0:00:25 > 0:00:29This is the wild country,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33where towering mountains rub against frosty skies
0:00:33 > 0:00:37and where icy rivers burst through shaded valleys.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41This...
0:00:41 > 0:00:44is Ennerdale.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Even for the Lake District, Ennerdale is remote,
0:00:48 > 0:00:55a sparse, unspoiled landscape where nature is left to find its own way.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Its where I've come on this special edition of Countryfile,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03the perfect place to celebrate wild Britain.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06I'll be looking back through the Countryfile archives
0:01:06 > 0:01:09at some of the best wild landscapes, wildlife
0:01:09 > 0:01:12and wild water we've encountered...
0:01:12 > 0:01:15like when Julia braved the rapids on the wild River Wye...
0:01:15 > 0:01:21Gilpin said if you've not navigated the Wye, you've seen nothing.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23..and Matt saw something truly spectacular
0:01:23 > 0:01:25in the glens of Perthshire.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29I've been coming up here for 30, 40 years,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32- and I've never, ever seen this. - This is really special, isn't it?
0:01:32 > 0:01:34- You're a good-luck charm! - MATT LAUGHS
0:01:34 > 0:01:39..or the time when James discovered the wilderness beneath our feet.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41I'm afraid of heights and I'm afraid of small spaces,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45but I've got to boldly go where no ethnobotanist has been before.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47This isn't too bad, actually.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51And I'll be finding out how this lake's wilderness
0:01:51 > 0:01:54influenced a long-lost Lakeland poet...
0:01:54 > 0:01:58a poet born, bred and beguiled in Ennerdale.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Ennerdale sits in the far north-west corner of the Lake District,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13a secret valley well off the tourist trail.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15For the past few years,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18it's been the site of a very special conservation project,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21a project driven by a whole new approach
0:02:21 > 0:02:23to how we manage our landscape.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26'The project's called Wild Ennerdale.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31'I'm catching up with one of the key people behind it to find out more.'
0:02:31 > 0:02:33So, Gareth, what is the Wild Ennerdale Project?
0:02:33 > 0:02:38It means working in a different way, a different philosophy.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41So we're trying to work alongside what we call "natural processes"
0:02:41 > 0:02:44in a way that allows them freedom to determine
0:02:44 > 0:02:46the future look and feel of the valley.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50It's about leaving the hand of man out of it.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Trees are left where they fall, debris alters the flow of water,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56animals roam freely.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Because of this, the landscape is changing.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01If you came here 20, 30 years ago,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05there would be a sort of monoculture of Sitka spruce conifers.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08They'd be very, very plantation-like. There'd be no diversity.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10The fells would be grazed by sheep,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12and the two would be very much separate.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15They'd be functional but not working together.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Today, we've got a real diverse landscape.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20We've got big trees, small trees,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23we've got cattle moving through the forest, grazing.
0:03:23 > 0:03:24We've got sheep on the fells.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28They're blurring the boundaries between these different landscapes.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36There'll be more about Ennerdale in a few minutes, but first...
0:03:36 > 0:03:40The Lakes and tourism kind of go hand in hand,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43but it's a different part of the country entirely
0:03:43 > 0:03:46that claims to be the birthplace of tourism,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50as Julia discovered when she visited the wild river Wye.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54The Wye Valley is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,
0:03:54 > 0:03:59and it's also said to be the birthplace of British tourism.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04It's a bold claim, and most of the credit is given to this guidebook,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Observations on the River Wye,
0:04:06 > 0:04:10published in 1784 by the Reverend William Gilpin.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Arguably, it's the first guidebook ever published in Britain.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18In it, Gilpin introduced the ideals of the Picturesque movement,
0:04:18 > 0:04:23the revolutionary new concept that the British countryside could be...
0:04:23 > 0:04:27'Expressive of that peculiar beauty which is agreeable in a picture.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32'The views it exhibits are of the most beautiful kind of perspective,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34'free from the formality of lines.'
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Made famous by Gilpin, the Wye Tour became popular
0:04:38 > 0:04:42with the fashionable elite of the late 18th and early 19th century.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47I'm heading to a viewpoint that I'm told is the best along the Wye Tour.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Strangely enough, Gilpin himself never made it up there
0:04:50 > 0:04:51because of bad weather.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55He says in the book, "This walk would have afforded us, we were informed,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57"some very noble river views.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00"The whole of this information we probably should have found true
0:05:00 > 0:05:03"if the weather had permitted us to profit by it." Let's find out.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08'At Symonds Yat Rock, I'm meeting historian Liz Berry.'
0:05:08 > 0:05:12- Hi, Liz. Hello, hello!- Hello, Julia. - Lovely to meet you.- Nice to meet you.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15It's certainly an edifying view, isn't it?
0:05:15 > 0:05:19It is stunning. And we have views like this all down the River Wye,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21right down to Chepstow. It's absolutely stunning.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Now, tell me about the reverend.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25What sort of the character was this man?
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Well, he was quite strange, actually.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31But he really provided the birth of modern tourism.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36Before that, agriculturalists, who were setting the agenda,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38tended to like straight lines.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42- Symmetry.- Yes. They felt the whole scenery should be cultivated.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45And they regarded mountains and gorges with horror,
0:05:45 > 0:05:46because it wasn't cultivated.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50- Fools!- So they admired the straight lines of ploughing furrows,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52the straight lines of plantations.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56And of course, William Gilpin started the Picturesque movement,
0:05:56 > 0:05:57which is full of curves.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59And the mountains and valleys.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03And the woodland, you know? So it was totally, totally different.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06So he started, with the Picturesque movement, something quite unique.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09This claim that it is the birthplace of British tourism,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- as far as you're concerned, is true? - Absolutely true.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14It was the Wye Tour that did it.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18He embarked at Ross onto a boat, sailed down the river,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22and got off at various points to look at the viewpoints.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Gilpin travelled by boat from Ross-on-Wye to Chepstow. He wrote...
0:06:26 > 0:06:30'If you have not navigated the Wye, you have seen nothing.'
0:06:30 > 0:06:34I wouldn't want to be accused of that, now would I?
0:06:34 > 0:06:37'Guiding me down the stretch of the Wye is Paul Howells,
0:06:37 > 0:06:41'who knows every rock and eddy.'
0:06:43 > 0:06:46How long have you spent on the river, Paul?
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Er...
0:06:48 > 0:06:53I started canoeing and kayaking when I was about ten or eleven,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- so nearly 40 years now! - JULIA LAUGHS
0:06:57 > 0:07:02- Is it a moody river?- Yes, it is. It's up and down all year.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Our canoe-club trips we used to do on a Boxing Day, a nice cold day,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10and we'd paddle across the fields, because there was no river as such.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11- Across the fields?- Yep.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19There is an expression that says you can feel the soul of the countryside
0:07:19 > 0:07:21through the soles of your feet.
