0:00:24 > 0:00:26Today I am journeying around Hampshire.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29From hills and heaths, to farmland and rivers.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31It's a very English landscape.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Nestling in all that lush countryside,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38are chocolate-box villages like Botley.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43It was once described as the most delightful village in the world.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47I'll be walking in the footsteps of its most famous resident,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49journalist, radical politician,
0:00:49 > 0:00:51farmer and traveller, William Cobbett.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57'He was a man who made his name roving around England on horseback
0:00:57 > 0:00:59'documenting the plight of the humble farm labourer
0:00:59 > 0:01:01'in the early 19th century.'
0:01:01 > 0:01:04And it's journeys past I'll be exploring today
0:01:04 > 0:01:07in this special edition of Countryfile.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10I'm joined by some of the Countryfile team
0:01:10 > 0:01:13to look back on the many different journeys we've made around the UK.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Like when Julia let the train take the strain
0:01:19 > 0:01:22as she travelled on a rather unusual commuter route.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24You've got to admit, it brightens up a train journey.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30Matt saddled up to follow ancient packhorse trails.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Such a great experience to be travelling these routes
0:01:32 > 0:01:35that so many packhorses have done before you.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40It just feels really rugged, he feels so rooted in this landscape.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46And John was in good company when he took to the high seas in Wales.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49- You don't see boats like this every day.- You don't.
0:01:49 > 0:01:50You must be very proud of her.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01In the midst of Hampshire in the Hamble Valley
0:02:01 > 0:02:03is the village of Botley,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07once home to 19th-century political journalist and former,
0:02:07 > 0:02:08William Cobbett.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10He described his home as...
0:02:10 > 0:02:13'The most delightful village in the world.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17'It is everything in a village I love and none of the things I hate.'
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Cobbett was the son of a farmer.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25He cared passionately about traditional farming and rural life.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29He even started his own newspaper, The Political Register.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32And like a modern-day journalist he'd go out and get his own stories.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35One issue he returned to again and again
0:02:35 > 0:02:37was the plight of the rural Englishman.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40'Cobbett's famed for travelling
0:02:40 > 0:02:43'all over the countryside of southern England,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45'and now I'm walking in his footsteps
0:02:45 > 0:02:48'through his favourite bit of Hampshire, on the Cobbett Trail.'
0:02:48 > 0:02:49What a lovely house.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52'Barbara Biddell is a real fan of this countryman
0:02:52 > 0:02:56'who cared so passionately about traditional rural life.'
0:02:56 > 0:02:58What sort of a man was Cobbett?
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Well, he was a man who loved the country.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05But he was a man who had a great belief in himself.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08He was quite determined that he was going to fulfil
0:03:08 > 0:03:11what he wanted to do which was to be a member of Parliament.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13So brought him here to Botley?
0:03:13 > 0:03:17What he wanted to do was to give his children a good country living,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21to be able to see the primroses in the fields,
0:03:21 > 0:03:22to follow the hounds,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25to see the hares, and he got to Botley
0:03:25 > 0:03:28where he found the farms were small, the cottages were neat,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32the people were civil, not servile,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36and he could establish himself in Botley.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39'Cobbett championed the plight of the farm labourer
0:03:39 > 0:03:44'railing against everything from tithes to the Land Enclosure Act
0:03:44 > 0:03:47'which deprived country people of their means of earning a living.'
0:03:47 > 0:03:49He would attack the ministers
0:03:49 > 0:03:54and say why should the ministers have £18,000 a year
0:03:54 > 0:03:57when agricultural labourers
0:03:57 > 0:04:00had not enough money to feed their wives and families?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03'Cobbett campaigned relentlessly for political reform,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06'and soon realised the best way to effect change
0:04:06 > 0:04:08'was to become a politician himself.'
0:04:08 > 0:04:09So his life, really,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13was an impressive one considering his humble farm beginnings.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15It was extremely impressive
0:04:15 > 0:04:17when you think of where he got to from what he was, yes.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19I mean, it was astonishing.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26'Further along the trail is Cobbett's old parish church.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30'The famous countryside campaigner worshipped here,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32'but his real love was always the land.'
0:04:33 > 0:04:35How much did farming interest him?
0:04:35 > 0:04:37A great deal, he loved his farm.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Even though he went bankrupt,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43he still got hold of another farm, he couldn't be without a farm.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45But he used his farm for experimenting,
0:04:45 > 0:04:50and he was working out how to feed his cattle on swedes,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53which he then, he put up a steaming shed
0:04:53 > 0:04:54because he thought that
0:04:54 > 0:04:57that would soften them, I suppose, for the cows.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58Extraordinary thing to do.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Expensive, isn't it, experimenting in farming?
0:05:00 > 0:05:01Well, it was really,
0:05:01 > 0:05:05because he didn't put the chimney up high enough so it all caught fire.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Luckily all the animals were rescued.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09He sounds like a bit of a character.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11He was. He was a remarkable man,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13and he, at his death,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15a great many people went to his funeral
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and he had an obituary in The Times.
0:05:18 > 0:05:19"This man was one of
0:05:19 > 0:05:23"the greatest writers of the English language that there had been."
