0:00:28 > 0:00:32Surrounded by wild countryside and rugged mountains,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Loch Etive flows through some of Scotland's most stunning scenery
0:00:36 > 0:00:39before finally reaching the sea.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46For most of its length, there's very little in the way of road access
0:00:46 > 0:00:47and hardly any habitation,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51so what better way to explore Loch Etive than by boat?
0:00:51 > 0:00:53And I've been promised some spectacular views.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00'I'm going for a boat ride too,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03'but something tells me it won't be as tranquil as Ellie's.'
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Loch Etive has one of the biggest flows of white water in the UK.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10The water flows through here at a rate of ten knots per hour,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13which makes it the perfect place for these guys to practise.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Tonight, I'm going to be thrown in at the deep end
0:01:15 > 0:01:18and really put through my places
0:01:18 > 0:01:20as the RNLI's International Flood Rescue Team
0:01:20 > 0:01:23train for real-life flood situations.
0:01:24 > 0:01:30And while we're exploring the loch, John's having a few days away.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33This year, more and more of us have been spending our holidays
0:01:33 > 0:01:37here in Britain, becoming, in that new word, staycationers.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39But what impact is this having on our countryside?
0:01:39 > 0:01:41That's what I'll be investigating.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Right, this is the easy bit. Now we just catch the little piglets!
0:01:45 > 0:01:47'And with the harvest almost over,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50'Adam's getting to grips with a new litter.'
0:01:50 > 0:01:56They're like wriggly little rabbits, but they're incredibly sweet.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Never more than a mile wide,
0:02:12 > 0:02:17Loch Etive is enclosed by rugged peaks and deep green glens.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21The loch runs for 20 miles through Argyle in West Scotland,
0:02:21 > 0:02:22from Glencoe in the north
0:02:22 > 0:02:26to the Connel Bridge and the Firth Of Lorn beyond.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28You can only reach half the loch by road,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30but even if you could drive the whole thing,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34I'm told that the best way to take it all in is by boat,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36and I've been promised a spectacular cruise.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Check out that view.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45My skipper for the day is Donald.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48He's the latest in a family line of Loch Etive boatsmen.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50He's carrying on the tradition,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53running boat trips for tourists and fishermen.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57- So your father was a boatman too? - His father before as well.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59- Oh, really? - It's about three generations now.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02When I was a child, my father would be coming up and down every day
0:03:02 > 0:03:05and you get to know the loch quite well after a while.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10- Well, lucky you, getting to work here.- It's a nice occupation.- Yeah.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17My first stop is at Dunstaffnage Castle,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21standing guard where Loch Etive meets the sea.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25The castle is one of the oldest in Scotland, nearly 800 years old.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Built to protect Argyle from invading Norwegians,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31it sits at a strategic spot
0:03:31 > 0:03:33for anyone trying to attack Scotland from the west,
0:03:33 > 0:03:38but its most famous moment came a mere 265 years ago
0:03:38 > 0:03:43when, for a brief period, it was the unwanted home of a Highland heroine.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Flora MacDonald was imprisoned in the castle in 1746
0:03:47 > 0:03:50after she smuggled Bonnie Prince Charlie to Skye.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Famously, he dressed as her female servant to aid his escape.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58Mind you, it's not a bad place to be imprisoned, is it?
0:04:07 > 0:04:12This landscape is movie-set drop-dead gorgeous.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15There is absolutely nothing not to like about that.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Now, we're on the way now to another slice of Loch Etive history,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22but before we get there, we're going to make a little bit of a detour.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24We've got a special delivery to make
0:04:24 > 0:04:28to what must be one of the most remote properties in Britain.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Here's the post. How often do they get this?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- Three times a week. Monday, Wednesday, Fridays.- Not too bad.
0:04:34 > 0:04:35So not too bad at all.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39So these lucky people get to avoid the supermarket scrum.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43- They're very lucky. It's all done for them.- Very nice, too.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47- And you usually just drop and run, do you?- Yeah, that's pretty much it.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50We collect stuff for next time, take it up to the grocer,
0:04:50 > 0:04:55he'll deliver it to us next week, and same thing happens again.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02With our errand completed, I'm getting off at Kelly's Pier
0:05:02 > 0:05:06to explore a more industrial side to Loch Etive's history.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08In the middle of the 18th century,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11attracted by the plentiful supply of water and wood around here,
0:05:11 > 0:05:16a Cumbrian ironmaster built an ironworks.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Bonawe Furnace.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23At its peak, it produced 700 tonnes of pig iron, and employed 600 people.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27But there was a big divide, because only the workers from Cumbria,
0:05:27 > 0:05:31about 20 of them, operated the furnace.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34The 600 Gaelic-speaking locals were employed to coppice trees
0:05:34 > 0:05:37and make the huge quantities of charcoal needed.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41John Macfarlane's great-grandmother worked here.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45John, what would life have been like here for your great-grandmother?
0:05:45 > 0:05:46It was pretty tough.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50It was very noisy, very hard, backbreaking work, as it were.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55And long hours, as well. She was probably about 22 or 23 at the time.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Wow. The iron they produced was pig iron. What is that?
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Well, when iron melts in the furnace itself,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05they've got a pre-prepared channel of sand,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07and the molten iron runs into it,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10and if you're looking down from the top,
0:06:10 > 0:06:12it would look like a pig with piglets,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- and that's why it's called pig iron.- That's the explanation.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19The iron would have been shipped off and used for all different purposes?
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Yes. They made cannonballs with it, in the Napoleonic wars,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25that was one of the main things they were doing here,
0:06:25 > 0:06:30producing cannonballs to fight the French.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Nelson claimed that every cannonball fired at Trafalgar
0:06:33 > 0:06:35came from this foundry.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Every cannonball? Had he counted them? Ha-ha!
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Lord Nelson saved England.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45This place may have been settled for centuries.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48'The furnace is still seen as an important part of the history
0:06:48 > 0:06:49'of the landscape.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52'This group of actors are rehearsing a play that is about
0:06:52 > 0:06:54'and is staged at the furnace.'
0:06:56 > 0:06:59I really enjoyed that. That was a fantastic performance.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02What better place to do a piece of theatre about the foundry
0:07:02 > 0:07:04than here at the foundry!
0:07:04 > 0:07:09Yeah, well... Yes! And the story and the setting is just amazing.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11When I first saw this place,
0:07:11 > 0:07:16I thought it was the most natural and vibrant place for theatre.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19It was sort of like Dante's Inferno, I think.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21There was huge amounts of work going on,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24and life and death, and really brutal life,
0:07:24 > 0:07:29and I think you can feel that when we're performing from the stones,
0:07:29 > 0:07:34- I just love the energy from working here.- That was a great performance.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41Although it outlasted other Scottish ironworks using charcoal,
0:07:41 > 0:07:46production at Bonawe Furnace finally stopped in 1876.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Today, it's the best preserved ironworks of its kind in the UK.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54I'm heading back out onto Loch Etive in search of wildlife.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59But first, with the economy causing many of us to feel the pinch,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03a growing number of people are choosing to holiday here in Britain.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05But how does holidaying here shape up?
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Well, John's been investigating the rise of the staycation.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21This year's summer holiday is now a distant, hopefully happy, memory,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23and for many people,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26it was all about rediscovering the British countryside.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29So what effect is all this home-grown tourism having?
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Could it spoil unspoiled parts of our landscape?
0:08:33 > 0:08:37To find out, I've chosen at random a bit of the countryside
0:08:37 > 0:08:40that wants to boost its share of the tourist market,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43the 15-mile-long Churnet Valley in Staffordshire.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Perhaps not the best known of tourist destinations - well, not yet -
0:08:47 > 0:08:49but at either end of this lovely valley
0:08:49 > 0:08:52there are places that everyone has certainly heard of.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Down there is Alton Towers, and up at the top of the valley,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58the Peak District.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06The Carman family have come here for their first ever camping holiday.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Well, you've spent many years, haven't you, as a family,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11holidaying abroad.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15This year is your first staycation. Why are you in the UK?
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Well, mainly because of the cost.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21You know, where we are now, it's expensive.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The travelling and the plane and the sitting in the station...
0:09:24 > 0:09:26- it's a hassle, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Would you rather be on some beach in some exotic place?
0:09:30 > 0:09:32I'd rather go camping, because, like,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36when you go on holiday, we can't take the dog anywhere.
0:09:36 > 0:09:42- You can't really take Coco to Mexico and places.- No, not really!
0:09:42 > 0:09:44The cost and convenience of staycations
0:09:44 > 0:09:48have made places like this, Staffordshire's moorlands,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50increasingly attractive.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53There are now more than three million trips here every year,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57bringing in more than £150 million, but it's not just about the money.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01For many people, it's a fresh chance to enjoy our rural heritage.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Normally, they have steam engines, but today it's a diesel.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08And attractions like the Churnet Valley Railway
0:10:08 > 0:10:10are a perfect way to do that.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14A lot of people don't realise how beautiful the countryside is.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16We live near the Peak District.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20You don't realise how nice the area is until you do something like this.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23You take things you see daily for granted.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28It has opened your eyes to what's in this country.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Do you reckon next year you will be staying in the UK?
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- Oh, yes, without a doubt, won't we?- Yeah.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39This new-found appreciation of the British countryside
0:10:39 > 0:10:41is having huge benefits.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Some rural train services
0:10:43 > 0:10:45have seen an incredible 90% increase in passengers
0:10:45 > 0:10:46in the last few years.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50'And the economic benefits go much further than that.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55- 'Sarah Long is from Visit England.' Hello, Sarah.- Hello.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59You've been studying staycationers. Just who are they?
0:10:59 > 0:11:01They are people like you and I.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05It started in 2009, when the word "staycation" was born.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08It was as a result of the credit crunch.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11What it did was showcase the countryside to lots of people
0:11:11 > 0:11:13who wouldn't usually take a holiday here.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18Last year, there were 17 million visitors spending around £3 billion.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21This year, those figures are about 2% up.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26It supports lots and lots of jobs and businesses.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Not just hotels and B&Bs, but the local pub down the road,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32the gift shop, regional food suppliers,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34all benefit from the money that tourists spend.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37With more and more people visiting the countryside,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40that has the potential for having a harmful effect
0:11:40 > 0:11:42on the beautiful places they want to see.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46We do have to conserve our beauty spots, that is correct.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48It is about destination management.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51We have a great network of fantastic organisations
0:11:51 > 0:11:53who make sure our places stay beautiful.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Today, tourism is worth more
0:11:57 > 0:12:00to the rural economy in Britain than farming.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04And there are plenty of opportunities to cash in.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09With more and more people coming to the Churnet Valley in Staffordshire,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11there are ambitious plans afoot.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15There is talk of turning the area into a tourism corridor,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17bringing more people here
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and pumping more money into the local economy.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24The plans are still at the early stages, but the local council
0:12:24 > 0:12:28is hoping to attract private money to redevelop existing brownfield sites.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Leading the project is Councillor Andrew Hart.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33What are your priorities?
0:12:33 > 0:12:37I think sites like this, which are a fantastic blank canvas.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39This used to be a copper works.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42We have former derelict sites, which are ex-quarries.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44It is what we do with those.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46It's got tremendous heritage potential.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49I think history, particularly industrial history,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51is very important to visitors.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Is there money available for this, Government grants?
0:12:54 > 0:12:57This area has never attracted a great deal of grants,
0:12:57 > 0:12:58even in good times.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02I think we are looking for inward private investment.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Development here could be great for the local economy,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08but there are concerns about the plans.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Many people who live in this valley like it just the way it is
0:13:12 > 0:13:15and the idea of more cars, more people, more noise,
0:13:15 > 0:13:16won't be to everyone's taste.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21Later, I'll be asking what the cost to the countryside might be
0:13:21 > 0:13:23of the staycation boom.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Loch Etive, a vast body of water flowing from the mountains
0:13:33 > 0:13:37and steep glens of mid-west Scotland out to the sea.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42This is spectacular.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45But there's a lot more to this place than just the views
0:13:45 > 0:13:47and it's all to do with the landscape
0:13:47 > 0:13:48and the ever-changing tides.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53'Lock Etive has one of the largest flows of white water in the UK.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56'Unlike other stretches of white water,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59'it's ruled by the tide, making it very dangerous.'
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Every year, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
0:14:03 > 0:14:06come here to practise their emergency flood techniques.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10This water replicates the kind of conditions that they could face
0:14:10 > 0:14:13in real-life flood situations.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Because the water is so fast-flowing,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25it also attracts adrenaline junkies.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Tony Hammock is a local kayak instructor.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30He knows these waters well.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Why is this so special from a kayakers' point of view,
0:14:33 > 0:14:37and why is it so different to any other white water?
0:14:37 > 0:14:38It's hugely powerful.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40So when it's running full bore,
0:14:40 > 0:14:45there are over 4,000 tonnes of water coming through there a second.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47It's absolutely massive.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49At the same time, it is variable,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52so you can get a huge range of conditions even within a day.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Huge quantities of water flow from the mountains
0:14:55 > 0:14:59through the neck of the loch, creating fast-moving white water,
0:14:59 > 0:15:04which also creates the perfect conditions for flood-rescue training.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08The threat and impact of flooding at home and abroad
0:15:08 > 0:15:10continues to be a huge issue.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Rising sea levels and increasingly severe rainstorms
0:15:14 > 0:15:17means the situation is likely to get worse.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Every year, the RNLI come to Scotland
0:15:22 > 0:15:26to use the loch and surrounding fast-moving rivers.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30All but one of the guys here are volunteers.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33They have day jobs, too, so continuous training is essential.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40On average, the RNLI saves 22 people a day at sea.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43But flood training, that's a different loch full of fish.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Today, members of the RNLI are here
0:15:45 > 0:15:49to practise their search-and-rescue skills in flood conditions.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53I'm joining to see if I've got what it takes.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57'I'll be in the safe but wet hands of Robin Goodlad.'
0:15:57 > 0:16:00'Quite a reassuring name!'
0:16:00 > 0:16:02This is the sort of training venue we need to find
0:16:02 > 0:16:04that gives us realistic water.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07- That's why we are here. - What's going to be going on?
0:16:07 > 0:16:09I see a couple of lads are ready to go now.
0:16:09 > 0:16:10What is the plan?
0:16:10 > 0:16:13What we will be doing is swift-water rescue training.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15All of our crew members have sea-going experience,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19but working in a flood environment is completely different.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23You've got hazards such as park benches, fences, railings,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25that you don't get at sea,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29So we have to train them with a realistic environment.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31- Goodness me!- Yes. - That was Nige going like a rocket!
0:16:31 > 0:16:34You have chosen this section of the river because...
0:16:34 > 0:16:38It's fast-moving. It replicates the flood environment.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Two years ago, 12 and a half inches of rain water fell in just 24 hours
0:16:43 > 0:16:46on Cockermouth in Cumbria.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48The RNLI, along with other emergency services,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51helped rescue 300 people
0:16:51 > 0:16:54cut off or swept away by flood water.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Carl Sadler was on the front line.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01How much does this training prepare you for those real situations?
0:17:01 > 0:17:04- It's quite different to rivers. - Yeah, it's...
0:17:04 > 0:17:06When I was in Cockermouth,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10it was the volume of water coming straight through the high street.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12It reminds me of this situation here.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Does it really?
0:17:14 > 0:17:16The actual rocks underneath the water here
0:17:16 > 0:17:20represents the cars and the trees underneath the water.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Roy, you were in Gloucester, at the floods there. What was that like?
0:17:24 > 0:17:27We didn't have quite the same speed of water
0:17:27 > 0:17:29they had in Cockermouth,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32but it was the sheer scale. It was over a number of counties.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Their resources were thin on the ground.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39We were continuously on the go for about 72 hours.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42And when you are faced with a situation like Cockermouth,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46- did you go straight into RNLI mode? - You don't have time to get shocked,
0:17:46 > 0:17:47because it is straight in.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51At Cockermouth, our recce was to get in there,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53see what's happening,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56because we were the first boats into Cockermouth High Street.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Before these guys can think about rescuing people
0:18:00 > 0:18:01from fast-moving water,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04they have to learn to survive it themselves.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06So swift-water training is vital.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09The time is getting closer to when I'm going to get in.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12You'd better tell me the best way of getting out!
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Either side we've got a flat section of water.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16This side, they're called eddies.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18The main flow is the jet in the middle.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20We are working between the eddies.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22As you enter, point your upper body upstream.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25As your upper body and head goes into the flow,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28the current will whip you round and try turning you downstream.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32What you've to do it is backward paddling and keep going.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Once the momentum is taken out of the water,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37you'll find it is slack and calm, you are not going anywhere.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41At that point, try rolling towards the other side, like a log roll,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43and that will take you into the eddy.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44Right, let's see what happens.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49The lovely thing about this is that the RNLI is an arm's reach away!
0:18:51 > 0:18:53'Here I go.'
0:18:56 > 0:19:00'The current is incredibly strong.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02'I have to fight to get the other side.'
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Whoo!
0:19:08 > 0:19:09Yes!
0:19:09 > 0:19:12It's just a wall of water, man.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15You're paddling away, doing a little turn,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19spot the shore, grrr, dig in and go.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20But what a feeling!
0:19:20 > 0:19:23That's invigorating, I tell you what.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26But I'm so happy to be doing it in this environment,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28with the protection of these lads.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Because it doesn't bear thinking about,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35that happening for real in a flood situation.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40'This is scary stuff. And only the start of my training.'
0:19:40 > 0:19:43'Later, I'll be thrown in at the deep-end on Loch Etive,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46'when I really get put through my paces
0:19:46 > 0:19:48'in some emergency flood manoeuvres.'
0:19:55 > 0:19:58This is emblematic Scottish landscape.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Fresh clear water rushes down off the surrounding mountains
0:20:01 > 0:20:05through dense glens into the glass-like loch.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08The northern half of Loch Etive is the least accessible
0:20:08 > 0:20:10and therefore the most tranquil,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13possibly one of the few remaining places of true wilderness
0:20:13 > 0:20:14left in the country.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19And with that comes great opportunities to spot wildlife.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24'I've arranged for Philip Price
0:20:24 > 0:20:27'to join me for the next leg of my journey.'
0:20:27 > 0:20:30- Some serious kit you've got there! - It does the job.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32'He's a wildlife photographer,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35'passionate about the flora and fauna of his homeland.'
0:20:39 > 0:20:44What is it about Loch Etive that is so great for wildlife photography?
0:20:45 > 0:20:50The variety you get in Loch Etive is absolutely astonishing.
0:20:50 > 0:20:51Just where we are travelling now,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54that is the back of Ben Cruachan up there.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57On the top of Ben Cruachan you will get hares,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59all the real mountain alpine animals.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Then you come down the slopes and you get these woodlands.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07And there is a phenomenal place for red squirrels.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08You come down into the loch side
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and you will get cormorants, shags, eiders,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14you name it, you've got all of your marine life down here.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16We have even seen otters along the coast.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19So, in terms of diversity, you simply can't beat Loch Etive,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21it's a wonderful place.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25'After venturing north to the quietest part of the loch,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27'we find what we were looking for.'
0:21:27 > 0:21:33- Aren't they awesome? Look at that. - You couldn't dream up that scene.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34It's just mind-boggling.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37To see this many here, in this location.
0:21:37 > 0:21:43I come here regularly, but... It's just astonishing.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45We ought to take a picture, since we are here.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47What I've noticed is you stuck me on auto.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49We are going to change that.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52If you zoom to 300 mil, it gives you maximum zoom.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54We will put it on aperture priority
0:21:54 > 0:21:55and that is the technical term
0:21:55 > 0:21:58that means you control how blurry the background is
0:21:58 > 0:22:01and the camera then helps you with controlling how much light to let in
0:22:01 > 0:22:03and correctly exposing.
0:22:03 > 0:22:04- Just have a go then?- Fire away.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Get the centre square, when you look through the viewfinder,
0:22:08 > 0:22:09right over the animal's head.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13That means the head is in focus. When looking through the lens,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17- you will see how gorgeous these animals are.- It's amazing.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21- Best in show there for the photographic competition!- Definitely!
0:22:21 > 0:22:24And just the scenery and the wildlife.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28I was hoping we would see seals, but you never know.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29And when it happens...
0:22:29 > 0:22:32I'll never get bored with doing wildlife photography,
0:22:32 > 0:22:33because that unknown,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37so when it happens, it makes it all the more sweeter.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Oh, wow, look at that.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49If you want to get close to wildlife in the great outdoors,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52the BBC has teamed up with a range of partners
0:22:52 > 0:22:54who offer activities throughout the UK.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58Go to our website and click on "things to do".
0:22:58 > 0:23:01James is somewhere over that mountain,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03where water is the key ingredient.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11This is the 100ft Cruachan Dam, which holds back a huge reservoir.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14It looks something like a scene out of a James Bond movie.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Impressive, huh?
0:23:17 > 0:23:20JAMES BOND THEME TUNE
0:23:22 > 0:23:24The name's Wong, James Wong.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38You didn't really think I was going to do that, did you?
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Well done, Andy! Congratulations.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42I don't have a licence to kill,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44I don't even have a licence to drive.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46The closest I am going to come to Pierce Brosnan
0:23:46 > 0:23:49is the fact that scenes from the film The World Is Not Enough
0:23:49 > 0:23:53were shot right here, deep inside this mountain.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56'That's because buried 1,000ft below these thistles
0:23:56 > 0:24:00'is one of the country's most amazing engineering achievements.'
0:24:03 > 0:24:06A revolutionary hydropower station.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10The first of its kind in the world and built nearly 50 years ago.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16'From the top of the dam, you can see right down to Loch Awe,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18'which is connected to the reservoir
0:24:18 > 0:24:21'by underground pipes that travel through the power station.'
0:24:21 > 0:24:25Michael Mullen worked here for 39 years.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29I still can't believe that 1,000ft below that it is a power station.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31How did they build it?
0:24:31 > 0:24:37It was dug out by a big machine, which rotated and dug it out.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46All the tunnels that were built were done by drilling and blasted out.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48EXPLOSION
0:24:48 > 0:24:51You'd never believe it. It looks such a natural space.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54That must have been hundreds and hundreds of tonnes of rock
0:24:54 > 0:24:56hewn right out of the mountain.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Thousands of tonnes, yes.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01The health and safety wasn't what it is today.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03It must have been pretty horrendous.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Cruachan was revolutionary.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11It was the first plant that could store electricity.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Allow me to explain simply.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15The generators are powered by water
0:25:15 > 0:25:19travelling from the reservoir to the loch through its turbines.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23But here's the clever bit. The turbines are reversible.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25This means that during the night when we are asleep,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29they can use the excess electricity to pump the water from the loch
0:25:29 > 0:25:30back up to the reservoir,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34ready for driving the turbines when we need the power most.
0:25:34 > 0:25:35Mechanical genius.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Unbelievably, the pylons which carry the electricity
0:25:43 > 0:25:46have been taken off-line for repairs
0:25:46 > 0:25:48for the first time in 50 years.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I hope someone is keeping a GoldenEye on the off switch,
0:25:51 > 0:25:52You Only Live Twice!
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Once a year the heart of the power station
0:25:54 > 0:25:56gets some essential maintenance work done
0:25:56 > 0:25:58and I've been given special permission
0:25:58 > 0:26:00to go right down into the control room.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03It's a part the public don't normally get to see.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07You might say it's For Your Eyes Only. Good to meet you.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Getting inside means a short drive down a long tunnel.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15'I'm trying not to think
0:26:15 > 0:26:18'of the half of a mile of solid rock above my head.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20'I'd prefer to Die Another Day.'
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- We can go down up to a kilometre down here.- This is a kilometre long?!
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- One kilometre long.- This is your drive to work every day?!
0:26:28 > 0:26:31- I drive to work every day, yes. - It's like a bat cave inside here.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33It's quite exciting.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36'This might be all in a day's work for engineer Alastair Dewar,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39'but it's scaring The Living Daylights out of me!'
0:26:39 > 0:26:43OK, James, this is the tally to let them know we are in here.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47- You check in. Yep.- And we'll just head in.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Wow! This ceiling!
0:26:50 > 0:26:54- Yes.- This is where it all happens? - This is where it all happens.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57We're lucky today, there's only one machine ticking over,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59or we wouldn't be able to speak.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03'The space inside this mountain is immense.'
0:27:03 > 0:27:06'Apparently, you could fit the Tower of London in here.'
0:27:06 > 0:27:08These are the turbines that get spun round
0:27:08 > 0:27:10by the water generating electricity?
0:27:10 > 0:27:14- Yes. We've got three levels. - I'm not going to look over too much!
0:27:14 > 0:27:19- This goes three or four times below the floor.- Yes.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24At the top is a small motor and the next floor is the main generators.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29And then another level down is the actual heart of the turbine.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33You really can't forget you are underground
0:27:33 > 0:27:36because you see the exposed rock.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I don't know how I'd feel about working here.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41It's an amazing design but, yes, you feel hemmed in,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44ironically, when there is a big ceiling.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53When the turbines are working at maximum capacity,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57they are kicking out 440 megawatts of electricity to the grid
0:27:57 > 0:28:00in less than 30 seconds. Now, that's fast.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05'That's enough to power a city the size of Edinburgh.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08'So next time you flick of the TV to watch Countryfile,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12'spare a thought for the 33 guys working here, without natural light,
0:28:12 > 0:28:16'to ensure the electricity you need Tomorrow...Never Dies!'
