0:00:31 > 0:00:32The Wolds of East Yorkshire.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35A truly rural county.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Rich pasture, undulating hills
0:00:37 > 0:00:41and pretty villages make up this untouched landscape,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44its beauty known only by the lucky few.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Those in the know have been able to enjoy its quiet splendour
0:00:48 > 0:00:49along this -
0:00:49 > 0:00:51the Wolds Way.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53And I'm following in their footsteps
0:00:53 > 0:00:55to the heart of this glorious county.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59The Wolds are a place you can escape the crowds and the traffic,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03where you can walk for hours without seeing a soul.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05That is, until you turn down a quiet country lane
0:01:05 > 0:01:09and bump into the world's greatest living artist, David Hockney.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11I'll be finding out what he's doing here.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16And I'll be talking to the Prime Minister David Cameron
0:01:16 > 0:01:20about the issues facing our countryside and the environment in the year ahead.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24And down on the farm, Adam's got his hands full training a new sheepdog.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28This is Fly. She's a very sweet four-year-old border collie -
0:01:28 > 0:01:30good girl - and I've got her on loan
0:01:30 > 0:01:33with the idea that if I get on with her, I'll be able to buy her.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36I've been looking for a new sheepdog for some time,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38so I've really got my fingers crossed.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41but there is one problem - there's something on the farm
0:01:41 > 0:01:43that she really doesn't like.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01For nearly 80 miles, the Wolds Way winds its way
0:02:01 > 0:02:04through some of Yorkshire's most spectacular countryside.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09It stretches from the banks of the River Humber
0:02:09 > 0:02:12to the chalk cliffs of Filey on the east coast.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17This trail is said to be one of Yorkshire's best-kept secrets
0:02:17 > 0:02:20and although it's 30 years old this year,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23it's one of the least walked of all the national trails,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25so I'm in for a treat.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34I'm exploring a small part of it - the five miles between
0:02:34 > 0:02:37the village of Thixendale and Wharram Percy,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40a deserted medieval village.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Bar what's left of St Martin's Church,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44not much remains of the village of Wharram Percy,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48but this was once a thriving place with 150 people
0:02:48 > 0:02:50and 30 houses.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53So where did everybody go?
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Well, it wasn't flooding, famine or even disease
0:02:56 > 0:03:00that emptied Wharram Percy. It was sheep.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02By the 15th century, sheep farming
0:03:02 > 0:03:04was a lot more profitable than arable,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07so the lord of the manor did the ultimate "get off me land" -
0:03:07 > 0:03:11he turfed out the villagers and replaced them with woolly grazers.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20The site was excavated from the 1950s up until the 1990s
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and what's been unearthed here has given us
0:03:23 > 0:03:27a significant insight into the lives of our countryside ancestors.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31I'm meeting Dr Simon Mays, who has spent the past 20 years
0:03:31 > 0:03:34analysing the bones of those buried in the village.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Simon. How are you doing? All right?
0:03:38 > 0:03:40- Hi, good to see you. - Nice to see you too.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Please introduce me to your friends. Who are these?
0:03:42 > 0:03:45These are some bones from the churchyard at Wharram Percy.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47OK. Well, the sizes are very different.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52The skeleton we have on this side is a medieval ten-year-old.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55And the skeleton here is to represent the size of a modern ten-year-old,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58so you can see there's a really big difference.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Right. And what do you put that down to?
0:04:00 > 0:04:04It's probably due to the poor nutrition that they would have had
0:04:04 > 0:04:06and also the diseases that they suffered from.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Were a lot of children excavated?
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Slightly under half of all the burials that were found up there
0:04:12 > 0:04:15were of children, and that's kind of what we expect
0:04:15 > 0:04:17in a pre-modern population.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21About one in five children died before they reach two years.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24That sounds horrendous by modern standards,
0:04:24 > 0:04:25but in fact, it isn't too bad.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28I was interested in comparing what life was like
0:04:28 > 0:04:33in this rural settlement, what life was like in a medieval city
0:04:33 > 0:04:37so I compared arm bones of men and women from York
0:04:37 > 0:04:39with those from Wharram Percy.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43It was really the women's bones that were the surprise.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45They're about the same length,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47but this bone, which is from Wharram Percy,
0:04:47 > 0:04:52is much thicker than this bone here, which is a bone from medieval York.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54That is quite a large difference
0:04:54 > 0:04:56considering that York isn't too far away
0:04:56 > 0:04:58as far as evolving is concerned.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- That's right. I'd put this down to... - Quite extraordinary.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05- It's to do with what these people were doing, I think.- Yeah.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09A medieval woman would have done work around the house,
0:05:09 > 0:05:11but she would also have helped in the fields
0:05:11 > 0:05:12and done a lot of heavy labour,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16whereas this bone here comes from middle-class people.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Women there would have had all their heavy labour
0:05:19 > 0:05:21done by servants and people like that.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Rural life was clearly tough
0:05:27 > 0:05:29for both men and women working on the land,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31but I'm sure they must've appreciated
0:05:31 > 0:05:33this wonderful landscape.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Back on track, and I'm heading towards Thixendale,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44the highest point on the trail at 705 feet.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47If the hills and valleys of this walk
0:05:47 > 0:05:50aren't enough to tempt you here, then maybe art will.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55The area has been the source of renewed inspiration
0:05:55 > 0:05:58for one of our most influential artists, David Hockney.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01He's painting bigger and bolder pictures,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03as Ellie will be discovering later.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06But there's an artist here who is quite literally
0:06:06 > 0:06:10leaving his mark in the landscape, and I'm getting a sneak preview.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19There are plans for ten sculptures and artworks along this route.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24This is the first to be finished, created by land artist Chris Drury.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26- Chris, how you doing?- Hi!- All right!
0:06:26 > 0:06:30- Yeah, good.- Congratulations on your spectacular creation.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33- It's a great view today with the sun. - It looks good from up here.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36It's a very intriguing piece, isn't it?
0:06:36 > 0:06:37Did you have a brief?
0:06:37 > 0:06:40There's a valley that comes into this one from the right,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43and if you look where the sculpture is,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46there's a bit scooped out of that hill -
0:06:46 > 0:06:51well, that's where the glacier met the main one coming down here
0:06:51 > 0:06:54and it does a kind of vortex at that point,
0:06:54 > 0:06:55and I thought, well,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58"I'm just going to draw the pattern of what happened here."
0:06:58 > 0:07:00It's one thing drawing it on a piece of paper,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03but it's another creating it there in the valley.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Did you just use manpower, loads of spades...?
0:07:05 > 0:07:07No, no, we had one digger and a dog.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09HE LAUGHS
0:07:09 > 0:07:14He was a remarkable man and the dog sat in the digger most of the day.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16That really took a day and a half.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19You're quite keen for people to use it and explore it.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Yeah, I think you could have a picnic right in the middle, out of the wind.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27It has to sit within the landscape, that's the main criteria,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30that it mustn't jump out, it's got to sit within it.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Later, I'll be meeting two men who reckon you can see
0:07:34 > 0:07:38the whole 79 miles by foot in just one day.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47But first, our current government promises to be the greenest ever.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48But is that a promise it can keep?
0:07:48 > 0:07:51John has been to meet the Prime Minister, David Cameron,
0:07:51 > 0:07:52to find out.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03When it comes to safeguarding the British environment,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05some people have big ambitions.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08I want us to be the greenest government ever.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10A very simple ambition
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and one that I'm absolutely committed to achieving.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15But with worries about the economy
0:08:15 > 0:08:18and competing pressures on the way we use our land,
0:08:18 > 0:08:23can the Prime Minister bring about positive change to rural Britain?
0:08:23 > 0:08:25I care deeply about our countryside and environment.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27I would no more put that at risk
0:08:27 > 0:08:29than I would put at risk my own family.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33'In an exclusive interview, David Cameron talks to Countryfile about
0:08:33 > 0:08:37'some of the biggest issues facing the countryside, like planning.'
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Under our plans, villages, towns will be able to designate
0:08:41 > 0:08:44new green spaces in their local plans that they want to keep.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46'The welfare of farm animals.'
0:08:46 > 0:08:50With other European countries, what we ought to do is take them
0:08:50 > 0:08:52to court if they don't put in place
0:08:52 > 0:08:54the changes they've signed up to.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56'And plans to support businesses
0:08:56 > 0:08:58'while still looking after our climate.'
0:08:58 > 0:09:00There's no point in just taxing them
0:09:00 > 0:09:05to a position where they just move to Poland and carry on polluting.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08'So in this programme and the next one, we'll be challenging
0:09:08 > 0:09:12'the Prime Minister on key rural issues during the coming year.'
0:09:12 > 0:09:15When you list what it is we've got that's great in this country,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18to me, our countryside comes right up the top.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Let's start with his aim to create the greenest government ever.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29But let me tell you this,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33there is a fourth minister in this department who cares passionately
0:09:33 > 0:09:36about your agenda, and that is me, the Prime Minister, right?
0:09:36 > 0:09:38I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
0:09:38 > 0:09:39From the outset,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43the environment seemed high on David Cameron's agenda. But last year,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46the Chancellor's autumn statement left environmentalists
0:09:46 > 0:09:50concerned that the Government isn't putting its money where its mouth is.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53I am worried about the combined impact the green policies
0:09:53 > 0:09:58adopted, not just in Britain but also by the European Union,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01on some of our heavy energy intensive industries.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05If we burden them with endless social and environmental goals,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09however worthy in their own right, then not only will we not achieve
0:10:09 > 0:10:13those goals, but the businesses will fail, jobs will be lost
0:10:13 > 0:10:15and our country will be poorer.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19So where does the Government really stand on its green commitments?
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Who better to ask than the Prime Minister himself?
0:10:22 > 0:10:24I met Mr Cameron at Cogges Farm,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28a rural heritage museum in his Oxfordshire constituency.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- Welcome to Countryfile, Prime Minister.- It's great to be here.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35When you came to power, you pledged to be the greenest government ever.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39But quite a few people that we talk to on the programme seem to
0:10:39 > 0:10:41think that you're getting way off course.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43I don't think that's fair.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46The first thing we did was, we said you've got to start with yourself
0:10:46 > 0:10:51and let's cut Government carbon emissions by 10% inside a year.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54We set that target and we've delivered that target
0:10:54 > 0:10:56and now set another target to do even better.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01So I would say we are cracking through the key green issues,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04putting our money where the commitment and the mouth is,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06and I think we can hold our heads up.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10But what about George Osborne saying, in the autumn statement, that he
0:11:10 > 0:11:14is concerned that green policies might impact on British industry?
0:11:14 > 0:11:16I think he's making a good point which is,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19we're trying to de-carbonise our economy.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21But as we take the carbon out of the economy,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24there's no point taking the industry out of the economy as well.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29So if you look specifically at this issue of heavy industries,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32where there's no point in just taxing them
0:11:32 > 0:11:36to a position where they just move to Poland and carry on polluting,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39when actually we ought to keep them in Britain
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and make sure that they are acting in an environmentally friendly way.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45I don't believe that the environment on the one hand
0:11:45 > 0:11:48and growth on the other are alternatives.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54What the autumn statement did pledge was a vast building programme.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56And that was on top of proposals to speed up
0:11:56 > 0:11:59and simplify the planning process.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02One concern is that could lead to large housing estates being
0:12:02 > 0:12:06built on rural land, like the one I heard about near Yeovil.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Where exactly is this proposed development going to be?
0:12:09 > 0:12:12You see the brown field straight ahead of us, John?
0:12:12 > 0:12:16It will span across there, to the left, behind this tree...
0:12:16 > 0:12:17- On the outskirts of Yeovil?- Yeah.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20It'll join onto the outskirts of Yeovil there
0:12:20 > 0:12:22and go right across to the houses on the horizon.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24So it'll look like, essentially,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27gravy pouring down from Yeovil into the vale of East Coker.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30If we can't make our case stick,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33then frankly we think nowhere in the country is going to be safe,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36particularly under the new planning framework.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40So, will the reforms of the planning system open up the countryside
0:12:40 > 0:12:43to more large developments like this?
0:12:43 > 0:12:48A lot of people are concerned now about your proposals for relaxing the planning laws,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52they think that might ride roughshod over the green acres.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Obviously, this country needs more housing,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58especially affordable housing, but where are you going to put it?
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Here we are in West Oxfordshire, my constituency,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04one of the most beautiful parts of our country,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06set in some of England's finest countryside.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08I would no more put that at risk
0:13:08 > 0:13:10than I would put at risk my own family.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13I care deeply about our countryside and our environment. Our vision
0:13:13 > 0:13:16is one where we give communities much more say, much more control.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20The fear people have in villages is the great big housing estate
0:13:20 > 0:13:22being plonked down from above...
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Which is exactly what they worry about in Yeovil at the moment,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28where there's almost a new town arriving
0:13:28 > 0:13:30on the doorstep of a couple of small villages.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35But I think our reforms will make it easier for communities to say,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38"We're not going to have the big plonking housing estate
0:13:38 > 0:13:41"landing next to the village, but we would like, 10, 20, 30
0:13:41 > 0:13:44"extra houses and we'd like them built in this way.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46"We'd like them to be for local people."
0:13:46 > 0:13:50What about your idea of the planners having a presumption to
0:13:50 > 0:13:53approve of planning applications, building applications?
0:13:53 > 0:13:56It's a presumption in favour of sustainable development,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00and all those words, as it were, are equally important.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02I think that is the key point I'd make.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Let me be clear, cos there's been quite
0:14:04 > 0:14:06a lot of scaremongering about this planning issue.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08We're not changing green belt,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11we're not changing areas of outstanding natural beauty,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14we're not changing SSSIs, all those protections that are there.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17But at the heart of it is, and I think this is what people
0:14:17 > 0:14:22haven't yet grasped in a way, at the heart of it is more local control.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25The neighbourhood plan, you decide in your community,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28rather than the man in Whitehall knows best.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30So you can guarantee that there won't be, sort of,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34vast areas of housing marching across the green acres?
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Under our plans, villages, towns will be able to designate
0:14:38 > 0:14:41new green spaces in their local plans that they want to keep,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43that's a protection they don't necessarily have now.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48But how do the plans to protect the environment at home
0:14:48 > 0:14:50fit with the Government's global green promises?
0:14:50 > 0:14:52The UK is legally obliged
0:14:52 > 0:14:58to generate 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00That's going to mean amongst other things
0:15:00 > 0:15:03lots and lots of new wind farms.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06At the moment we're just scratching the surface.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08We have 1,500 megawatts of offshore capacity installed.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12That's enough to generate the electrical energy
0:15:12 > 0:15:14of three quarters of a million homes, pretty impressive.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18But we're looking to go about 12 times that amount by 2020.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22But those plans need money and that could be down to you and me.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24What's your prediction about how much fuel bills
0:15:24 > 0:15:28are going to rise for everyone because of green power?
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Fuel bills up until 2030 could well double.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35The Government acknowledges there will be an increase and a decrease.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37But for every 1% increase in fuel bills,
0:15:37 > 0:15:4244,000 households slide into fuel poverty, which is a social crisis.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47Arguments over the cost of wind energy sharply divide opinion,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50so does the Prime Minister still believe he's getting it right?
0:15:50 > 0:15:55I think we want a competitive market so that we keep prices down.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58But I think there's more to be done to make sure
0:15:58 > 0:16:00consumers get the lowest bills they can,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03to make sure they're told about the cheapest tariffs.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07I think it's not a market that's yet functioning as well as I would like.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10We keep a pretty eagle eye on the big six energy companies
0:16:10 > 0:16:13to make sure they're behaving in a proper way.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15We'll do all those things to keep bills down.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19You are very much in favour of wind farms.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Many people aren't.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25That's true. We need a balance of energy in this country.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28It's a great mistake to have all your energy coming from
0:16:28 > 0:16:31one source or from one often dangerous part of the world.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33I think it's right we invest in renewables.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35It's right we show some flexibility.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39I think offshore wind is going to be a big fixture.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43In terms of onshore wind, I know communities feel concerned about this.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48- Again, in the planning reforms... - A lot of people hate them. - Some do, I accept that.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51When they go ahead, one of the reasons people don't like them
0:16:51 > 0:16:55is they don't see any connection between the windmill that's erected
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and their local community.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00If there were more schemes that were supplying
0:17:00 > 0:17:02renewable electricity to local people,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04they were feeling the benefit of that,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06then people would take a different view.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09The Germans are way ahead of us when it comes to renewables.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12They were doing this for longer. That was their key.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- Are we going to reach the targets? - I believe that we will.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I think the last government was a bit slow off the mark.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20When they did get off the mark it wasn't priced properly.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23In the long term we've now got a well-priced scheme,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26so it is worthwhile people investing in renewables.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30There's no doubt that in aiming to be the greenest government ever
0:17:30 > 0:17:33David Cameron has set himself an almighty challenge.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38But there are other pressing issues affecting our countryside that need to be addressed.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Next week I'll be asking the Prime Minister
0:17:41 > 0:17:44how he sees the future of British farming.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48I think we can push for real changes where we reduce these production subsidies
0:17:48 > 0:17:51that have done so much damage in Europe
0:17:51 > 0:17:55and focus the effort instead on rewarding good environmental practice.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59And tackling the difficult subject of the badger culls.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03- It's going to be controversial, difficult to do... - Difficult to police.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Difficult to police, but there's no end of difficulties
0:18:07 > 0:18:11but we've taken a difficult decision and it's the right thing to do.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Winter has stripped the East Yorkshire landscape bare.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29The trees are stark, the hedgerows without colour.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34The fields lie dormant under a thin sun.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39The Wolds in winter has a pared-down beauty -
0:18:39 > 0:18:42muted, quiet and understated,
0:18:42 > 0:18:44but how many of us really notice
0:18:44 > 0:18:48as we whizz by on our way to somewhere else?
0:18:50 > 0:18:52If we just slowed down a bit,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55took time to look around,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58would we see the land we live in differently?
0:19:00 > 0:19:02One man really thinks so.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07And he's David Hockney, our greatest living artist.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11He's based in LA, but has a home in East Yorkshire.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14It's here he's found renewed inspiration
0:19:14 > 0:19:16in its fields and trees.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20It's very, very lovely, subtle landscape here.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Not too many people,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26very quiet roads that you could work on.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31It's turned out to be the perfect place for me in the last few years.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35You know, I come from West Yorkshire.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39Wharfedale, everybody knows it's rather beautiful and so on.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44But people who just drive from West Yorkshire into Bridlington
0:19:44 > 0:19:49just think, "There's one big hill and it's just little hills
0:19:49 > 0:19:51"and it looks like a load of fields."
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Nobody really looks at it much.
0:19:54 > 0:20:00But if you know how to look, the landscape is alive with colour.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04In David's eyes, trees can be purple, fields sometimes blue,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07stone is often red.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10The same subject never looks the same way twice.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14He's painted the tree he calls "the totem" many, many times.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Right now you're seeing it in reds and greens.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22Er...on a different day, you might see it differently.
0:20:22 > 0:20:28Right now, the dominant colours are red and green, essentially.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32OK, the red is brown, oranges and brown.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34If it had been raining very heavily,
0:20:34 > 0:20:39you get like you see there on that side of the tree, it goes dark.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- Yes.- The rain will make it dark.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46I usually then wait and come out immediately
0:20:46 > 0:20:51because then you get... It's the only time the tree trunks are very dark,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53when it's rained.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57'David is able to respond quickly to changing conditions
0:20:57 > 0:21:01'by using the very latest in high-tech gadgets.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04'Out goes the sketchbook, in comes the iPad.'
0:21:04 > 0:21:10Some people might be quite surprised to see technology rather than paintbrushes.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Well, paintbrushes are technology.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14I suppose so, yeah.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16A pencil is technology, isn't it?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19For me on this road, the great advantage is
0:21:19 > 0:21:22you can quickly establish
0:21:22 > 0:21:27a range of colour faster than any medium I've come across.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30There's no mixing, it's just all there.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Yeah, because you're doing it all here...
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Um, with one instrument.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37I don't have to change it.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41So, um, it's an absolutely new medium really.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45'And the results are terrific.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55'All these pictures of East Yorkshire were made using the iPad.'
0:21:58 > 0:22:02You've painted this structure quite a few times. Why so many times?
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Is it about getting it in different lights?
0:22:04 > 0:22:09Well, because once you've done it once in January,
0:22:09 > 0:22:14I then realised I'll keep doing it every few days for a while.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17And right now it's very winter.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18It sure is.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23You're getting the reflections in the puddles as well.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26It's very nice in the rain because the road gets shiny
0:22:26 > 0:22:31and it's lighter than the sky, the light is right at the end.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34I wouldn't have seen that had you not pointed it out.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37To me it looks a bit drab, but there's lots of light.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Well, people don't look hard enough often.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46I used to ask friends if I drove along here, I'd say to them,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49"What colour is the road?"
0:22:49 > 0:22:54And, er, one friend just didn't say anything for a while.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58Then I asked him again he said, "I see what you mean, David."
0:22:58 > 0:23:02If you don't ask the question, you don't even bother.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05But if you ask the question and you look rather hard,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09well, it's violet, its blue, it's all kind of things.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12But you have to ask the question first.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17That's what Monet would have done, what anybody would have done, that's what I do.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Seeing all the colours that you can see in the landscape
0:23:20 > 0:23:24has suddenly made me seem very garish - I must seem offensive to you.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27- You're fluorescent. - I am a bit bright.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31David Hockney has been blazing a trail through the art world
0:23:31 > 0:23:33since the 1960s.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35He's internationally famous
0:23:35 > 0:23:40and was recently voted our most influential artist...ever.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44A new show at London's Royal Academy looks set to cement that reputation.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48Back at his studio I'm getting a sneak preview.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52So this is a miniature version of the Royal Academy, is it?
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Yes, we make the models
0:23:54 > 0:23:58so we calculate where everything will fit and go.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03'Featuring prominently will be the computer drawings of Yorkshire,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05'printed up large size.'
0:24:08 > 0:24:12'The effect of seeing them all together in one place is stunning.'
0:24:15 > 0:24:19- This is where we were this morning. - Oh, yes. The big puddles.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23- That's where we were as well with the totem.- Yeah.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25There's the totem again.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29- And again and again. - Vivid colours, it's amazing.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33How important are the seasons and the weather to you
0:24:33 > 0:24:35when you're going out and deciding?
0:24:35 > 0:24:41Well, it's about every time we went on that road it was different, that's what I'm saying.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46Because this is England, the light will be different,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50the weather, the foliage.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54It's just showing you the enormous amount of variety there is
0:24:54 > 0:24:56and as it changes throughout the year.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59And even within a day sometimes, doesn't it?
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Oh, yeah, I mean we call sometime in late April
0:25:03 > 0:25:08we call it kind of action week where it's very, very active,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12when the Queen Anne lace seems to grow two foot in a week.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17So the subject can't be done in one picture.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20It has to be done in many
0:25:20 > 0:25:25- because the arrival of spring is an event over time.- Absolutely.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29And you'll notice perhaps all of this in your garden.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33You'll notice the little changes, what comes first.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37I'm assuming that people who go to it,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40when they leave the exhibition,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43will be looking forward to the spring themselves.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44SHE LAUGHS>
0:25:44 > 0:25:49And keeping an eye on it and perhaps watch it a little more intensely.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53'The Yorkshire pictures will be shown for the first time
0:25:53 > 0:25:55'at the upcoming exhibition.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00'But it's something quite different that David hopes will wow the crowds.'
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Imagine if instead of just one viewpoint like you have now,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07you could see up there, and there and down there,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11a massive field of view and all in incredible detail.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13It would be really impressive.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16'Well, David and his team have done it
0:26:16 > 0:26:19'and they've made a film like no other.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24'It'll be shown at the Royal Academy, but we've been granted an exclusive preview.'
0:26:24 > 0:26:28The picture builds up in front of your eyes. That's amazing.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Nine cameras...
0:26:30 > 0:26:34'This brand-new film will be getting its first ever broadcast
0:26:34 > 0:26:38'anywhere in the world a little later right here on Countryfile.'
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Also on tonight's programme:
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Who's got what it takes to make the perfect Yorkshire pudding?
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Ellie and I go head to head.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Matt, I think a little less talking and a little more doing is required.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Sorry.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58And there's the Countryfile five-day forecast.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10First light marks the start of Adam's day
0:27:10 > 0:27:14and as the sun rises there's no time to waste.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Even in the midst of winter there's always plenty to do.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19He's busy sorting out his field boundaries,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22which means getting to grips with the art of hedge laying.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Before that, a new addition to the farm
0:27:25 > 0:27:27is proving to be a bit of a handful.
0:27:35 > 0:27:41My working border collies are an invaluable part of the farm team moving sheep and cattle.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Here, come, come. Good, girl.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46This is Pearl, who's a lovely little dog,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50but she got run over when she was a puppy and smashed her leg up
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and I never really trained her properly.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57So she's very below average, really.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59That's her mum Maude in the kennel, who's 13 years old,
0:27:59 > 0:28:03been a great working dog, but now she's old and deaf and a bit slow
0:28:03 > 0:28:06and enjoying retirement.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Good girl. Go on, in.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12'For the past few months I've been on the hunt for a new sheepdog
0:28:12 > 0:28:15'that can do all the running around these old girls struggle with.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19'I've had little luck in finding one.
0:28:19 > 0:28:20'Well, that's until now.'
0:28:20 > 0:28:23This is Fly. Here, Fly.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26She's a four-year-old border collie who's fully trained.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29She's very, very sweet. Here, Fly. Come on, then.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32She's a really lovely-natured little dog
0:28:32 > 0:28:36and she was trained by someone else so now I've got to try
0:28:36 > 0:28:40and switch her loyalties from the person who trained her to me
0:28:40 > 0:28:42and John, my assistant stockman.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45We're going to share her working on the farm.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Now I'm just going to put you through your paces. What a good girl.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Come on, then.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54'While Fly is good around the sheep,
0:28:54 > 0:28:57'she's not so good when it comes to my buggy.'
0:28:57 > 0:29:01One of the problems is she's frightened of getting in the back of this vehicle
0:29:01 > 0:29:04and this is John's main way of getting around the farm.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06How are you getting her to overcome it?
0:29:06 > 0:29:09We've been trying to get her in the back.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12- Is she like it all the time? - It's mostly I think in the morning.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14We try and get her in the back.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18When you're out in a field, she's got other things on her mind.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20She sees the sheep and it takes her mind off things.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23- Let's try her now, shall we?- Yeah.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Let's try her in the back, see how she goes.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30Oh, no, she's run off already. You've only just opened it.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Fly, Fly.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37Here, Fly, here, Fly. Good girl, good girl.
0:29:37 > 0:29:38Good girl!
0:29:38 > 0:29:41Here. Good girl. See if she'll come to you.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44- Come on, Fly. Good girl. - There's a good girl.- Look.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46She's not very interested in the food.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50- Let's see if she'll jump up in there now.- Fly.- Here, Fly, up!
0:29:50 > 0:29:53- There we go. Good girl. - She just didn't want to know.
0:29:53 > 0:29:58If you need her in the back and she runs off like that, that's going to be a right pain.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01- What do you think has happened to her?- Maybe she's had an accident.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Maybe another dog beat her up. Who knows?
0:30:03 > 0:30:06She's very nervous of it. I think you just keep working on her
0:30:06 > 0:30:09- and getting her to go in the back. Be quite firm.- Definitely.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13Have a go round the sheep with her. I'll catch up with you later and see if she'll work for me.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16- Yeah, we'll see how we get on. - See you in a bit.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19There's always work to be done on the farm.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23I've got 1,600 acres with hundreds of miles of field boundaries,
0:30:23 > 0:30:25which are either dry-stone walls,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27fences or hedges,
0:30:27 > 0:30:32and it's during the winter months, when the birds aren't nesting, that our hedges get a bit of TLC.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Hedges are a very important boundary.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41They provide shelter for farm animals, for crops,
0:30:41 > 0:30:43and of course, for wildlife.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48Birds nest in them in the spring, they eat the berries in the winter, and I've heard it said
0:30:48 > 0:30:51that there's about 100,000 miles of hedges in the UK.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56They're described as the stitchwork that makes up the patchwork quilt
0:30:56 > 0:30:59that is the British countryside - a very lovely way of thinking of them.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02But they do need maintaining - either trimming or laying.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09And hedge laying takes a lot of skill, something I'm keen to learn more about.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11so I'm meeting up with Robin Dale,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13who's working on a hedge at a neighbouring farm.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16- Robin, hi.- Good morning.- How are you?
0:31:16 > 0:31:20- Very well. - Isn't it beautiful for hedge laying? - A super day today - cold.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25I've been told if there's any man in the country who can tell me about hedge laying, you're the one.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30I don't know about that! But yes, I'm chairman of the National Hedge Laying Society.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33- I've been hedge laying for 47 years. - Goodness me!
0:31:33 > 0:31:34How did you get into it, then?
0:31:34 > 0:31:38One of the key factors is, the first competition I went in, I was second,
0:31:38 > 0:31:41and I earnt £6.
0:31:41 > 0:31:47My father was paying me £5 a week! So you can see that...
0:31:47 > 0:31:51- That's when the temptation took over! - ..I got into it pretty quickly.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56So, not understanding hedges fully, you've got all the brush on this side,
0:31:56 > 0:31:58but this side's smooth. What's going on there?
0:31:58 > 0:32:02It stops the animals from that side, especially cattle, from leaning over
0:32:02 > 0:32:06to eat the young shoots from this side, and it keeps them away from the hedge.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10When people look at a hedge, they see the bushes growing up,
0:32:10 > 0:32:15and they think, "Oh, that looks lovely," and then the next day they see it all chopped down,
0:32:15 > 0:32:18- but there's a reason, isn't there? - Well, if the hedges carried on
0:32:18 > 0:32:22growing up all the time, it would get very gappy in the bottom. That's a problem.
0:32:22 > 0:32:28- The animals won't get through there. - There's no way a sheep would get through.- No. That's the whole idea.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32- Go on, teach me how to do some hedging.- Right. Here we go. Gloves.- Gloves.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36Lovely. Is that very sharp?
0:32:36 > 0:32:38- Yeah.- Goodness me!
0:32:38 > 0:32:40You could shave with that!
0:32:40 > 0:32:42Right.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45I'm going to do this one cos it's a bit stronger, you see?
0:32:48 > 0:32:50- So you're chopping in?- Yeah.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55So you're not cutting right through, so that it stays alive,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57keeps attached to the root.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59It wants to fall down itself.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02- Now, see?- Beautiful.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05- Can I give it a go?- Yeah. - Try on this one?- Yeah.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08- You've cleared it round at the top. - I don't want to get it wrong
0:33:08 > 0:33:12cos if I chop it right through, this thing's dead. So just down there somewhere?
0:33:12 > 0:33:14You've got to cut into it quite strongly.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17Yeah, go on. Just keep...
0:33:17 > 0:33:20It's hand-eye coordination.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22That's it. Absolutely brilliant.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Whoa! HE LAUGHS
0:33:25 > 0:33:27- That's it.- You've done it, boy.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30'Next, we knock in some stakes at elbow's-width apart.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33'We then finish off the top with some binders.'
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Remember, use one binder per stake.
0:33:36 > 0:33:42You go over...and back this side, like that.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46- Over and down. - Well, that is very impressive.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49I can see why they think you're an expert.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53- You're really keen on teaching young people, too? - We've got to introduce young people
0:33:53 > 0:33:57because they're the future, and Howard's been working with me.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01- Hi, Howard.- How are you doing? - Yeah, good. How did you get into it?
0:34:01 > 0:34:05I was in my mum's shed and I came across my grandfather's billhook,
0:34:05 > 0:34:10which I didn't know it was at the time, and I've been doing some hedge laying with Robin ever since.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Is it a good living? What do you charge per metre?
0:34:12 > 0:34:17You can charge anywhere between £7 and £15 per metre,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20depending on the density of the hedge,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23and obviously that includes your stakes and your binders as well,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26- so that's all included.- Wonderful.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30Well, I'll come back in six months' time and see how my bit's getting on.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32- Fantastic.- And I think you owe me seven quid!
0:34:34 > 0:34:36Thanks very much. See you.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41With miles of hedging on my farm,
0:34:41 > 0:34:45maintaining them is a mammoth task, so I called in a contractor to help.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52Hedge trimming's an incredibly skilful job.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54This is a powerful machine.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58It'll cut through branches about the thickness of your wrist,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01and what Reggie's doing here is levelling off the top
0:35:01 > 0:35:05and he'll cut the sides, and then he'll trim it off again, just to smooth it off.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09We rotationally cut our hedges every three years,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12apart from the roadside hedges that need trimming every year.
0:35:12 > 0:35:17A hedge trimmer like this is quite an expensive bit of kit. It's worth £20,000-£25,000.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21And that doesn't include the tractor, which is worth another 40 or 50,000.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31Some people get very frustrated with the hedge trimmers cutting the roadsides,
0:35:31 > 0:35:35but actually, they're keeping the roads safe, so you have to bear with them.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38A little bit of patience goes a long way.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Back out in the fields, I'm keen to find out how Fly's getting on.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45I just hope she'll work for me.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49JOHN WHISTLES
0:35:49 > 0:35:56- Fly, here. Fly, here. - How are you getting on with her? She's looking good.- She's very keen.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59- See if you can get her to stop now. - Fly, stand.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02- Fly, stand.- That's it. Nice and firm.- Good girl!
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Well, if we're going to share her, I'll see if I can work her, too.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09It's a big ask for a dog to work for a number of people.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12But I'll see how I go and see if she'll work for me.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14There's a good girl.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16Right, I'll give her the right-hand command.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Away.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21Fly, stand.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24HE WHISTLES Stand! Stand!
0:36:24 > 0:36:27She's not stopping.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29She's got a lovely wide cast on her,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32when she goes round the outside of the sheep to get up behind them.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Really wide, which is lovely, and she's a fast little dog.
0:36:35 > 0:36:40She could easily gather a whole field full of sheep. Steady!
0:36:40 > 0:36:43If only I could get her to stop a little bit easier, that would be better.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47But I'd much prefer to try to slow a dog down than try and speed it up.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51That'll do, Fly. Good girl, good girl.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54She's such a sweet little dog. What a good girl!
0:36:54 > 0:36:56She's got so many good things going for her -
0:36:56 > 0:37:01she's really good with the other dogs, she doesn't fight, she's great with the children,
0:37:01 > 0:37:06she's lovely round the farmyard. It's just a pity she doesn't like the buggy. Apart from that,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08you're a little superstar, aren't you?
0:37:08 > 0:37:10What a good girl!
0:37:10 > 0:37:14Next time, I'll be finding out how fresh, green animal feed
0:37:14 > 0:37:18can be grown 365 days of the year, whatever the weather.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25I've been spending time in the Wolds of East Yorkshire
0:37:25 > 0:37:28with our greatest living artist, David Hockney.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32He's spent the last few years painting the countryside near his home in Bridlington.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35David calls this track The Tunnel.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40He's painted it many times, in different weathers and at different times of the year,
0:37:40 > 0:37:43and his paintings of it have left a lasting impression on one man.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Farmer Andrew Barton.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50He owns the track that David calls The Tunnel.
0:37:50 > 0:37:55Andrew, how did you first come across David Hockney on your land?
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Well, it was very strange.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02The first time, I actually was just driving past the lane and I saw a car parked up here,
0:38:02 > 0:38:05and a lot of people about and somebody painting,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07and it was very strange.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11I didn't know who it was at the time, but I found out by word of mouth that it was David Hockney
0:38:11 > 0:38:18who was painting, obviously one of the world's most famous living artists, if not THE most famous.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21What did you think of the pictures that you saw?
0:38:21 > 0:38:26When you see the finished pictures, the colours, and what he sees in the vista
0:38:26 > 0:38:28is just incredible, absolutely incredible,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31to what I see it as, which is just a green lane
0:38:31 > 0:38:33with a few trees at the side of it.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36So now you've seen the pictures, do you see this lane,
0:38:36 > 0:38:37The Tunnel, differently?
0:38:37 > 0:38:40Yeah, I do see it differently, obviously,
0:38:40 > 0:38:44but at the end of the day, it is just access to my fields.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47But I do see it differently. I find myself, when I drive past,
0:38:47 > 0:38:51I find myself looking up it more and seeing different colours,
0:38:51 > 0:38:55and at different times of the year, seeing different things in it. Yeah, definitely.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59- Fantastic. And now you've got a famous view, here on your land. - Absolutely, yeah.
0:38:59 > 0:39:04- I'm actually thinking of setting up a tea shop at the end of the lane! - Good business!- Yes!- I like it.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Paintings of The Tunnel will be on show
0:39:07 > 0:39:10at David's forthcoming exhibition at the Royal Academy.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13But it's not just the paintings
0:39:13 > 0:39:15that he hopes will wow the crowds.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19It's a film. A new direction for the artist.
0:39:19 > 0:39:24This is a short version, edited especially for Countryfile.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28OK. Well, this is what we did on Woldgate.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32Here's the spring. It's slowly changing into the summer.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35Now, there's three months between each one, of course.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39We made this for the TV screen itself.
0:39:39 > 0:39:45We edited these for this programme, for you to see it.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49You can see incredible detail in the foreground
0:39:49 > 0:39:51because our cameras focus on that,
0:39:51 > 0:39:56focus on the middle-ground, focus on the far-ground.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00This is at about seven o'clock in the evening,
0:40:00 > 0:40:06so you get a very low sun lighting up all of the variety of grass.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Here we are at our Tunnel in the spring,
0:40:09 > 0:40:13and we change to the summer, just perhaps two months later.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18You can see how luscious it becomes in the summer.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22As we change to autumn, you're getting all the marvellous changes,
0:40:22 > 0:40:26and now you come into the winter.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30With one camera, you wouldn't be looking up as much as you are here.
0:40:30 > 0:40:36Here, this is on Woldgate on a very windy day.
0:40:36 > 0:40:41Our subject, in one way, is movement, and here, with the nine cameras,
0:40:41 > 0:40:44you're picking up nine areas of movement,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47and it makes you look at it a little more carefully.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53Each frame you see was filmed by a separate camera.
0:40:53 > 0:40:58There were nine cameras filming at the same time, each with a slightly different viewpoint.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02The cameras were attached to a rig on top of a 4x4.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05The team filmed the same roads many, many times.
0:41:05 > 0:41:10The result is a mesmerising journey through the seasons.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13Here, we're coming up Woldgate again.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15You're getting into the spring,
0:41:15 > 0:41:20which will change, through two years, into the summer.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24The summer is the darkest, in a way, round here,
0:41:24 > 0:41:28simply because it's blocking out most light.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30It changes again back into the autumn,
0:41:30 > 0:41:33and slowly, as we turn the corner,
0:41:33 > 0:41:37it changes again into the winter.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40And as we turn again, we'll move into the spring.
0:41:40 > 0:41:46So we're really getting almost two years, turning this small corner.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Again, it'll change to the summer,
0:41:51 > 0:41:55and in the summer, again, it's the darkest of all.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00The shadows become dark on the road.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04Here, just to show you again the whole year,
0:42:04 > 0:42:08this is the identical place. Spring, summer,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11autumn and winter.
0:42:11 > 0:42:18That's showing you the whole year in the top of what we call The Tunnel.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22David's team edited this version to work on television.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26At the Royal Academy, the seasons will be shown side by side,
0:42:26 > 0:42:30but on a whopping 18 screens, just like this.
0:42:35 > 0:42:36Wow!
0:42:38 > 0:42:43The whole picture builds up in front of your eyes.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45That's amazing.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Nine cameras on that side of the road,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50and then nine on that side of the road,
0:42:50 > 0:42:52and we joined them together.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Incredible clarity. I can see really clear blades of grass.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Because you're putting cameras together,
0:42:59 > 0:43:01you're putting one on top of another,
0:43:01 > 0:43:06it means you can get much closer to the tree and still see the whole tree.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10With one camera, you'd have to be further back, actually.
0:43:10 > 0:43:15So, why did you decide to do something that was going away from just a single-camera view?
0:43:15 > 0:43:19Well, partly because the technology was there, the cameras are smaller,
0:43:19 > 0:43:24and I knew if you did that you'd make a more interesting picture, anyway.
0:43:24 > 0:43:30- Oh, wow!- Next, this is where we were, just further on this morning.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33- Oh, yes.- That's autumn and that's winter.
0:43:33 > 0:43:38And that's exactly the same place, the same tree you're seeing.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41That's wild garlic.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43Like I've never seen it before.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47It's really crystal clear and sharp colours.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50What are you hoping people are going to experience when they come and see this?
0:43:50 > 0:43:55Well, I think it will make you look a little more,
0:43:55 > 0:44:00be conscious that looking is a more positive act than you think.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03It's something you've to decide to do,
0:44:03 > 0:44:05otherwise you just scan it.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09It's like walking down the road, but really turning your head all the time,
0:44:09 > 0:44:13trying to soak up everything. It's amazing. Wow!
0:44:13 > 0:44:17New technology has enabled Hockney to push into new realms -
0:44:17 > 0:44:20new ways of seeing and looking.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23And for David, that's something we ought to do more of.
0:44:23 > 0:44:28After all, there's so much in our countryside to see. You just have to look.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38The Yorkshire Wolds are a forgotten gem.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45I've been taking in the splendour of the Wolds Way.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48I've seen skeletons at Wharram Percy and I've visited
0:44:48 > 0:44:53one of the first pieces of art created especially for the route.
0:44:53 > 0:44:54It is a lovely walk.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57Not too taxing, no major mountains to climb,
0:44:57 > 0:45:02but enough undulations to keep you nice and warm on a nippy day.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04Allegedly you can't get lost along here,
0:45:04 > 0:45:09but this high spot here is the mid-point of the trail.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12And if you wanted to walk the whole 79 miles,
0:45:12 > 0:45:14it would probably take you the best part of a week,
0:45:14 > 0:45:19but I'm about to meet a couple of lads who've done the whole trail in just one day.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23Jim Rogers and Neil Ridsdale hold the fastest official time.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25How long did it take you?
0:45:25 > 0:45:28It took us 13 hours, 23 minutes.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31- Some other lads have done it before, haven't they?- Yes.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34We did it ourselves, years ago, in about 16 hours, and then some guys
0:45:34 > 0:45:38we know did it and we gave them the official record, and that sort
0:45:38 > 0:45:42of spurted us on to have another go and try to wrest that from them.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45We surprised even ourselves with how fast we went
0:45:45 > 0:45:50but we were lucky with the weather. It was a perfect day and we got a northerly wind,
0:45:50 > 0:45:52- which kind of blew us north to south.- I see.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55Yeah, it went like clockwork, really.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59- Do you get a chance to take in the scenery?- To some degree, yeah.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01You sort of switch in and out.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03There's times where you're just in your thoughts,
0:46:03 > 0:46:07and times when you try not to focus on what's going on in your body
0:46:07 > 0:46:10and the aches and pains, and try to enjoy the scenery.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12Jim, you do a lot of track racing as well.
0:46:12 > 0:46:16What's it like for you to get out and do cross-country running?
0:46:16 > 0:46:18I much prefer being out in the country.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22My philosophy is, "A day in the hills can cure most ills."
0:46:22 > 0:46:24Thanks ever so much for stopping off.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28I wish I could join you but I didn't bring any trainers or shorts.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30- Come on, Matt!- See you later!
0:46:30 > 0:46:33Enjoy your run.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35I'll go this way. It's downhill.
0:46:41 > 0:46:46In a moment, Ellie is on a mission to make the perfect Yorkshire pud,
0:46:46 > 0:46:49and I'll be seeing if science can guarantee pudding success,
0:46:49 > 0:46:52but first, if you're planning to head out in the countryside in the week ahead,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55let's find out what the weather's got in store.
0:48:49 > 0:48:57.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10East Yorkshire's a real gem.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14Unspoilt, uncrowded, and unexpectedly pretty.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18I've been discovering some of it with David Hockney,
0:49:18 > 0:49:20our greatest living artist,
0:49:20 > 0:49:24while Matt's been exploring the beautiful Wolds Way.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28Matt will get here soon, and when he does, he's in for a bit
0:49:28 > 0:49:32of a challenge, because we're going to go head to head in the kitchen.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36And since we're in Yorkshire, it's got a bit of a Yorkshire flavour.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39I'm talking Yorkshire puddings, and who makes the best.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41I'll be finding out later.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47First, though, I'm going to try something a little different.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51I'm going to see if it's possible to make them the old-fashioned way, like in the days before
0:49:51 > 0:49:55they had highly-refined plain flour, like people would have done
0:49:55 > 0:49:57when this place first started milling.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00Skidby Mill is the last working windmill in Yorkshire.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04Back in the 1800s, it's where locals came for the wholemeal flour
0:50:04 > 0:50:05to make their puds.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07Which is exactly what I'm about to do.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10First, though, we need to see those sails turning.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12Over to you, Neil.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29Neil Johnson is the resident miller here at Skidby.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32Recently qualified, he's a new hand at an old trade.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36- All right there, Neil. - Hello.- How are you?
0:50:36 > 0:50:40That looked quite hairy getting those sails turning there.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43Yeah, it's quite a job in this weather.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46Usually we don't run the mill in winds of more than 25 knots,
0:50:46 > 0:50:51- Fortunately today it's about 20, so we're all right.- We got lucky today. - We did, definitely.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53So here it is.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57- Yep, this is wholemeal flour. - Historically, it would have been used for all baking,
0:50:57 > 0:51:00- including Yorkshire puddings. - Definitely.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03So, I could take this and make some Yorkshires?
0:51:03 > 0:51:05The best tasting Yorkshires you'll have had.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09What I need now is some expert help.
0:51:10 > 0:51:16'Ben Cox is a top chef who was recently voted the county's best Yorkshire pudding maker.'
0:51:16 > 0:51:19What are the chances of you making Yorkshires with wholemeal?
0:51:19 > 0:51:25- Oh, I'm sure I can.- Here you are. Let's see the master at work.
0:51:25 > 0:51:30'Ben's using stock, his secret ingredient, then milk, then whisk.'
0:51:30 > 0:51:32How long did it take you to perfect your recipe?
0:51:32 > 0:51:36I've been making Yorkshire puddings since I left school.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39'Because we've used wholemeal, Ben sieves the batter to remove husks.'
0:51:39 > 0:51:44- What's that?- Some pepper. Plenty of salt in there. Sage in there.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50A nice hot oven, perfect.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55Let's have a look at these.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59'So you can make Yorkshire puds using wholemeal flour if you're
0:51:59 > 0:52:01'a top chef, but for our challenge,
0:52:01 > 0:52:03Matt and I will be sticking with plain.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07But there's a twist. Matt's going all scientific.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11Here's Jonathan Edwards from the Royal Society of Chemistry
0:52:11 > 0:52:14with the exact formula for perfect Yorkshire puds.
0:52:14 > 0:52:15Mmm.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19What the blazes is this, Jonathan?
0:52:19 > 0:52:25- Lactose solution? I'm guessing milk? - Milk.- Ovoids of the protein variety?
0:52:25 > 0:52:27- Eggs.- Eggs!
0:52:27 > 0:52:29A reaction vessel?
0:52:29 > 0:52:31My reaction vessel.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34Will this help you win the Yorkshire pudding challenge?
0:52:34 > 0:52:38This is tested scientifically. It is going to lead to a perfect Yorkshire pudding.
0:52:38 > 0:52:39Not a hope.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42I'm sticking to traditional methods
0:52:42 > 0:52:44so I've called in the help of farmer's wife Mary Rook.
0:52:46 > 0:52:50- 'Right on cue...'- Sorry I'm late. I've had to walk here.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54- What time do you call this?- This is all very scientific, isn't it?
0:52:54 > 0:52:56- My word.- Look at your lab coat there.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00Yeah, that looks very homely and this looks a little bit clinical.
0:53:00 > 0:53:05'We've got our full complement of presenters. All we need now is a judge.'
0:53:08 > 0:53:12Enter Mandy Wragg - food writer and Good Food Guide advisor.
0:53:14 > 0:53:19OK, teams, you have half an hour to complete your task.
0:53:19 > 0:53:26In five, four, three, two, one...
0:53:26 > 0:53:27Start cooking.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Just double check...
0:53:35 > 0:53:37Organised chaos!
0:53:37 > 0:53:40- ..Close as you can get it. - You've got more in that we have.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43Ah, don't you question your formula!
0:53:43 > 0:53:45'Keep your nose out, Baker.'
0:53:46 > 0:53:48Mary seems to be tutoring Ellie quite well.
0:53:48 > 0:53:52You need to get it like a double cream consistency.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Eggs are made of protein and water.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58Too much talking going on with the scientists and not enough doing.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02Matt, excuse me, I think a little less talking
0:54:02 > 0:54:05and a little more doing is required.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07'First warning from the referee.'
0:54:10 > 0:54:13You've had five minutes teams, please.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23- How many eggs have you got in there? - Two eggs.
0:54:23 > 0:54:24Two eggs with 100 grams.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27Eggs, sorry, what are they? We're using ovoids.
0:54:27 > 0:54:28- Oh, right!- Protein ovoids.
0:54:28 > 0:54:33I'd like to see these going into the oven very soon, please, teams.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35- Here's one lot going in now. - Quick, Ben!
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Quick!
0:54:39 > 0:54:43You were stalling on purpose! You were!
0:54:43 > 0:54:45The old classic, "What temperature's it at...?"
0:54:45 > 0:54:50We're looking for a nicely risen pudding, aren't we?
0:54:50 > 0:54:54Yorkshire pudding's got to have a very nice height to it,
0:54:54 > 0:54:59nice crispiness to the outside, inside a bit of softness and stodginess to it.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03- Not quite a recipe book, is it, the whiteboard?- Not really, no.
0:55:03 > 0:55:04But if it works...
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Oh, we'll see.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Oh, dear.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11'You wanted risen, look at that.'
0:55:11 > 0:55:14I tell you what, if that arrived with my Sunday dinner,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17I would be absolutely delighted.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20That is not Yorkshire pudding. That is a shed.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25If you went to a restaurant and it claimed it made the best Yorkshire puddings in the world,
0:55:25 > 0:55:29and that arrived, you'd go, "Ho, ho! I'm eating in the right place."
0:55:30 > 0:55:36'Joking aside, it now gets serious. Over to our expert judges.'
0:55:36 > 0:55:40And I would like to introduce you to the Yorkshire pudding adventure.
0:55:40 > 0:55:41Please don't eat it all at once.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44OK.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48I think I might start with the small one.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52Mmm. This has got that sort of slightly squidgy bottom
0:55:52 > 0:55:54that you were talking about.
0:55:56 > 0:56:02Do you think we should have some mountaineering equipment for this?
0:56:02 > 0:56:04- Maybe.- Let's tear this baby apart.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07Yes, a bit of burning on the outside.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10It tastes a lot better than it looks, I have to say.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12It smells better than it looks.
0:56:12 > 0:56:16- The base is very good. - Full marks for creating a monster.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19I have to say, it's a very close-run thing.
0:56:19 > 0:56:25Despite this looking quite ugly, actually, it tastes pretty good.
0:56:27 > 0:56:33- But I prefer this one.- Oh! - Yes! Mary, put it there.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36Commiserations, boys. Back to the kitchen and get washing up.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40Do you know what, John, I'm proud of what we did. It was an adventure.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44- Well done, Ellie.- Thank you. That's just about all we've got time for.
0:56:44 > 0:56:48If you haven't got your Countryfile calendar, this is your last chance.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51- Details on our website.- Next week, I'll be doing some maintenance
0:56:51 > 0:56:53on the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal chain
0:56:53 > 0:56:55which involves a bit of abseiling.
0:56:55 > 0:56:56And I shall be hunting down
0:56:56 > 0:57:00the elusive otter that makes the canal its home. See you then.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03- Washing up for you.- Not for me. Mandy and Ben have already offered.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05Thanks, guys.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:57:19 > 0:57:23E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk