0:00:24 > 0:00:26The New Forest in Hampshire.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30A place where ponies and cattle roam free amid a landscape
0:00:30 > 0:00:32of ancient woods and heathland
0:00:32 > 0:00:36The New Forest is known for its ponies and trees
0:00:36 > 0:00:39but there's nearly 1,000 of these - pools of water
0:00:39 > 0:00:42that are just as important to the landscape.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45But there's a problem, and it's this stuff.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48I'll be finding out how ponies are playing their part
0:00:48 > 0:00:51in keeping this invasive weed in check.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Julia's also discovering how horsepower
0:00:56 > 0:00:57can help with conservation.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00This big beast might look as if it could scare the horses
0:01:00 > 0:01:02but, actually, it's making short work of clearing the land here.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05It's a gentle giant at the forefront
0:01:05 > 0:01:06of a massive conservation programme
0:01:06 > 0:01:08but what's it protecting? I'll be finding out.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13Meanwhile, John's up in Scotland.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Deer stalking plays a vital part of the highlands economy.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21So why are huge numbers of deer being culled to make way for trees?
0:01:21 > 0:01:23I'll be investigating.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26And Adam's bringing home some fancy foul.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29In these crates, I've got some newcomers to the farm.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32And these ones lay some pretty special eggs.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Not very many people have got these.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37I just hope they enjoy their new home.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55The New Forest is the oldest area of man-made woodland in England.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58The 219 square miles of the New Forest National Park
0:01:58 > 0:02:02lie mainly in south-west Hampshire.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04The New Forest isn't pure woodland -
0:02:04 > 0:02:07less than half of it is covered in trees.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Most of the rest is known as lowland heath,
0:02:10 > 0:02:15and it's the largest area of this rare habitat left in Europe.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Roaming that habitat are around 3,000 New Forest ponies.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Just as important are the hundreds of ponds and bogs,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30possibly the most important area of freshwater wildlife in Britain.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35This one was dug out to provide water for the ponies,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37but all is not what it seems.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40If you wade in...reach down,
0:02:40 > 0:02:45you can easily grab a handful of this virulent stuff.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51New Zealand Pygmy weed - a Kiwi invader
0:02:51 > 0:02:54that's gradually taking over the national park's waters.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57We seem from what we've got in this box, Naomi, that when there's
0:02:57 > 0:03:01a lot of it, it's incredibly dense, but what harm does it do?
0:03:01 > 0:03:03It tends to crowd out all of the rare species that we find
0:03:03 > 0:03:05growing at the edge of these fabulous ponds
0:03:05 > 0:03:07here in the New Forest.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10So, when it comes in, we see that the other plants start to decline
0:03:10 > 0:03:12and, eventually, when it gets to this stage,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16where there's literally no room left for any of the native plants
0:03:16 > 0:03:18to grow, we find that they disappear.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21To start off with, we were worried that it was the ponies moving it,
0:03:21 > 0:03:26because just a 2mm fragment of stem is enough to transfer this
0:03:26 > 0:03:28from one pond to another.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31So we thought maybe the ponies were picking it up on their feet
0:03:31 > 0:03:34and then walking across and dropping it into another pond.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37But actually, we've found now that all of the ponds that have it in
0:03:37 > 0:03:40are located either next to a car park or next to people's houses,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43so it would seem that the main vector for spread is people.
0:03:43 > 0:03:44Rather than the cause,
0:03:44 > 0:03:49ponies are actually keeping the weed at bay by eating it.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52So far, nothing else has managed to get rid of this stuff for good.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57Now they're moving onto more extreme measures, like dying ponds black.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- How much would you put in there? - Not very much at all.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02You'll be surprised. Just splosh a bit in and you'll see that
0:04:02 > 0:04:03it goes black pretty much instantly.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- Just straight in like that?- Yep. It's perfectly safe. There we go.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08So, look at this.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Very quickly dyes the water
0:04:10 > 0:04:14and you can see there's no light getting to that pygmy weed.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18The idea being that that will stop it being able to photosynthesise,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20so it won't grow any more. During the winter months,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24nothing else is growing in the pond anyway -
0:04:24 > 0:04:26pygmy weed grows all year round -
0:04:26 > 0:04:29so now it should be stopping that growing and, by the springtime,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32it will have gone and then the other plants can continue to grow.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35So, what's so special about these ponds?
0:04:35 > 0:04:39'Jeremy Biggs from Pond Conservation is taking me
0:04:39 > 0:04:41'deep into the heart of the New Forest to find one
0:04:41 > 0:04:46'that he promises is rich in rare, if tiny, species.'
0:04:46 > 0:04:47Tip the contents out.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51And we'll see what we can find.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56- There's a little something wriggling there.- Ah, female palmate newt.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59So, two kinds of small newts in this country - the common newt,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02which people often have in their garden ponds, and the palmate newt,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06which actually some people do have in their gardens as well.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09But this is much more the newt of acid water
0:05:09 > 0:05:11and woodlands like this area here.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16And just here, we've got a backswimmer as well.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Can you see it rowing around? It's got those big, long legs.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Again, it's not the ordinary one you see in your every-day garden pond.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Most people with garden ponds will have some backswimmers, probably.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30This is the moorland backswimmer, that prefers acid water.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32You can just about see it's got this
0:05:32 > 0:05:35pointy hypodermic needle-like mouth parts,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38which it sticks into its prey,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40injects a poisonous saliva,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43digests them from the inside, and then sucks out the juices.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46- Gruesome, really, isn't it? - Yeah, delightful way of eating!
0:05:49 > 0:05:51There is just an enormous amount of life in this
0:05:51 > 0:05:53little stretch of water behind us.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57- When you look at this tray here, and you think...- It's amazing.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59These are real hotspots of biodiversity.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02They're the smallest patches of freshwater -
0:06:02 > 0:06:05tiny compared to our rivers and lakes - yet they actually have
0:06:05 > 0:06:09a wider variety of species living in them than either rivers or lakes.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Despite their tiny size. They are amazing.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17They may only be tiny, but some inhabitants of this pond
0:06:17 > 0:06:20are as rare as anything you'd find on safari in Africa.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23All in the New Forest.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26And later, Julia will be using a different kind of horse power
0:06:26 > 0:06:29to restore another part of the New Forest.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Right. There you go, you lot. Nice to meet you all.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34So, here in the New Forest,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37it's obvious that animals are playing a vital role
0:06:37 > 0:06:39in regenerating this landscape,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41but up in Scotland, it's a different story.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44It's claimed that red deer are ruining efforts to introduce
0:06:44 > 0:06:46thousands of new trees there.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48John is finding out why.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04The red deer. The largest land mammal in Britain.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09A symbol of Scotland. The Monarch of the Glen.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15But it's not just an icon.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Red deer are amongst the biggest players
0:07:17 > 0:07:20in the Scottish national economy, and stalking them
0:07:20 > 0:07:25has created a business worth more than £100 million a year.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30There's an estimated 350,000 red deer in Scotland
0:07:30 > 0:07:32but in some areas, so it's claimed,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35numbers are falling dramatically because of shooting.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38But just who's responsible?