0:05:23 > 0:05:24Gosh.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- So that was quite something. - Quite a compliment.- Yes, tremendous.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32'William Cobbett was a man of real passion and vision.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35'One of his most extraordinary legacies was his book, Rural Rides,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39'which documented his horse rides across the country.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41'But more of that later.'
0:05:41 > 0:05:42Now in William Cobbett's day,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45before goods were transported by barge, lorry, and aeroplane,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48cargo was moved around the country using packhorses.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Matt took a trip to the South Pennines
0:05:51 > 0:05:53to experience what it was like.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01'I'm in the rolling hills of Rossendale
0:06:01 > 0:06:05'on a timeworn trail through the heart of this bleak country.'
0:06:06 > 0:06:09For thousands of years before the days of road and rail
0:06:09 > 0:06:13the only way to cross the mighty Pennines was on one of these,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15on a packhorse trail.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Come on, son, let's go.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21'Trails like these ran the length and breadth of Britain.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23'But they were bleak and isolated.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25'Lone travellers risked life and limb
0:06:25 > 0:06:27'in these harsh, unforgiving hills.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30'The only safe way to travel was with others,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32'and packhorses were strung together in trains
0:06:32 > 0:06:35'to make the arduous crossing.'
0:06:35 > 0:06:36Good lad!
0:06:36 > 0:06:39'Historian Sue Day has brought her cob along to meet me.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42'Bilbo here is the kind of horse that worked these trails.'
0:06:43 > 0:06:46How are you on this blustery day? Are you all right?
0:06:46 > 0:06:48We're OK, we're used to it!
0:06:48 > 0:06:50How's Bilbo, more's to the point?
0:06:50 > 0:06:52He's fine, he lives out here 365 days of the year,
0:06:52 > 0:06:53so it is nothing to him.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55He's looking the part with all this gear.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58He has a side load on but he could even have a top load too.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- Right.- We could have piled him higher still.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Because at one time packhorses were the motorway of their age.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07You have got to imagine anything that needed to be transported,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09lime, stone, coal,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11either the person carried it
0:07:11 > 0:07:14or you'd get the horse to do it, wouldn't you, if you could.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17The packhorses of their day, how much stuff would they have carried?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Two hundredweight in old terms,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22so it'd take ten horses to carry one tonne between them.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25And that's why you had these big packhorse trains,
0:07:25 > 0:07:2730, 40, even 60 horses in a train.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Speaking of moving, are you getting restless, Bilbo?
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Do you want to take a little wander?
0:07:31 > 0:07:32He says I could do 30 miles!
0:07:32 > 0:07:34I'm sure he could!
0:07:34 > 0:07:37When did these trails die out, then? Why?
0:07:37 > 0:07:39The packhorse era was mostly in the mediaeval period,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42it went right up to the 1750s,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45and what's made packhorses begin to be used less
0:07:45 > 0:07:48was the arrival of better road systems,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50then vehicles began to take over,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53but also you see, you would hit the canal building era as well.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56The cargo inside that boat was 20 tonnes,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58so there's a bit of a difference, isn't there?
0:07:58 > 0:08:00'Time to get back on my horse, Danny.'
0:08:05 > 0:08:07We've got a gate to negotiate here.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10Here we go.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12'Well I haven't ridden for a few months,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14'so I think this gate will test us both.'
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Good lad! Who's a good boy?
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Spin around. Go on, son.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Go on, go on.
0:08:22 > 0:08:23Stay.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Good boy. My trusty steed.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30'Nicely done.'
0:08:30 > 0:08:33I tell you what, I am just loving this.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Such a great experience to be travelling these routes
0:08:37 > 0:08:40that so many packhorses have done before you,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43and it just feels really rugged.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45He feels so rooted in this landscape.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01'I've really enjoyed travelling along the trail today
0:09:01 > 0:09:03'but it's time to get out of the saddle.'
0:09:05 > 0:09:07No doubting Matt completely fell
0:09:07 > 0:09:09head over hoof in love with Danny the cob.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15For John it was a love of the Welsh coastline
0:09:15 > 0:09:19that took him to the Llyn peninsula and on a memorable boat journey.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24The sea is a constant presence on the Llyn peninsula.
0:09:24 > 0:09:25It helps create the climate
0:09:25 > 0:09:27and dominates the way of life here.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Although they may not look it today,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32these waters can be some of the most treacherous on our coastline.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38To discover more I have arranged a date
0:09:38 > 0:09:40with a bit of a stunner by the name of Vilma.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42And there she is.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45She looks beautiful, I can't wait to get on board.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55'Conditions don't get more perfect than on a day like this.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00'I'm joining Scott Metcalfe and his crew to get a real sense
0:10:00 > 0:10:02'of what it's like to sail this coast.'
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- You don't see boats like this everyday, do you?- You don't.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10You must be very proud of her.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Tell me a little bit about the history of this boat.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16She was built in 1934 in Denmark
0:10:16 > 0:10:17as a fishing boat.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19And what have you transformed her into?
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Because she doesn't look much like a fishing boat now!
0:10:22 > 0:10:26No. The whole form is very much like the old British sailing coasters.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28So we based her on a trading schooner
0:10:28 > 0:10:30and we've rigged her as such.
0:10:30 > 0:10:31So she looks now
0:10:31 > 0:10:33much like a lot of coastal sailing boats
0:10:33 > 0:10:36popping into harbours around the coast would have looked
0:10:36 > 0:10:37100 or so years ago?
0:10:37 > 0:10:39100, 200 years ago, yes.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41This would have been very familiar on this coast.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44How dangerous are the waters around here?
0:10:44 > 0:10:46They are particularly bad around this part of the coast.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48It is a very rocky shore.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50There are not many lights on this coast.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53There's Bardsey Lighthouse, and the next major light
0:10:53 > 0:10:55is actually on the north of Anglesey,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58so that's a long way away, so it's virtually an unlit coast.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Well, to show you just how perilous it can be
0:11:01 > 0:11:02in the past 180 years
0:11:02 > 0:11:06no less than 142 ships have been wrecked around the peninsula,
0:11:06 > 0:11:10and one in particular has become something of a legend.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13It came to grief just over there.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19'To learn more I'm heading for dry land
0:11:19 > 0:11:23'and I've got my own personal escorts to take me back to shore.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28'It's 110 years since The Stuart, a cargo ship
0:11:28 > 0:11:31'a lot larger than this vessel, set sail from Liverpool
0:11:31 > 0:11:33'heading for New Zealand, but it didn't get very far.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41'Local historian Tony Jones has studied the story.'
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Well, Tony, tell me exactly what happened.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Well, it was Easter Sunday, early hours of the morning,
0:11:48 > 0:11:54and it was thick fog, and pretty calm, like today, actually.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56She got lost, did she?
0:11:56 > 0:11:58She got completely lost because of the dense fog.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00So where did she come ashore?
0:12:00 > 0:12:02She come ashore just the other side of that big rock there.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04She sailed right up to the rocks
0:12:04 > 0:12:08and came crashing onto the rocks with a thundering roar, I'd imagine.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11And what happened to the crew? Were they injured?
0:12:11 > 0:12:13They were very fortunate,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16they got into a lifeboat and came ashore into a bay over there.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18The plan of action was to come back at dawn,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and get back on board, and sail it away.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23And when they did come back in the morning
0:12:23 > 0:12:26they could see straight away she'd broken her keel,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28she'd more or less broken in half by then.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30So it was a lost cause.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32- No way they were going to New Zealand.- No way!
0:12:32 > 0:12:34So what about her cargo?
0:12:34 > 0:12:37She carried a mixed cargo of porcelain,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40cotton, there was even six grand pianos!
0:12:40 > 0:12:41- Really?- Yes!
0:12:41 > 0:12:43And one of the local guys,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46he injured his back trying to carry one up the path here.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48- So people helped themselves then, did they?- Oh, yes.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50But the star prize was the whiskey.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Whiskey galore?
0:12:52 > 0:12:54What they called at the time,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57there was a large consignment of whiskey in her,
0:12:57 > 0:12:58and being a Sunday
0:12:58 > 0:13:03no-one was in a hurry to let the Customs know about the wreck,
0:13:03 > 0:13:10and by the time Mr Mason Cumberland, the chief Customs officer,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13arrived from Caernarfon, there were literally hundreds of people here.
0:13:13 > 0:13:19Some said they were like a swarm of locusts all over the wreck.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21And a lot of the stuff had gone.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24All the good stuff, anyway!
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Did they have to hide it or anything?
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Yes, they used to hide them in rabbit holes, but the thing is,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32they used to get so drunk they couldn't remember where they were.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36And they were still finding the odd bottle here only 30 years ago.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- Down a rabbit hole. - Down rabbit holes, yes.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41They carried on even underneath the Customs' eyes.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44One way of getting the whiskey up the path
0:13:44 > 0:13:47was women used to have bottles of whiskey in their bloomers,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51and there's one account of the Customs man stopping one woman
0:13:51 > 0:13:53and she had her hands in her pockets,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55and he said put her hands up to frisk her,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57so she went like that,
0:13:57 > 0:13:58her bloomers fell down,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01with the two bottles of whiskey in them.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03And was anybody ever arrested for all of this?
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Well, there's no account of anybody at all being arrested
0:14:06 > 0:14:08which I find quite strange,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11but I think, who could they arrest?
0:14:11 > 0:14:14They would have had to arrest the whole peninsula.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16And interrupt a great party.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18The party went on for months apparently.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23They said it was the best Easter egg that this village ever had.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28'Now all that's left, apart from the folklore,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31'are a few battered remains of the wreck.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35'A warning to modern-day sailors to respect this stretch of coast.'
0:14:38 > 0:14:40'We're celebrating great journeys,
0:14:40 > 0:14:41'so I've come to Hampshire
0:14:41 > 0:14:43'on the trail of William Cobbett,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46'a 19th century farmer, radical politician, and journalist.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51'Writing was his passion, as was the English countryside.'
0:14:53 > 0:14:57When he thought it was under threat from rapid industrialisation
0:14:57 > 0:15:00he took to riding around the countryside on horseback
0:15:00 > 0:15:04to investigate what was happening in the towns and villages.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07His book, Rural Rides, was the result.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12'My object was not to see inns and turnpike roads,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14'but to see the country,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18'to see the farmers at home and see the labourers in the fields.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22'And to do this we must go either on foot or on horseback.'
0:15:23 > 0:15:26'In his day, Cobbett could ride across country
0:15:26 > 0:15:28'going pretty much where he fancied.
0:15:28 > 0:15:29'He loved this area
0:15:29 > 0:15:33'and his descriptions of the countryside embellish his books.'
0:15:33 > 0:15:34His large house has now disappeared,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38but he did plant all those very tall trees behind me,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40had a keen interest in horticulture
0:15:40 > 0:15:43and an eye for making money planting new trees
0:15:43 > 0:15:45in the hope of successfully marketing them.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48'The English countryside may have changed much since his day,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52'but amazingly Rural Rides is still in print,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54'180 years after it was first published.'
0:15:54 > 0:15:56That's the River Hamble,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58it's a tidal river,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and in Cobbett's day it would have been busy with boats
0:16:00 > 0:16:02going up and down to Botley's wharf and mill
0:16:02 > 0:16:04delivering coal, wheat and flour.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11'But our waterways aren't just a means of transporting goods.
0:16:11 > 0:16:12'They're jewels in our landscape.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15'As I discovered when I headed to Loch Etive
0:16:15 > 0:16:16'in western Scotland back in the autumn.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22'My skipper for the day is Donald.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25'He is the latest in a family line of Loch Etive boatsmen.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26'He's carrying on the tradition,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29'running boat trips for tourists and fishermen.'
0:16:29 > 0:16:32So your father was a boatman, too.
0:16:32 > 0:16:33And his father before as well.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- Really? - So it's three generations now.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39As a child with my father I'd be coming up and down every day
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and get to know the loch quite well after a while.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Lucky you, getting to work here.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46- It's a nice occupation.- Yes.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53'My first stop is at Dunstaffnage Castle,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56'standing guard where Loch Etive meets the sea.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01'The castle is one of the oldest in Scotland, nearly 800 years old.'
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Built to protect Argyll from invading Norwegians
0:17:05 > 0:17:07it sits at a strategic spot
0:17:07 > 0:17:10for anyone trying to attack Scotland from the West,
0:17:10 > 0:17:15but its most famous moment came a mere 265 years ago
0:17:15 > 0:17:19when for a brief period it was the unwanted home of a Highland heroine.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24'Flora MacDonald was imprisoned in the castle in 1746
0:17:24 > 0:17:27'after she smuggled Bonnie Prince Charlie to Skye.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30'Famously he dressed as her female servant to aid his escape.'
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Mind you, it's not a bad place to be imprisoned, is it?
0:17:44 > 0:17:47The northern half of Loch Etive is the least accessible,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49and therefore the most tranquil.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Possibly one of the few remaining places of true wilderness
0:17:53 > 0:17:54left in the country.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57And with that comes great opportunities to spot wildlife.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05'I've arranged for Philip Price to join me
0:18:05 > 0:18:06'for the next leg of my journey.'
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- Some serious kit you've got there. - Yes. It does the job.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11'He's a wildlife photographer, passionate about
0:18:11 > 0:18:14'the flora and fauna of his homeland.'
0:18:19 > 0:18:21So, Philip, what is it about Loch Etive
0:18:21 > 0:18:24that is so great for wildlife photography?
0:18:25 > 0:18:29It's the variety you get in Loch Etive, it's absolutely astonishing.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Just where we are travelling up now,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33that's the back of Ben Cruachan up there,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35so on the top of Ben Cruachan
0:18:35 > 0:18:38you will get hares, all the real mountain, alpine animals.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Wow.- Come down the slopes, you get these woodlands.
0:18:41 > 0:18:42That's Inverawe over there,
0:18:42 > 0:18:46and there is a phenomenal place for red squirrels.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48You come down onto the lochside
0:18:48 > 0:18:52and you'll get cormorants, shags, eiders, you name it,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54you've got all of your marine life down here.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56We've even seen otters along the coast here.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59So, in terms of pure diversity, you simply can't beat Loch Etive,
0:18:59 > 0:19:00it's a wonderful place.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03'After venturing north to the quietest part of the loch
0:19:03 > 0:19:05'we find what we were looking for.'
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Aren't they awesome? Look at that"
0:19:10 > 0:19:12You couldn't even dream up that scene, could you?
0:19:12 > 0:19:14It's just mind-boggling,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17to see this many here, in this location.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18And I come here quite regularly.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It's just astonishing.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24- Do I did have a go then? - Yes. Fire away.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26What you want to do is get the centre square
0:19:26 > 0:19:29when you look through the viewfinder right over the animal's head,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32and that means the head of the animal will be in focus.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34And when you look through that lens
0:19:34 > 0:19:36you will see how gorgeous these animals are.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39- It's amazing.- And just the scenery and the wildlife.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41I was hoping we'd see seals,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43but you just never know.
0:19:43 > 0:19:44And when it happens,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48I'll never get bored of doing wildlife photography,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51that unknown, when it does happen, just makes it all the more sweeter.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Oh, wow! Look at that one!
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Coming up on this celebration of great journeys...
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Adam gets a new perspective on some old rocks.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08The sea has broken through that rock,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12and now is wearing away at the inside.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Matt helps drive some sheep, but without the aid of wheels.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Hang on! Don't go in front of the car.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Great, there's a car coming in behind us(!)
