18/09/2011 Countryfile


18/09/2011

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Surrounded by wild countryside and rugged mountains,

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Loch Etive flows through some of Scotland's most stunning scenery

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before finally reaching the sea.

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For most of its length, there's very little in the way of road access

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and hardly any habitation,

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so what better way to explore Loch Etive than by boat?

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And I've been promised some spectacular views.

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'I'm going for a boat ride too,

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'but something tells me it won't be as tranquil as Ellie's.'

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Loch Etive has one of the biggest flows of white water in the UK.

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The water flows through here at a rate of ten knots per hour,

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which makes it the perfect place for these guys to practise.

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Tonight, I'm going to be thrown in at the deep end

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and really put through my places

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as the RNLI's International Flood Rescue Team

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train for real-life flood situations.

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And while we're exploring the loch, John's having a few days away.

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This year, more and more of us have been spending our holidays

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here in Britain, becoming, in that new word, staycationers.

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But what impact is this having on our countryside?

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That's what I'll be investigating.

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Right, this is the easy bit. Now we just catch the little piglets!

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'And with the harvest almost over,

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'Adam's getting to grips with a new litter.'

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They're like wriggly little rabbits, but they're incredibly sweet.

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Never more than a mile wide,

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Loch Etive is enclosed by rugged peaks and deep green glens.

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The loch runs for 20 miles through Argyle in West Scotland,

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from Glencoe in the north

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to the Connel Bridge and the Firth Of Lorn beyond.

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You can only reach half the loch by road,

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but even if you could drive the whole thing,

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I'm told that the best way to take it all in is by boat,

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and I've been promised a spectacular cruise.

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Check out that view.

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My skipper for the day is Donald.

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He's the latest in a family line of Loch Etive boatsmen.

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He's carrying on the tradition,

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running boat trips for tourists and fishermen.

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-So your father was a boatman too?

-His father before as well.

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-Oh, really?

-It's about three generations now.

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When I was a child, my father would be coming up and down every day

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and you get to know the loch quite well after a while.

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-Well, lucky you, getting to work here.

-It's a nice occupation.

-Yeah.

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My first stop is at Dunstaffnage Castle,

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standing guard where Loch Etive meets the sea.

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The castle is one of the oldest in Scotland, nearly 800 years old.

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Built to protect Argyle from invading Norwegians,

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it sits at a strategic spot

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for anyone trying to attack Scotland from the west,

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but its most famous moment came a mere 265 years ago

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when, for a brief period, it was the unwanted home of a Highland heroine.

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Flora MacDonald was imprisoned in the castle in 1746

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after she smuggled Bonnie Prince Charlie to Skye.

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Famously, he dressed as her female servant to aid his escape.

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Mind you, it's not a bad place to be imprisoned, is it?

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This landscape is movie-set drop-dead gorgeous.

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There is absolutely nothing not to like about that.

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Now, we're on the way now to another slice of Loch Etive history,

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but before we get there, we're going to make a little bit of a detour.

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We've got a special delivery to make

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to what must be one of the most remote properties in Britain.

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Here's the post. How often do they get this?

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-Three times a week. Monday, Wednesday, Fridays.

-Not too bad.

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So not too bad at all.

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So these lucky people get to avoid the supermarket scrum.

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-They're very lucky. It's all done for them.

-Very nice, too.

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-And you usually just drop and run, do you?

-Yeah, that's pretty much it.

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We collect stuff for next time, take it up to the grocer,

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he'll deliver it to us next week, and same thing happens again.

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With our errand completed, I'm getting off at Kelly's Pier

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to explore a more industrial side to Loch Etive's history.

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In the middle of the 18th century,

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attracted by the plentiful supply of water and wood around here,

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a Cumbrian ironmaster built an ironworks.

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Bonawe Furnace.

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At its peak, it produced 700 tonnes of pig iron, and employed 600 people.

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But there was a big divide, because only the workers from Cumbria,

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about 20 of them, operated the furnace.

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The 600 Gaelic-speaking locals were employed to coppice trees

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and make the huge quantities of charcoal needed.

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John Macfarlane's great-grandmother worked here.

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John, what would life have been like here for your great-grandmother?

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It was pretty tough.

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It was very noisy, very hard, backbreaking work, as it were.

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And long hours, as well. She was probably about 22 or 23 at the time.

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Wow. The iron they produced was pig iron. What is that?

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Well, when iron melts in the furnace itself,

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they've got a pre-prepared channel of sand,

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and the molten iron runs into it,

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and if you're looking down from the top,

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it would look like a pig with piglets,

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-and that's why it's called pig iron.

-That's the explanation.

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The iron would have been shipped off and used for all different purposes?

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Yes. They made cannonballs with it, in the Napoleonic wars,

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that was one of the main things they were doing here,

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producing cannonballs to fight the French.

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Nelson claimed that every cannonball fired at Trafalgar

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came from this foundry.

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Every cannonball? Had he counted them? Ha-ha!

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Lord Nelson saved England.

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This place may have been settled for centuries.

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'The furnace is still seen as an important part of the history

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'of the landscape.

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'This group of actors are rehearsing a play that is about

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'and is staged at the furnace.'

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I really enjoyed that. That was a fantastic performance.

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What better place to do a piece of theatre about the foundry

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than here at the foundry!

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Yeah, well... Yes! And the story and the setting is just amazing.

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When I first saw this place,

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I thought it was the most natural and vibrant place for theatre.

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It was sort of like Dante's Inferno, I think.

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There was huge amounts of work going on,

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and life and death, and really brutal life,

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and I think you can feel that when we're performing from the stones,

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-I just love the energy from working here.

-That was a great performance.

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-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

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Although it outlasted other Scottish ironworks using charcoal,

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production at Bonawe Furnace finally stopped in 1876.

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Today, it's the best preserved ironworks of its kind in the UK.

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I'm heading back out onto Loch Etive in search of wildlife.

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But first, with the economy causing many of us to feel the pinch,

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a growing number of people are choosing to holiday here in Britain.

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But how does holidaying here shape up?

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Well, John's been investigating the rise of the staycation.

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This year's summer holiday is now a distant, hopefully happy, memory,

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and for many people,

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it was all about rediscovering the British countryside.

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So what effect is all this home-grown tourism having?

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Could it spoil unspoiled parts of our landscape?

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To find out, I've chosen at random a bit of the countryside

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that wants to boost its share of the tourist market,

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the 15-mile-long Churnet Valley in Staffordshire.

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Perhaps not the best known of tourist destinations - well, not yet -

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but at either end of this lovely valley

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there are places that everyone has certainly heard of.

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Down there is Alton Towers, and up at the top of the valley,

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the Peak District.

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The Carman family have come here for their first ever camping holiday.

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Well, you've spent many years, haven't you, as a family,

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holidaying abroad.

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This year is your first staycation. Why are you in the UK?

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Well, mainly because of the cost.

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You know, where we are now, it's expensive.

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The travelling and the plane and the sitting in the station...

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-it's a hassle, isn't it?

-Yeah.

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Would you rather be on some beach in some exotic place?

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I'd rather go camping, because, like,

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when you go on holiday, we can't take the dog anywhere.

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-You can't really take Coco to Mexico and places.

-No, not really!

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The cost and convenience of staycations

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have made places like this, Staffordshire's moorlands,

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increasingly attractive.

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There are now more than three million trips here every year,

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bringing in more than £150 million, but it's not just about the money.

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For many people, it's a fresh chance to enjoy our rural heritage.

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Normally, they have steam engines, but today it's a diesel.

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And attractions like the Churnet Valley Railway

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are a perfect way to do that.

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A lot of people don't realise how beautiful the countryside is.

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We live near the Peak District.

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You don't realise how nice the area is until you do something like this.

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You take things you see daily for granted.

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It has opened your eyes to what's in this country.

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Do you reckon next year you will be staying in the UK?

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-Oh, yes, without a doubt, won't we?

-Yeah.

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This new-found appreciation of the British countryside

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is having huge benefits.

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Some rural train services

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have seen an incredible 90% increase in passengers

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in the last few years.

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'And the economic benefits go much further than that.

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-'Sarah Long is from Visit England.' Hello, Sarah.

-Hello.

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You've been studying staycationers. Just who are they?

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They are people like you and I.

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It started in 2009, when the word "staycation" was born.

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It was as a result of the credit crunch.

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What it did was showcase the countryside to lots of people

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who wouldn't usually take a holiday here.

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Last year, there were 17 million visitors spending around £3 billion.

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This year, those figures are about 2% up.

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It supports lots and lots of jobs and businesses.

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Not just hotels and B&Bs, but the local pub down the road,

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the gift shop, regional food suppliers,

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all benefit from the money that tourists spend.

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With more and more people visiting the countryside,

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that has the potential for having a harmful effect

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on the beautiful places they want to see.

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We do have to conserve our beauty spots, that is correct.

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It is about destination management.

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We have a great network of fantastic organisations

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who make sure our places stay beautiful.

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Today, tourism is worth more

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to the rural economy in Britain than farming.

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And there are plenty of opportunities to cash in.

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With more and more people coming to the Churnet Valley in Staffordshire,

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there are ambitious plans afoot.

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There is talk of turning the area into a tourism corridor,

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bringing more people here

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and pumping more money into the local economy.

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The plans are still at the early stages, but the local council

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is hoping to attract private money to redevelop existing brownfield sites.

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Leading the project is Councillor Andrew Hart.

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What are your priorities?

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I think sites like this, which are a fantastic blank canvas.

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This used to be a copper works.

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We have former derelict sites, which are ex-quarries.

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It is what we do with those.

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It's got tremendous heritage potential.

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I think history, particularly industrial history,

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is very important to visitors.

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Is there money available for this, Government grants?

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This area has never attracted a great deal of grants,

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even in good times.

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I think we are looking for inward private investment.

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Development here could be great for the local economy,

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but there are concerns about the plans.

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Many people who live in this valley like it just the way it is

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and the idea of more cars, more people, more noise,

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won't be to everyone's taste.

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Later, I'll be asking what the cost to the countryside might be

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of the staycation boom.

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Loch Etive, a vast body of water flowing from the mountains

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and steep glens of mid-west Scotland out to the sea.

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This is spectacular.

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But there's a lot more to this place than just the views

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and it's all to do with the landscape

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and the ever-changing tides.

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'Lock Etive has one of the largest flows of white water in the UK.

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'Unlike other stretches of white water,

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'it's ruled by the tide, making it very dangerous.'

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Every year, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution

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come here to practise their emergency flood techniques.

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This water replicates the kind of conditions that they could face

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in real-life flood situations.

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Because the water is so fast-flowing,

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it also attracts adrenaline junkies.

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Tony Hammock is a local kayak instructor.

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He knows these waters well.

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Why is this so special from a kayakers' point of view,

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and why is it so different to any other white water?

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It's hugely powerful.

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So when it's running full bore,

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there are over 4,000 tonnes of water coming through there a second.

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It's absolutely massive.

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At the same time, it is variable,

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so you can get a huge range of conditions even within a day.

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Huge quantities of water flow from the mountains

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through the neck of the loch, creating fast-moving white water,

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which also creates the perfect conditions for flood-rescue training.

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The threat and impact of flooding at home and abroad

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continues to be a huge issue.

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Rising sea levels and increasingly severe rainstorms

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means the situation is likely to get worse.

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Every year, the RNLI come to Scotland

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to use the loch and surrounding fast-moving rivers.

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All but one of the guys here are volunteers.

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They have day jobs, too, so continuous training is essential.

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On average, the RNLI saves 22 people a day at sea.

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But flood training, that's a different loch full of fish.

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Today, members of the RNLI are here

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to practise their search-and-rescue skills in flood conditions.

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I'm joining to see if I've got what it takes.

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'I'll be in the safe but wet hands of Robin Goodlad.'

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'Quite a reassuring name!'

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This is the sort of training venue we need to find

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that gives us realistic water.

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-That's why we are here.

-What's going to be going on?

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I see a couple of lads are ready to go now.

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What is the plan?

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What we will be doing is swift-water rescue training.

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All of our crew members have sea-going experience,

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but working in a flood environment is completely different.

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You've got hazards such as park benches, fences, railings,

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that you don't get at sea,

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So we have to train them with a realistic environment.

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-Goodness me!

-Yes.

-That was Nige going like a rocket!

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You have chosen this section of the river because...

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It's fast-moving. It replicates the flood environment.

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Two years ago, 12 and a half inches of rain water fell in just 24 hours

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on Cockermouth in Cumbria.

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The RNLI, along with other emergency services,

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helped rescue 300 people

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cut off or swept away by flood water.

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Carl Sadler was on the front line.

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How much does this training prepare you for those real situations?

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-It's quite different to rivers.

-Yeah, it's...

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When I was in Cockermouth,

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it was the volume of water coming straight through the high street.

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It reminds me of this situation here.

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Does it really?

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The actual rocks underneath the water here

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represents the cars and the trees underneath the water.

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Roy, you were in Gloucester, at the floods there. What was that like?

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We didn't have quite the same speed of water

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they had in Cockermouth,

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but it was the sheer scale. It was over a number of counties.

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Their resources were thin on the ground.

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We were continuously on the go for about 72 hours.

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And when you are faced with a situation like Cockermouth,

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-did you go straight into RNLI mode?

-You don't have time to get shocked,

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because it is straight in.

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At Cockermouth, our recce was to get in there,

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see what's happening,

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because we were the first boats into Cockermouth High Street.

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Before these guys can think about rescuing people

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from fast-moving water,

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they have to learn to survive it themselves.

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So swift-water training is vital.

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The time is getting closer to when I'm going to get in.

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You'd better tell me the best way of getting out!

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Either side we've got a flat section of water.

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This side, they're called eddies.

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The main flow is the jet in the middle.

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We are working between the eddies.

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As you enter, point your upper body upstream.

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As your upper body and head goes into the flow,

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the current will whip you round and try turning you downstream.

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What you've to do it is backward paddling and keep going.

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Once the momentum is taken out of the water,

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you'll find it is slack and calm, you are not going anywhere.

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At that point, try rolling towards the other side, like a log roll,

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and that will take you into the eddy.

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Right, let's see what happens.

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The lovely thing about this is that the RNLI is an arm's reach away!

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'Here I go.'

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'The current is incredibly strong.

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'I have to fight to get the other side.'

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Whoo!

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Yes!

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It's just a wall of water, man.

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You're paddling away, doing a little turn,

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spot the shore, grrr, dig in and go.

0:19:150:19:19

But what a feeling!

0:19:190:19:20

That's invigorating, I tell you what.

0:19:200:19:23

But I'm so happy to be doing it in this environment,

0:19:230:19:26

with the protection of these lads.

0:19:260:19:28

Because it doesn't bear thinking about,

0:19:280:19:31

that happening for real in a flood situation.

0:19:310:19:35

'This is scary stuff. And only the start of my training.'

0:19:360:19:40

'Later, I'll be thrown in at the deep-end on Loch Etive,

0:19:400:19:43

'when I really get put through my paces

0:19:430:19:46

'in some emergency flood manoeuvres.'

0:19:460:19:48

This is emblematic Scottish landscape.

0:19:550:19:58

Fresh clear water rushes down off the surrounding mountains

0:19:580:20:01

through dense glens into the glass-like loch.

0:20:010:20:05

The northern half of Loch Etive is the least accessible

0:20:050:20:08

and therefore the most tranquil,

0:20:080:20:10

possibly one of the few remaining places of true wilderness

0:20:100:20:13

left in the country.

0:20:130:20:14

And with that comes great opportunities to spot wildlife.

0:20:140:20:19

'I've arranged for Philip Price

0:20:220:20:24

'to join me for the next leg of my journey.'

0:20:240:20:27

-Some serious kit you've got there!

-It does the job.

0:20:270:20:30

'He's a wildlife photographer,

0:20:300:20:32

'passionate about the flora and fauna of his homeland.'

0:20:320:20:35

What is it about Loch Etive that is so great for wildlife photography?

0:20:390:20:44

The variety you get in Loch Etive is absolutely astonishing.

0:20:450:20:50

Just where we are travelling now,

0:20:500:20:51

that is the back of Ben Cruachan up there.

0:20:510:20:54

On the top of Ben Cruachan you will get hares,

0:20:540:20:57

all the real mountain alpine animals.

0:20:570:20:59

Then you come down the slopes and you get these woodlands.

0:20:590:21:03

And there is a phenomenal place for red squirrels.

0:21:030:21:07

You come down into the loch side

0:21:070:21:08

and you will get cormorants, shags, eiders,

0:21:080:21:11

you name it, you've got all of your marine life down here.

0:21:110:21:14

We have even seen otters along the coast.

0:21:140:21:16

So, in terms of diversity, you simply can't beat Loch Etive,

0:21:160:21:19

it's a wonderful place.

0:21:190:21:21

'After venturing north to the quietest part of the loch,

0:21:210:21:25

'we find what we were looking for.'

0:21:250:21:27

-Aren't they awesome? Look at that.

-You couldn't dream up that scene.

0:21:270:21:33

It's just mind-boggling.

0:21:330:21:34

To see this many here, in this location.

0:21:340:21:37

I come here regularly, but... It's just astonishing.

0:21:370:21:43

We ought to take a picture, since we are here.

0:21:430:21:45

What I've noticed is you stuck me on auto.

0:21:450:21:47

We are going to change that.

0:21:470:21:49

If you zoom to 300 mil, it gives you maximum zoom.

0:21:490:21:52

We will put it on aperture priority

0:21:520:21:54

and that is the technical term

0:21:540:21:55

that means you control how blurry the background is

0:21:550:21:58

and the camera then helps you with controlling how much light to let in

0:21:580:22:01

and correctly exposing.

0:22:010:22:03

-Just have a go then?

-Fire away.

0:22:030:22:04

Get the centre square, when you look through the viewfinder,

0:22:040:22:08

right over the animal's head.

0:22:080:22:09

That means the head is in focus. When looking through the lens,

0:22:090:22:13

-you will see how gorgeous these animals are.

-It's amazing.

0:22:130:22:17

-Best in show there for the photographic competition!

-Definitely!

0:22:170:22:21

And just the scenery and the wildlife.

0:22:210:22:24

I was hoping we would see seals, but you never know.

0:22:240:22:28

And when it happens...

0:22:280:22:29

I'll never get bored with doing wildlife photography,

0:22:290:22:32

because that unknown,

0:22:320:22:33

so when it happens, it makes it all the more sweeter.

0:22:330:22:37

Oh, wow, look at that.

0:22:370:22:39

If you want to get close to wildlife in the great outdoors,

0:22:460:22:49

the BBC has teamed up with a range of partners

0:22:490:22:52

who offer activities throughout the UK.

0:22:520:22:54

Go to our website and click on "things to do".

0:22:540:22:58

James is somewhere over that mountain,

0:22:580:23:01

where water is the key ingredient.

0:23:010:23:03

This is the 100ft Cruachan Dam, which holds back a huge reservoir.

0:23:060:23:11

It looks something like a scene out of a James Bond movie.

0:23:110:23:14

Impressive, huh?

0:23:140:23:17

JAMES BOND THEME TUNE

0:23:170:23:20

The name's Wong, James Wong.

0:23:220:23:24

You didn't really think I was going to do that, did you?

0:23:350:23:38

Well done, Andy! Congratulations.

0:23:380:23:40

I don't have a licence to kill,

0:23:400:23:42

I don't even have a licence to drive.

0:23:420:23:44

The closest I am going to come to Pierce Brosnan

0:23:440:23:46

is the fact that scenes from the film The World Is Not Enough

0:23:460:23:49

were shot right here, deep inside this mountain.

0:23:490:23:53

'That's because buried 1,000ft below these thistles

0:23:530:23:56

'is one of the country's most amazing engineering achievements.'

0:23:560:24:00

A revolutionary hydropower station.

0:24:030:24:06

The first of its kind in the world and built nearly 50 years ago.

0:24:060:24:10

'From the top of the dam, you can see right down to Loch Awe,

0:24:120:24:16

'which is connected to the reservoir

0:24:160:24:18

'by underground pipes that travel through the power station.'

0:24:180:24:21

Michael Mullen worked here for 39 years.

0:24:210:24:25

I still can't believe that 1,000ft below that it is a power station.

0:24:250:24:29

How did they build it?

0:24:290:24:31

It was dug out by a big machine, which rotated and dug it out.

0:24:310:24:37

All the tunnels that were built were done by drilling and blasted out.

0:24:420:24:46

EXPLOSION

0:24:460:24:48

You'd never believe it. It looks such a natural space.

0:24:480:24:51

That must have been hundreds and hundreds of tonnes of rock

0:24:510:24:54

hewn right out of the mountain.

0:24:540:24:56

Thousands of tonnes, yes.

0:24:560:24:58

The health and safety wasn't what it is today.

0:24:580:25:01

It must have been pretty horrendous.

0:25:010:25:03

Cruachan was revolutionary.

0:25:040:25:07

It was the first plant that could store electricity.

0:25:070:25:11

Allow me to explain simply.

0:25:110:25:13

The generators are powered by water

0:25:130:25:15

travelling from the reservoir to the loch through its turbines.

0:25:150:25:19

But here's the clever bit. The turbines are reversible.

0:25:190:25:23

This means that during the night when we are asleep,

0:25:230:25:25

they can use the excess electricity to pump the water from the loch

0:25:250:25:29

back up to the reservoir,

0:25:290:25:30

ready for driving the turbines when we need the power most.

0:25:300:25:34

Mechanical genius.

0:25:340:25:35

Unbelievably, the pylons which carry the electricity

0:25:390:25:43

have been taken off-line for repairs

0:25:430:25:46

for the first time in 50 years.

0:25:460:25:48

I hope someone is keeping a GoldenEye on the off switch,

0:25:480:25:51

You Only Live Twice!

0:25:510:25:52

Once a year the heart of the power station

0:25:520:25:54

gets some essential maintenance work done

0:25:540:25:56

and I've been given special permission

0:25:560:25:58

to go right down into the control room.

0:25:580:26:00

It's a part the public don't normally get to see.

0:26:000:26:03

You might say it's For Your Eyes Only. Good to meet you.

0:26:030:26:07

Getting inside means a short drive down a long tunnel.

0:26:070:26:11

'I'm trying not to think

0:26:140:26:15

'of the half of a mile of solid rock above my head.

0:26:150:26:18

'I'd prefer to Die Another Day.'

0:26:180:26:20

-We can go down up to a kilometre down here.

-This is a kilometre long?!

0:26:220:26:25

-One kilometre long.

-This is your drive to work every day?!

0:26:250:26:28

-I drive to work every day, yes.

-It's like a bat cave inside here.

0:26:280:26:31

It's quite exciting.

0:26:310:26:33

'This might be all in a day's work for engineer Alastair Dewar,

0:26:330:26:36

'but it's scaring The Living Daylights out of me!'

0:26:360:26:39

OK, James, this is the tally to let them know we are in here.

0:26:390:26:43

-You check in. Yep.

-And we'll just head in.

0:26:430:26:47

Wow! This ceiling!

0:26:470:26:50

-Yes.

-This is where it all happens?

-This is where it all happens.

0:26:500:26:54

We're lucky today, there's only one machine ticking over,

0:26:540:26:57

or we wouldn't be able to speak.

0:26:570:26:59

'The space inside this mountain is immense.'

0:27:000:27:03

'Apparently, you could fit the Tower of London in here.'

0:27:030:27:06

These are the turbines that get spun round

0:27:060:27:08

by the water generating electricity?

0:27:080:27:10

-Yes. We've got three levels.

-I'm not going to look over too much!

0:27:100:27:14

-This goes three or four times below the floor.

-Yes.

0:27:140:27:19

At the top is a small motor and the next floor is the main generators.

0:27:190:27:24

And then another level down is the actual heart of the turbine.

0:27:240:27:29

You really can't forget you are underground

0:27:290:27:33

because you see the exposed rock.

0:27:330:27:36

I don't know how I'd feel about working here.

0:27:360:27:38

It's an amazing design but, yes, you feel hemmed in,

0:27:380:27:41

ironically, when there is a big ceiling.

0:27:410:27:44

When the turbines are working at maximum capacity,

0:27:500:27:53

they are kicking out 440 megawatts of electricity to the grid

0:27:530:27:57

in less than 30 seconds. Now, that's fast.

0:27:570:28:00

'That's enough to power a city the size of Edinburgh.

0:28:000:28:05

'So next time you flick of the TV to watch Countryfile,

0:28:050:28:08

'spare a thought for the 33 guys working here, without natural light,

0:28:080:28:12

'to ensure the electricity you need Tomorrow...Never Dies!'

0:28:120:28:16

Still to come on tonight's programme...

0:28:180:28:23

'I'll be joining the RNLI

0:28:230:28:24

'on a training exercise out on the loch...'

0:28:240:28:27

Everything seems to happen so fast.

0:28:270:28:29

..John's back with a reminder

0:28:290:28:31

of how to vote in the Countryfile photographic competition...

0:28:310:28:34

..and, on Adam's farm, Eric the bull is causing trouble again...

0:28:350:28:40

Come on, you naughty boy. Your ladies are over there.

0:28:400:28:43

..plus, we'll have the weather forecast for the week ahead.

0:28:430:28:47

Earlier in the programme,

0:28:560:28:57

John was investigating the rise of the staycation.

0:28:570:29:00

But with a growing number holidaying in Britain,

0:29:000:29:02

what impact is this having on our countryside?

0:29:020:29:05

'I'm in the Churnet Valley, a treasured part

0:29:130:29:15

'of the Staffordshire Moorlands, rich in history and natural beauty.'

0:29:150:29:20

'But with more visitors coming every year,

0:29:200:29:23

'there are those wanting to capitalise on the tourism.'

0:29:230:29:26

There are plans to turn this valley into a tourism corridor

0:29:260:29:30

leading up towards the Peak District,

0:29:300:29:32

with more accommodation, attractions and hopefully many more visitors.

0:29:320:29:37

But how might that affect the identity, the character of this area?

0:29:370:29:40

And would it spoil its natural beauty?

0:29:400:29:43

'Some people certainly think so.

0:29:450:29:47

'John Higgins has lived in the Churnet Valley

0:29:470:29:49

'for the last 20 years.'

0:29:490:29:51

How do you detect the mood

0:29:510:29:52

of local people about this plan to boost tourism?

0:29:520:29:54

Fear and trepidation I think is the answer, John. I am worried about it.

0:29:540:30:00

What we really want to do is, we are not against tourism,

0:30:000:30:03

very much far from it.

0:30:030:30:05

We want tourists in the valley, but we want the right kind of tourists.

0:30:050:30:08

What we need is the kind of tourists who are going to come

0:30:080:30:12

and spend their money in the valley at the local places.

0:30:120:30:15

We've got all the infrastructure here

0:30:150:30:16

to support walkers, cyclists, horse riders.

0:30:160:30:19

But the idea is to get many more people in here,

0:30:190:30:22

and that will have an impact.

0:30:220:30:23

I don't say that that's wrong.

0:30:230:30:25

I want to keep the money in the valley, I don't want large hotels.

0:30:250:30:29

I don't want a huge developments that people will only come to by car

0:30:290:30:32

and will stay there and go home at the end of the day.

0:30:320:30:35

That does not profit the local economy.

0:30:350:30:37

These worries aren't confined to the Churnet Valley,

0:30:370:30:40

because across the country

0:30:400:30:41

businesses are keen to benefit from the boom.

0:30:410:30:45

An indication of the investment that's now going into rural tourism

0:30:450:30:49

comes with the news that one of Britain's biggest hotel chains

0:30:490:30:52

is going to build 37 hotels near to our top countryside locations.

0:30:520:30:57

It's going to focus in particular on areas close to national parks.

0:30:570:31:02

That's going to raise some eyebrows.

0:31:020:31:04

So can tourism ever really blend into the landscape?

0:31:040:31:09

There's one high-profile development which claims to have done just that.

0:31:090:31:14

I've come out to Wales, to Pembrokeshire,

0:31:140:31:16

to a holiday village where cars have to be left on the outside.

0:31:160:31:20

It opened only three years ago in the very heart of the National Park.

0:31:200:31:24

So when it was first proposed, there were concerns about

0:31:240:31:27

the possible impact this place would have on this very beautiful area.

0:31:270:31:31

Concerns which we reported at the time.

0:31:310:31:34

Back then there were fears,

0:31:340:31:36

not just about the effect on the countryside,

0:31:360:31:38

but also that it would take tourists away from existing businesses.

0:31:380:31:43

The proposed development is such a large one,

0:31:430:31:46

the impact on local tourism could be cannibalisation

0:31:460:31:51

of self-catered accommodation.

0:31:510:31:53

It's almost a one-horse bet on local tourism.

0:31:530:31:56

Despite the objections, the development got the go-ahead.

0:31:560:32:00

So how does it sit in the landscape today?

0:32:000:32:02

Perhaps, not surprisingly, the boss, William McNamara,

0:32:020:32:06

feels that it works well.

0:32:060:32:08

This is where your dairy cows used to graze

0:32:080:32:11

when you took a huge financial gamble on setting up this village.

0:32:110:32:14

-Staycation paying off for you?

-Yes, it is now.

0:32:140:32:17

-This is farming but in a different way.

-You're farming people here.

0:32:170:32:21

Farming tourists.

0:32:210:32:22

When the plans were first put forward for this village

0:32:220:32:25

there were concerns, weren't there?

0:32:250:32:27

People were worried it might ruin a part of the National Park.

0:32:270:32:31

Yes, and we were very sensitive to that through the planning process.

0:32:310:32:35

But what we've delivered is what we said we would deliver.

0:32:350:32:38

You can see, we've planted 170,000 trees and shrubs.

0:32:380:32:43

Nothing breaks the horizon, so you can't actually see it from outside.

0:32:430:32:47

We have over 200 suppliers to the business

0:32:470:32:51

that are Pembrokeshire-based companies.

0:32:510:32:53

Our guests stay at Bluestone

0:32:530:32:56

but see a lot of Pembrokeshire.

0:32:560:32:58

It is so important to put money back into the area.

0:32:580:33:01

In fact, it's claimed that this resort brings

0:33:010:33:04

between £8-10 million to the local economy every year.

0:33:040:33:10

The site also supports a co-operative of 15 farmers

0:33:100:33:14

who all grow crops for the development.

0:33:140:33:18

Miscanthus, origin of Asia, it's grass similar to bamboo.

0:33:180:33:22

We chip it and blend it with woodchip

0:33:220:33:25

and burn it in the bio-mass boilers to supply the heat for Bluestone.

0:33:250:33:30

So a project like this is bringing together tourism and agriculture.

0:33:300:33:33

Yes. In this rural area of Pembrokeshire I think the two

0:33:330:33:37

main wealth creators in the rural area are farming and tourism.

0:33:370:33:41

They do fit well together.

0:33:410:33:44

Despite the sensitive nature of the Bluestone National Park Resort,

0:33:440:33:48

there are still some local people who wish it had never been built.

0:33:480:33:53

So back in Staffordshire,

0:33:530:33:56

are there lessons that can be learnt for the Churnet Valley?

0:33:560:33:59

This is idyllic, Andrew, pottering along on the canal,

0:33:590:34:02

but earlier on we were talking about plans to turn the valley

0:34:020:34:06

into a tourist corridor, encouraging many more people to come here.

0:34:060:34:10

How do you do that without spoiling the place?

0:34:100:34:13

What we've got to do it is anything that is built in this valley,

0:34:130:34:17

it must be sympathetic, it must be built with local materials.

0:34:170:34:21

-New hotels and things like that?

-Oh, yes, of course.

0:34:210:34:24

It's got to fit in, and it's got to fit in also with

0:34:240:34:26

the residents as well.

0:34:260:34:28

What about the infrastructure of the valley, lots of winding roads.

0:34:280:34:32

Many more people coming here would cause traffic jams.

0:34:320:34:35

I think one of the most important things is to get people

0:34:350:34:39

out of vehicles, on to the alternative forms of transport.

0:34:390:34:42

We don't want to spoil what we've got. That's absolutely fundamental.

0:34:420:34:46

It's clear that making the most of the home-grown tourist boom

0:34:460:34:49

is going to be a balancing act.

0:34:490:34:51

It's great to think that so many people

0:34:510:34:54

are rediscovering the beauty of the British countryside,

0:34:540:34:57

and that rural economies are feeling the benefit.

0:34:570:35:01

But we all have to be incredibly careful that development

0:35:010:35:04

and high numbers of visitors don't spoil the beauty

0:35:040:35:07

and tranquillity that brought people here in the first place.

0:35:070:35:11

To me, to me!

0:35:110:35:12

After 12 months of hard graft,

0:35:240:35:27

the harvest is almost over down on the farm.

0:35:270:35:29

But life for Adam never stops. He's already preparing for next year.

0:35:290:35:34

Well, there's a good feeling on the farm today

0:35:390:35:42

because harvest is virtually over,

0:35:420:35:44

the combine will be arriving back in the yard this afternoon.

0:35:440:35:48

We've got through 300 acres of winter rape

0:35:480:35:51

and then about 440 acres of barley.

0:35:510:35:53

And then 375 acres of winter wheat.

0:35:530:35:56

So there's been a lot of hard work going on and the sheds

0:35:560:35:59

are now brimming with grain.

0:35:590:36:01

This shed holds around 900 tonnes.

0:36:010:36:03

We've got 600 tonnes of milling wheat over there,

0:36:030:36:06

that'll go for making bread.

0:36:060:36:07

And on this side, we've got around 300 tonnes of feed wheat,

0:36:070:36:11

this will go for animal feed.

0:36:110:36:13

And even though it's safe and in the shed,

0:36:130:36:15

we still need to look after it.

0:36:150:36:18

We blow cold air through the grain to keep cool

0:36:180:36:20

and we keep the moisture out.

0:36:200:36:22

It's very important because if this gets wet and warm, that encourages

0:36:220:36:24

insects into the grain that will eat it and that devalues it.

0:36:240:36:28

And at the moment the price of wheat is high.

0:36:280:36:30

There's a worldwide shortage which is keeping the price up.

0:36:300:36:34

Overall, the harvest was pretty successful.

0:36:340:36:37

We were worried about the dry spring, but June and July was good

0:36:370:36:40

and the berries filled up nicely.

0:36:400:36:43

Overall, we probably did a little bit better than last year.

0:36:430:36:46

But my work doesn't stop here.

0:36:490:36:50

Now the fields have been harvested, we need to get them working again.

0:36:500:36:55

While the weather is still being kind to us,

0:36:550:36:57

we need to get on with our planting, with the drilling.

0:36:570:37:01

And the ground is quite compacted

0:37:010:37:03

and needs turning over to create a good seedbed.

0:37:030:37:07

That's where this bad boy comes in handy.

0:37:070:37:10

You can see the discs are cutting the ground

0:37:160:37:19

and then behind it are some great big tines that are pulling

0:37:190:37:22

through the soil, and then it's chopping up as it goes through.

0:37:220:37:26

And there is the tilth that's left behind.

0:37:260:37:30

Nice, broken soil, full of moisture, ready to plant the seed into.

0:37:300:37:35

The sooner we can get crops back in the ground before the onset

0:37:350:37:39

of winter, the better chance they'll have.

0:37:390:37:42

In the next field, I'm keen to check on the crop I've already planted.

0:37:420:37:46

It's one I'm hoping the sheep will benefit from.

0:37:460:37:49

These stubble turnips are looking good.

0:37:490:37:51

They are what is known as a catch crop.

0:37:510:37:54

People have grown the stubble turnips and swedes for years.

0:37:540:37:57

What we're doing is grabbing the opportunity to grow

0:37:570:38:00

a crop in between two others.

0:38:000:38:02

There was wheat in here, now stubble turnips

0:38:020:38:05

and we'll plant spring barley next February.

0:38:050:38:08

Stubble turnips are one of the fastest growing catch crops,

0:38:080:38:11

producing nutritious turnips in just 12 weeks,

0:38:110:38:14

which makes great use of the land.

0:38:140:38:16

And this is feed for the sheep over the winter.

0:38:160:38:19

It'll carry on growing, there'll be plenty of leaf

0:38:190:38:22

and the bulb on the bottom here in the root will swell up to

0:38:220:38:25

be about the size of my fist.

0:38:250:38:27

This is full of sugar and carbohydrates.

0:38:270:38:31

It will save us on animal feed over the winter.

0:38:310:38:33

We won't have to feed concentrate pellets or silage,

0:38:330:38:36

they can just live off these.

0:38:360:38:38

And because we're short of grass this summer,

0:38:380:38:40

we decided to plant this field to tide the sheep over winter,

0:38:400:38:45

to feed the lambs, and they should fatten up really nicely on this.

0:38:450:38:49

But it's not just lambs born in the spring that will

0:38:540:38:57

benefit from these stubble turnips.

0:38:570:38:59

This year we've had some late arrivals on the farm.

0:38:590:39:03

We had about 15 or 20 ewes that didn't conceive last autumn.

0:39:040:39:08

And while we were busy lambing in the spring, we put them

0:39:080:39:12

back to the ram just to see if it would work really, and it did.

0:39:120:39:16

Quite a few have got in lamb,

0:39:160:39:18

and here we are lambing when most people lamb in the spring.

0:39:180:39:21

It's a bit odd really.

0:39:210:39:22

But these lambs will stay on their mothers now,

0:39:220:39:25

they'll go out on those stubble turnips.

0:39:250:39:27

Lovely little lambs. They're all lambing in the field over there

0:39:270:39:31

and I'm taking the freshly born ones to join the other newborns.

0:39:310:39:34

Come on then. Meep, meep.

0:39:340:39:38

Come on then. There he is.

0:39:380:39:43

We've got a set of triplets, a set of twins

0:39:450:39:48

and two single lambs, which is great news.

0:39:480:39:50

And these lambs will stay with their mothers,

0:39:500:39:53

graze on the turnips and they'll be ready for the table in February

0:39:530:39:56

when the price of lamb is high because there's a shortage.

0:39:560:40:00

We've got a bit of a spring scene as we turn the corner towards winter.

0:40:000:40:05

These aren't the only new arrivals.

0:40:110:40:15

One of my pigs has been busy rearing her young, too.

0:40:150:40:19

This is one of our Iron Age sows.

0:40:190:40:21

She's a cross between a wild boar and a Tamworth.

0:40:210:40:25

She's given birth to a lovely litter of nine piglets in here.

0:40:250:40:29

We're going to have to turn them all out into the field now.

0:40:290:40:32

We'll just separate her from her piglets and put her on the front.

0:40:320:40:36

There's a good girl, there's a good girl.

0:40:360:40:39

My sow can be a bit of a handful because she's part wild boar.

0:40:390:40:43

But John's here to help.

0:40:430:40:44

Well done, John, good skills.

0:40:460:40:50

This is the easy bit, now we just catch the little piglets.

0:40:500:40:56

PIGLETS SQUEAL

0:40:560:40:59

They're like wriggly little rabbits. They're incredibly sweet.

0:40:590:41:05

The wild boar in them gives them this stripiness,

0:41:050:41:08

which is like a camouflage.

0:41:080:41:11

Aren't they gorgeous?

0:41:110:41:13

These piglets are about five days old.

0:41:150:41:18

They're in good health, so I'm happy to let them

0:41:180:41:21

go out in the field to enjoy the fresh pasture and open space.

0:41:210:41:24

So now we'll just carry the little piglets and put them

0:41:240:41:27

in their new home and let the sow out and she'll go and find them.

0:41:270:41:30

Three little pigs.

0:41:320:41:35

In you go.

0:41:350:41:37

Pigs are really hardy creatures, so she'll live outside very happily.

0:41:400:41:44

That's where I much prefer to see them.

0:41:440:41:46

-She's all right, John, isn't she?

-Yeah.

0:41:460:41:48

She's a bit of an angry at the moment, but tomorrow she'll be happy.

0:41:480:41:51

Yeah. Great. All right, let's leave her be.

0:41:510:41:54

Not all of our animals are as small, cute and easy to handle.

0:41:570:42:01

Out in the field, Eric is giving me a bit of a headache.

0:42:010:42:03

I think he's having women problems.

0:42:030:42:05

This is Eric, my new Highland bull.

0:42:050:42:08

I bought him at the Oban cattle sales in the spring,

0:42:080:42:10

and he's a wonderful looking animal.

0:42:100:42:12

I'm hoping he's going to really improve my herd

0:42:120:42:15

with the calves that are born next spring.

0:42:150:42:17

He's incredibly athletic and powerful,

0:42:170:42:20

he's about a ton of solid muscle.

0:42:200:42:22

He can run fast and he can cause a bit of damage.

0:42:220:42:24

He's already started sticking his head in the fence and breaking it.

0:42:240:42:28

You can see he's getting interested in my White Park cows.

0:42:280:42:31

They're coming into season and he wants to get in with them.

0:42:310:42:34

And if he jumped this fence and served one of these cows,

0:42:340:42:38

the calves would come out ginger and I want them to be pedigree.

0:42:380:42:42

This is barbed wire and it's very, very sharp.

0:42:420:42:44

And he's a shoving his neck down and it, it must be hurting.

0:42:440:42:47

He's as tough as old boots. So I'm going to have to shift him.

0:42:470:42:51

Come on, you naughty boy. Your ladies are over there!

0:42:510:42:54

Go on, go on.

0:42:540:42:57

Go on, Eric.

0:43:070:43:09

He can turn from a big, bumbling, ambling bull to this racing machine.

0:43:090:43:13

For a bull that weighs about a ton he can't half shift.

0:43:130:43:16

And I've got to know him, so I trust him,

0:43:160:43:18

but you do have to be careful with these animals.

0:43:180:43:21

They're big and powerful, and it's only because I know him

0:43:210:43:23

that I can move him around like this.

0:43:230:43:27

He doesn't want to leave this lovely grass. Go on!

0:43:290:43:32

He's pretty quiet, really.

0:43:320:43:37

Right.

0:43:370:43:38

I'll leave him in there with his ladies now.

0:43:380:43:41

I'm hoping he's got some of them in calf.

0:43:410:43:45

But a good solid gate, a barbed-wire fence and then a stone wall -

0:43:450:43:49

that should keep him in.

0:43:490:43:50

Next week, I'm heading to Devon to visit a farmer whose recently

0:43:520:43:55

adopted a large herd of traditional English cattle

0:43:550:43:58

that are close to my heart. Longhorns.

0:43:580:44:01

On the west coast of Argyll in Scotland, Loch Etive

0:44:100:44:13

is where the sea water from the Firth of Lorn meets the fresh water

0:44:130:44:16

filtering down through the mountains.

0:44:160:44:19

The nature of the loch is pretty special.

0:44:190:44:22

The water is brackish, which means that it's saltier than freshwater,

0:44:220:44:26

but not as salty as sea water.

0:44:260:44:28

Because of this, there's a huge variety of fish species

0:44:300:44:32

in the loch, as many as 40.

0:44:320:44:36

Which means it's like a theme park for anglers.

0:44:360:44:39

5,000 take to the water each year.

0:44:390:44:42

It may be good news for anglers, but the water has also been

0:44:440:44:47

blamed in part for the decline of an important industry on the loch.

0:44:470:44:51

We are approaching a mussel farm just over there on the shore.

0:44:510:44:55

Really, it should be a hive of activity,

0:44:550:44:57

pulling in the mussels and processing them and getting them shipped off.

0:44:570:45:02

But it all looks a bit too quiet.

0:45:020:45:05

As these pictures from four years ago show,

0:45:050:45:08

Walter Spears had a thriving £250,000 a year business.

0:45:080:45:12

Today it's down to virtually nothing,

0:45:120:45:15

and the place has been effectively mothballed.

0:45:150:45:18

So tell me about what's happened to the farm.

0:45:180:45:20

The farm has really collapsed

0:45:200:45:22

because of the invasive species that's arrived,

0:45:220:45:25

this Mytilus trossulus, which is not of any value commercially.

0:45:250:45:28

We are really having to try and eradicate it to try

0:45:280:45:31

and get this native stock of edulis back on our lines again.

0:45:310:45:35

So edulis you do want, nice and weighty.

0:45:350:45:37

-Nice and juicy.

-A nice juicy one.

0:45:370:45:39

And then on the other hand we have these trossulus ones.

0:45:390:45:42

-If I just squeeze that, it just crumbles.

-Just throw it away.

0:45:420:45:46

There's nothing inside there that you would really want to eat.

0:45:460:45:50

-There's hardly anything in there.

-Hardly anything.

0:45:500:45:53

Definitely looks less attractive too.

0:45:530:45:56

This one, a nice meaty edulis. Nice and fleshy and succulent to eat.

0:45:560:46:01

To give the edulis, or blue mussel, a chance to re-establish,

0:46:030:46:08

the unwanted trossulus mussels are being removed from the loch.

0:46:080:46:12

Marine Scotland Science are taking water samples,

0:46:120:46:15

looking for signs

0:46:150:46:17

that the populations are changing in the right direction.

0:46:170:46:20

So how did these two different species end up here in the loch?

0:46:200:46:25

What we think may have happened is that mussels may have

0:46:250:46:29

come across from Canada probably around about 10,000 years ago.

0:46:290:46:32

So it's not one of these alien invasions.

0:46:320:46:37

Probably not. The evidence that we've got suggests that it probably

0:46:370:46:41

happened before human intervention.

0:46:410:46:43

So how then did trossulus become dominant here?

0:46:430:46:46

We don't really know, but one theory we have is

0:46:460:46:49

that the conditions in this loch may have exacerbated the problem.

0:46:490:46:53

The fact that it's low salinity, which trossulus likes.

0:46:530:46:56

And it also likes living in the surface waters,

0:46:560:46:59

and low salinity water tends to be at the surface.

0:46:590:47:01

And the introduction of all of these mussel farms in the loch may

0:47:010:47:05

have provided it with a habitat where it can flourish

0:47:050:47:08

and outcompete the native blue mussel.

0:47:080:47:10

But for Walter and the whole community, it's a slow recovery.

0:47:110:47:16

It must have been quite stressful going through this process.

0:47:160:47:19

Sure, it was a difficult time and not just for me.

0:47:190:47:22

There were five companies working on this loch

0:47:220:47:25

and maybe 20 to 25 people in full-time employment from it,

0:47:250:47:28

as well as all the lorry drivers and things.

0:47:280:47:31

This loch at its peak was producing 1,000 tonnes of mussels a year.

0:47:310:47:34

So for that to have crashed to zero now and for all these people to

0:47:340:47:38

have lost their jobs is significant in an economy like Argyll and Bute.

0:47:380:47:42

In a moment we'll be finding out what the weather has lined up for us.

0:47:470:47:51

But first, this is your very last chance to vote for your favourite in

0:47:510:47:54

this year's photographic competition, with its theme Best In Show.

0:47:540:47:57

Here's John with a reminder of what you need to do.

0:47:570:48:01

We've given each of our final photos a number,

0:48:010:48:04

and we'd like you to vote for your favourite.

0:48:040:48:07

Calls cost 10p from a BT landline, other operators may vary

0:48:070:48:11

and calls from mobiles will be considerably higher.

0:48:110:48:16

Lines close at midnight tonight and all the details

0:49:300:49:33

including the BBC's code of conduct for competitions are on our website.

0:49:330:49:38

And we'll reveal the results of that vote on October 9th,

0:49:380:49:42

along with the photo that the judges have chosen as their favourite.

0:49:420:49:45

Thank you to everybody who's entered. It's going to be an awesome calendar.

0:49:450:49:49

Now, here's the weather.

0:49:490:49:51

.

0:51:500:51:57

Loch Etive, a stunning 20-mile stretch of dramatic scenery

0:52:080:52:13

and calm waters in the midwest of Scotland.

0:52:130:52:15

It has everything a visitor could ask for - undulating landscape,

0:52:150:52:19

beautiful views and diverse wildlife.

0:52:190:52:22

But don't be fooled by its beauty, this loch is highly dangerous.

0:52:230:52:27

The water here can change from calm very quickly

0:52:270:52:30

to some of the fastest moving white water in the United Kingdom,

0:52:300:52:33

making it ideal for the RNLI to train for emergency flood rescue.

0:52:330:52:38

The international flood rescue team was formed by the charity in 2000.

0:52:380:52:43

It's made up of three teams of 20 people,

0:52:430:52:46

all of them on permanent standby for disasters at home and abroad.

0:52:460:52:51

Every year they come to places like Loch Etive to train.

0:52:510:52:55

Robin, I'm still here after the swift water training,

0:52:550:52:58

which enables me to move on to the next exercise.

0:52:580:53:01

Absolutely, you did really well.

0:53:010:53:03

Great swimming and I'm happy for you to come out on the boat.

0:53:030:53:07

This morning we had 15 cubic metres per second coming down the river.

0:53:070:53:11

-Yes.

-This afternoon we've got 4,500 cubic metres per second

0:53:110:53:14

-so we've stepped it up a little bit.

-Yes, but the boat is involved here.

0:53:140:53:17

We're moving up to our safe operational platform

0:53:170:53:20

for working in floods.

0:53:200:53:21

We're much safer being on a boat than in the water.

0:53:210:53:24

The general idea is to go out and look at scenarios we've put together.

0:53:240:53:28

We've given these guys a toolbox of skills and techniques in the training

0:53:280:53:32

so we need to allow them the opportunity to put them into practice

0:53:320:53:35

and make their own assessment of how to carry out a rescue.

0:53:350:53:39

What I need you to do is be part of the crew.

0:53:390:53:42

Our first rescue scenario is a report of a house

0:53:420:53:46

which has got one person and a dog trapped inside.

0:53:460:53:49

The water is rising rapidly.

0:53:490:53:52

Robin wants these flood rescue exercises to be as real as possible.

0:53:520:53:55

The idea here is we're almost abseiling with a rip.

0:53:550:53:59

Because of the power of the water we can't use the engines

0:53:590:54:03

so we're slowly letting ourselves out.

0:54:030:54:06

We've managed to reach the window, battling against the tide.

0:54:100:54:14

In a real-life situation, this would mean the successful rescue

0:54:140:54:19

of people or animals trapped inside.

0:54:190:54:22

But the drama continues.

0:54:220:54:24

The idea here is that Roy will get into the water upstream,

0:54:250:54:29

come down, and I'll throw the line out to him, which he'll grab,

0:54:290:54:33

and then we'll pull him into the boat. Here we go.

0:54:330:54:40

This exercise is used to practise rescuing people

0:54:400:54:43

who have been swept away by fast-moving flood water.

0:54:430:54:47

It's just so frantic, everything seems to happen so fast

0:54:490:54:52

and you're so aware of the white water and the torrents

0:54:520:54:56

and everything kicking up behind you.

0:54:560:54:58

It really is like a one-show wonder.

0:54:580:55:01

Got him! The casualty is safe.

0:55:010:55:04

In order to get to those in trouble,

0:55:070:55:09

this job relies heavily on being able to instantly react

0:55:090:55:12

to the environment around you, and that means controlling the boat.

0:55:120:55:16

We're entering into the world of high-speed turns

0:55:160:55:19

and these are used in a situation where there isn't enough room

0:55:190:55:22

to turn around so the rest of the crew act as ballast.

0:55:220:55:25

When our driver shouts right, then we all lean to the right.

0:55:250:55:29

Cockermouth is a classic example, so we're going down the High Street,

0:55:290:55:33

we can't do a three-point turn,

0:55:330:55:34

so you're spinning the boat on a sixpence.

0:55:340:55:36

Here we go.

0:55:360:55:39

Glad I got to do the boat cruise!

0:55:490:55:52

What a day I've had.

0:56:000:56:01

To experience the power of the water of this place

0:56:010:56:04

in the experienced hands of this lot has been something else.

0:56:040:56:08

I've got so much respect for all the work they do here

0:56:080:56:11

and all over the world. What a team. What a team they are!

0:56:110:56:17

-Hello, hello.

-Hello, how are you doing?

-Very good.

0:56:220:56:25

Judging by your attire,

0:56:250:56:27

I'm guessing your boat trip wasn't as extreme as mine.

0:56:270:56:30

-It was quite sedate. We enjoyed the view.

-That's all we've got time for.

0:56:300:56:34

Next week we're going to be in the Garden of England, Kent,

0:56:340:56:36

home to the national fruit collection

0:56:360:56:39

where we'll be sampling apples fit for a king.

0:56:390:56:41

And we'll be trying our hand

0:56:410:56:43

at the at the local sporting tradition of bat and trap.

0:56:430:56:45

-How about that?

-Does it involve bag throwing or fast turns?

-No.

0:56:450:56:49

Right, well I'd better get changed.

0:56:490:56:51

You've only got a few more hours

0:56:510:56:53

to vote in our Countryfile photographic competition.

0:56:530:56:56

All the details are on our website

0:56:560:56:58

and we'll reveal the results on October 9th,

0:56:580:57:00

-along with the judges' favourite. See you next week.

-Bye.

0:57:000:57:03

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0:57:060:57:10

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0:57:100:57:13

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