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Where echoes of former industry can still be heard in the valleys... | :00:30. | :00:39. | |
because the coal mines here in South Wales are long gone. | :00:39. | :00:45. | |
that where the mines have scarred this land, | :00:45. | :00:49. | |
And where the coalfields end, the green hills begin. | :00:49. | :00:56. | |
a town famous for its market and its food. | :00:56. | :01:01. | |
And their giant vegetables made of cotton. | :01:01. | :01:05. | |
I've got to get this big boy up there. | :01:05. | :01:09. | |
While we are exploring Wales, Tom is investigating rural crime | :01:09. | :01:16. | |
but the so-called sport of using dogs to chase and kill hares | :01:16. | :01:26. | |
still goes on, bringing with it trespass, | :01:26. | :01:29. | |
So, what is being done to stop it? I'll be investigating. | :01:29. | :01:37. | |
Helen is meeting the handlers representing Scotland | :01:37. | :01:41. | |
No, I'm not going there just to make up the numbers. | :01:41. | :01:47. | |
That's for sure. You're going there to win it? Yes, always. | :01:47. | :01:50. | |
And John's in Essex to launch the Countryfile calendar. | :01:50. | :01:53. | |
And reveal the photographer whose picture you chose | :01:54. | :01:56. | |
I've come here today to meet the winner, but, as yet, | :01:56. | :02:00. | |
The rich natural beauty of the valleys of South Wales, | :02:00. | :02:20. | |
where steep green and heather-clad hills rub up against | :02:20. | :02:24. | |
a starker landscape, one whose turbulent past | :02:24. | :02:28. | |
The green hills around Abergavenny give way to a different | :02:28. | :02:36. | |
landscape near the town of Blaenavon... | :02:36. | :02:41. | |
..one shaped by an industry that changed the world. | :02:41. | :02:46. | |
I'm talking coal, but all that remains is the odd mineshaft | :02:46. | :02:51. | |
but everything that you can see here was changed by coal. | :02:51. | :03:02. | |
Blaenavon is a World Heritage site, because back in the 18th century, | :03:02. | :03:06. | |
it was home to a gold rush - black gold. | :03:06. | :03:12. | |
They mined coal in vast quantities, | :03:12. | :03:14. | |
and it brought about a change on a scale not seen before. | :03:14. | :03:17. | |
And these hills bore the brunt | :03:17. | :03:23. | |
of mankind's insatiable drive for progress. | :03:23. | :03:29. | |
There's very little of what you can see here | :03:29. | :03:31. | |
There's a little bit of the skyline there, | :03:31. | :03:34. | |
but coming in front of that, that has all been worked. | :03:35. | :03:37. | |
That's all been turned over for coal and for iron ore, | :03:37. | :03:40. | |
which really only represent about 5% of the rock sequence. | :03:40. | :03:45. | |
really, only about 2% is workable coal seams. | :03:45. | :03:49. | |
So there's a lot of waste for them to get through, | :03:49. | :03:52. | |
and it's the sort of sandstones and mudstones that are associated | :03:52. | :03:56. | |
with the coal seam that you have got to dump on the hillsides | :03:56. | :03:58. | |
The English industrialists who came here in the late 18th century | :03:58. | :04:04. | |
They snapped up all the mineral-rich land they could get their hands on. | :04:04. | :04:15. | |
Those little square blocks coming off - that is a bit of coal seam. | :04:15. | :04:20. | |
So this is one of just a thin seam, but it is one of many, | :04:20. | :04:23. | |
No, the great thing is that you've got all the ingredients you need | :04:23. | :04:29. | |
You have got the coal, which you use as a fuel, | :04:29. | :04:33. | |
you've got iron ore itself... It's heavy, that, isn't it? Yes, it is. | :04:33. | :04:36. | |
It is much heavier than you'd expect for its weight. | :04:36. | :04:39. | |
Then you've got limestone, that you use as a flux, | :04:39. | :04:41. | |
and that takes out the impurities from the iron ore. | :04:41. | :04:43. | |
And you have got water here for powering your machinery too. | :04:43. | :04:46. | |
So, all the ingredients that you need for getting the Industrial Revolution | :04:46. | :04:50. | |
kick-started are here, on the edge of the South Wales coalfield. | :04:50. | :04:55. | |
In 1789, the first major coal-fired furnace was built in Blaenavon. | :04:55. | :05:00. | |
It wasn't long before the Welsh sky blazed red. | :05:00. | :05:04. | |
Smelting went on day and night to meet the huge demand for iron | :05:04. | :05:07. | |
from international railway construction and a war-hungry Navy. | :05:07. | :05:12. | |
But the quality of the coal here meant it would go on | :05:12. | :05:15. | |
to overtake iron as the focus of production. | :05:15. | :05:18. | |
Welsh steam coal would help turn Blaenavon into a boom town. | :05:18. | :05:23. | |
By 1921, 13,000 people were living here, | :05:23. | :05:27. | |
all attracted by the chance of working underground. | :05:27. | :05:31. | |
Des Harris followed in their footsteps. | :05:31. | :05:33. | |
I was 15 years of age when I first came down the mine. Were you, really? | :05:33. | :05:37. | |
15 years of age. What, did your father work or...? | :05:37. | :05:39. | |
My father worked underground, my grandfather worked underground, | :05:39. | :05:42. | |
The only work around when I left school was down the mines, | :05:42. | :05:47. | |
and started work in the mine on Monday. | :05:47. | :05:51. | |
Very hard, dangerous, dirty, dusty work, but it was OK. | :05:51. | :05:54. | |
Thousands of tons of coal were extracted from Blaenavon's | :05:54. | :06:00. | |
making South Wales one of the major coal producing regions on Earth. | :06:00. | :06:06. | |
the men at the coalface were poorly paid. | :06:06. | :06:12. | |
Their rewards were found in a sense of community. | :06:12. | :06:16. | |
I used to enjoy working down the mine. | :06:16. | :06:18. | |
You were with your friends, what have you, and then you went back up. | :06:18. | :06:23. | |
And you just got on with the job. It was very enjoyable. | :06:23. | :06:29. | |
It may sound mad, but if I had my chance over again, | :06:29. | :06:31. | |
I would do it all over again. Would you, really? Oh, yes. | :06:31. | :06:34. | |
36 years underground, and I would do it all over again. | :06:34. | :06:38. | |
With increased competition from abroad and new fuels like oil | :06:38. | :06:42. | |
and gas, the Welsh coal industry went into decline. | :06:42. | :06:46. | |
By the 1980s, mines all over had closed. | :06:46. | :06:50. | |
The village I come from, I could name everybody in that village. | :06:50. | :06:56. | |
You are talking 1,000 people. I knew them all. | :06:57. | :06:59. | |
Go there now, I don't even know anybody now. All gone. | :06:59. | :07:03. | |
Blaenavon's pit closures meant the death of the town. | :07:03. | :07:18. | |
When the work stopped, spoil heaps were just left as they were. | :07:18. | :07:23. | |
Things went quiet, and new life began to stir in this landscape. | :07:23. | :07:45. | |
I have actually got some specimens in a pot here. Very good. | :07:45. | :07:46. | |
In true ecology style. Let's have a closer look, then. | :07:46. | :07:49. | |