0:20:19 > 0:20:20It's like the M25.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24And there's the Countryfile five-day weather forecast.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Now it was a cold winter's day
0:20:32 > 0:20:34when Julia went to explore the area
0:20:34 > 0:20:37around Barnsley and Huddersfield.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40It's known to many as the Old West Riding, and she soon discovered
0:20:40 > 0:20:44a short journey on a commuter route could be a surprising one.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46It looks like an ordinary train,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48it makes the noise of an ordinary train,
0:20:48 > 0:20:50but this is no ordinary train.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09The 12.17 from Huddersfield is the music train.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17You've got to admit, it brightens up the train journey.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26- It's an unusual venue, isn't it? - Yes.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27How do people generally react?
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Not everyone knows they're getting on the music train, obviously.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33No. There are usually quite a few surprised looks.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34And always a positive response?
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Yes, usually.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37We are all freelance musicians
0:21:37 > 0:21:39and play in lots of different conditions,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and this is one of our favourite gigs, really.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44And one of the most unusual.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45Yes, that as well.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50'So why are they doing this?
0:21:50 > 0:21:53'Well, it's all part of a strategy to keep this line running.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55'The Penistone Line is a true survivor,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58'narrowly missing the infamous axe of Dr Beeching in the 60s,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00'and further threats to its existence in the 1980s.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06'But now it carries over a million passengers a year,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08'partly down to regular events like this,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11'and the volunteers that run them.'
0:22:11 > 0:22:14The views are absolutely stunning, difficult to beat.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It's fantastic, and back in the 1880s
0:22:17 > 0:22:19one writer described the line as going
0:22:19 > 0:22:21through scenes of surpassing loveliness.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22- Very lovely.- It still does.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25What did you think when this was first tabled,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28this idea, look, we're going to put a band on the train?
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Well, running railways is a serious business,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33so I thought, that's a bit of a funny one.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35But I thought, actually,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37why not have a bit of fun while you're doing it.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38It may be serious,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41but the thing about that is it really connects with the community.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43It connects with the people,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45and that's what they wanted. It's their railway after all.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48We just run the bits of metal between it, they own it!
0:22:53 > 0:22:56'As well as the ever-changing landscape
0:22:56 > 0:23:00'you also get to see some reminders of the area's industrial heritage.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03'This Victorian viaduct spans the Dearne Valley at Denby Dale.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05'It actually replaced a wooden one
0:23:05 > 0:23:07'which wobbled with every train that passed over.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08'And a few minutes later
0:23:08 > 0:23:12'there is an even bigger and better one on the approach to Penistone.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17'Nearly 100 years ago a pillar of Penistone's most famous landmark
0:23:17 > 0:23:19'collapsed into the River Don
0:23:19 > 0:23:22'taking two arches and a locomotive with it.'
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Incredibly no-one was hurt and they managed to recover the train
0:23:26 > 0:23:28which they carried on using for another 25 years.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30How very Yorkshire.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35'Today we're safely across the viaduct without incident,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37'and while the music train continues onto Sheffield
0:23:37 > 0:23:40'I get off at Penistone to explore the area on foot.'
0:23:43 > 0:23:45They look like ramblers.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47'I've arranged to meet up with Stuart Parker
0:23:47 > 0:23:51'to join one of his guided walks which starts on a disused track.'
0:23:51 > 0:23:53- Hi, guys.- Hello.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Stuart, I know Stuart, I don't know anyone else. Hello.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00- Hi.- Right, let's get going. - Yes, good.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02So this is the Trans Pennine Trail.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Yes, this is built on a section of the old track bed
0:24:05 > 0:24:07of the railway between Sheffield and Manchester.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10And it's now just leaving Penistone station here.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Penistone has a reputation of being the coldest station in the country,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15and I think we're experiencing some of that today.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- Yes, it's a bit nippy, not that cold.- The wind coming off the moors.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22'30 years ago freight trains packed with coal
0:24:22 > 0:24:25'would thunder from the South Yorkshire coalfields
0:24:25 > 0:24:27'to the power stations in the North West.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30'We're heading towards the village of Silkstone Common,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32'but when you look at the views
0:24:32 > 0:24:35it's surprising to think we're less than four miles from Barnsley.'
0:24:35 > 0:24:37We've been out in some
0:24:37 > 0:24:39lovely countryside on the edge of Barnsley town,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43and it has a proud industrial heritage of mining and industry,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45and yet you are on the edge of open countryside,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47criss-crossed with public footpaths,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51an ideal area to explore the villages close on the boundaries.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53A fantastic way to do it using the trains as well,
0:24:53 > 0:24:54using the train lines.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55Exactly, using the train,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58hourly train service between Barnsley and Huddersfield,
0:24:58 > 0:24:59getting off at stations,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02walking the footpaths between stations,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04ending at a local hostelry.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Very important that bit!
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Jumping on the train back home, ideal.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11'Well, we've definitely missed that train,
0:25:11 > 0:25:12'so time for a little ale in the pub,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14'and what better place to end
0:25:14 > 0:25:16'my whistle-stop tour of the Penistone Line
0:25:16 > 0:25:18'and the countryside beyond.'
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Julia there on an offbeat train ride.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28But now we're travelling south for an altogether different journey.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Stretching for almost 100 miles
0:25:33 > 0:25:37these dramatic and crumbling cliffs are a wonder of the natural world.
0:25:37 > 0:25:38This is the Jurassic Coast,
0:25:38 > 0:25:43and Adam went to Dorset to explore beaches that reveal history
0:25:43 > 0:25:44millions of years old.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51Here at Charmouth the cliffs are being eroded at an incredible rate.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55But for some it is seen as the key to conserving this coast.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Because as each layer of rock is exposed
0:25:57 > 0:26:00it reveals Earth's ancient history.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04'Erosion also opens a treasure chest
0:26:04 > 0:26:08'of incredible secrets about our past.'
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Fossils, free again from the earth
0:26:11 > 0:26:14for the very first time in millions of years.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19- Hi, Paddy.- Hi, are you all right?
0:26:19 > 0:26:21How are you getting on? I found this someone's left on the beach.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- Chipped it open.- Yes, quite nice.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26That's a little ammonite, that's about 190 million years old.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27Incredible!
0:26:27 > 0:26:29I've been picking up stones, is that any good?
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Probably not, there's a lot of calcite crystal in there,
0:26:32 > 0:26:33it's not really flat enough.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34It's a real art, isn't it?
0:26:34 > 0:26:36It takes a bit of practice. I've had lots of practice.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39- What other things have you found? - Oh, all sorts of things.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43- Plesiosaur skeletons. - What else have you got?
0:26:43 > 0:26:44We've got a few pieces.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47That's a vertebra from an ichthyosaurus.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50A reptile that looks rather like a dolphin.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52This is a belemnite,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56the remains of the fossil squid or squid-like animal.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59It takes quite a trained eye, doesn't it, to spot them?
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Anybody would think that was just a rock.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02Absolutely, that's right.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Just a little bit of knowledge can be awfully helpful.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08- Cos the rocks are just moving all the time.- They are, that's right.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Very soft rock so easily eroded.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14So new things are coming onto the beach constantly.
0:27:14 > 0:27:15How long have you been at it?
0:27:15 > 0:27:16- 39 years.- Have you?
0:27:16 > 0:27:20I started when I was six years old, and never really grew up.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24- Thank you very much.- You're welcome. - Good luck.- All right, bye.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30'As you head east along the Jurassic Coast
0:27:30 > 0:27:33'the landscape becomes even more spectacular.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35'Lulworth Cove was formed
0:27:35 > 0:27:37'when waves punched their way through hard rocks
0:27:37 > 0:27:39'and gouged away the softer sandstone and clay
0:27:39 > 0:27:42'creating this perfect horseshoe shape.'
0:27:43 > 0:27:46It's one of a number of incredible sights along this coastline,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50and to get that extra special view I'm heading out there.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52- Hi, Terry.- Morning, Adam. - Just hop in then?
0:27:52 > 0:27:53Good day for a paddle. Yes. Hop in.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Off we go.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01'I'm kayaking off the coast from Lulworth
0:28:01 > 0:28:05'to experience its geological wonder up close.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07'Terry Sallows is my guide, as well as Paul in the safety kayak.'
0:28:13 > 0:28:18We're now heading into Stairhole, a set of two caves.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20This is where the sea has eroded
0:28:20 > 0:28:24through the actual harder core of the Portland stone.
0:28:24 > 0:28:25It's just amazing, isn't it?
0:28:25 > 0:28:27The way the sea has broken through there.
0:28:27 > 0:28:28Absolutely, yes.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32- It's taken millions of years to get to this stage.- Yes.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Just here we can see the Lulworth Crumple,
0:28:34 > 0:28:38and this is where the continents have met
0:28:38 > 0:28:40and it has pushed the rocks up
0:28:40 > 0:28:43which created this formation which is quite unique.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44Amazing fold, isn't it?
0:28:44 > 0:28:46It's beautiful, beautiful.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51This soil just on the inside is a lot softer
0:28:51 > 0:28:54than the harder Portland stone which is on the outside.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56So the sea has broken through that rock
0:28:56 > 0:28:59and now is wearing away the inside.
0:28:59 > 0:29:00Yes.
0:29:02 > 0:29:08And that really is only accessible via paddle boat like this, isn't it?
0:29:08 > 0:29:10Absolutely, yes.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11You wouldn't attempt
0:29:11 > 0:29:14to go in there with an outboard on the back of the boat,
0:29:14 > 0:29:15that's for sure.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17A real treat.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27'My final destination is Durdle Door,
0:29:27 > 0:29:30'one of the most famous landmarks of the Dorset coast.'
0:29:33 > 0:29:35Certainly gives you a sense of scale.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40This is quite an iconic landmark along the British coastline.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Why is it called Durdle Door?
0:29:42 > 0:29:46Durdle means piercing or opening, and of course, door.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49- So piercing, opening door.- Yes.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52It actually looks a little bit like dragon's head, don't you think?
0:29:52 > 0:29:54He's drinking out of the water.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58Certainly from the other side you can see the head and the neck
0:29:58 > 0:30:00and the great long body and tail.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02Yes.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04Some locals call it durdledaurus!
0:30:04 > 0:30:07THEY LAUGH
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Today I'm journeying through Hampshire.
0:30:13 > 0:30:18This bit of the county looks as it would have in William Cobbett's day.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20But it was only with the advent of the railways
0:30:20 > 0:30:23that the rest of Britain could savour its most fiery export.
0:30:23 > 0:30:29One of Hampshire's most famous crops is watercress and I really like it.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35The plant's heyday was the Victorian period.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37Bought in a bunch it could be consumed on the go
0:30:37 > 0:30:40and would even be eaten in sandwiches at breakfast time.
0:30:42 > 0:30:43- Hi, James.- Hello.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46So why do we love watercress? Why did the Victorians love it too?
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Well, I think we've always had a love affair with watercress.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53It started off as early as Hippocrates in Ancient Greece,
0:30:53 > 0:30:55back in 460 BC.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57He knew it was really good for you
0:30:57 > 0:30:59and built a hospital right next to it.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02The Romans loved it, we've always known it's very healthy.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Nowadays, with nutritional analysis, we can prove how healthy it is.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08Why does it seem to do so well down here in Hampshire?
0:31:08 > 0:31:11It's all based on the aquifer, it's all about the underground water
0:31:11 > 0:31:14that slowly filters through the chalk and picks up the nutrients.
0:31:14 > 0:31:15Watercress loves that.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18It's based on the quality of the nutrients in the water,
0:31:18 > 0:31:20it picks up the calcium.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22It's very rich in calcium and in vitamin C as well.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26What determines how strong and fiery it is?
0:31:26 > 0:31:28Time of year is dependent on the strength of it,
0:31:28 > 0:31:30but also the age of the crop.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33The older the crop gets, it gets a stronger taste.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Right about now, an over wintered UK crop is about
0:31:36 > 0:31:38as strong a tasting as you can get.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40- So this is the fiery stuff? - This will blow your head off.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42I've got to test it now you've said that!
0:31:44 > 0:31:47- Mm. Cor, it's good and fiery, isn't it?- It's peppery.- Hm.
0:31:47 > 0:31:52So why is there this link then with the watercress and the railway?
0:31:52 > 0:31:55Watercress has always been quite a perishable vegetable,
0:31:55 > 0:31:58- so it's always about time to market, it's still the case now.- Yes.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00The railways used to pack it into wicker flats
0:32:00 > 0:32:03so this is a reconstruction of a flat.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05You had half flats and full flats.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07A half flat contained about half a hundredweight,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09so about 25 kilos of watercress.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12So how much of it were they shifting up to London?
0:32:12 > 0:32:14It was considerable amounts.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17Around about the 1900s, mid 1800s,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20there were about 1,000 acres of watercress farms in the UK.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22And most of that was going to the main markets,
0:32:22 > 0:32:26London, Birmingham, even as far as Liverpool, up to Edinburgh.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Nowadays it's really shrunk
0:32:28 > 0:32:31and concentrated to about 150 acres in the UK.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41In a moment I'm going to be heading up to the railway
0:32:41 > 0:32:43to see for myself how the watercress was sent to London.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47First, here's the Countryfile weather forecast for the week ahead.
0:34:50 > 0:34:57.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11I'm in Hampshire looking back at some of the journeys
0:35:11 > 0:35:13we've made on Countryfile.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17We've travelled by kayak, by foot and even on horseback.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20But we couldn't miss out on steam.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24The Mid Hants railway was once a busy branch route
0:35:24 > 0:35:26serving nearby villages and agricultural communities.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29But it was a locally grown product that gave it its pet name -
0:35:29 > 0:35:31the Watercress Line.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35As we've heard the heyday of watercress was the Victorian period
0:35:35 > 0:35:38and with the development of the railway,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41tonnes of it was transported up to the markets in Covent Garden.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45So paint a picture, what would have been like here back then?
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Apart from the watercress trains that went from over there,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51the you'd have had the normal passenger trains, about one an hour.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Then you'd have had some through trains as well,
0:35:54 > 0:35:56which would be going from Southampton up to London,
0:35:56 > 0:35:58and the normal freight trains.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02- Busy then?- Normal hustle and bustle of a countryside market town really.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04Why didn't it carry on?
0:36:04 > 0:36:06It was the general decline of the railways
0:36:06 > 0:36:07and the move to road transport.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10In the '50s and '60s everyone moved to the road
0:36:10 > 0:36:13and once they loaded the watercress and freight onto the lorries
0:36:13 > 0:36:16at the farms, they might as well drive it to market on the lorries.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20The railway finally closed in the early 1970s,
0:36:20 > 0:36:22and quickly fell into disrepair.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25But where's there's a steam railway, there's an enthusiast.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28And after years of painful restoration it's now running
0:36:28 > 0:36:31again as a heritage railway.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42The line runs for ten miles from Arlesford to Alton.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46Well, that was pretty noisy and smelly.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48I just saw the signalman give something to the driver,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51I'm going to find out what it was.
0:36:51 > 0:36:52Knock-knock.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55- Hello, may I come in?- Yes, hello. - I'm Ellie.- Pleased to meet you.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58I'm being nosey, I wanted to find out what you were doing
0:36:58 > 0:37:00giving something to the driver down there.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02Well, the driver has to have an authority
0:37:02 > 0:37:03to go on to the single line.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07These key tokens are issued by this machine and the machine
0:37:07 > 0:37:10guarantees that only one token can be out at any one time.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12You're like the air traffic controller,
0:37:12 > 0:37:14- telling him it's safe to go. - In a rather minor way, yes.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16It's all pretty important, their safety!
0:37:16 > 0:37:19- That's an amazing invention, is that old?- Yes, early 1900s.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Isn't that clever?
0:37:21 > 0:37:24Mr Tyer, an electric key token machine.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27- And you can't get that out?- You can try, you can try and get that out.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29- If you lift it up.- Yes, I'm trying.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Put it up in there and you try and turn that out now.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36No, there is no way I'm getting that out. Isn't that brilliant?!
0:37:36 > 0:37:38The only way you can get that out is with
0:37:38 > 0:37:40the cooperation of the signaller at the other end
0:37:40 > 0:37:42when he holds his plunger in.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44- Fantastic.- And then we can get one out and one only.- Incredible.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46So you're safe on the Watercress Line.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48- You're safe on the Watercress Line. - Good to know.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51- Thanks for letting me come in. - Pleasure.- What an amazing place.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54- Brilliant. I'll leave you to it. - You're welcome.- Cheers.- Bye-bye.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58Historically, moving agricultural produce from A to B
0:37:58 > 0:38:00involved a lot more work than it does today.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02But it wasn't just the train taking the strain
0:38:02 > 0:38:05as Matt discovered when he moved sheep to new pastures,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07it wasn't a walk in the park either.
0:38:08 > 0:38:13Today the Lincolnshire Wolds are a patchwork of arable fields.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15But a few centuries ago it was livestock,
0:38:15 > 0:38:19and in particular sheep, that dominated the landscape.
0:38:19 > 0:38:20Like the Cotswolds,
0:38:20 > 0:38:24the Lincolnshire Wolds grew rich off the back of the boom in wool trade.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31In an age when there was no motorised transport
0:38:31 > 0:38:34the only way to move animals to market was to walk them there
0:38:34 > 0:38:36sometimes hundreds of miles.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40For centuries, farmers relied on a network of alleyways
0:38:40 > 0:38:44laid out between fields known as droving roads.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Many of them still exist today,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48transporting cars not sheep.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51But to find out what it was like for drovers herding their animals
0:38:51 > 0:38:54I'm going to retrace one of their traditional routes
0:38:54 > 0:38:56here in the Wolds.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59The plan is to walk this flock of rare breed Lincoln Longwools
0:38:59 > 0:39:02to fresh pasture about three miles from here.
0:39:02 > 0:39:07Now I have moved loads of sheep around our farm in Durham, but...
0:39:07 > 0:39:11to drove this lot down unfamiliar roads is going to be interesting.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14I have enlisted the help of their owner Mike Harrison.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18So plan of action, are we going to get them straight into that corner?
0:39:18 > 0:39:21- That's the way.- Round we go then. Come on, girls.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23'Mike regularly hires his sheep out
0:39:23 > 0:39:26'to nearby farmers to help graze their land.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29'Normally he'd move them the whole way by trailer
0:39:29 > 0:39:32'but today he's going to help us turn the clock back.'
0:39:32 > 0:39:35- They are off at speed a little bit. - MIKE WHISTLES
0:39:35 > 0:39:37Great. We better catch up with them
0:39:37 > 0:39:39because wherever we're going it's not going to take us long!
0:39:39 > 0:39:41'So we're off to a flying start.'
0:39:41 > 0:39:45I don't think the traditional drovers were joggers.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52This is interesting cos we have got a car coming in front of us here.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54- Right. Yes.- There we are, perfect.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Ooh, hang on, don't go in front of the car.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Great, there's a car coming in behind us(!)
0:39:59 > 0:40:00It's like the M25!
0:40:02 > 0:40:07- Thank you!- Good job you come along you know.- I tell you what, Mike...
0:40:10 > 0:40:12'We're approaching the halfway point,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15the perfect time to stop and take a breather.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19They're quite keen to get their heads down now, do a bit of grazing.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Traditionally, a lot of Wolds farms had grazing down on the out marsh,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25down near the coast.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29And this would be a very traditional sight as these animals
0:40:29 > 0:40:30made their way to their summer grazing
0:40:30 > 0:40:32and back again in the autumn.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36'Drovers would have walked sheep across the countryside
0:40:36 > 0:40:37'like this for hundreds of years.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41'In other parts of the country all kinds of livestock, from horses,
0:40:41 > 0:40:46'geese, turkeys and cows, would have all been moved in this way.'
0:40:46 > 0:40:50Come on then, girls, let's keep going. It's lovely this.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54- It's a lovely walk if nothing else.- Gorgeous.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Best kept secret, this part of the world.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Journey's end is in sight, just a few more yards to go.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05That's it, girls.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09Straight through the gateway.
0:41:09 > 0:41:10There we are.
0:41:10 > 0:41:15Oh, right at the last minute we nearly lost one! Super.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19- Pastures new. - We did it, team, we did it.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21Absolutely terrific.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24Our droving is complete, in front of an audience as well.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26What a lovely way to finish. Very nice.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28- Look at that, they look happy, don't they?- Mm.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30They do.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34'And for the Lincoln Longwools, time for a well-earned rest.'
0:41:39 > 0:41:41And with that, we're at our journey's end.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49That's it for this special edition of Countryfile.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Next week, we'll be on the Suffolk coast with Matt.
0:41:52 > 0:41:53See you then, bye-bye!
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd