Browse content similar to 31/07/2011. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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High above the waves, stretching miles out into the Irish Sea, | 0:00:28 | 0:00:32 | |
is the Llyn Peninsula, a rugged land of rocky peaks and distant horizons | 0:00:32 | 0:00:37 | |
on the very edge of North Wales. | 0:00:37 | 0:00:40 | |
The countryside around here is remote and empty, and in days gone by, | 0:00:40 | 0:00:45 | |
the best way of getting around the peninsula was like this, by boat. | 0:00:45 | 0:00:49 | |
These days, if you're very lucky, you might just see some of these guys. | 0:00:49 | 0:00:54 | |
Just a couple of miles offshore sits a legendary island, | 0:00:57 | 0:01:01 | |
a place of pilgrimage. | 0:01:01 | 0:01:03 | |
Helen's hoping to find out what it's like living in the shadow of 20,000 saints. | 0:01:03 | 0:01:07 | |
But getting there might not be plain sailing. | 0:01:07 | 0:01:10 | |
Bardsey Island is surrounded by | 0:01:11 | 0:01:13 | |
some of the most dangerous riptides in Europe, | 0:01:13 | 0:01:16 | |
and the island's Welsh name, Ynys Enlli, means "island of currents". | 0:01:16 | 0:01:20 | |
Boats regularly have to turn back because of bad weather, so I'm hoping the sun keeps on shining. | 0:01:20 | 0:01:26 | |
And Tom's been investigating the mounting pressure on our countryside. | 0:01:26 | 0:01:31 | |
With our rapidly growing population, | 0:01:31 | 0:01:33 | |
British land is turning into one of our most precious commodities. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:37 | |
So is there enough of it to go around? | 0:01:37 | 0:01:40 | |
I'll be asking, what should we be using our land for? | 0:01:40 | 0:01:44 | |
Also on tonight's programme, | 0:01:44 | 0:01:46 | |
what does it mean when sheep come labelled "easy care"? | 0:01:46 | 0:01:50 | |
Adam's got the answer. | 0:01:50 | 0:01:52 | |
This is how the wool just falls off. | 0:01:52 | 0:01:54 | |
Naturally moulting. So you don't have to worry about shearing. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:57 | |
And with scores of shipwrecks along this coast, what happened | 0:02:00 | 0:02:03 | |
when one vessel loaded with whisky ran aground? | 0:02:03 | 0:02:06 | |
There's one account of the customs man stopping one woman | 0:02:06 | 0:02:10 | |
to frisk her, and when she went like that, her bloomers fell down! | 0:02:10 | 0:02:14 | |
The Llyn Peninsula. | 0:02:27 | 0:02:30 | |
A jewel in the Welsh crown, | 0:02:31 | 0:02:33 | |
a granite outcrop unlike anything else in Britain. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:36 | |
This area of outstanding natural beauty | 0:02:38 | 0:02:42 | |
stretches for 30 miles in the north-west of Wales. | 0:02:42 | 0:02:45 | |
Wherever you are on the peninsula, you're never more than five miles | 0:02:48 | 0:02:51 | |
from the sea, which gives this place its own unique micro-climate. | 0:02:51 | 0:02:55 | |
The weather here keeps changing rapidly. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:57 | |
And on the uplands, there's lots of sheep, | 0:02:57 | 0:03:00 | |
but not much sign of human activity. | 0:03:00 | 0:03:02 | |
'That is, apart from here, high in the hills, | 0:03:04 | 0:03:06 | |
'where an archaeological dig is going on. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:09 | |
'Relatively little is known about the early history of this area, | 0:03:09 | 0:03:12 | |
'but Professor Raimund Karl from Austria is leading a team | 0:03:12 | 0:03:16 | |
'mainly from Bangor University that's trying to change that.' | 0:03:16 | 0:03:20 | |
Raimund, what exactly is going on here? | 0:03:20 | 0:03:24 | |
Well, we're digging a late Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement here. | 0:03:24 | 0:03:29 | |
Roughly 800 BC to 400 BC. | 0:03:29 | 0:03:33 | |
While you're here, don't you want to join us? | 0:03:33 | 0:03:35 | |
-You've got to work on this site, have you? -You've got to work if you're visiting us. | 0:03:35 | 0:03:39 | |
-This was a house, was it? -Yes, this was a house. | 0:03:39 | 0:03:42 | |
We're almost in the middle of a relatively sizable roundhouse. | 0:03:42 | 0:03:47 | |
Well-built. Built from stone. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:50 | |
In total, we assume that there were probably | 0:03:50 | 0:03:53 | |
something like 10 to 12 roundhouses on this site, | 0:03:53 | 0:03:56 | |
so a nice place for a community of, say, 40, 50, 60 people | 0:03:56 | 0:04:01 | |
inhabiting this little hill. | 0:04:01 | 0:04:03 | |
-It looks to me as though there's a double wall. -Yes, indeed. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:08 | |
The stone walls here are built pretty much like a cavity wall. | 0:04:08 | 0:04:12 | |
You have an inner facing, built from stone layers. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:14 | |
You have an outer facing built from stone layers, | 0:04:14 | 0:04:17 | |
and the material in between is filled in with turf, stones... | 0:04:17 | 0:04:21 | |
Cavity wall insulation. | 0:04:21 | 0:04:23 | |
Yes, effectively. You've got cavity wall insulation in those days, yes. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:28 | |
And were they a kind of status symbol, these houses? | 0:04:28 | 0:04:31 | |
Well, yes. Quite certainly, they were a status symbol. | 0:04:31 | 0:04:34 | |
It's very visible and a very good place to demonstrate "We are important people". | 0:04:34 | 0:04:40 | |
They're basically saying, "We are the big men here." | 0:04:40 | 0:04:43 | |
Right. Well, let's get on with a bit more scraping. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:45 | |
'As well as unearthing walls, we're looking for evidence | 0:04:45 | 0:04:49 | |
'of charcoal from one of the communal fires. | 0:04:49 | 0:04:51 | |
'That'll help the team date exactly when this roundhouse was being used.' | 0:04:51 | 0:04:55 | |
On another of these round houses they've found on the same site, | 0:04:57 | 0:05:01 | |
they've come across these great holes, which is where the poles | 0:05:01 | 0:05:04 | |
that held up the roof would have been seated. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:07 | |
Now, it's difficult for us non-archaeologists to imagine | 0:05:07 | 0:05:11 | |
what one of these roundhouses looked like, | 0:05:11 | 0:05:13 | |
so across the hill, down in the valley, they've reconstructed a village of them, | 0:05:13 | 0:05:18 | |
using exactly the same techniques as these Iron Age builders. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:22 | |
'Dafydd Davies-Hughes runs the Felin Uchaf project, which aims to | 0:05:25 | 0:05:31 | |
'connect people with their past to better understand their present.' | 0:05:31 | 0:05:35 | |
It's all very impressive, Dafydd, but what's the philosophy behind it? | 0:05:35 | 0:05:39 | |
We get young people here hungry to learn about the past, | 0:05:39 | 0:05:42 | |
what they did, how they did it. | 0:05:42 | 0:05:44 | |
And what better place to explore it than doing it near one of those sites? | 0:05:44 | 0:05:49 | |
-So you're using this village as a kind of focal point? -That's right. | 0:05:49 | 0:05:54 | |
We're gathering local materials, local styles and techniques. | 0:05:54 | 0:05:58 | |
And through doing it ourselves, we can explore some of | 0:05:58 | 0:06:01 | |
those problems and challenges they must have faced. | 0:06:01 | 0:06:04 | |
We face the same weather, same elemental conditions here, to create shelter. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:09 | |
What's been the reaction of local people to this idea? | 0:06:09 | 0:06:13 | |
Do they want to know more about their ancestors? | 0:06:13 | 0:06:16 | |
We get schools here pretty well every other day, | 0:06:16 | 0:06:19 | |
and they just muck in. They love it here. | 0:06:19 | 0:06:21 | |
'Today, Dafydd is showing this group of local lads | 0:06:22 | 0:06:25 | |
'how their distant ancestors lined their homes with mud.' | 0:06:25 | 0:06:28 | |
You each need to choose a place. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:30 | |
-It looks like great fun, doesn't it, Iron Age daubing? -It is. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:41 | |
But what relevance do you think it has to life in the 21st century? | 0:06:41 | 0:06:45 | |
Well, people begin to think "You know, this is such simple material. | 0:06:45 | 0:06:48 | |
"Why isn't everybody using it? Why aren't we using it to make bricks these days? | 0:06:48 | 0:06:53 | |
"Why do we have to go to concrete and materials that are high in energy content | 0:06:53 | 0:06:58 | |
"that create a huge carbon footprint when it's there beneath our soil?" | 0:06:58 | 0:07:02 | |
These things died out for a good reason, | 0:07:02 | 0:07:04 | |
but we must evaluate whether they've still got a future. | 0:07:04 | 0:07:08 | |
What are you learning from it? | 0:07:08 | 0:07:09 | |
I'm learning how they did it hundreds of years ago, how they built their shelter. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:15 | |
It's great fun. It's outdoorsy. Better than a classroom. | 0:07:15 | 0:07:18 | |
And is it fun getting dirty as well? | 0:07:18 | 0:07:20 | |
-Yeah. -Getting mud on your hands. -Yeah. | 0:07:20 | 0:07:23 | |
But it's not just practical skills that are being encouraged | 0:07:27 | 0:07:30 | |
in this brand new ancient village. | 0:07:30 | 0:07:32 | |
It's also rapidly becoming a centre for local culture. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:36 | |
I think I can hear something going on right now. MUSIC PLAYS | 0:07:36 | 0:07:40 | |
'Apart from traditional music, these roundhouses now echo to the sound of storytelling, | 0:07:40 | 0:07:44 | |
'and Dafydd is coaching me for a small part in an old Welsh legend.' | 0:07:44 | 0:07:49 | |
You could introduce the watchman, | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
whose work it was to stand in a tower much like this. | 0:07:52 | 0:07:56 | |
Welcome once again to the Felin Uchaf round house. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:01 | |
This would have been a gathering place familiar to people | 0:08:01 | 0:08:06 | |
1,000, 2,000, 3,000 years ago. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:08 | |
People would have gathered in spaces like this, | 0:08:08 | 0:08:11 | |
lit with candles and fires, and filled with smoke. | 0:08:11 | 0:08:15 | |
I'm going to share a story with you today | 0:08:15 | 0:08:17 | |
that would have been known in all of those Celtic roundhouses | 0:08:17 | 0:08:22 | |
that ring this place. | 0:08:22 | 0:08:25 | |
'Teaching people about the lives of their ancestors | 0:08:25 | 0:08:28 | |
'is just one way in which these roundhouses | 0:08:28 | 0:08:30 | |
'bring the modern-day community together.' | 0:08:30 | 0:08:33 | |
And within that tower, | 0:08:33 | 0:08:35 | |
within that tower, John... | 0:08:35 | 0:08:37 | |
'Now it's time for my cameo. | 0:08:37 | 0:08:40 | |
'Thank goodness it's not in Welsh.' | 0:08:40 | 0:08:42 | |
And the watchman's job was, when he saw a great tide coming in, | 0:08:42 | 0:08:48 | |
he grabbed hold of a huge oaken staff, | 0:08:48 | 0:08:52 | |
and he thrust it against a huge brass bell, | 0:08:52 | 0:08:57 | |
and the noise of that bell would reverberate right across the countryside. | 0:08:57 | 0:09:01 | |
And it would summon 20 strong men. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:04 | |
'The story actually lasted for half an hour, and seemed just as popular | 0:09:04 | 0:09:09 | |
'as the original would have been 2,500 years ago.' | 0:09:09 | 0:09:13 | |
What a story. Still alive after thousands of years. | 0:09:13 | 0:09:16 | |
Thank you, Dafydd. | 0:09:16 | 0:09:18 | |
'Later, I'll be exploring another Welsh legend, | 0:09:20 | 0:09:23 | |
'but I'll have to head for the high seas to do it'. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:26 | |
Over the next month, we'll be looking at one of the biggest issues | 0:09:26 | 0:09:30 | |
facing the countryside, the future of farming and food production. | 0:09:30 | 0:09:34 | |
To start the ball rolling, Tom Heap asks the simple question, what is our land for? | 0:09:34 | 0:09:40 | |
This is Britain's green and pleasant land. | 0:09:42 | 0:09:45 | |
But down there, a quiet revolution is happening | 0:09:45 | 0:09:49 | |
which is shaping all our lives. | 0:09:49 | 0:09:51 | |
Most of the UK is countryside, | 0:09:53 | 0:09:55 | |
and though the economic importance of farming has fallen, | 0:09:55 | 0:09:59 | |
rural Britain is still a key part of our national identity. | 0:09:59 | 0:10:04 | |
So over the next few weeks, we'll be addressing the big questions | 0:10:04 | 0:10:09 | |
of land use, food security, farm subsidies | 0:10:09 | 0:10:12 | |
and why we often waste what we could eat. | 0:10:12 | 0:10:15 | |
And we'll be asking what you think. | 0:10:15 | 0:10:17 | |
Farmers need supporting, because the consumer | 0:10:17 | 0:10:20 | |
will not pay the right price for farm products. | 0:10:20 | 0:10:22 | |
I don't think it should be used for renewable energy. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:26 | |
I see no point | 0:10:24 | 0:10:26 | |
in transporting food from abroad. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:30 | |
The biggest problem for this country at this stage is, | 0:10:30 | 0:10:33 | |
there's too many people in it for the size of it. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:35 | |
Countryfile has commissioned an exclusive national survey | 0:10:36 | 0:10:40 | |
to find out what you think about | 0:10:40 | 0:10:41 | |
some of the biggest issues facing the countryside. | 0:10:41 | 0:10:44 | |
We'll be revealing your responses over the coming weeks. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:49 | |
But today, I'm going to tackle the fundamental issue - | 0:10:49 | 0:10:51 | |
what exactly is our land for? | 0:10:51 | 0:10:56 | |
These days, every last acre of our small island seems to have potential. | 0:10:56 | 0:11:01 | |
With new pressures from rising food prices, | 0:11:01 | 0:11:05 | |
green energy and housing, everybody now seems to want a piece of it. | 0:11:05 | 0:11:09 | |
We currently farm more than two-thirds of the land in the UK. | 0:11:09 | 0:11:13 | |
What's left covers everything else, | 0:11:13 | 0:11:15 | |
from busy cities to desolate mountaintops. | 0:11:15 | 0:11:19 | |
But what does that all look like? | 0:11:19 | 0:11:21 | |
To get a bird's-eye view of what's happening on the ground, | 0:11:21 | 0:11:23 | |
I'm going to join the Ordnance Survey team, the people who do our maps. Fun! | 0:11:23 | 0:11:28 | |
From up here, | 0:11:36 | 0:11:37 | |
you really do get a great picture of our patchwork landscape, | 0:11:37 | 0:11:41 | |
the towns and cities, forestry, fields, roads, rivers. | 0:11:41 | 0:11:47 | |
Fascinating and beautiful. | 0:11:47 | 0:11:50 | |
We're flying over Lancashire, from Preston to the north of Manchester, | 0:11:50 | 0:11:54 | |
with Ron Cole, who's been recording changes in the landscape for 23 years. | 0:11:54 | 0:12:00 | |
You've been up here for a generation. | 0:12:00 | 0:12:01 | |
What changes have you seen in that time? | 0:12:01 | 0:12:04 | |
Lately, with renewable energy, wind farms | 0:12:04 | 0:12:08 | |
have sprouted up all over the place. | 0:12:08 | 0:12:11 | |
But the urban areas have expanded quite dramatically. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:16 | |
We're just over Blackburn. The industrial area's right next to the motorway, | 0:12:16 | 0:12:20 | |
and next to the industrial estate is the residential areas. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:24 | |
There's one or two green fields still hanging on in there. | 0:12:24 | 0:12:28 | |
I expect over the next 20 or 30 years, that nice green patch | 0:12:28 | 0:12:32 | |
that's left will get built on. | 0:12:32 | 0:12:34 | |
Swindon is a prime example where to the south of Swindon is the M4. | 0:12:34 | 0:12:39 | |
Then they've got bypasses on both sides. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:42 | |
And they've filled in with urban sprawl within that limit. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:47 | |
So what impact are these competing demands having on the countryside? | 0:12:52 | 0:12:57 | |
One claim is that we're sacrificing food production | 0:12:57 | 0:13:00 | |
in favour of creating more natural habitats for wildlife. | 0:13:00 | 0:13:03 | |
We're seeing increasing pressures | 0:13:03 | 0:13:06 | |
on farmers to actually reduce the level of intensity of land use. | 0:13:06 | 0:13:11 | |
'John Welbank is an expert in the development of rural areas.' | 0:13:11 | 0:13:16 | |
The subsidy system has, | 0:13:16 | 0:13:18 | |
particularly in the upland areas, driven stocking numbers down. | 0:13:18 | 0:13:22 | |
That was what the policy objective was, and it's been met. | 0:13:22 | 0:13:25 | |
Now, whether you agree with that in the present climate, | 0:13:25 | 0:13:29 | |
with food prices going through the roof... | 0:13:29 | 0:13:31 | |
should we be farming for the environment? | 0:13:31 | 0:13:34 | |
Should we be farming for food? | 0:13:34 | 0:13:35 | |
That's the real question we'll face over the next couple of years. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:39 | |
'And that's a big question for many of you.' | 0:13:39 | 0:13:41 | |
When it comes to how we should use our countryside, a lot of you had one thing at the top of the menu. | 0:13:41 | 0:13:47 | |
Food. In this case, beef, which once grazed right outside this building. | 0:13:48 | 0:13:54 | |
In our survey, nearly half of you said more of our land should be used to produce what we eat. | 0:13:54 | 0:14:00 | |
And with some experts predicting a 50% rise in world population | 0:14:02 | 0:14:06 | |
over 40 years, we'll need more food. | 0:14:06 | 0:14:09 | |
Lancashire farmer Malcolm Handley | 0:14:09 | 0:14:11 | |
has recently bought this belted Galloway herd. | 0:14:11 | 0:14:15 | |
It's increased his food production and helps the environment. | 0:14:15 | 0:14:18 | |
But with British farming overall producing less of what we eat, | 0:14:18 | 0:14:22 | |
can we really look after wildlife AND produce food? Malcolm thinks we can. | 0:14:22 | 0:14:27 | |
Do you see yourself overall as a food producer or a custodian of the land? | 0:14:27 | 0:14:33 | |
I see myself as both. These cattle are doing the job | 0:14:33 | 0:14:36 | |
for both parties. They're producing great-tasting beef, | 0:14:36 | 0:14:42 | |
and yet at the same time, | 0:14:42 | 0:14:44 | |
they're achieving everything that the environmental boys want. | 0:14:44 | 0:14:48 | |
-In what way? -Well, previously it was just this | 0:14:48 | 0:14:52 | |
rank Purple Moor Grass, a deciduous grass that dies off in winter | 0:14:52 | 0:14:56 | |
and just kills everything else out. | 0:14:56 | 0:14:58 | |
They're grazing that off. | 0:14:58 | 0:15:00 | |
So when people say it's either farming or environment, do you buy that? | 0:15:00 | 0:15:03 | |
No, I don't. Because I think we can work the two together. | 0:15:03 | 0:15:07 | |
We've fledged... | 0:15:07 | 0:15:09 | |
COW MOOS | 0:15:09 | 0:15:11 | |
..19 young barn owl, we've fledged. | 0:15:11 | 0:15:13 | |
We've over 60 different species of nesting bird on the farm. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:17 | |
You know, we're doing an awful lot to feed that, | 0:15:17 | 0:15:20 | |
but at the same time producing food. | 0:15:20 | 0:15:22 | |
'But with a predicted global food crisis looming, | 0:15:23 | 0:15:26 | |
'is this kind of farming really the best use of our land? | 0:15:26 | 0:15:30 | |
'After all, it's not just the pressure to make space for wildlife | 0:15:30 | 0:15:34 | |
'that's eating up farmland. | 0:15:34 | 0:15:37 | |
'Later on, I'll be looking at two other areas where there's an appetite for more - | 0:15:37 | 0:15:41 | |
'renewable energy production and housing.' | 0:15:41 | 0:15:44 | |
The waters around the Llyn Peninsula | 0:15:49 | 0:15:51 | |
have supported fishing families for generations. | 0:15:51 | 0:15:54 | |
But as Helen's been finding out, | 0:15:54 | 0:15:56 | |
more and more people are taking to the waves these days in search of fun. | 0:15:56 | 0:16:00 | |
That's hardly surprising, with backdrops like this. | 0:16:01 | 0:16:05 | |
Porthdinllaen is a magnet for pleasure boats of all types. | 0:16:05 | 0:16:09 | |
On a calm day, there's nowhere more idyllic than this. | 0:16:09 | 0:16:12 | |
But don't be fooled - things can change in minutes. | 0:16:12 | 0:16:15 | |
And if you get into trouble, | 0:16:17 | 0:16:19 | |
then chances are it's the Royal National Lifeboat Institution that'll get you out of it. | 0:16:19 | 0:16:25 | |
A couple of weeks ago, three o'clock in the morning, pagers went off. | 0:16:25 | 0:16:29 | |
We got down there and the weather was a bit scuffy. | 0:16:29 | 0:16:32 | |
The boat was on her side and she was getting battered by the waves. | 0:16:32 | 0:16:35 | |
We actually couldn't see the crew | 0:16:37 | 0:16:39 | |
because they must have been down below, battened down. | 0:16:39 | 0:16:42 | |
You can imagine those guys there, feeling that boat being crunched on the bank. | 0:16:42 | 0:16:47 | |
We were getting quite concerned she'd just go straight on her side | 0:16:47 | 0:16:50 | |
with five people aboard. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:52 | |
I just wanted to get them off quickly because we knew something | 0:16:52 | 0:16:55 | |
was going to happen to them and time was very precious that morning. | 0:16:55 | 0:17:00 | |
It could have been a bad night. There could have been casualties. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:03 | |
It's the kind of thing Mike Davies | 0:17:06 | 0:17:08 | |
and the crew of the Porthdinllaen Lifeboat are seeing more of. | 0:17:08 | 0:17:12 | |
They're used to dealing with fishing boats but with summer upon us, | 0:17:12 | 0:17:15 | |
it's pleasure craft that are keeping them busy, | 0:17:15 | 0:17:18 | |
and they're as likely to be dealing with burns from cookers | 0:17:18 | 0:17:21 | |
as they are with accidents on fishing boats. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:24 | |
So, just how do you deal with a much wider range of injuries? | 0:17:24 | 0:17:27 | |
Well, it helps to get the make-up out. | 0:17:27 | 0:17:29 | |
Yes, make-up. And it's not just here. | 0:17:29 | 0:17:32 | |
Crews all over the UK are breaking out the fake blood and greasepaint | 0:17:32 | 0:17:36 | |
to make their training that little bit more realistic. | 0:17:36 | 0:17:39 | |
PHONE RINGS | 0:17:39 | 0:17:41 | |
Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station. | 0:17:41 | 0:17:43 | |
This is an exercise so Mike is going to know what's going on | 0:17:43 | 0:17:46 | |
but the rest of the crew won't have a clue. | 0:17:46 | 0:17:49 | |
The point is that it's as close to real life as possible, so what we'll see might be pretty full-on. | 0:17:49 | 0:17:53 | |
Thank you. | 0:17:55 | 0:17:57 | |
'I'm joining the lads as they're tasked with rescuing a burns victim. | 0:17:57 | 0:18:01 | |
'All that follows is exactly what would happen in real life.' | 0:18:01 | 0:18:05 | |
Even though this is only an exercise, it's quite tense, isn't it? | 0:18:08 | 0:18:12 | |
Getting to a mayday quickly is important | 0:18:15 | 0:18:17 | |
but knowing to know what to do when you get there is vital, too. | 0:18:17 | 0:18:20 | |
'This is the boat they're heading for. | 0:18:22 | 0:18:24 | |
'In the exercise, there's supposed to have been an explosion. Gas could still be leaking. | 0:18:24 | 0:18:29 | |
'The crew has split seconds to work out what to do.' | 0:18:29 | 0:18:32 | |
They know there's a casualty on board but they've got to | 0:18:32 | 0:18:35 | |
check the boat's safe before they can look for him or her. | 0:18:35 | 0:18:39 | |
Otherwise, they're putting themselves in danger, aren't they, and other members of the crew. | 0:18:39 | 0:18:44 | |
This is difficult enough. Imagine pulling up alongside a yacht | 0:18:44 | 0:18:47 | |
when it's wet, windy and wild whirring gale. | 0:18:47 | 0:18:50 | |
The guys are getting on to check the boat. | 0:18:50 | 0:18:52 | |
And then they're going to look for the casualty. | 0:18:52 | 0:18:56 | |
'First, the lads make sure there's no further risk of explosion. | 0:18:57 | 0:19:00 | |
'Then it's time to sort out the casualty. | 0:19:00 | 0:19:03 | |
'The blusher on the victim's arm and face doubles up for bad burns. | 0:19:03 | 0:19:07 | |
'Using this brand new ready-reckoner checklist, | 0:19:07 | 0:19:10 | |
'the lads can work out exactly what first aid is needed.' | 0:19:10 | 0:19:13 | |
-You all right, guys? -Fine, thank you. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:17 | |
I'm just going to put some dressing on. | 0:19:17 | 0:19:19 | |
How do you feel? Are you comfortable? | 0:19:19 | 0:19:21 | |
He's putting a bandage on her head, given her basic first aid. | 0:19:21 | 0:19:26 | |
-Generally making her feel a bit better. -She's responsive. | 0:19:28 | 0:19:32 | |
-Still responsive? -Yes. | 0:19:32 | 0:19:34 | |
Her breathing's a bit shallow so we want to get her off the boat now. | 0:19:34 | 0:19:39 | |
OK? | 0:19:39 | 0:19:40 | |
'OK, so this is fiction, not fact. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:44 | |
'Our victim can walk away, | 0:19:44 | 0:19:45 | |
'but being able to give valuable first aid straight away can make all the difference.' | 0:19:45 | 0:19:50 | |
Why is it important, do you think, to have a real person involved in the exercise? | 0:19:50 | 0:19:56 | |
It's much more realistic. | 0:19:56 | 0:19:58 | |
And with a mannequin, it's more... you can chuck it around, | 0:19:58 | 0:20:02 | |
-do anything to it. -We've got to be careful. | 0:20:02 | 0:20:04 | |
With a real person, you can't. You have to do things properly. | 0:20:04 | 0:20:08 | |
You know, it's somebody's life you're dealing with. You've got that at the back of your mind. | 0:20:08 | 0:20:12 | |
'The lads are all volunteers, who receive no payment for what they do. | 0:20:17 | 0:20:21 | |
'And what they do is save lives. | 0:20:21 | 0:20:24 | |
'But I've got to say, they were a dab hand at the make-up, too.' | 0:20:24 | 0:20:28 | |
Later on, how a bit of alfresco science can help improve the welfare of Adam's sheep. | 0:20:31 | 0:20:37 | |
I've never looked at sheep poo under a microscope before. | 0:20:37 | 0:20:40 | |
I'm excited about trying to find worm eggs. | 0:20:40 | 0:20:42 | |
Helen's following in the path of pilgrims on a journey to Bardsey Island. | 0:20:42 | 0:20:46 | |
And if you're relying on the weather in the week ahead, | 0:20:46 | 0:20:49 | |
we'll have the Countryfile forecast. | 0:20:49 | 0:20:51 | |
The sea is a constant presence on the Llyn Peninsula. | 0:21:02 | 0:21:05 | |
It helps create the climate and dominates the way of life here. | 0:21:05 | 0:21:09 | |
Although they may not look it today, | 0:21:09 | 0:21:11 | |
these waters can be some of the most treacherous on our coastline. | 0:21:11 | 0:21:16 | |
To discover more, I've arranged a date with a bit of a stunner | 0:21:16 | 0:21:20 | |
by the name of Vilma. | 0:21:20 | 0:21:21 | |
And there she is. She looks beautiful. | 0:21:21 | 0:21:25 | |
I can't wait to get aboard. | 0:21:25 | 0:21:27 | |
Conditions don't get more perfect than on a day like this. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:37 | |
I'm joining Scott Metcalf and his crew to get a real sense | 0:21:37 | 0:21:41 | |
of what it's like to sail this coast. | 0:21:41 | 0:21:43 | |
-Well, you don't see boats like this every day, Scott, do you? -You don't. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:50 | |
You must be very proud of her. | 0:21:50 | 0:21:51 | |
Tell me a little bit about the history of this boat. | 0:21:51 | 0:21:54 | |
She was built in 1934 in Denmark as a fishing boat. | 0:21:54 | 0:21:57 | |
And what have you sort of transformed her into? | 0:21:57 | 0:22:00 | |
-Because she doesn't look much like a fishing boat now. -No, no. | 0:22:00 | 0:22:04 | |
The whole form is very much like the old British sailing coasters, | 0:22:04 | 0:22:07 | |
so we've based her on a trading schooner and we've rigged her as such. | 0:22:07 | 0:22:11 | |
So she looks now much like a lot of coastal sailing boats | 0:22:11 | 0:22:15 | |
popping into harbours around the coast hundred or so years ago? | 0:22:15 | 0:22:18 | |
100, 200 years ago, yes. This sort of rig would have been very familiar on this coast. | 0:22:18 | 0:22:22 | |
And just how dangerous are the dangerous around here? | 0:22:22 | 0:22:25 | |
They are particularly bad around this part of the coast. It's a very rocky shore. | 0:22:25 | 0:22:29 | |
'Navigating this hazardous peninsula is no mean feat, | 0:22:29 | 0:22:33 | |
'especially in a boat like this. | 0:22:33 | 0:22:35 | |
'Scott's showing me a chart of the worst currents.' | 0:22:35 | 0:22:38 | |
You can see here that the tides run at up to 3.5 knots, which is... | 0:22:38 | 0:22:42 | |
A very strong tide? | 0:22:42 | 0:22:44 | |
It is a particularly strong tide there, and in Bardsey Sound, | 0:22:44 | 0:22:47 | |
there's even more. There's up to six knots. | 0:22:47 | 0:22:50 | |
-It can be a bit dodgy getting across to Bardsey? -Yes. | 0:22:50 | 0:22:53 | |
Because that's where Helen's going later. Hope she makes it OK. | 0:22:53 | 0:22:56 | |
-So you've got to be really careful? -You have, yes. | 0:22:56 | 0:22:59 | |
There's not many lights on this coast. | 0:22:59 | 0:23:01 | |
There's Bardsey Lighthouse | 0:23:01 | 0:23:03 | |
and then the next major light is on the north of Anglesey, | 0:23:03 | 0:23:06 | |
so that's a long way away, so it's virtually an unlit coast. | 0:23:06 | 0:23:09 | |
Well, to show you just how perilous it can be, | 0:23:09 | 0:23:12 | |
in the past 180 years, no less than 142 ships | 0:23:12 | 0:23:15 | |
have been wrecked around the peninsula | 0:23:15 | 0:23:18 | |
and one in particular has become something of a legend. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:21 | |
It came to grief...just over there. | 0:23:21 | 0:23:24 | |
'To learn more, I'm heading for dry land | 0:23:28 | 0:23:30 | |
'and I've got my own personal escorts to take me back to shore.' | 0:23:30 | 0:23:34 | |
It's 110 years since the Stuart, | 0:23:36 | 0:23:39 | |
a cargo ship a lot larger than this vessel, set sail from Liverpool, | 0:23:39 | 0:23:42 | |
heading for New Zealand, but it didn't get very far. | 0:23:42 | 0:23:46 | |
Local historian Tony Jones has studied the story. | 0:23:49 | 0:23:52 | |
Tony, tell me exactly what happened. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:55 | |
Well, it was Easter Sunday | 0:23:55 | 0:23:57 | |
and early hours of the morning, | 0:23:57 | 0:23:59 | |
and it was thick fog, and pretty calm, like today, actually. | 0:23:59 | 0:24:05 | |
And she got lost, did she? | 0:24:05 | 0:24:07 | |
She got completely lost because of the dense fog. | 0:24:07 | 0:24:10 | |
-So where did she come ashore? -Just the other side of that big rock there. | 0:24:10 | 0:24:13 | |
She sailed right up the rocks | 0:24:13 | 0:24:16 | |
and came crashing onto the rocks with the thundering roar, I imagine. | 0:24:16 | 0:24:20 | |
And what happened to the crew? Were they injured? | 0:24:20 | 0:24:22 | |
They were very fortunate. | 0:24:22 | 0:24:24 | |
They got into a lifeboat and came ashore to the bay there. | 0:24:24 | 0:24:27 | |
The plan was to come back at dawn | 0:24:27 | 0:24:29 | |
and get back on board and sail away. | 0:24:29 | 0:24:32 | |
But when they did come back in the morning, | 0:24:32 | 0:24:35 | |
they could see straight away she'd broken her keel, | 0:24:35 | 0:24:37 | |
she'd more or less broken in half, so it was a lost cause. | 0:24:37 | 0:24:41 | |
-No way were they going to New Zealand? -No way! | 0:24:41 | 0:24:43 | |
What about the cargo? | 0:24:43 | 0:24:45 | |
Well, she carried a mixed cargo of porcelain, cotton. | 0:24:45 | 0:24:49 | |
-There was even six grand pianos in her. -Really? -Yes! | 0:24:49 | 0:24:53 | |
And one of the local guys, | 0:24:53 | 0:24:54 | |
he injured his back trying to carry one up the path here. | 0:24:54 | 0:24:57 | |
-Oh, so people helped themselves? -Oh, yes. | 0:24:57 | 0:25:00 | |
-But the star prize was the whisky. -Whisky? Whisky galore? | 0:25:00 | 0:25:04 | |
There was what they called at the time, | 0:25:04 | 0:25:06 | |
there was a large consignment of whisky in her, | 0:25:06 | 0:25:09 | |
and being a Sunday, no-one was in a hurry to | 0:25:09 | 0:25:11 | |
let the Customs know about the wreck. | 0:25:11 | 0:25:15 | |
And by the time Mr Mason Cumberland, the Chief Customs Officer, | 0:25:15 | 0:25:21 | |
arrived from Caernarfon, there was literally hundreds of people here. | 0:25:21 | 0:25:25 | |
Some said they were like a swarm of locusts, all over the wreck. | 0:25:25 | 0:25:31 | |
And lots of the stuff had gone. | 0:25:31 | 0:25:33 | |
-Well, all the good stuff anyway. -And did they have to hide it? | 0:25:33 | 0:25:37 | |
Yes, they used to hide them in rabbit holes, | 0:25:37 | 0:25:40 | |
but they used to get so drunk, they couldn't remember where they were. | 0:25:40 | 0:25:43 | |
They were still finding the odd bottle here only 30 years ago. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:47 | |
-Down a rabbit hole? -Down rabbit holes, yes. | 0:25:47 | 0:25:50 | |
They carried on even underneath Customs' eyes. | 0:25:50 | 0:25:53 | |
One way of getting the whisky up the path | 0:25:53 | 0:25:55 | |
was women used to have bottles of whisky in their bloomers. | 0:25:55 | 0:25:58 | |
And there's one account of the Customs man stopping one woman | 0:25:58 | 0:26:02 | |
and she had her hands in her pockets. | 0:26:02 | 0:26:04 | |
He said, "Put your hands up," to frisk her. | 0:26:04 | 0:26:07 | |
As soon as she went like that, | 0:26:07 | 0:26:08 | |
her bloomers fell down with bottles of whisky. | 0:26:08 | 0:26:11 | |
-Yes. -And was anybody ever arrested for all of this? | 0:26:11 | 0:26:15 | |
Well, there's no account of anybody at all being arrested, | 0:26:15 | 0:26:18 | |
which I find that quite strange, but I think who could they arrest? | 0:26:18 | 0:26:22 | |
They'd have had to arrest the whole peninsula. | 0:26:22 | 0:26:25 | |
And interrupt a great party! | 0:26:25 | 0:26:27 | |
The party went on for months, apparently. | 0:26:27 | 0:26:30 | |
They said it was the best Easter egg this village ever had. Yes. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:34 | |
Now all that's left, apart from the folklore, | 0:26:36 | 0:26:39 | |
are a few battered remains of the wreck. | 0:26:39 | 0:26:41 | |
A warning to modern-day sailors to respect this stretch of coast. | 0:26:41 | 0:26:45 | |
Later, Helen will be braving these waters | 0:26:45 | 0:26:48 | |
as she heads for the island of Bardsey. | 0:26:48 | 0:26:50 | |
But, first, here's Tom again. | 0:26:50 | 0:26:52 | |
I've been talking to people about one of the biggest issues | 0:26:54 | 0:26:57 | |
facing the future of our countryside. | 0:26:57 | 0:26:59 | |
What our land is for. | 0:26:59 | 0:27:01 | |
It's a question we put to you as part of the Countryfile survey. | 0:27:01 | 0:27:05 | |
We asked 1,000 people | 0:27:05 | 0:27:07 | |
what they thought more of our farmland should be used for. | 0:27:07 | 0:27:10 | |
11% thought housing, | 0:27:10 | 0:27:12 | |
14% favoured wildlife habitats, | 0:27:12 | 0:27:15 | |
and a quarter of you wanted more used for renewable energy. | 0:27:15 | 0:27:18 | |
But, as we said earlier, by far the biggest response was food. | 0:27:18 | 0:27:22 | |
In fact, our survey showed that a greater proportion of you | 0:27:22 | 0:27:26 | |
would like to see more farmland used for growing food than any other purpose. | 0:27:26 | 0:27:31 | |
But don't be fooled by what you see here. | 0:27:31 | 0:27:34 | |
None of this grass is going to see the inside of a cow, | 0:27:34 | 0:27:38 | |
or any other animal for that matter. | 0:27:38 | 0:27:40 | |
Instead, it'll make renewable energy. | 0:27:42 | 0:27:44 | |
It's one way of meeting the UK's goal for sustainable fuels. | 0:27:44 | 0:27:47 | |
Our target is that by 2020, | 0:27:47 | 0:27:50 | |
15% of our energy should come from renewable sources. | 0:27:50 | 0:27:54 | |
And we're not even halfway there. | 0:27:54 | 0:27:56 | |
But increasingly, we're using land to produce it. | 0:27:57 | 0:28:01 | |
Once a semi run-down maize farm, this site in Lancashire | 0:28:01 | 0:28:04 | |
has been converted into a fully-fledged energy plant. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:08 | |
This is grass silage that was done last year, | 0:28:10 | 0:28:13 | |
and this was the maize that was harvested last October. | 0:28:13 | 0:28:16 | |
It's now been in storage for six, eight months, | 0:28:16 | 0:28:19 | |
and it's still in excellent condition. | 0:28:19 | 0:28:22 | |
You can see all the little ears of corn there, just like corn on the cob, but this isn't for eating? | 0:28:22 | 0:28:26 | |
No, this is for feeding into an anaerobic digester, | 0:28:26 | 0:28:29 | |
which is going to produce energy. | 0:28:29 | 0:28:32 | |
This will eat 50 tonnes a day of fresh material. | 0:28:36 | 0:28:40 | |
We are breaking down the material to produce methane | 0:28:40 | 0:28:44 | |
and we're taking that methane and burning it in an engine | 0:28:44 | 0:28:47 | |
to make electricity and make energy. | 0:28:47 | 0:28:49 | |
That's enough energy | 0:28:49 | 0:28:50 | |
to continually supply about 1,000 homes in the UK. | 0:28:50 | 0:28:53 | |
But you have fields here that will be for fuel rather than for food. | 0:28:53 | 0:28:57 | |
Do you think that's a good use of our land? | 0:28:57 | 0:28:59 | |
There is thousands of acres all throughout the UK, | 0:28:59 | 0:29:02 | |
for different reasons, that are totally under-utilised. | 0:29:02 | 0:29:05 | |
Are we not short of land? Is land is not scarce? | 0:29:05 | 0:29:09 | |
Land is not scarce. Let's take the Northwest. | 0:29:09 | 0:29:12 | |
The Northwest has a lot of small farms | 0:29:12 | 0:29:14 | |
and a lot of them are dairy farms. | 0:29:14 | 0:29:16 | |
They all have 50 or 100 acres that they don't do anything with. | 0:29:16 | 0:29:20 | |
All we're asking them to do | 0:29:20 | 0:29:21 | |
is supply us with grass silage from that under-utilised land, | 0:29:21 | 0:29:24 | |
we produce energy and he gets an increase in income. | 0:29:24 | 0:29:27 | |
It's actually going to make, over the next 10 years, | 0:29:27 | 0:29:30 | |
a lot better utilisation of the available land in the UK | 0:29:30 | 0:29:33 | |
that currently isn't being developed as well as it should be. | 0:29:33 | 0:29:37 | |
Ed's plan has the potential | 0:29:37 | 0:29:38 | |
to make farming and fuel production mutually beneficial, | 0:29:38 | 0:29:42 | |
but it doesn't solve our land problem. | 0:29:42 | 0:29:44 | |
Other than food and energy here, there are lots of other modern pressures on our countryside, | 0:29:44 | 0:29:49 | |
like leisure, transport, water management | 0:29:49 | 0:29:53 | |
and, of course, the need for more housing. | 0:29:53 | 0:29:57 | |
New national planning proposals | 0:29:57 | 0:29:59 | |
could mean more building on farmland. | 0:29:59 | 0:30:02 | |
And here in the in the picturesque Ribble Valley in rural Lancashire | 0:30:02 | 0:30:05 | |
the demand for housing has already led to development on greenfield sites. | 0:30:05 | 0:30:10 | |
The particular issue we're faced with | 0:30:10 | 0:30:12 | |
is the demand for affordable housing. | 0:30:12 | 0:30:15 | |
The waiting list is well over 1,000 | 0:30:15 | 0:30:17 | |
and it will take from two to eight years | 0:30:17 | 0:30:20 | |
for people to find suitable accommodation. | 0:30:20 | 0:30:22 | |
'But meeting demand for new housing | 0:30:22 | 0:30:26 | |
'doesn't always mean using up the countryside.' | 0:30:26 | 0:30:29 | |
This was an old petrol station, | 0:30:29 | 0:30:31 | |
so you didn't gobble up any greenfield land for this. | 0:30:31 | 0:30:34 | |
But how much farmland are you using for building? | 0:30:34 | 0:30:36 | |
We try to use none. | 0:30:36 | 0:30:39 | |
There has been, in the past of course, | 0:30:39 | 0:30:41 | |
development on what we call greenfield site. | 0:30:41 | 0:30:44 | |
But as far as the council's present policy is concerned, | 0:30:44 | 0:30:47 | |
we don't wish to do that. | 0:30:47 | 0:30:49 | |
There is land available that is suitable for development | 0:30:49 | 0:30:53 | |
and, of course, it uses land | 0:30:53 | 0:30:55 | |
which is otherwise unattractive and unused. | 0:30:55 | 0:30:57 | |
'There are many others who feel | 0:31:00 | 0:31:02 | |
'that if we put the right things in the right place | 0:31:02 | 0:31:04 | |
'then there really is enough land to go around.' | 0:31:04 | 0:31:08 | |
We've got hedges, we've got trees | 0:31:08 | 0:31:10 | |
and a permanent pasture here, | 0:31:10 | 0:31:12 | |
which is really important for carbon storage in the future. | 0:31:12 | 0:31:15 | |
The National Trust has developed a system | 0:31:15 | 0:31:18 | |
that allows land to do a bit of everything. | 0:31:18 | 0:31:20 | |
This farmland near Kendal produces food, | 0:31:20 | 0:31:23 | |
as well as maintaining the environment | 0:31:23 | 0:31:25 | |
and allowing public access. | 0:31:25 | 0:31:27 | |
Isn't that mixture a luxury of the past? | 0:31:27 | 0:31:30 | |
In the future we'll have to be much more defined - | 0:31:30 | 0:31:33 | |
best productivity here, environment there? | 0:31:33 | 0:31:35 | |
I think quite the contrary. | 0:31:35 | 0:31:38 | |
The most important thing I think we need to recognise is | 0:31:38 | 0:31:41 | |
that if we want to produce food, energy, fuel or whatever in the long term, | 0:31:41 | 0:31:45 | |
we have to make sure that the land continues to produce. | 0:31:45 | 0:31:48 | |
Looking after the soils, the water and the biodiversity. | 0:31:48 | 0:31:51 | |
All these are important as a whole. We can't have environment in some places and production in others. | 0:31:51 | 0:31:56 | |
They're two sides of the same coin. | 0:31:56 | 0:31:58 | |
So, in 2050, with a world of nine billion people, | 0:31:58 | 0:32:01 | |
how different will the British landscape be? | 0:32:01 | 0:32:03 | |
I would hope it wouldn't be dramatically different, | 0:32:03 | 0:32:06 | |
because that's the only way that we're going to keep that mix of the natural resources we need | 0:32:06 | 0:32:11 | |
to carry on producing the food that will be needed. | 0:32:11 | 0:32:13 | |
It all sounds ideal. | 0:32:18 | 0:32:20 | |
But does such emphasis on the environment | 0:32:20 | 0:32:23 | |
mean cutting food production, | 0:32:23 | 0:32:26 | |
resulting in less home-grown food on British dinner plates? | 0:32:26 | 0:32:32 | |
That's something we'll be looking at next week | 0:32:32 | 0:32:35 | |
when John investigates another big farming issue, food security. | 0:32:35 | 0:32:40 | |
And if you want to find out more about the way we use our land, | 0:32:40 | 0:32:43 | |
tune in to Farming Today | 0:32:43 | 0:32:44 | |
on Radio 4 every morning next week at quarter to six. | 0:32:44 | 0:32:48 | |
The Llyn Peninsula is a beautiful place, | 0:32:56 | 0:33:00 | |
a patchwork of fields and hills, | 0:33:00 | 0:33:02 | |
of sandy beaches and hidden coves. | 0:33:02 | 0:33:05 | |
It's also a place of deep religious significance. | 0:33:05 | 0:33:08 | |
Christian pilgrims have been walking the cliffs and coastline here | 0:33:08 | 0:33:12 | |
for over 1,000 years. | 0:33:12 | 0:33:14 | |
And they're all headed for Bardsey Island. | 0:33:15 | 0:33:17 | |
A small place with huge significance for worshippers down the millennia. | 0:33:17 | 0:33:21 | |
It's said that three trips to Bardsey | 0:33:25 | 0:33:27 | |
is equal to one pilgrimage to Rome | 0:33:27 | 0:33:29 | |
and thousands have walked this very path to get there. | 0:33:29 | 0:33:34 | |
And along their way, they'll come to ancient churches | 0:33:34 | 0:33:38 | |
like this one, St Beuno's at Pistyll, | 0:33:38 | 0:33:40 | |
on the peninsula's north coast. | 0:33:40 | 0:33:42 | |
This church is absolutely vital. | 0:33:42 | 0:33:46 | |
It was one of the major stopping places. | 0:33:46 | 0:33:48 | |
Up on the fields around us, there was the hospice field. | 0:33:48 | 0:33:52 | |
Many of the people who came on the pilgrimage were very ill | 0:33:52 | 0:33:55 | |
and they was they were brought along by relatives, hoping that they'd either have a cure, | 0:33:55 | 0:33:59 | |
or that they could be buried on Bardsey. | 0:33:59 | 0:34:01 | |
Bardsey today is more than just a place of pilgrimage, | 0:34:01 | 0:34:06 | |
it's a working island with a small community of farmers and fishermen. | 0:34:06 | 0:34:09 | |
Later, I'm hoping to make that crossing to taste a bit of island life. | 0:34:09 | 0:34:15 | |
Also, details on how you can enter this year's Countryfile photographic competition. | 0:34:16 | 0:34:21 | |
The closing date is nearly upon us, | 0:34:21 | 0:34:23 | |
so if you're hoping to get out snapping in the week ahead, | 0:34:23 | 0:34:26 | |
the Countryfile weather forecast might just help. | 0:34:26 | 0:34:29 | |
Now, Adam's got over 2,000 animals on his farm. | 0:34:40 | 0:34:42 | |
Today, he's looking at more scientific ways to help him improve the welfare of his livestock. | 0:34:42 | 0:34:48 | |
Midsummer, all those freezing cold winter days are long gone | 0:34:52 | 0:34:57 | |
and there's no better place to be | 0:34:57 | 0:34:59 | |
than outside with my animals on a day like this. | 0:34:59 | 0:35:02 | |
The first job, though, is far from glamorous. | 0:35:02 | 0:35:04 | |
One of the most difficult things about keeping livestock are parasites. | 0:35:04 | 0:35:08 | |
They can cost a lot of money to treat too. | 0:35:08 | 0:35:11 | |
So if you can identify how many, | 0:35:11 | 0:35:12 | |
and what sort of stomach worms the animals have got, | 0:35:12 | 0:35:15 | |
you can treat them accordingly. | 0:35:15 | 0:35:17 | |
To help me do this, Eirian Thomas is going to show me | 0:35:23 | 0:35:26 | |
how to study something I have in abundance on the farm... | 0:35:26 | 0:35:30 | |
Dung. | 0:35:30 | 0:35:31 | |
This is usually a job for my vets, | 0:35:31 | 0:35:33 | |
but they're encouragingly me and other farmers | 0:35:33 | 0:35:36 | |
to learn how to do it for ourselves. | 0:35:36 | 0:35:38 | |
How do you best collect the dung. | 0:35:41 | 0:35:44 | |
Do you have to get behind the lamb that's doing droppings? | 0:35:44 | 0:35:47 | |
Ideally, you pick some that are fresh. | 0:35:47 | 0:35:49 | |
Something on the floor that's obviously from a lamb... Keep your eyes down. | 0:35:49 | 0:35:53 | |
We've got one here. That's nice and fresh, still glistening in the sun. | 0:35:53 | 0:35:57 | |
A good test is if it's warm in your hand you know it's nice and fresh. | 0:35:57 | 0:36:01 | |
-OK. -I'll give you some gloves and a scoop. | 0:36:01 | 0:36:03 | |
I just press it against my boot to get a good level scoopful. That's it! | 0:36:03 | 0:36:08 | |
-I just scoop it into my fist and we go and look for the next one. -OK. Great! | 0:36:08 | 0:36:13 | |
Let's see if we can see a lamb... Ah, there's one with its tail up. | 0:36:13 | 0:36:18 | |
-It looks like he's about to go. -He is! Sometimes they tease you as well. That's it, beautiful! | 0:36:18 | 0:36:22 | |
'All this muck we're picking up could be full of parasites | 0:36:22 | 0:36:25 | |
'which could really harm my flock.' | 0:36:25 | 0:36:27 | |
They wreck the gut lining of the sheep. | 0:36:27 | 0:36:30 | |
As well as that, they make lambs feel sick. | 0:36:30 | 0:36:32 | |
It is just like us when we feel sick - | 0:36:32 | 0:36:34 | |
we feel sick, we don't eat, we lose our appetite. | 0:36:34 | 0:36:37 | |
So, if these lambs are losing their appetite, not eating, | 0:36:37 | 0:36:40 | |
they're not growing and they're not going to make you any money. | 0:36:40 | 0:36:43 | |
That's why it's really important. | 0:36:43 | 0:36:45 | |
-OK, there's one here. -We've probably got enough now, haven't we? | 0:36:45 | 0:36:50 | |
We probably have. We've got a good 10% there. | 0:36:50 | 0:36:52 | |
It should give us a good indication of what's happening. | 0:36:52 | 0:36:55 | |
Back in the yard, it's time for a bit of science. | 0:36:57 | 0:37:01 | |
I'm not a techie guy and this all looks a bit complicated. | 0:37:01 | 0:37:04 | |
-This is something my vet usually does. -Yeah. | 0:37:04 | 0:37:07 | |
So, I've got the poo. What next? | 0:37:07 | 0:37:09 | |
-The first thing we do is weigh the sample. -36. -36 grams. | 0:37:09 | 0:37:12 | |
And now we add water, depending on what the weight is. | 0:37:12 | 0:37:15 | |
Next, we crush and mix that. | 0:37:15 | 0:37:17 | |
This is the enjoyable part of the test, | 0:37:17 | 0:37:20 | |
where you hope you have a nice, strong sandwich bag! | 0:37:20 | 0:37:23 | |
I wouldn't use it for your sandwiches afterwards! | 0:37:23 | 0:37:25 | |
-Looking pretty good! -Absolutely, yeah. | 0:37:25 | 0:37:29 | |
So that will give you a random mix of worms | 0:37:29 | 0:37:32 | |
-from the guts of the lambs that we sampled? -Absolutely. | 0:37:32 | 0:37:35 | |
So we add this to the cylinder... | 0:37:35 | 0:37:37 | |
and then I bring the pipette to the corner. | 0:37:37 | 0:37:39 | |
I just gently fill it. | 0:37:39 | 0:37:41 | |
I've never looked at sheep poo under a microscope before | 0:37:41 | 0:37:44 | |
-and I don't think I've ever been so excited about finding worm eggs! -I know! | 0:37:44 | 0:37:47 | |
Farmers do get excited when they see one, | 0:37:47 | 0:37:50 | |
but then realise it's not a good sign. | 0:37:50 | 0:37:51 | |
-We actually don't want them, do we? -You don't want them, no. -Go on then! | 0:37:51 | 0:37:56 | |
Right, we've got one. We've actually got something quite good. | 0:37:56 | 0:37:59 | |
I'll change to the high power to show you. | 0:37:59 | 0:38:02 | |
We've got two kinds of eggs together. A tapeworm egg and a strongyle egg. | 0:38:02 | 0:38:06 | |
They're right next to each other at the end of the pointer. | 0:38:06 | 0:38:09 | |
If you looked down there, you can see this nice oval strongyle egg. | 0:38:09 | 0:38:14 | |
-Oh, yeah, yeah. -OK. | 0:38:14 | 0:38:15 | |
And below it is a different kind of egg, | 0:38:15 | 0:38:17 | |
-there's a bit more of a corner to it. -Yes. -Those are tapeworm. -Ah! | 0:38:17 | 0:38:21 | |
We don't actually count tapeworm, and contrary to farmers' belief, | 0:38:21 | 0:38:25 | |
tapeworm don't do that much damage to sheep. | 0:38:25 | 0:38:28 | |
'Although there are harmful eggs, there aren't enough to cause concern.' | 0:38:28 | 0:38:32 | |
I would avoid at this point blanket-treating everything, | 0:38:32 | 0:38:35 | |
like most farmers would have done historically. | 0:38:35 | 0:38:37 | |
And maybe in 10 days or two weeks' time, take another test and see. | 0:38:37 | 0:38:41 | |
Before we started getting the vets to do this for us, | 0:38:41 | 0:38:44 | |
every four weeks, I used to blanket-treat the lambs with a wormer, | 0:38:44 | 0:38:47 | |
which was a waste of money, put chemicals into sheep that didn't need it, | 0:38:47 | 0:38:51 | |
and actually doing no good at all. | 0:38:51 | 0:38:52 | |
These lambs haven't been wormed since they were born, first week of April. | 0:38:52 | 0:38:56 | |
-We're saving quite a lot of money. -A lot of money. | 0:38:56 | 0:38:59 | |
-Excellent. Now I'm an expert on sheep poo and worms. -Brilliant. | 0:38:59 | 0:39:02 | |
-I need to get myself a little kit. -Absolutely, and join the club! | 0:39:02 | 0:39:05 | |
It's an exciting club to be in. | 0:39:05 | 0:39:07 | |
I'll test again in a couple of weeks | 0:39:07 | 0:39:09 | |
to decide if I do need to worm my flock. | 0:39:09 | 0:39:12 | |
I've been farming all my life | 0:39:12 | 0:39:14 | |
and science is playing a bigger and bigger part in it. | 0:39:14 | 0:39:17 | |
If it can help keep my animals healthier, | 0:39:17 | 0:39:19 | |
that's got to be a good thing. | 0:39:19 | 0:39:20 | |
'Something that's been taking up a lot of my time is the health of one of my lambs. | 0:39:22 | 0:39:25 | |
'She got separated from her mother due to blindness a few weeks back. | 0:39:25 | 0:39:31 | |
'I wasn't holding out much hope for her, | 0:39:31 | 0:39:34 | |
'but with a bit of TLC from me and my boy Alfie, | 0:39:34 | 0:39:36 | |
'she's now a strong little thing.' | 0:39:36 | 0:39:38 | |
-They're great, aren't they? So what have you called this lamb? -Laurel. -Laurel. | 0:39:38 | 0:39:43 | |
When I first brought this little lamb in, | 0:39:43 | 0:39:46 | |
I thought it was going to die. | 0:39:46 | 0:39:48 | |
So you've done very well, with your bottle feeding, to keep it alive. | 0:39:48 | 0:39:52 | |
Lovely as they are, | 0:39:53 | 0:39:56 | |
they say that 10% of your flock causes 90% of your hassle. | 0:39:56 | 0:39:59 | |
And this one has certainly caused me a lot of hassle. | 0:39:59 | 0:40:02 | |
Oh, Honey's finished! | 0:40:03 | 0:40:05 | |
'Even my healthy sheep require a lot of care and attention. | 0:40:05 | 0:40:09 | |
'But just down the road from me, | 0:40:09 | 0:40:10 | |
'a farmer has a flock of the ultimate in low-maintenance sheep. | 0:40:10 | 0:40:14 | |
'I'm popping over to take a closer look.' | 0:40:14 | 0:40:16 | |
Mark Steele has been rearing the Easy Care breed for six years. | 0:40:19 | 0:40:24 | |
Hi, Mark! | 0:40:24 | 0:40:26 | |
-Hi, how are you doing? -All right. Great to see you. | 0:40:26 | 0:40:28 | |
-Good to see you. -Don't let us stop you working. | 0:40:28 | 0:40:31 | |
We are just sorting out the lambs, | 0:40:31 | 0:40:33 | |
weaning them off the ewes for the first time. | 0:40:33 | 0:40:35 | |
-It's an important day for us. -I'll give you a hand, | 0:40:35 | 0:40:38 | |
-and then have a chat with you about them. -Brilliant, lovely! Thanks very much. | 0:40:38 | 0:40:42 | |
The unique selling point of these Easy Care sheep | 0:40:45 | 0:40:48 | |
is that they shed their fleece, which means one thing - no shearing. | 0:40:48 | 0:40:52 | |
This is how the wool just falls off, you see, Adam. Look at this. | 0:40:52 | 0:40:56 | |
-It's just going to come off. -Just naturally moulting? | 0:40:56 | 0:41:00 | |
Just moults off. You get left with this tight little fleece, | 0:41:00 | 0:41:05 | |
like this one here, it looks like God's shorn it, really. Beautiful. | 0:41:05 | 0:41:08 | |
So they do grow a fleece in the winter, then? | 0:41:08 | 0:41:11 | |
Yeah, in the wintertime they have a fleece to keep themselves warm. | 0:41:11 | 0:41:15 | |
It's not a lot of fleece, and then this drops off in the field. | 0:41:15 | 0:41:18 | |
It doesn't bother you that the sheep are looking moth-eaten? | 0:41:18 | 0:41:22 | |
No, it's natural. | 0:41:22 | 0:41:23 | |
I look moth-eaten most mornings, nobody kicks me out! | 0:41:23 | 0:41:26 | |
For a man like me with Cotswold sheep, famous for their wool, | 0:41:26 | 0:41:31 | |
it seems such a waste to have animals not growing wool to use for clothing. | 0:41:31 | 0:41:36 | |
Yes, but we're in an economic situation where it costs more to get the wool off the sheep | 0:41:36 | 0:41:40 | |
than the wool's worth. | 0:41:40 | 0:41:41 | |
And, of course, we've also got all the health issues | 0:41:41 | 0:41:44 | |
associated with wool, | 0:41:44 | 0:41:46 | |
with the dirtiness and the maggots. | 0:41:46 | 0:41:48 | |
We just don't have that as a problem. | 0:41:48 | 0:41:50 | |
It's a bit of a win-win situation. | 0:41:50 | 0:41:52 | |
It sounds like a dream! I'll send you some more. | 0:41:52 | 0:41:56 | |
It still feels like a dream. THEY LAUGH | 0:41:56 | 0:41:59 | |
'While the newly-weaned lambs experience their first taste of independence, | 0:42:04 | 0:42:09 | |
'we're off to the fields to round up the next part of the flock.' | 0:42:09 | 0:42:13 | |
They like a good jump! | 0:42:13 | 0:42:14 | |
It's not just the fact that the sheep aren't shorn | 0:42:40 | 0:42:43 | |
that makes them easy-care. | 0:42:43 | 0:42:45 | |
90% of the time, they're left to their own devices. | 0:42:45 | 0:42:48 | |
Mark's ethos is just to let them get on with it. | 0:42:48 | 0:42:50 | |
So what was it like then, for you, | 0:42:51 | 0:42:53 | |
changing from very conventional sheep farming, to this? | 0:42:53 | 0:42:58 | |
To be honest, we were very concerned. | 0:42:58 | 0:43:01 | |
Very concerned to start with. | 0:43:01 | 0:43:02 | |
Big change. | 0:43:02 | 0:43:04 | |
We'd done all the indoor lambing, like you'd do, | 0:43:04 | 0:43:06 | |
we had three people, 24-hours a day, looking after them, | 0:43:06 | 0:43:11 | |
and we thought, "No, we're going to have terrible trouble. | 0:43:11 | 0:43:15 | |
"We'll be catching sheep everywhere." | 0:43:15 | 0:43:17 | |
But it's been amazing, the weather has probably helped this year. | 0:43:17 | 0:43:21 | |
But we've helped five. | 0:43:21 | 0:43:22 | |
Amazing. | 0:43:22 | 0:43:24 | |
Out of nearly 2,000 sheep. | 0:43:24 | 0:43:25 | |
-And your labour bill must have dropped out the window. -Oh, yes. | 0:43:25 | 0:43:29 | |
Zero labour. In fact, Mrs Steel has booked a holiday for next year's lambing! | 0:43:29 | 0:43:34 | |
She says we're going away! | 0:43:34 | 0:43:36 | |
Which is fantastic news. | 0:43:36 | 0:43:38 | |
Come on, sheep. Hey! | 0:43:38 | 0:43:39 | |
It's great what I've seen today with Easy Care sheep. | 0:43:47 | 0:43:50 | |
But it's amazing. It almost seems like turning back the clock | 0:43:50 | 0:43:53 | |
to the animals that can moult again, to our ancient, primitive breeds. | 0:43:53 | 0:43:57 | |
I suppose, being a Cotswold boy, I'm a bit of a purist | 0:43:57 | 0:44:00 | |
and I love sheep with lots of wool. | 0:44:00 | 0:44:02 | |
Next week, I'll be weaning some of my own lambs | 0:44:05 | 0:44:08 | |
and putting them out onto their summer pasture. | 0:44:08 | 0:44:11 | |
Landscape is just one of the classes in our photographic competition | 0:44:19 | 0:44:23 | |
and you've got less than two weeks to enter. | 0:44:23 | 0:44:26 | |
The theme this year is Best In Show, | 0:44:26 | 0:44:28 | |
and here's just a taster | 0:44:28 | 0:44:30 | |
of some of the pictures that we've received so far. | 0:44:30 | 0:44:33 | |
The very best will appear in the Countryfile calendar for 2012, | 0:44:33 | 0:44:38 | |
which is sold in aid of Children In Need. | 0:44:38 | 0:44:40 | |
We're absolutely delighted with the response so far, | 0:44:40 | 0:44:43 | |
and if you still want to enter, well, you'd better move quickly. | 0:44:43 | 0:44:47 | |
Let me remind you of the rules and how to enter. | 0:45:03 | 0:45:08 | |
The best photo in each class will be put to the viewers' vote. | 0:45:10 | 0:45:13 | |
The person who takes the winning photo will be declared Best In Show | 0:45:13 | 0:45:18 | |
and gets to choose from a range of the latest photographic equipment, to the value of £1,000. | 0:45:18 | 0:45:23 | |
Whoever takes the judges' favourite photo | 0:45:23 | 0:45:26 | |
will get to choose equipment to the value of £500. | 0:45:26 | 0:45:29 | |
Our competition isn't open to professionals, | 0:45:29 | 0:45:33 | |
your entries mustn't have been offered for sale, | 0:45:33 | 0:45:36 | |
or won other competitions. | 0:45:36 | 0:45:38 | |
That's because we want something original. | 0:45:38 | 0:45:40 | |
You can enter up to four photos, which must be taken in the UK. | 0:45:40 | 0:45:46 | |
Please write your name, address, | 0:45:46 | 0:45:48 | |
and daytime and evening phone number | 0:45:48 | 0:45:50 | |
on the back of each photo, | 0:45:50 | 0:45:51 | |
with a note of which class you want it to be judged in. | 0:45:51 | 0:45:54 | |
Each photo can only be entered in one class. | 0:45:54 | 0:45:57 | |
Then all you have to do is send your entries to - | 0:45:59 | 0:46:05 | |
The full terms and conditions are on our website | 0:46:10 | 0:46:13 | |
as well as details of the BBC's code of conduct for competitions. | 0:46:13 | 0:46:17 | |
Please write to us enclosing a stamped addressed envelope | 0:46:17 | 0:46:20 | |
if you want a copy of the rules. | 0:46:20 | 0:46:23 | |
The closing date is a week on Friday, the 12th of August. | 0:46:23 | 0:46:26 | |
And sorry, but we can't return any entries. | 0:46:26 | 0:46:28 | |
In a few moments, Helen will be following in the footsteps of pilgrims throughout the ages, | 0:46:31 | 0:46:36 | |
when she heads to Bardsey, known as The Island Of 20,000 Saints. | 0:46:36 | 0:46:41 | |
Bit first, here's the Countryfile weather forecast for the week ahead. | 0:46:41 | 0:46:44 | |
. | 0:48:50 | 0:48:57 | |
Today we're on the Llyn Peninsula, | 0:49:09 | 0:49:11 | |
one of Wales' most beautiful and unspoiled regions. | 0:49:11 | 0:49:15 | |
Helen's following in the footsteps of pilgrims | 0:49:15 | 0:49:18 | |
along this 30-mile peninsula, making the journey to a special island. | 0:49:18 | 0:49:23 | |
Bardsey island lies a couple of miles from the tip of the peninsula. | 0:49:25 | 0:49:29 | |
It only takes about 20 minutes to make the crossing, | 0:49:29 | 0:49:31 | |
but getting there isn't all plain sailing. | 0:49:31 | 0:49:35 | |
They say that three trips to Bardsey equals one trip to Rome. | 0:49:35 | 0:49:39 | |
But the waters around here can be pretty choppy | 0:49:39 | 0:49:42 | |
so many pilgrims find their journeys cut short. | 0:49:42 | 0:49:45 | |
Fingers crossed it's going to be all right today. | 0:49:45 | 0:49:48 | |
I'm catching a lift on the boat that supplies the island. | 0:49:50 | 0:49:53 | |
There's plenty of day-trippers making the crossing too, | 0:49:53 | 0:49:56 | |
and what a day for it! | 0:49:56 | 0:49:57 | |
What types of people come to Bardsey? | 0:50:02 | 0:50:04 | |
It tends to be people who are interested in wildlife, | 0:50:04 | 0:50:07 | |
or have an interest in agriculture or conservation, | 0:50:07 | 0:50:10 | |
or the heritage of the island. | 0:50:10 | 0:50:11 | |
We still get quite a lot of people coming over on pilgrimage, | 0:50:11 | 0:50:15 | |
a kind of modern-day pilgrimage, because of course, | 0:50:15 | 0:50:18 | |
it has been a site of pilgrimage for many years. | 0:50:18 | 0:50:20 | |
So how often do you have to say, "Can't go today"? | 0:50:20 | 0:50:23 | |
I'd say about 35% of the time in the summer | 0:50:23 | 0:50:26 | |
and about 80% of the time in the winter. | 0:50:26 | 0:50:29 | |
-So do people often get stuck over there? -We... | 0:50:29 | 0:50:33 | |
Yes. | 0:50:33 | 0:50:35 | |
'Not a bad place to get stuck, though. | 0:50:35 | 0:50:38 | |
'Bardsey is a tranquil, unspoiled island, | 0:50:40 | 0:50:43 | |
'but it is still a working island. | 0:50:43 | 0:50:45 | |
'Only ten people live here and when the boat comes in, | 0:50:45 | 0:50:49 | |
'they're all down to greet it.' | 0:50:49 | 0:50:51 | |
-Hello! Oh, hello, nice to meet you. -And you. | 0:50:51 | 0:50:53 | |
'Emyr Roberts is the island warden. | 0:50:54 | 0:50:56 | |
'He's the guy that keeps the holiday cottages supplied. | 0:50:56 | 0:51:00 | |
'If you need it, Emyr's got it.' | 0:51:00 | 0:51:02 | |
It's all basic good stuff, like fruit and veg and stuff like that. | 0:51:02 | 0:51:06 | |
Do you not order goodies? Sweets and chocolates? | 0:51:06 | 0:51:08 | |
Not too much, they are... You know, they're treats. | 0:51:08 | 0:51:12 | |
What do you do in the winter for food, then? | 0:51:12 | 0:51:14 | |
Well, I've got a pretty good store of it up there. | 0:51:14 | 0:51:17 | |
I bottle it and freeze it and whatever you can do to preserve it. | 0:51:17 | 0:51:22 | |
It can be quite an interesting diet! | 0:51:24 | 0:51:27 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:51:27 | 0:51:28 | |
-One last thing. -We can't forget the vinegar. -That's very important. | 0:51:28 | 0:51:31 | |
'And we'll find out why in a minute.' | 0:51:31 | 0:51:34 | |
-OK, so this is your store? -This is the store. | 0:51:38 | 0:51:41 | |
I thought this would be full of canned foods, | 0:51:44 | 0:51:47 | |
but it's more supplies. | 0:51:47 | 0:51:48 | |
I mean...you must have 300 sponge scourers in here! | 0:51:48 | 0:51:51 | |
I guess you do need a poker, don't you! Bed sheets, bin... | 0:51:51 | 0:51:55 | |
Teapot... Yeah, I can imagine if you smash your teapot, you're in trouble. | 0:51:55 | 0:51:59 | |
Sticky-back plastic. | 0:51:59 | 0:52:01 | |
These are very useful things. | 0:52:01 | 0:52:03 | |
-Gloves? -Surgical gloves! | 0:52:03 | 0:52:05 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:52:05 | 0:52:06 | |
I'm not even going to ask! I'm not even going to ask! | 0:52:06 | 0:52:09 | |
Emyr, your garden is phenomenal. | 0:52:10 | 0:52:12 | |
Well, it's coming now, it's coming. | 0:52:13 | 0:52:15 | |
Is this because you like growing veg | 0:52:15 | 0:52:17 | |
or because you need to grow all this veg? | 0:52:17 | 0:52:19 | |
A bit of both, really. It'll all get eaten. | 0:52:19 | 0:52:23 | |
And it's not easy to get veg here in the winter. | 0:52:23 | 0:52:27 | |
I can't imagine you'd ever need to go to a shop again. | 0:52:27 | 0:52:30 | |
Oh, my word, look at all the pickling! | 0:52:30 | 0:52:33 | |
Pickled carrots, pickled beetroot! | 0:52:33 | 0:52:35 | |
Are these pickled raspberries?! | 0:52:37 | 0:52:39 | |
Yeah, yeah. They're lovely. | 0:52:39 | 0:52:41 | |
'So this is where all the vinegar goes!' | 0:52:41 | 0:52:44 | |
Wow, that's a lot of pickled items. | 0:52:44 | 0:52:48 | |
Pickled beans, pickled cherries...! | 0:52:48 | 0:52:51 | |
It's a pickling factory! | 0:52:52 | 0:52:54 | |
Self-sufficiency has been the name for the game here | 0:52:55 | 0:52:58 | |
for islanders down the years. | 0:52:58 | 0:53:00 | |
"There's a green track, lined with meadowsweet, stone houses, | 0:53:02 | 0:53:08 | |
"ramparts to the weather, small fields that run all one way. | 0:53:08 | 0:53:14 | |
"West, to the sea. | 0:53:14 | 0:53:17 | |
"Inviting feet to make new paths to their own discovered places." | 0:53:17 | 0:53:22 | |
'Those words were written by Christine Evans, | 0:53:28 | 0:53:31 | |
'Colin the boatman's mum and celebrated poet.' | 0:53:31 | 0:53:34 | |
-Hello, Christine! -Oh, hello. | 0:53:34 | 0:53:37 | |
'The island has been inspirational to her | 0:53:37 | 0:53:39 | |
'since she set up home here in the 1970s.' | 0:53:39 | 0:53:42 | |
How does this landscape, then, affect your poems? | 0:53:42 | 0:53:45 | |
I think it started me writing, | 0:53:47 | 0:53:50 | |
because of the sense of inclusiveness, | 0:53:50 | 0:53:52 | |
a sense of everything in balance | 0:53:52 | 0:53:54 | |
and the way in which your senses are made more alert, | 0:53:54 | 0:53:58 | |
Because you spend so much time out of doors. | 0:53:58 | 0:54:00 | |
And this is still a place of pilgrimage, isn't it? | 0:54:00 | 0:54:03 | |
Yes. For 1,000 years, we had the monastery and we had monks. | 0:54:03 | 0:54:07 | |
There was a tradition that if you were buried here, | 0:54:07 | 0:54:11 | |
or you died on your way here, your soul wouldn't go to hell. | 0:54:11 | 0:54:14 | |
It's said that 20,000 saints are buried on Bardsey, | 0:54:17 | 0:54:20 | |
it's certainly true that a good many pilgrims | 0:54:20 | 0:54:23 | |
lay at rest in the ruins of the abbey. | 0:54:23 | 0:54:26 | |
But Bardsey's story is not just about the past. | 0:54:27 | 0:54:31 | |
New arrivals are looking to the future. | 0:54:31 | 0:54:33 | |
The Porter family came here from England four years ago, | 0:54:35 | 0:54:39 | |
to live a different life. | 0:54:39 | 0:54:41 | |
Ben and Rachel are taught from home, which means lessons happen outside. | 0:54:41 | 0:54:45 | |
Pretty good, eh? | 0:54:45 | 0:54:47 | |
They're all kept busy running the island farm. | 0:54:51 | 0:54:53 | |
There are 400 sheep, 25 Welsh Black cattle | 0:54:53 | 0:54:57 | |
and a couple of goats for milk. | 0:54:57 | 0:54:59 | |
Dad Steve is on his own today, and being a farmer's daughter, | 0:55:02 | 0:55:06 | |
I've been roped in to lend a hand and let off a little steam. | 0:55:06 | 0:55:09 | |
SHE CALLS | 0:55:10 | 0:55:15 | |
CATTLE RESPOND | 0:55:15 | 0:55:18 | |
'We're moving them onto rare maritime pasture. | 0:55:19 | 0:55:23 | |
'It's found in few places and it provides vital habitat for the island's sea bird populations. | 0:55:23 | 0:55:29 | |
'The cattle really do their bit to keep it in tip-top condition.' | 0:55:29 | 0:55:32 | |
Part of them being on here | 0:55:32 | 0:55:34 | |
is so that their hooves can create a bit of open soil, | 0:55:34 | 0:55:37 | |
so the heath can spread into new areas. | 0:55:37 | 0:55:40 | |
So that's one of the reasons the cows are useful. | 0:55:40 | 0:55:43 | |
That, and the fact that when they're grazing, they are quite rough, | 0:55:43 | 0:55:46 | |
and again, by pulling out some of the heath, | 0:55:46 | 0:55:48 | |
they actually create areas for new habitat to develop in. | 0:55:48 | 0:55:53 | |
How do you rate life here? | 0:55:53 | 0:55:54 | |
Unbeatable. Unbeatable. | 0:55:54 | 0:55:57 | |
The combination of the environment that we live in, | 0:55:57 | 0:56:03 | |
the great challenges of farming on a nature reserve | 0:56:03 | 0:56:07 | |
and the wildlife that comes through here, | 0:56:07 | 0:56:10 | |
the migrating birds. It's a tremendous place to live. | 0:56:10 | 0:56:14 | |
-Is there anything you'd swap it for? -No. | 0:56:14 | 0:56:16 | |
My time on Bardsey is nearly up, but I reckon one day I'll be back, | 0:56:22 | 0:56:26 | |
making another pilgrimage to this very special place. | 0:56:26 | 0:56:29 | |
So, safely back home from over there. | 0:56:35 | 0:56:38 | |
Yeah, it was smooth waters there and back | 0:56:38 | 0:56:40 | |
-and I hope you like your raspberries pickled, I've brought you a present. -Pickled raspberries! -Yes. | 0:56:40 | 0:56:44 | |
I met a chap who pickles pretty much anything that's not moving | 0:56:44 | 0:56:48 | |
and I'm not sure it's always out of necessity. | 0:56:48 | 0:56:50 | |
Well, I'm sure I'm going to enjoy those. | 0:56:50 | 0:56:52 | |
That's all from Countryfile today | 0:56:52 | 0:56:54 | |
from the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales. | 0:56:54 | 0:56:56 | |
Next week we'll be in Worcestershire, | 0:56:56 | 0:56:58 | |
where we'll be tracing the rural roots | 0:56:58 | 0:57:00 | |
of a sport that you don't normally associate with the countryside. | 0:57:00 | 0:57:04 | |
-Rural sports? I want to get involved. -Right. | 0:57:04 | 0:57:06 | |
All will be revealed. | 0:57:06 | 0:57:08 | |
-Until then, goodbye. -See you! | 0:57:08 | 0:57:09 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:57:30 | 0:57:33 | |
E-mail [email protected] | 0:57:33 | 0:57:36 |