0:07:21 > 0:07:27In a canoe, I guess it would be the pulse of the river that you feel.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33But I'm about to take on a section of the river where the pulse
0:07:33 > 0:07:36beats far more strongly, Symonds Yat rapids.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44- Ooh, here we go!- Yep. - Here we go. You're steering.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48- Yep. We're fine.- Whoo!
0:07:48 > 0:07:50- Bouncing along!- OK!
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- Just keep paddling gently.- Woah! - Keep paddling. OK?
0:07:58 > 0:08:00We're taking on water! HE LAUGHS
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Keep paddling. That's it. Excellent.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Keep paddling!
0:08:06 > 0:08:08- Oh!- Keep paddling!
0:08:08 > 0:08:13Gilpin said if you've not navigated the Wye, you've seen nothing.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18We're navigating, Reverend Gilpin, we're navigating!
0:08:20 > 0:08:23'I wonder if Gilpin had as much fun in his day.'
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Flowing into Ennerdale Water is the River Liza,
0:08:31 > 0:08:35the essence of this rewilded country,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39a bright, bubbling, fickle torrent that goes exactly where she pleases.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- But that's the idea, isn't it, Gareth?- Yes.
0:08:43 > 0:08:49We want to look at this fantastic river and see what it's doing.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51It's just absolutely amazing.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54You wouldn't believe that less than ten years ago,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58the river was flowing round the other side of those pine trees
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and where we're stood today was woodland,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03like we have here, and today it's river gravel.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- That's a surprisingly short amount of time, isn't it?- It is.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- It's moving 30 to 40 metres at this place.- Incredible.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- It's a natural river. It's something to celebrate.- Absolutely.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15We just want to record it and try and understand it a bit more.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20'Recording it is the next step. We've got to fix some cameras.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22'Gareth's team need to photograph the river
0:09:22 > 0:09:25'to be absolutely sure of what's going on.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26'Choose your spot.'
0:09:26 > 0:09:30- One, two, three. Is that all right?- Yeah, fine.
0:09:30 > 0:09:31'Tough when the ground's frozen.'
0:09:31 > 0:09:35- This warms you up on a day like today!- It does!
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- Let's see what that's like.- Yeah?
0:09:37 > 0:09:41- So, there's the camera.- Right. - A nice little small camera.- Lovely.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Is this idea of having a completely wild, unmanaged river
0:09:45 > 0:09:47something that could be used
0:09:47 > 0:09:50on every river in the UK, or it is particular to this environment?
0:09:50 > 0:09:53We can learn lessons from these rivers. There's not many of them.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57The more we know, the more we can see if we can apply that to other rivers,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00because as climate change moves forward,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03forests, rivers, these things are going to interact more.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05We'll need to know more
0:10:05 > 0:10:07if we're going to keep water for ourselves,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10store it in the landscape for dry periods
0:10:10 > 0:10:14and manage those big events so they don't destroy houses and property.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17If we know what goes on in a natural river system,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19perhaps we can use that elsewhere.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Absolutely. Let's hope that's what the camera will tell us.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24- Fantastic.- That's looking sturdy!
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Wild Britain is full of surprises,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31and nobody knows this better than Matt.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33He witnessed something special
0:10:33 > 0:10:35looking for red deer north of the border.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40Scotland is the first place to witness the onset of autumn.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43And here in the mountains and glens of Perthshire,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45it's an awesome sight.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50..As long as you can see through the mist!
0:10:51 > 0:10:55I'm hoping to see something really special,
0:10:55 > 0:11:00the annual red deer rut, which is going on somewhere out there.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06But witnessing these stags
0:11:06 > 0:11:10showing off their physical prowess as they bellow and strut around
0:11:10 > 0:11:12is a rare, rare treat.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17And fingers crossed, if this mist does clear,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20we're going to catch a glimpse of these magnificent creatures.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Donald Riddle has lived and worked
0:11:22 > 0:11:25amongst these mountains his whole life.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28If anyone knows where the deer are, it's him.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32- Donald, how are you doing? All right? - Hi. Not too bad. Good to see you.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- I tell you what, it's a bit misty, isn't it?- It is, yeah.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37It's not ideal deer-spotting weather.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39It's not ideal, but it's nice and still,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42so first thing is what we can do is listen for them.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45And then the sun's starting to break through.
0:11:45 > 0:11:46I think this mist will burn off.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49And, you know, we actually should have
0:11:49 > 0:11:52quite a good morning for the stags.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Once we can hear where they are, very soon we'll be able to see them.
0:11:55 > 0:11:56STAG BELLOWS
0:11:56 > 0:11:59The red deer is the UK's biggest mammal.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Stags can weigh up to 500lbs,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06and when autumn comes, they pile the weight on ahead of the rut.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08The extra fat they store is vital,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11since they don't eat during the mating season.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15But unless we get out of this mist, we've no chance of seeing them.
0:12:17 > 0:12:23- Look at that.- Clearing, isn't it? - Just absolutely spectacular.- Wow!
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Well, we've had this burst of sunshine now.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27And we've popped out on top!
0:12:27 > 0:12:32Oh, this is extraordinary. We're going to have to stop here, Donald.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35- Let's just jump out and have a look at this.- That is beautiful.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Well, we've just had to get out of the Land Rover
0:12:38 > 0:12:40and have a look at this,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- because it is purely spectacular, isn't it?- Magical.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44We're looking down on the mist,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48and there's something really incredible right in front of us.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Just talk us through. What did you call this?
0:12:50 > 0:12:54This is what we call a brocken spectre, and it is very rare.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58You only get it at this sort of time of year, early winter,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02and it's when the sun is projecting our shadow onto the mist.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05And this wonderful halo
0:13:05 > 0:13:07of rainbow, almost, round about us.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11I mean, there's only one word, and it's just magical, isn't it?
0:13:11 > 0:13:14I've been coming up here for 30, 40 years,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17- and I've never, ever seen this. - This is really special, isn't it?
0:13:17 > 0:13:20- You're a good-luck charm! - MATT LAUGHS
0:13:20 > 0:13:22This is tremendous!
0:13:22 > 0:13:26It's one of the rarest glories of autumn.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28But as fabulous as it is,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31we've got to press on in search of those elusive red deer.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Finally, the air clears, and we get our first sight.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49These are hinds, female deer.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51There are some young stags too
0:13:51 > 0:13:54but no sign of the big ones just yet.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56But we can hear them.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58BELLOWING
0:13:58 > 0:14:01- Oh, hang on. What was that? - There's a stag calling over there.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07As we know we're getting close, we stalk them on foot.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11I think there's a bit of something going on over here.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- Just as that's lifting underneath. - Yeah.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16The mist has lifted a bit. In fact, these are stag...
0:14:16 > 0:14:20- Right in the middle of that peat hag.- I think they've sensed us.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- They're starting to move, aren't they?- There they go.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26And it just shows, look at the distance we are away.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29We've been really quiet and yet they've picked us up.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31BELLOWING
0:14:31 > 0:14:34The roar of the red deer stags is one of the characteristic sounds
0:14:34 > 0:14:36of autumn in the glens.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Before the rut, their voice box starts to enlarge,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42and they've got this huge great thick neck on them,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45and it just means that they can shout much louder.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47And it's just hormones that do that?
0:14:47 > 0:14:50It's just hormones. It's just testosterone, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54- That's amazing, isn't it?- Yeah!
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Sometimes, you know, you could get sort of 30 stags together,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01and it's like a huge great cattle market up in the hills,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04reverberating round.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06It's a wonderful sound.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13'These monarchs of the glen will bellow away like this for days.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16'Competition to mate is fierce
0:15:16 > 0:15:20'and the stag that bellows the loudest gets the girl.'
0:15:21 > 0:15:23'You go looking for red deer
0:15:23 > 0:15:26'and see one of the rarest sights in nature.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32'Back in wild Ennerdale, I'm still waiting for a rare sight, too.'
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Somewhere in these woods is a very important animal
0:15:35 > 0:15:37doing a very important job.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39But finding them...!
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Maybe this lot can help.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47'These are members of the West Cumberland Orienteering Club.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49'Ennerdale is new terrain for them,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53'but they're expert at finding their way around.'
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- What sort of kit do you need? - You only need three things.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00You need a map, you need a compass and what we call a "dibber".
0:16:00 > 0:16:02- It's a technical term?- It is.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04What happens with this?
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Well, this is what you use to record your visit around the course.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10When you get to a checkpoint, that goes in.
0:16:10 > 0:16:11BEEPING
0:16:11 > 0:16:14It beeps and flashes and records that you've been there.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16- So no cheating.- Absolutely not.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Really putting your map skills to the test. This will be interesting.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25Good gracious! Pretty challenging. So, this is the course?
0:16:25 > 0:16:28The course here I've got, Joyce - is this a sort of standard course,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30or have you made this easy for me?
0:16:30 > 0:16:34No, this is just out as a training course, so it's a very short loop.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37So we've just got 0.8 of a kilometre.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Orienteering's an outdoor adventure sport.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41You have to use your body and your mind.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43There's a challenge.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47'So finding these mysterious animals I'm looking for
0:16:47 > 0:16:49'should be a walk in the park with this lot.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52'..If I can keep up with them.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56'Orienteering's only recently been possible in the valley.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58'Fences that used to block the way
0:16:58 > 0:17:02'have been removed as part of the Wild Ennerdale Project.'
0:17:02 > 0:17:04BEEPING
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Ohhh!
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Is this not the best terrain for this, John? Amazing, isn't it?
0:17:09 > 0:17:12It's a fantastic place, especially on a day like today,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15with the sun out and the blue skies and the snow on the tops.
0:17:15 > 0:17:16It is glorious.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20You're pretty good at this, Katrina. You represent Great Britain?
0:17:20 > 0:17:23- Yeah, I have represented... Yeah. - What's that like?
0:17:23 > 0:17:24It was really good to represent
0:17:24 > 0:17:26your country in a sport like this.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29How do you find the terrains abroad
0:17:29 > 0:17:32when you're competing in different countries compared to here?
0:17:32 > 0:17:33They're so different.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37It's such a great experience to see the different terrains abroad.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Which do you prefer? Do you prefer it here or elsewhere?
0:17:39 > 0:17:44- Abroad's more challenging. I like a challenge.- Up for a challenge?
0:17:45 > 0:17:49'Well, our challenge, Katrina, is to find these pesky animals,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51'and it's proving quite an effort.'
0:17:51 > 0:17:53This is not easy.
0:18:00 > 0:18:01SHE PANTS
0:18:01 > 0:18:04While I catch my breath, here's James.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07He visited Yorkshire's famous White Scar Caves
0:18:07 > 0:18:11to discover the wilderness beneath our feet.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17White Scar was discovered nearly 90 years ago
0:18:17 > 0:18:20by a man with candles stuck to his hat!
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Today the techniques are very different.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26As this will be my first time, I've trained with the cave rescue team.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30A day later, and joined by veteran caver Mike Hale, I'm about to enter
0:18:30 > 0:18:33the vast Ease Gill cave network,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36starting with a 100-foot drop.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39This looks like just a manhole, but that goes down pretty damn far!
0:18:39 > 0:18:42You can see his light a bit further down.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Really disconcerting! Right...
0:18:44 > 0:18:49- And then you'll have to drop down until your weight comes on.- OK.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51- So, you're now on it.- Wish me luck!
0:19:03 > 0:19:08I've been practising my macho face in the mirror in the hotel.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10I still haven't got it!
0:19:15 > 0:19:19This is probably my worst nightmare.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23I'm afraid of heights and I'm afraid of small spaces,
0:19:23 > 0:19:28but I've got to boldly go where no ethnobotanist has been before.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30This isn't too bad, actually.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Yeah, I think the key is to take it little by little,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35and, jeez, not look down!
0:19:36 > 0:19:38'But it's down there that I'm heading.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43'And once my feet are back on firm ground, it's time to explore.'
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Now, watch your step over this slot here.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Gosh, that's quite a pothole!
0:19:50 > 0:19:52There's a big drop down there, isn't there?
0:19:52 > 0:19:55It looks like a tiny crack until you get your light there
0:19:55 > 0:19:57- and it goes down 50 metres!- It does.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59'There are 47 miles
0:19:59 > 0:20:02'of maze-like tunnels and passages around Ease Gill,
0:20:02 > 0:20:07'making it the longest and most complex cave system in England.'
0:20:07 > 0:20:09This is stunning. You've mapped all of this?
0:20:09 > 0:20:11How do you find your way around?
0:20:11 > 0:20:13You've got no visual kind of reference points.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17You just learn the passages, really. You just come down here quite a lot,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19have a look around at the different passages,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22give them names, because that's often a good reminder.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25What, you name some of the geological formations?
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Yes. This is Bridge Hall, because you'll see when you come up to here,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30there's a big bridge of rock
0:20:30 > 0:20:32- right across the top of it. - You're kidding!
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Gosh, this looks like one giant piece of quartz crystal here.
0:20:36 > 0:20:37- That's calcite.- Yeah.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40So, that has fallen off the roof somewhere.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43If you look up there you might see where it's come down from.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45That's reassuring(!)
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- You mean the bit directly above my head!- It wasn't there last week!
0:20:49 > 0:20:52'It's an example of how natural processes
0:20:52 > 0:20:54'mean the caves are slowly but constantly evolving,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57'because at the other end of this passage
0:20:57 > 0:21:00'is one of Ease Gill's most spectacular sights.'
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Just a little bit of a crawl for about a few feet,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and then we can stand up and walk into the Colonnade Chamber.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08'Inside the chamber,
0:21:08 > 0:21:13'stalactites and stalagmites have formed over thousands of years,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16'some meeting to make vast crystal colonnades
0:21:16 > 0:21:20'stretching from floor to ceiling.'
0:21:39 > 0:21:43It's truly spectacular. It's kind of like an ivory ice sculpture.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47If you look at this one up here you can see one in formation.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49The stalactite is coming down off the ceiling
0:21:49 > 0:21:51and joining the pillar at the bottom.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Eventually, as that develops over the years,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56that'll become a thick column from floor to ceiling
0:21:56 > 0:21:58in the same way these are.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59It's hard to believe.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02You see these three giant pillars and suddenly you see you've got
0:22:02 > 0:22:05all the different stages of the life cycle.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- Little baby ones. - Yes.- It's spectacular.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10That one in the middle is a beautiful white colour,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12which is the normal colour of them, really,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16whereas the ones on these sides are slightly stained,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19and that could possibly be mud from people touching it,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21which has then become calcited over,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and that will be permanently engrained in the column.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26That's a shame. That could have taken
0:22:26 > 0:22:28hundreds of thousands of years to form,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- and it's permanently, like, tattooed onto it.- Yes, that's right.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38'It's a special place, and what I've seen is just a tiny part of it,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40'but what came down must go up,
0:22:40 > 0:22:44'and since it's started to rain, it's not going to be pretty!'
0:22:51 > 0:22:52Hello!
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Every bit about caving is brilliant
0:22:55 > 0:22:58except for coming back up again!
0:22:58 > 0:23:02If we could just figure out some kind of escalator I'd do it every weekend!
0:23:02 > 0:23:05'This is not an activity for the faint-hearted.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08'It's hard work, it's wet and it's very dirty.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13'But for the chance to see this incredible underground world,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15'it's worth it.'
0:23:19 > 0:23:22'I'm still out with the crack athletes
0:23:22 > 0:23:24'of the West Cumberland Orienteering Club.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28'We're somewhere deep in the woods of the Ennerdale valley.'
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Ha-ha! The last one! Now, Roger, I've been told that there'd be cows.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35I've seen only sheep. Are there any cows here?
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Yes, there are. They're just over this way.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Fantastic. Let's do it.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45'I've tagged along hoping to find some hard-working animals,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47'and it looks like I just got lucky.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52'These cattle are part of the Wild Ennerdale Project.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56'To find out about the job they do, I'm meeting farmer Richard Maxwell.'
0:23:56 > 0:23:59- Brilliant. Cheers, guys. - OK!- See you!
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Richard, hello!
0:24:01 > 0:24:05- The cattle at last! Here they are! - Here we are, our Galloway cows.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06Galloway cows, are they?
0:24:06 > 0:24:10- Gosh, they're out in this weather! - They're out 12 months of the year.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14We don't feed them, they're just left here to forage and find food,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17unless there's snow on the ground or it's frozen, as it is today.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19So this is their feed for today.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21- This is today's food. - Right, let's take it in.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24It's some here we made in the summer.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28- So they're an incredibly hardy breed, then.- They are, yes.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29They're a traditional breed,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and they're bred so they can be outside,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34kept outside 12 months of the year,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37- on very little roughage. - Look at that thick coat they've got.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Lovely sort of teddy-bear faces.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42And what job do they do?
0:24:42 > 0:24:46In 2005, when they came onto the site, there was a lot of long grass.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49And the idea was to graze the long grass off
0:24:49 > 0:24:53to allow seeds from the trees and the bushes
0:24:53 > 0:24:55to get down to the ground.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56And they also create a disturbance with their feet
0:24:56 > 0:25:00to push the seeds in to help the seeds to germinate.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04So they're really an environmental cow. That's what they're here for,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06to work with the environment
0:25:06 > 0:25:08to make things better.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Getting close to animals in the wild is always rewarding,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17even if it means braving the cold North Sea on an autumn day.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21But I wouldn't have missed that particular day for the world.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Just a few miles off the wild Northumberland coast
0:25:29 > 0:25:31lie the Farne Islands,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34rugged, rocky outcrops
0:25:34 > 0:25:36standing proud in the cold North Sea.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39They may look bleak, but they're a magnet for wildlife,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41and at this time of year,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44they're home to a very special animal indeed.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46These island shores are home to a colony
0:25:46 > 0:25:50of Britain's largest carnivore, the grey seal,
0:25:50 > 0:25:523,000 to 4,000 of them.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55October is the beginning of the pup season
0:25:55 > 0:25:58and apparently the very best time to get to know them better.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Ben Burville is a GP with a passion for the grey seal.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11He loves interacting with them and filming their behaviour.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17The North Sea is a balmy 12 degrees, but that's not going to deter me,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19as Ben's offered a rare opportunity
0:26:19 > 0:26:22to share his unique relationship with them.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26I can already see some inquisitive seals waiting for us.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27I can't wait to jump in.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31Bit of a shock to start,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34but, actually, it's not too bad once you're in.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37And straightaway we've got company.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40There's one to say hello. That's a female.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Hello.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45'This is so incredible.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48'Usually, Ben gets bull seals following him and getting up close,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51'but this is a young female.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54'You can tell because females are smaller and have more rounded faces.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59'Males weigh up to 220 kilograms and have larger Roman noses.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03'This female pup is not at all nervous.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06'In fact, she's following me now. It's absolute magic.'
0:27:06 > 0:27:10- She's sticking around us! - Yeah, she is.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12They take a while to get used to you,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15- then they like to spend time with you.- She's just there.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17She's just hovering underneath.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21'And just when I think it can't get any better...
0:27:23 > 0:27:28'..she comes in for a kiss. My first contact with a seal. Amazing.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33'One thing you really become aware of when you're in the sea
0:27:33 > 0:27:36'is the amount of noise the seals make.'
0:27:36 > 0:27:39It's quite a haunting sound back there, isn't it?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42- The howling of the bull seals. - Is it just the bulls?
0:27:42 > 0:27:43No, all the seals make noise,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47but they're just ensuring they've got their spot on the land
0:27:47 > 0:27:52and just letting other seals know who's the boss.
0:27:55 > 0:28:00'Up close, there's something almost doglike about the seals.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05'They're so friendly and gentle you forget they're wild animals.'
0:28:07 > 0:28:11- And how do they hunt their food? - Their whiskers.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15There has been research in Germany that showed they could detect fish,
0:28:15 > 0:28:19in fact specific species of fish, over 100 metres away.
0:28:19 > 0:28:25Seals have highly tuned senses that can help them hunt for food.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28They taste and smell small changes in the sea's salt level,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31which alerts them that a fish supper may be swimming their way.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37A seal's favourite food is sand eel.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39It's the perfect food for them
0:28:39 > 0:28:42because it's a fish with a very high oil content,
0:28:42 > 0:28:44so it provides them with more energy.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50I think I'm gaining their trust now.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52I've got quite a few swimming really close to me.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55What's striking is just how different they are
0:28:55 > 0:28:57in and out of the water.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00On land, they look uncomfortable and lethargic.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03In the sea, they're fast and skilful swimmers.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07It's a massive investment in your time
0:29:07 > 0:29:11and you're clearly very busy anyway, because you're a doctor.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14- Why is this so important to you? - It's being close to nature
0:29:14 > 0:29:17and the effect it has on your general wellbeing,
0:29:17 > 0:29:19which I think is pretty vital.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22And it's finding out scientific information
0:29:22 > 0:29:23that just hasn't been found before,
0:29:23 > 0:29:27their behaviour underwater, knowing what the seals are doing,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29and what wildlife is doing around the Farnes.
0:29:29 > 0:29:35I've referred to the Farnes as the Galapagos of the North. And it is!
0:29:35 > 0:29:37I've been in the water here with dolphins.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40There was a humpback whale seen off the Farnes last year.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42You never know what you're going to see,
0:29:42 > 0:29:44and the seals are a vital part of that.
0:29:44 > 0:29:49Ben's developed a rare relationship with these wild mammals,
0:29:49 > 0:29:50which is why we've got close to them.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53But they're not pets and can be unpredictable,
0:29:53 > 0:29:54especially around their pups,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56so I'd have never done this alone.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00I've barely noticed I'm five miles out,
0:30:00 > 0:30:03snorkelling in the cold North Sea,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05not now that that I've been sealed with a kiss.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14Coming up soon on this special Countryfile,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17what happened when Julia got to see one of nature's wonders...
0:30:17 > 0:30:21The numbers, the sheer numbers! I've never seen anything quite like this.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25..we find out how Katie got on when she braved an icy mountainside...
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Don't look down. That was one piece of advice I was given.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32..and there's Countryfile's five-day weather forecast.
0:30:38 > 0:30:44A fine day, a fair breeze. The perfect combination for sailing.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It doesn't always work out that way, though,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49as Matt discovered on the Isle of Wight last summer.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52He set out to follow three amateur teams from Tonbridge
0:30:52 > 0:30:56taking part in the famous Round the Island boat race.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00To say it was wild is putting it mildly.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04Hello to the old boys from Tonbridge School. Countryfile calling!
0:31:04 > 0:31:06THEY CHEER
0:31:06 > 0:31:10The old boys are competing against pupils and parents,
0:31:10 > 0:31:11all three eager to take the top spot.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14I think probably the first of the three boats,
0:31:14 > 0:31:17of our three boats, will start finishing around 4:30.
0:31:17 > 0:31:18The Round the Island race
0:31:18 > 0:31:21is one of the most prestigious yacht races in the world.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25It was first staged here on the Isle of Wight back in the 1930s.
0:31:25 > 0:31:31This is the race's 80th anniversary and there's a record 1,900 entrants.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35It's race day.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38Crews have been setting off at staggered ten-minute intervals
0:31:38 > 0:31:40since 6.00 this morning.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48At just after 7.00, the Tonbridge teams line up at the start.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52The pupils look apprehensive and, even before they begin,
0:31:52 > 0:31:54the parents get a buffeting.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58As for the old boys, well, they're out there somewhere.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08And they're away! But with so many starters it's bound to get bumpy.
0:32:11 > 0:32:12Well, they're well under way now.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14It's just minutes since the start
0:32:14 > 0:32:16and already boats are catching us up,
0:32:16 > 0:32:19and we've got an engine! This is incredible!
0:32:19 > 0:32:22But they're fighting for water. They keep changing direction,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24they're tacking and gybing
0:32:24 > 0:32:27to get the best wind to get round the island as quick as possible.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30You know, it's incredible how close they're getting to each other.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33You can hear the occasional clash of masts.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Absolutely ridiculous!
0:32:35 > 0:32:37Woah!
0:32:38 > 0:32:39Wow!
0:32:39 > 0:32:41Now, that was a close one!
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Plenty of water over here.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45You can have as much of it as you want.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49The first part of the race is all about position
0:32:49 > 0:32:51and getting the best of the wind.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55The thing is, it's blowing down the Solent at more than 20 knots,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57and that's creating quite a chop.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02It's not quite what the pupils from Tonbridge expected,
0:33:02 > 0:33:04but they seem to be coping.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09Just a little bit behind them,
0:33:09 > 0:33:11the parents' boat is still getting buffeted.
0:33:11 > 0:33:16The nearer the English Channel, the rougher it's going to be.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19But one of the Tonbridge boats seems to be missing.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Anybody seen a yacht from Tonbridge?
0:33:23 > 0:33:25A yacht from Tonbridge?
0:33:25 > 0:33:28'We know the OTs' sail number is 7898,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30'but try spotting that
0:33:30 > 0:33:33'amongst 1,900 others.'
0:33:33 > 0:33:36You haven't seen 7898, by any chance, have you?
0:33:38 > 0:33:40I'll take that as a no.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44Any sign of the OTs?
0:33:48 > 0:33:49It is impossible.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52It's impossible to find them.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55'I'm not giving up yet, but these conditions
0:33:55 > 0:33:57'are getting worse by the minute.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00'Time to find the Old Tonbridgians is slipping away.'
0:34:02 > 0:34:05'Boats are jostling and nearly coming to grief
0:34:05 > 0:34:06'as the channel narrows.'
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Close, close, close, close, close!
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Wow, that was a close one.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15'But who's that just sailing on, oblivious?
0:34:15 > 0:34:18'Why, it's the Old Tonbridgians!'
0:34:18 > 0:34:20Now then, now then, how are we doing?
0:34:20 > 0:34:22CHEERING
0:34:22 > 0:34:23Looking good!
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Well, I tell you what, you didn't half take some finding!
0:34:29 > 0:34:30Have you seen the others?
0:34:30 > 0:34:33- No.- Way back there!- Back there!
0:34:33 > 0:34:35I think they're that way.
0:34:35 > 0:34:36I don't think so!
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Oh, no, they're not!
0:34:39 > 0:34:41Oh, yes, they are!
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Now, though, it gets serious.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51These are the Needles, at the western edge of the island.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54It's where the Solent meets the English Channel.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Rough enough on calm days, but on days like this?
0:34:57 > 0:34:59Well, see for yourself.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05It's a little bit choppy for us to head off around there,
0:35:05 > 0:35:07so I'm going to head back to dry land.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10From here on in, the sailors are on their own.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15Wind speeds at the Needles are up around 30 knots.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18There are 20-foot waves
0:35:18 > 0:35:20and boats are coming to grief.
0:35:22 > 0:35:27Race Control is taking mayday call after mayday call.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29We've had quite a few people overboard,
0:35:29 > 0:35:33unfortunately, but everybody's back on board, everybody's safe.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35- Right.- We've had the helicopter called out,
0:35:35 > 0:35:37we've got quite a few boats upside down.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39We were just talking about...
0:35:39 > 0:35:42We've got a trimaran upside down off St Catherine.
0:35:42 > 0:35:47- Right.- So, anything that comes in from our spotters is relayed here.
0:35:47 > 0:35:48They deal with it.
0:35:48 > 0:35:53I'm checking into the Bunker. It's where the latest GPS technology
0:35:53 > 0:35:54is being used to keep an eye on things.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Andrew Rayner's in charge.
0:35:56 > 0:36:01Hopefully, he'll be able to tell me if the Tonbridge boats are OK.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03I've got three members here, Andrew,
0:36:03 > 0:36:06so I don't know if we could track these.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09- We've got 7898, which are the old-timers.- Yeah.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11- OK.- The Old Tonbridgians.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15Now, they haven't got their tracker switched on, by the looks of it.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Classic! Yeah, that doesn't surprise me.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20But the other two are almost on top of each other.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22They've come round Bembridge Ledge.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26- Wow!- They're about three quarters of the way and they're neck and neck.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Good news, the pupils are OK, the parents are OK.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35We haven't heard anything bad about the Old Tonbridgians,
0:36:35 > 0:36:37so they must be OK, too.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41By the time the wind's blown itself out,
0:36:41 > 0:36:46more than 400 of the original 1,900 starters have abandoned the race.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49For those left, the weather takes a turn for the better.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55These yachts have survived the tempest
0:36:55 > 0:36:57and I'm glad to say
0:36:57 > 0:37:00all three Tonbridge boats have made it home safely.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06The pupils are the last of the three to finish.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08The parents came in half an hour ago,
0:37:08 > 0:37:12which means the OTs, the Old Tonbridgians,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15took the honours in a mere eight hours.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22Matt braving the heavy weather and wild water of the Isle of Wight.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26He should be here today - just look at those mountain tops!
0:37:26 > 0:37:27Perfect!
0:37:27 > 0:37:31'Just the place for a spot of extreme gardening.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34'These Wild Ennerdale volunteers are out here
0:37:34 > 0:37:36'replanting a very special shrub.'
0:37:36 > 0:37:40Why juniper, of all the plants that you could put up here?
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Well, we've done quite a lot of historical research
0:37:43 > 0:37:47on the types of vegetation that might have been here in the past,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51and as well as quite a lot of broadleaf planting,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54there's information to show that there would have been,
0:37:54 > 0:37:57looking back, much more juniper than there is today.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00So eventually, will this whole area in front of us
0:38:00 > 0:38:02be juniper planted?
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Erm, a big area of this, yes.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08We've got about 400 of these little juniper plugs to go in.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11But it's basically on an area like this
0:38:11 > 0:38:13that was previously plantation forest.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16It's wherever there's fair ground you can get it in.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19So we're not being too prescriptive about where it goes.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23- 400 to do, then.- Yeah, that's right. - 398 now.- Better get digging!
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Yeah, let's crack on, do a few more!
0:38:25 > 0:38:30Frozen slopes like these mean something very different to Katie.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33A couple of Februaries ago, she rose to a challenge nearby
0:38:33 > 0:38:35that she'll never forget.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Spring's in the air for most of us, but here in the Lake District
0:38:39 > 0:38:42you don't have to go far to find winter's still got the upper hand -
0:38:42 > 0:38:45the perfect day for ice climbing.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48This is my training!
0:38:48 > 0:38:50My guide for today is Steve Ashworth,
0:38:50 > 0:38:52one of the country's leading climbers.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55- Hello, hello, hello.- Hi, Katie.
0:38:55 > 0:38:56How are you doing?
0:38:56 > 0:38:59So you're my man, you're taking me up this mountain today.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02It's not just a nice little walk up the mountain, is it?
0:39:02 > 0:39:05No, we're going to go and climb some ice today.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08OK, which I have never done before.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11Is that similar to rock climbing? Because I did that a long time ago.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13OK. Rock climbing's a good start,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16but ice climbing is different to rock climbing.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19- It's actually easier.- Oh! - So you should be fine.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23- You can tell you've done this before.- Aye!
0:39:23 > 0:39:27The man is not wearing any gloves! I've got two pairs on.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29- This way? - Yep, we'll go this way, yep.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33'There are signs of green shoots down in the frosty valley.'
0:39:33 > 0:39:38- It feels a bit warm in the sun, so it shouldn't be too cold.- Lovely!
0:39:38 > 0:39:42'As we get higher, it becomes clear why we've come.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44'Normally, ice climbers like Steve
0:39:44 > 0:39:47'have to travel to the Alps or even further
0:39:47 > 0:39:49'to find conditions like these.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52'But this winter, for the first time in years,
0:39:52 > 0:39:56'Steve's been able to take to the hills in his own backyard.'
0:39:56 > 0:39:59So, we're going up that little crag, are we? That kind of gully.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Up the big gully up the middle there.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04That's...kind of serious.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10'We're at the foot of the gully at last -
0:40:10 > 0:40:13'200 metres high, and I've got to get to the top of it.'
0:40:14 > 0:40:16I notice a change in tone now.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23I think my head will warm up, as my brain decides.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26- A pair of axes for you there. - My training was to run up and down
0:40:26 > 0:40:28the stairs in my house...
0:40:28 > 0:40:34and...as Steve has pointed out, you don't have to be a super-fit athlete,
0:40:34 > 0:40:36anyone can have a go. See you at the top!
0:40:36 > 0:40:42'Truth be told, I am starting to feel a bit apprehensive,
0:40:42 > 0:40:44'but at this stage I have absolutely no idea
0:40:44 > 0:40:47'of just how much this is going to test me.'
0:40:47 > 0:40:51- And you've checked your rope?- I have. - See you in a minute.- Yep.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53I quite like my ledge.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58'The idea is that Steve goes ahead to secure the rope
0:40:58 > 0:41:01'so I can follow safely after.'
0:41:05 > 0:41:06I'm safe, Katie!
0:41:06 > 0:41:10You see, this is the reality now.
0:41:13 > 0:41:14Whew!
0:41:14 > 0:41:16'And this is the easy bit.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19'Apparently there's something called an ice wall further up.'
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Whew! I can do that bit!
0:41:24 > 0:41:28Don't look down. That was one piece of advice I was given.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32'I've made it to the first stage. But that was just the nursery slope.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36'There are still three more stages to go.'
0:41:39 > 0:41:41There's a lot of rope.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43'The screws are being fastened into the ice
0:41:43 > 0:41:45'so the rope can be attached,
0:41:45 > 0:41:49something that can only be done in these wintry conditions.'
0:41:49 > 0:41:50Safe, Katie!
0:41:54 > 0:41:56Oh!
0:41:56 > 0:41:59- How you doing? All right?- Am I going to stand on this ledge now?
0:41:59 > 0:42:03There's a lot of standing around in this ice climbing, I tell you.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06'The ledge is the size of an A4 piece of paper.'
0:42:06 > 0:42:09- Do you think I can do this? - I do, yes.
0:42:16 > 0:42:17'As I begin the third stage,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20'the climb's really starting to take its toll.'
0:42:20 > 0:42:22A footing, at last!
0:42:23 > 0:42:26'This is it, the final stage,
0:42:26 > 0:42:30'and Steve's started up what looks like a sheet of ice.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32'That means it's me next.'
0:42:33 > 0:42:36I don't think I was made for ice climbing.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39But I've got to do it, obviously,
0:42:39 > 0:42:41cos I can't down and I have to go up.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56- Right...- OK, Katie.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59- We have reached... - This is the best bit!
0:43:00 > 0:43:01..the ice wall.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03- Yep.- Now...
0:43:06 > 0:43:08..this is the tough bit. Oof!
0:43:08 > 0:43:12'I'm so cold I've had to put on another jacket.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15'It seems like there's nowhere to put my feet.'
0:43:17 > 0:43:19You're doing really well, Katie.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21'Then my foot slips.'
0:43:21 > 0:43:23Aaah!
0:43:23 > 0:43:26'It's a nasty moment, but Steve's got me.'
0:43:26 > 0:43:29Just sort your feet out for a second, Katie.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33You're doing well. You look like you've done this before.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35'I'm hanging on to every word Steve says.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37'Right now, I just want to give up.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41'But I'm determined to conquer the mountain.'
0:43:41 > 0:43:43- Oh, too high. - Looking good, looking good.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47I really cannot feel my hands.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50Ooh, but I need them, so...
0:43:58 > 0:44:03Think...very carefully about what you agree to in life.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06Nice one, Katie.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09SHE LAUGHS
0:44:09 > 0:44:12You can only laugh when you get to the top.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15Ohhhhhh!
0:44:15 > 0:44:18- Ahh! Well...- Wow, nice one.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21Can I stand yet, or can I get a bit further away from the edge?
0:44:21 > 0:44:25Just keep walking towards me.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28Look at me! This bit should be in slow motion. What do you think?
0:44:28 > 0:44:30Oh, my goodness. Fantastic.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32Nice one. I think you could have...
0:44:32 > 0:44:35Do you know what? The advice I was given, don't look down,
0:44:35 > 0:44:39- I think I only looked down twice... - You can have a look at the view now.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41(Oh, my God!)
0:44:41 > 0:44:44I'm glad I didn't look down.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46They said, "Trust the man on the end of the rope."
0:44:46 > 0:44:48Couldn't have done it without you.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52And I won't be doing it again in a hurry!
0:44:52 > 0:44:55- Fantastic.- Nice one, Katie, well done.- Thank you very much.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59A supreme effort by Katie.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01Now, there's one last place I have to visit,
0:45:01 > 0:45:03down there at the head of the lake,
0:45:03 > 0:45:07the birthplace of a true poet, an Ennerdale man,
0:45:07 > 0:45:11his name known only to a few until now.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14Before that, here's the weather. See you down there in a few minutes.
0:47:50 > 0:47:57.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14I'm in Ennerdale, in the far north-west of the Lake District,
0:48:14 > 0:48:18A place that sums up wild Britain.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21It's been the perfect place to look back at our wild landscapes
0:48:21 > 0:48:22and wildlife,
0:48:22 > 0:48:25and it doesn't come more wild than this.
0:48:28 > 0:48:32It's a place that would still be recognisable to Tom Rawling.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Don't worry if you haven't heard of him. Few have.
0:48:35 > 0:48:36But you might just turn out to be
0:48:36 > 0:48:39one of the greatest poets the Lakes has ever produced.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45He was born here at How Hall Farm nearly 100 years ago.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48He didn't start writing poetry till he was 60.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51By then, he'd left Ennerdale for Oxford,
0:48:51 > 0:48:54but as his poems show, Ennerdale never left him.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00'Enough to hear the names of the fells
0:49:00 > 0:49:03'Herdus, Pillar and Red Pike...
0:49:03 > 0:49:04'Farms and their people
0:49:04 > 0:49:07'How Hall, Hollins and Howside
0:49:07 > 0:49:10'Birkett, Rawling, Williamson
0:49:10 > 0:49:13'Enough to know I belong to this place.'
0:49:13 > 0:49:16Grevel, how important a poet is Tom Rawling?
0:49:16 > 0:49:18I think he's very important,
0:49:18 > 0:49:22certainly the most important 20th-century Cumbrian poet
0:49:22 > 0:49:25and maybe one of the most important Lakeland poets of all time.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28Gosh! That's an incredibly bold claim.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31How is it, then, that he's been so overlooked?
0:49:31 > 0:49:33He started to write late in life.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36He didn't really begin writing poetry until he was 60,
0:49:36 > 0:49:41- and so he had less than 20 years of active writing life.- Mm.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43It wasn't really, he said,
0:49:43 > 0:49:47until a couple of generations had passed and his parents were dead
0:49:47 > 0:49:52that he felt that he could really write honestly about his experiences.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54And then, when he retired from teaching,
0:49:54 > 0:49:57suddenly it all came flooding back
0:49:57 > 0:50:01and he found this compulsion to write about his childhood,
0:50:01 > 0:50:03about the farming, about Ennerdale.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06The whole thing came out really powerfully.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09So how important was the landscape on his work?
0:50:09 > 0:50:11I think it's very important indeed.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13And the great thing is that he has
0:50:13 > 0:50:18a really physical, tactile, hands-on sense of the landscape.
0:50:18 > 0:50:19There's a wonderful poem
0:50:19 > 0:50:22where he talks about taking tea to the workers cutting the hay,
0:50:22 > 0:50:27and he describes the slap and slosh of the tea in the metal pail
0:50:27 > 0:50:28as he walks over the field.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32'The long trek to the harvest field
0:50:32 > 0:50:34'A wicker basket on my arm
0:50:34 > 0:50:37'Good weight of buttered bread and cake
0:50:37 > 0:50:39'in the other hand, a burnished tin
0:50:39 > 0:50:41'Swinging with every step
0:50:41 > 0:50:44'Tea slapping and sloshing inside.'
0:50:46 > 0:50:49It must have been difficult to write while he was in Oxford
0:50:49 > 0:50:53about this landscape, when he's not sitting right in amongst it.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57He was two people, really. Part of him was an Oxford schoolmaster,
0:50:57 > 0:51:02but the other part of him was still very much living here, rooted here.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04He came back from time to time,
0:51:04 > 0:51:07but I think emotionally he never really left.
0:51:08 > 0:51:12Tom Rawling drew deep from Ennerdale and the life around him.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14He understood this countryside
0:51:14 > 0:51:17and had a deep passion for its wild places.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20Easy to see how Ennerdale
0:51:20 > 0:51:23is wild Britain at its best.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26But throughout this land, there are things in nature
0:51:26 > 0:51:29that would bring out the poet in us all,
0:51:29 > 0:51:33as Julia discovered when she visited the magical Avalon marshes
0:51:33 > 0:51:34in Somerset last winter.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49That's Glastonbury Tor in the background.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52There's a mysterious stillness in the air here.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55I've got the feeling that something's going to happen.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Not quite yet, but very soon.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02It's one of nature's greatest spectacles,
0:52:02 > 0:52:04but it won't happen until dusk.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06So I've got a chance to find out
0:52:06 > 0:52:09about the rare and special habitat here.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13These reed beds play host to a rich variety of wildlife.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15So why am I chopping it down?
0:52:23 > 0:52:26- Afternoon, Steven.- Hello. - Hello, hello.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30- That's impressive driving.- Thank you very much. It's fantastic fun.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33- What a brilliant machine. Have you had a go?- I haven't had a go.
0:52:33 > 0:52:34I've not been that lucky.
0:52:34 > 0:52:38Now why was I doing that? What's going on? Reed beds are important
0:52:38 > 0:52:41- for bird life and all sorts of other creatures.- That's right, yeah.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44Unfortunately, if you leave a reed bed to its own devices,
0:52:44 > 0:52:46over time it'll dry out.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48We want to try and maintain a really wet reed bed
0:52:48 > 0:52:51for the wildlife that lives here. So every eight years,
0:52:51 > 0:52:54we cut and remove the reed from every area of the reserve.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57- Right.- In an attempt to try and keep the area wet.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59Which particular birds and species are benefiting,
0:52:59 > 0:53:01do you think, from this?
0:53:01 > 0:53:05Well, the big species that the RSPB was really quite keen to deliver on
0:53:05 > 0:53:08was a bird called the bittern, which is a small brown heron.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10It used to be quite a rare bird in the UK.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12It went down to 11 male birds in 1997.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15With a lot of the work that's been done here,
0:53:15 > 0:53:18we actually got eight nesting pairs here last year.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22- Fantastic success rate you're having. - Seems to be doing very well, yeah.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25When people see that mad bit of machinery steaming through the water,
0:53:25 > 0:53:27they shouldn't panic.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31Definitely a good thing for the reserve and the wildlife here.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33They shouldn't panic about it.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36As the day fades and the light starts to drop,
0:53:36 > 0:53:38other wildlife enthusiasts appear.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41We're all here to witness one of this country's natural wonders
0:53:41 > 0:53:45and to talk me through it, I've enlisted the help of Chris Griffin.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47Where are they then?
0:53:47 > 0:53:50That's nature for you. They'll be here at some point, I'm sure.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53They've been here for three months, so... I'm hoping anyway!
0:53:53 > 0:53:56Otherwise I'm not very good at my job.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58No. Look at this. Turn around.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03Where are they?
0:54:05 > 0:54:10All eyes look to the skies. The anticipation in the air is tangible.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12'And then, right on cue.'
0:54:12 > 0:54:15- Ah, there you go. Can you see them? - Oh, look!
0:54:15 > 0:54:18- Yes, that's it. It looks like a swarm of bees.- That's it, yeah.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20- That's the first.- The first tranche?
0:54:20 > 0:54:24They usually send in a first little recce group from the pre-roost
0:54:24 > 0:54:25just outside the reserve.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30'These are starlings,
0:54:30 > 0:54:34'that humble bird that normally sits chattering on top of your TV aerial.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36'But out here, in the open country,
0:54:36 > 0:54:39'they flock in their hundreds of thousands.'
0:54:39 > 0:54:43- Where de they come from?- Some of them are British. There's a British bird.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46I mean, unfortunately our starlings have been in massive decline
0:54:46 > 0:54:48over the past 40 years
0:54:48 > 0:54:49which is a real, real shame.
0:54:49 > 0:54:53So having these kind of big numbers down here can be a bit misleading.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56That's because about two thirds, maybe even more than that,
0:54:56 > 0:54:58come from Russia and Scandinavia.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01Usually they come over here for milder winters,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04but that hasn't really gone to plan this year, really.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07No. I think they'll be phoning up the travel agents and going,
0:55:07 > 0:55:11"Excuse me, it's much colder than you told us!"
0:55:11 > 0:55:13Yeah, get their money back.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16And now for the main event. Here they come.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23- What a dive!- Look at that!- Oh!
0:55:24 > 0:55:28They're twisting like some gyroscope.
0:55:28 > 0:55:29Incredible!
0:55:29 > 0:55:32They're still going. Look how dense that is there.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39STARLINGS CHATTER
0:55:39 > 0:55:42These extraordinary shapes are called murmurations.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45The name comes from the sound the birds wings make
0:55:45 > 0:55:46when they flock like this.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52The numbers, the sheer numbers.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56We've got anywhere between one and a half and three and a half million
0:55:56 > 0:55:58birds that come down to the roost every night.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03That is an impressive figure.
0:56:12 > 0:56:16Oh, right above us! Layers and layers and layers.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19It's like watching them in 3D.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24The thing that I like about it the most
0:56:24 > 0:56:27is that you can continually learn about nature.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29But then every experience that you have,
0:56:29 > 0:56:31it just keeps on getting better and better.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34You learn more and more and more and it just never stops.
0:56:34 > 0:56:35It is so inspiring.
0:56:37 > 0:56:41You might be able to get this awesome display nearer to you
0:56:41 > 0:56:45as well. I mean, this goes on all over the country. Not just here.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48- Just got to find your local spot, haven't you?- Yeah, that's it.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56I've never seen anything quite like this.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00A 70% decline in the native population has seen the once
0:57:00 > 0:57:04common starling become a fixture on the critical list
0:57:04 > 0:57:05of endangered birds.
0:57:05 > 0:57:09So reserves like this are playing a major role
0:57:09 > 0:57:12in giving these little fellas a foothold.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22That's it for this special edition of Countryfile.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24I hope you've enjoyed wild Britain.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27Next week, I'll be donning my scuba gear to explore The Scylla,
0:57:27 > 0:57:30a shipwreck deliberately sunk off the coats of Cornwall
0:57:30 > 0:57:33to create a new habitat for wildlife.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35See you then.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd