:00:26. > :00:30.The landscape of Britain holds many secrets and mysteries,
:00:31. > :00:52.I'll be joining the archaeologist whose extraordinary new discoveries
:00:53. > :00:54.are changing our understanding of this place.
:00:55. > :00:56.And I'll be finding out what day-to-day life was like
:00:57. > :01:03.for the people who built this mystical wonder.
:01:04. > :01:06.Also, tonight's the night we reveal the final 12
:01:07. > :01:09.in this year's Countryfile Photographic Competition.
:01:10. > :01:18.It is, but I'm not sure I would want that on my kitchen wall.
:01:19. > :01:25.And since the theme of the photographic competition
:01:26. > :01:29.Adam takes us through a whole day on the farm.
:01:30. > :01:34.This machine is certainly chewing up the acres!
:01:35. > :01:52.Talk about working from dawn till dusk!
:01:53. > :02:08.A landscape riddled with relics of a mysterious past.
:02:09. > :02:12.And surely the most cherished and impressive example of that history
:02:13. > :02:23.A staggering feat of prehistoric engineering.
:02:24. > :02:35.the stones have stood sentinel over this land.
:02:36. > :02:41.And to think they were put in place by people HERE
:02:42. > :02:44.thousands of years ago is just astonishing.
:02:45. > :02:47.And, of course, it raises so many questions,
:02:48. > :02:56.not least of which - who built this place and why?
:02:57. > :03:04.The clues may be closer to hand than we ever imagined.
:03:05. > :03:08.I'm near Amesbury in the south-eastern corner of the county,
:03:09. > :03:14.This site is called Durrington Walls,
:03:15. > :03:16.and archaeologists have made a discovery here
:03:17. > :03:26.the huge banked enclosure that circles Durrington Walls,
:03:27. > :03:34.scientists took a closer look, and this is what they saw -
:03:35. > :03:39.a series of strange oblong objects buried beneath.
:03:40. > :03:42.Could they be the remains of some sort of monument,
:03:43. > :03:45.perhaps to the site of an earlier village?
:03:46. > :03:49.I'm meeting archaeologist Dr Nick Snashall
:03:50. > :03:57.this was probably one of the largest settlements in north-west Europe,
:03:58. > :04:03.you would have seen a whole series of little thatched buildings.
:04:04. > :04:07.You probably would have had as many as 4,000 people.
:04:08. > :04:10.Goodness me. And you think that could have been one of the bigger
:04:11. > :04:13.or biggest settlements in Europe at that time?
:04:14. > :04:15.It's very likely that it was, absolutely.
:04:16. > :04:18.For a period of about 10 or 12 years,
:04:19. > :04:20.this would have been the beating heart
:04:21. > :04:22.of what was going on in the British Isles.
:04:23. > :04:25.That's incredibly exciting, but why here?
:04:26. > :04:28.Well, we think from the dates of the settlement,
:04:29. > :04:32.they match exactly with the construction of Stonehenge,
:04:33. > :04:35.which lies just a couple of miles from where we are standing.
:04:36. > :04:39.And this site is actually physically linked, via an avenue,
:04:40. > :04:43.to the River Avon, and if you go downstream down the River Avon,
:04:44. > :04:46.there is another avenue to Stonehenge itself.
:04:47. > :04:49.What we think we've got here is the encampment
:04:50. > :04:53.where the builders of Stonehenge were living.
:04:54. > :04:58.archaeologists have established that Durrington Walls
:04:59. > :05:02.played an important role in the construction of Stonehenge.
:05:03. > :05:04.The discovery of these hidden objects
:05:05. > :05:08.suggests the site could be even more special.
:05:09. > :05:11.And it's thanks to huge advances in technology
:05:12. > :05:16.It was specialist ground-penetrating radar
:05:17. > :05:20.that first saw the mysterious objects, buried only a metre deep,
:05:21. > :05:28.Those mystery objects are right here beneath my feet, and they're big,
:05:29. > :05:32.each one measuring up to four metres across.
:05:33. > :05:35.Now, they've discovered AT LEAST 120 of them
:05:36. > :05:41.and they've got the experts scratching their heads.
:05:42. > :05:46.Could the site have once looked something like this,
:05:47. > :05:52.A memorial to those who had once lived here,
:05:53. > :06:07.To solve the mystery of what lies hidden,
:06:08. > :06:11.The team here have been digging for just over a week
:06:12. > :06:16.and they have made very quick progress indeed.
:06:17. > :06:19.We are actually standing on a ground surface
:06:20. > :06:23.that was last walked about on 4,500 years ago.
:06:24. > :06:26.Archaeologist Professor Mike Parker Pearson
:06:27. > :06:29.may have the answer to the mystery of the buried objects.
:06:30. > :06:31.You've dug down. What have you found?
:06:32. > :06:35.Well, these enormous holes held giant posts,
:06:36. > :06:38.the kind of posts that are basically tree trunks.
:06:39. > :06:42.So they would have been, what, five, six, seven metres high?
:06:43. > :06:47.You know, these would have been nearly 100-year-old trees
:06:48. > :06:59.The evidence from the dig suggests mighty timber posts once stood here.
:07:00. > :07:04.But why, then, was the bank and ditch henge hiding this evidence?
:07:05. > :07:07.There is yet another twist to this tale.
:07:08. > :07:10.Somebody, at the top management level, I'm sure,
:07:11. > :07:19."Pull out the posts. We are going to have a huge great bank and ditch.
:07:20. > :07:22."We want this to be something that lasts not for hundreds of years
:07:23. > :07:25."but for thousands, so that people in the future
:07:26. > :07:43.we now know that the late Neolithic people
:07:44. > :07:46.planted a huge number of giant wooden posts
:07:47. > :07:49.all the way round this henge that were then suddenly removed.
:07:50. > :07:51.We don't know how, we don't know why,
:07:52. > :07:56.and it just goes to show that this well-studied World Heritage Site
:07:57. > :08:06.hasn't given up all its secrets just yet.
:08:07. > :08:10.Now, the theme for this year's Countryfile Photographic Competition
:08:11. > :08:14.was From Dawn Till Dusk, and we've had thousands of entries.
:08:15. > :08:17.It's now up to the judges to choose the final 12 pictures
:08:18. > :08:21.that will appear in the Countryfile Calendar for 2017.
:08:22. > :08:24.And we'll need your help to pick one overall winner.
:08:25. > :08:34.But first, here's John to get us started.
:08:35. > :08:37.Our photographic competition is always one of the highlights
:08:38. > :08:45.This time we asked you to send in your pictures
:08:46. > :08:48.capturing the British countryside in all its glory
:08:49. > :08:53.from dawn till dusk, from daybreak to sunset.
:08:54. > :09:00.You sent in more than 20,000 entries.
:09:01. > :09:03.And finding the 12 outstanding images
:09:04. > :09:06.that will make up the Countryfile Calendar for 2017
:09:07. > :09:10.This is where we'll be doing our judging,
:09:11. > :09:13.amidst the splendid ruins of Old Wardour Castle
:09:14. > :09:19.in the depths of Wiltshire, as guests of English Heritage.
:09:20. > :09:25.we've called upon past winners and finalists to help with the judging.
:09:26. > :09:30.the castle's charming 18th-century banqueting pavilion,
:09:31. > :09:39.and compiling a long list of around 2,000.
:09:40. > :09:44.Where was that taken? That's Carmarthenshire.
:09:45. > :09:47.Choosing the final 12 for the calendar
:09:48. > :09:50.will be down to wildlife cameraman Simon King,
:09:51. > :09:56.Deborah Meaden from Dragons' Den, and me.
:09:57. > :10:00.So, what's our team of long-list selectors hoping to find
:10:01. > :10:07.With the theme being From Dawn Till Dusk,
:10:08. > :10:12.We've got the sunrise, we've got the sunset.
:10:13. > :10:14.And they can produce fabulous images.
:10:15. > :10:18.So, what I'm going to look for is a bit of the magic in the day.
:10:19. > :10:20.I think I'm looking for something artistic,
:10:21. > :10:22.something I've never seen before maybe.
:10:23. > :10:24.The type of picture that I'm looking for is something
:10:25. > :10:26.that sort of grabs your eye from quite a distance
:10:27. > :10:32.Working in pairs, our first skilful snappers are Ben Andrew,
:10:33. > :10:36.who was the overall winner last year with Happy Hedgehog,
:10:37. > :10:42.and Rosy Burke, judges' favourite in 2005 with Fun In The Waves.
:10:43. > :10:48.because it's a kite festival and it's like a medieval painting.
:10:49. > :10:53.And because they're flying against a blue background,
:10:54. > :10:55.it's as though they are flying in water.
:10:56. > :11:02.It's actually got a European green lizard
:11:03. > :11:06.and some of the vegetation that it's picked up
:11:07. > :11:13.so it becomes more than just your average sort of bird-in-flight shot.
:11:14. > :11:17.Our second pair is Dianne Giles and Andy Colbourne.
:11:18. > :11:35.a beautiful stag just popping out from the grass here.
:11:36. > :11:41.The photograph was taken in a back garden, it says, which is great,
:11:42. > :11:44.because when you start to look at this, the detail,
:11:45. > :11:46.it's the closest you'll ever get to looking at an alien.
:11:47. > :12:02.And Lawrie Brailey, who was a finalist with Fox Love in 2014.
:12:03. > :12:08.Photo taken from a mouse hiding inside a plastic ornamental heron.
:12:09. > :12:10.You don't get much more wacky than that.
:12:11. > :12:13.Really, really cute image and it has to go through for me.
:12:14. > :12:16.For somebody to be able to take an image like that,
:12:17. > :12:19.you've got to plan it the day before.
:12:20. > :12:27.And then to actually get an animal in the shot as well, fabulous.
:12:28. > :12:32.After many hours of sifting and sorting, our crack team has done it.
:12:33. > :12:36.They've managed to compile a long list of around 2,000 photos
:12:37. > :12:46.Simon and me to pick those 12 stunning photographs
:12:47. > :12:50.that will each have a page on next year's Countryfile Calendar.
:12:51. > :12:56.we'll be right here, amidst the ruins of Old Wardour Castle itself,
:12:57. > :13:06.so join us for that later in the programme.
:13:07. > :13:10.The mighty and mystical circle of stones.
:13:11. > :13:14.A huge draw for more than a million visitors every year.
:13:15. > :13:20.Stonehenge was built by a huge workforce over many decades,
:13:21. > :13:25.a feat of determination as well as engineering.
:13:26. > :13:30.But who were these people and how did they live?
:13:31. > :13:34.Excavations have shown they used what they found in the landscape.
:13:35. > :13:37.Here at this mock-up of a Neolithic village,
:13:38. > :13:39.English Heritage volunteer Sue Martin
:13:40. > :13:42.is doing a spot of prehistoric plastering,
:13:43. > :13:45.using the same materials our ancestors would have used.
:13:46. > :13:52.We are repairing houses, they sort of continually need repairing.
:13:53. > :13:55.And what's in there? This is crushed chalk.
:13:56. > :14:00.And water. And that's it? That's it. Simple as that,
:14:01. > :14:02.and that's what they insulated their houses with?
:14:03. > :14:07.This is the daub. So the wattle, and what type of wood is this?
:14:08. > :14:10.Hazel. It's a bit like an upturned basket when it's first made,
:14:11. > :14:16.Simple as that. To repair, we need to get the wall quite wet,
:14:17. > :14:20.So is that an ancient sponge you are using there? Yeah, very(!)
:14:21. > :14:33.Oh. It's not as easy as it looks. Nope.
:14:34. > :14:35.And I've managed to get it everywhere.
:14:36. > :14:41.Inside the house, Sue's colleagues Flo Brooks,
:14:42. > :14:45.Dennine Hopper and Chessie Turner are gathering round the fire
:14:46. > :14:50.Hello, ladies. ALL: Hello.
:14:51. > :14:56.Wonderful. So, this is what we think a Neolithic house
:14:57. > :15:01.When they excavated, they found chalk floors and the hearth.
:15:02. > :15:03.And they have stake holes round the outside
:15:04. > :15:06.and grooves where the furniture went.
:15:07. > :15:09.Dennine, what have you got in your hand? What are you twiddling there?
:15:10. > :15:12.I'm working with nettle. I'm making cordage out of nettle,
:15:13. > :15:15.but you can use it for all sorts of things.
:15:16. > :15:19.If you take a piece of leather, which they would have had,
:15:20. > :15:24.and wipe it down the nettle stem, it actually removes the stings.
:15:25. > :15:26.And once you've strung it, you can actually...
:15:27. > :15:33.And Chessie, this is not the ancient way of lighting fire,
:15:34. > :15:35.but this is how they would have had it,
:15:36. > :15:37.they would have had a hearth in the middle, would they?
:15:38. > :15:39.Yes. From the excavations that we did at Durrington,
:15:40. > :15:48.this is what we found, so we've done replicas.
:15:49. > :15:52.It's been 30 years since Stonehenge gained its World Heritage status,
:15:53. > :15:55.with the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China,
:15:56. > :15:58.but it's not just the stones that need to be carefully managed,
:15:59. > :16:04.it's this beautiful wider landscape all around it.
:16:05. > :16:08.Helping manage the site is archaeologist Susan Greaney.
:16:09. > :16:12.balancing the demands of millions of visitors
:16:13. > :16:15.with a need to protect this ancient landscape.
:16:16. > :16:18.So, we're stood right in the middle here of the World Heritage Site,
:16:19. > :16:21.and it's about 25 square kilometres, a huge, huge area,
:16:22. > :16:24.and it's got all kinds of prehistoric monuments in it.
:16:25. > :16:29.We can see some of the major early Neolithic monuments
:16:30. > :16:33.We've also got a huge amount of archaeology that we can't see,
:16:34. > :16:37.lots of things that have been destroyed by ploughing,
:16:38. > :16:39.but are actually still there and still waiting
:16:40. > :16:43.So, how difficult is it to look after a site like this, then?
:16:44. > :16:46.Well, there's two major things that we have to think about.
:16:47. > :16:48.One is the visitors, but then we've also got a, sort of,
:16:49. > :16:52.So really, we are here to look after the monuments,
:16:53. > :16:56.make sure that everybody can enjoy them in the future.
:16:57. > :17:01.In recent years, a major road, the A344, has been closed,
:17:02. > :17:05.meaning traffic no longer thunders past close to the stones.
:17:06. > :17:09.In 2013, we closed that road and now we've restored it back to grass and
:17:10. > :17:12.that's a really tranquil and much more peaceful place to be.
:17:13. > :17:14.What do you think it is about that monument there?
:17:15. > :17:17.There is just something about it that is unique.
:17:18. > :17:19.There is no other lintelled stone circles in the world,
:17:20. > :17:21.and I think people just come and marvel
:17:22. > :17:24.at the amount of energy and the amount of expertise it needed
:17:25. > :17:28.You can come here and stand where our prehistoric ancestors stood.
:17:29. > :17:37.Millions have stood where those prehistoric feet stood.
:17:38. > :17:40.And it's a privilege to stand here too.
:17:41. > :17:52.To feel the magic and the mystery of this ancient place.
:17:53. > :17:58.people have farmed these gently rolling acres.
:17:59. > :18:01.But running a 21st-century farm operation
:18:02. > :18:03.in a landscape of such archaeological importance
:18:04. > :18:10.brings with it very particular challenges.
:18:11. > :18:18.Hugh Morrison farms more than 1,500 acres of National Trust land.
:18:19. > :18:23.He took over the tenancy with his family and business partner Billy.
:18:24. > :18:26.I mean, what is in this field, it's barley?
:18:27. > :18:29.Yeah. Spring barley in this field. That's hopefully all for malting.
:18:30. > :18:31.Yeah. So, have it with your beer tonight.
:18:32. > :18:36.We've got 600 breeding ewes and they all graze the grassland
:18:37. > :18:43.You farm two of the most archaeologically important sites
:18:44. > :18:46.in Europe. That's incredible. It's always very interesting, yeah.
:18:47. > :18:55.Well, look, I want to have a look around the farm.
:18:56. > :19:01.There are archaeologically sensitive sites all over the farm.
:19:02. > :19:06.Hugh has had to change the way he works the land.
:19:07. > :19:14.We've got a very nice, diverse sward reverted back to downland grass.
:19:15. > :19:19.We made that decision with the National Trust
:19:20. > :19:23.to principally protect the archaeology that's underlying this,
:19:24. > :19:27.so we've put it down to grass and we've now got a base
:19:28. > :19:32.Well, it seems to be flourishing, so it seems to be working quite well.
:19:33. > :19:35.It is working. I'm quite pleased with the results with this field.
:19:36. > :19:40.It's really satisfying to see this grass start to mimic very natural
:19:41. > :19:46.we've kick-started this and it's going to take maybe 50 years.
:19:47. > :19:52.Oh, really? It's really going to start having an impact.
:19:53. > :19:55.It could result in a landscape as ecologically diverse
:19:56. > :20:04.Helping Hugh to manage this rich landscape is his daughter, Molly.
:20:05. > :20:07.At just 15, she is the resident expert
:20:08. > :20:15.So, how does it feel to be mowing an ancient burial mound?
:20:16. > :20:19.It's nice to think about the history, but also,
:20:20. > :20:21.I'm just doing a job and it's not stopping me doing that, so...
:20:22. > :20:24.You're not really thinking about the history as you go around, are you?
:20:25. > :20:27.No. What's really on your mind? Not hitting anything.
:20:28. > :20:31.Avoiding the tree stumps. Yeah! You're doing a great job.
:20:32. > :20:34.Dad's working you hard this summer? Yep, over 100 hours' work so far.
:20:35. > :20:36.All right, then. Time is money. Back in there. You can finish this.
:20:37. > :20:39.Well done, Molly. Thanks! We'll see you later. Bye!
:20:40. > :20:52.Farming here has its particular challenges for Hugh.
:20:53. > :21:05.You weren't joking when you said you farmed right up to the monument.
:21:06. > :21:09.Not many farms have a view like that, do they?
:21:10. > :21:15.What's the perfect conditions for you, as a farmer, to see Stonehenge?
:21:16. > :21:19.I think a lovely autumnal misty morning,
:21:20. > :21:21.when the stones are looming out of the mist
:21:22. > :21:33.Wiltshire's farmers share a heritage going back millennia
:21:34. > :21:37.to the prehistoric pioneers of agriculture.
:21:38. > :21:50.this landscape should endure and flourish for generations.
:21:51. > :21:52.This is Old Wardour Castle in Wiltshire,
:21:53. > :21:55.the atmospheric location for the final judging
:21:56. > :22:02.our team of past winners and finalists
:22:03. > :22:08.to provide a very challenging long list.
:22:09. > :22:11.OK, Andy, you're the expert on lighthouses.
:22:12. > :22:22.And now, it's time for the final judging,
:22:23. > :22:25.when we'll be searching for those 12 exceptional photographs
:22:26. > :22:31.that will grace the Countryfile Calendar for 2017.
:22:32. > :22:35.Joining me on the judging panel are Deborah Meaden from Dragons' Den
:22:36. > :22:41.And we'll be choosing the final 12 pictures HERE,
:22:42. > :22:44.within the ruined walls of the castle.
:22:45. > :22:47.Welcome! Hey, John. How are you? You found it! Good to see you.
:22:48. > :22:50.Be nice when it's finished, won't it?
:22:51. > :22:57.'The theme for this year's competition is From Dawn Till Dusk,'
:22:58. > :22:59.and with so many images to get through,
:23:00. > :23:04.Simon, professional photographer, cameraman,
:23:05. > :23:08.It's composition, it's the lens used,
:23:09. > :23:14.that there was a serious intent in the taking of the image
:23:15. > :23:17.So many entries. Yeah, going to have to be tough.
:23:18. > :23:20.Well, here's our rather large short list.
:23:21. > :23:29.Shall we get going? Let's do it. Let's do it.
:23:30. > :23:37.Stunning. A pony coming at us through a snowstorm, I think.
:23:38. > :23:42.Never seen anything like that before.
:23:43. > :23:51.There's a frog that knows its own mind!
:23:52. > :23:54.The fact that's down and near water level...
:23:55. > :23:56.Yeah. ..means that they've really considered
:23:57. > :24:02.And to get it actively having a go at a blackberry is...
:24:03. > :24:10.Yeah, he's having one of his five a day!
:24:11. > :24:12.Does anybody else think that's a little bit romantic?
:24:13. > :24:14.Yes. There's something very lovely...
:24:15. > :24:16.That's exactly what's happening. Is it?
:24:17. > :24:19.It's a male feeding the female in courtship feeding.
:24:20. > :24:22.Oh, it is? You see, now, that's a photograph to me.
:24:23. > :24:25.When you actually get the sense of what's going on.
:24:26. > :24:32.Oh, I love that! DEBORAH LAUGHS
:24:33. > :24:37.I am going to let Deborah and Simon carry on,
:24:38. > :24:40.while I take some time out to discover a little bit more
:24:41. > :24:56.The unusual hexagonal ruins of Old Wardour Castle
:24:57. > :25:00.stand serenely in their lakeside setting.
:25:01. > :25:05.But this beguiling scene masks a dramatic past.
:25:06. > :25:10.It's wonderful, and a fantastic entrance
:25:11. > :25:16.Win Scutt, curator with English Heritage,
:25:17. > :25:19.is going to tell me how this once lavish home
:25:20. > :25:25.Well, what an impressive place, Win, isn't it?
:25:26. > :25:28.It's absolutely fantastic, isn't it? What's its history then?
:25:29. > :25:32.Well, this is basically the facade to a great 14th-century building.
:25:33. > :25:35.But by the time we get to the 1570s, it's bought by the Arundells.
:25:36. > :25:39.And they start to decorate it and we've got lots of features here.
:25:40. > :25:42.The kind of makeover job that was done in Tudor times,
:25:43. > :25:46.you've got the Arundell coat of arms and a bust of Jesus Christ,
:25:47. > :25:50.our Lord, above. They were a Catholic family and they sided
:25:51. > :25:58.with the King and the royalists against parliament in the Civil War.
:25:59. > :26:01.When Lord Arundell went off to fight for the King,
:26:02. > :26:06.he left his 61-year-old wife Blanche to bravely defend the castle.
:26:07. > :26:13.She managed to stand with 25 servants and other men
:26:14. > :26:17.in the castle here against 1,300 parliamentarian forces
:26:18. > :26:22.But eventually, she had to give up and surrender.
:26:23. > :26:26.They allowed her out, but they went in and smashed the place up.
:26:27. > :26:28.And one of the pieces of the fireplace,
:26:29. > :26:33.You can just about make out the lovely lion shape here.
:26:34. > :26:36.Oh, yeah. Why did they want to destroy it?
:26:37. > :26:40.I think it just stank of royalist opulence and all the rest of it.
:26:41. > :26:48.I think they just wanted to smash everything to do with the royalists.
:26:49. > :26:53.In a bid to recapture the family home, Henry, Lord Arundell's heir,
:26:54. > :26:59.But HE did even more damage than the parliamentarians.
:27:00. > :27:02.Well, if Henry wanted to take the castle back,
:27:03. > :27:05.how come that so much of the REAR of it is in ruins?
:27:06. > :27:08.Well, he planted mines, barrels of gunpowder
:27:09. > :27:13.And accidentally, someone dropped a match on it.
:27:14. > :27:19.but 35 rooms have completely disappeared.
:27:20. > :27:24.So, what started as a brave plan, ended in disaster.
:27:25. > :27:27.The castle was never inhabited again,
:27:28. > :27:30.the ruins abandoned to the quiet of the Wiltshire countryside,
:27:31. > :27:43.where they've stood for nearly 400 years.
:27:44. > :27:46.With the day marching on, it's time to get back to the judging.
:27:47. > :27:49.I wonder if Simon and Deborah have found any images
:27:50. > :28:04.I kind of like photographs that take me to a place
:28:05. > :28:09.You know, I see lovely skies, I see lovely views,
:28:10. > :28:13.but I never see a little furry caterpillar
:28:14. > :28:21.And he's looking up as if, "Oh, how much further have I got to go?"
:28:22. > :28:24.Barn owls, I love. And I've got a soft spot for them.
:28:25. > :28:28.putting the air brakes on just before it lands.
:28:29. > :28:35.Later, we'll be fighting it out for our favourites
:28:36. > :28:38.and then handing over to you to pick the overall winner,
:28:39. > :28:50.which will feature on the cover of the calendar for 2017.
:28:51. > :28:53.For most farmers, every day is a dawn till dusk day,
:28:54. > :29:00.Adam is certainly up for making the most of the daylight hours.
:29:01. > :29:20.There we are. There's your breakfast.
:29:21. > :29:24.and although we're still in the middle of summer,
:29:25. > :29:26.the daylight hours are getting shorter,
:29:27. > :29:28.which means the ewes will soon be coming into season,
:29:29. > :29:32.So I'm now heading off to a farm in Herefordshire
:29:33. > :29:35.to hopefully buy a couple of new rams for this season.
:29:36. > :29:49.And I hope he's got what I'm looking for.
:29:50. > :29:52.Edward Collins runs Bearwood Farm just outside Leominster.
:29:53. > :30:01.a popular breed of sheep that I use in my commercial flock.
:30:02. > :30:06.All the rams Edward has on offer are amongst the best in the breed.
:30:07. > :30:09.Thankfully, he's also one of a select few breeders
:30:10. > :30:16.to help me pick the right animals to suit my flock at home.
:30:17. > :30:19.Now, what's interesting with what Ed does here,
:30:20. > :30:22.he chooses good animals in the way they're made up,
:30:23. > :30:25.but also, he measures lots of attributes
:30:26. > :30:29.that the animals have and builds up a set of statistics, really.
:30:30. > :30:32.So it's a bit like choosing a lovely car
:30:33. > :30:43.Right, here we go. His maternal figures are top 5% of the breed.
:30:44. > :30:48.What lets him down is his worm figures.
:30:49. > :30:52.So, maternal figures are the traits
:30:53. > :30:54.that he's going to put into his daughters,
:30:55. > :30:56.so how good a daughter he's going to have.
:30:57. > :30:58.Yes. And the carcass is how much meat
:30:59. > :31:00.he's going to produce across his lambs.
:31:01. > :31:05.you're measuring lambs that have a natural ability
:31:06. > :31:12.Yes, we are doing some research at the moment on worm resistance.
:31:13. > :31:15.There are certain animals in a group that will be more
:31:16. > :31:17.genetically resistant to worms than others.
:31:18. > :31:22.This ram's figures are not as good as some of the other rams
:31:23. > :31:26.Well, that's a real shame because I really like the look of him.
:31:27. > :31:40.Right, you've picked one that's top 1% of the maternal.
:31:41. > :31:44.Oh, yeah, he's the one. He's my best for worm.
:31:45. > :31:51.And plus, he's got good worm figures.
:31:52. > :32:02.OK, he's a definite. Let's remember that number.
:32:03. > :32:08.'farmers are able to buy tailor-made animals to suit the needs
:32:09. > :32:14.'I'm keen on animals with good worm resistance because I want
:32:15. > :32:17.'to reduce the amount of medication I use.'
:32:18. > :32:19.I'm going to take five. LAUGHING: You're going to take five?
:32:20. > :32:22.'Also, by using rams with these genes,
:32:23. > :32:24.'I'll be able to breed this characteristic
:32:25. > :32:29.'into future generations of my flock at home.'
:32:30. > :32:34.and when you can find out about their figures
:32:35. > :32:37.and their performance, over and above just what they look like,
:32:38. > :32:51.An excellent morning. And back on the farm,
:32:52. > :32:53.there are other little tricks of the trade we can use
:32:54. > :32:56.to get the most out of our livestock.
:32:57. > :33:00.Most people don't shear their ewe lambs until next year,
:33:01. > :33:04.These are only four or five months old,
:33:05. > :33:07.and we've been shearing them now, around August time,
:33:08. > :33:14.for the last couple of years, and it works really well.
:33:15. > :33:16.We shear these young sheep for a number of reasons.
:33:17. > :33:20.Partly because it keeps them nice and clean and free from any muck,
:33:21. > :33:23.On a very hot day at this time of year,
:33:24. > :33:25.usually the sheep will be in the shade,
:33:26. > :33:29.But if you take the fleece off their back,
:33:30. > :33:33.they're cooler, so then they're out grazing, and when they're grazing,
:33:34. > :33:36.they're putting on weight, which is a really good thing.
:33:37. > :33:39.Although the value of wool isn't that high,
:33:40. > :33:41.these little Romneys produce a good-sized fleece,
:33:42. > :33:44.so it pays at least for the shearing.
:33:45. > :33:47.But we find the real benefit of them growing on so well
:33:48. > :33:54.and producing a better ewe really makes it worthwhile.
:33:55. > :33:57.Dry weather's important, not just for shearing,
:33:58. > :34:07.The winter barley has already been taken in.
:34:08. > :34:09.This afternoon, the combines are making good progress
:34:10. > :34:14.Because of the rain and the lack of sunshine,
:34:15. > :34:17.the crops have been quite slow to mature this year
:34:18. > :34:21.But also, because of that lack of sunshine,
:34:22. > :34:24.In our winter barley, it was 20% down,
:34:25. > :34:27.and usually we would expect 3.5, 4 ton a hectare
:34:28. > :34:30.for this oilseed rape and we're getting about three.
:34:31. > :34:33.And that's the story I'm hearing right across the country.
:34:34. > :34:35.But while we've got a break in the weather
:34:36. > :34:45.we've just got to keep working, even if it means combining all night.
:34:46. > :34:48.The incredible speed that these modern harvesters work at
:34:49. > :34:52.means they can eat up fields quicker than ever before.
:34:53. > :34:59.By late afternoon, they've harvested the oilseed rape.
:35:00. > :35:04.But as dusk draws near, the early evening dew clings to the next crop,
:35:05. > :35:07.so the combines will have to call it a day, as the extra moisture
:35:08. > :35:12.will need burning off by tomorrow's summer sun.
:35:13. > :35:15.What we ARE still working on is the cultivations.
:35:16. > :35:17.This is a great big tractor running on tracks,
:35:18. > :35:20.with low ground pressure, so it doesn't damage the soil.
:35:21. > :35:24.And then the cultivator behind is ripping up the stubble to
:35:25. > :35:28.create a seedbed to plant into for next year's crop.
:35:29. > :35:33.we have to take every opportunity to get jobs done.
:35:34. > :35:37.Fortunately, the technology in these machines is designed to work
:35:38. > :35:43.It's all being run by satellite navigation,
:35:44. > :35:46.so it's steering itself up the field in a dead straight line.
:35:47. > :35:51.There's a saying in farming - that we work in acres, not hours.
:35:52. > :35:56.And this machine is certainly chewing up the acres.
:35:57. > :35:59.Talk about working from dawn till dusk!
:36:00. > :36:14.Here, we're working from dawn till dusk and beyond.
:36:15. > :36:16.This is Old Wardour Castle in Wiltshire,
:36:17. > :36:19.where we're in the final stages of judging this year's
:36:20. > :36:22.Countryfile Photographic Competition.
:36:23. > :36:27.Is that starlings? No, it's lapwings. And golden plovers.
:36:28. > :36:30.That's extraordinary that you can tell that from that picture.
:36:31. > :36:35.After much deliberation and debate,
:36:36. > :36:40.our long list of 2,000 photos is now down to about 400.
:36:41. > :36:45.Now comes the really hard part, as we try to agree on our final 12.
:36:46. > :36:47.We still have far too many, I'm afraid.
:36:48. > :36:55.I wouldn't know, but it looks to me like a dawn start.
:36:56. > :37:03.I think that's the killer cow from hell!
:37:04. > :37:14.When you stand high enough up a hill or a mountain
:37:15. > :37:17.to get the cloud around you and the sun is shining past,
:37:18. > :37:19.you get a rainbow around your own shadow,
:37:20. > :37:30.It is, but I'm not sure I would want that on my kitchen wall.
:37:31. > :37:35.'We've got to make some very tough decisions
:37:36. > :37:38.'because the selected photos will be the stars
:37:39. > :37:42.'of our calendar, which we sell in aid of BBC Children In Need.'
:37:43. > :37:49.It is a beautiful shot of a red squirrel.
:37:50. > :37:54.The current calendar sold 460,000 copies and raised
:37:55. > :38:06.It's time to get brutal. Right. OK?
:38:07. > :38:09.I'm going to fight for the sheep because I think that I'd like
:38:10. > :38:12.to see something with a bit of human intervention.
:38:13. > :38:21.For the calendar, I would probably go for this one.
:38:22. > :38:22.Yeah, me too. There is just more to...
:38:23. > :38:42.'Our job will be done once we've chosen the final 12.
:38:43. > :38:47.'Your vote will determine the overall winner,
:38:48. > :38:51.'who gets to choose ?1,000 worth of photographic equipment.
:38:52. > :38:55.'Their winning picture will also grace the front of the calendar.
:38:56. > :39:07.The time has come to choose our final 12 from these. Hmm...
:39:08. > :39:18.You know, maybe not the dead of winter.
:39:19. > :39:31.late summer, July, August. Yeah, it's stunning.
:39:32. > :39:35.'Picking just a dozen pictures from so many striking images has been
:39:36. > :39:39.'an almost impossible, very subjective task.
:39:40. > :39:45.We've got our final 12. What do you think of them?
:39:46. > :39:47.I'm actually very jealous of some of these pictures.
:39:48. > :39:50.I wish I'd taken them, I really do. Deborah?
:39:51. > :39:52.Actually, laid out like that, I'm amazed we got them
:39:53. > :39:55.down to those, because they are stunning photographs,
:39:56. > :40:03.and that looks like a really good calendar.
:40:04. > :40:16.here are the 12 that will make up the Countryfile Calendar for 2017.
:40:17. > :40:19.Now it's for you to decide the overall winner.
:40:20. > :40:24.You can select your favourite by phone.
:40:25. > :40:26.And you can also vote online on our website.
:40:27. > :40:30.You'll need to register for a BBC iD if you don't have one already,
:40:31. > :40:33.and then you can choose your favourite picture
:40:34. > :40:39.And that way, of course, it won't cost you anything.
:40:40. > :40:47.Voting by phone costs 10p, plus your network's access charge.
:40:48. > :42:22.If Morning Hare is your favourite, call...
:42:23. > :42:25.Right, you've got all the numbers and our website address,
:42:26. > :42:57.And we'll be revealing the overall winner, plus the judges' favourite,
:42:58. > :43:01.and the calendar itself on Countryfile in early October.
:43:02. > :43:05.But for now, all that remains to be said is a very big thank you
:43:06. > :43:07.to everybody who sent in their pictures.
:43:08. > :43:22.We just couldn't have done it without you.
:43:23. > :43:27.a wealth of archaeological treasures,
:43:28. > :43:31.a constant reminder of ancient times and an inspiration
:43:32. > :43:37.With more than just a nod to the past,
:43:38. > :43:40.one local farmer has taken diversification
:43:41. > :43:43.to a whole new level with his latest venture,
:43:44. > :43:51.Tim Daw farms 200 acres in the Marlborough Downs,
:43:52. > :43:54.and it's not just crops you'll see in his fields.
:43:55. > :44:00.'Tim has been inspired to build a Neolithic-style monument
:44:01. > :44:10.Wow! So what is this structure in front of me?
:44:11. > :44:15.This huge mound is actually a long barrow.
:44:16. > :44:20.A long barrow, it's the oldest monument in the British Isles.
:44:21. > :44:23.They were building them 5,500, 6,000 years ago, and then
:44:24. > :44:26.they didn't build them again until I built one two years ago.
:44:27. > :44:31.They stored their ancestors' remains in them.
:44:32. > :44:36.The bones and ashes of their loved ones.
:44:37. > :44:40.So, Tim thought, why not bring one into the 21st century
:44:41. > :44:43.and offer people an alternative resting place
:44:44. > :44:51.It went from being just a fun idea of building something huge
:44:52. > :44:54.and monumental to actually talking to people
:44:55. > :45:01.for their ashes to go, and the two ideas sort of came together,
:45:02. > :45:03.so I tried it, and this is what we built.
:45:04. > :45:09.'Tim's long barrow was built in just nine months
:45:10. > :45:15.'as nearly all of the 340 spaces - or niches -
:45:16. > :45:21.It's amazing! There's chambers either side.
:45:22. > :45:29.Yeah, so this is one of the chambers.
:45:30. > :45:32.Not at all what I was expecting. It's got so much height.
:45:33. > :45:35.It has. I mean, a huge, what they call a corbelled roof,
:45:36. > :45:50.And do you have to be religious to have a niche here?
:45:51. > :45:53.We say it's for all religions or none.
:45:54. > :45:55.There is a slightly spiritual aspect to it.
:45:56. > :45:58.There's something about remembering lives,
:45:59. > :46:01.to monumentalise them, and this is what this is about.
:46:02. > :46:07.It's something that touches people and that they feel at home in.
:46:08. > :46:12.It's really quite peaceful. I'm glad you feel that, yeah.
:46:13. > :46:16.I was worried it might be claustrophobic or macabre,
:46:17. > :46:17.or something like that, but no, it doesn't.
:46:18. > :46:23.You've built this incredible structure that is so in tune with
:46:24. > :46:35.Tim wanted to align the barrow with the winter solstice,
:46:36. > :46:38.but where do you find someone with that sort of age-old skill?
:46:39. > :46:41.Enter Simon Banton, archeo-astronomer,
:46:42. > :46:46.who used his knowledge of the stars to align the barrow the right way.
:46:47. > :46:50.So, at sunrise on December 21st, how nervous were you?
:46:51. > :46:54.Incredibly. Because it's one thing to do it with a set of posts,
:46:55. > :46:57.it's another thing to do it with a 70-metre long long barrow
:46:58. > :47:02.so I was incredibly grateful for the universe
:47:03. > :47:05.to not betray me and my calculations.
:47:06. > :47:07.And is this where you will be spending eternity?
:47:08. > :47:10.Absolutely. I couldn't get a niche fast enough.
:47:11. > :47:13.So you've got a spot in there? I've got a spot in there, yeah.
:47:14. > :47:16.Why? I'm not religious, and neither is this.
:47:17. > :47:20.But I do have a fascination for the monuments in this
:47:21. > :47:23.magnificent Wiltshire landscape and the landscape itself,
:47:24. > :47:25.so if Tim's going to be kind enough to build me somewhere
:47:26. > :47:29.I can spend the rest of time, count me in.
:47:30. > :47:36.echoing the long barrows of prehistory, and a modern monument
:47:37. > :47:41.totally at home in Wiltshire's ancient acres.
:47:42. > :47:44.In a moment, we'll be meeting the man whose passion for Stonehenge
:47:45. > :47:46.knows no bounds, and we'll remind you how you can
:47:47. > :47:49.vote for your favourite photos in this year's calendar competition.
:47:50. > :48:17.Thanks, Anita. I'm sure Stonehenge has seen its fair share of whether.
:48:18. > :48:26.Yesterday, violent thunderstorms rocked the relic. We shall some
:48:27. > :48:34.tremendous rain. Today, in general, the showers have been lied to. There
:48:35. > :48:40.is a trend for much of the rest of the week. There will be lots of dry
:48:41. > :48:44.and pleasantly warm weather, particularly in parts of the South
:48:45. > :48:52.and east of the UK. In the north, there will be some rain but even
:48:53. > :48:57.here some usefully dry spells. Showers lingering across eastern
:48:58. > :49:02.counties through the night. Cloud will help to keep the temperature
:49:03. > :49:10.up. Where the skies clear, it will get chilly. Temperatures well down
:49:11. > :49:16.into single figures. Hints of early autumn. One or two showers first up
:49:17. > :49:21.across northern and eastern England. The vast majority of ours are going
:49:22. > :49:26.to have a lovely day. It will cloud up across Northern Ireland and
:49:27. > :49:32.western Scotland but other parts of the UK, no such problems. Some fine
:49:33. > :49:40.and fluffy cloud. A delightful day to go to the beach. Pretty pleasant,
:49:41. > :49:44.up through northern England and into eastern Scotland. There will be more
:49:45. > :49:50.showers through into western Scotland and Northern Ireland later
:49:51. > :49:55.on in the day. A glancing blow from this frontal system. Most places
:49:56. > :49:59.will stay dry into Tuesday. High-pressure holding firm across
:50:00. > :50:05.southern and central parts of the UK. Another approaching weather
:50:06. > :50:11.front will bring cloud and wind again into Northern Ireland and
:50:12. > :50:15.western Scotland. But look at the temperatures, 27 degrees in some
:50:16. > :50:20.places. It stays dry towards the middle of the week. A splash of rain
:50:21. > :50:27.from this front as it heads down into England and Wales it tends to
:50:28. > :50:33.die a death. It's never really makes it to southern and eastern England.
:50:34. > :50:38.A fresh trees across the West of Scotland. Towards the end of the
:50:39. > :50:47.week, high pressure is still there but more front line out in the
:50:48. > :50:54.Atlantique. Thursday, again a warm day. Some sunshine across the
:50:55. > :50:59.southern half of the UK. Further north, a bit breezy but it will be
:51:00. > :51:04.mostly dry. Big questions about the progress of this front from the west
:51:05. > :51:08.by the end of the week. Potentially spreading some pretty wet weather
:51:09. > :51:13.across Northern Ireland and western Scotland. Once more, further south
:51:14. > :51:18.and east, there is a trend for these areas to stay mostly fine and dry
:51:19. > :51:23.and pretty warm right the way through this week. Temperatures up
:51:24. > :51:43.into the mid-20s but fresh and cool the further north.
:51:44. > :51:45.I'm in Wiltshire's southern grasslands,
:51:46. > :51:55.in one of the most recognisable places on earth.
:51:56. > :52:02.Stonehenge has been marvelled at for centuries,
:52:03. > :52:14.And once it gets you, it doesn't let go.
:52:15. > :52:19.No-one alive today knows more about Stonehenge than Julian Richards.
:52:20. > :52:25.The stones cast their spell over him more than 30 years ago.
:52:26. > :52:28.Julian, how are you doing? JULIAN LAUGHS
:52:29. > :52:30.Well, here at Stonehenge, so I'm happy.
:52:31. > :52:34.Good to see you. Do you remember your very first visit to Stonehenge?
:52:35. > :52:39.but then I came back when I was at university,
:52:40. > :52:41.when I was at Reading, and that, I think,
:52:42. > :52:43.was when it first sort of made an impression
:52:44. > :52:47."Actually, this is something amazing."
:52:48. > :52:50.And that's led to a long series of digs that you've been involved in
:52:51. > :52:54.in and around this area. I was digging in this area 36 years ago.
:52:55. > :53:00.digging at Coneybury Henge, which is just up on the hill.
:53:01. > :53:04.as well as discovering the site in many different ways,
:53:05. > :53:06.you've obviously collected a few things along the way.
:53:07. > :53:08.Yes, yeah. Are you a hoarder, Julian?
:53:09. > :53:10.Are you a Stonehenge hoarder? Yes, I am a bit, actually.
:53:11. > :53:16.There's an entire gallery in the Stonehenge Visitor Centre
:53:17. > :53:18.full of the stuff that's been loaned by me.
:53:19. > :53:26.with Stonehenge in the background, you know.
:53:27. > :53:31.There's lots of other stone circles and there are some
:53:32. > :53:35.that are bigger than this, but it's the architecture of this place,
:53:36. > :53:37.that's what makes it instantly recognisable
:53:38. > :53:41.Mm. It's the best. Well, we are very lucky.
:53:42. > :53:44.We are allowed to go inside the stone circle for a few minutes,
:53:45. > :53:47.so let's leave the souvenirs behind and step inside, shall we?
:53:48. > :54:00.because you just get a real sense of the scale of it
:54:01. > :54:03.and the incredible ingenuity of the people that built it.
:54:04. > :54:08.I still find it awe-inspiring, you know, even after hundreds of visits!
:54:09. > :54:12.'Without technology, without modern tools,
:54:13. > :54:17.'our ancient ancestors' achievement is truly incredible.
:54:18. > :54:20.'All the more so when you consider that the smaller stones
:54:21. > :54:25.'were brought here from far west Wales.'
:54:26. > :54:28.It's extraordinary because it is carpentry in stone.
:54:29. > :54:30.You know, they're moving 40 ton blocks of sarsen,
:54:31. > :54:33.they are shaping them and then they're creating
:54:34. > :54:36.these elaborate joints to fit them together. Staggering, isn't it?
:54:37. > :54:38.And some of the stones aren't from that far away.
:54:39. > :54:42.I like the way you say, "Not that far away".
:54:43. > :54:46.Comparatively. You know, 25 miles for a stone this big is quite a lot,
:54:47. > :54:48.but, yeah, these are the ones from Wales.
:54:49. > :54:51.These are the ones from... From the Preseli Hills in Wales.
:54:52. > :54:55.is now telling us exactly which quarry some of
:54:56. > :54:59.If they hadn't done it, I wouldn't have believed it was possible.
:55:00. > :55:03.No. That human ingenuity could bring these amazing slabs of stone
:55:04. > :55:06.these distances. When you look back into sort of medieval times,
:55:07. > :55:10.and, of course, even more recently, you know,
:55:11. > :55:12.it's people from outer space. No, it's not!
:55:13. > :55:15.It's our ancient ancestors with skill and ingenuity,
:55:16. > :55:17.and obviously incredible organisation as well,
:55:18. > :55:20.to bring together enough people to move these stones.
:55:21. > :55:23.But I know that no matter how good science is,
:55:24. > :55:25.no matter how good archaeologists are,
:55:26. > :55:31.we're never really going to understand Stonehenge completely.
:55:32. > :55:36.There's magic and mystery here, a landscape to stir the soul.
:55:37. > :55:40.The perfect moment to remind you of the 12 finalists
:55:41. > :55:42.in this year's photographic competition,
:55:43. > :55:44.and how you can vote for your favourite.
:55:45. > :57:27.If Morning Hare is your favourite, call...
:57:28. > :57:31.Calls cost 10p, plus your network's access charge.
:57:32. > :57:37.You can also vote free on our website...
:57:38. > :57:41.The website also contains a full list of the photos
:57:42. > :57:44.and their phone numbers, together with the terms and conditions
:57:45. > :58:10.All the details are on the website, so get voting.
:58:11. > :58:12.Next week, we'll be taking a look at one of our favourite
:58:13. > :58:16.Hope you can join us then. See you. Do you know what?
:58:17. > :58:19.I've suddenly got a hankering for a game of dominoes.
:58:20. > :58:21.Do you fancy it? Yeah, shall we go to the pub?
:58:22. > :59:05.Get your flags ready and join Juan Diego Florez and many more
:59:06. > :59:09.for the world-famous last night of the Proms.