0:28:18 > 0:28:23Still to come on tonight's programme...
0:28:23 > 0:28:24'I'll be joining the RNLI
0:28:24 > 0:28:27'on a training exercise out on the loch...'
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Everything seems to happen so fast.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31..John's back with a reminder
0:28:31 > 0:28:34of how to vote in the Countryfile photographic competition...
0:28:35 > 0:28:40..and, on Adam's farm, Eric the bull is causing trouble again...
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Come on, you naughty boy. Your ladies are over there.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47..plus, we'll have the weather forecast for the week ahead.
0:28:56 > 0:28:57Earlier in the programme,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00John was investigating the rise of the staycation.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02But with a growing number holidaying in Britain,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05what impact is this having on our countryside?
0:29:13 > 0:29:15'I'm in the Churnet Valley, a treasured part
0:29:15 > 0:29:20'of the Staffordshire Moorlands, rich in history and natural beauty.'
0:29:20 > 0:29:23'But with more visitors coming every year,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26'there are those wanting to capitalise on the tourism.'
0:29:26 > 0:29:30There are plans to turn this valley into a tourism corridor
0:29:30 > 0:29:32leading up towards the Peak District,
0:29:32 > 0:29:37with more accommodation, attractions and hopefully many more visitors.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40But how might that affect the identity, the character of this area?
0:29:40 > 0:29:43And would it spoil its natural beauty?
0:29:45 > 0:29:47'Some people certainly think so.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49'John Higgins has lived in the Churnet Valley
0:29:49 > 0:29:51'for the last 20 years.'
0:29:51 > 0:29:52How do you detect the mood
0:29:52 > 0:29:54of local people about this plan to boost tourism?
0:29:54 > 0:30:00Fear and trepidation I think is the answer, John. I am worried about it.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03What we really want to do is, we are not against tourism,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05very much far from it.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08We want tourists in the valley, but we want the right kind of tourists.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12What we need is the kind of tourists who are going to come
0:30:12 > 0:30:15and spend their money in the valley at the local places.
0:30:15 > 0:30:16We've got all the infrastructure here
0:30:16 > 0:30:19to support walkers, cyclists, horse riders.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22But the idea is to get many more people in here,
0:30:22 > 0:30:23and that will have an impact.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25I don't say that that's wrong.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29I want to keep the money in the valley, I don't want large hotels.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32I don't want a huge developments that people will only come to by car
0:30:32 > 0:30:35and will stay there and go home at the end of the day.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37That does not profit the local economy.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40These worries aren't confined to the Churnet Valley,
0:30:40 > 0:30:41because across the country
0:30:41 > 0:30:45businesses are keen to benefit from the boom.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49An indication of the investment that's now going into rural tourism
0:30:49 > 0:30:52comes with the news that one of Britain's biggest hotel chains
0:30:52 > 0:30:57is going to build 37 hotels near to our top countryside locations.
0:30:57 > 0:31:02It's going to focus in particular on areas close to national parks.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04That's going to raise some eyebrows.
0:31:04 > 0:31:09So can tourism ever really blend into the landscape?
0:31:09 > 0:31:14There's one high-profile development which claims to have done just that.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16I've come out to Wales, to Pembrokeshire,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20to a holiday village where cars have to be left on the outside.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24It opened only three years ago in the very heart of the National Park.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27So when it was first proposed, there were concerns about
0:31:27 > 0:31:31the possible impact this place would have on this very beautiful area.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Concerns which we reported at the time.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Back then there were fears,
0:31:36 > 0:31:38not just about the effect on the countryside,
0:31:38 > 0:31:43but also that it would take tourists away from existing businesses.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46The proposed development is such a large one,
0:31:46 > 0:31:51the impact on local tourism could be cannibalisation
0:31:51 > 0:31:53of self-catered accommodation.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56It's almost a one-horse bet on local tourism.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00Despite the objections, the development got the go-ahead.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02So how does it sit in the landscape today?
0:32:02 > 0:32:06Perhaps, not surprisingly, the boss, William McNamara,
0:32:06 > 0:32:08feels that it works well.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11This is where your dairy cows used to graze
0:32:11 > 0:32:14when you took a huge financial gamble on setting up this village.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17- Staycation paying off for you? - Yes, it is now.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21- This is farming but in a different way.- You're farming people here.
0:32:21 > 0:32:22Farming tourists.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25When the plans were first put forward for this village
0:32:25 > 0:32:27there were concerns, weren't there?
0:32:27 > 0:32:31People were worried it might ruin a part of the National Park.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35Yes, and we were very sensitive to that through the planning process.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38But what we've delivered is what we said we would deliver.
0:32:38 > 0:32:43You can see, we've planted 170,000 trees and shrubs.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47Nothing breaks the horizon, so you can't actually see it from outside.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51We have over 200 suppliers to the business
0:32:51 > 0:32:53that are Pembrokeshire-based companies.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Our guests stay at Bluestone
0:32:56 > 0:32:58but see a lot of Pembrokeshire.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01It is so important to put money back into the area.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04In fact, it's claimed that this resort brings
0:33:04 > 0:33:10between £8-10 million to the local economy every year.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14The site also supports a co-operative of 15 farmers
0:33:14 > 0:33:18who all grow crops for the development.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22Miscanthus, origin of Asia, it's grass similar to bamboo.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25We chip it and blend it with woodchip
0:33:25 > 0:33:30and burn it in the bio-mass boilers to supply the heat for Bluestone.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33So a project like this is bringing together tourism and agriculture.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37Yes. In this rural area of Pembrokeshire I think the two
0:33:37 > 0:33:41main wealth creators in the rural area are farming and tourism.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44They do fit well together.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48Despite the sensitive nature of the Bluestone National Park Resort,
0:33:48 > 0:33:53there are still some local people who wish it had never been built.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56So back in Staffordshire,
0:33:56 > 0:33:59are there lessons that can be learnt for the Churnet Valley?
0:33:59 > 0:34:02This is idyllic, Andrew, pottering along on the canal,
0:34:02 > 0:34:06but earlier on we were talking about plans to turn the valley
0:34:06 > 0:34:10into a tourist corridor, encouraging many more people to come here.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13How do you do that without spoiling the place?
0:34:13 > 0:34:17What we've got to do it is anything that is built in this valley,
0:34:17 > 0:34:21it must be sympathetic, it must be built with local materials.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24- New hotels and things like that? - Oh, yes, of course.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26It's got to fit in, and it's got to fit in also with
0:34:26 > 0:34:28the residents as well.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32What about the infrastructure of the valley, lots of winding roads.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Many more people coming here would cause traffic jams.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39I think one of the most important things is to get people
0:34:39 > 0:34:42out of vehicles, on to the alternative forms of transport.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46We don't want to spoil what we've got. That's absolutely fundamental.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49It's clear that making the most of the home-grown tourist boom
0:34:49 > 0:34:51is going to be a balancing act.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54It's great to think that so many people
0:34:54 > 0:34:57are rediscovering the beauty of the British countryside,
0:34:57 > 0:35:01and that rural economies are feeling the benefit.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04But we all have to be incredibly careful that development
0:35:04 > 0:35:07and high numbers of visitors don't spoil the beauty
0:35:07 > 0:35:11and tranquillity that brought people here in the first place.
0:35:11 > 0:35:12To me, to me!
0:35:24 > 0:35:27After 12 months of hard graft,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29the harvest is almost over down on the farm.
0:35:29 > 0:35:34But life for Adam never stops. He's already preparing for next year.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Well, there's a good feeling on the farm today
0:35:42 > 0:35:44because harvest is virtually over,
0:35:44 > 0:35:48the combine will be arriving back in the yard this afternoon.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51We've got through 300 acres of winter rape
0:35:51 > 0:35:53and then about 440 acres of barley.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56And then 375 acres of winter wheat.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59So there's been a lot of hard work going on and the sheds
0:35:59 > 0:36:01are now brimming with grain.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03This shed holds around 900 tonnes.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06We've got 600 tonnes of milling wheat over there,
0:36:06 > 0:36:07that'll go for making bread.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11And on this side, we've got around 300 tonnes of feed wheat,
0:36:11 > 0:36:13this will go for animal feed.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15And even though it's safe and in the shed,
0:36:15 > 0:36:18we still need to look after it.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20We blow cold air through the grain to keep cool
0:36:20 > 0:36:22and we keep the moisture out.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24It's very important because if this gets wet and warm, that encourages
0:36:24 > 0:36:28insects into the grain that will eat it and that devalues it.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30And at the moment the price of wheat is high.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34There's a worldwide shortage which is keeping the price up.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37Overall, the harvest was pretty successful.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40We were worried about the dry spring, but June and July was good
0:36:40 > 0:36:43and the berries filled up nicely.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Overall, we probably did a little bit better than last year.
0:36:49 > 0:36:50But my work doesn't stop here.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55Now the fields have been harvested, we need to get them working again.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57While the weather is still being kind to us,
0:36:57 > 0:37:01we need to get on with our planting, with the drilling.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03And the ground is quite compacted
0:37:03 > 0:37:07and needs turning over to create a good seedbed.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10That's where this bad boy comes in handy.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19You can see the discs are cutting the ground
0:37:19 > 0:37:22and then behind it are some great big tines that are pulling
0:37:22 > 0:37:26through the soil, and then it's chopping up as it goes through.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30And there is the tilth that's left behind.
0:37:30 > 0:37:35Nice, broken soil, full of moisture, ready to plant the seed into.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39The sooner we can get crops back in the ground before the onset
0:37:39 > 0:37:42of winter, the better chance they'll have.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46In the next field, I'm keen to check on the crop I've already planted.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49It's one I'm hoping the sheep will benefit from.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51These stubble turnips are looking good.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54They are what is known as a catch crop.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57People have grown the stubble turnips and swedes for years.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00What we're doing is grabbing the opportunity to grow
0:38:00 > 0:38:02a crop in between two others.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05There was wheat in here, now stubble turnips
0:38:05 > 0:38:08and we'll plant spring barley next February.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Stubble turnips are one of the fastest growing catch crops,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14producing nutritious turnips in just 12 weeks,
0:38:14 > 0:38:16which makes great use of the land.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19And this is feed for the sheep over the winter.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22It'll carry on growing, there'll be plenty of leaf
0:38:22 > 0:38:25and the bulb on the bottom here in the root will swell up to
0:38:25 > 0:38:27be about the size of my fist.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31This is full of sugar and carbohydrates.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33It will save us on animal feed over the winter.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36We won't have to feed concentrate pellets or silage,
0:38:36 > 0:38:38they can just live off these.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40And because we're short of grass this summer,
0:38:40 > 0:38:45we decided to plant this field to tide the sheep over winter,
0:38:45 > 0:38:49to feed the lambs, and they should fatten up really nicely on this.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57But it's not just lambs born in the spring that will
0:38:57 > 0:38:59benefit from these stubble turnips.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03This year we've had some late arrivals on the farm.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08We had about 15 or 20 ewes that didn't conceive last autumn.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12And while we were busy lambing in the spring, we put them
0:39:12 > 0:39:16back to the ram just to see if it would work really, and it did.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Quite a few have got in lamb,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21and here we are lambing when most people lamb in the spring.
0:39:21 > 0:39:22It's a bit odd really.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25But these lambs will stay on their mothers now,
0:39:25 > 0:39:27they'll go out on those stubble turnips.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31Lovely little lambs. They're all lambing in the field over there
0:39:31 > 0:39:34and I'm taking the freshly born ones to join the other newborns.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38Come on then. Meep, meep.
0:39:38 > 0:39:43Come on then. There he is.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48We've got a set of triplets, a set of twins
0:39:48 > 0:39:50and two single lambs, which is great news.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53And these lambs will stay with their mothers,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56graze on the turnips and they'll be ready for the table in February
0:39:56 > 0:40:00when the price of lamb is high because there's a shortage.
0:40:00 > 0:40:05We've got a bit of a spring scene as we turn the corner towards winter.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15These aren't the only new arrivals.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19One of my pigs has been busy rearing her young, too.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21This is one of our Iron Age sows.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25She's a cross between a wild boar and a Tamworth.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29She's given birth to a lovely litter of nine piglets in here.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32We're going to have to turn them all out into the field now.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36We'll just separate her from her piglets and put her on the front.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39There's a good girl, there's a good girl.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43My sow can be a bit of a handful because she's part wild boar.
0:40:43 > 0:40:44But John's here to help.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50Well done, John, good skills.
0:40:50 > 0:40:56This is the easy bit, now we just catch the little piglets.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59PIGLETS SQUEAL
0:40:59 > 0:41:05They're like wriggly little rabbits. They're incredibly sweet.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08The wild boar in them gives them this stripiness,
0:41:08 > 0:41:11which is like a camouflage.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13Aren't they gorgeous?
0:41:15 > 0:41:18These piglets are about five days old.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21They're in good health, so I'm happy to let them
0:41:21 > 0:41:24go out in the field to enjoy the fresh pasture and open space.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27So now we'll just carry the little piglets and put them
0:41:27 > 0:41:30in their new home and let the sow out and she'll go and find them.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Three little pigs.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37In you go.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44Pigs are really hardy creatures, so she'll live outside very happily.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46That's where I much prefer to see them.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48- She's all right, John, isn't she?- Yeah.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51She's a bit of an angry at the moment, but tomorrow she'll be happy.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54Yeah. Great. All right, let's leave her be.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01Not all of our animals are as small, cute and easy to handle.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03Out in the field, Eric is giving me a bit of a headache.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05I think he's having women problems.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08This is Eric, my new Highland bull.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10I bought him at the Oban cattle sales in the spring,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12and he's a wonderful looking animal.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15I'm hoping he's going to really improve my herd
0:42:15 > 0:42:17with the calves that are born next spring.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20He's incredibly athletic and powerful,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22he's about a ton of solid muscle.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24He can run fast and he can cause a bit of damage.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28He's already started sticking his head in the fence and breaking it.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31You can see he's getting interested in my White Park cows.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34They're coming into season and he wants to get in with them.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38And if he jumped this fence and served one of these cows,
0:42:38 > 0:42:42the calves would come out ginger and I want them to be pedigree.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44This is barbed wire and it's very, very sharp.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47And he's a shoving his neck down and it, it must be hurting.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51He's as tough as old boots. So I'm going to have to shift him.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54Come on, you naughty boy. Your ladies are over there!
0:42:54 > 0:42:57Go on, go on.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09Go on, Eric.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13He can turn from a big, bumbling, ambling bull to this racing machine.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16For a bull that weighs about a ton he can't half shift.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18And I've got to know him, so I trust him,
0:43:18 > 0:43:21but you do have to be careful with these animals.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23They're big and powerful, and it's only because I know him
0:43:23 > 0:43:27that I can move him around like this.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32He doesn't want to leave this lovely grass. Go on!
0:43:32 > 0:43:37He's pretty quiet, really.
0:43:37 > 0:43:38Right.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41I'll leave him in there with his ladies now.
0:43:41 > 0:43:45I'm hoping he's got some of them in calf.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49But a good solid gate, a barbed-wire fence and then a stone wall -
0:43:49 > 0:43:50that should keep him in.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55Next week, I'm heading to Devon to visit a farmer whose recently
0:43:55 > 0:43:58adopted a large herd of traditional English cattle
0:43:58 > 0:44:01that are close to my heart. Longhorns.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13On the west coast of Argyll in Scotland, Loch Etive
0:44:13 > 0:44:16is where the sea water from the Firth of Lorn meets the fresh water
0:44:16 > 0:44:19filtering down through the mountains.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22The nature of the loch is pretty special.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26The water is brackish, which means that it's saltier than freshwater,
0:44:26 > 0:44:28but not as salty as sea water.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32Because of this, there's a huge variety of fish species
0:44:32 > 0:44:36in the loch, as many as 40.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39Which means it's like a theme park for anglers.
0:44:39 > 0:44:425,000 take to the water each year.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47It may be good news for anglers, but the water has also been
0:44:47 > 0:44:51blamed in part for the decline of an important industry on the loch.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55We are approaching a mussel farm just over there on the shore.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57Really, it should be a hive of activity,
0:44:57 > 0:45:02pulling in the mussels and processing them and getting them shipped off.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05But it all looks a bit too quiet.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08As these pictures from four years ago show,
0:45:08 > 0:45:12Walter Spears had a thriving £250,000 a year business.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15Today it's down to virtually nothing,
0:45:15 > 0:45:18and the place has been effectively mothballed.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20So tell me about what's happened to the farm.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22The farm has really collapsed
0:45:22 > 0:45:25because of the invasive species that's arrived,
0:45:25 > 0:45:28this Mytilus trossulus, which is not of any value commercially.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31We are really having to try and eradicate it to try
0:45:31 > 0:45:35and get this native stock of edulis back on our lines again.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37So edulis you do want, nice and weighty.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39- Nice and juicy.- A nice juicy one.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42And then on the other hand we have these trossulus ones.
0:45:42 > 0:45:46- If I just squeeze that, it just crumbles.- Just throw it away.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50There's nothing inside there that you would really want to eat.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53- There's hardly anything in there. - Hardly anything.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56Definitely looks less attractive too.
0:45:56 > 0:46:01This one, a nice meaty edulis. Nice and fleshy and succulent to eat.
0:46:03 > 0:46:08To give the edulis, or blue mussel, a chance to re-establish,
0:46:08 > 0:46:12the unwanted trossulus mussels are being removed from the loch.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Marine Scotland Science are taking water samples,
0:46:15 > 0:46:17looking for signs
0:46:17 > 0:46:20that the populations are changing in the right direction.
0:46:20 > 0:46:25So how did these two different species end up here in the loch?
0:46:25 > 0:46:29What we think may have happened is that mussels may have
0:46:29 > 0:46:32come across from Canada probably around about 10,000 years ago.
0:46:32 > 0:46:37So it's not one of these alien invasions.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41Probably not. The evidence that we've got suggests that it probably
0:46:41 > 0:46:43happened before human intervention.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46So how then did trossulus become dominant here?
0:46:46 > 0:46:49We don't really know, but one theory we have is
0:46:49 > 0:46:53that the conditions in this loch may have exacerbated the problem.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56The fact that it's low salinity, which trossulus likes.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59And it also likes living in the surface waters,
0:46:59 > 0:47:01and low salinity water tends to be at the surface.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05And the introduction of all of these mussel farms in the loch may
0:47:05 > 0:47:08have provided it with a habitat where it can flourish
0:47:08 > 0:47:10and outcompete the native blue mussel.
0:47:11 > 0:47:16But for Walter and the whole community, it's a slow recovery.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19It must have been quite stressful going through this process.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22Sure, it was a difficult time and not just for me.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25There were five companies working on this loch
0:47:25 > 0:47:28and maybe 20 to 25 people in full-time employment from it,
0:47:28 > 0:47:31as well as all the lorry drivers and things.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34This loch at its peak was producing 1,000 tonnes of mussels a year.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38So for that to have crashed to zero now and for all these people to
0:47:38 > 0:47:42have lost their jobs is significant in an economy like Argyll and Bute.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51In a moment we'll be finding out what the weather has lined up for us.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54But first, this is your very last chance to vote for your favourite in
0:47:54 > 0:47:57this year's photographic competition, with its theme Best In Show.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01Here's John with a reminder of what you need to do.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04We've given each of our final photos a number,
0:48:04 > 0:48:07and we'd like you to vote for your favourite.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11Calls cost 10p from a BT landline, other operators may vary
0:48:11 > 0:48:16and calls from mobiles will be considerably higher.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33Lines close at midnight tonight and all the details
0:49:33 > 0:49:38including the BBC's code of conduct for competitions are on our website.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42And we'll reveal the results of that vote on October 9th,
0:49:42 > 0:49:45along with the photo that the judges have chosen as their favourite.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49Thank you to everybody who's entered. It's going to be an awesome calendar.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51Now, here's the weather.
0:51:50 > 0:51:57.
0:52:08 > 0:52:13Loch Etive, a stunning 20-mile stretch of dramatic scenery
0:52:13 > 0:52:15and calm waters in the midwest of Scotland.
0:52:15 > 0:52:19It has everything a visitor could ask for - undulating landscape,
0:52:19 > 0:52:22beautiful views and diverse wildlife.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27But don't be fooled by its beauty, this loch is highly dangerous.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30The water here can change from calm very quickly
0:52:30 > 0:52:33to some of the fastest moving white water in the United Kingdom,
0:52:33 > 0:52:38making it ideal for the RNLI to train for emergency flood rescue.
0:52:38 > 0:52:43The international flood rescue team was formed by the charity in 2000.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46It's made up of three teams of 20 people,
0:52:46 > 0:52:51all of them on permanent standby for disasters at home and abroad.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55Every year they come to places like Loch Etive to train.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58Robin, I'm still here after the swift water training,
0:52:58 > 0:53:01which enables me to move on to the next exercise.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Absolutely, you did really well.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07Great swimming and I'm happy for you to come out on the boat.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11This morning we had 15 cubic metres per second coming down the river.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14- Yes.- This afternoon we've got 4,500 cubic metres per second
0:53:14 > 0:53:17- so we've stepped it up a little bit. - Yes, but the boat is involved here.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20We're moving up to our safe operational platform
0:53:20 > 0:53:21for working in floods.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24We're much safer being on a boat than in the water.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28The general idea is to go out and look at scenarios we've put together.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32We've given these guys a toolbox of skills and techniques in the training
0:53:32 > 0:53:35so we need to allow them the opportunity to put them into practice
0:53:35 > 0:53:39and make their own assessment of how to carry out a rescue.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42What I need you to do is be part of the crew.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46Our first rescue scenario is a report of a house
0:53:46 > 0:53:49which has got one person and a dog trapped inside.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52The water is rising rapidly.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Robin wants these flood rescue exercises to be as real as possible.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59The idea here is we're almost abseiling with a rip.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03Because of the power of the water we can't use the engines
0:54:03 > 0:54:06so we're slowly letting ourselves out.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14We've managed to reach the window, battling against the tide.
0:54:14 > 0:54:19In a real-life situation, this would mean the successful rescue
0:54:19 > 0:54:22of people or animals trapped inside.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24But the drama continues.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29The idea here is that Roy will get into the water upstream,
0:54:29 > 0:54:33come down, and I'll throw the line out to him, which he'll grab,
0:54:33 > 0:54:40and then we'll pull him into the boat. Here we go.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43This exercise is used to practise rescuing people
0:54:43 > 0:54:47who have been swept away by fast-moving flood water.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52It's just so frantic, everything seems to happen so fast
0:54:52 > 0:54:56and you're so aware of the white water and the torrents
0:54:56 > 0:54:58and everything kicking up behind you.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01It really is like a one-show wonder.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04Got him! The casualty is safe.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09In order to get to those in trouble,
0:55:09 > 0:55:12this job relies heavily on being able to instantly react
0:55:12 > 0:55:16to the environment around you, and that means controlling the boat.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19We're entering into the world of high-speed turns
0:55:19 > 0:55:22and these are used in a situation where there isn't enough room
0:55:22 > 0:55:25to turn around so the rest of the crew act as ballast.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29When our driver shouts right, then we all lean to the right.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33Cockermouth is a classic example, so we're going down the High Street,
0:55:33 > 0:55:34we can't do a three-point turn,
0:55:34 > 0:55:36so you're spinning the boat on a sixpence.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39Here we go.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52Glad I got to do the boat cruise!
0:56:00 > 0:56:01What a day I've had.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04To experience the power of the water of this place
0:56:04 > 0:56:08in the experienced hands of this lot has been something else.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11I've got so much respect for all the work they do here
0:56:11 > 0:56:17and all over the world. What a team. What a team they are!
0:56:22 > 0:56:25- Hello, hello.- Hello, how are you doing?- Very good.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27Judging by your attire,
0:56:27 > 0:56:30I'm guessing your boat trip wasn't as extreme as mine.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34- It was quite sedate. We enjoyed the view.- That's all we've got time for.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36Next week we're going to be in the Garden of England, Kent,
0:56:36 > 0:56:39home to the national fruit collection
0:56:39 > 0:56:41where we'll be sampling apples fit for a king.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43And we'll be trying our hand
0:56:43 > 0:56:45at the at the local sporting tradition of bat and trap.
0:56:45 > 0:56:49- How about that?- Does it involve bag throwing or fast turns?- No.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51Right, well I'd better get changed.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53You've only got a few more hours
0:56:53 > 0:56:56to vote in our Countryfile photographic competition.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58All the details are on our website
0:56:58 > 0:57:00and we'll reveal the results on October 9th,
0:57:00 > 0:57:03- along with the judges' favourite. See you next week.- Bye.
0:57:06 > 0:57:10Subtitles by Red Bee Ltd
0:57:10 > 0:57:13E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk