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Bristol. | 0:00:25 | 0:00:27 | |
Step away from the hustle and bustle of city life | 0:00:27 | 0:00:30 | |
and there's beauty to be had. | 0:00:30 | 0:00:32 | |
A green and pleasant land right on your doorstep. | 0:00:32 | 0:00:35 | |
I'm going to be on the search for some of the rarest plants | 0:00:37 | 0:00:39 | |
in Britain, but I'm not going to find them up here. | 0:00:39 | 0:00:42 | |
Basically, what I've got to do is... | 0:00:42 | 0:00:44 | |
I tell you what, I'll leave that as a bit of a cliff-hanger. | 0:00:44 | 0:00:47 | |
But you don't have to go to the extreme to find wildlife here. | 0:00:49 | 0:00:53 | |
I've got wind of some very exciting news. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:55 | |
Apparently, this place, Bristol Docks, | 0:00:55 | 0:00:57 | |
has become home to one of our most elusive mammals, the otter. | 0:00:57 | 0:01:01 | |
I've got myself a camera and I'm going to try | 0:01:01 | 0:01:03 | |
and capture the evidence for myself. Fingers crossed. | 0:01:03 | 0:01:06 | |
Pigs are at the heart of Tom's investigation. | 0:01:06 | 0:01:10 | |
These two sows look very contented. We've discovered that | 0:01:10 | 0:01:13 | |
thousands of farms on the European mainland are ignoring new pig welfare laws. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:19 | |
It raises questions with echoes of the horsemeat scandal. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:22 | |
Could illegally produced meat be ending up in our shopping baskets? | 0:01:22 | 0:01:27 | |
I'll be investigating. | 0:01:27 | 0:01:28 | |
And Adam's in search of something special. | 0:01:29 | 0:01:33 | |
These are Vaynols, a very rare breed of cattle. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:36 | |
They can be quite nervous and jumpy so I can't go too close. | 0:01:36 | 0:01:40 | |
Around 20 years ago, they were virtually extinct. | 0:01:40 | 0:01:43 | |
I've come to this farm in Leeds where they've been doing a huge | 0:01:43 | 0:01:46 | |
amount of work to help preserve the breed. | 0:01:46 | 0:01:48 | |
# Well if you ever plan to motor west... # | 0:02:02 | 0:02:06 | |
Bristol. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:08 | |
Sandwiched between Gloucestershire and Somerset, just south | 0:02:08 | 0:02:11 | |
of the mighty Severn Estuary, it's a city wrapped up in countryside. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:15 | |
It took shape around the Avon, a river that carved the hilly landscape | 0:02:16 | 0:02:20 | |
that makes for strong thighs and distant views. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:24 | |
The water also carved out a corker of a chasm in this landscape. | 0:02:28 | 0:02:32 | |
This side of the Clifton Suspension Bridge is a suburb of Bristol, | 0:02:32 | 0:02:36 | |
the other is leafy countryside, | 0:02:36 | 0:02:38 | |
but I'm here for the bit in between - | 0:02:38 | 0:02:40 | |
the steep-sided abyss of the Avon Gorge. | 0:02:40 | 0:02:43 | |
Nearly 300 feet high, the gorge stretches for one-and-a-half miles. | 0:02:48 | 0:02:53 | |
I'm here in search of some of its rare inhabitants. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:58 | |
These rock faces are the last remaining stronghold | 0:03:07 | 0:03:10 | |
in the UK of some very rare species of plant, but even in this isolated place, | 0:03:10 | 0:03:16 | |
they're being overpowered by an unstoppable force... | 0:03:16 | 0:03:19 | |
..scrub. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:23 | |
Clearing it back is a perilous task that | 0:03:23 | 0:03:25 | |
falls into the hands of a group of extreme gardeners, | 0:03:25 | 0:03:29 | |
and later today, me. | 0:03:29 | 0:03:30 | |
But while they are getting ready for my vertical descent, | 0:03:32 | 0:03:35 | |
I'm meeting Mandy Leivers to find out why these plants | 0:03:35 | 0:03:38 | |
are worthy of all this attention. | 0:03:38 | 0:03:41 | |
So, Mandy, what are these rare plants? | 0:03:41 | 0:03:43 | |
Well, there are over 30 nationally rare and scarce plants | 0:03:43 | 0:03:46 | |
growing here in the Avon Gorge, | 0:03:46 | 0:03:47 | |
which makes it one of the top three sites for rare plants in England. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:50 | |
The site itself is internationally important. | 0:03:50 | 0:03:52 | |
It's what's known as a special area of conservation. | 0:03:52 | 0:03:56 | |
'Mandy has brought along photos of some of the rarest flora.' | 0:03:56 | 0:04:00 | |
We should really call it the round-headed leek, | 0:04:00 | 0:04:02 | |
that's its proper name, | 0:04:02 | 0:04:03 | |
but because it just grows here in the Avon Gorge and nowhere else | 0:04:03 | 0:04:06 | |
in the rest of the country, it's known as the Bristol onion. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:10 | |
And we've got another one which is called the Bristol rock cress, | 0:04:10 | 0:04:13 | |
and again, that's just found here and nowhere else in the rest of the UK. | 0:04:13 | 0:04:17 | |
But these plants are part of a community of limestone | 0:04:17 | 0:04:19 | |
grassland plants that strive here on the rocky ledges below us. | 0:04:19 | 0:04:23 | |
They're really well adapted to living in these harsh conditions. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:29 | |
The small rare plants are at risk from big ones taking over the cliffs - | 0:04:29 | 0:04:33 | |
brambles, weeds and vegetation | 0:04:33 | 0:04:35 | |
that escape from the city's gardens. | 0:04:35 | 0:04:37 | |
Mandy is going to show me one of the rare ones she is trying to protect. | 0:04:37 | 0:04:41 | |
-So, big drumroll. Here it is. -Oh, that's it there? -Yeah. | 0:04:41 | 0:04:46 | |
-It's quite a titchy little thing. -It is, it's very sweet. -It is. | 0:04:46 | 0:04:50 | |
So what is it, Mandy, about this gorge, | 0:04:50 | 0:04:52 | |
that allows these plants to grow here and nowhere else? | 0:04:52 | 0:04:56 | |
We think what happened is that after the last ice age, | 0:04:56 | 0:04:58 | |
there was an ice sheet that came down as far as the M4 corridor. | 0:04:58 | 0:05:02 | |
As the climate warmed, there was a land bridge between Britain | 0:05:02 | 0:05:05 | |
and Europe, and these plants would have come over from | 0:05:05 | 0:05:08 | |
southern Europe, and as the climate warmed, they would have covered | 0:05:08 | 0:05:12 | |
the whole of southern Britain. | 0:05:12 | 0:05:13 | |
As it got warmer still, trees would have come in behind them | 0:05:13 | 0:05:16 | |
and the trees would have grown in the flat places | 0:05:16 | 0:05:19 | |
and shaded out the grassland plants. | 0:05:19 | 0:05:21 | |
The only places that these plants were left were in these rocky places | 0:05:21 | 0:05:24 | |
like the Avon Gorge, so it's really the fact that we've got rocky ledges, thin soils, | 0:05:24 | 0:05:29 | |
green slopes and constant rock falls which have allowed these plants | 0:05:29 | 0:05:33 | |
to survive, really as little pockets of precious plants. | 0:05:33 | 0:05:35 | |
Apparently, I've got to go over the edge here today, and I noticed this | 0:05:37 | 0:05:41 | |
sign as we passed it - "Warning, cliff edge, risk of serious injury". | 0:05:41 | 0:05:44 | |
Well, it's a very long way down, it's about 90 metres. | 0:05:44 | 0:05:47 | |
-Have you been over yourself? -I haven't personally, no. -Oh, right! | 0:05:47 | 0:05:51 | |
-Well, I'll tell you all about it when I go over. -Thank you! | 0:05:51 | 0:05:54 | |
-I've been too scared to go over there. -Have you? Oh, great(!) | 0:05:54 | 0:05:57 | |
I'll also be finding out about some special agents who have been | 0:05:59 | 0:06:02 | |
recruited to help digest the scrub. | 0:06:02 | 0:06:04 | |
Now, the scandal over horsemeat in our food has shocked us all, | 0:06:11 | 0:06:15 | |
but as Tom has been finding out, it's not the only concern | 0:06:15 | 0:06:18 | |
over illegally-produced meat being imported from Europe. | 0:06:18 | 0:06:21 | |
With over 10,000 farms nationwide producing over nine million pigs | 0:06:23 | 0:06:27 | |
each year, the British pig industry is a vitally important part of our agriculture. | 0:06:27 | 0:06:33 | |
Pork production isn't just vital to the farming economy, | 0:06:37 | 0:06:41 | |
it's crucial to consumers, too. | 0:06:41 | 0:06:44 | |
Last year, we munched our way through around 200 tonnes of sausagemeat, | 0:06:44 | 0:06:48 | |
making bangers the nation's favourite meat-based dinner. | 0:06:48 | 0:06:52 | |
So, whether it's bacon, a joint of pork, sausages, | 0:06:52 | 0:06:56 | |
or even a nice pork pie, it seems we have a love affair, | 0:06:56 | 0:07:00 | |
in this country, with pork, in all its forms. | 0:07:00 | 0:07:04 | |
Our farmers adhere to some of the highest welfare standards in the world. | 0:07:04 | 0:07:09 | |
In 1999, that meant we banned the keeping of breeding sows | 0:07:09 | 0:07:13 | |
in closely confined pens, known as sow stalls. | 0:07:13 | 0:07:17 | |
Since January 1st, Europe's animal welfare laws have moved | 0:07:19 | 0:07:22 | |
more into line with our own, | 0:07:22 | 0:07:23 | |
which should mean pigs spending more of their time in contented groups | 0:07:23 | 0:07:27 | |
like this, rather than the majority of their lives in individual stalls. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:33 | |
Good news for pigs? Well, you might think so. | 0:07:33 | 0:07:36 | |
But many countries are still not complying with the new law. | 0:07:36 | 0:07:40 | |
For the British pig industry that swept away the sow stall system | 0:07:41 | 0:07:45 | |
14 years ago, this is frustrating. | 0:07:45 | 0:07:48 | |
For a start, it is more expensive to keep pigs in communal pens like these. | 0:07:48 | 0:07:53 | |
Young gilts that aren't in pig, gilts on this side, you can see for yourself, | 0:07:53 | 0:07:58 | |
they're a lot bigger. We like them in a really nice condition... | 0:07:58 | 0:08:01 | |
'John Rowbottom has been a pig farmer in the heart of Yorkshire | 0:08:03 | 0:08:06 | |
'all his life.' | 0:08:06 | 0:08:08 | |
What do you feel about the way Europe is or is not enforcing | 0:08:08 | 0:08:11 | |
-the new law? -Well, it's a bit of a disaster. | 0:08:11 | 0:08:14 | |
We've spent a lot of money putting in a system like this, | 0:08:14 | 0:08:17 | |
taking out the old system. | 0:08:17 | 0:08:18 | |
A large amount of money - 14 years ago, we made the investment. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:23 | |
When we did it, the systems hadn't been tried and tested. | 0:08:23 | 0:08:27 | |
We've proved the systems. | 0:08:27 | 0:08:28 | |
We've spent all our money doing it, it's very simple for them | 0:08:28 | 0:08:31 | |
to do it now. They can pick the systems off the shelves and do it. | 0:08:31 | 0:08:35 | |
John converted his farm back in 1998, but he still has | 0:08:35 | 0:08:40 | |
some of his old derelict sow stalls left, awaiting demolition. | 0:08:40 | 0:08:44 | |
So, what am I looking at here? | 0:08:45 | 0:08:47 | |
You're looking at sow stalls that were banned in this country | 0:08:47 | 0:08:50 | |
14 years ago, and as you can see from the state of them, | 0:08:50 | 0:08:53 | |
-we haven't used them for 14 years. -How did they work? | 0:08:53 | 0:08:56 | |
The sow went in there, board down the back, | 0:08:56 | 0:09:00 | |
-and that was it, she's in there and can't get out. -For how long? -Four months. | 0:09:00 | 0:09:04 | |
That's the whole of the gestation period, she'd be in there. | 0:09:04 | 0:09:07 | |
So, four months...in a place like this. | 0:09:07 | 0:09:11 | |
-Can't turn around? -No. | 0:09:11 | 0:09:13 | |
-Eating that end. That feels very much like a cage, doesn't it? -It... | 0:09:13 | 0:09:19 | |
Yeah, it does. | 0:09:19 | 0:09:20 | |
In the rest of the EU, a third of member states still haven't | 0:09:20 | 0:09:25 | |
fully complied with the new regulations. | 0:09:25 | 0:09:28 | |
It means that many farms on the Continent are still rearing | 0:09:28 | 0:09:31 | |
pigs illegally, caged in stalls like this, | 0:09:31 | 0:09:35 | |
despite having had many years to convert to the new system. | 0:09:35 | 0:09:39 | |
And this isn't the first time that mainland Europe has failed to | 0:09:39 | 0:09:44 | |
enforce new welfare standards. | 0:09:44 | 0:09:46 | |
Last year, new legislation banning battery cages was introduced, | 0:09:47 | 0:09:51 | |
but by the time the new law came into force, it was estimated | 0:09:51 | 0:09:55 | |
that as many as 50 million hens were still housed unlawfully. | 0:09:55 | 0:09:59 | |
The Prime Minister told Countryfile then that action had to be taken. | 0:09:59 | 0:10:04 | |
With other European countries, what we ought to do is take them to | 0:10:04 | 0:10:08 | |
court if they don't put in place the changes that they've signed up to. | 0:10:08 | 0:10:11 | |
We all sit there at the Agriculture Council | 0:10:11 | 0:10:14 | |
and we agree these rules on pig stalls | 0:10:14 | 0:10:16 | |
and these rules on hen cages and the rest of it, | 0:10:16 | 0:10:20 | |
and if they don't put those in place, they are in breach of the rules. | 0:10:20 | 0:10:23 | |
We should have no compunction in actually getting | 0:10:23 | 0:10:26 | |
the European Commission to really target those countries. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:29 | |
But a year on, history has repeated itself, | 0:10:29 | 0:10:32 | |
with the issue of banned sow stalls replacing battery cages. | 0:10:32 | 0:10:35 | |
Number 10 told us DEFRA ministers have now met with the EU Commissioner to stress | 0:10:36 | 0:10:42 | |
the importance of other countries abiding by the law. | 0:10:42 | 0:10:45 | |
For many British pig farmers, though, it's too little, too late. | 0:10:45 | 0:10:49 | |
We've been waiting for years for Europe to comply with | 0:10:49 | 0:10:53 | |
the same regulations that we have. We've spent a fortune. | 0:10:53 | 0:10:56 | |
They're due to catch up with us and it's not happening. | 0:10:56 | 0:10:59 | |
It was supposed to happen on January 1st, or be COMPLETED. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:03 | |
It was supposed to be completed by January 1st, | 0:11:03 | 0:11:05 | |
and it looks to me as if they are only just starting! | 0:11:05 | 0:11:08 | |
So, with millions of pigs still being reared in illegal | 0:11:09 | 0:11:12 | |
conditions, what are the authorities in Brussels doing about it? | 0:11:12 | 0:11:16 | |
Frederic Vincent is from the European Commission. | 0:11:16 | 0:11:19 | |
For us, the legal deadline for sow stalls was 1st January 2013. | 0:11:19 | 0:11:24 | |
We've been putting pressure for some months now on the member states | 0:11:24 | 0:11:27 | |
on the sow stalls issue. | 0:11:27 | 0:11:29 | |
It means that one third of the EU member states will get | 0:11:29 | 0:11:33 | |
a warning from the commission, saying, you have to comply, | 0:11:33 | 0:11:37 | |
you have to tell your farmers to comply with the directive. | 0:11:37 | 0:11:42 | |
But as these warnings are being issued, | 0:11:42 | 0:11:45 | |
our farmers are still losing out, while many of their counterparts | 0:11:45 | 0:11:49 | |
on the Continent continue to ignore the new welfare laws. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:52 | |
So how can we be sure that their pigs aren't ending up | 0:11:54 | 0:11:58 | |
in our sausages? | 0:11:58 | 0:12:00 | |
That's what I'll be finding out later. | 0:12:00 | 0:12:01 | |
Bristol claims to have more green spaces than any other British city, | 0:12:06 | 0:12:11 | |
so it stands to reason it should have a lot of wildlife. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:14 | |
And it doesn't disappoint. | 0:12:15 | 0:12:17 | |
Peregrine falcons, badgers, lesser horseshoe bats, kingfishers, | 0:12:17 | 0:12:22 | |
they all share a Bristol postcode. | 0:12:22 | 0:12:24 | |
We're all aware of urban wildlife. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:32 | |
Some people take a greater interest than others, but here | 0:12:32 | 0:12:35 | |
on the Bristol Docks, there has been a genuine wildlife surprise. | 0:12:35 | 0:12:39 | |
Here's nine seconds of proof. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:41 | |
It's an otter, right in the heart of the city. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:46 | |
Bristol City Council caught the footage completely by accident | 0:12:46 | 0:12:49 | |
as part of a general survey of wildlife in the harbour. | 0:12:49 | 0:12:53 | |
For a city centre-based ecologist like Becky Coffin, | 0:12:53 | 0:12:56 | |
the chances of seeing an otter were very slim. Until now. | 0:12:56 | 0:13:00 | |
So, they're right here, Becky, in your patch in Bristol. | 0:13:01 | 0:13:05 | |
-It's a bit weird, isn't it? -It is. It's really exciting, actually. | 0:13:05 | 0:13:09 | |
Otters have been my favourite animal since I was really young, | 0:13:09 | 0:13:13 | |
so to even find out that they're here, it's really exciting. | 0:13:13 | 0:13:17 | |
And how many are there and where do you think they've come from? | 0:13:17 | 0:13:19 | |
We don't know entirely how they've come into the floating harbour area, | 0:13:19 | 0:13:23 | |
but we expect that as the wider populations have expanded, that some | 0:13:23 | 0:13:29 | |
of them have found their way in and now are fairly active in this area. | 0:13:29 | 0:13:32 | |
Otters are notoriously elusive - | 0:13:32 | 0:13:35 | |
we're not likely to see one splashing around here, are we? | 0:13:35 | 0:13:38 | |
No, they're actually nocturnal animals, | 0:13:38 | 0:13:40 | |
so you're very unlikely to see them here during the daytime. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:42 | |
What does their presence tell you about their habitat here? | 0:13:42 | 0:13:45 | |
It tells us two things, really. | 0:13:45 | 0:13:47 | |
First of all, the water quality is good enough to support fish, | 0:13:47 | 0:13:51 | |
-which is the main component of their diet. -So that's why they're here. | 0:13:51 | 0:13:54 | |
Yep. But it also tells us that there are | 0:13:54 | 0:13:56 | |
features about the built fabric of the docks area that actually provides | 0:13:56 | 0:14:02 | |
them with nooks and crannies where they can rest up during the day. | 0:14:02 | 0:14:06 | |
-Do you suspect there's more than one otter? -It's very difficult to tell. | 0:14:06 | 0:14:11 | |
The camera trap that we've got is only showing one otter. | 0:14:11 | 0:14:15 | |
Um... You can make assumptions, from the amount of spraint we found, | 0:14:15 | 0:14:20 | |
that there COULD be more than one otter. | 0:14:20 | 0:14:23 | |
Growing numbers of otters in urban and rural areas is cause for celebration. | 0:14:23 | 0:14:28 | |
Pollution almost wiped them out in England in the '70s. | 0:14:28 | 0:14:31 | |
Now they're back, which means our rivers are much cleaner. | 0:14:31 | 0:14:34 | |
But are they clean enough? | 0:14:34 | 0:14:36 | |
Research by Cardiff University's Otter Project has highlighted | 0:14:36 | 0:14:40 | |
serious concerns for the health of otters in the UK. | 0:14:40 | 0:14:43 | |
'Rose Moorhouse-Gann carries out post-mortems on otters found dead | 0:14:44 | 0:14:48 | |
'in England and Wales. | 0:14:48 | 0:14:50 | |
'She's meeting me in Bristol to share the findings, | 0:14:50 | 0:14:53 | |
'exclusively with Countryfile.' | 0:14:53 | 0:14:55 | |
And what exactly are the issues? | 0:14:55 | 0:14:58 | |
We have a new piece of research which suggests that there | 0:14:58 | 0:15:01 | |
are reproductive abnormalities that are becoming more and more common. | 0:15:01 | 0:15:06 | |
-Baculum weight has decreased with time. -What's the baculum? | 0:15:06 | 0:15:10 | |
The baculum is the penis bone of a male otter. | 0:15:10 | 0:15:13 | |
-I have one here to show you. -OK, so this is of a mature male otter? | 0:15:13 | 0:15:18 | |
-That's from an adult male. -And these are getting smaller? | 0:15:18 | 0:15:21 | |
They're getting lighter. | 0:15:21 | 0:15:23 | |
Presumably that might have an impact on the reproductive health of the otter? | 0:15:23 | 0:15:26 | |
We can't say for sure what the consequences of this are, | 0:15:26 | 0:15:30 | |
-but they are likely to be negative. -That's quite worrying. | 0:15:30 | 0:15:34 | |
It is quite worrying. It is quite worrying. | 0:15:34 | 0:15:37 | |
The exact cause of this change is a mystery, but studies point towards | 0:15:39 | 0:15:43 | |
modern hormone-disrupting chemicals making their way into river systems. | 0:15:43 | 0:15:47 | |
They're found in pesticides and chemical waste | 0:15:49 | 0:15:53 | |
-and pharmaceuticals, as well. -So pretty prolific? -Yeah. | 0:15:53 | 0:15:57 | |
What's next for the Otter Project? Where do you want research to go? | 0:15:57 | 0:16:00 | |
We'd like to broaden the suite of chemicals that we | 0:16:00 | 0:16:03 | |
test for in the otter tissues. | 0:16:03 | 0:16:05 | |
It's really important that we keep on top of anything that might be | 0:16:05 | 0:16:09 | |
-affecting our wildlife. -I'll let you have that back, Rose. | 0:16:09 | 0:16:12 | |
Thank you very much! | 0:16:12 | 0:16:14 | |
Well, Rose's project is fascinating, but today, | 0:16:15 | 0:16:18 | |
I'm more interested in live otters. | 0:16:18 | 0:16:20 | |
I'm still amazed otters are here in the centre of Bristol. | 0:16:22 | 0:16:25 | |
I'd love to catch a glimpse of one. | 0:16:25 | 0:16:27 | |
So I've got hold of some BBC kit to help me. | 0:16:27 | 0:16:29 | |
You may know that Bristol is home to the world-renowned | 0:16:31 | 0:16:35 | |
Natural History Unit, so from the city that brings you Planet Earth, | 0:16:35 | 0:16:39 | |
Planet Earth Live and Africa, I'm going to attempt to film | 0:16:39 | 0:16:43 | |
one of the world's most elusive mammals with this. | 0:16:43 | 0:16:46 | |
Small beginnings. | 0:16:46 | 0:16:48 | |
Local skipper Ron Bygott is assisting in our otter experiment by | 0:16:49 | 0:16:54 | |
letting us put a camera on his boat, bang in the middle of the harbour. | 0:16:54 | 0:16:58 | |
-Where is she going? -Just here. -OK. And why have you picked this spot? | 0:17:02 | 0:17:06 | |
Why do you reckon this is the right one? | 0:17:06 | 0:17:09 | |
Well, the camera can be angled down towards the pontoon down there and | 0:17:09 | 0:17:14 | |
it's possible that any otters in this area might come up to that pontoon. | 0:17:14 | 0:17:19 | |
-If they get out onto it, you'll get a really good shot. -OK, there we go. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:24 | |
She's fairly fixed on there. | 0:17:24 | 0:17:26 | |
How valuable is video footage to you, Becky? | 0:17:26 | 0:17:29 | |
The camera trap footage we've got from the survey | 0:17:29 | 0:17:32 | |
we carried out was time-stamped, | 0:17:32 | 0:17:34 | |
and that told us it was actually present quite early in the evening, | 0:17:34 | 0:17:38 | |
which suggests that it's probably resting up somewhere very close by. | 0:17:38 | 0:17:42 | |
-So it's teaching you about patterns and behaviours? -Exactly. | 0:17:42 | 0:17:45 | |
You're very secretive about where you put your cameras, aren't you? | 0:17:45 | 0:17:48 | |
Yes, we are. Otters are a protected species and we need to protect them | 0:17:48 | 0:17:52 | |
as much as possible. | 0:17:52 | 0:17:53 | |
We also need to protect the equipment whilst it's out. | 0:17:53 | 0:17:56 | |
-You'll look after our camera, won't you, Ron? -I certainly shall. -Thank you. | 0:17:56 | 0:18:00 | |
I'll find out if it films anything later on. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:03 | |
Meanwhile, as night falls, my search for urban wildlife continues. | 0:18:04 | 0:18:09 | |
Maybe I'll have more luck in the dark. | 0:18:09 | 0:18:12 | |
Some people dedicate hours and hours to the wildlife on their doorstep. | 0:18:12 | 0:18:16 | |
Not because they're being paid, but because they're passionate | 0:18:16 | 0:18:19 | |
and a little bit kooky. | 0:18:19 | 0:18:21 | |
Graphic designer by day, wildlife photographer by night. | 0:18:23 | 0:18:27 | |
Meet Ian Wade. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:28 | |
He crossed paths with a wild resident of Bristol | 0:18:28 | 0:18:31 | |
during a stroll to his local curry house. | 0:18:31 | 0:18:34 | |
It was his first encounter with an animal that is adapted to | 0:18:34 | 0:18:37 | |
city living as well as any human... | 0:18:37 | 0:18:39 | |
..the urban fox. | 0:18:40 | 0:18:41 | |
A lot of people think foxes are scary, | 0:18:44 | 0:18:46 | |
a lot of people think they are a pest, they're dangerous. | 0:18:46 | 0:18:50 | |
It depends on their experiences, really, | 0:18:50 | 0:18:52 | |
and what they read and what they believe. | 0:18:52 | 0:18:55 | |
Obviously, it's a wild animal, it needs to be treated with respect. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:59 | |
You've identified certain foxes, you know certain foxes now. | 0:18:59 | 0:19:02 | |
Yes, definitely. The one I started with was called Freddie, | 0:19:02 | 0:19:05 | |
I named him Freddie. That's the one I spent a year photographing. | 0:19:05 | 0:19:09 | |
The one which is around tonight is called Charlie. | 0:19:09 | 0:19:11 | |
What are the chances, do you think, tonight? | 0:19:11 | 0:19:14 | |
Pretty good, I'd say really good. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:16 | |
I've smelt the scent marking from him. Here. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:19 | |
-What have we got here? -Fox smell. -Is this the smell? | 0:19:20 | 0:19:24 | |
-Yeah, if you come here, you can smell it. -Oh, yeah! | 0:19:24 | 0:19:27 | |
-Oh-ho-ho! Oh! Whew! -SHE COUGHS | 0:19:27 | 0:19:30 | |
-It stinks, doesn't it? -Oh, that really stinks! | 0:19:30 | 0:19:33 | |
Yeah, that's fresh, so he's probably done that as he's come down here. | 0:19:33 | 0:19:37 | |
Bristol used to have one of the largest fox populations in the world. | 0:19:37 | 0:19:42 | |
Mange disease killed 95% of them in the mid '90s, | 0:19:42 | 0:19:45 | |
but numbers are now recovering. | 0:19:45 | 0:19:48 | |
There's no denying that foxes are more controversial | 0:19:48 | 0:19:51 | |
than ever at the moment. | 0:19:51 | 0:19:52 | |
But for Ian, at least, they're endlessly fascinating. | 0:19:52 | 0:19:56 | |
Everybody says you see loads of urban foxes in Cotham, | 0:19:56 | 0:19:59 | |
you're bound to catch one. Typical Countryfile luck - not a sausage. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:04 | |
Let's hope we've had more luck with our otter cam | 0:20:08 | 0:20:11 | |
down at the harbour side. Here's the premiere. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:15 | |
We all got very excited by that splash in the top right-hand corner. | 0:20:15 | 0:20:19 | |
Let's have another look. | 0:20:19 | 0:20:21 | |
Hm... I think it's a fish. | 0:20:21 | 0:20:23 | |
Oh, well, at least we know there ARE otters in the city. | 0:20:25 | 0:20:29 | |
Hello! | 0:20:29 | 0:20:30 | |
I've been exploring the Avon Gorge, | 0:20:36 | 0:20:38 | |
home to rare plants that you won't find anywhere else in the UK. | 0:20:38 | 0:20:43 | |
Later, I'll be stepping over the edge to clear scrub that's | 0:20:43 | 0:20:46 | |
pushing these small cliff dwellers from their home, | 0:20:46 | 0:20:49 | |
but first, I'm off to meet some four-legged special agents | 0:20:49 | 0:20:53 | |
who have been brought in to assist. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:55 | |
Only a tough, robust and adaptable animal could possibly handle | 0:20:56 | 0:21:00 | |
this sheer terrain to consume this scrub. So, what have we got? | 0:21:00 | 0:21:05 | |
Well, ponies, no - the sides are just too steep. Sheep? | 0:21:05 | 0:21:09 | |
Well, it's the wrong food and they'd just get caught up in all of the brambles. | 0:21:09 | 0:21:13 | |
No, no - there was just one animal fit enough for the job... | 0:21:13 | 0:21:17 | |
the goat! | 0:21:17 | 0:21:18 | |
Cashmere goats. Their mission - to graze this. | 0:21:21 | 0:21:24 | |
I'm joining the team on their daily check-up, | 0:21:26 | 0:21:29 | |
to try and catch a glimpse of them. | 0:21:29 | 0:21:30 | |
They tend to prefer up at this end where they've got further views | 0:21:30 | 0:21:34 | |
and they don't feel so constrained with trees around them. | 0:21:34 | 0:21:37 | |
In 2011, a ten-acre steep-sided gully was fenced off for them. | 0:21:37 | 0:21:42 | |
The goats were brought in - code name, Operation Cashmere. | 0:21:42 | 0:21:45 | |
Ben Skuse and Chris Westcott were the lads who helped them to move in. | 0:21:47 | 0:21:51 | |
-There they are. -Oh, they're up there, are they? Some bonny lads amongst them. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:56 | |
They are indeed, aren't they? | 0:21:56 | 0:21:59 | |
So, how many goats have you got involved in Operation Cashmere, | 0:21:59 | 0:22:02 | |
and where did they come from? | 0:22:02 | 0:22:04 | |
There's six billy goats here, and we got them from another conservation | 0:22:04 | 0:22:08 | |
project on the Great Orme, that's run by Conwy Council. | 0:22:08 | 0:22:12 | |
Ben and I went up in June 2011 and we helped round up all their goats. | 0:22:12 | 0:22:19 | |
In return for that, they gave us | 0:22:19 | 0:22:21 | |
the six billy goats we've got here today. | 0:22:21 | 0:22:24 | |
And are they doing a good job? | 0:22:24 | 0:22:26 | |
How does their maintenance technique differ to what you'd be doing with power tools? | 0:22:26 | 0:22:29 | |
They're doing a fantastic job. | 0:22:29 | 0:22:31 | |
Ten years ago, this area would have been entirely wooded, | 0:22:31 | 0:22:34 | |
and we've been in and been cutting down the scrub, | 0:22:34 | 0:22:39 | |
and it's been growing back and it's been a real management headache. | 0:22:39 | 0:22:43 | |
We really needed a sustainable | 0:22:43 | 0:22:45 | |
and more natural solution to dealing with this scrub. | 0:22:45 | 0:22:48 | |
-That's where the goats came in. -And they kind of stunt the growth? | 0:22:48 | 0:22:53 | |
Yeah, absolutely. You can cut something off at ground level | 0:22:53 | 0:22:56 | |
and it will soon come back quite vigorously, | 0:22:56 | 0:22:58 | |
but in the summer, any new leaves that will come on these stems | 0:22:58 | 0:23:01 | |
and stalks, they'll come along and strip them and strip them and strip them. | 0:23:01 | 0:23:05 | |
Gradually, they're stunting the health and vigour | 0:23:05 | 0:23:08 | |
of this scrubby stuff more and more and more, | 0:23:08 | 0:23:10 | |
and just allowing the rare grassland to compete more. | 0:23:10 | 0:23:15 | |
How does it work out that they're leaving the stuff that's really important to you at the moment? | 0:23:15 | 0:23:19 | |
You never see them, head on the ground, like a sheep would, | 0:23:19 | 0:23:22 | |
eating the grass, pulling the grass out, | 0:23:22 | 0:23:24 | |
it's always off the ground, the leaves and the bark, | 0:23:24 | 0:23:27 | |
and that's the kind of stuff we want gone. | 0:23:27 | 0:23:30 | |
-There's a bit of butting going on behind you. -Oh, yeah! | 0:23:30 | 0:23:33 | |
Well, later on, I'll be doing my own impression of a mountain goat | 0:23:38 | 0:23:42 | |
as I scramble down the side of the Avon Gorge. | 0:23:42 | 0:23:45 | |
But first, here's what else is coming up on tonight's programme. | 0:23:45 | 0:23:48 | |
'Adam's got his hands full of fancy fowl...' | 0:23:48 | 0:23:51 | |
My little Pekins are really lovely. | 0:23:51 | 0:23:54 | |
Ornamental chicken, really. | 0:23:54 | 0:23:57 | |
There's a cockerel and a hen. | 0:23:57 | 0:23:59 | |
'..Julia challenges some hardy souls to brave the winter waters. | 0:24:01 | 0:24:05 | |
'But will she follow suit?' | 0:24:05 | 0:24:06 | |
I like that, gloves and a hat, that's the way I would do it. | 0:24:07 | 0:24:11 | |
'And will it be any warmer in the week ahead? | 0:24:14 | 0:24:16 | |
'We'll have the Countryfile five-day forecast.' | 0:24:16 | 0:24:19 | |
Now, earlier we heard about the European pig producers | 0:24:23 | 0:24:26 | |
ignoring legal requirements on welfare. | 0:24:26 | 0:24:29 | |
So, given the currant scandal over horsemeat, how confident can we be | 0:24:29 | 0:24:32 | |
that meat from these pigs won't be turning up on our shelves, too? | 0:24:32 | 0:24:36 | |
Here's Tom. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:37 | |
We used to think processed food with beef on the label contained, | 0:24:41 | 0:24:45 | |
well, meat from a cow. Now, we can't be so sure. | 0:24:45 | 0:24:50 | |
So, has confidence shifted in processed food? | 0:24:50 | 0:24:54 | |
Do we now trust less things like processed meals and burgers? | 0:24:54 | 0:24:58 | |
To find out, we've commissioned our own Countryfile consumer survey. | 0:24:58 | 0:25:02 | |
We asked the British public... | 0:25:05 | 0:25:07 | |
The results were pretty compelling. | 0:25:17 | 0:25:19 | |
We found that 62% of the British public still had | 0:25:21 | 0:25:25 | |
confidence in processed food from the UK, but that figure dropped to 28% | 0:25:25 | 0:25:29 | |
when we asked about food from the rest of the European Union. | 0:25:29 | 0:25:34 | |
That's still better than food from the rest of the world, | 0:25:34 | 0:25:37 | |
where there was just 14% confidence in the safety, | 0:25:37 | 0:25:40 | |
ingredients and welfare of the products. | 0:25:40 | 0:25:43 | |
Whichever way you look at it, the level of trust in processed meat products isn't great, | 0:25:43 | 0:25:48 | |
but what really surprised us was the lack of trust in food from | 0:25:48 | 0:25:51 | |
the rest of Europe, a major source of meat for the British consumer. | 0:25:51 | 0:25:55 | |
So, are we right to be worried, | 0:25:56 | 0:25:58 | |
and how could we regain some of that consumer confidence? | 0:25:58 | 0:26:02 | |
For a start, it would help to know exactly where our food comes from. | 0:26:02 | 0:26:06 | |
We already know that the European supply chain has not | 0:26:08 | 0:26:11 | |
done its job in stopping horse getting into the beef products, but | 0:26:11 | 0:26:15 | |
I've discovered another problem with European food production - | 0:26:15 | 0:26:19 | |
pigs being reared under illegal welfare standards. | 0:26:19 | 0:26:23 | |
What is to stop meat from those animals ending up in the UK, as well? | 0:26:23 | 0:26:28 | |
I'm on my way to ask one of Britain's major pork pie | 0:26:28 | 0:26:31 | |
manufacturers if he is confident that the way | 0:26:31 | 0:26:34 | |
he sources his meat is robust enough. | 0:26:34 | 0:26:37 | |
This is where we do ale, one of the largest pies, yes. | 0:26:45 | 0:26:48 | |
The company Vale of Mowbray makes more than a million pork pies | 0:26:49 | 0:26:53 | |
every week. | 0:26:53 | 0:26:54 | |
John Gatenby is the man in charge. | 0:26:54 | 0:26:56 | |
Roughly what proportion of what comes through here | 0:26:56 | 0:26:59 | |
comes from the Continent? | 0:26:59 | 0:27:00 | |
-About 70%. -About 70%. | 0:27:00 | 0:27:02 | |
Mostly from Holland and some from Germany. | 0:27:02 | 0:27:05 | |
When it comes to Germany, I gather that 30% of their farms still | 0:27:07 | 0:27:10 | |
use sow stalls. Does that trouble you? | 0:27:10 | 0:27:12 | |
We obviously talk to the factories and they | 0:27:12 | 0:27:15 | |
assured us that 100% of their pigs come from stall-free herds. | 0:27:15 | 0:27:21 | |
We buy from these people every week and so | 0:27:21 | 0:27:23 | |
if we had any doubt about them, we would not be buying from them. | 0:27:23 | 0:27:26 | |
John is confident about the European producers who supply him, | 0:27:30 | 0:27:33 | |
but is trust in your suppliers enough? | 0:27:33 | 0:27:36 | |
With hundreds of thousands of tons of pig meat imported from the EU | 0:27:39 | 0:27:43 | |
every year, can we really guarantee that nothing is getting through? | 0:27:43 | 0:27:47 | |
Zoe Davies from the National Pig Association thinks not. | 0:27:48 | 0:27:52 | |
Do you think illegally reared pork could still be entering Britain? | 0:27:52 | 0:27:55 | |
We import 60% of the pork that's eaten in the UK, | 0:27:55 | 0:27:59 | |
so it is inevitable that some of that pork product | 0:27:59 | 0:28:02 | |
coming in will come from illegal systems. | 0:28:02 | 0:28:05 | |
We know that 25% of sows in Europe are still being reared in stalls. | 0:28:05 | 0:28:09 | |
So, who is to blame for the fact that we could still be getting this | 0:28:09 | 0:28:12 | |
illegally reared meat into the country? | 0:28:12 | 0:28:14 | |
It is the responsibility of the entire food chain to make sure | 0:28:14 | 0:28:18 | |
that only pork that comes from legal compliance systems enters the UK. | 0:28:18 | 0:28:24 | |
The National Pig Association may not have faith in the supply chain, | 0:28:24 | 0:28:27 | |
but the British Retail Consortium does. | 0:28:27 | 0:28:30 | |
It told us that their retailers will only import meat from animals that | 0:28:30 | 0:28:34 | |
have been raised to British welfare standards, | 0:28:34 | 0:28:36 | |
and they have the documents to prove it. | 0:28:36 | 0:28:39 | |
Peter Loggie from the National Farmers Union in Scotland also | 0:28:39 | 0:28:42 | |
had his doubts, so he challenged the supermarkets to verify | 0:28:42 | 0:28:46 | |
the source of their fresh pork. | 0:28:46 | 0:28:48 | |
Tell me how you went about investigating | 0:28:48 | 0:28:51 | |
the whole pork supply chain. | 0:28:51 | 0:28:53 | |
What we were aiming to find out was whether the supermarkets could prove | 0:28:53 | 0:28:56 | |
their claims that they were buying only pig meat from compliant | 0:28:56 | 0:29:00 | |
farms in Europe. | 0:29:00 | 0:29:02 | |
So we went to the supermarkets, bought some product, | 0:29:02 | 0:29:05 | |
took them the labels and asked them to trace it. | 0:29:05 | 0:29:08 | |
They all did provide us with information. | 0:29:08 | 0:29:10 | |
It's complicated, | 0:29:10 | 0:29:11 | |
there are some that are certainly better than others. | 0:29:11 | 0:29:14 | |
In the case of the tracings that were going back to Denmark | 0:29:14 | 0:29:17 | |
and to the Netherlands, | 0:29:17 | 0:29:19 | |
there was a fairly robust trail that went back to quality-assured farms, | 0:29:19 | 0:29:23 | |
farms that are members of schemes where they are checked. | 0:29:23 | 0:29:26 | |
With the French material, that was not the case | 0:29:26 | 0:29:29 | |
because they don't have a quality assurance scheme in France. | 0:29:29 | 0:29:32 | |
Overall, Peter was pleasantly surprised by the amount of evidence | 0:29:32 | 0:29:36 | |
provided by the supermarkets, | 0:29:36 | 0:29:38 | |
and according to the British Retail Consortium, they can all back that up | 0:29:38 | 0:29:42 | |
with regular and comprehensive auditing on the pork supply chain. | 0:29:42 | 0:29:46 | |
But as we all know, that type of thoroughness did not stop | 0:29:47 | 0:29:50 | |
horse turning up in beef products. | 0:29:50 | 0:29:53 | |
Now we're having to resort to forensic science to find out | 0:29:54 | 0:29:57 | |
what is in our processed food. | 0:29:57 | 0:30:00 | |
We've got some samples of burgers here. | 0:30:00 | 0:30:02 | |
What we can do with these is extract the DNA from them | 0:30:02 | 0:30:06 | |
and find out what species are actually present in them. | 0:30:06 | 0:30:10 | |
At Worcestershire Scientific Services, | 0:30:10 | 0:30:12 | |
Paul Hancock and his team DNA-test everything from steak and kidney pies | 0:30:12 | 0:30:16 | |
to beef burgers, and recently, | 0:30:16 | 0:30:18 | |
they have been asked to take part in the nationwide screening for horse. | 0:30:18 | 0:30:23 | |
It looks distinctly unattractive now, doesn't it? | 0:30:23 | 0:30:25 | |
Have you actually found any horsemeat in this lab? | 0:30:25 | 0:30:28 | |
We have had a couple of positive samples in the last week or so. | 0:30:28 | 0:30:31 | |
Obviously, we are doing our bit to reassure consumers | 0:30:31 | 0:30:34 | |
and ensure that the meat going into the food chain is appropriate. | 0:30:34 | 0:30:39 | |
But the very fact that we have to resort to forensic testing | 0:30:40 | 0:30:44 | |
raises questions about the traceability of our food. | 0:30:44 | 0:30:47 | |
What do you think about the fact that in order to be sure about what | 0:30:47 | 0:30:51 | |
is in our food, we have to rely on science like this? | 0:30:51 | 0:30:54 | |
Obviously, there are systems in place to ensure traceability of meat, | 0:30:54 | 0:30:59 | |
but unfortunately there will always be people who will take advantage of | 0:30:59 | 0:31:02 | |
that, so it then comes down to us as the enforcement laboratories | 0:31:02 | 0:31:06 | |
to police it. | 0:31:06 | 0:31:08 | |
Science can give us hard facts, but it's simply not practical to | 0:31:08 | 0:31:11 | |
test every meat item on Britain's shelves. | 0:31:11 | 0:31:14 | |
For us to have confidence in the system, we need to trust the law | 0:31:14 | 0:31:19 | |
and be sure that it is being properly enforced at every stage. | 0:31:19 | 0:31:23 | |
In the UK, that is being applied by the Food Standards Agency, | 0:31:24 | 0:31:28 | |
but what about the rest of the EU? | 0:31:28 | 0:31:30 | |
How can we be certain that our European neighbours aren't | 0:31:33 | 0:31:36 | |
supplying us with horse dressed up as beef, or sending us | 0:31:36 | 0:31:39 | |
meat from pigs reared under an illegal welfare standard? | 0:31:39 | 0:31:43 | |
When it comes to food operators, it is up to the member states to check | 0:31:43 | 0:31:47 | |
what is being done on the ground in the respective member states. | 0:31:47 | 0:31:51 | |
We don't have a kind of EU army of inspectors | 0:31:51 | 0:31:53 | |
going all over Europe to check. | 0:31:53 | 0:31:55 | |
It is up to the member states with their respective food authorities, | 0:31:55 | 0:31:59 | |
the FSA in the UK, for example, to check what the | 0:31:59 | 0:32:01 | |
food operators are doing and if they are respecting the rules. | 0:32:01 | 0:32:04 | |
Whenever you have a problem at EU level, | 0:32:04 | 0:32:06 | |
the European Commission intervenes and helps the member states | 0:32:06 | 0:32:09 | |
to work together to try to solve the problem. | 0:32:09 | 0:32:11 | |
But the big question is, are our European neighbours checking | 0:32:13 | 0:32:16 | |
and policing food production in their own countries properly? | 0:32:16 | 0:32:20 | |
The FSA told us that when it comes to the EU, it is... | 0:32:20 | 0:32:24 | |
We must be careful not to get things out of proportion, though. | 0:32:31 | 0:32:34 | |
There is no suggestion at all of any adulterated pork meat and also | 0:32:34 | 0:32:40 | |
no evidence so far of illegally produced pigs entering Britain. | 0:32:40 | 0:32:44 | |
And when it comes to the horsemeat contamination, it is | 0:32:44 | 0:32:48 | |
only in a tiny fraction of beef products. | 0:32:48 | 0:32:51 | |
But what we are seeing are European laws which are failing to | 0:32:52 | 0:32:55 | |
deliver, and serious concerns about the effectiveness | 0:32:55 | 0:32:59 | |
and complexity of the EU supply chain. | 0:32:59 | 0:33:02 | |
Plus, of course, there is the issue of trust. | 0:33:02 | 0:33:05 | |
Our survey shows there is greater confidence in meat produced | 0:33:06 | 0:33:10 | |
and processed in the UK than that coming from Europe, | 0:33:10 | 0:33:13 | |
or indeed the rest of the world. | 0:33:13 | 0:33:15 | |
That may be good news for British farmers, | 0:33:17 | 0:33:19 | |
but it is bad news for the retailers | 0:33:19 | 0:33:21 | |
and food processors in the UK who rely so heavily on meat from Europe. | 0:33:21 | 0:33:26 | |
If you want to know more, you can find the full | 0:33:28 | 0:33:30 | |
results of our consumer confidence poll on our website. | 0:33:30 | 0:33:34 | |
Preserving and conserving native rare breeds is Adam's real passion. | 0:33:38 | 0:33:43 | |
This week, he is off to see a herd of cattle that is so rare, | 0:33:43 | 0:33:46 | |
only a few years ago, they almost became extinct. | 0:33:46 | 0:33:49 | |
But he's got his chickens to sort out first. | 0:33:49 | 0:33:52 | |
Just as the weather drifts through the seasons, | 0:33:58 | 0:34:01 | |
so do the animals on my farm. At the moment, it is | 0:34:01 | 0:34:04 | |
my chickens that are sensing spring is in the air. | 0:34:04 | 0:34:07 | |
I've got a lot of my chickens in here. | 0:34:07 | 0:34:09 | |
They are a mixture of lots of different breeds | 0:34:11 | 0:34:13 | |
and we've got cocks and hens, males and females, mixed up together. | 0:34:13 | 0:34:17 | |
At this time of year, the hens are starting to lay | 0:34:17 | 0:34:20 | |
and the cockerels will be mating with the hens. | 0:34:20 | 0:34:23 | |
What I want to do is to sort them out into their breeds, | 0:34:23 | 0:34:25 | |
so that the chicks that hatch from the eggs are pure of that breed. | 0:34:25 | 0:34:30 | |
I've just got to catch them. | 0:34:30 | 0:34:31 | |
And my little Pekins are really lovely. Ornamental chickens, really. | 0:34:37 | 0:34:42 | |
They come in all different colours. These ones are lavender. | 0:34:42 | 0:34:45 | |
They lay a very small egg, although they are quite good mothers - | 0:34:45 | 0:34:48 | |
they will sit on the eggs and incubate them themselves. | 0:34:48 | 0:34:50 | |
So there is a cockerel and a hen. | 0:34:50 | 0:34:53 | |
And this is the Indian Game cockerel. He is only a young one | 0:34:59 | 0:35:03 | |
but his plumage is looking beautiful. | 0:35:03 | 0:35:05 | |
It's really shiny, and at this time of year, in the spring, | 0:35:05 | 0:35:09 | |
the cockerels are thinking about mating | 0:35:09 | 0:35:11 | |
and they start crowing a lot, | 0:35:11 | 0:35:13 | |
and they are warning off the other males, "This is my territory. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:16 | |
"These are my ladies," as well as calling to the hens to attract them. | 0:35:16 | 0:35:20 | |
Just like you hear song birds singing in the spring, | 0:35:20 | 0:35:23 | |
they are doing exactly the same thing. | 0:35:23 | 0:35:26 | |
Spring has sprung. Babies are on the way. | 0:35:26 | 0:35:29 | |
This is the Buff Orpington cockerel. | 0:35:36 | 0:35:38 | |
That's the spur that the cockerels use to fight each other with. | 0:35:38 | 0:35:42 | |
You can see his spur is very long and thick and strong, | 0:35:42 | 0:35:47 | |
and incredibly sharp. | 0:35:47 | 0:35:48 | |
Look at the way it's making a hole in my finger. | 0:35:48 | 0:35:52 | |
Amazing when they fight, how they can hurt each other, | 0:35:52 | 0:35:55 | |
and he is a smart-looking fella. | 0:35:55 | 0:35:58 | |
So there we are. These hens will start laying in the next | 0:36:15 | 0:36:18 | |
couple of weeks, I hope. | 0:36:18 | 0:36:19 | |
The cockerel will be mating with them, so the eggs will be fertile, | 0:36:19 | 0:36:22 | |
and when we hatch out the chicks, they will be pure Indian Game. | 0:36:22 | 0:36:25 | |
Some of the chickens I keep are quite rare, | 0:36:28 | 0:36:31 | |
but there is another animal on the farm that's very rare. | 0:36:31 | 0:36:34 | |
These are my Bagot goats. | 0:36:35 | 0:36:37 | |
They are the rarest breed of goats in the country. | 0:36:37 | 0:36:40 | |
They came from Blithfield Hall in Staffordshire, | 0:36:40 | 0:36:44 | |
that was run by Lady Bagot, and she gave a handful of goats to my dad | 0:36:44 | 0:36:50 | |
way back in the '70s, and we have had them ever since. | 0:36:50 | 0:36:53 | |
But it is thought they may have originated from | 0:36:53 | 0:36:56 | |
Richard the Lionheart's crusade and he brought them back from that. | 0:36:56 | 0:37:00 | |
With only around 300 nannies left in the country, | 0:37:01 | 0:37:04 | |
there are not very many people that keep them, and I have sold four | 0:37:04 | 0:37:08 | |
up to a farm in Leeds, so I'm going to load them up now. | 0:37:08 | 0:37:11 | |
And these are the ones I have selected. | 0:37:14 | 0:37:16 | |
I have just got to catch them. | 0:37:16 | 0:37:18 | |
It is really important | 0:37:23 | 0:37:25 | |
when you are preserving rare breeds that they are spread | 0:37:25 | 0:37:28 | |
around the country geographically, | 0:37:28 | 0:37:29 | |
because if there is an outbreak of disease like foot and mouth, | 0:37:29 | 0:37:32 | |
if they are all in the same district, they might get wiped out totally. | 0:37:32 | 0:37:36 | |
My Bagots are off to Temple Newsam, near Leeds. | 0:37:41 | 0:37:44 | |
It is a beautiful, Tudor Jacobean house that has had ties | 0:37:44 | 0:37:47 | |
with Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scots and garden designer Capability Brown. | 0:37:47 | 0:37:52 | |
When they arrive, they soon settle in nicely and as a bonus, | 0:37:55 | 0:37:58 | |
all these goats are in kid, so, hopefully, a herd of Bagots | 0:37:58 | 0:38:02 | |
will soon be established here. | 0:38:02 | 0:38:04 | |
It is also home to many rare farm animals, but one breed of | 0:38:04 | 0:38:08 | |
cattle in particular is so scarce, it is in danger of being lost for ever. | 0:38:08 | 0:38:12 | |
I'm meeting farm manager David Bradley and one very special lady. | 0:38:13 | 0:38:18 | |
Goodness me, David. I never thought I'd seek a Vaynol on a halter. | 0:38:18 | 0:38:22 | |
You don't see many of them and this is it. | 0:38:22 | 0:38:24 | |
When they first came down to the farm at home, | 0:38:26 | 0:38:28 | |
that was a long time ago. When was that? | 0:38:28 | 0:38:30 | |
That would be 25 years ago with that. I'd gone down to | 0:38:30 | 0:38:34 | |
buy a Gloucester bull off your dad and he showed me these on your | 0:38:34 | 0:38:37 | |
farm there, and I just thought, "My heck! I don't want any of these!" | 0:38:37 | 0:38:40 | |
They were wild, crazy. | 0:38:40 | 0:38:42 | |
It has taken a good lot of years to get them quieter, | 0:38:42 | 0:38:45 | |
then each generation of calves that comes on | 0:38:45 | 0:38:47 | |
-gets that little bit better. -Lovely. | 0:38:47 | 0:38:50 | |
This one is a black one but generally they are white, aren't they? | 0:38:50 | 0:38:53 | |
Most of the herd, overall, is white | 0:38:53 | 0:38:55 | |
with the exception of about four black ones in the herd. | 0:38:55 | 0:38:58 | |
-How many Vaynols are there now? -About 35 altogether and that is it. | 0:38:58 | 0:39:02 | |
-That is it? -That is it. -Goodness me! That's almost extinct! | 0:39:02 | 0:39:06 | |
I thought my Bagots were rare but with just 35 Vaynols in existence, | 0:39:08 | 0:39:12 | |
the team here are keen to do all they can to ensure their survival. | 0:39:12 | 0:39:17 | |
Like my goats, they want to establish satellite herds across the UK | 0:39:17 | 0:39:21 | |
but they also want to take part in the Rare Breed Survival Trust's | 0:39:21 | 0:39:24 | |
embryo-flushing project in Scotland. It is a type of IVF for cows. | 0:39:24 | 0:39:29 | |
Before they can do that, the vet has to carry out one important check. | 0:39:29 | 0:39:34 | |
Right. We have sorted out the Vaynols, a few other cattle have come | 0:39:34 | 0:39:37 | |
with them but that doesn't matter, | 0:39:37 | 0:39:38 | |
and now we have to get them into the cattle crush for the vet. | 0:39:38 | 0:39:41 | |
These girls had been running with a bull, so a week ago, | 0:39:47 | 0:39:50 | |
the vet examined them and two were given the equivalent | 0:39:50 | 0:39:53 | |
of the morning-after pill to make sure they were not pregnant. | 0:39:53 | 0:39:58 | |
The vet is back to make sure it's worked. | 0:39:58 | 0:40:00 | |
When most farmers bring their cattle in to be | 0:40:01 | 0:40:04 | |
pregnancy-tested by the vet, they want the cows to be in calf. | 0:40:04 | 0:40:08 | |
But here, they want the opposite. | 0:40:08 | 0:40:09 | |
They want these cows to be empty because they are going up to | 0:40:09 | 0:40:12 | |
a farm in Scotland, where they will do a thing called embryo transfer. | 0:40:12 | 0:40:16 | |
And what they're going to do is flush the cows, | 0:40:16 | 0:40:19 | |
remove the eggs from them | 0:40:19 | 0:40:22 | |
and then they will mix those eggs with sperm from Vaynol bulls, | 0:40:22 | 0:40:26 | |
and they will take the fertilised embryos and put them into other | 0:40:26 | 0:40:30 | |
cows from a different breed and use those cows as surrogate mothers. | 0:40:30 | 0:40:35 | |
Therefore, the calf that then is born is a pedigree Vaynol. | 0:40:35 | 0:40:38 | |
A cow can only give birth to one calf a year, so this cow could | 0:40:38 | 0:40:43 | |
only have one Vaynol calf every year, but by flushing her, | 0:40:43 | 0:40:47 | |
they will be able to get half a dozen Vaynol calves | 0:40:47 | 0:40:50 | |
and, therefore, accelerate the expansion of the breed much quicker. | 0:40:50 | 0:40:54 | |
-What is the result on this one, Sophie? -She's negative. | 0:40:54 | 0:40:58 | |
She's not pregnant. So she can go to Scotland now. | 0:40:58 | 0:41:01 | |
Wonderful. Good news. | 0:41:01 | 0:41:03 | |
-So that one is OK, too? -Yes, she's fine, she is ready to go, | 0:41:22 | 0:41:25 | |
-she is empty. -Wonderful. | 0:41:25 | 0:41:27 | |
So that is number two ready to go to Scotland. | 0:41:27 | 0:41:29 | |
This is quite a special cow. | 0:41:32 | 0:41:34 | |
She was born to artificial insemination | 0:41:34 | 0:41:36 | |
and from a bull that produced a semen 30 years ago. | 0:41:36 | 0:41:40 | |
What's the situation with this one, Sophie? | 0:41:40 | 0:41:44 | |
Well, the third one is in calf, actually. | 0:41:44 | 0:41:46 | |
She's about 60 days in calf, so she will have to stay here. | 0:41:46 | 0:41:50 | |
Because the last cow is pregnant, she will calve on the farm here | 0:41:50 | 0:41:54 | |
and join the other two next spring. | 0:41:54 | 0:41:56 | |
So two out of the three cows can go to Scotland, | 0:41:57 | 0:42:00 | |
but they can't go yet. | 0:42:00 | 0:42:01 | |
Because I bought the Bagot goats on to the farm, | 0:42:01 | 0:42:03 | |
because of movement restrictions and quarantine, | 0:42:03 | 0:42:06 | |
they can't move any animals off the farm for six clear days. | 0:42:06 | 0:42:09 | |
So they will be going up in a week or so's time. | 0:42:09 | 0:42:12 | |
Hopefully, next time I catch up with these ladies, | 0:42:12 | 0:42:15 | |
they will be part of a much bigger national herd of Vaynols. | 0:42:15 | 0:42:18 | |
Next week, I'll be finding out how science is helping to protect | 0:42:18 | 0:42:22 | |
and preserve another special breed - | 0:42:22 | 0:42:24 | |
the Hackney horse. | 0:42:24 | 0:42:26 | |
Just on the edge of Bristol, I've been exploring the Avon Gorge, | 0:42:30 | 0:42:33 | |
an internationally important conservation site. | 0:42:33 | 0:42:37 | |
Home to 30 rare species of plant. | 0:42:37 | 0:42:39 | |
For some, it's their only habitat in the whole of the UK. | 0:42:39 | 0:42:44 | |
Despite the vertical cliff faces, the rare plants here | 0:42:44 | 0:42:47 | |
are under threat from rapidly encroaching scrub | 0:42:47 | 0:42:50 | |
stealing their food and sunlight. It could kill them off. | 0:42:50 | 0:42:54 | |
To aid them in their fight for survival, | 0:42:54 | 0:42:56 | |
I'm taking to the ropes under the watchful eye of Angus Tillotson. | 0:42:56 | 0:43:01 | |
He's a rock-climbing gardener. | 0:43:01 | 0:43:03 | |
Right then, Angus, so what is the plan here? | 0:43:04 | 0:43:07 | |
What we are going to do, Matt, is drop down on the ropes a bit | 0:43:07 | 0:43:13 | |
and just clear a bit of vegetation off and try to open up some of | 0:43:13 | 0:43:17 | |
the little ledges so that the tiny, little plants which are native here | 0:43:17 | 0:43:21 | |
don't get shaded out by more competitive species. | 0:43:21 | 0:43:24 | |
It seems like you go to quite an effort to help out those | 0:43:24 | 0:43:27 | |
tiny, little plants. | 0:43:27 | 0:43:29 | |
It seems ridiculous sometimes, | 0:43:29 | 0:43:30 | |
but they are all small cogs in a big machine. | 0:43:30 | 0:43:34 | |
It's like that scene in Karate Kid | 0:43:35 | 0:43:37 | |
where they are looking for that lone bonsai. | 0:43:37 | 0:43:39 | |
Now, glad to see you are keen with the loppers. | 0:43:50 | 0:43:52 | |
There are a couple of things to think about | 0:43:52 | 0:43:55 | |
before we start doing that. | 0:43:55 | 0:43:56 | |
The second most important thing you have to be careful of is | 0:43:56 | 0:44:00 | |
-cutting these two ropes. -Yes! | 0:44:00 | 0:44:02 | |
The most important thing you've got to be careful of is cutting | 0:44:02 | 0:44:05 | |
-these two ropes. -MATT LAUGHS | 0:44:05 | 0:44:08 | |
-OK. -So when we are working, | 0:44:08 | 0:44:11 | |
-we tend to try and work to the side of us. -I see. -OK? -Yeah. | 0:44:11 | 0:44:16 | |
-Once you get a handful of ivy, do you just let it drop? -Yes. | 0:44:16 | 0:44:20 | |
Phwoar! This is the way to enjoy this gorge. | 0:44:20 | 0:44:23 | |
It is nice enough in a car to come through it | 0:44:23 | 0:44:25 | |
and I'm sure everybody who drives along are constantly looking up, | 0:44:25 | 0:44:28 | |
but to see from a bird's eye view is pretty special. | 0:44:28 | 0:44:31 | |
No time to hang around, though. We have a job to do. | 0:44:37 | 0:44:41 | |
Let's drop down another level. Just be careful where you are treading. | 0:44:41 | 0:44:45 | |
You don't want to be doing any damage with your feet. | 0:44:45 | 0:44:47 | |
Yes, you've got to be careful | 0:44:47 | 0:44:49 | |
-when some of these plants are the size of a 5p piece. -Yes. | 0:44:49 | 0:44:53 | |
Ding-ding! This is unwanted shrubbery. | 0:44:53 | 0:44:55 | |
This is looking a little bit more interesting down here. | 0:44:57 | 0:45:00 | |
Matt, we've got a bit of a bigger ledge and a bit more soil | 0:45:00 | 0:45:03 | |
and there's some rock rose just in there, looking | 0:45:03 | 0:45:06 | |
a little bit sad for itself. | 0:45:06 | 0:45:08 | |
Rock rose is one of the plants we are here to protect. | 0:45:08 | 0:45:11 | |
You can see all the leaves that have been dropped on top of it. | 0:45:11 | 0:45:16 | |
A case for clearing out, then. | 0:45:16 | 0:45:17 | |
Sometimes, it's just a case of brushing away | 0:45:20 | 0:45:23 | |
some of the leaves that build up. | 0:45:23 | 0:45:25 | |
I'm sensing the start of a new business here. | 0:45:27 | 0:45:30 | |
Weeding hanging baskets. What do you reckon? Extreme ones. | 0:45:30 | 0:45:34 | |
-It could be a goer. -Giant hanging baskets. Coming across! | 0:45:34 | 0:45:36 | |
-Careful now. -What was that? -Are you OK? | 0:45:42 | 0:45:45 | |
-Must have just twanged a bit of the rope up there. -Quite exciting. | 0:45:45 | 0:45:49 | |
-What a difference. -That is great and that has really opened it up. | 0:45:51 | 0:45:54 | |
Considering we are only using these, there is quite a lot to do | 0:45:54 | 0:45:57 | |
-when you look along there. -It is a long-term project I think, yeah. | 0:45:57 | 0:46:02 | |
-Patience. -That is right. Persistence. | 0:46:02 | 0:46:05 | |
It is an enormous task, | 0:46:05 | 0:46:07 | |
part of a five-year plan. From autumn to spring each year, | 0:46:07 | 0:46:10 | |
a team of five climbers work the cliffs, trying to | 0:46:10 | 0:46:14 | |
save the special plants that live here. | 0:46:14 | 0:46:16 | |
Do you ever garden at home? | 0:46:16 | 0:46:18 | |
-Not very much, really. -So this is your garden? -Yes. That's right, yes. | 0:46:22 | 0:46:29 | |
I would like my wife to appreciate that point, | 0:46:29 | 0:46:32 | |
that I do some gardening. | 0:46:32 | 0:46:33 | |
I think that's a great job on the ledge, | 0:46:33 | 0:46:36 | |
and the face below is all quite clear so... | 0:46:36 | 0:46:39 | |
-A tidy up job now, is it? -Yes, I'm afraid so. | 0:46:39 | 0:46:43 | |
Let's drop down and tidy up at the bottom, shall we? | 0:46:43 | 0:46:46 | |
-It is gorgeous now, isn't it? It really is. -Really lovely. | 0:46:47 | 0:46:51 | |
I feel the need almost just to hang here and have a gin and tonic, | 0:46:51 | 0:46:55 | |
-or something. -Yes. That would be great, wouldn't it? | 0:46:55 | 0:46:58 | |
Seems like Rob, our cameraman, has already had one. | 0:46:58 | 0:47:01 | |
Even though that whole exercise was quite a bit of effort, | 0:47:04 | 0:47:08 | |
it does feel good to give those special plants that are still | 0:47:08 | 0:47:11 | |
clinging on there, just that extra chance of survival. Right. | 0:47:11 | 0:47:17 | |
Let the clean up operation begin. | 0:47:17 | 0:47:18 | |
In a moment, Julia will be finding out how a bunch of hardy | 0:47:22 | 0:47:25 | |
locals found a new use for a disused quarry, | 0:47:25 | 0:47:28 | |
but it feels like rain here, and speaking of which, | 0:47:28 | 0:47:31 | |
let's find out what the weather has got in store for the week | 0:47:31 | 0:47:33 | |
ahead with the Countryfile forecast. | 0:47:33 | 0:47:35 | |
. | 0:52:50 | 0:52:57 | |
Just three miles outside Bristol City Centre | 0:53:08 | 0:53:11 | |
lies a disused limestone quarry. | 0:53:11 | 0:53:13 | |
In 1912, the same year the Titanic sank, | 0:53:17 | 0:53:20 | |
the quarry closed and was left to fill up with water. | 0:53:20 | 0:53:23 | |
The sides of the lake are steep, | 0:53:26 | 0:53:27 | |
plunging to six metres at the deepest point | 0:53:27 | 0:53:32 | |
The old quarry holds up to 11 million gallons of water. | 0:53:32 | 0:53:37 | |
I'm going to do a little temperature check now. | 0:53:37 | 0:53:40 | |
I don't think it's going to be very balmy. | 0:53:40 | 0:53:42 | |
Let's have a look. | 0:53:44 | 0:53:46 | |
Oh, yes. Lovely. | 0:53:46 | 0:53:47 | |
So that is just over five degrees centigrade, | 0:53:47 | 0:53:50 | |
which is about 41, 42 degrees Fahrenheit. | 0:53:50 | 0:53:54 | |
Back in 1919, someone took a look at all of this and went, | 0:53:54 | 0:53:57 | |
"That's a great place to swim." | 0:53:57 | 0:53:59 | |
Might want to reconsider that today. | 0:53:59 | 0:54:02 | |
It was the beginning of the Henleaze Swimming Club. | 0:54:04 | 0:54:08 | |
Since 1919, thousands of swimmers | 0:54:08 | 0:54:10 | |
have been for a dip or a dive in the lake. | 0:54:10 | 0:54:13 | |
The club is still going strong with nearly 1,800 members | 0:54:15 | 0:54:18 | |
and another 720 names on the waiting list. | 0:54:18 | 0:54:22 | |
The lake's only open for wild swimming between May and September. | 0:54:24 | 0:54:28 | |
It's February now, but don't worry. By the end of the programme, | 0:54:28 | 0:54:32 | |
there will be some brave, or should I say foolish, bodies in that water. | 0:54:32 | 0:54:37 | |
MOUTHS: Not me. | 0:54:37 | 0:54:39 | |
'First, I want to find out | 0:54:40 | 0:54:42 | |
'how the swimming club has kept going for 94 years. | 0:54:42 | 0:54:46 | |
'Long-serving members Derek Klemperer and Janet Cocks | 0:54:46 | 0:54:49 | |
'are going to fill me in, | 0:54:49 | 0:54:50 | |
'and where better than inside the club's most historic building?' | 0:54:50 | 0:54:54 | |
Hello, hello! | 0:54:54 | 0:54:56 | |
-Good morning. -Hello, good morning. | 0:54:56 | 0:54:57 | |
It is very, very cold in here, and this is the ladies' changing room. | 0:54:57 | 0:55:01 | |
-It is. -You must be made of stern stuff. | 0:55:01 | 0:55:03 | |
-Yeah, but it's winter at the moment. -This is true. | 0:55:03 | 0:55:06 | |
But of course, it hasn't always been a changing room, has it? | 0:55:06 | 0:55:09 | |
No, it was a First World War troop billet, | 0:55:09 | 0:55:12 | |
and also a first aid centre, | 0:55:12 | 0:55:14 | |
which the club managed to buy in the early '20s, | 0:55:14 | 0:55:17 | |
so it is a historic building. | 0:55:17 | 0:55:18 | |
-Very much so. -And it should really be Grade II listed. | 0:55:18 | 0:55:21 | |
-Incredible history that goes with it, doesn't it? -Oh, yes. | 0:55:21 | 0:55:24 | |
And you've been involved since, actually before day dot, for you? | 0:55:24 | 0:55:29 | |
My parents actually were founder members of Henleaze Swimming Club, | 0:55:29 | 0:55:33 | |
and this is where they met. | 0:55:33 | 0:55:35 | |
My childhood memories are, that's all we ever did, | 0:55:35 | 0:55:38 | |
came here everyday, we didn't do anything else, I don't think. | 0:55:38 | 0:55:41 | |
Derek, when was the last time you took a dip? | 0:55:41 | 0:55:43 | |
Oh, he always goes in every summer, don't you? | 0:55:43 | 0:55:45 | |
I'm a great summer swimmer, | 0:55:45 | 0:55:47 | |
but I don't go much for the cold water in winter. | 0:55:47 | 0:55:49 | |
Now, talking about expert swimmers | 0:55:49 | 0:55:52 | |
and lovely-looking people all around, | 0:55:52 | 0:55:54 | |
who's this handsome fellow here? | 0:55:54 | 0:55:57 | |
This is David Prowse, isn't it? Dave Prowse is... | 0:55:57 | 0:55:59 | |
-Isn't he the Green Cross Man? -He is the Green Cross Man. | 0:55:59 | 0:56:02 | |
-He's Darth Vader! -Darth Vader as well. | 0:56:02 | 0:56:05 | |
He was a local lad, you see. | 0:56:05 | 0:56:07 | |
Who would think that underneath all those black cloaks | 0:56:07 | 0:56:10 | |
-was that gorgeous body? -He's a lot older now, of course. -Yes, yes. | 0:56:10 | 0:56:13 | |
But that is a lovely picture of Dave Prowse, who used to come down here. | 0:56:13 | 0:56:17 | |
-He was one of our superintendents. -So he worked here? | 0:56:17 | 0:56:19 | |
-The girls loved it. -Darth Vader... | 0:56:19 | 0:56:23 | |
HEAVY-BREATHING GROWL: Move to the side of the lake. | 0:56:23 | 0:56:26 | |
Do the breaststroke now. | 0:56:30 | 0:56:32 | |
That's fantastic! | 0:56:34 | 0:56:36 | |
The lake's closed for swimming over the winter | 0:56:50 | 0:56:53 | |
but we've found some crazy - sorry, willing - volunteers | 0:56:53 | 0:56:56 | |
who want to break the rules and brave the water out of season. | 0:56:56 | 0:57:00 | |
Let's meet them. | 0:57:00 | 0:57:02 | |
-Luke. -Jackie. | 0:57:02 | 0:57:04 | |
Jenny. | 0:57:04 | 0:57:05 | |
Ellie. | 0:57:05 | 0:57:06 | |
Alan. | 0:57:06 | 0:57:08 | |
David. | 0:57:08 | 0:57:09 | |
Mark. | 0:57:09 | 0:57:11 | |
Julia. And I couldn't let our volunteers get into the water | 0:57:11 | 0:57:15 | |
without some expert advice. | 0:57:15 | 0:57:17 | |
George Cselco and Robin Hunter-Coddington | 0:57:17 | 0:57:20 | |
laugh in the face of cold water. | 0:57:20 | 0:57:23 | |
They swim in the Serpentine Lake in London's Hyde Park all year round. | 0:57:23 | 0:57:27 | |
Yes, even when it snows. | 0:57:27 | 0:57:30 | |
Good day, isn't it? | 0:57:30 | 0:57:32 | |
-Lovely day for it. -Oh, the sun's come out. How lovely. Good. | 0:57:32 | 0:57:35 | |
-Robin, George, welcome. -Hello. -Hello. | 0:57:35 | 0:57:38 | |
I'd like to introduce you to our volunteer swimmers for the day. | 0:57:38 | 0:57:42 | |
So Robin and George are winter water babies. | 0:57:42 | 0:57:45 | |
This is what they do all year round, | 0:57:45 | 0:57:47 | |
so I thought they might be able to offer some useful tips and advice. | 0:57:47 | 0:57:50 | |
Mark, why don't you swim all year round here? | 0:57:50 | 0:57:52 | |
Well, historically, we have had people who swam through the winter | 0:57:52 | 0:57:56 | |
but we are looking at reintroducing it, | 0:57:56 | 0:57:58 | |
and it would be really good to hear your tips on how we should do it. | 0:57:58 | 0:58:01 | |
-Start in the summer! -And keep going. | 0:58:01 | 0:58:05 | |
Every day and you'll get used to it, eventually, | 0:58:05 | 0:58:07 | |
after about three years. | 0:58:07 | 0:58:09 | |
George, what's your tip for keeping my hands and my feet warm | 0:58:09 | 0:58:12 | |
because, unfortunately, I can't swim with my boots, | 0:58:12 | 0:58:14 | |
but that's my part that always freezes immediately! | 0:58:14 | 0:58:17 | |
Well, I'd suggest, just wriggle your toes and fingers. | 0:58:17 | 0:58:20 | |
I'd recommend double-hatting. | 0:58:20 | 0:58:23 | |
-Really? -Yeah. Most of the heat comes from the head. | 0:58:23 | 0:58:26 | |
Well, we've got towels and tea. | 0:58:26 | 0:58:27 | |
We're going to keep you warm when you do get out. | 0:58:27 | 0:58:29 | |
-I look forward to that. -Best of luck! | 0:58:29 | 0:58:33 | |
Our winter swimming expert is in! | 0:58:34 | 0:58:37 | |
A nice, steady motion down the stairs. | 0:58:37 | 0:58:39 | |
I like that, gloves and a hat. That's the way I would do it. | 0:58:39 | 0:58:42 | |
Whoo! | 0:58:45 | 0:58:47 | |
GASPS | 0:58:49 | 0:58:50 | |
JULIA: Oh! | 0:59:00 | 0:59:02 | |
How was it? | 0:59:07 | 0:59:08 | |
Cold! Very cold, but lovely. | 0:59:08 | 0:59:11 | |
Lovely? Is that the coldest you've ever been in? | 0:59:11 | 0:59:13 | |
I think it's the coldest I've ever been in, yes. | 0:59:13 | 0:59:16 | |
The temperature is... | 0:59:16 | 0:59:19 | |
according to my watch, 5.8 degrees. | 0:59:19 | 0:59:22 | |
Very vigorous stroke there. | 0:59:24 | 0:59:26 | |
Wow! This man looks like he's planning on spending | 0:59:26 | 0:59:29 | |
-quite a bit of time in there. -Mr Baker, you are just in time. | 0:59:29 | 0:59:32 | |
-Am I? -Yeah. -What's going on? | 0:59:32 | 0:59:35 | |
Get yourself a towel. | 0:59:35 | 0:59:37 | |
There we are. I'm not going to use these. These are just for people | 0:59:38 | 0:59:41 | |
-when they come out? -No, these are their towels. -Oh, right. | 0:59:41 | 0:59:43 | |
-Are you coming out, sir? -I think that will probably do, won't it? | 0:59:43 | 0:59:46 | |
Yes, sir. Come on out, come on out. | 0:59:46 | 0:59:48 | |
That's it from a very nippy Bristol, a very beautiful lake. | 0:59:48 | 0:59:51 | |
Next week, we're in Northumberland | 0:59:51 | 0:59:53 | |
and I'm discovering the origins of your accent, actually. | 0:59:53 | 0:59:56 | |
Hol', man. What you talking about, like? | 0:59:56 | 0:59:58 | |
-Yeah, that one. -OK. | 0:59:58 | 0:59:59 | |
Come on, sir. Very good, sir. And I'm going to be finding out | 0:59:59 | 1:00:02 | |
about the first country pile that was powered by hydro-electricity. | 1:00:02 | 1:00:07 | |
-You could do with a bit of warming up, couldn't you? -I know. | 1:00:07 | 1:00:09 | |
He's powered by hydro-electricity! Come on, luvvie! | 1:00:09 | 1:00:12 | |
-Thank you. -Very good. -Good work! Well done! | 1:00:12 | 1:00:15 | |
-Let me shake you by the hand. -Thank you. -That was lovely. | 1:00:15 | 1:00:17 | |
-I enjoyed it too. -Your hands are surprisingly warm! | 1:00:17 | 1:00:20 | |
Well, yours are cold. That's why! | 1:00:20 | 1:00:22 | |
-That's what you call a hardy perennial. -There you go. | 1:00:22 | 1:00:26 | |
-See you next week! -Good. | 1:00:26 | 1:00:27 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 1:00:48 | 1:00:51 |