0:07:38 > 0:07:41It's not who you might think - the hunters.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Instead, they're pointing the finger at conservationists,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48who want to create vast new areas of woodland here in Scotland.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53And because deer threaten that plan by eating the saplings,
0:07:53 > 0:07:54they're being targeted.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57'No-one knows this stunning landscape better than
0:07:57 > 0:07:59'professional deer-stalker Peter Fraser.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04'He's using his local knowledge to take me to find some stags.'
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Just noticing up there, look.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09There's a whole bunch of stags on the hillside.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Aye, there's one or two nice stags up there, aye.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14They're actually looking at their worst.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Their winter coats are starting to come out,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18and in another two or three weeks,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21their antlers will start to fall off.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Peter has been bringing people here to hunt for the past 50 years.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28- It's not the shooting season now? - Oh, no.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32But if I was a client of yours, coming out,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35hoping to get a stag, what would you insist upon?
0:08:35 > 0:08:41- First of all, a good tweed suit. - This is no good, what I'm wearing?
0:08:41 > 0:08:43- No, no.- Why not?
0:08:43 > 0:08:47When you crawl in the heather, you can hear that noise.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50And on a quiet day, the dear can hear that, and they're away.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54- A piece in your pocket.- A what? - Lunch.- Oh, right, yes.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58- Lunch in your pocket.- And would you insist that I was a good shot?
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- The last thing you want is a wounded animal.- That's correct.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05No, every client that comes, we go to the target first
0:09:05 > 0:09:06and assess his capabilities.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10If I was no good, you wouldn't let me go out and shoot a deer?
0:09:10 > 0:09:13If you couldn't hit the target, no, I wouldn't take you out.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16- Simple as that. - Let's see how I do.- Right.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22'The only thing in my sights today is a target, but people can pay
0:09:22 > 0:09:25'up to £1,000 a day to shoot stags.'
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- Quite happy?- Yeah. - Squeeze it away.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36So, three attempts to prove
0:09:36 > 0:09:40that I'm Countryfile's answer to Clint Eastwood.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45- That's in the black. Well done, John.- That's what?- In the black.
0:09:45 > 0:09:51- Right in the middle?- Yes. - Goodness me! How about that?
0:09:51 > 0:09:54I'm not sure I'd want to do it to a deer, though.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Well, yeah, that's not bad at all, is it? It's in the black.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02- That's a good shot, John.- That was the first time, yeah.- First shot.
0:10:02 > 0:10:03Any of these two shots here do the job,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06with regards taking a deer out, no problem.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11How concerned are you that there may not be enough fine stags to shoot,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14if deer numbers keep decreasing?
0:10:14 > 0:10:18It is a big concern for everybody employed in deer management -
0:10:18 > 0:10:21red deer management - it is a big concern.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23If numbers go down so far,
0:10:23 > 0:10:28I can see people being laid off and that's the last thing we want.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31How many people in the industry at the moment?
0:10:31 > 0:10:35There's roughly about 2,500 paid full-time jobs in deer management,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39and it takes in roughly about 105 million to the Scottish economy.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41And that's quite a lot of money,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44especially in this financial climate we're in.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47And what's your guesstimate as to how numbers have dropped?
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Well, I'm led to believe in the northeast,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52there has been a 50% reduction in red deer numbers.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56In fact, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association claims
0:10:56 > 0:10:59that 50% decline in the northeast alone means
0:10:59 > 0:11:03there's now only around 45,000 of them left there.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06And they put much of the blame for that on culling to protect trees.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Many rural areas have seen a big fall in visitor numbers,
0:11:10 > 0:11:15not just hunters but also people coming just to watch the deer.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21'John MacPherson heads the community council in the village of Braemar.'
0:11:21 > 0:11:26What impact has the drop in deer numbers had on the local economy?
0:11:26 > 0:11:30To be fair, the local economy is largely based on tourism,
0:11:30 > 0:11:34and it's the reaction of tourists that really makes the difference.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38The big difference in my 20+ years in the village
0:11:38 > 0:11:42is simply the lack of deer that are readily seen.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46When I first came here, it wouldn't be unusual, 9pm,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49to see up to 30 stags wandering through the village.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Not now.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54What reaction do you get from visitors
0:11:54 > 0:11:55about the absence of deer now?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58There are lots of comments in visitors' books, where visitors
0:11:58 > 0:12:01have come expecting to see deer readily, and haven't found them.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03I did hear the other day,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06somebody had written in a visitors' book, simply,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08"Oh, dear. No deer."
0:12:12 > 0:12:15So, have the conservationists got it wrong
0:12:15 > 0:12:20by killing so many deer to create a new habitat for trees?
0:12:20 > 0:12:22That's what I'll be asking in a few minutes' time.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29I'm 15 miles north of Matt on the very edge
0:12:29 > 0:12:32of the New Forest at Plaitford.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38This is where the woodlands open out into commons
0:12:38 > 0:12:40dotted with gorse bushes and grazing ponies.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43This is one of five commons in the New Forest
0:12:43 > 0:12:46owned by the National Trust,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49covering an area of more than 4,000 acres.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52I've come here in search of a hidden landscape
0:12:52 > 0:12:53that's being brought back to life.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Now, while the ponds that Matt saw rely on a few horses
0:12:57 > 0:13:00to keep the vegetation at bay, they rely on quite a few more here -
0:13:00 > 0:13:05143 to be precise, and it's a different kind of horsepower.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Wait until you see this beast up close.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11This massive machine is at the heart of a scheme
0:13:11 > 0:13:15to restore a series of mires - or bogs as they're better know.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20It's clearing away trees that have been choking the site.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23And it's work that can't come soon enough -
0:13:23 > 0:13:26half of all the New Forest's bogs have been damaged or become overrun.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34But this is conservation like I've never seen it before.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- It is quite a contraption, Dylan. - It certainly is.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42- It's sort of this digger meets a tank.- Well, 30 tonnes in weight.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46It looks as if it could be doing more harm than good.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48But the machine itself, cos it floats,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51actually leaves a footprint ten times less than that of my feet.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55So, as I tread on, the footprint I leave is ten times more
0:13:55 > 0:13:58than the actual ground pressure left on the ground by that machine.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01It's actually doing a much more conservation-sensitive job
0:14:01 > 0:14:03than I would do with a chainsaw.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Mires like this are essentially peat bogs fed by rainfall.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Here, trees had overrun the site,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16draining essential moisture from the earth
0:14:16 > 0:14:21and blocking out the sun, which much of the local wildlife depends upon.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25Now this gentle giant is revealing the lowland landscape once again -
0:14:25 > 0:14:29bringing light and life back to the mire.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32You've not only got this monstrous machine, which is very efficient,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36you've got a rather big bonfire on the back of it, as well.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Cos the water table is always here, there's always wet areas,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43it's very susceptible to chemical changes, changes in composition,
0:14:43 > 0:14:44nutrient levels.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47So the actual ash in the tub itself would change
0:14:47 > 0:14:50the composition of the soil, so we take it away.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52And farmers like to improve their nutrient levels,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55so it helps farmers as a secondary use.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59The task of clearing all seven and a half acres of bog
0:14:59 > 0:15:03is down to one man - driver Pete Bugden.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08Now he's about to hand over control of this massive machine to me!
0:15:11 > 0:15:15- All right, Pete?- All right? - Permission to come aboard.- Yep.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- Thank you very much. what do you call her?- Lots of things!
0:15:23 > 0:15:24OK.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Ohh!
0:15:30 > 0:15:31Too much pressure!
0:15:31 > 0:15:35'With so much power at your fingertips'
0:15:35 > 0:15:37it's easy to get carried away.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Look at that - I got something already!
0:15:39 > 0:15:43But with Pete's guidance, I'm soon finding a gentle touch
0:15:43 > 0:15:46'is what's needed to complete this gargantuan task.'
0:15:48 > 0:15:50OK, rotate.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- Go on, shake off!- That's it.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- Now press the middle one, rotate a bit.- And how do I drop it?
0:15:56 > 0:15:58That's it. Bottom one. Press the pedal.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- Yeah.- Ahh!
0:16:04 > 0:16:07In Pete's expert hands, this machine can clear an acre every five days,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10and speed is essential.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Bogs are home to several species of ground-nesting birds
0:16:13 > 0:16:17including snipe, whose numbers are in decline.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20The hope is that they'll return here to nest this spring.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23And the signs are looking good.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26'I'm joining wildlife expert Matthew Oates on a stretch of mire'
0:16:26 > 0:16:28that's already been cleared
0:16:28 > 0:16:31and where snipe have been spotted back in the area.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34We should be flashing these guys up.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39- Come along, little snipes. There we go.- Lovely, yes!
0:16:39 > 0:16:44- There we go.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.- It's a pretty inhospitable environment.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Why do the snipe like it here so much?
0:16:47 > 0:16:50It's partly because the food source... Oh, there's another one.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- Excellent.- So, food.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57There are invertebrates for them to probe in this mud,
0:16:57 > 0:17:02which is very rich in the larvae of insects and little worms
0:17:02 > 0:17:04and things like that.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08It's all underwater for us, today, but if you've got a long bill,
0:17:08 > 0:17:09you can access it.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13A long, probing - indeed, sniping - bill,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15and they can find these things.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18But of course, they're on the amber list.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22They're on the amber list in terms of being in rapid decline -
0:17:22 > 0:17:24not just here in the UK, but in Europe.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28So they're what's called a Species of European Concern.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30And they're here!
0:17:30 > 0:17:33It's not just birdlife that's attracted
0:17:33 > 0:17:36to these seemingly inhospitable conditions.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41Many plants also thrive in this special landscape.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44What's this lovely stuff that looks a bit like coral?
0:17:44 > 0:17:47It's almost as precious as coral here in the New Forest.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Most people know it as reindeer moss,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53but it's not a moss - it's a lichen.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58The flowers at the moment are below ground, or even below water.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02But in June, July, it pulsates, it hums with insect life
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and the flora is absolutely amazing.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Come back later in the summer - you'll love it. It's paradise.
0:18:08 > 0:18:1280% of the lowland bogs we have left in the UK
0:18:12 > 0:18:14are found in the New Forest,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16so the work being done here could be make or break
0:18:16 > 0:18:20for the creatures that call this place home.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26They're clearing trees here to make way for the wildlife.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30But in Scotland, they're culling red deer to make way for new trees.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33John has been investigating this controversial new scheme
0:18:33 > 0:18:36that's got the deer-stalking industry up in arms.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46We've heard about the huge amount of red deer
0:18:46 > 0:18:48that are been culled in Scotland.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51It's claimed to be having a massive impact on the economy -
0:18:51 > 0:18:53and it's all in the name of protecting trees.
0:18:53 > 0:18:59In the northeast, there has been a 50% reduction in red deer numbers.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01And it's conservationists,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04not hunters, who are actually behind the shooting.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09So, quite simply, is there a good reason for this widespread culling?
0:19:09 > 0:19:13'David Frew manages the Mar Lodge estate in the Cairngorms.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17'Here, you can clearly see the damage that deer can cause.'
0:19:17 > 0:19:20In the evening, the deer come down from the hill behind us,
0:19:20 > 0:19:25and move onto the flats by the river to feed, to graze.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29- And they've just about grazed it bare, the heather here.- It is.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32The deer pressure here has been very high in the past.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36So this is obviously why you built this fence.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39- A strategic fence, I think you call it.- It is.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42It's a strategic fence because it's open-ended.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44The deer can get round it.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46And you can really see the difference here, can't you,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51where the deer have been banned? Everything is growing well.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Certainly the heather here is a bit longer.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56But also, in front of us,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00you can see some really positive pine regeneration.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04Some of the stalkers I've been talking to are very concerned
0:20:04 > 0:20:07about the low level of red deer numbers now.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Does it worry you as well?
0:20:09 > 0:20:13The deer population in Scotland has almost trebled since the 1950s.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Deer population over the country as a whole is higher now
0:20:17 > 0:20:19than it's ever been at any time in history.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22We think that's unsustainable.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24You can see the sort of damage that can be done.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28So we're trying to achieve a balance, effectively.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31So, are you at all concerned about the future of the species?
0:20:31 > 0:20:33About the future of the species, I'd say no.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36I think the population in Scotland is very healthy.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Fences aren't widespread across the estate
0:20:39 > 0:20:42because it's effectively the size of Birmingham -
0:20:42 > 0:20:45so they've resorted to culling.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47And the tactics have been successful.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Here at Mar Lodge, plant and wildlife is thriving,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54but the local deer population have paid the price for that.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56This place has been at the centre
0:20:56 > 0:20:59of one of the most controversial culls in Scotland.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Deer numbers have been reduced by more than half.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Sir Kenneth Calman is Chairman of the National Trust for Scotland,
0:21:08 > 0:21:09which runs Mar Lodge.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12When we arrived on the estate in 1995,
0:21:12 > 0:21:17there were a lot of deer - too many, and some of them not very well.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20So we had to make a decision about what to do,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22and part of that was about culling.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26Why do you want to regenerate the woodland here?
0:21:26 > 0:21:30If you look around you, you see these wonderful 100-, 200-year-old
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Caledonian Forest pines, and if you look 200 years ahead,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36which is really our timescale,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I would see here a great forest with deer running freely
0:21:40 > 0:21:43within it, part of it being a sporting estate
0:21:43 > 0:21:47and part of it allowing huge access to the public.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50That's the great long-term vision, and we're only 15 years into it,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and not surprisingly we've made one or two mistakes.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56'It's claimed that, in that time on this estate,
0:21:56 > 0:22:01'red deer numbers have fallen from 3,500 to 1,600
0:22:01 > 0:22:04'and Sir Kenneth admits they've shot more than they needed to.'
0:22:04 > 0:22:08If the target is to be reached - of 25% more woodland cover
0:22:08 > 0:22:12in Scotland by 2050, is that going to mean
0:22:12 > 0:22:14that many more deer are going to be killed
0:22:14 > 0:22:16on estates around the country?
