Browse content similar to 12/02/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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The Isle of Wight. England's largest island. | 0:00:26 | 0:00:30 | |
A mosaic of contrasting landscapes. | 0:00:30 | 0:00:33 | |
Clifftop trails, sandy beaches | 0:00:33 | 0:00:35 | |
and lush meadows make this a walker's Paradise. | 0:00:35 | 0:00:39 | |
Love is in the air, | 0:00:39 | 0:00:41 | |
and with Valentine's Day just a couple of days away, | 0:00:41 | 0:00:43 | |
I'm going to be meeting some hopeful singles | 0:00:43 | 0:00:46 | |
taking part in speed date walking. | 0:00:46 | 0:00:48 | |
But is it possible to find love on an island in a five-minute walk? | 0:00:48 | 0:00:53 | |
-It worked for me! -Did it? Oh! | 0:00:53 | 0:00:56 | |
And, while Matt is romantically engaged, I'll be seeing how, | 0:00:58 | 0:01:03 | |
50 years ago, the Isle of Wight's wild side brought a new sport | 0:01:03 | 0:01:07 | |
to this part of the world. | 0:01:07 | 0:01:09 | |
It may seem unlikely, but winter is the perfect time | 0:01:09 | 0:01:12 | |
to go surfing off the south side of the island, | 0:01:12 | 0:01:15 | |
but how would this original wooden surfboard fare against those waves? | 0:01:15 | 0:01:19 | |
We'll be putting it to the test. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:21 | |
Back on the mainland, John uncovers the dangers of our country roads. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:26 | |
New statistics compiled for Countryfile reveal that | 0:01:26 | 0:01:29 | |
young drivers in rural areas are far more likely to be killed or injured | 0:01:29 | 0:01:34 | |
than those living in towns and cities. | 0:01:34 | 0:01:36 | |
I'll be investigating why and discovering how, using tactics | 0:01:36 | 0:01:40 | |
like this skid car, safety experts are trying to reduce the dangers. | 0:01:40 | 0:01:45 | |
Meanwhile, Adam is taking a trip away from the farm. | 0:01:45 | 0:01:48 | |
This ship is being loaded with 3,750 tonnes of barley, | 0:01:48 | 0:01:52 | |
and some of it's mine. | 0:01:52 | 0:01:53 | |
I'll be seeing why my crop is being exported | 0:01:53 | 0:01:56 | |
to the brewing giants of Germany. | 0:01:56 | 0:01:59 | |
The Isle of Wight lies off the Hampshire coast | 0:02:09 | 0:02:11 | |
between the Solent and the English Channel. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:14 | |
It's just 23 miles by 13, but, in sheer variety of landscapes, | 0:02:14 | 0:02:20 | |
it punches way above its weight. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:22 | |
West Wight is the less populated, remoter side of the isle. | 0:02:22 | 0:02:27 | |
This is a landscape that has been walked | 0:02:27 | 0:02:30 | |
and enjoyed by some eminent people. | 0:02:30 | 0:02:32 | |
Alfred Lord Tennyson and Queen Victoria to name just two. | 0:02:32 | 0:02:36 | |
But, as well as being a haven for walkers and Victorian nobility, | 0:02:36 | 0:02:40 | |
these downs have bred countless generations of horses. | 0:02:40 | 0:02:45 | |
One of which was to become a legend. | 0:02:45 | 0:02:49 | |
His name was Warrior, and his fame was forged | 0:02:49 | 0:02:52 | |
in the turmoil of the First World War. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:54 | |
This was the so-called Great War. | 0:02:57 | 0:02:59 | |
Man and animal, fighting side-by-side | 0:02:59 | 0:03:01 | |
in the most devastating conflict the world had ever seen. | 0:03:01 | 0:03:04 | |
Millions never returned. | 0:03:04 | 0:03:07 | |
Michael Morpurgo's book, War Horse, adapted for the stage, | 0:03:07 | 0:03:10 | |
and more recently, a Spielberg film, | 0:03:10 | 0:03:13 | |
depicted this man-made hell from an equine point of view. | 0:03:13 | 0:03:16 | |
Well, the war horse that everyone is talking about at the moment | 0:03:18 | 0:03:22 | |
is a work of fiction, but the Isle of Wight's Warrior is true. | 0:03:22 | 0:03:26 | |
Racing journalist and former jockey Brough Scott | 0:03:30 | 0:03:33 | |
knows the story of this heroic horse better than anyone. | 0:03:33 | 0:03:36 | |
It was Brough's grandfather who owned Warrior, and took him to war. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:40 | |
So, this is the horse you're going to be riding out on then, Brough. | 0:03:40 | 0:03:44 | |
This is Laddie, the massive Laddie. | 0:03:44 | 0:03:46 | |
And this is Sky, your very own Warrior. | 0:03:46 | 0:03:48 | |
So we're going to take a little ride | 0:03:48 | 0:03:50 | |
out over the landscape that Warrior would be used to? | 0:03:50 | 0:03:52 | |
Yes, this is Where warrior was born, | 0:03:52 | 0:03:55 | |
and it's a gorgeous place to ride in. | 0:03:55 | 0:03:57 | |
-Wow. -Sea and downs. -Yeah! -Lifts the heart. | 0:04:02 | 0:04:06 | |
Warrior was born here in West Wight in 1908. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:10 | |
He soon lived up to his name. | 0:04:10 | 0:04:12 | |
This is quite an iconic field that we are in now, I understand. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:16 | |
Sidling Paul, it's called. | 0:04:16 | 0:04:19 | |
Warrior was here from yearling right through to three year-old | 0:04:19 | 0:04:21 | |
And, just here, grandpa would have got on him the first time | 0:04:21 | 0:04:25 | |
and he bucked him off, three times running. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:28 | |
And he sat there and said, "Now, listen, | 0:04:28 | 0:04:30 | |
"you're going to have to make this work for me." | 0:04:30 | 0:04:34 | |
Anyway, they then rode on together for the next 30 years. | 0:04:34 | 0:04:38 | |
The feisty young Warrior enjoyed his early years | 0:04:44 | 0:04:47 | |
in the idyllic surroundings here in West Wight. | 0:04:47 | 0:04:50 | |
But, with the coming of war, Brough's grandfather, | 0:04:50 | 0:04:53 | |
by this time a cavalry general, | 0:04:53 | 0:04:56 | |
decided to take his precious six-year old into combat. | 0:04:56 | 0:04:59 | |
What kind of situations were these horses riding into? | 0:04:59 | 0:05:02 | |
Well, they're riding into shells landing | 0:05:02 | 0:05:05 | |
literally in front of you, and bullets knocking them over. | 0:05:05 | 0:05:08 | |
And, of course, horses are very big targets. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:11 | |
And remember, this is mud, a lot of it, horrible. | 0:05:11 | 0:05:15 | |
A lot of the horses were pack horses, pulling things. | 0:05:15 | 0:05:17 | |
And because the mud all got churned up, | 0:05:17 | 0:05:21 | |
and they would literally sink in and die where they were. | 0:05:21 | 0:05:24 | |
And Warrior, at Passchendaele, he sank right into the mud | 0:05:24 | 0:05:27 | |
and only, but for the luck of the people around him, who got him out. | 0:05:27 | 0:05:30 | |
Escaping the mud at Passchendaele wasn't the only time | 0:05:41 | 0:05:44 | |
Warrior survived when many around him perished. | 0:05:44 | 0:05:47 | |
His front-line service took him to all the major battlefields, | 0:05:47 | 0:05:51 | |
from Ypres to the Somme. | 0:05:51 | 0:05:52 | |
But, his bravery and fortune were legendary, | 0:05:52 | 0:05:55 | |
and carried him through the duration of the war. | 0:05:55 | 0:05:58 | |
Soldiers must have wanted to come and see this horse, you know, | 0:05:58 | 0:06:01 | |
as he went into battle after battle, | 0:06:01 | 0:06:03 | |
and everyone suddenly realised that this horse was just invincible. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:06 | |
Well, that's the thing, | 0:06:06 | 0:06:09 | |
that he became the ultimate mascot. | 0:06:09 | 0:06:12 | |
And he stands still when the shells fall, | 0:06:12 | 0:06:14 | |
and there would be bullets whirring, you can imagine | 0:06:14 | 0:06:17 | |
the sort of inspiration he would give other people. | 0:06:17 | 0:06:20 | |
When he died in 1941, his obituary in the Times, | 0:06:20 | 0:06:23 | |
the headline said, The Horse The Germans Could Not Kill. | 0:06:23 | 0:06:27 | |
What had sealed Warrior's status as a war hero | 0:06:29 | 0:06:31 | |
was his leading of a cavalry charge in 1918 near Amiens, | 0:06:31 | 0:06:35 | |
which crucially checked the German advance. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:38 | |
But, even after his war exploits, Warrior still wasn't finished. | 0:06:38 | 0:06:43 | |
When he came home, he still wanted to run. | 0:06:43 | 0:06:45 | |
He became a racehorse. He won the Isle of Wight point-to-point. | 0:06:45 | 0:06:48 | |
And he won it, four years to the day | 0:06:48 | 0:06:50 | |
when he led the cavalry charge at Moreuil Wood. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:54 | |
And what was rather sweet, normally, after a race, the horse is led away, | 0:06:54 | 0:06:58 | |
and the owners all pat each other on the back and go and have a drink. | 0:06:58 | 0:07:02 | |
And my grandfather said, no, set him up again, | 0:07:02 | 0:07:04 | |
and the two of us are going home together. | 0:07:04 | 0:07:07 | |
He rode him up over the downs, and home. | 0:07:07 | 0:07:09 | |
It was too important an anniversary. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:11 | |
To share it with anybody else. | 0:07:11 | 0:07:13 | |
Warrior saw out his days in peace, | 0:07:16 | 0:07:19 | |
on the island where he'd been born and raised. | 0:07:19 | 0:07:23 | |
Over 70 years have passed since he died. | 0:07:23 | 0:07:26 | |
Warrior had destiny on his side. | 0:07:26 | 0:07:29 | |
And he seems destined to be remembered for many years to come. | 0:07:29 | 0:07:34 | |
Now, every day, more than 70 people are killed or seriously injured | 0:07:35 | 0:07:39 | |
on Britain's roads, but there's a far greater chance | 0:07:39 | 0:07:43 | |
of being involved in an accident if you live in the countryside. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:46 | |
John has been to find out why. | 0:07:46 | 0:07:48 | |
Cheers, Sky. Really enjoyed that. | 0:07:48 | 0:07:50 | |
Britain's roads are some of the safest in the world. | 0:07:55 | 0:07:58 | |
Despite the massive rise in the number of vehicles we're using, | 0:07:58 | 0:08:02 | |
in the last 40 years, deaths have fallen by more than two thirds. | 0:08:02 | 0:08:06 | |
But there are still problems that are proving difficult to crack. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:11 | |
You might think that our quiet country roads are far less dangerous | 0:08:11 | 0:08:15 | |
than those in towns and cities, | 0:08:15 | 0:08:17 | |
where the traffic can often be bumper-to-bumper. | 0:08:17 | 0:08:20 | |
But, in fact, the opposite is true. And, on rural roads, | 0:08:20 | 0:08:23 | |
it's younger drivers who are in greatest danger. | 0:08:23 | 0:08:26 | |
Now, for the first time, | 0:08:26 | 0:08:28 | |
Countryfile can put a figure on just how much greater those risks are. | 0:08:28 | 0:08:32 | |
We're working with a company called Road Safety Analysis, | 0:08:32 | 0:08:36 | |
who've put together a detailed study of rural accidents, | 0:08:36 | 0:08:39 | |
based on the number of drivers on a particular kind of road. | 0:08:39 | 0:08:45 | |
The results are pretty stark. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:46 | |
Young drivers living in the countryside are 47 % more likely | 0:08:46 | 0:08:52 | |
to be killed or injured in a road accident | 0:08:52 | 0:08:55 | |
than those living in urban areas. | 0:08:55 | 0:08:57 | |
So, why are the risks on country roads so much greater? | 0:08:57 | 0:09:01 | |
Two teenage friends killed by a disqualified driver... | 0:09:01 | 0:09:05 | |
Paramedics were called but the driver was pronounced dead... | 0:09:05 | 0:09:08 | |
..facing the wrong way up the carriageway | 0:09:08 | 0:09:11 | |
-and was struck by another car... -In Lincolnshire, serious accidents | 0:09:11 | 0:09:15 | |
are a regular feature on the nightly news bulletins. | 0:09:15 | 0:09:18 | |
Most roads here are surrounded by farmland. | 0:09:18 | 0:09:21 | |
There's no motorway and few dual carriageways. | 0:09:21 | 0:09:24 | |
In the past, it's had one of the worst road safety records in the UK. | 0:09:24 | 0:09:28 | |
I can see the white lines in the centre of the road have got longer | 0:09:28 | 0:09:32 | |
indicating I'm approaching a hazard. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:34 | |
On patrol today is PC Jim Wollaton. | 0:09:34 | 0:09:37 | |
The area he looks after is very different | 0:09:37 | 0:09:40 | |
from the busy streets covered by his urban colleagues. | 0:09:40 | 0:09:44 | |
We've got such an eclectic mix of vehicles and drivers. | 0:09:44 | 0:09:48 | |
From vehicles moving at higher speeds, | 0:09:48 | 0:09:53 | |
obviously, a passenger car at 60 miles an hour, | 0:09:53 | 0:09:56 | |
right down to the agricultural vehicles at 15, 20 miles an hour. | 0:09:56 | 0:10:00 | |
And we've got some very fast roads. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:03 | |
This one in particular, the A15, is a very straight road all the way, | 0:10:03 | 0:10:08 | |
this stretch, from Lincoln to Sleaford. | 0:10:08 | 0:10:11 | |
You would think that visibility is good. | 0:10:11 | 0:10:15 | |
But it is single carriageway here as well? | 0:10:15 | 0:10:17 | |
It is and whilst cars can be doing 60 miles an hour, | 0:10:17 | 0:10:20 | |
HGVs shouldn't be doing more than 40. | 0:10:20 | 0:10:22 | |
Time and time again, officers like Jim have seen driving here | 0:10:22 | 0:10:26 | |
that simply beggars belief. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:27 | |
Their own figures show that the faster you travel, | 0:10:27 | 0:10:31 | |
the more likely you are to be killed or injured | 0:10:31 | 0:10:34 | |
or to do the same to someone else. | 0:10:34 | 0:10:36 | |
Despite the county's long, straight roads, | 0:10:36 | 0:10:38 | |
bends are a particular problem, | 0:10:38 | 0:10:40 | |
as is overtaking. | 0:10:40 | 0:10:42 | |
Within the last couple of years, I've attended a collision where | 0:10:42 | 0:10:45 | |
a young driver performed an ill-advised overtake | 0:10:45 | 0:10:49 | |
on a slower moving vehicle, | 0:10:49 | 0:10:51 | |
on quite a good stretch of road, although it was a rural back road. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:55 | |
Unfortunately, he came into collision head on | 0:10:55 | 0:10:58 | |
with a young lad on his motorcycle. | 0:10:58 | 0:11:01 | |
The young man who died was John van Spike. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:04 | |
His mother Emma has agreed to talk to us. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:07 | |
I believe that he had left late that day | 0:11:07 | 0:11:11 | |
and it was the week after the clocks had gone back | 0:11:11 | 0:11:14 | |
so it was dark and it was raining. | 0:11:14 | 0:11:17 | |
He set off on his motorbike from home. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:22 | |
Probably a third of the way into the journey, | 0:11:22 | 0:11:27 | |
a car overtaking a taxi, | 0:11:27 | 0:11:31 | |
in fairly bad driving conditions, | 0:11:31 | 0:11:35 | |
just hit him straight on. | 0:11:35 | 0:11:38 | |
John was just 18-years-old when he was killed. | 0:11:40 | 0:11:43 | |
Another young and inexperienced driver was charged | 0:11:43 | 0:11:46 | |
with causing his death but Emma felt he had suffered enough. | 0:11:46 | 0:11:51 | |
When the young driver appeared in court, | 0:11:51 | 0:11:53 | |
you did what many people will think, perhaps, is a remarkable thing. | 0:11:53 | 0:11:56 | |
You wrote a letter to the judge | 0:11:56 | 0:11:58 | |
asking him not to send this young man to prison. | 0:11:58 | 0:12:01 | |
Yes. I couldn't see that, on top of everything he had been through, | 0:12:03 | 0:12:07 | |
being in jail away from his family and support network, | 0:12:07 | 0:12:11 | |
was going to help him. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:14 | |
He was obviously very, very contrite and he just kept on saying, | 0:12:14 | 0:12:18 | |
"I didn't see him, I didn't see him." | 0:12:18 | 0:12:20 | |
-And he didn't go to jail, did he? -No. He didn't. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:25 | |
I believe he had a driving ban | 0:12:25 | 0:12:27 | |
and community service. | 0:12:27 | 0:12:29 | |
Do you think anything can be learnt | 0:12:29 | 0:12:31 | |
from accidents like the one that killed your son? | 0:12:31 | 0:12:34 | |
It seems that the onus has been on speed, | 0:12:34 | 0:12:36 | |
and obviously, I don't know enough about that, | 0:12:36 | 0:12:39 | |
but I have observed a lot of careless driving. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:42 | |
Having driven myself for quite some years, | 0:12:42 | 0:12:48 | |
I am surprised at the overconfidence that I see on the roads. | 0:12:48 | 0:12:51 | |
That overconfidence combined with inexperience is a dangerous mix | 0:12:53 | 0:12:57 | |
and our research shows that young people are two thirds more likely | 0:12:57 | 0:13:01 | |
to be involved in serious accidents than older drivers, | 0:13:01 | 0:13:06 | |
maybe because they just don't realise how vulnerable they are. | 0:13:06 | 0:13:11 | |
I think to some extent once people get into their vehicle, | 0:13:11 | 0:13:15 | |
they're in their own little bubble and feel protected. | 0:13:15 | 0:13:18 | |
Whilst they might consider that they don't want to get caught speeding, | 0:13:18 | 0:13:22 | |
I don't think people appreciate they're also at risk from having | 0:13:22 | 0:13:25 | |
a serious or even fatal collision. | 0:13:25 | 0:13:27 | |
This can be a problem anywhere, | 0:13:27 | 0:13:29 | |
but the nature of rural roads seems to increase those risks, | 0:13:29 | 0:13:32 | |
especially as people in the countryside | 0:13:32 | 0:13:35 | |
tend to make longer journeys. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:36 | |
Kevin Delaney is from the Institute of Advanced Motorists. | 0:13:36 | 0:13:40 | |
Is part of the danger, do you think, the fact that people have the thrill | 0:13:40 | 0:13:45 | |
of an open road in the countryside? | 0:13:45 | 0:13:47 | |
I think the big danger, John, is that if you look at it, | 0:13:47 | 0:13:50 | |
this road looks safe. If you think about city streets or the motorways, | 0:13:50 | 0:13:55 | |
there is something about them which makes us feel uneasy. | 0:13:55 | 0:13:58 | |
They seem inherently unsafe. | 0:13:58 | 0:14:00 | |
So we actually take a lot more care about how we use them. | 0:14:00 | 0:14:04 | |
You come to a road like this, and especially on a day like this, | 0:14:04 | 0:14:07 | |
it looks so safe that nothing bad could ever happen here. | 0:14:07 | 0:14:11 | |
It lulls into a false sense of security | 0:14:11 | 0:14:13 | |
because, of course, roads like this | 0:14:13 | 0:14:15 | |
do have their hazards. They're just different hazards. | 0:14:15 | 0:14:19 | |
So exactly how do we persuade young people to take more care | 0:14:19 | 0:14:23 | |
on country roads? That's what I'll be asking in a few minutes' time. | 0:14:23 | 0:14:28 | |
This week, Matt and I are taking in | 0:14:36 | 0:14:38 | |
the rugged scenery of the Isle of Wight. | 0:14:38 | 0:14:41 | |
'I'm exploring its wild west coast and I couldn't help but notice | 0:14:41 | 0:14:45 | |
'one feature that just keeps recurring.' | 0:14:45 | 0:14:48 | |
Come and check this out. | 0:14:48 | 0:14:49 | |
We've got Cowleaze Chine, Shepherd's Chine, | 0:14:49 | 0:14:53 | |
Whale Chine, Ladder Chine | 0:14:53 | 0:14:56 | |
and they carry on all the way across the back here. | 0:14:56 | 0:14:59 | |
But what are they? | 0:14:59 | 0:15:01 | |
Geologist Trevor Price is going to show me. | 0:15:02 | 0:15:06 | |
If we have a look at the map, they are tiny, little, short, | 0:15:06 | 0:15:09 | |
steep-sided valleys and the clue is in the rivers. | 0:15:09 | 0:15:12 | |
There's a little stream approaching each one of these things | 0:15:12 | 0:15:16 | |
and basically they dive over the top of the cliff | 0:15:16 | 0:15:18 | |
very, very quickly down to the sea | 0:15:18 | 0:15:20 | |
and they leave a very steep-sided, very short, little valley. | 0:15:20 | 0:15:23 | |
We call those chines. | 0:15:23 | 0:15:25 | |
'So this is a little baby one, this is a new one' | 0:15:25 | 0:15:28 | |
It's probably going to get bigger as it eats its way into the cliff. | 0:15:28 | 0:15:32 | |
If we look at the map from about 30 years ago, | 0:15:32 | 0:15:36 | |
it's not here. It's actually marked as being a little waterfall. | 0:15:36 | 0:15:40 | |
Wow! | 0:15:40 | 0:15:42 | |
But it's not only the chines that are exciting geologists. | 0:15:42 | 0:15:46 | |
As erosion by the sea causes the chines to cut deeper | 0:15:46 | 0:15:49 | |
into the cliff face, they are revealing prehistoric treasures. | 0:15:49 | 0:15:52 | |
-Any ideas at all? -It looks like a rock. -It is a rock. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:56 | |
Trevor's taken local school pupils on a journey back in time. | 0:15:56 | 0:16:01 | |
We are looking here at an object that is about 126-million-years-old. | 0:16:01 | 0:16:07 | |
We can see that it's got a point here and a point there | 0:16:07 | 0:16:10 | |
and another point there. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:12 | |
That makes it really special. | 0:16:12 | 0:16:14 | |
It's a foot cast and it's a foot cast from a very large dinosaur. | 0:16:14 | 0:16:17 | |
Whoa! That's really awesome. | 0:16:17 | 0:16:20 | |
-It's amazing, isn't it? -Yeah. | 0:16:20 | 0:16:22 | |
The fascination with chines and their hidden secrets | 0:16:25 | 0:16:28 | |
goes back some 200 years. | 0:16:28 | 0:16:31 | |
Shanklin Chine was the island's first tourist attraction. | 0:16:31 | 0:16:36 | |
Wow! | 0:16:36 | 0:16:37 | |
This is so much bigger than the one I've seen. | 0:16:39 | 0:16:45 | |
It's like a tropical paradise in winter. | 0:16:46 | 0:16:49 | |
It's lush forest drew famous Victorian admirers... | 0:16:53 | 0:16:56 | |
Keats, Turner, Jane Austen. | 0:16:56 | 0:17:00 | |
Today, the chine is owned by Anne Springman. | 0:17:02 | 0:17:05 | |
It's been in her family since 1705. | 0:17:05 | 0:17:08 | |
It's got a unique microclimate here | 0:17:08 | 0:17:12 | |
so a lot of people compare it to a tropical rainforest. | 0:17:12 | 0:17:16 | |
It's very famous for its flora | 0:17:16 | 0:17:20 | |
and fauna and we have all these liverworts | 0:17:20 | 0:17:24 | |
and mosses and lichens | 0:17:24 | 0:17:25 | |
and some of them have never been discovered anywhere else. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:29 | |
Is this all natural or have you planted anything here? | 0:17:32 | 0:17:35 | |
No, it's completely natural. | 0:17:35 | 0:17:37 | |
I've had to uncover all its history, gradually. | 0:17:37 | 0:17:40 | |
I've always known about it but we came down after the war | 0:17:40 | 0:17:44 | |
and it was the first time. It was just known as | 0:17:44 | 0:17:46 | |
a shortcut to the beach. | 0:17:46 | 0:17:48 | |
Is there a lot of responsibility | 0:17:51 | 0:17:53 | |
that comes with having a feature like this? | 0:17:53 | 0:17:55 | |
Yes. You do have a great responsibility to maintain it. | 0:17:55 | 0:17:59 | |
It is so unique and it's got this wonderful, magical quality. | 0:17:59 | 0:18:04 | |
Here at Shanklin, work has been done | 0:18:05 | 0:18:07 | |
to prevent the chine from cutting further inland. | 0:18:07 | 0:18:10 | |
But elsewhere, it's a different story. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:13 | |
The Military Road runs | 0:18:13 | 0:18:15 | |
all along the cliff top on the south side of the island | 0:18:15 | 0:18:17 | |
and it's a major tourist attraction. People come here to drive it, | 0:18:17 | 0:18:20 | |
to walk it and to cycle it because the views out there are stunning. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:24 | |
The trouble is, as these chines or valleys cut deeper into the island, | 0:18:27 | 0:18:32 | |
over time, they will literally take out the road. | 0:18:32 | 0:18:36 | |
But conservationists are worried that holding back the sea | 0:18:36 | 0:18:40 | |
could threaten me chines and the wildlife that call them home. | 0:18:40 | 0:18:44 | |
These cliffs are protected. They're internationally important | 0:18:44 | 0:18:48 | |
for their geology and their invertebrate interest. | 0:18:48 | 0:18:51 | |
There's potter wasps and mining bees and mason bees | 0:18:51 | 0:18:55 | |
and they like all this water coming out with the mud and the sand. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:59 | |
They build their little cells | 0:18:59 | 0:19:03 | |
that they lay their eggs in on this stuff. | 0:19:03 | 0:19:05 | |
With the island's chines causing wildlife to thrive | 0:19:08 | 0:19:11 | |
but our infrastructure to crumble, | 0:19:11 | 0:19:13 | |
the scene is set for an interesting conflict. | 0:19:13 | 0:19:16 | |
Earlier we heard how there's a greater chance of being injured | 0:19:17 | 0:19:21 | |
or killed while driving in the countryside than driving in cities. | 0:19:21 | 0:19:25 | |
So is there anything that can be done to make our rural roads safer? | 0:19:25 | 0:19:29 | |
John's been investigating. | 0:19:29 | 0:19:31 | |
Countryfile has been given figures that illustrate for the first time | 0:19:33 | 0:19:38 | |
just how much more dangerous it is | 0:19:38 | 0:19:40 | |
to drive on rural roads, particularly if you're young. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:43 | |
The statistics from road safety analysis show people under 30 | 0:19:43 | 0:19:48 | |
are 37% more likely to be killed or injured in the countryside. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:52 | |
Young rural drivers are the highest risk group so what can be done? | 0:19:52 | 0:19:57 | |
The biggest problem is the actual lack of driving experience. | 0:19:57 | 0:20:01 | |
As you might expect, the riskiest time for any new driver | 0:20:01 | 0:20:05 | |
is during the first year after they've passed the test. | 0:20:05 | 0:20:08 | |
These students from Kesteven and Sleaford High School | 0:20:08 | 0:20:12 | |
in Lincolnshire are all new drivers. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:14 | |
Do they realise the dangers they could be facing? | 0:20:14 | 0:20:17 | |
Once you pass your test, you're really confident | 0:20:17 | 0:20:20 | |
and you want to go out and show your friends that you can drive | 0:20:20 | 0:20:23 | |
so you probably don't think about the safety. | 0:20:23 | 0:20:25 | |
Although your test teaches you how to pass your test, | 0:20:25 | 0:20:28 | |
I don't know if it teaches you how to drive. Experience, | 0:20:28 | 0:20:31 | |
you don't get much of it. | 0:20:31 | 0:20:33 | |
You maybe get a bit cocky and think you know everything, | 0:20:33 | 0:20:35 | |
but really, you've not got much experience on the road. | 0:20:35 | 0:20:40 | |
In Lincolnshire, young drivers are singled out | 0:20:40 | 0:20:43 | |
by the county's Road Safety Partnership for special training. | 0:20:43 | 0:20:47 | |
It was set up a decade ago with the aim of | 0:20:47 | 0:20:50 | |
making the roads safer for everyone. | 0:20:50 | 0:20:52 | |
Since then, the number being killed or seriously injured has dropped | 0:20:52 | 0:20:56 | |
by more than 40% and the figure is even greater for young people. | 0:20:56 | 0:21:01 | |
Young drivers in Lincolnshire represent 30% of the casualties. | 0:21:01 | 0:21:06 | |
We've reduced that by 50%, | 0:21:06 | 0:21:09 | |
just by educational programs and the things we interact with them. | 0:21:09 | 0:21:14 | |
And by things like this. A skid car. How does this work? | 0:21:14 | 0:21:18 | |
Well, this is almost a technical innovation. | 0:21:18 | 0:21:21 | |
Rather than an oily pan that we would normally use, | 0:21:21 | 0:21:26 | |
we can make the car rear-steer and over steer and under steer. | 0:21:26 | 0:21:31 | |
-On a normal surface like this? -Yes, on a normal surface. | 0:21:31 | 0:21:35 | |
We don't have to train them to make it skid. We can do that for them. | 0:21:35 | 0:21:39 | |
We just have to train them how to recover the car. | 0:21:39 | 0:21:41 | |
So, what will our students learn from a session in the skid car? | 0:21:43 | 0:21:47 | |
I'm scared. What do I do?! | 0:21:47 | 0:21:50 | |
You'll feel the steering phone, OK? | 0:21:51 | 0:21:54 | |
SHE SCREAMS | 0:21:54 | 0:21:56 | |
It can seem like a bit of fun but this training is teaching Olivia | 0:21:56 | 0:22:00 | |
what it's like to lose control of a car | 0:22:00 | 0:22:02 | |
and how to recover it before she has an accident. | 0:22:02 | 0:22:05 | |
So, has the experience made an impression? | 0:22:08 | 0:22:11 | |
-How was it? -That was so weird. I don't even know how to explain it. | 0:22:13 | 0:22:18 | |
It was so strange. It was like driving when there was ice there. | 0:22:18 | 0:22:21 | |
Seeing those two in the back... It's an eye opener, | 0:22:21 | 0:22:25 | |
but it was scary. I thought I was going into the cones a few times. | 0:22:25 | 0:22:29 | |
Methods like this are increasingly being used across the country. | 0:22:29 | 0:22:32 | |
They're even more effective when put together with better enforcement | 0:22:32 | 0:22:36 | |
and improvements to the roads. | 0:22:36 | 0:22:39 | |
But some groups would like to go even further. | 0:22:39 | 0:22:42 | |
We want the Government | 0:22:42 | 0:22:44 | |
to reduce the default speed limits on rural roads to 50. | 0:22:44 | 0:22:47 | |
But we also need drivers to change their attitudes towards rural roads. | 0:22:47 | 0:22:51 | |
The road safety charity Brake wants to see not only lower speed limits | 0:22:51 | 0:22:55 | |
but also a new way of introducing young drivers to our roads. | 0:22:55 | 0:22:59 | |
You would have a minimum learning period, say, of a year. | 0:22:59 | 0:23:02 | |
-Before you get your licence? -Before you can take your test | 0:23:02 | 0:23:05 | |
and get your licence, yes. Then, after you get your licence, | 0:23:05 | 0:23:08 | |
you would have a restricted licence for the first year. | 0:23:08 | 0:23:11 | |
There would be restrictions such as, zero tolerance drink drive limit. | 0:23:11 | 0:23:14 | |
So that's no alcohol before driving. | 0:23:14 | 0:23:17 | |
And a curfew, a night-time curfew, | 0:23:17 | 0:23:20 | |
and also restrictions on having young passengers, | 0:23:20 | 0:23:24 | |
people who are your age in the car with you. | 0:23:24 | 0:23:26 | |
The reason we're calling for this is we know it works in other countries. | 0:23:26 | 0:23:30 | |
This is when all the crashes happen for young people. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:33 | |
But what about the roads themselves? Could they be made safer? | 0:23:33 | 0:23:37 | |
Part of Lincolnshire's success has come from better signs | 0:23:37 | 0:23:41 | |
and safer junctions, but that all costs money. | 0:23:41 | 0:23:44 | |
So why don't we just bring down the national speed limits? | 0:23:44 | 0:23:48 | |
There is obviously some scope for reducing speed limits | 0:23:48 | 0:23:51 | |
-on local roads like this. -What about reducing it from 60 to 50 everywhere? | 0:23:51 | 0:23:55 | |
If speed limits are going to be effective, | 0:23:55 | 0:23:57 | |
they've got to be virtually self-enforcing. | 0:23:57 | 0:23:59 | |
They have to be logical to road users. | 0:23:59 | 0:24:02 | |
If they don't see the logic, they're less likely to respect them, | 0:24:02 | 0:24:06 | |
they're less likely to keep to the speed limit. | 0:24:06 | 0:24:08 | |
So the idea of reducing from 60 to 50 everywhere, | 0:24:08 | 0:24:11 | |
I think is going to be counter-productive | 0:24:11 | 0:24:14 | |
and what it will actually lead to is people not obeying the speed limit | 0:24:14 | 0:24:18 | |
and then possibly disobeying the next speed limit they come to | 0:24:18 | 0:24:21 | |
which otherwise might have seemed logical. | 0:24:21 | 0:24:24 | |
The success they've had in Lincolnshire clearly shows | 0:24:24 | 0:24:27 | |
the dangers of rural roads can be reduced even for young people. | 0:24:27 | 0:24:31 | |
Across the UK, we may never be able to make driving in the countryside | 0:24:31 | 0:24:36 | |
as safe as it is in towns and cities, but we can make it safer. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:41 | |
Still to come on tonight's Countryfile, | 0:24:44 | 0:24:47 | |
Adam's following his barley to the great brewing houses of Germany... | 0:24:47 | 0:24:52 | |
So we leave the police boat behind and now we're motoring upstream | 0:24:52 | 0:24:56 | |
and my barley's on board. | 0:24:56 | 0:24:57 | |
Ellie gets a crash course in surfing... | 0:24:57 | 0:24:59 | |
Paddle, paddle, paddle, push, off, go. Perfect. | 0:24:59 | 0:25:04 | |
But will she be able to handle the Isle's Whitewater? | 0:25:04 | 0:25:08 | |
And if you're heading to the coast this weekend, | 0:25:08 | 0:25:10 | |
we'll have the Countryfile forecast for the week ahead. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:13 | |
The Isle of Wight may be part of England, | 0:25:22 | 0:25:25 | |
but as an island it feels removed from the mainstream world | 0:25:25 | 0:25:28 | |
in its affairs, a kind of retreat. | 0:25:28 | 0:25:30 | |
So maybe it's not surprising that here on its north coast | 0:25:30 | 0:25:34 | |
is one of the UK's few Benedictine monasteries. | 0:25:34 | 0:25:38 | |
The abbey has kindly allowed James to spend a day getting an insight | 0:25:38 | 0:25:41 | |
into the life of the monks here. | 0:25:41 | 0:25:43 | |
And monastic life starts early. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:46 | |
I can tell you the first thing about being a monk, it means 8pm lights out | 0:25:46 | 0:25:51 | |
and a 5am wake-up time, which, I can tell you, | 0:25:51 | 0:25:55 | |
for someone who doesn't really get to bed before 1am, | 0:25:55 | 0:25:58 | |
I haven't had a huge amount of sleep. | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
So I'm really looking forward to seeing what this day has to offer. | 0:26:01 | 0:26:04 | |
BELL CHIMES | 0:26:04 | 0:26:07 | |
CHOIR SINGS | 0:26:07 | 0:26:10 | |
'Quarr Abbey was founded on this site in 1132. | 0:26:17 | 0:26:21 | |
'For 400 years, the monks lived a peaceful life of seclusion, | 0:26:21 | 0:26:25 | |
'prayer and devotion to God.' | 0:26:25 | 0:26:28 | |
So being a severely lapsed Catholic | 0:26:33 | 0:26:36 | |
who hasn't been to church in pretty much 20 years or so, | 0:26:36 | 0:26:40 | |
that brought back lots of memories but was strangely unfamiliar, | 0:26:40 | 0:26:44 | |
so I'm really looking forward to catching up with the monks | 0:26:44 | 0:26:48 | |
over breakfast and finding out what's in store for me the rest of the day. | 0:26:48 | 0:26:52 | |
'Unfortunately, the monks prefer to have breakfast away from the cameras, | 0:26:52 | 0:26:56 | |
'while I have to respect the rules and have mine in absolute silence.' | 0:26:56 | 0:27:02 | |
'After a contemplative breakfast... | 0:27:05 | 0:27:08 | |
'..it's service number two.' | 0:27:11 | 0:27:13 | |
After morning services, the monks return to their rooms | 0:27:16 | 0:27:19 | |
to read scripture and to pray. | 0:27:19 | 0:27:21 | |
And as this is something I've not really done before, | 0:27:21 | 0:27:24 | |
I'm really happy to have the guidance of Father Luke | 0:27:24 | 0:27:27 | |
who's offered to be my mentor to guide me through the whole process. | 0:27:27 | 0:27:32 | |
The whole purpose of our life here is to open our hearts to God. | 0:27:32 | 0:27:36 | |
And we do that in the silence, really. | 0:27:36 | 0:27:38 | |
God speaks in the silence more than in anything. | 0:27:38 | 0:27:41 | |
I'm going to suggest psalm 62 | 0:27:41 | 0:27:45 | |
because that actually rather nicely sums up what we're trying to do. | 0:27:45 | 0:27:51 | |
-Thank you very much. Psalm 62? -62, yes. | 0:27:51 | 0:27:55 | |
"For God alone my soul waits in silence. From him comes my salvation. | 0:27:55 | 0:28:01 | |
"He alone is my rock and my salvation, | 0:28:01 | 0:28:04 | |
"my fortress, I shall never be shaken." | 0:28:04 | 0:28:07 | |
'In 1536, King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. | 0:28:15 | 0:28:20 | |
'The mediaeval Quarr Abbey was dismantled | 0:28:20 | 0:28:23 | |
'and the remains fell into ruins. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:25 | |
'Then in 1901, an order of monks in exile from France | 0:28:25 | 0:28:29 | |
'came to the Isle of Wight seeking a new home. | 0:28:29 | 0:28:32 | |
'It was they who built the abbey which graces the skyline today. | 0:28:32 | 0:28:37 | |
'Centuries had passed but the purpose remained and remains the same. | 0:28:37 | 0:28:42 | |
'To seek and praise God.' | 0:28:42 | 0:28:44 | |
So far today, it's all been about service, silence and prayer. | 0:28:51 | 0:28:55 | |
But now the day starts properly, so does the work. | 0:28:55 | 0:28:59 | |
Work is a big part of abbey life, presumably? | 0:29:03 | 0:29:07 | |
It's a big part of Benedictine life. | 0:29:07 | 0:29:09 | |
There's a tradition that working is a sort of prayer. | 0:29:09 | 0:29:12 | |
Labora est ora. To work is to pray. | 0:29:12 | 0:29:17 | |
-So what did you do before you were a monk? -I was a teacher. | 0:29:17 | 0:29:20 | |
I'm very interested to find out about how you become a monk | 0:29:20 | 0:29:25 | |
if it isn't part of your careers guidance you get in school. | 0:29:25 | 0:29:28 | |
Perhaps we should introduce it. It's not a career though. | 0:29:28 | 0:29:33 | |
It's more a way of life. | 0:29:33 | 0:29:34 | |
It's perhaps closer to getting married than to having a job. | 0:29:34 | 0:29:38 | |
Would you consider it a sacrifice, leaving the wider world? | 0:29:38 | 0:29:43 | |
It's also a gift. There's a saying that in God nothing is neglected. | 0:29:43 | 0:29:49 | |
If everything's kept in being with God, if you've got God, | 0:29:49 | 0:29:53 | |
you've got everything. | 0:29:53 | 0:29:55 | |
So it's a net gain, really. | 0:29:55 | 0:29:58 | |
Along with the fruit trees, Quarr Abbey has a vegetable garden | 0:30:00 | 0:30:04 | |
and also rears its own pigs. | 0:30:04 | 0:30:06 | |
Any pig farmers out there... | 0:30:06 | 0:30:08 | |
I know a lot about plants, nothing about animals. | 0:30:08 | 0:30:11 | |
Any produce the monks don't eat | 0:30:12 | 0:30:14 | |
goes to their cafe which is open to the public. | 0:30:14 | 0:30:17 | |
The fourth service of the day is short, | 0:30:19 | 0:30:21 | |
a quick reminder of the monks' higher calling. | 0:30:21 | 0:30:24 | |
At lunch, speaking is not allowed. | 0:30:32 | 0:30:34 | |
But I'm kind of getting used to that. | 0:30:34 | 0:30:38 | |
Next, there's some downtime | 0:30:38 | 0:30:40 | |
and Father Luke takes me to a place he finds especially inspiring. | 0:30:40 | 0:30:44 | |
This is an amazing view at the bottom of your garden path. | 0:30:44 | 0:30:47 | |
Yes, there's the mainland over there. I actually prefer it | 0:30:47 | 0:30:50 | |
when it's shrouded in mist | 0:30:50 | 0:30:52 | |
and we can truly feel that we're on an island. | 0:30:52 | 0:30:55 | |
The sea is, for me, a sort of symbol of eternity. | 0:30:55 | 0:30:58 | |
Many of the most important moments that I've spent here | 0:31:00 | 0:31:03 | |
have been down here by the sea | 0:31:03 | 0:31:06 | |
and they've been on bits of land that have now crumbled into the sea, | 0:31:06 | 0:31:10 | |
just as moments of our life fade into eternity. | 0:31:10 | 0:31:14 | |
-Do you know the poem by Tennyson, Crossing the Bar? -No, I don't. | 0:31:14 | 0:31:19 | |
It's a poem about crossing to the mainland from here | 0:31:19 | 0:31:22 | |
and he develops that as a symbol of the journey into the next life. | 0:31:22 | 0:31:28 | |
and he says, | 0:31:28 | 0:31:30 | |
"At the end of it, | 0:31:30 | 0:31:32 | |
"I hope to see my pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar." | 0:31:32 | 0:31:36 | |
And that really is our aspiration too, | 0:31:38 | 0:31:40 | |
one day to go beyond this life | 0:31:40 | 0:31:45 | |
and to see God face to face. | 0:31:45 | 0:31:47 | |
My extraordinary day finishes with one last chore | 0:32:00 | 0:32:05 | |
and one last service. | 0:32:05 | 0:32:08 | |
You know, before coming to a place like this, | 0:32:13 | 0:32:16 | |
it's so easy to think of a monk's life as a spartan existence, | 0:32:16 | 0:32:21 | |
almost a form of self punishment, in many ways. | 0:32:21 | 0:32:24 | |
But having only been here 12 hours, | 0:32:24 | 0:32:26 | |
you suddenly stop seeing just what it deprives you of, | 0:32:26 | 0:32:30 | |
but what it offers you, this feeling of contentment, | 0:32:30 | 0:32:34 | |
a sense of purpose, a feeling of peace | 0:32:34 | 0:32:37 | |
and this really tight-knit community, which so many people just don't have, | 0:32:37 | 0:32:41 | |
these guys have got it in bucket loads. | 0:32:41 | 0:32:45 | |
ELLIE: Life's a lot less serene on the south side of the island. | 0:32:52 | 0:32:57 | |
Here in winter, it's wild. | 0:32:57 | 0:33:00 | |
Crashing waves are whipped up by Atlantic storms. | 0:33:00 | 0:33:04 | |
When there are waves like that, | 0:33:13 | 0:33:15 | |
there's always someone willing to take them on. | 0:33:15 | 0:33:18 | |
And I'm going to be joining them in February. | 0:33:24 | 0:33:28 | |
I must be out of my mind. | 0:33:28 | 0:33:31 | |
At this time of year and in this weather, | 0:33:34 | 0:33:37 | |
it's only the pros out there. I'm really not one of those | 0:33:37 | 0:33:40 | |
but, thankfully, I'm going to be in good hands. | 0:33:40 | 0:33:43 | |
-How are you doing there, Scott? -Hi, Ellie. How are you? -I'm good. | 0:33:47 | 0:33:50 | |
I'm amazed that this is the time of year people would come out surfing. | 0:33:50 | 0:33:54 | |
I know, it's pretty cold, but as you see today, | 0:33:54 | 0:33:56 | |
there's a few waves behind us. | 0:33:56 | 0:33:58 | |
Is this the time of year that you'd only get the pros out there? | 0:33:58 | 0:34:01 | |
The really passionate ones? | 0:34:01 | 0:34:02 | |
You've got to be die-hard to surf in England. | 0:34:02 | 0:34:05 | |
I've never surfed successfully before. Can I have a lesson? | 0:34:05 | 0:34:08 | |
-Sure, we can see if we can get you standing up. -You reckon?! -Yeah. | 0:34:08 | 0:34:11 | |
When we're on the water, | 0:34:16 | 0:34:17 | |
what do you think will happen if you lay too far forward? | 0:34:17 | 0:34:20 | |
I'll fall off the front. | 0:34:20 | 0:34:21 | |
Put your hands under your chest, put your toes up first, push up pull. | 0:34:25 | 0:34:30 | |
I haven't got the abs for this! | 0:34:30 | 0:34:32 | |
Paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle, push, hop, go. | 0:34:34 | 0:34:37 | |
Perfect. | 0:34:37 | 0:34:39 | |
OK, let's go. | 0:34:40 | 0:34:41 | |
'That's the basics out of the way. Time to hit the surf. | 0:34:41 | 0:34:45 | |
'But nothing could have prepared me for this.' | 0:34:49 | 0:34:53 | |
This is lazy surfing by Ellie Harrison. | 0:34:56 | 0:34:58 | |
I've got to get on my feet. | 0:35:00 | 0:35:01 | |
SHE WHOOPS AND CHEERS | 0:35:08 | 0:35:11 | |
'That was awesome. Scott has taught me well. | 0:35:17 | 0:35:21 | |
'But I'm still not quite ready to join the league of pro surfers | 0:35:21 | 0:35:25 | |
'this island has turned out.' | 0:35:25 | 0:35:26 | |
That was amazing fun. To find out how | 0:35:26 | 0:35:29 | |
this Isle of Wight surf scene started, | 0:35:29 | 0:35:32 | |
we need to travel back in time to the 1960s. | 0:35:32 | 0:35:36 | |
# Listen to the king of the surf guitar... # | 0:35:40 | 0:35:43 | |
The craze may have kicked off in sun-drenched California, | 0:35:43 | 0:35:46 | |
but it wasn't long before it swept the shores of the Isle of Wight. | 0:35:46 | 0:35:50 | |
# Listen to the king. # | 0:35:50 | 0:35:52 | |
In the '60s, the only way to get a surfboard on the island | 0:35:55 | 0:35:58 | |
was to make your own. | 0:35:58 | 0:35:59 | |
Pioneer surfers hit the waves on home-made wooden boards, | 0:35:59 | 0:36:03 | |
and at the heart of that scene was this man, Archie Trickett. | 0:36:03 | 0:36:07 | |
Sadly, Archie died last year, aged 89, but his wife Betty remembers | 0:36:08 | 0:36:13 | |
their surf days here at Compton Bay like they were yesterday. | 0:36:13 | 0:36:17 | |
So, Betty, how did Archie get into surfing in the first place? | 0:36:17 | 0:36:20 | |
-Heaven knows! We started with the belly boards. -Right. | 0:36:20 | 0:36:25 | |
We came down here one day, nobody else has belly boards, | 0:36:25 | 0:36:28 | |
and somebody had been on holiday in Torquay | 0:36:28 | 0:36:30 | |
and brought the belly boards. | 0:36:30 | 0:36:31 | |
So Archie said, "We'll go home and make them." | 0:36:31 | 0:36:34 | |
And then his friend came and he said, "Let's do surfboards." | 0:36:34 | 0:36:39 | |
So I don't know where he got the design from or anything. | 0:36:39 | 0:36:42 | |
How long did it take him to make that board on top of your car? | 0:36:42 | 0:36:44 | |
-A few weeks, I expect. -Really? | 0:36:44 | 0:36:47 | |
It's pretty sizeable. | 0:36:47 | 0:36:48 | |
How did you get it down to the beach? | 0:36:48 | 0:36:51 | |
We had a motorbike and sidecar. | 0:36:51 | 0:36:53 | |
-He fixed it so it stood over, it lay over the top of the sidecar. -Oh, wow! | 0:36:53 | 0:36:57 | |
And then we put it on our car. | 0:36:57 | 0:36:59 | |
But he used to have a towel on his head and carry it on his head. | 0:36:59 | 0:37:04 | |
There's a photo of you on the motorbike there. | 0:37:04 | 0:37:06 | |
-He taught me to ride his motorbike. -Wow! | 0:37:06 | 0:37:09 | |
350 Velocet, very tough bike to ride. | 0:37:09 | 0:37:13 | |
-And look, there's you surfing! -That's on the board. | 0:37:13 | 0:37:16 | |
That's my wetsuit in action. | 0:37:16 | 0:37:18 | |
That's what we got here. Let's have a look. | 0:37:18 | 0:37:20 | |
Aren't they fantastic? | 0:37:20 | 0:37:21 | |
Where on Earth did you get a design like best from? | 0:37:21 | 0:37:24 | |
Well, it wasn't a design. | 0:37:24 | 0:37:26 | |
Just the material, the zip and those two fasteners | 0:37:26 | 0:37:30 | |
and the tape and the glue. | 0:37:30 | 0:37:32 | |
So how would you feel, Betty, | 0:37:32 | 0:37:35 | |
if we got one of the surfers out there today... | 0:37:35 | 0:37:37 | |
It would be lovely to see it launched again! | 0:37:37 | 0:37:39 | |
Oh, I think it would be lovely! It's been waiting for somebody to use. | 0:37:39 | 0:37:43 | |
Excellent. | 0:37:43 | 0:37:45 | |
Archie and his contemporaries' pioneering spirit | 0:37:48 | 0:37:51 | |
is still alive and kicking. | 0:37:51 | 0:37:53 | |
The island surf club is thriving. | 0:37:53 | 0:37:55 | |
Every winter, they run frostbite competitions, | 0:37:55 | 0:37:59 | |
so they are pretty used to surfing on a day like today. | 0:37:59 | 0:38:03 | |
Here it is! Look at that! | 0:38:03 | 0:38:05 | |
So, Matt, you've just carried that. What do you make of its weight? | 0:38:05 | 0:38:09 | |
Yeah, pretty heavy piece of kit, actually, compared to modern boards. | 0:38:09 | 0:38:13 | |
For the time, it's an amazing thing | 0:38:13 | 0:38:16 | |
to have built in a home and then used, | 0:38:16 | 0:38:18 | |
and for it to be functional and to work is incredible. | 0:38:18 | 0:38:21 | |
It's in amazing nick, isn't it? How about this? | 0:38:21 | 0:38:26 | |
-Any takers for Archie's old wetsuit? -Maybe on a summer's day. | 0:38:26 | 0:38:29 | |
Well, I'm not going to make you try the wetsuit on, | 0:38:29 | 0:38:32 | |
but are there any takers for Archie's board on the waves? | 0:38:32 | 0:38:35 | |
-I think I'll have a go at that. -You're going to have a go, Alan? | 0:38:35 | 0:38:39 | |
You're a longboard champion, aren't you? | 0:38:39 | 0:38:41 | |
Yes, British Longboard Masters Champion 2011. | 0:38:41 | 0:38:44 | |
-So you'll be a dab hand at one of these, maybe? -Ooh, hope so. | 0:38:44 | 0:38:47 | |
So how does it feel now to see Alan take out Archie's old board? | 0:38:50 | 0:38:54 | |
-It just looks like him going out there. -Does it? -Yeah. Lovely. | 0:38:54 | 0:38:58 | |
Here he goes. How about it?! That board's doing amazingly! | 0:39:00 | 0:39:04 | |
Oh, well done! | 0:39:04 | 0:39:07 | |
He's got it and he's up. Yes, that's great. | 0:39:07 | 0:39:11 | |
-Doing a great job. -Oh, look at them! Brilliant! | 0:39:11 | 0:39:14 | |
-Just looks like him out there. -Still surfing well, that board. | 0:39:18 | 0:39:23 | |
-Yeah, that was great, Alan! How was the board? -Absolutely brilliant. | 0:39:29 | 0:39:34 | |
-Really?! -Great fun. A privilege and an honour. | 0:39:34 | 0:39:37 | |
-Oh, it's lovely! -A wonderful board. | 0:39:37 | 0:39:39 | |
The Isle of Wight's new surf generation | 0:39:40 | 0:39:43 | |
owe a lot to these pioneers. | 0:39:43 | 0:39:45 | |
This '60s craze has certainly stood the test of time. | 0:39:45 | 0:39:49 | |
Over to the Cotswolds now, where Adam's discovering | 0:39:57 | 0:40:00 | |
why his barley is the toast of drinkers across the world. | 0:40:00 | 0:40:03 | |
And with all that hard work down on the farm, | 0:40:03 | 0:40:06 | |
he's certainly worked up a thirst. | 0:40:06 | 0:40:08 | |
We grow quite a lot of grass on the farm for sheep and cattle, | 0:40:12 | 0:40:15 | |
but most of the fields are used for growing arable crops, | 0:40:15 | 0:40:18 | |
wheat, oilseed rape and barley. | 0:40:18 | 0:40:20 | |
Last year, we grew about 400 acres of malting barley for making beer, | 0:40:20 | 0:40:25 | |
and today, some of that is about to start an incredible journey. | 0:40:25 | 0:40:28 | |
'Elved Phillips is my grain trader. | 0:40:33 | 0:40:36 | |
'It's his job to get the best price for my crops. | 0:40:36 | 0:40:39 | |
'He's managed to sell this lot, barley, | 0:40:39 | 0:40:41 | |
'to a country famed for its beer.' | 0:40:41 | 0:40:43 | |
-So why are we selling it to Germany? -It's going there because we have | 0:40:43 | 0:40:47 | |
a 300,000 tonne surplus malting barley crop in the UK each year. | 0:40:47 | 0:40:50 | |
It's got to go somewhere, and the Germans need the barley. | 0:40:50 | 0:40:53 | |
They can't rely on Denmark and France always, because although | 0:40:53 | 0:40:57 | |
they produce big surpluses, | 0:40:57 | 0:40:59 | |
sometimes the quality, like this year, isn't very good, | 0:40:59 | 0:41:02 | |
so they spread their risk by buying from the UK. | 0:41:02 | 0:41:04 | |
Well, the shed's getting empty now. It's pretty good stuff, isn't it? | 0:41:04 | 0:41:08 | |
It certainly is. You've got some good grain size, some good colour. | 0:41:08 | 0:41:12 | |
I'm going to just put a bit through | 0:41:12 | 0:41:14 | |
these old barley cutters of mine. Used to use these 20, 30 years ago | 0:41:14 | 0:41:17 | |
when I started going to corn exchanges and buying barley, | 0:41:17 | 0:41:20 | |
because it would give you a quick cut and a good guide | 0:41:20 | 0:41:24 | |
as to what the barley nitrogen is. | 0:41:24 | 0:41:26 | |
Then you finish up showing a bed of barley which, | 0:41:26 | 0:41:29 | |
if it was white in colour, like a hound's tooth, you'd know | 0:41:29 | 0:41:32 | |
the barley was going to be low enough in nitrogen to make malt. | 0:41:32 | 0:41:35 | |
So, along with my barley, I'm heading 50 miles south | 0:41:36 | 0:41:40 | |
to Avonmouth docks, where the ship Merit awaits her cargo. | 0:41:40 | 0:41:44 | |
Here it is! This is the barley from my farm | 0:41:47 | 0:41:49 | |
being unloaded out of the grain hatch there. | 0:41:49 | 0:41:51 | |
It goes up the elevator, up that conveyor and then into the ship. | 0:41:51 | 0:41:55 | |
It really feels quite satisfying to be down here seeing it | 0:41:55 | 0:41:59 | |
on the second leg of its journey. | 0:41:59 | 0:42:01 | |
In a couple of hours' time when the tide is right, | 0:42:03 | 0:42:06 | |
the ship will set sail, and it's an amazing journey for my barley | 0:42:06 | 0:42:09 | |
that was planted on the farm about a year ago. | 0:42:09 | 0:42:11 | |
It's now being joined by barley from 20 other farms | 0:42:11 | 0:42:14 | |
into the hull of the ship that will go through the English Channel, | 0:42:14 | 0:42:17 | |
into the North Sea, all the way to the port of Rotterdam. | 0:42:17 | 0:42:20 | |
This 660-mile crossing will take two days. | 0:42:20 | 0:42:24 | |
At Rotterdam, the barley will be transferred | 0:42:24 | 0:42:26 | |
to a river barge on the Rhine. Four days later, it will reach Bonn. | 0:42:26 | 0:42:30 | |
That's where I'll be joining it | 0:42:30 | 0:42:32 | |
for the final leg of its journey to Gernsheim. | 0:42:32 | 0:42:34 | |
Over there is Bonn, the original German capital, | 0:42:34 | 0:42:37 | |
but I've got no time for sightseeing. | 0:42:37 | 0:42:39 | |
I've got a boat to catch. | 0:42:39 | 0:42:40 | |
-Hello. -Hello. -Hello. -Nice to meet you. | 0:42:44 | 0:42:48 | |
We're getting some very extra-special treatment. | 0:42:48 | 0:42:51 | |
We're being taken out to the barge on this police boat. | 0:42:51 | 0:42:53 | |
The Rhine is running incredibly fast | 0:42:53 | 0:42:56 | |
and there's a huge amount of traffic going up and down the river. | 0:42:56 | 0:43:00 | |
But we're in good hands. | 0:43:00 | 0:43:01 | |
We leave the police boat and Bonn behind, | 0:43:13 | 0:43:16 | |
and now we're motoring upstream. | 0:43:16 | 0:43:18 | |
My barley's on board. | 0:43:18 | 0:43:20 | |
The family that run this barge live on it and work on it. | 0:43:20 | 0:43:23 | |
They've even got the family car going with them. | 0:43:23 | 0:43:26 | |
'I'm meeting Kase, a Dutchman who's charted the barge which is | 0:43:28 | 0:43:31 | |
'taking my barley to the malting house.' | 0:43:31 | 0:43:33 | |
So, getting my barley from Avonmouth to Gernsheim, | 0:43:33 | 0:43:36 | |
what part is your responsibility? | 0:43:36 | 0:43:39 | |
Our part, our responsibility is to take the cargo over to | 0:43:39 | 0:43:43 | |
Rotterdam and bring it to Gernsheim. It's for the Rhine area. | 0:43:43 | 0:43:47 | |
It's quite a long way, but we seem to be going quite slowly. | 0:43:47 | 0:43:50 | |
Yes, we are very slowly now, because of the level of the river. | 0:43:50 | 0:43:53 | |
We are around eight kilometres. | 0:43:53 | 0:43:57 | |
These barges take around four days to come into Gernsheim | 0:43:57 | 0:44:01 | |
where you will unload this cargo. | 0:44:01 | 0:44:02 | |
You can really see why | 0:44:07 | 0:44:08 | |
so many tourists took flock to the Rhine during the summer. | 0:44:08 | 0:44:11 | |
Beautiful vineyards along the hillside | 0:44:11 | 0:44:13 | |
and castles dotted along the top, | 0:44:13 | 0:44:15 | |
and of course, during the World War, the Rhine was a huge barrier | 0:44:15 | 0:44:19 | |
and there were some fierce battles fought here, | 0:44:19 | 0:44:21 | |
so it's steeped in history. | 0:44:21 | 0:44:23 | |
Evidence of war scores the landscape here. | 0:44:23 | 0:44:26 | |
Black pillars mark the point where the Allies crossed | 0:44:26 | 0:44:29 | |
the Ludendorff Bridge into mainland Germany. | 0:44:29 | 0:44:32 | |
It was later dismantled to accommodate cargo boats | 0:44:32 | 0:44:34 | |
like the one I'm travelling on today. | 0:44:34 | 0:44:37 | |
A boat like this cost around 1 million euros. | 0:44:37 | 0:44:39 | |
For the family that live on board, | 0:44:39 | 0:44:42 | |
it's not only the way they make their living, | 0:44:42 | 0:44:45 | |
but their second home too. | 0:44:45 | 0:44:46 | |
'Right, time for a quick catch-up with the family over lunch.' | 0:44:46 | 0:44:49 | |
-And how long have you lived on the barge? -Always. | 0:44:52 | 0:44:55 | |
-As a child, I was always on the barge. -Incredible! | 0:44:55 | 0:44:58 | |
-And so you're going to stay here all your life too. -Yes. -Amazing life. | 0:44:58 | 0:45:03 | |
Yes. | 0:45:03 | 0:45:05 | |
The evening's setting in now, and there's not enough room | 0:45:11 | 0:45:14 | |
for me to hunker down on the barge, so I've joined the police boat again | 0:45:14 | 0:45:18 | |
and I'm heading to shore to find myself a B&B for the night. | 0:45:18 | 0:45:21 | |
It's just been incredible joining my barley | 0:45:21 | 0:45:23 | |
and meeting the family on the barge and finding out what goes on. | 0:45:23 | 0:45:27 | |
In the morning, I'm off to the malting house, | 0:45:29 | 0:45:32 | |
the final destination for my barley. | 0:45:32 | 0:45:34 | |
It takes a week for my barley to cross the Channel | 0:45:39 | 0:45:41 | |
and come up the Rhine to Gernsheim here | 0:45:41 | 0:45:44 | |
which is slap-bang on the banks of the Rhine, | 0:45:44 | 0:45:47 | |
very convenient to unload the barley through a series of pipes | 0:45:47 | 0:45:50 | |
and conveyors that takes it over to that massive building. | 0:45:50 | 0:45:55 | |
These storage towers, apparently, | 0:45:55 | 0:45:57 | |
will store a whole barge-worth of barley. | 0:45:57 | 0:46:00 | |
Inside this monolith of a building is a hugely technical malt house. | 0:46:00 | 0:46:05 | |
I'm off to meet the manager. | 0:46:05 | 0:46:07 | |
Berthold's taking me right to the top of the plant | 0:46:12 | 0:46:15 | |
where the barley begins its conversion to malt. | 0:46:15 | 0:46:17 | |
So we're right at the top of the building now. | 0:46:19 | 0:46:22 | |
What's happening to the barley in here? | 0:46:22 | 0:46:24 | |
It's the first step of malt production. | 0:46:24 | 0:46:26 | |
It's called steeping. This is the steeping house. | 0:46:26 | 0:46:29 | |
We raise the water content from 14% in the barley | 0:46:29 | 0:46:34 | |
up to 40% in the first step here. | 0:46:34 | 0:46:36 | |
I have it at 14% in the barn at home, so it stores, | 0:46:36 | 0:46:39 | |
but here you want to get it wet so it germinates and starts to grow. | 0:46:39 | 0:46:42 | |
It will start the germination to build the enzymes | 0:46:42 | 0:46:45 | |
for later for the brewing process. | 0:46:45 | 0:46:48 | |
So how long will it take you to use up the barge load? | 0:46:48 | 0:46:51 | |
-It's one week. -Amazing. | 0:46:51 | 0:46:53 | |
'The barley is now gravity-fed through pipes | 0:46:54 | 0:46:57 | |
'until it arrives below in the germination box.' | 0:46:57 | 0:47:00 | |
So for the barley's life with you, | 0:47:01 | 0:47:03 | |
this is day two and the next level down. | 0:47:03 | 0:47:06 | |
Yes, it's day two of the steeping. | 0:47:06 | 0:47:08 | |
And we see here the germination box, the second step of malt production. | 0:47:08 | 0:47:13 | |
So now the barley has started to germinate. | 0:47:13 | 0:47:17 | |
It's putting out all its little roots. | 0:47:17 | 0:47:19 | |
Yes, you can see the roots. | 0:47:19 | 0:47:21 | |
I know the barley we produce on the farm has to be grown | 0:47:21 | 0:47:23 | |
to a high germination, because that's important to you. | 0:47:23 | 0:47:27 | |
The germination capacity of barley is a big point for us, | 0:47:27 | 0:47:30 | |
so we can only produce from germinated barley. | 0:47:30 | 0:47:33 | |
Is this called malt now? | 0:47:33 | 0:47:34 | |
No. If you smell it, it smells a little bit green. | 0:47:34 | 0:47:38 | |
Now it's no longer barley. We call it now green malt. | 0:47:38 | 0:47:41 | |
The living seed now goes to the kiln room, | 0:47:45 | 0:47:48 | |
which is the last stage of the process. | 0:47:48 | 0:47:50 | |
It's absolutely boiling in here! | 0:47:50 | 0:47:53 | |
Yes, we have over 60 degrees here | 0:47:53 | 0:47:56 | |
and that's the final step of malt reduction. It's called kilning, | 0:47:56 | 0:48:00 | |
and it's a place where we build, smell and taste, | 0:48:00 | 0:48:04 | |
and we remove the water and dry it up to 4% of moisture content. | 0:48:04 | 0:48:08 | |
So it's very, very dry. | 0:48:08 | 0:48:10 | |
Yes, it's very dry and you can see the dry rootlets | 0:48:10 | 0:48:14 | |
and you can have a smell... | 0:48:14 | 0:48:17 | |
..and a taste. And that's for the character of the beer, | 0:48:18 | 0:48:21 | |
and if you stay a little bit longer in your mouth, | 0:48:21 | 0:48:25 | |
it goes sweet so the enzymes are working now. | 0:48:25 | 0:48:28 | |
It's crunchy like a biscuit. It's lovely. | 0:48:28 | 0:48:30 | |
Really lovely. Great stuff. | 0:48:30 | 0:48:32 | |
So this is malt. | 0:48:32 | 0:48:34 | |
This is now malt. | 0:48:34 | 0:48:36 | |
And after this process, we do it in malt storage silos | 0:48:36 | 0:48:40 | |
and it's ready for delivery to our customers all over the world. | 0:48:40 | 0:48:43 | |
Barley from my little, old farm in the Cotswolds. | 0:48:43 | 0:48:46 | |
Here in Germany, turned into malt, | 0:48:46 | 0:48:48 | |
and then it could get exported anywhere in the world. | 0:48:48 | 0:48:50 | |
I sold my barley for £200 a tonne. | 0:48:50 | 0:48:54 | |
By the time it's made into beer, it's worth around £40,000 a tonne. | 0:48:54 | 0:48:57 | |
Amazing. | 0:48:57 | 0:48:59 | |
It's been really fascinating following my barley | 0:48:59 | 0:49:02 | |
from the farm down to Avonmouth when it went on the ship, | 0:49:02 | 0:49:05 | |
and then picking it up coming up the Rhine here, all the way to the malt, | 0:49:05 | 0:49:09 | |
and so many farmers load grain onto lorries on the farm, | 0:49:09 | 0:49:12 | |
and never really know where it ends up. | 0:49:12 | 0:49:14 | |
Just one last thing to do though - try the local brew. | 0:49:14 | 0:49:18 | |
Prost. | 0:49:22 | 0:49:24 | |
ALL: Prost. | 0:49:24 | 0:49:26 | |
MATT: Back on the Isle of Wight, I'm developing a taste | 0:49:33 | 0:49:36 | |
for these wonderful views | 0:49:36 | 0:49:39 | |
but for some romantic souls, views aren't enough. | 0:49:39 | 0:49:42 | |
The Isle of Wight is a walker's paradise. | 0:49:44 | 0:49:46 | |
It's criss-crossed by over 500 miles of footpath | 0:49:46 | 0:49:49 | |
and every year, it holds the largest walking festival in the UK. | 0:49:49 | 0:49:53 | |
Now this week, I'm going to be trying a walk with a difference. | 0:49:53 | 0:49:57 | |
I'm joining this lot, who are speed-date walkers, | 0:49:57 | 0:50:00 | |
and they're ready to go! | 0:50:00 | 0:50:02 | |
You're very adventurous! You're like mountain goats! | 0:50:02 | 0:50:05 | |
I tell you what, anything could happen on this walk! | 0:50:05 | 0:50:08 | |
But before that, let's see what the weather centre is predicting | 0:50:08 | 0:50:11 | |
for the week ahead with the Countryfile forecast. | 0:50:11 | 0:50:14 | |
. | 0:52:49 | 0:52:57 | |
I'm on the Isle of Wight's south coast, | 0:53:09 | 0:53:11 | |
a setting for love in the landscape. | 0:53:11 | 0:53:13 | |
Now, I couldn't be happier with my wife | 0:53:13 | 0:53:16 | |
but for all of those people that are looking for love, this is for you. | 0:53:16 | 0:53:19 | |
We have a line for the ladies and a line for the men | 0:53:19 | 0:53:22 | |
and stand next to your appropriate number. | 0:53:22 | 0:53:25 | |
So Liz, you'll go with number one, who will actually be Matt. | 0:53:25 | 0:53:29 | |
If Liz decides she likes Matt, basically she'll put a big tick. | 0:53:29 | 0:53:34 | |
If Matt likes Liz, he'll tick also. | 0:53:34 | 0:53:37 | |
If there's two ticks, that's a perfect match. | 0:53:37 | 0:53:40 | |
After two minutes, Den will blow his whistle... | 0:53:40 | 0:53:43 | |
and then the gentlemen in the front will move to the back of the queue | 0:53:43 | 0:53:47 | |
and everybody moves forward. | 0:53:47 | 0:53:49 | |
This is speed-date walking and in honour of St Valentine, | 0:53:51 | 0:53:55 | |
I'm going to be meeting a succession of charming ladies. | 0:53:55 | 0:53:59 | |
Until the whistle blows, I'll be with Liz. | 0:53:59 | 0:54:01 | |
People come because they like to walk in the countryside | 0:54:01 | 0:54:05 | |
and they like to see the nice landscape, | 0:54:05 | 0:54:08 | |
so you've automatically got shared interests. | 0:54:08 | 0:54:11 | |
So what is the best chat-up line you've heard? | 0:54:11 | 0:54:13 | |
What was my first car was probably a memorable one? | 0:54:13 | 0:54:16 | |
WHISTLE BLOWS | 0:54:16 | 0:54:17 | |
What's your first car? I'll try that one. Nice to see you. | 0:54:17 | 0:54:21 | |
We're swapping over now. | 0:54:21 | 0:54:23 | |
-Oh, hi. I'm Fran. -Hello, Fran. | 0:54:31 | 0:54:34 | |
It's quite a bizarre thing, this, isn't it. | 0:54:34 | 0:54:37 | |
It is a bit weird. It's fun though. | 0:54:37 | 0:54:39 | |
It's a really nice way to meet people | 0:54:39 | 0:54:41 | |
cos everyone gets a bit of a giggle out of it. | 0:54:41 | 0:54:43 | |
-How's it going so far. -0K! It's good. | 0:54:43 | 0:54:46 | |
I've met somebody I already know. | 0:54:46 | 0:54:48 | |
Oh, right! | 0:54:48 | 0:54:49 | |
No. Some nice friendly people, | 0:54:49 | 0:54:51 | |
but I don't think quite potential, I'm afraid. | 0:54:51 | 0:54:54 | |
Roxy's from Spain. | 0:55:01 | 0:55:03 | |
How did you end up in the Isle of Wight on a speed-dating walk? | 0:55:03 | 0:55:07 | |
I don't know! | 0:55:07 | 0:55:08 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:55:08 | 0:55:09 | |
How did you hear about this? | 0:55:09 | 0:55:11 | |
Well, long time ago, you know, because I came originally in 1996 | 0:55:11 | 0:55:15 | |
and then I moved to Jersey with my ex-husband, | 0:55:15 | 0:55:18 | |
and it's now nearly five years that I'm divorced. | 0:55:18 | 0:55:22 | |
I just can't find love in this island! | 0:55:22 | 0:55:24 | |
Do you fancy a tall gentleman, like Paul? | 0:55:24 | 0:55:27 | |
I think he's too young for me! I like more mature! | 0:55:27 | 0:55:33 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:55:33 | 0:55:34 | |
Things seem to be going swimmingly. | 0:55:37 | 0:55:40 | |
Maybe there is something in this speed-date walking. | 0:55:40 | 0:55:43 | |
How did this all start then? Where did it come from? | 0:55:43 | 0:55:46 | |
Basically, having organised the Isle of Wight Walking Festival, | 0:55:46 | 0:55:51 | |
a lot of people walk on their own, singles, | 0:55:51 | 0:55:54 | |
and it was suggested we did a speed-dating walk. | 0:55:54 | 0:55:56 | |
That was seven years ago. | 0:55:56 | 0:55:58 | |
During that seven years we've had three weddings, | 0:55:58 | 0:56:01 | |
we've had one speed-dating baby, born in August, | 0:56:01 | 0:56:05 | |
and we've got another wedding coming up in May. | 0:56:05 | 0:56:07 | |
And here they are. The happy couple. June and Mike. | 0:56:15 | 0:56:18 | |
-Lovely to see you both. -Hi. -Hi. | 0:56:18 | 0:56:20 | |
How long ago was it that you first met? | 0:56:20 | 0:56:23 | |
About three years, I think. | 0:56:23 | 0:56:25 | |
Take me back to that moment when the whistle went | 0:56:25 | 0:56:28 | |
and you swapped partners and that was it. What happened, Mike? | 0:56:28 | 0:56:31 | |
We started to talk near the end and the walk finished, | 0:56:31 | 0:56:34 | |
and we went to the pub with everybody else and had a drink | 0:56:34 | 0:56:37 | |
and the pub closed and I said to June, | 0:56:37 | 0:56:39 | |
"Do you want to get something to eat?" | 0:56:39 | 0:56:41 | |
And June went back to the hotel where she was staying | 0:56:46 | 0:56:48 | |
and I started to drive home and halfway home I thought, | 0:56:48 | 0:56:51 | |
"No, I don't want to leave it any longer", so I phoned you, | 0:56:51 | 0:56:54 | |
and said, "what are you doing tomorrow?" | 0:56:54 | 0:56:56 | |
she said "I'm going on a walk", so I said, "can I come with you?" | 0:56:56 | 0:56:59 | |
He actually proposed at the place where we first met | 0:57:04 | 0:57:06 | |
which was quite nice. | 0:57:06 | 0:57:08 | |
So it does work. What would you say to people out there | 0:57:08 | 0:57:11 | |
who may be thinking of this as an option? | 0:57:11 | 0:57:13 | |
If you don't try, how are you going to know? | 0:57:13 | 0:57:16 | |
Give it a go. See what happens. | 0:57:16 | 0:57:19 | |
That's all we've got time for from the romantic Isle of Wight. | 0:57:29 | 0:57:33 | |
Next week, Ellie will be in Ennerdale, | 0:57:33 | 0:57:35 | |
delving into the Countryfile archives | 0:57:35 | 0:57:37 | |
to find the wilder side of life. Hope you can join us then. | 0:57:37 | 0:57:40 | |
Subtitling by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:58:01 | 0:58:05 |