0:10:01 > 0:10:06to the dangers that fuel poverty can pose, they are a few small steps.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09A few small steps that we can all take to save a bit of cash and,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12hopefully, stay warm and well this winter.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Let's all try and do everything we can to help
0:10:22 > 0:10:25our most vulnerable during the winter.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Now, at this time of year, you won't see many farm animals out in their
0:10:36 > 0:10:38pastures. Most, like these beef cattle,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41are tucked up nice and snug in their barns.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43But it is a good time of year to get close
0:10:43 > 0:10:46to many of our domestic breeds, at several of the winter fairs,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48the length and breadth of the country,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52where magnificent beasts like these are primped and preened
0:10:52 > 0:10:54to within an inch of their lives.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58But how many of us really realise that whilst the judges have their
0:10:58 > 0:11:02say, it's actually you and I who really decide which of these
0:11:02 > 0:11:05magnificent animals will go home with the top prizes?
0:11:05 > 0:11:07I popped down to Builth Wells to find out more.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15When it comes to fashion, forget Paris, London and Milan.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18At this time of year, farmyard trend spotters head to
0:11:18 > 0:11:22the catwalks of Builth Wells for the Royal Welsh Winter Show.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Backstage, an army of beauticians are hard at work,
0:11:30 > 0:11:34glamming up the farmyard versions of Naomi, Kate and Cara.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Coats look glossy, fluffy and freshly powdered.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Well, I tell you what, I wouldn't have had my hair cut if I'd known
0:11:44 > 0:11:46this was going on today.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49This year, Welsh Black cattle are in vogue,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52with more than 2,000 entries in the show.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56Owners Ben and Ross, the Dolce & Gabbana of the cattle world,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59have been preparing these two beauties for months,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02with daily workouts and weekly shampoos.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- Then we put the black soap on first...- Yeah.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07We rub that in and then brush it up. Just to make them...
0:12:07 > 0:12:11It gives them more volume in the coat. Then we apply the spray.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- Yeah.- Just put it on then, to make them look more shiny.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Well, I think it's probably safer if I leave you
0:12:16 > 0:12:18to the technical side, but I'm quite happy to give you a hand
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- with the old hairdryer. - Yes, definite, yeah.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23- Right, fire it up, then!- OK.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Wow!
0:12:28 > 0:12:31- You're just back-brushing it, like that?- Yeah.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Looks like I'm on Rear Of The Year!
0:12:34 > 0:12:36I just had his hair, look!
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Well, boys, as long as you don't show them that bit,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42you might get away with it. I'll leave it to you!
0:12:42 > 0:12:46In the judging ring, there's no room for size zero.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50These supermodels are definitely plus-sized, and that's the point.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53These beefcakes will be judged on the quality of their meat
0:12:53 > 0:12:56and what we want on our plates.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59I'm meeting Rob Rattray, an award-winning butcher
0:12:59 > 0:13:02who's competed and judged here for the last 20 years.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05He certainly knows what the judges are looking for.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08The most important thing is, when he judges them individually,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11he'll be putting his hands on them to see how much cover there is on
0:13:11 > 0:13:14the loin, where the sirloin steak is, and how much fat cover is on the
0:13:14 > 0:13:17base of the tail. So, really, you've got to handle these cattle.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19You can make them look beautiful and smart and shiny,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21but if you want to buy them,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24you want to feel them and touch to see if they're fat enough.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Unlike the fashion world, where fat is mentioned in a whisper,
0:13:28 > 0:13:33here, it's shouted from the rafters because fat means flavour.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36I remember my mother taking me to the butcher's in the 1970s.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40She didn't ask for anything with fat on, because everybody thought it was
0:13:40 > 0:13:41a bad idea, it would make you fat.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44But, of course, we now know that sugar is the real culprit.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Do you think that's helping us to get back into meat with fat?
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Yes. There was a push for lean meat.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53I think that was spoiling the meat trade, to be honest with you.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- Thanks to all these TV celebrity chefs...- Right.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00..they've taught us again that we need fat on our meat,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03and good marbling inside the meat, to make it tasty.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05And have the best tender steaks.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Beef is our Sunday roast favourite,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11but pork's not so on trend.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Pig prices have toppled by a third,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18and the Welsh pig population is down by 8%.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22But David Lang, competitor and head of the Welsh Pig Association,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26is determined his Large Blacks, the UK's only black pig,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28will return to hog the limelight.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Now, you will tell me, I'm sure, that large Blacks are the best bacon
0:14:33 > 0:14:34and pork pigs going.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Everybody that keeps a pig will tell you the same thing.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41- Yeah.- You know, I personally find the Large Black are the best.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43They're the rarest of the rare breeds,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46so I feel that I'm doing my little bit to keep them going.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- Yeah. We've always been a nation of bacon sandwich lovers.- Yeah.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51But we seem to be going for those bigger cuts now.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Especially the rare breed pigs.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57- Yeah.- The rare breed pigs are definitely making a comeback.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Because the taste, the crackling, everything about them,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04people are realising that they're so good.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06If pork has been falling off the catwalk,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Welsh lamb is getting all the front pages.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11In the last seven years,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15the numbers of sheep grazing in the Welsh valleys have shot up by more
0:15:15 > 0:15:16than two million.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19In fashion-forward shopping,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23the latest trend is for consumers to buy locally sourced produce.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28So, with that in mind, butcher Rob can tell us
0:15:28 > 0:15:30what we need to look for.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Do you think, as consumers, we've become more discerning about meat?
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Yes, I think so. It's becoming more and more popular
0:15:37 > 0:15:39that we buy food from local farms,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42slaughtered locally, and buy it locally as well.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46- This is what it's all about, isn't it?- Yeah.- High-quality meat.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49So, what should we be looking for when we're selecting our meat in
0:15:49 > 0:15:53- the butcher's or the supermarket? - Well, this leg of lamb here now,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55and a half shoulder of bone-rolled lamb,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58you need a nice cover of white fat over it.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00A piece of sirloin there with a good cover of fat
0:16:00 > 0:16:02and the natural marbling inside it.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05That will give it lovely flavour as it cooks.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Now, marbling is all the rage at the moment.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09For anybody not in the know,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11just to talk us through what marbling really is.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14It's this little bit of fat that's in the meat itself.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16- Yeah. Those sort of veins of fat. - Yeah, yeah.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18On the sirloin, you don't see it so much.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20When you go further along into the rib,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23you'll see bigger lumps of marbling in the rib itself.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25That helps it cook and give it the flavour.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29Also, in beef, you want to see little dark
0:16:29 > 0:16:31rim outside, on the outside of it, just under the fat,
0:16:31 > 0:16:33and they call that, like, a ring of confidence.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35It shows it's been dry hung.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38So, that's another thing to give the consumer the confidence.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43From a ring of confidence to the ring of champions.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Whoever clinches the title gets the front cover.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51- Now, Ross and Ben are in here with their two.- Yes.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54It will be very interesting to see how they actually get on.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- Yeah, they're in a very, very tough class.- Is it possible
0:16:57 > 0:17:00to quantify what winning here means in financial terms?
0:17:00 > 0:17:03It could be worth anything from, say,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05£1,400 to £1,650, £1,700 tops, right.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10But if that animal happened to become champion of the show,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12it could easily be something like
0:17:12 > 0:17:16- 4, 5, 6, 10, 12,000, even. - Wow! Ten times their value.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18- Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. - For that ribbon.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22But it's only the one animal who has that champion rosette, you see.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25- Are we approaching that moment when we'll know?- We could be.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27APPLAUSE
0:17:27 > 0:17:30ANNOUNCEMENT OVER TANNOY
0:17:30 > 0:17:35- So, now we know, Rob.- Yes. He'll be a very happy owner, won't he?
0:17:35 > 0:17:38I would say so! Would you have picked that as the winner?
0:17:38 > 0:17:40- I'd be quite happy to have picked that, yeah.- Yeah.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45It might be disappointment for Ben and Ross,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48but David's bringing home the bacon.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50We got first for the pair.
0:17:50 > 0:17:51- Were you expecting that?- Yes.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55Well, that's the winter done.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Time for these supermodels to get some beauty sleep.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Well, there certainly were some very worthy winners there.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Now, there is nothing to beat a winter's walk
0:18:09 > 0:18:13in one of our many forests. There are over 100 across the UK.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16They are a winter wonderland that all the family can enjoy.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19But there are some assassins on the loose now
0:18:19 > 0:18:21threatening their very survival.
0:18:21 > 0:18:22Paul is on the case.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Isn't that a magnificent sight? I love trees!
0:18:29 > 0:18:31I'm so passionate about them.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34And that's why I was terribly excited
0:18:34 > 0:18:36when we planted these up, last winter.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38And they're doing really, really well.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42And hopefully they'll be here for many more generations to come.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44But the same cannot be said about our forests.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Millions of trees each year are dying,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48as disease reaches epidemic levels.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51And I want to try and track down the culprits.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58Britain's forests are glorious all year round.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02But only 13% of the UK is covered by woodland,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05nothing compared to countries like Greece and Italy,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07which have almost double that.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10There are plans for a Great Northern Forest
0:19:10 > 0:19:11of 50 million trees,
0:19:11 > 0:19:16but, in the meantime, what we have is under threat.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17My worry is bugs.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Bugs like Dutch elm disease,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22which caused carnage in the '70s.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Spread by bark beetle, millions of our elms
0:19:25 > 0:19:28were killed across the UK.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Could something as devastating happen again?
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Winter is the perfect time for a health check.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39My first line of inquiry brings me to the New Forest,
0:19:39 > 0:19:41to meet James Aldred, a wildlife cameraman
0:19:41 > 0:19:45who's never happier than when he's climbing the treetops
0:19:45 > 0:19:48of his youth, and giving the forest a bird's eye health check.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55James, it's great to meet you. You're a fellow tree lover.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I love my trees as well. But this place is special for you.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00The New Forest. I mean, you grew up around here.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Has it changed much since you were a kid?
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Overall, I think that the forest these days
0:20:05 > 0:20:07is under a lot more pressure
0:20:07 > 0:20:08from people, from visitors.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11You can sort of feel the whole forest groaning under the weight
0:20:11 > 0:20:14of the amount of holiday-makers here.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16And there's a lot of levels of protection.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Obviously, it was made a national park a few years back.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22It's absolutely stunning. There's something about a deciduous tree,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26once it's lost its leaves in the winter, when it's backlit like that,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28- the trees look so sculptural, it creates a silhouette.- Yeah.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32- It's beautiful.- Well, it's interesting you say that, because
0:20:32 > 0:20:35you can look at clues in the shape that a tree has grown into...
0:20:35 > 0:20:37- Sure.- And you can tell what sort of life it's had,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40because they're very responsive. They're sort of exposed to
0:20:40 > 0:20:43environmental pressures, like any other living thing.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Yeah. We go on, we bang on about how we have to save the rainforest,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49and quite rightly so, because what's happening out there is devastating,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52but what's happening here in our forests?
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Well, forests are very dynamic places.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57You know, they come and go. And they do need stewardship.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59There are pathogens and diseases
0:20:59 > 0:21:01which do come in across from mainland Europe.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04But up until very recently, of course, the saving grace
0:21:04 > 0:21:06- is the fact that Britain is an island.- Yes.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07And it's hard for these things to get in.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10But now, you know, with air travel and all that,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12someone can have breakfast in America
0:21:12 > 0:21:17and walk around on American soil, get on a plane and be back in London
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and walking out in Richmond Park within 24 hours.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24That could mean visitors unwittingly introducing or carrying
0:21:24 > 0:21:27disease, but to really see the wood from the trees,
0:21:27 > 0:21:31we need to climb one, and James has picked out a childhood favourite.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34There's a lovely beech tree up here that I want to introduce you to.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- Come on, then.- It's a tree I used to climb when I was a teenager.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Very special.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Beech trees are common in the UK,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44growing to a height of 130 feet or more.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47And they can live for hundreds of years.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49So, there you go.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52That's some tree. Look at that! Look at the girth!
0:21:52 > 0:21:53That's a few hundred years old.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57- Yeah. About 350, we reckon.- Yeah.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01Oak trees are recognised as the king of trees, but the beech,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04in all its majesty, is often called the queen.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Do you know what? It's a lot easier than it looks.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Good. Exactly.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12And with its heavy canopy now gone,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15we can get a closer look to inspect the forest's health.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18That's a great view!
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Do you know, you can see for miles, can't you?
0:22:20 > 0:22:24- It is fantastic, isn't it?- Yeah! - It just opens it all up.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27What can you tell about the forest from up here,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29and the state of it, that you couldn't tell from down there?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32I mean, this is where all the life is, up in the canopy.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Much more three-dimensional environment
0:22:34 > 0:22:36than standing down there.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38It looks very, very healthy, to me.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41There's lots of dead wood, which, paradoxically,
0:22:41 > 0:22:43I take as a good sign.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44It's good, strong habitat.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Great for birds and for mammals.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49So, are you generally happy and optimistic
0:22:49 > 0:22:51about the state of our forests?
0:22:51 > 0:22:54I am optimistic, as long as we don't get complacent.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58And, of course, the big threat these days is disease,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01pathogens, fungal infection from
0:23:01 > 0:23:04- different parts of the world, you know?- Sure.
0:23:04 > 0:23:05Problems that these trees
0:23:05 > 0:23:08haven't evolved to be able to deal with.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13These invading diseases are a menace.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Today, ash dieback is threatening Britain's 80 million ash trees.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22But I want to know what other lethal bugs are targeting our woodlands.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26Dr Joan Webber, a top pathologist at the Forestry Commission,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28is tailing the assassins with me.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32So, what kind of bugs and diseases
0:23:32 > 0:23:35are attacking our trees right now?
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Well, all different sorts. Some of them are pretty common things,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42just the equivalent of coughs and cold ailments
0:23:42 > 0:23:43that you or I might have.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47And then you can get much more damaging sorts of disorders.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51So, that might be, or is very often, the ones that are introduced.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52They become more damaging
0:23:52 > 0:23:55because they're new to the trees, and the trees
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- haven't had an opportunity to evolve resistance.- Ah.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04And already on this short walk, Joan has spotted another blight.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Well, this is a really good example
0:24:08 > 0:24:11of the impact that a disease can have on a tree.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Some Corsican pine. If you look through that stand of trees,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18immediately you're struck by how much light you can see.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21- You can actually see through them, can't you?- You can. You can.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24And then if you count up those whorls...
0:24:24 > 0:24:27- BOTH:- One, two, three, four, five, six...
0:24:27 > 0:24:29- There's about six.- When you get up to the sixth one,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32it's only then you start to see needles on those branches.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35And, as you can see, they're really just concentrated
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- at the tips of the branches.- They're just on the tips, aren't they?
0:24:38 > 0:24:41- They are.- There, it's all the way up the branch.- Absolutely.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43- And all the way down the bottom. - Absolutely, yes.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45And this is what this fungus does.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49It attacks the needles, and so they're shed prematurely.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Red band needle hails from the southern hemisphere,
0:24:53 > 0:24:57and has been rampant since arriving in British forests in the '50s.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01The tree needs the energy from the needles to thrive.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Without it, it can die.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07- Once it's established here, you won't get rid of it...- Really?
0:25:07 > 0:25:10..but it's whether you can tip the balance and put it more
0:25:10 > 0:25:14in the tree's favour, and take the balance away from the pathogen.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Gosh, that's quite frightening.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Hopefully, the introduction of more-resistant species will see off
0:25:21 > 0:25:24the fungus, but I want to take a closer look to home.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Are British trees in trouble?
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Well, there's no doubt that we're seeing a number
0:25:30 > 0:25:33of introduced organisms which really are having an impact.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- And that isn't something that's necessarily new.- Mm.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38If you look back to the 1960s, '70s,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42we were seeing the arrival of maybe one new pest
0:25:42 > 0:25:44or pathogen each decade.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49- Yeah.- Now we're seeing that almost every couple of years.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Some of these infections can spread like wildfire.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57Back in 2000, there were just four reports of bleeding canker,
0:25:57 > 0:25:58attacking our horse chestnuts.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05But seven years later, around half the UK population was affected.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08But there are things we can do to help.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10If you find something like that, what should you do?
0:26:10 > 0:26:15Well, most people have a phone with a camera in their pocket,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18so I would say, take a picture of the symptom that you see.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Also, the entire tree, so we get a bit of an idea
0:26:21 > 0:26:23of the context as well.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26And then the Forestry Commission has something called Tree Alert,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29which is an online reporting tool.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- And so you can go to that... - Yeah.- ..and essentially say,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34"I've got something to report, something that might be
0:26:34 > 0:26:37"out of the ordinary. Here are the pictures."
0:26:38 > 0:26:42The New Forest has more than 13 million visitors every year.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45And our presence helps bugs and nasties to flourish -
0:26:45 > 0:26:47and to spread.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51So, what can we all do to keep our forests in the best of health?
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Lots.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56The Forestry Commission recommend you take a few simple measures
0:26:56 > 0:26:58whenever you go for a walk.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03Clean your walking shoes, child buggy wheels, bicycles,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05even your dog's paws.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Simple precautions which could really help to make a difference.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I couldn't imagine a world without trees.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15They are the lungs of nature.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17And they help us keep alive.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20So we should do our bit to make sure they're fit and healthy
0:27:20 > 0:27:23so the next generation can enjoy them for years to come.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Thanks, Paul. Some really useful advice there,
0:27:29 > 0:27:30that we can all follow.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Now, Paul, of course, was in the New Forest, and that is certainly on
0:27:33 > 0:27:37our list of top forests and woodlands to visit during the winter.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45It's an ancient landscape dating back to William the Conqueror,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47and home to the New Forest pony.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51These little chaps easily cope with the winter cold, and are known as
0:27:51 > 0:27:53the architects of the forest,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55as their foraging has helped shape the landscape.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Up in Scotland, in the pine forests of the Cairngorms,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04there's a stillness and silence in the winter that's hard to beat.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10And if you're lucky, you might spot the crested tit -
0:28:10 > 0:28:13a pinewood specialist which likes northern climes.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22Snowdonia has some wonderful forest and woodland to explore on
0:28:22 > 0:28:24the southern reaches of the national park.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32But if remote wilds don't take your fancy,
0:28:32 > 0:28:34step out in gardens like Studley Royal Park
0:28:34 > 0:28:35in North Yorkshire...
0:28:38 > 0:28:42..where trees form an amphitheatre for the water features,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45statues and the ruins of medieval Fountains Abbey.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54Here on Anglesey, I'm loving my walk through the Dingle Nature Reserve.
0:28:54 > 0:28:5725 acres of steep wooded valley,
0:28:57 > 0:28:59with this very pretty river at the bottom.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03I have to confess, I think there is something rather magical about
0:29:03 > 0:29:04exploring the woodland during the winter,
0:29:04 > 0:29:06when all the leaves have gone.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10It reveals the landscape in a way that isn't always obvious during
0:29:10 > 0:29:12the height of summer. And, not surprisingly,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15it's also a great place for bird-watching, too.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21One of the joys of the winter months is the sight of migrating birds,
0:29:21 > 0:29:25perhaps none more so than geese gracing our grey skies
0:29:25 > 0:29:28in their familiar V-formation.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31The pattern means they can fly in each other's slipstreams,
0:29:31 > 0:29:35conserving energy, and it's thought that some geese can fly
0:29:35 > 0:29:39up to 1,500 miles a day, at over 70mph.
0:29:39 > 0:29:40Over in the Cotswolds,
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Ellie is getting ready for a very special take-off.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57I've come to a gliding club in the heart of the Cotswolds
0:29:57 > 0:29:59to meet a family of Greylag geese
0:29:59 > 0:30:02with an unconventional mother.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07When these geese hatched, the first moving object they saw
0:30:07 > 0:30:08was Rose Buck.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Good lads! Go on, Thomas!
0:30:11 > 0:30:15So they instinctively thought she was their mother and followed her,
0:30:15 > 0:30:17even as adults.
0:30:17 > 0:30:18It's known as imprinting.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24- Hi, Rose, good to see you. - Oh, hi, Ellie! Good to see you, too.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27- These are your lovely greylags.- I know. Fantastic, aren't they?- Yeah!
0:30:27 > 0:30:30How much work is involved in imprinting them?
0:30:30 > 0:30:33It's a huge amount of work. As soon as they hatched,
0:30:33 > 0:30:35I spent 24 hours a day with them,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38until they were four weeks old.
0:30:38 > 0:30:43And we spent the whole time together, forming that bond.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45And now they'll follow you in flight.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47How do they behave as a group when they're doing that?
0:30:47 > 0:30:49I'm always the lead goose.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51They're always looking to see what I'm doing.
0:30:51 > 0:30:52And they switch around.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56Will they communicate with each other as they would do in the wild
0:30:56 > 0:30:58- when they're flying with you? - Oh, yes, they absolutely do.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01I mean, I talk to them a lot when we're flying,
0:31:01 > 0:31:03to encourage them, and "Come on, guys!"
0:31:03 > 0:31:04And, "You're doing really well!"
0:31:04 > 0:31:07Which is exactly what they do in the wild.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19Now for the moment I've been waiting for -
0:31:19 > 0:31:22A bird's eye view of one of nature's most recognisable sights.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25They're on their way now.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43And we're off! Here we go! Yeah!
0:31:44 > 0:31:47- Woohoo!- Look at that, right overheard!
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Hello! That's beautiful.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54So quickly they've taken flight, that's amazing!
0:31:58 > 0:32:00Come on, boys!
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Right next to us now! Look at that, what a view!
0:32:09 > 0:32:13This is amazing. I am cheek-to-beak with these beautiful greylags.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15SHE CHUCKLES
0:32:15 > 0:32:16Love it.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19- Come on, boys!- What a sight!
0:32:19 > 0:32:22This is the formation they'll be in for thousands of miles of migration.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27From this distance, you can really see
0:32:27 > 0:32:30how each bird benefits from the one in front.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35You really get a sense of being part of this formation
0:32:35 > 0:32:36when you fly like this.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38Come on, then!
0:32:38 > 0:32:39Good boys!
0:32:39 > 0:32:41Rose is communicating to them.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45There's a few vocalisations going on, which helps them.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47That's another reason for flying in this formation.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53Come on!
0:32:53 > 0:32:56It really makes you appreciate what an almighty migration
0:32:56 > 0:33:00birds like these undertake, year in, year out,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03to reach their wintering grounds.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05Here we go. End of the runway now.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Woohoo! Hey!
0:33:08 > 0:33:11That was fabulous!
0:33:11 > 0:33:12- Well done!- Good boys!
0:33:18 > 0:33:20What a spectacle.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23You can't help but marvel at the magic of nature.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27But I also marvel at some of our man-made structures
0:33:27 > 0:33:30as well, like this, the Menai Suspension Bridge.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35Built in the 1820s by engineer Thomas Telford,
0:33:35 > 0:33:38it opened in 1826.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42It sits 100 feet above the water so that tall ships could then pass
0:33:42 > 0:33:45underneath it. And it's supported by a central chain that weighs
0:33:45 > 0:33:48a staggering 23.5 tonnes.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52How they got that up there in the 1820s,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54I simply do not know.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58Not surprisingly, of course,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00it is a national treasure.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03And very much the gateway to the rest of Anglesey.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10I love this island and, whenever I visit,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14I usually flirt with the idea of moving here.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17But have you ever fantasised about life on a tiny island
0:34:17 > 0:34:19without a bridge to the mainland?
0:34:19 > 0:34:22What would life be like, especially during the winter?
0:34:22 > 0:34:27Well, Keeley's off to Northern Ireland's only inhabited island
0:34:27 > 0:34:29to find out what it takes to survive.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Preparing for winter is one thing, if you live on the mainland,
0:34:39 > 0:34:41but what about if you live out there?
0:34:41 > 0:34:45For islanders, battling a tough winter and facing the threat
0:34:45 > 0:34:47of being cut off is just part of everyday life.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50So, what does it take to be an islander,
0:34:50 > 0:34:52and do you need a certain kind of mentality
0:34:52 > 0:34:56to brace yourself for the worst that nature can throw at you?
0:34:58 > 0:35:01It was touch-and-go whether I'd even get to Rathlin,
0:35:01 > 0:35:03as storms stopped the ferry.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07But, this morning, we're good to go, from Ballycastle on the mainland.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Rathlin is just 5.5 square miles,
0:35:10 > 0:35:13a tiny dot on the Straits Of Moyle,
0:35:13 > 0:35:17where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Irish Sea.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20It's Northern Ireland's only inhabited island,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23and home to around 150 islanders,
0:35:23 > 0:35:25like ferry skipper John McQuilkin.
0:35:25 > 0:35:26- Hello, there, John.- Hello, Keeley.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30His family has been on Rathlin for five generations.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32So, how long have you worked on the ferry?
0:35:32 > 0:35:35I've been working on the ferry now for the past eight...nine years.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Worked myself up to skipper, and I've been skipper now
0:35:38 > 0:35:40for the last three or four years.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42And how vital is it to the island?
0:35:42 > 0:35:44It's very vital, it's a lifeline...
0:35:44 > 0:35:47A lifeline to the island. This is our means of transport.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49Everything has to come in on a boat.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52Supplies, shopping, the fuel lorry.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54All your farming equipment.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57- Vans for workmen.- Everything... - Everything has to come in by boat.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00And what happens if the ferry is cancelled, then?
0:36:00 > 0:36:04There's been no boat now this week. Thursday, Friday, there's no boat.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05So this is the first boat since Wednesday.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08If you had planned to go somewhere, you were stuck.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Everybody knows now if there's going to be a bad forecast to get well
0:36:11 > 0:36:13- stocked up. - Have to be well prepared, then.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14You have to be well prepared, yeah.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17Do you think it takes a certain kind of person to be an islander?
0:36:17 > 0:36:19It does, yes. You have to be
0:36:19 > 0:36:22more or less brought up in it to get into island life.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24And does everybody get on?
0:36:24 > 0:36:28- They do.- You must all know each other's business inside and out.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Maybe too much at times.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35The main centre of Rathlin is the port, Church Bay.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39There's a primary school for eight children,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43a post office, a gift shop, even a cashpoint in the pub.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45All powered by subsea cables.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50But even with the arrival of power and new technology, and the fact
0:36:50 > 0:36:53that Rathlin's only a few miles from the mainland,
0:36:53 > 0:36:57it still needs to be ready to be wholly self-sufficient.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59Because you never know what winter can throw at you.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Rathlin is one of more than 1,000 islands in the UK.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09All of us are islanders, of course,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12and self-sufficiency is built in to our DNA.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16But it's writ large here on Rathlin, and I'm curious to know more.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20And there's no better place to find out than the local pub.
0:37:20 > 0:37:21Come on.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27Do you think it takes a certain type of mentality to live somewhere
0:37:27 > 0:37:29- like this?- Oh, it does, yeah. It does, indeed.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32It's not easy for somebody to come in and live on an island.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35If you're born into it, I suppose it's different. It's what you're
0:37:35 > 0:37:38used to. But I think you have to be content not to be wanting to run
0:37:38 > 0:37:40to the cinema or run for social things.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42We have enough here to keep us going,
0:37:42 > 0:37:44but you have to, yeah, be more content with your own company.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46And sitting at your fire shed at night-time.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48A big fire roaring up the chimney.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50- Do you love living here?- Love it. Love it.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52And I'd recommend it to anybody.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54It's great for families, bringing up children.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57It is. It's a good environment. It's terrific for us.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59Have you got any tips for when you are cut off,
0:37:59 > 0:38:01how you get through a spell of weather like that?
0:38:01 > 0:38:03You must be organised. You have to be very organised
0:38:03 > 0:38:06to live on Rathlin. You do your big shop once a fortnight.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09You fill up your freezer, you fill up your store cupboards.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12When you've got birthdays coming up or Christmas coming up,
0:38:12 > 0:38:14you do your shopping six weeks, two months in advance!
0:38:14 > 0:38:18- Very organised!- Organised, and you're always prepared.
0:38:18 > 0:38:19And I never was in the Girl Guides.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Do you ever run out of milk?
0:38:22 > 0:38:25That would be the one thing you might run out of but, again,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27you always have a couple of pints in the freezer.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30And that's different. In years gone by, when things weren't so easy on
0:38:30 > 0:38:34the island, we never run out of milk because we all had our own cows.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37They're made of strong stuff, these islanders.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40But, then, it's unsurprising. They come from hardy stock.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51In the '50s, life for their forebears
0:38:51 > 0:38:54meant milk and butter arriving on four legs.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59Beef cattle were a lifeline, but getting them to the mainland
0:38:59 > 0:39:03to sell meant wrestling them onto an open 30-foot boat.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09The land and the sea were Rathlin's larder and, way back when,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12islanders used to scale cliffs to rescue wrecked sailors
0:39:12 > 0:39:15or forage on the ledges.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19There was only one car on the island,
0:39:19 > 0:39:21and that was for the district nurse.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26Life's a bit easier now,
0:39:26 > 0:39:30though it was only a decade ago that Rathlin was finally connected
0:39:30 > 0:39:33to the mainland's electricity supply.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35There's little that fazes the islanders.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39Local historian Kevin McGowan has popped over from the mainland
0:39:39 > 0:39:41to tell me more.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Do you think islanders need a certain kind of mentality to get
0:39:43 > 0:39:45through those tough conditions?
0:39:45 > 0:39:47They do, they're a breed of their own.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52They're definitely a lot hardier and tougher than us, us mainland folk.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55- It's a way of life.- You know a lot about the history of Rathlin.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57The history of Rathlin's fascinating.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59I'm very passionate and it's somewhere I love.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01And it's uncorrupted like a lot of the rest of it,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04because you have such a small pool of people, I suppose, here.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07Probably the best example I can give you of deprivation
0:40:07 > 0:40:10would have been if we went back to March of 1938.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13And the island had been cut off from the mainland for four weeks.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17- Four weeks?- It got so bad after the 26th day, the rector,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19he actually had to send off an SOS, and James Craig,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22who was the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland at that time,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25he sent a response unit out, of three military aircraft
0:40:25 > 0:40:27to lift provisions onto the island.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30But if you look around, you'll notice now there's no airfields,
0:40:30 > 0:40:33there were no places of landing on the island.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35So, the islanders, they actually made a bit of a runway,
0:40:35 > 0:40:37just by burning the local hedges
0:40:37 > 0:40:41to direct the planes down onto the island. So, it was quite unique.
0:40:41 > 0:40:42Industrious, then!
0:40:42 > 0:40:45Do you think mainlanders could learn a thing or two from island folk?
0:40:45 > 0:40:47Probably one of the best would be the patience.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51You definitely need strength of mind, I would imagine,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54to live on the island. But anybody that is lucky enough to live here,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58I'm sure, loves it. They would tell you the same story.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01Multitasking might be the buzzword of the 21st-century,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04but Rathliners have been doing it for years.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06Take John, who I met earlier.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09When he's not on the ferry, he also looks after his farm,
0:41:09 > 0:41:12works as a fireman and coastguard.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16And I presume they're vital for the island to keep going?
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Well, they are, yeah. Because there is no...
0:41:18 > 0:41:21For the Fire Service to come from the mainland,
0:41:21 > 0:41:23you're talking two hours.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25You have to go out on the ferry to get a fire engine in.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27So, it's vital to have facilities on the island.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30- You must be exhausted.- Not too bad.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32Is island life hard?
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Oh, it is hard, yeah. Yeah, but I wouldn't change it for the world.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Love farming. Love working in the seas.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40That's me.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45I've learnt a lot from Rathliners' can-do attitude.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47And I love the island itself.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51Dramatic, rugged coastline, windswept hills,
0:41:51 > 0:41:53and, of course, all that glorious wildlife.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56From puffins and grey seals to dolphins
0:41:56 > 0:41:58in the wild surrounding waters.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05A harsh winter can bring challenges for all of us,
0:42:05 > 0:42:08but when you live on an island, like any remote community,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11you have to think a bit differently and you have to be prepared.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13Here on the Rathlin, the sense of community
0:42:13 > 0:42:16and tranquillity really makes it worthwhile.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18Do you know what? I can see the appeal.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20But for now, I've got a ferry to catch.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32What a beautiful island that is.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35It's definitely going on my bucket list as a place to visit.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38But, in the meantime, be sure to join us tomorrow,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41when, in a Countryfile Diaries exclusive,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44I meet 2012 Olympic legend Sir Ben Ainslie,
0:42:44 > 0:42:46who's on a mission to save our oceans
0:42:46 > 0:42:48from the devastation of plastic.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50You know, it's really disheartening to be out there
0:42:50 > 0:42:53in a beautiful ocean, middle of nowhere, and you're coming across
0:42:53 > 0:42:54this wasteland of plastic.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58And find out why this simple invention could lead the revolution.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01That's incredible to think that's just a few hours!
0:43:01 > 0:43:06Keeley finds out why surfing is good for body and soul.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08So, are you going to look after me out there?
0:43:08 > 0:43:11- We'll look after you.- Yahoo!
0:43:11 > 0:43:14And I'll be revealing why wearing wellies could be
0:43:14 > 0:43:16affecting your feet.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18So, until then, goodbye.