The mottled grasshopper. It's quite variable in its colours. | :07:49. | :07:53. | |
Colliery spoil is black or grey. The darker ones will blend in. | :07:53. | :07:57. | |
They have adapted well to that sort of darker environment. | :07:57. | :08:00. | |
The difference in the colour is quite something. | :08:00. | :08:03. | |
Look at that vivid green and then you have got that very coaly black. | :08:03. | :08:07. | |
Absolutely. We have seen quite a few butterflies flying around. | :08:07. | :08:16. | |
The Grayling butterfly is principally a coastal butterfly. | :08:16. | :08:17. | |
Inland, it is found in these areas of colliery spoil, | :08:17. | :08:22. | |
where it is dry and provides similar conditions to the sandy | :08:22. | :08:26. | |
environments you find round the coast, such as sand dunes. | :08:26. | :08:29. | |
Perhaps those species might not even have been here | :08:29. | :08:31. | |
if it wasn't for the mining that took place. Absolutely. | :08:31. | :08:35. | |
If we're after variety, bare spoil is the bees' knees | :08:36. | :08:41. | |
in terms of habitats, and for people walking in the landscape, | :08:41. | :08:46. | |
there's nothing better than seeing the variety of wildlife around you. | :08:46. | :08:54. | |
The mines may have gone, but the spoil heaps remain. | :08:54. | :08:59. | |
And this land, laid to waste by industry, | :08:59. | :09:02. | |
Now, hare coursing has been banned in the British countryside | :09:02. | :09:14. | |
that hasn't put a stop to this illegal sport. | :09:14. | :09:29. | |
The East of England's expansive flatlands, home to brown hares. | :09:30. | :09:35. | |
Something has been through here. There's just a little path. | :09:35. | :09:39. | |
British hare numbers have fallen by 80% in the past 100 years, | :09:39. | :09:43. | |
But in some places, they're still common, like here in Lincolnshire. | :09:43. | :09:50. | |
Not that that makes them easy to find. | :09:50. | :09:54. | |
There, there, there. There he goes. Wow! Great. | :09:54. | :10:02. | |
There he goes, down the line. Fantastic. | :10:03. | :10:09. | |
are at the centre of a major illegal blood sport | :10:09. | :10:19. | |
The traditional pastime of hare coursing | :10:19. | :10:27. | |
Dogs are pitted against a hare in a contest of speed and agility. | :10:27. | :10:34. | |
but the Hunting Act of 2004 banned the sport in the UK. | :10:34. | :10:43. | |
Today, the only way to hare course legally this with one of these. | :10:43. | :10:48. | |
Simulated hare coursing events are run by Paddy Weaver. | :10:48. | :10:54. | |
The same in principle as traditional coursing, | :10:54. | :10:57. | |
but with a plastic lure on a zigzag track, mimicking the twists | :10:57. | :11:01. | |
One dog will wear a white collar, and one dog will wear a red collar. | :11:01. | :11:08. | |
And the one that runs the truest course wins. But I'm the judge. | :11:08. | :11:18. | |
So I gather you used to do it when it was legal? Yes, I did, yes. Why? | :11:18. | :11:25. | |
I were brought up with it. It was in the family. | :11:25. | :11:28. | |
Didn't you think it was cruel in any way? | :11:28. | :11:32. | |
No, because when the dog catches a hare, it's dead. | :11:32. | :11:36. | |
If you go and shoot it, you might only wound it. | :11:36. | :11:38. | |
So this is a way of keeping it all alive for you? We're trying, yes. | :11:38. | :11:46. | |
The 2004 Hunting Act may have banned hare coursing, | :11:46. | :11:49. | |
While some remained happy with these simulated chases, | :11:50. | :11:55. | |
others were determined to pursue real hares, regardless of the law. | :11:56. | :12:03. | |
some people are still illegally setting hounds against hares. | :12:03. | :12:08. | |
In places like Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, there are | :12:08. | :12:14. | |
hundreds of calls a year with 30 or 40 vehicles at a time, sometimes. | :12:14. | :12:18. | |
'Alan Roberts is with the Police National Wildlife Crime unit. | :12:18. | :12:22. | |
'He's concerned about the type of people hare coursing attracts.' | :12:22. | :12:26. | |
Very often, the people that are involved in coursing have got | :12:26. | :12:29. | |
other criminal records. Sometimes quite scary people? | :12:30. | :12:34. | |
There are plenty of reports of incidents where | :12:34. | :12:38. | |
they have literally confronted the farmer, threatened them, | :12:38. | :12:40. | |
beaten them, attacked their vehicles, this sort of thing. | :12:41. | :12:43. | |
They travel all over the place to commit the crime. | :12:43. | :12:46. | |
They travel all over the place to go coursing. | :12:46. | :12:49. | |
This hobby that they have is like the glue | :12:49. | :12:52. | |
that joins these people together. | :12:52. | :12:54. | |
It seems hare coursing is bringing some serious criminals | :12:54. | :12:58. | |
to the countryside, and woe betide anyone who gets in their way. | :12:58. | :13:02. | |
I have been out here on some days and middle of the day, and I have | :13:02. | :13:06. | |
seen six, seven vehicles driving across the middle of the field. | :13:06. | :13:10. | |
'This Lincolnshire farmer says he regularly has hare coursers | :13:10. | :13:13. | |
'on his farm, and that led to one particularly perilous confrontation. | :13:13. | :13:18. | |
The vehicle that was on the corner here, to our right, | :13:18. | :13:24. | |
I got out of the buggy and approached the vehicle. | :13:24. | :13:29. | |
They started the vehicle up and just drove straight for me. | :13:30. | :13:33. | |
They ended up hitting me hard on the side of the leg | :13:33. | :13:37. | |
of the front of the bumper of the pick-up. | :13:37. | :13:41. | |
And so I was left in a heap on the floor, | :13:41. | :13:43. | |
just up the field margin here, and I had to pull my legs | :13:43. | :13:46. | |
out the way, otherwise the rear axle of the vehicle | :13:47. | :13:49. | |
'Despite his injury, Andy drove after the vehicle. | :13:49. | :13:53. | |
'Then it tried to ram him off the road.' | :13:53. | :13:55. | |
The third time, they tried to reverse and knock us into the dyke. | :13:55. | :13:58. | |
They just then sped off into the distance. | :13:58. | :14:00. | |
Like other farmers, Andy still suffers threats | :14:00. | :14:05. | |
and intimidation from these criminals. | :14:05. | :14:08. | |
It's clear that hare coursing has come a long way | :14:08. | :14:10. | |
from its roots as a traditional countryside sport. | :14:10. | :14:14. | |
So, gangs are going to great lengths to keep this sport alive, | :14:14. | :14:18. | |
risking imprisonment for them and injury to others. | :14:18. | :14:22. | |
So what's being done to tackle them? I'll be finding out later. | :14:22. | :14:31. | |
Monmouthshire, a borderland county known as the gateway to Wales. | :14:31. | :14:37. | |
Good, fertile land for growing and for grazing. Come by! | :14:37. | :14:46. | |
He also founded the internationally renowned | :14:46. | :14:50. | |
You know what you're doing. You've done that before. | :14:50. | :14:59. | |
I think I have - a few times. How long? | :14:59. | :15:02. | |
I think you've definitely got the measure of it now. | :15:02. | :15:06. | |
What prompted the idea to come up with a food festival? | :15:06. | :15:11. | |
As you say, 15 years ago was the time of BSE, followed by foot and mouth. | :15:11. | :15:16. | |
fires at night, burning of the carcasses round here. | :15:17. | :15:23. | |
a lot of people lost animals so it was a pretty depressing time. | :15:23. | :15:28. | |
The idea for the food festival came from wanting to celebrate - | :15:28. | :15:33. | |
to do something positive about farming in this area, | :15:33. | :15:36. | |
and celebrate the good food that is produced. | :15:36. | :15:38. | |
It's not all about the food though is it? No, it isn't. | :15:38. | :15:41. | |
I've got something to show you. Lead the way. Yeah. | :15:41. | :15:46. | |
Well, that, would you believe, is a sheep? I know it's a sheep. | :15:46. | :15:50. | |
But what's it doing up there and what's it made of? | :15:50. | :15:53. | |
Rag rug made of bits of cloth put together. | :15:53. | :15:58. | |
The story behind that sheep... That is my sheep. | :15:58. | :16:01. | |
there's something a bit funny with him, apart from its mournful look. | :16:01. | :16:07. | |
Yes, a mournful face. A full-on view. One, two, three legs! | :16:07. | :16:10. | |
Yeah, that is a bit odd. Only one back leg. | :16:10. | :16:13. | |
Yes, what you think we call that? Peggy. | :16:13. | :16:16. | |
So, that's based on your sheep - Tripod - | :16:16. | :16:22. | |
and it was made for the festival? Absolutely. | :16:22. | :16:24. | |
And this marriage between the art and the food | :16:24. | :16:27. | |
is an important part of the festival. | :16:27. | :16:29. | |
to look at the decorations in the Market Hall. | :16:29. | :16:34. | |
She's quite lovely. Yeah, absolutely. Unique but lovely. Yeah. | :16:34. | :16:40. | |
'Just down the road in the heart of Abergavenny is the old Market Hall, | :16:40. | :16:44. | |
'normally busy with shoppers and stallholders, | :16:44. | :16:48. | |
'but today is the day the big arts get hung.' | :16:48. | :16:53. | |
Well, it's pretty obvious what this year's theme is - | :16:53. | :16:57. | |
'And coming up with the new one is a big challenge for | :16:57. | :17:11. | |
Bet? Um, the nuts there, on the table behind me. | :17:11. | :17:21. | |
'This year's theme is Garden of Plenty - | :17:21. | :17:24. | |
'And it's the community spirit that brings it to life. | :17:24. | :17:30. | |
'Turn back the clock four weeks, and 60 volunteers of all ages | :17:30. | :17:34. | |
'and abilities were beavering away to realise Bettina's vision.' | :17:34. | :17:48. | |
Ooh, ooh, let me help. Let me help. Let me help. | :17:48. | :17:53. | |
One of your beans is loose. Thank you | :17:53. | :17:55. | |
Well, that's what happens when you have giant vegetables. | :17:55. | :17:57. | |
I know. They've got a mind of their own. Look at this monster here. | :17:57. | :18:02. | |
Bettina, that is a magnificent pumpkin. How do you start? | :18:02. | :18:05. | |
I always think about it a year in advance. | :18:05. | :18:10. | |
I mean, it takes about a year to think, | :18:10. | :18:11. | |
"Because everyone loved the birds and the hares last year. | :18:11. | :18:17. | |
"I think I don't know how to top that one." | :18:17. | :18:20. | |
And you just think, "Are vegetables going to be quite as exciting?" | :18:20. | :18:23. | |
But I think they will be. I think they will be. | :18:23. | :18:27. | |
You've certainly got the scale. Most of the fabrics | :18:27. | :18:29. | |
are hand-dyed. It's all sort of calico, | :18:29. | :18:32. | |
silk, velvet that has been specially dyed or painted. | :18:32. | :18:35. | |
It doesn't always go to plan, does it? | :18:35. | :18:36. | |
No. We hoisted the giant turkey last year, | :18:36. | :18:40. | |
Oh, no. And his tail feathers broke. Poor turkey. I know. | :18:40. | :18:46. | |
'The Cinderella-style pumpkin is going to need all hands on veg | :18:46. | :18:53. | |
'if we are going to get it to the rafters. | :18:53. | :18:55. | |
'But first it needs a few finishing touches.' | :18:55. | :18:57. | |
and she's going to be laughing at you letting ME do the sewing. | :18:57. | :19:05. | |
'Luckily, once this beauty is hanging from the ceiling, | :19:05. | :19:11. | |
'no-one will notice the dreadful Bradbury stitch. | :19:11. | :19:13. | |
'All we've got to do is get it up there. | :19:13. | :19:19. | |
'Cue the cherry picker. Or should that be the pumpkin picker?' | :19:19. | :19:25. | |
All this for a pumpkin. Who'd have thought it? | :19:25. | :19:27. | |
MUSIC: "Also Sprach Zarathustra" Richard Strauss | :19:27. | :19:41. | |
This is Bradders and the giant pumpkin. | :19:41. | :19:58. | |
And another hanging vegetable. Yeah. Yes. Brilliant. | :19:58. | :20:04. | |
'So, how do you follow aerial vegetables? | :20:04. | :20:07. | |
'With underground cheese, of course!' | :20:07. | :20:10. | |
I'm in the changing rooms of the Big Pit - Blaenavon's last coal mine. | :20:10. | :20:16. | |
The colliers finally hung up their boots in here | :20:16. | :20:19. | |
it's been preserved as a World Heritage site | :20:19. | :20:23. | |
and a museum. But something is still brought up from the bottom | :20:23. | :20:27. | |
Sue, how and why are you maturing Cheddar at the bottom of the mine? | :20:27. | :20:38. | |
We are maturing it, Matt, in a big stainless steel caskets... | :20:38. | :20:43. | |
Right. ..300 feet below ground in a safety shaft. | :20:43. | :20:46. | |
And what do you put this flavour down to? | :20:46. | :20:50. | |
and that's all it needs to change the cheese | :20:50. | :20:59. | |
from a very great cheese to an absolutely brilliant cheese. | :20:59. | :21:02. | |
Had you heard that mines were a good environment? | :21:02. | :21:06. | |
Yes, there was a lot of historic data | :21:06. | :21:09. | |
about what miners ate in their sandwiches. | :21:09. | :21:13. | |
That was known as miners' wedding cake. | :21:13. | :21:18. | |
How important is it for you to be using the mine | :21:18. | :21:21. | |
that has been the lifeblood of this community? | :21:21. | :21:24. | |
Having the cheese bringing a new, different kind of life | :21:24. | :21:28. | |
into the area, it's giving something for the community to be proud of. | :21:28. | :21:34. | |
This year, Countryfile is teaming up | :21:34. | :21:41. | |
with the institution that is One Man And His Dog. | :21:41. | :21:44. | |
Adam was in Wales catching up with competitors here. | :21:44. | :21:48. | |
She's in Scotland meeting a couple more hopefuls. | :21:48. | :21:53. | |
dramatic mountains loom over barren uplands, | :21:53. | :22:12. | |
and glorious glens carve their way through rural lowlands. | :22:12. | :22:18. | |
who, along with the help of their trusty sheepdogs, | :22:18. | :22:21. | |
can whip a field full of sheep into shape in no time. | :22:22. | :22:25. | |
One of them is young, fresh-faced and keen. | :22:25. | :22:29. | |
The other is an old hand, defending champion no less, | :22:29. | :22:32. | |
they're hoping to bring a title back to Scotland in One Man And His Dog. | :22:32. | :22:40. | |
First out of the pen, Rory Marshall and his working dog, Tess. | :22:40. | :22:44. | |
This 15-year-old will be competing in the under-18s class. | :22:44. | :22:47. | |
You could say he was destined to take up trialling. | :22:47. | :22:51. | |
Growing up on a farm with 800 blackface sheep, | :22:51. | :22:54. | |
was going to pick up a few nifty herding skills. | :22:54. | :23:03. | |
'And as for five-year-old Tess, she's from champion stock. | :23:04. | :23:14. | |
'Her grandmother, Fly, was a One Man And His Dog winner in 2004. | :23:14. | :23:18. | |
'So, how's Rory feeling about this year's competition?' | :23:18. | :23:23. | |
but ever since, I've gotten a lot better. | :23:23. | :23:28. | |
What made you want to get involved in competitions? | :23:28. | :23:30. | |
It just really interested me and it looked really fun, so... | :23:30. | :23:37. | |
Because, I mean... Well, Tess is certainly having fun. Tess. | :23:37. | :23:43. | |
How often do you and Tess train? Most nights when I can. | :23:43. | :23:48. | |
Obviously I've got schoolwork to do as well. | :23:48. | :23:50. | |
Do you work harder on your schoolwork | :23:50. | :23:52. | |
I'd have to say harder on my training. | :23:52. | :23:56. | |
I think people probably underestimate you, Rory, | :23:56. | :23:58. | |
because you are a novice, but you work with hill sheep. | :23:58. | :24:02. | |
These are very stubborn wild sheep, aren't they? Yes, very. | :24:02. | :24:09. | |
'Rory's been trialling for less than 12 months. | :24:09. | :24:13. | |
'His first was a small local trial at the end of last year | :24:13. | :24:17. | |
'and now look at him go. He's really got Tess under control.' | :24:17. | :24:20. | |
'It's great to see a youngster like Rory | :24:20. | :24:24. | |
'keeping this traditional skill alive. | :24:24. | :24:27. | |
'But, of course, more farmers these days | :24:27. | :24:29. | |
'are swapping four legs for four wheels.' | :24:29. | :24:32. | |
I thought a 15-year-old lad like Rory would prefer petrol power | :24:32. | :24:37. | |
'I wonder if me and my machine can be any help to the light-footed Tess?' | :24:37. | :24:48. | |
'Thank goodness for Tess. I think I'd better leave it to the expert.' | :24:48. | :25:12. | |
I'm not sure if I helped or not there, Rory. | :25:12. | :25:15. | |
Why do you prefer working with dogs to the quads? | :25:15. | :25:20. | |
I find them reliable, and they're much more fun than quads - | :25:20. | :25:25. | |
'is definitely making a promising young partnership.' | :25:25. | :25:31. | |
'In fact, Team Scotland is shaping up to be quite the double threat. | :25:32. | :25:38. | |
'Joining Rory is a man who really knows how to work a field - | :25:38. | :25:42. | |
'He is the current singles champion and definitely one to watch.' | :25:42. | :25:52. | |
'He's been trialling since he was 11 and when it comes to form, | :25:52. | :25:55. | |
'Ian's spoilt for choice with his two champion dogs, Mo and Gus. | :25:55. | :26:02. | |
'Not only that, he's got a shed load of youngsters | :26:02. | :26:04. | |
Now, Ian, you have form, don't you? You are a supreme champion. | :26:04. | :26:11. | |
Gus has performed well for you. Mo has performed well for you. Yes. | :26:11. | :26:15. | |
Who are you going to take to this competition? | :26:15. | :26:17. | |
Gus injured himself about six or eight weeks ago, | :26:17. | :26:22. | |
He's almost there, but we'll see in the time of the competition. | :26:22. | :26:27. | |
Look at them. They're both so loyal, aren't they? | :26:27. | :26:33. | |
Undivided attention focused on you, Ian. Yeah. | :26:33. | :26:36. | |
So, when will you decide which one is going to go? | :26:36. | :26:38. | |
Probably the day of the competition. Really? | :26:38. | :26:41. | |
Just see how he is, and we'll go from there. | :26:41. | :26:43. | |
I'm kind of spoiled for choice, to be fair. | :26:43. | :26:45. | |
That's not a bad position to be in. How many dogs have you actually got? | :26:45. | :26:49. | |
Seven. Seven? Yeah. And at what age do you start training them? | :26:49. | :26:52. | |
Maybe six, seven months old. Just depends. | :26:52. | :26:55. | |
They'll start chasing sheep or looking to work at different stages. | :26:55. | :26:58. | |
So, if you want, we can have a look at Tess. | :26:58. | :27:01. | |
Yeah, let's get Tess out. She's just starting chasing sheep. | :27:01. | :27:05. | |
So, what do you do then, at this early age, to kind of... | :27:05. | :27:12. | |
Oh, she's not that keen to come out. A bit camera shy. Tess. Tess. | :27:12. | :27:14. | |
Come on, Tessy. What are you doing with them at this stage? | :27:14. | :27:19. | |
She just goes round the sheep, it's just what's natural at this stage. | :27:19. | :27:25. | |
OK. And then I'm kind of assessing what I need to do. | :27:25. | :27:30. | |
What things I need to sort and what things to leave alone. | :27:30. | :27:32. | |
Let's take them to the farm and see them in action. | :27:33. | :27:35. | |
No problem. This isn't about you yet. Next time. Tess. Tess. | :27:35. | :27:39. | |
HE WHISTLES So, Gus will rest his ligaments, | :27:39. | :27:44. | |
and I'm sure Mo, over the next half hour, will try to convince you | :27:44. | :27:47. | |
that you should use her in the competition. Yes. | :27:47. | :27:49. | |
Your dogs are obviously great what they do, but Border collies | :27:49. | :27:53. | |
in general are good at rounding up cattle and sheep, aren't they? | :27:53. | :27:56. | |
It's been bred into them over hundreds of years. | :27:56. | :27:59. | |
I suppose they've selected the best herding dogs. Is it that simple? | :27:59. | :28:02. | |
We had Border collies, and they were rubbish at rounding up sheep. | :28:02. | :28:06. | |
There's a lot of training goes into it as well. | :28:06. | :28:08. | |
It takes a lot of time to train them. | :28:08. | :28:11. | |
But generally it's the instinct. You want to breed with the best dogs. | :28:11. | :28:15. | |
I know we keep referring back to the competition, | :28:15. | :28:17. | |
but competition aside, how useful are they day-to-day on the farm? | :28:17. | :28:21. | |
You couldn't do without them on a sheep farm. | :28:21. | :28:23. | |
I always think a good dog's worth about five men | :28:23. | :28:26. | |
'It's easy to see why Ian's dogs are so prized. | :28:26. | :28:33. | |
'When you've got a flock of more than 600 sheep, | :28:33. | :28:36. | |
'you'd be in big trouble without them.' | :28:36. | :28:39. | |
'But now it's time to see how much natural talent youngster Tess has. | :28:39. | :28:51. | |
'Ian's leaving her lead on just in case she gets a bit too close.' | :28:51. | :28:55. | |
Tess is having a field day here, isn't she? She is. | :28:55. | :29:05. | |
Yeah, but when they're pups - she's only five months old - | :29:05. | :29:08. | |
you've got to let them play. It's just like kids. | :29:08. | :29:11. | |
all the little bits - the good bits and the bad bits. | :29:11. | :29:16. | |
I'll start actually to put some command on her. | :29:16. | :29:21. | |
Tess! That'll do, Tess. That'll do, Tess. Attagirl. Good girl. | :29:21. | :29:25. | |
'Ian puts all his success down to the dogs. | :29:25. | :29:27. | |
'But is this modest Scot holding back?' | :29:27. | :29:31. | |
You're the one to watch in this competition. | :29:31. | :29:33. | |
But no, we try our best and see what happens. | :29:33. | :29:36. | |
If anybody enters any competition, you want to win it. | :29:36. | :29:41. | |
I can't tell of this is your game face and underneath you're like, | :29:41. | :29:45. | |
No, I'm not going there just to make up the numbers anyway, | :29:45. | :29:49. | |
that's for sure. You're there to win it? Yeah, always. | :29:49. | :29:54. | |
'Next time, I'll be meeting Team England, | :29:54. | :29:58. | |
'while Adam's getting the low-down on the Irish competitors.' | :29:58. | :30:08. | |
MATT: Now, earlier, we heard how hare coursing | :30:08. | :30:11. | |
has changed from a countryside tradition | :30:11. | :30:13. | |
So, what's being done to stamp it out? | :30:13. | :30:19. | |
'The centuries-old sport of hare coursing, | :30:19. | :30:25. | |
'where swift hounds pursue an agile hare, | :30:25. | :30:28. | |
'was outlawed by the 2004 Hunting Act. | :30:28. | :30:31. | |
'Since then, this sport has been pushed into the shadows.' | :30:31. | :30:35. | |
still very much alive in Britain's countryside. | :30:35. | :30:42. | |
Big, sometimes violent, gangs trespass on farmland, | :30:42. | :30:46. | |
and in their wake comes a lot of other criminal activity. | :30:46. | :30:50. | |
'Recently harvested fields, together with level landscapes, | :30:50. | :30:56. | |
So, what are the police doing to control the sport | :30:56. | :31:02. | |
and the criminal behaviour that comes with it? | :31:02. | :31:07. | |
'I'm joining the Lincolnshire Wildlife Crime Team. | :31:07. | :31:10. | |
'They're part of Operation Galileo - a collaboration between | :31:10. | :31:13. | |
'Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk forces | :31:13. | :31:15. | |
'to crack down on hare coursing across the counties. | :31:15. | :31:19. | |
'Nick Willey is heading out on patrol.' | :31:19. | :31:21. | |
So, what is it you're really looking for today, Nick? | :31:21. | :31:24. | |
We're looking for people travelling into the county | :31:24. | :31:27. | |
poaching activity, running dogs on land, illegally chasing hares. | :31:27. | :31:36. | |
The team will respond to calls for service from members of the public, | :31:36. | :31:40. | |
from landowners, farmers, gamekeepers. | :31:40. | :31:43. | |
Is it easy to police? No, it's not easy to police at all. | :31:43. | :31:48. | |
Prior to last season, our incidents went up to over 1,000 incidents. | :31:48. | :31:53. | |
Really? It was quite clearly... Yeah. Wow. | :31:53. | :31:55. | |
Quite clearly, although we try to combat it, it's very hard to police. | :31:55. | :32:05. | |
'The sport may be rife, but the incidents are spread over | :32:05. | :32:08. | |
'a vast area, and the officers involved in Operation Galileo | :32:08. | :32:12. | |
'So farmers like Andy, who we met earlier, | :32:12. | :32:18. | |
'often take their own steps to protect their land.' | :32:18. | :32:21. | |
Because we haven't got any metal gates here, | :32:22. | :32:26. | |
we put these big bales that weigh about half a tonne apiece | :32:26. | :32:28. | |
across the gateway, and it stops them coming in. | :32:28. | :32:30. | |
What you think about the law and the police today? | :32:30. | :32:33. | |
Is there enough deterrent to put people off? | :32:33. | :32:35. | |
It's frustrating from our point of view as a farmer, | :32:35. | :32:38. | |
in that we have our property here that we're trying to protect, | :32:38. | :32:40. | |
and we get these coursers coming all over the fields | :32:40. | :32:43. | |
We'll phone the police to come and help us, | :32:43. | :32:49. | |
and you might get a police vehicle here in 20 minutes, | :32:49. | :32:52. | |
it might be five hours, it might be two days. | :32:52. | :32:55. | |
And, you know, a lot of times we complain | :32:55. | :32:57. | |
to the police about the response is not quick enough, | :32:57. | :33:00. | |
and these guys are doing the job as well as they can, | :33:00. | :33:02. | |
but the problem is higher up in the police that they're so undermanned. | :33:02. | :33:05. | |
What about the law? Is that fit for purpose on this? | :33:05. | :33:08. | |
I think in this situation, it is very difficult to prioritise | :33:08. | :33:12. | |
where hare coursing comes in the crime league, if you like. | :33:12. | :33:16. | |
And if there's other more serious incidents, | :33:16. | :33:19. | |
But when it endangers public life and endangers human life - | :33:19. | :33:24. | |
then, yes, that is a lot more serious offence. | :33:25. | :33:28. | |
'This isn't just an issue of resourcing or priorities - | :33:28. | :33:32. | |
'getting the evidence needed to convict someone of hare coursing | :33:32. | :33:36. | |
'were actually prosecuted for running him over.' | :33:36. | :33:42. | |
It sounds like a slightly odd question, | :33:42. | :33:44. | |
do you think you would have been able to charge them | :33:44. | :33:48. | |
for a coursing-related offence, or would it have been | :33:48. | :33:50. | |
a lot harder to get the attention of the legal system? | :33:50. | :33:53. | |
It would definitely have been a lot harder, | :33:53. | :33:55. | |
'Working in some of the remotest parts of the countryside, | :33:55. | :34:00. | |
'is a problem the police come up against time and time again.' | :34:00. | :34:05. | |
and really gathering that evidence is very, very tricky. | :34:05. | :34:10. | |
But that is one of the aims of Operation Galileo. | :34:10. | :34:16. | |
'the police are doing their best to catch the coursers red-handed. | :34:16. | :34:20. | |
'Another team has intercepted two suspicious cars | :34:20. | :34:23. | |
'in a service station just outside the Lincolnshire border.' | :34:23. | :34:28. | |
Tom from Countryfile here. How many dogs did they have and what kind? | :34:28. | :34:33. | |
POLICEMAN ON RADIO: 'I think they had three | :34:33. | :34:35. | |
'And they were both what we would refer to as lurchers. | :34:35. | :34:44. | |
'They were just visiting friends, apparently.' | :34:44. | :34:46. | |
And I gather one of them had an ASBO preventing them | :34:46. | :34:49. | |
from entering Lincolnshire, and so I guess that's a pretty | :34:49. | :34:54. | |
serious business if he does cross the border? | :34:54. | :34:57. | |
'Yes, his ASBO prohibited him from entering Lincolnshire | :34:57. | :35:01. | |
'with a dog, and that's valid for two years. | :35:01. | :35:05. | |
'he's about 100 metres into Cambridgeshire...' | :35:05. | :35:10. | |
Yeah. Smart lad! Thanks very much indeed for your help. | :35:10. | :35:15. | |
Sorry we weren't there to see it ourselves, | :35:15. | :35:17. | |
'when there's direct evidence of hare coursing - | :35:17. | :35:23. | |
'But as we've heard, that evidence is difficult to gather, | :35:23. | :35:29. | |
'so the police also do as much as they can | :35:29. | :35:32. | |
'using everything from trespass to driving offences.' | :35:32. | :35:37. | |
We look at every other offence that we can, whether it's people | :35:37. | :35:40. | |
that have had tickets for no seat belt, for using a mobile phone. | :35:40. | :35:44. | |
committing the offence of hare coursing, | :35:44. | :35:49. | |
cos we give them a ticket and we're on their case, then so be it. | :35:49. | :35:52. | |
'Tackling criminals for crimes they CAN prove | :35:52. | :35:55. | |
'rather than for hare coursing is paying off.' | :35:55. | :35:58. | |
We're just two weeks into it, but, I mean, | :35:59. | :36:01. | |
last season's Operation Galileo was, without a doubt, a success. | :36:01. | :36:05. | |
And we've had 186 prosecutions at court. | :36:05. | :36:14. | |
'Using direct evidence and disruption, | :36:14. | :36:16. | |
'the police believe they are already deterring criminals. | :36:16. | :36:19. | |
'And working together across their boundaries, | :36:19. | :36:22. | |
'forces are hoping to crack down the activity altogether, | :36:22. | :36:25. | |
'rather than simply pushing it elsewhere.' | :36:25. | :36:29. | |
Operation Galileo isn't going to end hare coursing, | :36:29. | :36:33. | |
making it much harder to pursue such a damaging crime. | :36:33. | :36:44. | |
'Autumn is coming, and subtle changes are taking place. | :36:44. | :36:48. | |
'There are fading colours, different smells, | :36:48. | :36:51. | |
'Two centuries ago, it would have been much different. | :36:51. | :36:58. | |
'Back then, heavy industry filled the air. | :36:58. | :37:01. | |
'There are still those if you know what to look for.' | :37:01. | :37:04. | |
South Wales was a global superpower when it came to iron production, | :37:04. | :37:08. | |
and to make iron, you need iron itself, lime and coal. | :37:08. | :37:11. | |
And all those were in plentiful supply from up there in Blaenavon, | :37:11. | :37:14. | |
But the question is, how did they get these precious resources | :37:14. | :37:20. | |
that fuelled an Industrial Revolution | :37:20. | :37:22. | |
and changed the world from up there... | :37:22. | :37:25. | |
'The solution was nothing short of incredible. | :37:25. | :37:31. | |
'A network of tram railways spun out across the landscape, | :37:31. | :37:35. | |
'like a spider's web from the mines and forges.' | :37:35. | :37:38. | |
The most terrific and terrifying route - | :37:38. | :37:47. | |
'at a gradient that seems almost impossible. | :37:47. | :37:54. | |
'It was this tram road that helped make Blaenavon the most important | :37:54. | :37:58. | |
'through this woodland has been captured | :37:58. | :38:06. | |
'on canvas by local artist Michael Blackmore, | :38:06. | :38:08. | |
'who also knows a thing or two about the trams.' | :38:08. | :38:12. | |
Fancy seeing you on a tram road like this! How are you? I'm very well. | :38:12. | :38:17. | |
Pleased to meet you. How exactly did the trams work? | :38:17. | :38:20. | |
Quite simply, the laden ones going down would pull the empties back up. | :38:20. | :38:25. | |
And of course, up there, you'd have had a brakeman. What's a brakeman? | :38:25. | :38:29. | |
He would hold the brake. He would watch the trams coming down, OK? | :38:29. | :38:34. | |
Right, he'd watch the trams coming down, make sure they were all OK. | :38:34. | :38:38. | |
It's difficult to imagine the scene now, isn't it? | :38:38. | :38:40. | |
This is such a beautiful, scenic route. | :38:40. | :38:43. | |
But back then, it would have been dirty and noisy and smelly. | :38:43. | :38:47. | |
I don't know about smelly! It would've been dirty and noisy. | :38:47. | :38:50. | |
Coal and lime... But I know what you're saying. | :38:50. | :38:52. | |
It would have been a totally different environment | :38:53. | :38:55. | |
Everything was here - the minerals were here, | :38:55. | :38:58. | |
limestone for fluxing in the furnaces. | :38:58. | :39:02. | |
The only thing that was opposed to them | :39:02. | :39:06. | |
was the fact that they had to get it up. | :39:06. | :39:10. | |
'The system was well worth the time and investment, | :39:11. | :39:13. | |
'But the tram road was only half the story. | :39:13. | :39:18. | |
'The network had to connect in Newport, | :39:18. | :39:21. | |
'a gateway to a changing world. | :39:21. | :39:23. | |
'So the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal was built. | :39:23. | :39:28. | |
'Enterprising mine owners could now shift tons | :39:28. | :39:32. | |
'Llanfoist Wharf is where the trams unloaded their cargo.' | :39:32. | :39:41. | |
This is one of the oldest railway warehouses in the world, | :39:41. | :39:44. | |
And the trams would come right here, through the pillars. | :39:45. | :39:50. | |
And then the iron, the coal and the lime would get loaded onto boats, | :39:50. | :39:53. | |
25 tons' worth, which would get towed to Newport docks by horse. | :39:53. | :39:58. | |
'The wharf would have been constantly busy. | :39:58. | :40:04. | |
'There would have been hundreds of workers unloading trams | :40:04. | :40:07. | |
We might be right next to a canal, but look high up we are. | :40:07. | :40:14. | |
There were these massive, massive barges, | :40:14. | :40:17. | |
laden with precious materials, tons and tons of materials. | :40:17. | :40:21. | |
And they had to get down from here. Cue a stroke of engineering genius. | :40:21. | :40:28. | |
'make it easy to descend the hilly terrain. | :40:28. | :40:36. | |
'The route is still here, but these days, it's a bit blocked.' | :40:36. | :40:42. | |
It's a good job this lot are on the case, then. | :40:42. | :40:46. | |
'The stretch of canal just needs a bit of TLC. | :40:46. | :40:49. | |
'And these are just some of the 300 local volunteers lending a hand. | :40:49. | :40:54. | |
'The Waterworks project started in January, | :40:54. | :40:57. | |
'and since then, they've completed hundreds of metres of pointing, | :40:57. | :41:01. | |
'to get this part of the canal looking shipshape. | :41:01. | :41:08. | |
'Steve Price is head stonemason on-site | :41:08. | :41:11. | |
'and he's got some special stones to lay in this lock wall.' | :41:11. | :41:15. | |
I can see a nice little gap for these. Yes. I hope they fit. | :41:15. | :41:20. | |
You're the head stonemason, so... it's all your responsibility. OK. | :41:20. | :41:25. | |
Right, do you want to grab this end of the stone? Yeah. | :41:25. | :41:33. | |
Looks like a good fit on that one. Yeah. Perfect! | :41:33. | :41:41. | |
So apart from this magnificent bit of work here, | :41:41. | :41:47. | |
The grand plan is to open up the bottom stretch | :41:47. | :41:51. | |
to get it back and navigable. So we've got eight locks in total... | :41:51. | :41:58. | |
on this bottom section. And we've got two bridges to lift. | :41:58. | :42:02. | |
So eight locks and two bridges? Yeah. That's quite a lot. | :42:02. | :42:04. | |
It's not much, is it(?) I don't know, it sounds like a lot to me! | :42:04. | :42:07. | |
'Work's going to continue for the next two years | :42:07. | :42:10. | |
'and it could keep this canal going for another 200.' | :42:10. | :42:15. | |
The votes are in, and a winner has been chosen. | :42:15. | :42:18. | |
Here's John with the nail-biting finale | :42:19. | :42:20. | |
of the Countryfile Photographic Competition. | :42:20. | :42:29. | |
'The Countryfile Photographic Competition | :42:29. | :42:32. | |
'is one of the highlights of my year. | :42:32. | :42:34. | |
'with had a truly inspiring selection of pictures | :42:34. | :42:38. | |
'And today's the day we reveal the results of all your endeavours.' | :42:38. | :42:44. | |
I've come to Langdon Hills Country Park in Essex | :42:44. | :42:47. | |
there's a very good reason for being here. | :42:47. | :42:55. | |
Now, as always, the calendar is the culmination of months | :42:55. | :42:59. | |
'The 12 pictures for the calendar are chosen from the entries | :42:59. | :43:10. | |
I keep forgetting what the theme for this is. It's Our Living Landscape. | :43:10. | :43:17. | |
'And judging regulars Chris Packham and Jo Brand | :43:17. | :43:23. | |
'kicked off the process with a sort of masterclass in the New Forest.' | :43:23. | :43:28. | |
How have you got on? Well, I'm just...I'm on number 47 | :43:28. | :43:32. | |
And, as yet, I've not been wowed. How about you? | :43:32. | :43:37. | |
Eight photographs? Yeah! You've taken eight photographs? | :43:37. | :43:43. | |
No, actually, that's all I can find at the moment. Right. | :43:43. | :43:46. | |
'Once Jo and Chris had provided their unique brand | :43:46. | :43:53. | |
'of inspiration, it was down to you. And you didn't disappoint.' | :43:53. | :43:59. | |
The challenge of taking the perfect photograph | :43:59. | :44:01. | |
of Our Living Landscape certainly struck a chord. | :44:01. | :44:06. | |
You sent us more than 55,000 pictures. | :44:06. | :44:19. | |
'The entries were whittled down with the help of a talented | :44:19. | :44:22. | |
I want to robin doing something a bit different, but...! | :44:22. | :44:28. | |
'it was up to Chris, Jo and me to find the standout gems.' | :44:28. | :44:39. | |
Does that qualify? The tree's living, isn't it? | :44:39. | :44:44. | |
All the photographer needed to do here was kneel or crouch down, | :44:44. | :44:47. | |
include the feet, lift them a little bit against the backdrop of that, | :44:48. | :44:51. | |
'The subjects spanned from the coast to the countryside, | :44:51. | :44:57. | |
'from flora to fauna, from sunshine to snow. | :44:57. | :45:00. | |
'And finding just 12 for our calendar was incredibly tough.' | :45:00. | :45:05. | |
We don't have one here which is yelling out | :45:05. | :45:08. | |
that first flush of growth of the year. | :45:08. | :45:10. | |
We have got flowers a-go-go, I suppose. | :45:10. | :45:13. | |
And I love this one... I love this one. ..that you chose. | :45:13. | :45:16. | |
'But eventually, we did find our winning dozen, and one of them, | :45:17. | :45:21. | |
It's a fantastic photograph, isn't it? It is. It ticks every box. | :45:21. | :45:28. | |
All the panels, all of the colour, the people silhouetted here. | :45:28. | :45:31. | |
You've got the birds behind, it's got the sunset. | :45:31. | :45:33. | |
And then this structure across the front of it framing at all. | :45:33. | :45:36. | |
Yeah, it's joyful, it's very bold, and I mean, | :45:36. | :45:42. | |
I love shots of the sea and I just think it looks wonderful. | :45:42. | :45:46. | |
So congratulations to Tim Clifton for taking the picture | :45:46. | :45:51. | |
Tim Clifton wins £500 worth of photographic equipment, | :45:51. | :45:59. | |
But it was up to you at home to choose the overall winner. | :45:59. | :46:07. | |
And you did just that, in record numbers. | :46:07. | :46:09. | |
And I've come here today to meet the winner, | :46:09. | :46:12. | |
but as yet, he doesn't know that he's won. | :46:12. | :46:18. | |
'An amateur snapper with an eye for composition, | :46:18. | :46:21. | |
'Bill Robinson spent his working life | :46:21. | :46:23. | |
'as a car mechanic and a caretaker. | :46:23. | :46:26. | |
'Now retired, his real passion is photography.' | :46:26. | :46:31. | |
So is this place one of your favourite spots, Bill? | :46:31. | :46:35. | |
Yeah, it's a favourite of mine. I come here about twice a week. | :46:35. | :46:38. | |
And yeah, just to photograph the trees and the undergrowth. | :46:38. | :46:43. | |
So you always bring your camera? Oh, yes. | :46:43. | :46:45. | |
Just in case you spot something really good. | :46:45. | :46:48. | |
And this, Bill, is your now famous dell, | :46:48. | :46:56. | |
looking rather different, isn't it? It certainly is. | :46:56. | :46:59. | |
Back in May, it was just a flush of bluebells. And it was glorious. | :46:59. | :47:03. | |
But at the time, I nearly walked past. | :47:03. | :47:05. | |
And you had second thoughts? I had second thoughts | :47:05. | :47:08. | |
For me, it's a privilege to come here | :47:08. | :47:14. | |
and see this wonderful woodland that gave you your inspiration. | :47:14. | :47:17. | |
Thank you very much. But it's not the only reason why I'm here. | :47:17. | :47:20. | |
Because Countryfile viewers really liked your photograph. | :47:20. | :47:24. | |
Oh, right. In fact, they voted you and the dell | :47:24. | :47:32. | |
of the Countryfile Photographic Competition. | :47:32. | :47:37. | |
Well, I'll be blowed! So, many, many congratulations! | :47:37. | :47:41. | |
Well done, well done. Thank you very much. How about that? | :47:41. | :47:45. | |
Well, how many thousand was there, that entered? 55,000-plus. 55! | :47:45. | :47:52. | |
And you're top of the heap. Well, what can I say? | :47:52. | :47:54. | |
And hot off the presses is the Countryfile calendar for 2014, | :47:54. | :48:02. | |
with your wonderful picture on the cover. | :48:02. | :48:05. | |
Isn't that fantastic? Yeah. I'm overwhelmed. | :48:05. | :48:09. | |
No, I'm really overwhelmed. I feel quite humbled, really. | :48:09. | :48:14. | |
Never, never had anything like that before. First time ever, that is. | :48:14. | :48:21. | |
'have pride of place on this year's calendar, | :48:21. | :48:26. | |
'he also gets to choose £1,000 worth of photographic equipment | :48:26. | :48:30. | |
'so he can take more fantastic photos like the dell.' | :48:30. | :48:35. | |
Whether you sent in photos or just voted for your favourite, | :48:35. | :48:43. | |
we'd like to say thank you to everyone who's contributed | :48:43. | :48:46. | |
to this year's competition and to the final calendar. | :48:46. | :48:51. | |
To order by post, send your name, address and cheque to... | :48:51. | :49:25. | |
Please make your cheques payable to "BBC Countryfile Calendar". | :49:25. | :49:30. | |
It costs £9, including free UK deliver. | :49:30. | :49:34. | |
A minimum of £4 from the sale of each one | :49:34. | :49:36. | |
will be donated to the BBC Children In Need appeal. | :49:36. | :49:41. | |
The calendar for 2013 was a record-breaker. | :49:41. | :49:44. | |
It raised £1.3 million for Children In Need, | :49:44. | :49:48. | |
and let's hope this one for 2014 does even better | :49:48. | :49:52. | |
and helps make a difference to the lives of even more children. | :49:52. | :49:57. | |
Well, a huge congratulations to the winners | :49:57. | :50:02. | |
and a very big thank-you to everybody who took part. | :50:02. | :50:04. | |
Now, in a moment, I'm going to be getting up some speed | :50:05. | :50:07. | |
what the weather has got in store for us in the week ahead | :50:07. | :50:13. | |
Good evening. Nice conditions for many people today, but changes | :50:13. | :50:42. | |
coming ahead. It was an unremarkable month, but we're seeing above | :50:42. | :50:55. | |
average rainfall. You can see this mix of a high pressure in the East | :50:55. | :51:00. | |
stand the low pressure in the West. We have still got south-westerly | :51:00. | :51:06. | |
wind withers, which will keep it mailed over western areas. It will | :51:06. | :51:11. | |
bring strong wind to North West Scotland. There will be some patchy | :51:11. | :51:20. | |
missed and fog in the south-east as we start tomorrow morning. A bit of | :51:20. | :51:27. | |
drizzle in the West, but the most significant rain in the north of | :51:27. | :51:32. | |
Scotland. Crucially, temperatures above what they would be for this | :51:32. | :51:38. | |
time of year, between 16 and 19 Celsius. Then choose the, some | :51:38. | :51:45. | |
showers overnight coming in from the west once again. The worst of these | :51:45. | :51:55. | |
probably in Wales. Ideal start to Tuesday. The cold front that is | :51:55. | :52:03. | |
withers will bring a fresh feel, but Tuesday. The cold front that is | :52:03. | :52:09. | |
nothing too significant. A bit of rain and mist and hillfort in the | :52:09. | :52:14. | |
south-west. Brighter in the North and East of Great Britain. | :52:14. | :52:20. | |
Temperatures still above-average, about 16 to 19 Celsius. But we will | :52:21. | :52:28. | |
see more of a change on Wednesday, courtesy of this high pressure | :52:28. | :52:34. | |
pushing from the North Atlantic. There is a cold front behind this | :52:34. | :52:44. | |
coming in from the south-east. A big temperature drop in the second half | :52:44. | :52:49. | |
of the week for all of us. Northerly winds will play the part across | :52:49. | :52:50. | |
easterly areas. But still some sun winds will play the part across | :52:51. | :52:56. | |
in the forecast, particularly for the South and East of England. | :52:56. | :53:02. | |
Longer spells of rain across northern Scotland. There could be | :53:02. | :53:07. | |
the odd bit of snow across higher ground. On Thursday, the wind gets | :53:07. | :53:12. | |
stronger down the east coast and it will get considerably colder. Still | :53:12. | :53:18. | |
pleasant enough for some sunshine and dry weather and frosted, | :53:18. | :53:23. | |
particularly in the west of the country. Some of the wind could be | :53:23. | :53:26. | |
deal force at times, particularly in country. Some of the wind could be | :53:26. | :53:34. | |
the south-east of the country. The wind will stay strong into Friday. | :53:34. | :53:39. | |
Bit of uncertainty of whether we will see more spells of rain | :53:39. | :53:43. | |
returning to those parts. The north and west in the centre of the | :53:43. | :53:48. | |
high-pressure, so temperatures will recover during the day on Friday. | :53:48. | :54:00. | |
We're in the once-industrial heartlands of South Wales, | :54:00. | :54:03. | |
a landscape shaped by coal and iron ore. | :54:03. | :54:07. | |
The World Heritage town of Blaenavon was built on them. | :54:07. | :54:11. | |
piles of debris left aside after the coal and iron ore was dug. | :54:11. | :54:19. | |
The pits have gone, the spoil heaps just a reminder, | :54:19. | :54:23. | |
but you'd be wrong for thinking that they had no purpose any more. | :54:23. | :54:38. | |
the Camel's Back BMX track is part of a project | :54:38. | :54:44. | |
to regenerate Blaenavon's industrial wasteland for wildlife, visitors | :54:44. | :54:48. | |
When did you take the stabilisers off your bike? Four. Four. | :54:48. | :54:57. | |
And what do you think of this track? It's cool. | :54:57. | :55:02. | |
How does it feel to ride this course? | :55:02. | :55:04. | |
It feels a bit... It feels a bit nice on the jumps. | :55:04. | :55:09. | |
Who have you got over there from your family? Erm... | :55:09. | :55:12. | |
my auntie, my nan and my mum, and my dad's over there. And my brother. | :55:12. | :55:16. | |
Your dad looks like he's quite sporty. What about your mum? | :55:16. | :55:19. | |
SHE LAUGHS No, I can't, no! | :55:19. | :55:23. | |
The whole of this landscape is a World Heritage site, | :55:23. | :55:28. | |
but off-road motorbiking has been a big problem. | :55:28. | :55:31. | |
to encourage people to whizz round using nothing more than leg power. | :55:31. | :55:38. | |
and, of course, there's a lot of erosion | :55:38. | :55:42. | |
And this does tend to get the young people off the motorbikes | :55:42. | :55:47. | |
onto something which will probably harm them less | :55:47. | :55:50. | |
and giving them the same opportunities to use those skills | :55:50. | :55:53. | |
And they're certainly making the most of it. | :55:53. | :56:05. | |
'it's been a while since I've ridden a BMX, | :56:05. | :56:09. | |
'so I'm having a refresher, with course designer Jason Carpenter.' | :56:09. | :56:12. | |
Nice and steady. If you want to put your feet down, put your feet down. | :56:12. | :56:20. | |
Now let it go a bit, let it go a bit, that's it. Whoo! | :56:20. | :56:28. | |
Now, you're going to need a bit more speed than that. | :56:28. | :56:36. | |
'Well, thanks to the local BMX-ers' advice, | :56:36. | :56:38. | |
'I'm getting back into the swing of it, | :56:38. | :56:40. | |
I tell you what, if there's one way of spinning back the years, | :56:41. | :56:49. | |
So we've got some times for you to beat. Oh, my word. | :56:49. | :56:57. | |
Jason, 24.2 seconds. He designed the course, I've seen him. | :56:57. | :57:01. | |
I don't think you've got a chance. Let's not even go there. | :57:01. | :57:03. | |
I'm thinking maybe the six- or the eight-year-old... | :57:03. | :57:06. | |
Come on! I just hit me pedal on the ground! Come on! Come on! Come on! | :57:06. | :57:32. | |
I can't believe I'm in anticipation with a six- and an eight-year-old. | :57:32. | :57:45. | |
30, yeah. I'm over the moon with that! I'm happy with that. | :57:45. | :57:53. | |
Is it really 32?! 32.6. Well done! You are a star. | :57:53. | :58:00. | |
Listen, lads, it was down to you two that I got that time. | :58:00. | :58:03. | |
Cheers. I think if you'd had one of those helmets... I know. | :58:03. | :58:05. | |
That's it. Next week, John is in sumptuous Somerset | :58:05. | :58:10. | |
looking back at some of the best bets. | :58:10. | :58:11. | |
And he will be witnessing a natural spectacle | :58:11. | :58:13. | |
If you want to get your hands on a calendar, check out the website. | :58:13. | :58:18. | |
Which, of course, is sold in aid of Children In Need. | :58:18. | :58:20. | |
Right, on your bike. Yeah, I will do. | :58:20. | :58:22. | |
To be honest with you, it's getting dark, I better go. | :58:22. | :58:25. | |
My mum will be worried. I bet she will! See you! | :58:25. | :58:27. |