0:22:16 > 0:22:19I don't think that's necessary,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22because we've learned a significant amount of lessons
0:22:22 > 0:22:24from what's happened in Mar Lodge.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28These lessons can be translated across the country
0:22:28 > 0:22:32and, in that learning process, we can reduce the culls to a minimum.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35But has the culling already gone too far?
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Jamie Hammond monitors deer numbers for Scottish Natural Heritage,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46which is overseeing the national tree-planting initiative
0:22:46 > 0:22:48and which has supported the culling.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50What have you got there, Jamie?
0:22:50 > 0:22:51Hi, John.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56This is a hand-held thermal-imaging camera which detects heat sources.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59It's something we use for wildlife census work -
0:22:59 > 0:23:01particularly deer - in terms of counting them.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04It looks like a giant pair of binoculars!
0:23:04 > 0:23:05That's exactly what it is.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09You look through it, it has a range up to about 3,000 metres
0:23:09 > 0:23:11and it will detect heat sources -
0:23:11 > 0:23:14whether that's a mouse, a hare, a person, a deer.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Don't see any wildlife at the moment.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19- We're not seeing any at the moment. - Would it work on me?- It would do.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21- Give us an idea of what happens. - Step back. There we go.
0:23:24 > 0:23:30- I see how it works now.- Yep.- And on this screen, there's some deer.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33This is the sort of thing we would be recording with this equipment.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36- This is a group of red deer. - Would that be at night?
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Yeah, we typically do this at night, partly because,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42in terms of equipment and low temperatures, it works better,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46and also deer are much more active nocturnally,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48so it's a good time to find them.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52I've been hearing that red deer numbers have dropped
0:23:52 > 0:23:55dramatically recently. Is that backed up by your research?
0:23:55 > 0:23:57I don't think we can say dramatically.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00There's no doubt that some parts of Scotland
0:24:00 > 0:24:02have seen declining red deer numbers.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04I've heard 50% in some places.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Yes, there's been a decline in some areas, but I wouldn't go as far
0:24:07 > 0:24:11to say there's been a 50% decrease in red deer numbers nationally,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14cos there are still a number of places in Scotland
0:24:14 > 0:24:16where they're doing incredibly well
0:24:16 > 0:24:18and numbers are continuing to grow and expand into new areas.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22But stalkers like Peter Fraser are still adamant
0:24:22 > 0:24:25there just aren't enough deer left to support their business.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29- Deer numbers, they say, are actually increasing.- Whereabout?
0:24:29 > 0:24:32They're not increasing here, that's for sure.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34If you're speaking about deer numbers,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36it'll be the roe deer numbers.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39It's definitely not red deer, because they are down in many areas.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42There has been a big explosion of roe deer and that is a problem now
0:24:42 > 0:24:45in the low-lying areas, but definitely not up here.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49- So, things are just as bad as they have been?- Oh, yes.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Things are just as bad - there's no doubt about that.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Lessons have been learnt
0:24:54 > 0:24:58and conservationists are still determined to plant many more trees.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01But further compromises may be needed to reduce
0:25:01 > 0:25:05the threat to Scotland's greatest wildlife asset.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Later on tonight's Countryfile, Adam's checking on the chickens...
0:25:09 > 0:25:13This one's very friendly. She'll sit on your shoulder like a parrot.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16- ..Matt's struggling to become a smuggler...- Is that right?
0:25:16 > 0:25:22- No, other way.- Other way! Are you sure?- You're the expert!
0:25:22 > 0:25:24I never said I was an expert!
0:25:24 > 0:25:26..and if you're planning to get out and about in the week ahead,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29you'll want the Countryfile five-day forecast.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Of the millions of visitors to the New Forest each year,
0:25:44 > 0:25:48a large number will explore the forest using
0:25:48 > 0:25:50the 100 miles of quiet, traffic free trails...
0:25:52 > 0:25:56..whether on two feet or two wheels.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00I've been purposefully kept in the dark about this.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03All I was told to bring was my running trainers, a map,
0:26:03 > 0:26:04and they've hired me this bike.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Not sure I like the sound of it.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11To tell me all about what I'm up to is Jon Mayne.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15- You all right?- Yeah. - Now, what AM I doing here with this?
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Today, you're doing an adventure race. You've got an hour
0:26:18 > 0:26:22to get as many checkpoints as you can on foot and bike.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24We're going to get a bit muddy,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26you'll probably get a bit of wet thrown in
0:26:26 > 0:26:28and hopefully have quite a bit of fun.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31So, how would this sport differ from, say, a triathlon?
0:26:31 > 0:26:34The key difference with adventure racing is, firstly,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37it's on a soft road - so you'll be trail running
0:26:37 > 0:26:40and mountain biking - and secondly, there's a navigational aspect.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44When you're out on the course, you'll see there's control points
0:26:44 > 0:26:48on the map and numbered, and when you get there,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51you'll see a control like this with big red tape on it,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53and you've got an electronic timing chip on your wrist,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56you'll dib into it and that will recognise that you've been there.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58You don't have to go one, two, three, four, five -
0:26:58 > 0:27:02- you can go in any order?- You can go in any order you like, which means
0:27:02 > 0:27:04that as soon as you start, there might be 100, 200 people
0:27:04 > 0:27:07on the start line, but within 20 minutes, you'll be on your own,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10in the forest or in the mountains, and that's what makes it so special.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Adventure Racing is believed to have started in 1998.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Few people may have heard of it but it has gone global.
0:27:21 > 0:27:27It's also a test of endurance, with races of more than 5 hours long.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Thankfully Jon, along with his wife Sam,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33run shorter courses for novices like me.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35I kind of tried adventure racing a few years ago.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40Being someone who's not super fit or into any specific sport,
0:27:40 > 0:27:42I found it really difficult.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45The smallest adventure race I could find was five hours,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48which was really, really long and almost killed me.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50So, when I finished...
0:27:50 > 0:27:53I had two children and left my job and I thought,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55"There's a gap in the market for this" -
0:27:55 > 0:27:58for beginners, or someone who just wants to try it.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01So, we came up with the concept of a two-hour adventure race,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04so breaking into the market for beginners, basically.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08Are there any issues about going across any open countryside
0:28:08 > 0:28:11- and where you're allowed to go? - There is and there isn't.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14If we come to an area like this, we use public rights of way,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17bridleways, which the public can use anyway.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20We speak to the local Forestry Commission, local land owners,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22just to let them know that we're in the area
0:28:22 > 0:28:24and if there's any concerns.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26- Is the New Forest really good for this?- It's fantastic, yeah.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31They want to get people out into the open, and so do we, so it's perfect.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36Adventure racers can compete individually or in teams.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Today we're racing in 5 pairs, and here's my opposition.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46I am Team Orange today. Just off to meet my team-mate now.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49He comes from a great pedigree. How are you doing, Nick?
0:28:49 > 0:28:52- Good, how are you?- Team Orange, there you go.- Thank you very much.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54This is the funny part.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56I've been teamed up with World Champion 2009.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59I'm going to drag you down, I'm so sorry about that.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02- Oh, you'll be fine.- So, tell me, how did you get into all this?
0:29:02 > 0:29:03Er, gosh.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07I'd just left university and I was working in an office in London,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10and I was starting to put a bit of weight on.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13One night I was watching TV and I saw a race called
0:29:13 > 0:29:16the Eco Challenge, which is a really old adventure race,
0:29:16 > 0:29:18one of the first races. I thought it looked amazing.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20So I went on the internet the next day,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23got a few mates from university, went onto a race, came last -
0:29:23 > 0:29:25we had an absolute shocker. We really loved it,
0:29:25 > 0:29:26had a great time, and said,
0:29:26 > 0:29:28"I wonder how we can get better at this",
0:29:28 > 0:29:30so we bought decent mountain bikes
0:29:30 > 0:29:32and, over 12 years, we improved quite a lot.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37I can't put this off any longer. A blast on the hooter and we're away.
0:29:37 > 0:29:38AIRHORN BLASTS
0:29:38 > 0:29:41That's a right pace!
0:29:43 > 0:29:45These people are FIT!
0:29:45 > 0:29:49Once on the flat, it's not too hard, just avoiding the branches
0:29:49 > 0:29:51and stumps of the New Forest.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54But then some obstacles really slow you down.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57Oh, my God.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Oh, this is boggy.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02Can you see that? Oh, my goodness, that's bubbling.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04Bubbling bogs.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09Through the bog and the first check-in clocks up
0:30:09 > 0:30:11some much needed points.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14This is our easy terrain!
0:30:14 > 0:30:17But now the pace is really starting to hurt.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20- No breaks. No breaks allowed.- No.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23I'm in so much trouble. Hanging.
0:30:25 > 0:30:26Nick decides to change our tactics
0:30:26 > 0:30:29and we head back towards the bikes ahead of the other teams.
0:30:29 > 0:30:35- Right.- And that's not the end. OK, what are we...
0:30:37 > 0:30:40I'm in a world of pain. I don't know where to go.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43We're going to go down this technical bit of downhill here.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45- OK, I'll follow you. - Just take your time.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51I'm happier on a bike. Ooh, ooh.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Having said that... There we go. Yes!
0:30:55 > 0:30:59On the mountain bike, we pick up pace
0:30:59 > 0:31:02but it's not long before we see some of our rivals -
0:31:02 > 0:31:04also now on two wheels.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07Oh, you shouldn't have.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Lovely. Thank you.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11I'm wetter now.
0:31:14 > 0:31:19Remember, first over the finish line isn't necessarily the winner.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22It all depends on the points each team picks up
0:31:22 > 0:31:24at the check-ins around the course.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28Hopefully, my slow pace won't leave us with the wooden spoon.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36While we all recover,
0:31:36 > 0:31:39Sam and Jon combine the timings with the points.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Cycling, I loved, even though I got two flies in my eyes
0:31:44 > 0:31:46and that is definitely a man's saddle.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50But the running damn near killed me.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Even at Nick's charity pace!
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Come on!
0:31:56 > 0:31:59And the winner is... Well, not orange - we managed...
0:31:59 > 0:32:01Fourth place.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03That's really good. Well done.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08I've enjoyed my debut adventure race, but it will be a while
0:32:08 > 0:32:14before I try it again - I think I'll need a few months to recover first.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20The New Forest has 26 miles of coastline.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23And running from the Solent, right into the heart of the National Park
0:32:23 > 0:32:26is the River Beaulieu.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30This river is 12 miles long and, if you travel halfway along it
0:32:30 > 0:32:34upstream, you'll arrive here at Buckler's Hard.
0:32:34 > 0:32:39The same family has owned the village for almost 300 years.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42But the original grand plans for this place never came to fruition.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Well, Buckler's Hard village first started out as a sugar-import town,
0:32:48 > 0:32:51by my ancestor John, Duke of Montagu in the 1720s.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54He had this idea that he was going to build a freeport here,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57and import sugar from the West Indies.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Unfortunately, his plan was a complete disaster.
0:33:00 > 0:33:01When he got to the West Indies,
0:33:01 > 0:33:05he found the French had already got the island and his party
0:33:05 > 0:33:07was repelled back, and he lost a lot of money in the venture.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10But the port was finished,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13and in the 18th century, when war with France
0:33:13 > 0:33:16meant the royal shipyards were overrun, Buckler's Hard
0:33:16 > 0:33:20rose to glory, producing great naval vessels for the Napoleonic Wars.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24At the time, there was a great increase in the demand
0:33:24 > 0:33:28for the navy to build ships, and they did a survey of the south coast
0:33:28 > 0:33:33and found this excellent river here and thought, what a good place
0:33:33 > 0:33:36for a private yard to build men-of-war ships for the navy.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40In total, 13 Royal Navy vessels were built here
0:33:40 > 0:33:44that served in the Napoleonic Wars, including the Agamemnon
0:33:44 > 0:33:47which was said to be Admiral Nelson's favourite ship.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56The last of those great naval ships set sail from here in 1814,
0:33:56 > 0:34:01but this place still echoes with reminders of its shipbuilding past.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06All around here, mighty oaks still stand
0:34:06 > 0:34:09in what were great forests that surrounded the estate.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15These trees provided timbers for the frames
0:34:15 > 0:34:18that were the heart and soul of the old naval ships,
0:34:18 > 0:34:20'and were prized by the craftsmen,
0:34:20 > 0:34:22'known as shipwrights, who built them.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26'Marine archaeologist Damian Goodburn knows all about these men
0:34:26 > 0:34:28'and their ancient art.'
0:34:31 > 0:34:33This is the sort of thing that people will often think of
0:34:33 > 0:34:36when they think of an English oak tree.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Big girth - bit like me - with branches coming out.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41It's useful for certain things in shipbuilding.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44Where the branch joins the stem,
0:34:44 > 0:34:46you can make a bracket or knee out of that.
0:34:46 > 0:34:47What's a knee?
0:34:47 > 0:34:49Say that's the cross-section of a ship,
0:34:49 > 0:34:51it has a series of beams that go across,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53and where those beams touch the side of the ship,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55there has to be a near-right-angle bracket.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58And those are called knees, like my knee there, you know,
0:34:58 > 0:34:59hence the name.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02So you're actually looking at the tree in its entirety
0:35:02 > 0:35:04and visualising which bit of the ship...
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Yeah, that's one of the skills that shipwrights used to have -
0:35:07 > 0:35:09surveyors and shipwrights might be wandering through,
0:35:09 > 0:35:11noting down what was where,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14so when the demand came - often very suddenly -
0:35:14 > 0:35:17during a war or something, they'd know where to go straight away.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21- See, that's a good job to me.- It is. It's a pleasant job now.- Lovely job.
0:35:21 > 0:35:22A tree-hugger's dream.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28It's nearly 200 years since the last of these trees was used
0:35:28 > 0:35:31to build the great Napoleonic ships.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33But thanks to Damian and his colleagues
0:35:33 > 0:35:36the craft of the shipwright is returning
0:35:36 > 0:35:37to the shadow of these pontoons.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Eventually, we hope to lay out a skeleton of a ship,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47as would have been seen here on the building slits
0:35:47 > 0:35:50where vessels were actually built.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53This project will give students of marine archaeology the chance
0:35:53 > 0:35:55to get hands-on with the techniques
0:35:55 > 0:35:58and tools used by shipwrights all those years ago.
0:35:59 > 0:36:00Here we are. This is the adze.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06The archetypal shipwright's tool that many people have heard of.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08In the 18th century, this is the tool the shipwrights used
0:36:08 > 0:36:12for smoothing the timber, so we can get rid of the rough bits.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Well, I couldn't leave here without testing
0:36:15 > 0:36:17my own skills as a shipwright.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Do it gently. You're trying to kiss the timber and come out again.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31So it's a long parabola, rather than the chopping action.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37I think I'm a long way off being a shipwrighter,
0:36:37 > 0:36:42but come back in about five years and I might have managed a bench.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46In the 18th century, it took 100 men two years
0:36:46 > 0:36:49to turn out a full naval vessel.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52I've got a feeling that even without my help,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55this more modest project might take a little longer to complete,
0:36:55 > 0:36:59but it's fantastic to think that the shores of Buckler's Hard
0:36:59 > 0:37:03will soon be ringing out to the sound of shipbuilding once again.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10Adam keeps a lot of rare-breed chickens on his farm,
0:37:10 > 0:37:15and is looking to add some unusual egg-laying hens to his collection.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18But first, out in the field, his arable crops are benefitting
0:37:18 > 0:37:19from a special feed.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26We check round the livestock on the farm every day,
0:37:26 > 0:37:28and I've just been round some ewes in this field.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31- I've got Dolly the dog with me. - She's not one of the working team,
0:37:31 > 0:37:33but she loves to come out on the farm.
0:37:35 > 0:37:36On a dry day like today,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39we've got lots of tractors working out in the fields.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42There's one contractor here with a really big bit of kit,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46doing a job that not everyone loves. I can almost smell it from here.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56This is chicken muck that's come from a big poultry farm down south.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58We buy it in and the contractor's going to spread it
0:37:58 > 0:38:00on the fields for us.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03It digs it up with a bucket and sticks it into the spreader.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07Farmers have been using farmyard manure as a form of fertiliser
0:38:07 > 0:38:09on their crops for centuries.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12This chicken muck is a really good natural source of fertiliser.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15There's 150 acres to do,
0:38:15 > 0:38:19so it should take the contractor a couple of days.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21This field is growing winter wheats
0:38:21 > 0:38:23that'll go for milling for making bread.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26At this time of year, when the day lengths are getting longer,
0:38:26 > 0:38:28there's more sunshine, the soil is warming up
0:38:28 > 0:38:31and the plant really wants to start growing away.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34We'll be harvesting this in about five months' time,
0:38:34 > 0:38:37so it's got a lot of growing to do. And so it needs plenty of nutrients,
0:38:37 > 0:38:39and that's what this chicken muck delivers.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41It's got nitrogen, phosphate and potash,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44as well as things like sulphur and copper and zinc.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48These guys are working incredibly hard.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51They've got a lot of chickens back on their farm -
0:38:51 > 0:38:52a lot of muck to spread.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55I've only got a few chickens, and most of them are pets.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06I keep half a dozen different rare breeds of poultry,
0:39:06 > 0:39:08partly because I'm a rare-breeds enthusiast.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11Whether it's a pig or a sheep or a chicken,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13I just love to see these old-fashioned breeds.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16I've got two different types here - the lavender pekins
0:39:16 > 0:39:18and the buff orpingtons.
0:39:18 > 0:39:23These rare breeds don't lay very many eggs - maybe 100 eggs a year -
0:39:23 > 0:39:25whereas in a commercial egg-laying system,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28they wants their birds to be laying 300 eggs in a year.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30That's the reason they've become rare.
0:39:30 > 0:39:35These pekins are really lovely. Come here. They're so friendly.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38This is a fully grown lavender pekin hen
0:39:38 > 0:39:41and they've got these feathery feet. They're like an ornamental chicken -
0:39:41 > 0:39:43really beautiful to look at.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46This one's very friendly. She'll sit on your shoulder like a parrot.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49People have been selectively breeding from chickens for years,
0:39:49 > 0:39:52and because they lay quite a lot of eggs, you can choose separate traits
0:39:52 > 0:39:55from chickens very, very quickly and change them.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57So we've got our commercial broiler - the meat chicken -
0:39:57 > 0:39:58and then laying hens.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00And in all the traditional rare breeds,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03there's a whole array of colours and shapes and sizes.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Even in the pekin, there's lavender, black, white, cuckoo, partridge.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09It's just extraordinary.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12My son, Alfie, loves these lavenders.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15He even brings them in the house, puts them on his shoulder,
0:40:15 > 0:40:18walking around the house like he's got a parrot. Come on, off you go.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22As much as I love my rare-breed chickens,
0:40:22 > 0:40:24they don't lay enough eggs.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26So what I need are some highly productive hens
0:40:26 > 0:40:30that will produce eggs for most of the year.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35I'm off to meet an old farming friend of mine,
0:40:35 > 0:40:37who I've known since I was at agricultural college.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40He's from Holcombe Rogus, on the Devon/Somerset border.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43He breeds laying hens, and he's got all sorts of different types,
0:40:43 > 0:40:45so I'm hoping he's got what I'm after.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48There's just one problem - when I was at college,
0:40:48 > 0:40:50I knew him as Turkey Frank, and I still don't know his proper name!
0:40:57 > 0:40:59- Frank, hi.- Nice to see you. All right?
0:40:59 > 0:41:02All those years since college, you haven't change a bit.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04- Bit of a silver fox now. - No, no. It's black.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07In my mind, I've still got perfectly black hair, I'm sure.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09When we were at college, you were known as Turkey Frank.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13- I never really knew your proper name.- Andrew Gable, proper name.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16I've a few names in between, but Andrew Gable you can call me now,
0:41:16 > 0:41:17just for today.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20Why was it Turkey Frank? I know because you're a turkey farmer.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23Frank was from school, and we did a lot of turkeys for years,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26I suppose, and we'd try to sell them at college at Christmas,
0:41:26 > 0:41:28so I suppose I got that nickname.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31- Could be worse!- I'll call you Andrew from now on.- Thank you very much.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33I'm told that you're the man -
0:41:33 > 0:41:36if I want some good-quality laying hens - you're the man for the job.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38Yeah, we do three egg-laying colours.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41We do brown-egg-laying birds, white-egg-laying birds
0:41:41 > 0:41:42and also bluey-green-egg-laying birds.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Sounds lovely, that's what I'm after -
0:41:44 > 0:41:47I'd love to have some birds laying different-coloured eggs.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49All of Andrew's chickens are free range,
0:41:49 > 0:41:51so, every morning they're let out
0:41:51 > 0:41:54'and have the freedom of the open fields.'
0:41:57 > 0:41:58Walk away, they'll come out.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04They look really lovely out. What breed are these?
0:42:04 > 0:42:08These are white leghorns, they lay white eggs.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10They lay up to about 300 eggs a year.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13They're very prolific and a great bird to have just on eggs.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16They look very healthy - I suppose that's very important to you.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18Definitely. You can tell from their big red comb
0:42:18 > 0:42:21that they're healthy birds. The healthier they are,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24the more eggs they'll lay. Bigger eggs, better quality, better shell.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27So, yeah, we try to keep them as healthy as we can.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30Some of these would be perfect for me,
0:42:30 > 0:42:33if I can take maybe six to eight of these, that'd be great.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Well, that's my white egg layers.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37All I need now are some other colours.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42- Look at all these!- Plenty in here.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45We'll shut the gate, cos they're quite lively when they get going.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47These are young birds, are they? These will go out later.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50These are about 17 weeks old, they'll soon go out
0:42:50 > 0:42:53to the laying shed and they'll start to lay in about four weeks.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56The ones you really want are the Fenton blue,
0:42:56 > 0:42:58which is this light-brown one.
0:42:58 > 0:42:59This is the Fenton blue.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Yeah, about 80% of them lay a bluey-green egg
0:43:02 > 0:43:04and I'm trying to breed them
0:43:04 > 0:43:07with a little head tuft on so they look a bit quirky.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11What breeds have you used to develop this Fenton blue, as you call it?
0:43:11 > 0:43:13I used a cream legbar, which is a blue-egg-laying bird,
0:43:13 > 0:43:15but I want to get better egg numbers,
0:43:15 > 0:43:19better quality of the shell and also the colour, really.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22- What other breeds?- Another breed of chicken with feathers which,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24if I told you, I'd have to shoot you.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28- Your secret ingredient? - Top secret, that one.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30What about the brown-egg-laying ones?
0:43:30 > 0:43:33If I was you, I'd have the cuckoo maran, which is down here,
0:43:33 > 0:43:35which is also called speckled.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38They lay brown eggs and you get a good number of them
0:43:38 > 0:43:40- and they're very popular here.- OK.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44Well, I like the look of the chickens, but before I load some up,
0:43:44 > 0:43:47I want to see the different-coloured eggs they produce.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51What are you looking for in a really good laying hen?
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Number and size of eggs it lays, quality of the shell -
0:43:54 > 0:43:58you want a thick shell - and the colour, really, you want kind of
0:43:58 > 0:44:03pure white, darkish brown and a good bluey-green, not too wishy-washy.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06How do you get that stamp on? Is this the machine here?
0:44:06 > 0:44:08- You put them through there in trays. - It's squirting it down
0:44:08 > 0:44:10onto the top of the egg?
0:44:10 > 0:44:14Yeah. It's got my unique number of the farm, so you can trace me back.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17Now, how about the taste? Is there any difference between the colours?
0:44:17 > 0:44:21Let me know, it's probably the best way. They all taste beautiful.
0:44:21 > 0:44:23I'll do a taste test and let you know.
0:44:23 > 0:44:28My birds that I'm taking home, I should get the array of colours
0:44:28 > 0:44:31and they'll be laying regularly of a good-size egg hopefully.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34Yeah, yours will start to lay in two or three weeks' time.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38Small to start with, then they get bigger to this kind of size
0:44:38 > 0:44:40within six to eight weeks, and you're away.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Before I leave, I can't resist the opportunity
0:44:43 > 0:44:46to check out some of Andrews's new chicks.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48These are three days old.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51- So these'll go into your laying-hen system?- Yep.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55These'll be laying at kind of 22, weeks, so it's very quick.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58It's lovely to see the mixture of colours. Wonderful.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00- Thank you so much for showing me round.- My pleasure.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03Suppose we better grab my hens and I'll head for home.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05- Get your crates, we'll try to catch them up.- OK.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20- Cheers, Turkey Frank, or should I say Chicken Andrew?- Pleasure.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23If I don't get eggs in a couple of weeks, I'll be on the blower.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26- If you get a lot, bring them back to me.- Cheers! See you.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30And back on my farm, it's time to see
0:45:30 > 0:45:33if they like their new home.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35Freedom. Go on.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40There you go. There you go, ladies.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46There you are. Look at this.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49Only been in the car a couple of hours and we've got eggs already!
0:45:49 > 0:45:53These are great! So these are the white ones from the white leghorns.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56All I need now is some brown ones and some green ones.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59And these hens should lay 300 eggs each a year.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01They'll put my rare breeds to shame.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Looks like this project could be quite successful.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06Next week, I'll be taking some of my rare-breed cattle
0:46:06 > 0:46:09back out into the fields for the summer.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18In the heart of the New Forest is the village of Buckler's Hard.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20As we've discovered,
0:46:20 > 0:46:23it was home to the ship builders who worked here in the 18th century.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27But number 81 isn't like the other cottages here.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31Welcome to the Chapel of St Mary.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36And there's still regular services that go on here.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40In fact, we've got to be quite quick, because there is one due in.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42They have recently discovered a much more seedier side.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44During the renovations,
0:46:44 > 0:46:50they put down a new floor and discovered a cellar down here.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52It's a bit of a tight squeeze -
0:46:52 > 0:46:55we can't get our big cameras down - but I do have this
0:46:55 > 0:46:58handy camera here, so I'll take you for a trip down under.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02OK.
0:47:02 > 0:47:09As they dug, they discovered this 18th-century glasswork.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13Look at these bottles here. The tops and bottoms there.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15But that's not all.
0:47:15 > 0:47:22Clay pipes here, local pottery and a George IV coin.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27So, with all the traffic of the smugglers
0:47:27 > 0:47:31along the Beaulieu River, that could be the proof that this chapel,
0:47:31 > 0:47:33which was then just a cottage,
0:47:33 > 0:47:35could have been the centre of the operation.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37In a moment, we'll be finding out more
0:47:37 > 0:47:40about these unscrupulous villains, but before then,
0:47:40 > 0:47:43here's the Countryfile forecast for the week ahead.
0:49:50 > 0:49:57.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12The New Forest.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16Hunting grounds created for William the Conqueror 1,000 years ago.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20Nowadays, it's grazed by ponies and enjoyed by millions of visitors.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23And running into the heart of the forest from the Solent,
0:50:23 > 0:50:24the Beaulieu River.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27While the boats on the water may well have changed
0:50:27 > 0:50:31over the last 250 years, the surroundings haven't,
0:50:31 > 0:50:34and all of these tiny little creeks and marshes provided
0:50:34 > 0:50:38the perfect secret landing spots for smugglers.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41At Buckler's Hard, smugglers supplied the New Inn
0:50:41 > 0:50:45as well as many of the cottages, right under the nose
0:50:45 > 0:50:49of customs officers and military stationed on this part of the river.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Steve Marshall is a local historian
0:50:52 > 0:50:54with a particular interest in smuggling.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57- Steve, how are you doing? All right? Very nice to see you.- And you.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59It does beg the question,
0:50:59 > 0:51:01why are you sat with a pistol outside the pub?
0:51:01 > 0:51:04- Just a standard warm New Forest welcome, that's all.- Right.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08So, you think this possibly could previously have been
0:51:08 > 0:51:09owned by a smuggler.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Yeah, we think all the evidence points in that direction.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16It was found in the mud down on the coast here a few years ago,
0:51:16 > 0:51:20and it's not a military or naval pattern, so it's an unusual gun.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23They obviously didn't mess about, then,
0:51:23 > 0:51:24if they were armed and all of that.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27It was the organised crime of its day.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29There were big stakes involved
0:51:29 > 0:51:32and people were prepared to go to quite extreme lengths
0:51:32 > 0:51:33to protect their business.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35People that were thought to be informing,
0:51:35 > 0:51:39or people in the customs service who were being too efficient
0:51:39 > 0:51:42could find themselves on - at best - quite a nasty beating
0:51:42 > 0:51:44and, at worst, could be murdered to keep them out of the way, or to
0:51:44 > 0:51:49- send out a message to other people saying, "Don't mess with us."- Wow.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52And what were these smugglers actually like?
0:51:52 > 0:51:55Well, we wanted you to find out.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58So we've raided the Countryfile fancy-dress wardrobe
0:51:58 > 0:52:00and Steve and I are going to do a bit of smuggling re-enacting.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02- There we are.- Thank you.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Have to be honest, Steve, I'd rather be in that one there,
0:52:05 > 0:52:09as opposed to the man-powered version, but we'll try. Right.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16- How good are you at rowing? - Er, well...
0:52:16 > 0:52:17We'll soon find out, won't we?
0:52:21 > 0:52:23- Is that right?- No, other way. - Other way.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25- THEY LAUGH - Are you sure?
0:52:25 > 0:52:28- You're the expert! - I never said I was an expert!
0:52:30 > 0:52:33Now go that way, No in, now in. Other way!
0:52:34 > 0:52:35I keep losing me rowlock.
0:52:38 > 0:52:43Matt's dodgy escapades might be off to a less-than-ship-shape start,
0:52:43 > 0:52:47but the waters off the south coast are still a smuggling hotspot today.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51So, while Matt is uncovering secrets of smugglers past,
0:52:51 > 0:52:53I'm heading up the Beaulieu River
0:52:53 > 0:52:58to get a taste of 21st-century crime-fighting upon the waves.
0:53:00 > 0:53:04Meet the Hampshire police marine unit.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07Their job is to keep the waterways safe and secure.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11And that could mean facing anything
0:53:11 > 0:53:14from modern-day smuggling to terrorism.
0:53:14 > 0:53:15Here comes my ride.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20Good day to catch some crims on the water - that's what I hope.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Don't laugh, Kerry! It's a serious business!
0:53:23 > 0:53:26Well, we're not overrun with criminals, fortunately.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29I'm getting the feeling this isn't going to be
0:53:29 > 0:53:32the adrenalin-fuelled ride I was hoping for.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37So this is your little kitchen away from your own kitchen at home?
0:53:37 > 0:53:39That's the one.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42We spend about...between six and up to eight hours on the boat a day,
0:53:42 > 0:53:47so it's quite important that we've got some of the home comforts.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50Absolutely. It's very important that you and Nick get on, as well.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52Well, either that or one of us has got to be good at swimming!
0:53:52 > 0:53:57But for Police Constables Nick McKinnon and Kerry Murray,
0:53:57 > 0:54:01this is by no means a life messing about on the water.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04There are millions of pounds of property here,
0:54:04 > 0:54:07providing tempting targets for criminals, and the summertime brings
0:54:07 > 0:54:11a surge of activity for thefts and other waterborne crime.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15Patrolling this beat is a mammoth task.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17What sort of area do you guys cover?
0:54:17 > 0:54:19We cover the whole of the counties of Hampshire
0:54:19 > 0:54:21and the Isle of Wight, the coastline.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23- That's huge!- It is, it's a massive area.
0:54:23 > 0:54:28- It's over 250 navigable miles of coastline.- And how many vehicles?
0:54:28 > 0:54:31Our fleet consists of the three launchers that you see.
0:54:31 > 0:54:35With the area they have to patrol, policing our coastline
0:54:35 > 0:54:38really does seem to be the blue line stretched thin.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42And although I've joined them on the genteel waters of Beaulieu river,
0:54:42 > 0:54:46this unit deals with its fair share of frontline crime.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48Smuggling - still an issue for you?
0:54:48 > 0:54:50Not so much for us on the bigger cases -
0:54:50 > 0:54:51that's more the UK Border Agency.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55However, there are things like people smuggling contraband -
0:54:55 > 0:54:58smuggling on a smaller scale which we have to keep an eye out for.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01There are plenty of little inlets and nooks and crannies where,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04if people did have the intention to smuggle,
0:55:04 > 0:55:07they very easily could do in this landscape, couldn't they?
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Yeah, by the nature of the geography of where it is,
0:55:10 > 0:55:13quite sparsely populated on the coast and you need the help
0:55:13 > 0:55:16of the people because of the nature of the coastline in general.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18Twitching curtains on board a boat.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20Great, yeah, that's a way of putting it.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27It's quite clear, talking to these guys, that they rely
0:55:27 > 0:55:29very much on the community
0:55:29 > 0:55:31and people sharing information with them.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34So I almost feel duty-bound to tell them
0:55:34 > 0:55:37about somebody I think might be up to no good.
0:55:39 > 0:55:40Kerry?
0:55:44 > 0:55:47Although these two are looking more like hapless cabin boys
0:55:47 > 0:55:49than hardened criminals.
0:55:51 > 0:55:52SIRENS WAIL
0:55:52 > 0:55:55MATT LAUGHS
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Ah, I think we've been rumbled.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02What Matt doesn't know is that this sting
0:56:02 > 0:56:05has been organised by the marine unit's newest recruit.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07I've just seen Matt out of the window,
0:56:07 > 0:56:09and he's really not sure if this is for real or not.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11What's that lot down there?
0:56:11 > 0:56:13- If you're referring to this... - What is it?
0:56:13 > 0:56:16- To be honest...I haven't a clue. - Do us a favour.
0:56:16 > 0:56:17We were asked to carry it.
0:56:17 > 0:56:21- Can I ask you to jump on board a sec?- That is the honest truth!
0:56:21 > 0:56:25- Take a seat. Can I leave you with that line?- Yep.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27Right, grab a seat, mate.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29Time for Officer Bradbury to get her man.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33I-I-I-I-I knew it!
0:56:33 > 0:56:35That's the one!
0:56:35 > 0:56:36THEY LAUGH
0:56:36 > 0:56:39He's the dirty pirate!
0:56:39 > 0:56:42- Oh, dear. What a laugh. - Cuff him, please.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45I'm going to get you do to exactly what I want now, Baker Boy.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48- OK.- Right, look into the camera and say, "Happy Mother's Day."
0:56:48 > 0:56:51- Happy Mother's Day. - There we go, it worked.- Oh, dear me.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54Well, that's all we've got time for in the New Forest.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56Next week, we'll be in Leicestershire,
0:56:56 > 0:56:59- close to your home county.- Yes, yes. yes. I'll be in Melton Mowbray,
0:56:59 > 0:57:02finding out why it is the capital of rural food.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04And I'll be lending a hand -
0:57:04 > 0:57:06if I can get them out of these handcuffs -
0:57:06 > 0:57:08on a farm that's keeping it very much in the family.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11- That does suit you.- You do like it? - I do.- That's it anyway.
0:57:11 > 0:57:13- Bye! Have you got the keys for these?- No.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd