0:00:26 > 0:00:28The Cambrian Mountains.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Wild and beautiful.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37They're one of Wales' best kept secrets -
0:00:37 > 0:00:40less well-known than their more famous neighbours
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons.
0:00:43 > 0:00:44But no less beautiful.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48Well, you could be forgiven
0:00:48 > 0:00:51for thinking that time has stood still here.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Farmers work this land like generations before them,
0:00:54 > 0:00:59and they say that going back to basics has its benefits in producing quality food.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04And I'll be finding out how this landscape is their secret ingredient.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08While Cambrian farmers gather what they need from the land,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11other people are drawn to it in a different way.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13For centuries, the Cambrian Mountains
0:01:13 > 0:01:16have inspired artists and writers.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Now, I like to think I'm a bit of a writer -
0:01:18 > 0:01:21but an artist? Well, we'll have to wait and see, because these members
0:01:21 > 0:01:26of a local arts group are going to put my painting skills to the test.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28'Julia and bees haven't always got on.'
0:01:28 > 0:01:32It's stinging my face. Brilliant, right by my eye. In my face...
0:01:32 > 0:01:34But she's in Kent, putting her fears behind her
0:01:34 > 0:01:37to find out about a ground-breaking bumblebee project.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Oh, there she goes.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46Tom investigates whether lead shot is killing our wildlife.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Shooting has been part of our rural life
0:01:48 > 0:01:51for hundreds of years, whether it's for wildlife management,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54sport or maybe one for the pot.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57But, is the ammunition in these cartridges leading to the unintended
0:01:57 > 0:02:01death of thousands of animals long after the trigger's been pulled?
0:02:01 > 0:02:03I'll be investigating.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08And Adam heads to Derbyshire, where it's all about horsepower.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Magnificent, isn't she?
0:02:10 > 0:02:12I'll be finding out why this beautiful horse, Chelsea,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15is more valuable to a multi-million pound
0:02:15 > 0:02:17construction project than a tractor.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38The Cambrian Mountains.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Mile upon mile of wilderness, in the heart of Wales.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Sandwiched between two Welsh heavyweights,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Snowdonia to the north and the Brecon Beacons to the south,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51the Cambrian Mountains are often overshadowed
0:02:51 > 0:02:53by their more celebrated cousins.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01But this untouched, timeless landscape packs a punch of its own.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Terrain and climate dictate things around here.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19For centuries, farming communities have carved out their living on the open mountain,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23using time-honoured methods passed down from generation to generation.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44And if I'm going to go where they go, I've got to swap this trusty steed
0:03:44 > 0:03:47for something that's stood the test of time.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Lads, how are we doing? Owain, James, and who's this?
0:03:51 > 0:03:55- This is Balls.- Balls?! THEY LAUGH
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Should I ask? Why is he called Balls?
0:03:58 > 0:04:02I bought him off my neighbour a few years ago, and he named him,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06- and he's a bit of an eccentric character.- Is he? Good lad.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Balls, it's lovely to meet you. He's a lovely lad!
0:04:09 > 0:04:14Wherever we go, we've obviously got quite a journey, but where are we headed and what's the plan?
0:04:14 > 0:04:18We're going up on the side of the mountain there now. We're going to push the sheep up,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22they tend to come down a bit overnight especially if the weather's been bad.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26And then in the morning we push them back up where the better pasture is.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Old traditions die hard in these uplands.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32To work the steep face of the mountain,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Owain takes to the saddle just like his forebears did,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38raising hefted flocks that don't stray from the mountain.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- Well, there's three lads here and one horse.- Yeah, well, er...
0:04:45 > 0:04:50- we realise you're not very fit so you'd better have the horse. - Cheers, Owain(!)
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Well, Balls, this is going to be exciting.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Come on, man. Come and show me your part of the world.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02There's a good boy.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03WHISTLING
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Soon as Owain starts whistling, that's it.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08- He knows the commands, doesn't he?- Yeah!
0:05:08 > 0:05:11So these are all hefted sheep, then, so they know the area -
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- basically there's no fences? - No, no fences.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19And each spring when the ewes' lambs come out,
0:05:19 > 0:05:24the lamb learns their patch of ground from its mother every year.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30Owain still adheres to the old "hafod a hendre" system.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31After a winter down in the valley,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35he pushes his hefted flock up to the peat bogs and moorland of the mountain,
0:05:35 > 0:05:40where they graze the ancient mosses, lichen and herbs over the long summer.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Bringing them back down to lower ground in the winter doesn't just
0:05:44 > 0:05:47give the sheep a break from the harsh mountain conditions,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50it allows the rich upland pastures to replenish.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54And what is it, then, about this particular grassland or even this
0:05:54 > 0:05:57landscape, this way of life, that makes the meat taste so different?
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Probably, you can rush it.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03It's a seasonal thing, and it's all down to the grass growth
0:06:03 > 0:06:05and the time of year.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08And you're dependent on that.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10And there's nothing you can do to rush it, and it's a nice
0:06:10 > 0:06:14steady process, and you get a really good product at the end of it.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17- So a tried and tested formula - if it ain't broke, don't fix it?- Yeah.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25But the survival of traditional farming communities in these uplands is far from guaranteed.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Already one of the least populated areas of Wales,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33young people are moving away in search of more lucrative professions.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Farmsteads are being sold off,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39and farmers like Owain and his brother James are becoming a dying breed.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46In response, a group of local farmers are joining forces
0:06:46 > 0:06:50to promote their mountain produce. and breathe new life into this place.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56The system itself, really, over the years, has been about working together -
0:06:56 > 0:06:59neighbours working together
0:06:59 > 0:07:01to gather each neighbouring block of hill.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06And, you know, it's sort of moved on now into marketing
0:07:06 > 0:07:10and selling the land together, you know. It's a benefit, definitely.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15Owain is chairing the Cambrian Mountains initiative,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18a marketing venture set up to help farming families
0:07:18 > 0:07:21capitalise on this area's natural resources.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25And so how has it been going, this scheme,
0:07:25 > 0:07:31- and what's the situation this year in comparison to last year?- Good, yeah.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35We moved about 4,500 lambs last year,
0:07:35 > 0:07:41and we've got potential orders up towards 20,000 lambs this year.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45We started with nine members, we've got 21 now, and we're looking for more.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49These lambs are being weighed before they get sent to market.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52That one feels quite good, actually.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56- This one ready to go? - Yeah, if you feel there, look...
0:07:56 > 0:07:59- you can just tell there's just a nice covering there.- Perfect.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03- That one's about ready to go. - Beautiful.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09There we are. Shut that up so they don't run all the way through...
0:08:09 > 0:08:11How would you describe the taste difference?
0:08:11 > 0:08:17It seems as if... I don't know, it's like as if there's almost a bit of sugar in it, it's that sweet.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21You know, very often with meat you want other stuff to go with it.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22You could just eat this on its own.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Just a bit on its own, it's just nice. Yeah.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Now, very soon I'm going to be assigned the important task
0:08:35 > 0:08:40of sampling some of this mouthwatering mountain produce. Somebody's got to do it.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44But first, shooting is a part of managing our countryside,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48but is it leading to the unintentional deaths of some animals?
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Tom has been finding out.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05Britain's wild and wonderful rivers, estuaries and marshland.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09Just a few reasons why this country is such a great place for wetland birds.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14But conservationists are concerned about our waterfowl.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17They say there is a silent killer at work,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21causing some to suffer a slow and painful death.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24That killer is lead poisoning.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29One study claimed it caused the death of nearly one in 12 water birds.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34It's a problem affecting our most popular wetland species -
0:09:34 > 0:09:40so where's the lead coming from that's causing some of our geese, swans and ducks to die?
0:09:43 > 0:09:48Steep, just grazing land, but perfect for poultry. Well, we thought it was.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53Last year, Gary Ashley set up a poultry business in Yorkshire.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57He bought hundreds of ducks, and for a few months everything looked good.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Then, things took a turn for the worse.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Well, I came out one morning and there was a couple of dead ones,
0:10:04 > 0:10:09but I thought, well, OK, you can lose a couple of birds for various reasons.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12And then the next day there might have been six, seven, eight, nine,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16and before I knew it, there was 10 and 20 a day found dead every day.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19And dying birds as well?
0:10:19 > 0:10:24Yeah. I mean, I had learned quickly the signs, and I could see that
0:10:24 > 0:10:27that'll be dead in an hour, that'll be dead tomorrow...
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Gary didn't know why the ducks were dying
0:10:30 > 0:10:33in front of his eyes, so he sent some away for testing.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35They cut the birds, and they cut their gizzards up
0:10:35 > 0:10:39and then they found pieces of lead shot in the gizzard.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42They analysed the levels of lead in their blood,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46and they were, in the words of the vet, they were sky-high.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49The tests seemed to solve the mystery.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52It appeared the ducks had eaten lead shot they thought was grit
0:10:52 > 0:10:56they need to digest food, and although just a few birds
0:10:56 > 0:11:00were tested, Gary believes most were poisoned. But how?
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Well, he says his land is littered with lead, in the soil
0:11:03 > 0:11:05and other places too.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08It just doesn't degrade at all, it just sits there on your roof.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12- So how do you think it got here? - Local shooting activity.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14And what do you think about this now,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17when you're still finding this all over your land?
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Erm... Well, it's upsetting and distressing
0:11:21 > 0:11:24and worrying, to be honest. Cos we know lead's not nice stuff.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26It's been banned in lots of applications.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30And there's probably, I don't know, tens or maybe hundreds on this roof.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32If you multiply that over your six acres
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- that's a fair bit of lead, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38How's this episode this last year left you feeling?
0:11:38 > 0:11:42My attitude is live and let live, I haven't got a problem with shooting
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and lads having some recreation, it's not a problem at all.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49But surely you can't be shooting lead indiscriminately over the land,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52because that kills birds and possibly other things
0:11:52 > 0:11:56and I've got 500 good reasons, 500 dead animals,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00so 500 good reasons why that can't be right.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Gary's no longer a duck farmer.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04In fact, he's only got a handful left,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07and he thinks shooting's to blame. But is that fair?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Shooting's not just a sport,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12it plays an important role in countryside management.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16So, how does it cause the unintentional deaths of water birds?
0:12:16 > 0:12:19The answer lies in the make-up of the munitions.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23In simple terms, shotguns don't fire bullets, they fire cartridges
0:12:23 > 0:12:28like this, each one filled with hundreds of these tiny pellets.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34And what happens to these when they leave the barrel? Well, there's only one way to find out.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42So we're putting in two cartridges, and we've got two targets. Explain to me the idea here.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46OK. Basically what's going to happen, when we fire the gun
0:12:46 > 0:12:49for the first time, you're going to be aiming at the ten-metre target.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52And then when you're ready, your gun will automatically be ready
0:12:52 > 0:12:55for the 35-metre target which is further up.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58And each one of these as we saw earlier is hundreds of little
0:12:58 > 0:13:01bits of lead rather than one big bit.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- There's 324 pieces of lead in there.- OK. Right.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Give me a chance of hitting something.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12OK. Pull!
0:13:12 > 0:13:15And if you'd now like to aim for the second target...
0:13:18 > 0:13:23OK, I'll hand that on to you, can we go and have a look and see how we've done?
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Well, that's quite a dense section there, isn't it, all that pattern?
0:13:28 > 0:13:30It certainly is.
0:13:30 > 0:13:36It's about a foot wide, and what you would expect from a ten-metre shot.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Moment of truth, see whether I actually hit this one at all.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Oh - there are one or two sprinkles.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Well, that is pretty much spread out over the whole target, isn't it?
0:13:45 > 0:13:47It's over everywhere.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- And that's the kind of optimum range that people would normally shoot game.- Yes, indeed.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55So you can really tell from this that if you were a bird in the middle,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58not much of that lead is going to hit you, most of it's going elsewhere.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Certainly not, most of it's missed the bird completely.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05- But well done, you got it. - Proves I CAN hit a barn door with a shotgun.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09It's hard to know how much lead is scattered this way each year.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14In the 1990s, one estimate put it in the thousands of tons.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Since then, a series of laws have been introduced banning lead shot
0:14:17 > 0:14:21in vulnerable areas, like some wetlands and foreshores.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23And in England and Wales, shooting certain birds,
0:14:23 > 0:14:28like ducks and geese, with lead, is now also illegal.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33But the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust believes these laws are not being obeyed.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Well, we've been monitoring bird health for decades now
0:14:36 > 0:14:39and one of the processes we use is X-rays.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43I can show you two X-rays of whooper swan here,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46and if you look up to the light you can see in the gizzard, which is
0:14:46 > 0:14:51the part of the digestive system before it reaches the stomach,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54the shiny lead shot in there amongst other bits of grit that
0:14:54 > 0:14:57the birds take in to grind up the plant food
0:14:57 > 0:14:58before it gets to the stomach.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00What should we be doing about it now?
0:15:00 > 0:15:03One of the things I welcome immensely
0:15:03 > 0:15:05is that the organisations concerned
0:15:05 > 0:15:09with shooting have recently put out a campaign,
0:15:09 > 0:15:10an appeal to their members,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12to comply better with the existing law.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16We found in a Government-funded research project recently
0:15:16 > 0:15:18that only 30% compliance is taking place.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21That's pretty shocking. They've had a long time to get it right.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25It IS appalling. We may not in this country always agree with laws
0:15:25 > 0:15:27but laws are there to be obeyed.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29- And they're not being... - They're not.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32This was the correct action and I support it totally.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38But there are alternatives, such as steel shot,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41so would it be easier to ban lead altogether?
0:15:41 > 0:15:44It would be the simple thing but I think the word "ban"
0:15:44 > 0:15:47is very unhelpful in this kind of debate.
0:15:47 > 0:15:53If that compliance with existing legislation proves to be
0:15:53 > 0:15:55working in the right direction,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58and the numbers are going down and we're addressing it,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00I wouldn't think there'd be a case for a ban at all.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04I want a solution that we have less lead in the environment,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06less damage to wildlife.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Greater compliance really does make a difference.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12America has similar rules to the UK
0:16:12 > 0:16:14and almost all hunters obey them.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Research there has shown birds are ingesting less lead.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21But back here, 45% of shooters surveyed in England
0:16:21 > 0:16:25by The British Association for Shooting & Conservation
0:16:25 > 0:16:28have admitted using lead shot
0:16:28 > 0:16:29when they shouldn't.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32So would fewer of our birds die of lead poisoning
0:16:32 > 0:16:35if the people involved in shooting
0:16:35 > 0:16:38simply obeyed the current law?
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Later on, I'll be hearing their side of the story.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Last month Julia was in Kent
0:16:48 > 0:16:50and summer was already in full swing.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53But she wasn't there for the flowers.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56She was finding out about a special conservation programme
0:16:56 > 0:17:01right in the shadow of one of our biggest power stations.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04This is Dungeness. It's one of the country's great power hubs.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08But it's also a national nature reserve
0:17:08 > 0:17:12and the most important landscape of its type in Europe.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14That's all down to this shingle
0:17:14 > 0:17:17and the plants that manage to establish themselves in this
0:17:17 > 0:17:19seemingly hostile environment.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22In fact, Dungeness is home to one third of all the plants
0:17:22 > 0:17:23found in the UK.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Away from the shores, there are wildflower meadows,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32a rich and vital habitat, thrumming with life.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Rare life, too, not seen in a quarter of a century.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39The short-haired bumblebee.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Just a few weeks ago, 49 queen bees were released here.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46They'd been specially flown in from Sweden as part
0:17:46 > 0:17:48of the short-haired bumblebee project.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51A project designed to re-establish a breeding colony right here.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53And they have high hopes, too,
0:17:53 > 0:17:58because Dungeness is already home to some of the UK's rarest
0:17:58 > 0:17:59bumblebee species.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03The thing is, bees and I, we have a bit of history.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Ow, it's stinging my face. Brilliant(!)
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Right by my eye, in my face.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- Close your eye. - Close my eye...and it's in.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12And it's in.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16- Which is...ah!- Stung you? - Yup.- Oh, dear.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19See what I mean? I have been reliably informed, though,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22the short-haired bumblebee doesn't like tall brunettes.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25They prefer pretty flowers.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26And I'm in good hands.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31I'm meeting the bee queen in these parts, Dr Nikki Gammons.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Ah, Nikki, the glamorous life
0:18:34 > 0:18:35of a bee wrangler!
0:18:35 > 0:18:38What have you got? Have we got the short-haired?
0:18:38 > 0:18:40I haven't got a short-haired bumble bee with me.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43They're about somewhere but they can disperse up to about ten kilometres,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46so at this stage it will be a little tricky to find them,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48but once they start producing workers,
0:18:48 > 0:18:49we hope to start seeing them.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51What have we got, then?
0:18:51 > 0:18:53This is a brown-banded bumblebee.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55This is one of the UK's rarest bumblebees.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- Can we get it out? - Yes, we can have a look.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02I think this one has actually newly emerged out of hibernation.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05See her wings are perfectly intact.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Normally, if they've been out quite a while,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09they get really worn and quite ragged.
0:19:09 > 0:19:10So a bit of damage?
0:19:10 > 0:19:12She'll be looking now
0:19:12 > 0:19:17for somewhere to nest and somewhere to go and forage.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18She'll be happy there.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19She will be happy there.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22This is one of her favourite forage plants,
0:19:22 > 0:19:23common vetch,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25and she'll gather nectar and pollen from that.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29Perfect. What else do you have to show me in your magic pot?
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I have this bee here - the cuckoo bumblebee species.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34You sure it's a bee, not a bird?
0:19:34 > 0:19:36You haven't got confused?
0:19:36 > 0:19:40We call it a cuckoo as it does a very similar thing to the cuckoo bird.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41It goes into the nest of the social colony,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44which means it has the queen and the work cast.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47She'll kill, dislodge the queen,
0:19:47 > 0:19:48lay her eggs inside the nest
0:19:48 > 0:19:50- and let the workers rear them and feed them for her.- No!
0:19:50 > 0:19:53She's built for a fight.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Look how big she is, compared to our previous bee.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59Exactly. She's much bigger.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03She also has an extra layer on her shell.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06That means it's harder for her to get stung.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Also, her sting at the back is longer as well.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12There she goes off.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17These are all very exciting finds and fantastic for the area.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20We actually have the highest number of rare bumblebees
0:20:20 > 0:20:21anywhere in the UK.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24With the reintroduction of the short-haired bumblebee,
0:20:24 > 0:20:26we have six of the seven rarest bumblebee species.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30We've been creating a huge amount of habitat across Dungeness and Romney Marsh.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33That has helped increase all those rare bumblebee numbers.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35I want to say something awful like "I'll buzz off now,"
0:20:35 > 0:20:37but I'd never say anything to you like that.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Or maybe I would.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Up to 98% of our wildflower meadows have been
0:20:48 > 0:20:53lost in the last 60 years as farming has changed and intensified.
0:20:53 > 0:20:59That's just one of the reasons that bumblebees have struggled to survive.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02The thing about the bumblebee project is it's not just a
0:21:02 > 0:21:06case of bringing back the bees, it's also a case of bringing back the flowers.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12That's something that Brian Neill knows all about.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17He's devoted swathes of his farmland to create bee habitats.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- I don't want to be rude... Hello.- Pleased to meet you.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23- But it's a little bit messy. - You're right.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26In order to get the best habitat that suits most wildlife,
0:21:26 > 0:21:31is long strips of narrow, favourable vegetation.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35- And a mosaic across the whole farm. - So you'll mix it up?
0:21:35 > 0:21:36Mix it up.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41Here is some red clover which hasn't come to flower yet.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44- But bees like that. - Bees like that, the flower
0:21:44 > 0:21:48- and we have some vetch. - It's pretty, isn't it?
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- It's the leaves I like on the flower.- Yes, that's right.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55Then we've got oxeye daisies which have only just come to flower this week.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Hello, lovelies. There are so pretty, aren't they?
0:21:58 > 0:21:59Flies like them.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02The flies and the bees like them.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Hang on just a moment.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10As we're standing here, we've just caught sight of a hare
0:22:10 > 0:22:13bobbing around in the long grass behind me.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15What a lovely sight!
0:22:17 > 0:22:19In an instant, he was gone.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Proof that this landscape is good for all wildlife,
0:22:23 > 0:22:24not just bees.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27During the next few years, it's hoped farmers like Brian
0:22:27 > 0:22:30will be able to release rare bees directly
0:22:30 > 0:22:31onto their own land,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34creating a patchwork of great bumblebee sites
0:22:34 > 0:22:36all across Kent.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Back here in the Cambrian Mountains,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50water has always played an important part.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55Nowhere more so than the curious town of Llanwrtyd Wells,
0:22:55 > 0:22:56on the River Irfon.
0:22:59 > 0:23:05Being Britain's smallest town isn't Llanwrtyd Wells' only claim to fame.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Once an unremarkable hamlet, called Pont-Rhyd-y-Fferau,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11meaning "bridge over ankle-deep ford,"
0:23:11 > 0:23:14this whole town was built on one thing.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Its natural spring water.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23This isn't any old spring water.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27The springs here are thought to have special qualities.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Back in 1732, as folklore has it,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32a local clergyman by the name of Theophilus Evans
0:23:32 > 0:23:37was out walking when his curiosity was aroused by a particularly
0:23:37 > 0:23:41radiant-looking frog drinking from a bubbling spring.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45Evans was seriously unwell with scurvy and, intrigued by the frog's healthy glow,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49he decided to drink some of the water himself.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54To his great surprise, he was miraculously cured of his ills.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59So it sounds a bit far-fetched, but does this legend have any merit?
0:23:59 > 0:24:02June Newman, former mayor of Llanwrtyd Wells
0:24:02 > 0:24:04wanted to tell me more.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Here's the well, Matt.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09I'm getting a stronger smell.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10Wait till you get in there.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12It's quite ornate, isn't it?
0:24:12 > 0:24:14It is. This is the site of the original
0:24:14 > 0:24:16conservatory that housed the well.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Here we go.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19Oh! Wow!
0:24:19 > 0:24:24'Rotten eggs. Not my favourite smell.'
0:24:24 > 0:24:25Sorry.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Oh. man. Well, I never...
0:24:30 > 0:24:32What's all this white stuff?
0:24:32 > 0:24:35I'm not entirely sure. I believe it's sulphur deposit.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38But the water is incredibly clear.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Do you believe that story of Theophilus Evans
0:24:41 > 0:24:43and his vibrant frog?
0:24:43 > 0:24:46It's a very commonly believed story.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48He was so taken with this cure
0:24:48 > 0:24:49he actually wrote to
0:24:49 > 0:24:51several eminent London medical journals
0:24:51 > 0:24:54and they took him seriously and published his results.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58That's how the story of the water started.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Once word got out about the town's miraculous healing waters,
0:25:05 > 0:25:10this small village in the middle of nowhere became a magnet for health tourism.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13The town was re-branded as Llanwrtyd Wells,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16In recognition of its newly acquired spa town status.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20The Dol-Y-Coed Hotel & Spa was one of many buildings that sprang up to
0:25:20 > 0:25:23accommodate tourists.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Holiday-makers would come here in their droves to
0:25:28 > 0:25:30bathe in the health-giving water,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34which was pumped into hot and cold sulphur baths in here where
0:25:34 > 0:25:37people would soak for hours to cleanse their skin.
0:25:37 > 0:25:38Right, OK.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41Are you decent?
0:25:44 > 0:25:48Seems that these days it's just a storage room...
0:25:48 > 0:25:51for a local electronics company.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55For 200 years, Llanwrtyd Wells thrived,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58but from 1948, visitor numbers steadily dwindled,
0:25:58 > 0:26:03thanks in part to the establishment of the National Health Service.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07But a small handful still believe in the special power of this water.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09So, Hywel, you are the
0:26:09 > 0:26:11great-great-great-great- great-great-great grandson
0:26:11 > 0:26:15- of Theophilus Evans.- That's correct.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Do you believe the whole spotting of the frog and Evans thinking,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22"Goodness me, this water has hidden properties, I'll have some myself"?
0:26:22 > 0:26:25I don't know why you ask the question. Of course I believe it.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27And you've been drinking it all of your life.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30I do a lot of running and jogging and stuff
0:26:30 > 0:26:32and I call in here occasionally
0:26:32 > 0:26:36to have some of this wonderful spring water.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38When you say "occasionally", how often do you drink it?
0:26:38 > 0:26:43- Probably... I'm down to once a week now.- That's changed, has it?
0:26:43 > 0:26:45- Yes.- Why?
0:26:45 > 0:26:50Because it has a significant cleansing effect on system.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53- Right!- Keeps you regular, shall we say?
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Which is not ideal if you're out on a run.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Let's go and try some, shall we?
0:26:57 > 0:26:58To be honest with you,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02now you've put that in my mind, I'm not so sure.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08I've put that much in. Is that a bad amount?
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- We should have shot glasses. - About that much in there.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18You're the expert, you should know!
0:27:18 > 0:27:22It depends on how your system is right now.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23- Cheers!- Cheers.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Tell me when to start running.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28THEY LAUGH
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Isn't that the best thing you've ever tasted?
0:27:35 > 0:27:37It's certainly an acquired taste.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39It's eggy.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41There's no doubt about it.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43I'll tell you what...
0:27:46 > 0:27:48..it has quite an oily texture to it, hasn't it?
0:27:48 > 0:27:51If you drink it
0:27:51 > 0:27:52on your nose...
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Maybe I'll try that technique.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58It's just like water then.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01That's fine when you do that.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Where are the nearest facilities, just out of interest?
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Perhaps there is some truth
0:28:11 > 0:28:14in this water's strange powers
0:28:14 > 0:28:16or was it just a clever marketing ploy
0:28:16 > 0:28:18to get this place on the tourist map?
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Later, I'll be calling in the scientists
0:28:20 > 0:28:23to put this myth to bed once and for all.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Earlier, Tom heard claims that lead shot
0:28:32 > 0:28:35used in shooting is leading to the inadvertent poisoning
0:28:35 > 0:28:37of water birds - and that's despite laws
0:28:37 > 0:28:40designed to stop that happening.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42So, who is breaking the rules?
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Shooting is a significant part of British life.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Game-shooting alone is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52The wider industry employs
0:28:52 > 0:28:53tens of thousands and overall,
0:28:53 > 0:28:58it's though to be worth 1.6 billion to the British economy.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01So what do people in the shooting community make of the claims
0:29:01 > 0:29:05lead shot is poisoning our wildlife?
0:29:05 > 0:29:09Certainly if we found anybody using lead on our land,
0:29:09 > 0:29:11and he was a club member,
0:29:11 > 0:29:13they would be instantly expelled.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15Wildfowler Ian Gill's
0:29:15 > 0:29:18been hunting on the Dee Estuary for years
0:29:18 > 0:29:20and says on these marshes, the people he shoots with
0:29:20 > 0:29:23use legal shot. They use the most common
0:29:23 > 0:29:26alternative to lead, which is steel.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29But although they follow the law,
0:29:29 > 0:29:31they don't necessarily agree with it.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34In fact, people like Ian think lead is more humane.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38One major thing is steel is less dense than lead
0:29:38 > 0:29:40and it's harder.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42These are some steel pellets
0:29:42 > 0:29:46that you would fire out of a cartridge.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49If you take these handy little pliers
0:29:49 > 0:29:51and try and squeeze one.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55I basically can't make
0:29:55 > 0:29:57much of an impression on that at all.
0:29:57 > 0:30:02That's still pretty much a totally spherical object.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06- And these are some lead pellets. - Right.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08OK, let's give that one a squeeze.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12- Well, that's like bubble gum by comparison, isn't it?- It is, yeah.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14It is just squashing flat.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17And why is that important in terms of killing a bird?
0:30:17 > 0:30:22Because as it distorts like that, it creates more damage
0:30:22 > 0:30:25and therefore causes death much more quickly
0:30:25 > 0:30:30than some steel, which, because it doesn't distort,
0:30:30 > 0:30:34can sometimes carry straight through the bird without killing it.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38Here on these marshes, they may prefer lead,
0:30:38 > 0:30:42but they don't use it. Others, however, aren't so responsible.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44So, is it time for a change in the law
0:30:44 > 0:30:47or just a change in some people's attitude?
0:30:49 > 0:30:54Well, back in 2010, an organisation called the Lead Ammunition Group
0:30:54 > 0:30:58was created to advise the Government specifically on issues like this.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01It represents shooting, countryside and conservation groups,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04but its report is now two years overdue.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10The group's spokesman told us the reason for the delay
0:31:10 > 0:31:13was the amount of time spent doing risk assessments
0:31:13 > 0:31:16on the impact of lead ammunition on wildlife and humans,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19both directly and through the livestock we eat.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21They said there was an enormous amount of evidence to sift through
0:31:21 > 0:31:25and researchers were doing it all in their own time.
0:31:26 > 0:31:31The group is unlikely to publish its report until later this year,
0:31:31 > 0:31:36but some shooting organisations say action IS being taken now.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39We do know that there is some lack of compliance,
0:31:39 > 0:31:41especially on inland duck shoots.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44The British Association For Shooting & Conservation
0:31:44 > 0:31:47is trying to raise awareness and compliance with the law.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49As we heard earlier,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52many of its members have already admitted breaking the rules,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56but it doesn't think that's a reason for new legislation.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Well, the only way you change law
0:31:58 > 0:32:00is if you are going to make things better.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03The issue here is that the Lead Ammunition Group
0:32:03 > 0:32:06is looking at ALL the evidence that's being presented,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09ALL the reports, and it will come to a decision,
0:32:09 > 0:32:13which it will pass to Government, who will determine policy.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18The last thing we want to do is have incomplete evidence,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21poor science, resulting in bad policy.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23I'm just wondering how many more studies you need showing there is
0:32:23 > 0:32:26a problem here. You can go on for ever saying we need more evidence.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Surely it's time for action to protect our wild birds?
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Look, there are laws already in place.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34What we are talking about is compliance here and, therefore,
0:32:34 > 0:32:36you can do two things as government.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40You can put a policeman on every single field across the country
0:32:40 > 0:32:42or you can turn round and say,
0:32:42 > 0:32:44"We want to have better compliance, which is why
0:32:44 > 0:32:49"we are running this campaign for shooters, paid for by shooters."
0:32:49 > 0:32:52But you wouldn't need a policeman on every shoot, as you put it,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55if your members were obeying the law and they're not.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Well, I think most people ARE acting responsibly.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Look at what the wildfowling clubs are doing.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03Although individual groups are making their voices heard,
0:33:03 > 0:33:07we are still waiting to see if the Government is going to act.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09In a statement, Defra told us
0:33:09 > 0:33:11that it was important the evidence gathered and conclusions made
0:33:11 > 0:33:15by the Lead Ammunition Group were properly considered
0:33:15 > 0:33:18before it decides what, if anything, needs to be done.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Water birds are an integral part of countryside,
0:33:23 > 0:33:25but so, for many, is shooting.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27While we wait for the Government to decide
0:33:27 > 0:33:31if any changes are needed, there is something shooters can do today
0:33:31 > 0:33:34to help our wild birds -
0:33:34 > 0:33:37make sure the cartridge they are loading complies with the law.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Back in May, Adam was asked by his neighbour to source
0:33:43 > 0:33:46and manage a breed of cattle on her behalf.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Adam did just that and found a beautiful herd of Herefords
0:33:49 > 0:33:52being sold by a top breeder near Ledbury.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54But did the neighbour take plunge?
0:33:59 > 0:34:03Buying a herd of cows is a massive commitment, but a real opportunity.
0:34:03 > 0:34:0620 Herefords were up for sale by Gerald Blandford
0:34:06 > 0:34:09and, after seeing them, my neighbour, Jane Parker,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12decided they were perfect for her farm.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15But a couple of days later, we had a call from Gerald.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18He'd decided he didn't just want to sell 20 cows,
0:34:18 > 0:34:23he wanted to retire and, therefore, wanted to sell the whole herd,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26which added up to around 80 cows, all of their calves
0:34:26 > 0:34:29and three bulls, and would Jane be interested?
0:34:29 > 0:34:30Well, yes, she was.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Here's some of them here and there is another herd
0:34:33 > 0:34:36up on the hill in a field up there and I'm going to meet up with
0:34:36 > 0:34:40Jane and my livestock manager who is helping her to look after them.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52So you were expecting to buy 20 cows and calves
0:34:52 > 0:34:56- and now you've got how many? - We've got 170, Adam.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59But we decided it was really too good an opportunity to miss.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04Gerald has built up this fantastic, high-status, high-health herd.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07He's spent 55 years doing it.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11It won National Herd Of The Year last year and look at them!
0:35:11 > 0:35:15They are beautiful, healthy, shapely animals
0:35:15 > 0:35:18and we are looking forward to our breeding plans.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Yeah, quite complicated, isn't it?
0:35:20 > 0:35:23You've got how many different herds on the farm now?
0:35:23 > 0:35:27We've essentially got three different groups, three different bulls.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31We've got Nationwide, who is six going on seven.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35We've got Cohen, who is behind us somewhere, who is three.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38And we've got one young one called Jones in a different field,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41so, yes, you have to sort them out into three different groups
0:35:41 > 0:35:44and I think Mike would agree it was a fairly busy first evening.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47Yeah, there was a lot of names to learn
0:35:47 > 0:35:48right at the start with 170 cows
0:35:48 > 0:35:51and we've got three bulls cos there are too many cows just for one bull.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55We actually try to pick the cows to go with the right bull.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58Cohen here is a very muscular, shapely bull,
0:35:58 > 0:35:59so we try and pick cows that will produce
0:35:59 > 0:36:02the best bull calves from him for next year.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Obviously, we've got daughters in the herd of some of the bulls
0:36:05 > 0:36:08and we have to be careful not to put the wrong cow with the wrong bull.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11And what sort of difference would there be between a breeding bull
0:36:11 > 0:36:14to a pedigree herd and a beef animal for the table?
0:36:14 > 0:36:16There can be quite a difference for the very best bulls.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20They can be 5,000 or 6,000 for the very, very best
0:36:20 > 0:36:23and for beef, it can be about 1,500,
0:36:23 > 0:36:24so there is a big difference.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27The more you can get away as pedigree breeding bulls the better.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30- Yes.- And Gerald had a good market for that, didn't he?
0:36:30 > 0:36:31Yes, Gerald was very successful
0:36:31 > 0:36:34in selling bulls to the French market and, of course,
0:36:34 > 0:36:38we hope to break into the dairy market a bit more,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40where dairy farmers have been recognising
0:36:40 > 0:36:42that Hereford bulls actually make very good crosses
0:36:42 > 0:36:45with their Friesian herds and produce excellent results.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Well, the sooner you get some money coming in...
0:36:47 > 0:36:49It was quite a big cheque to pay, wasn't it?
0:36:49 > 0:36:50LAUGHTER
0:36:55 > 0:36:58I am now heading to Derbyshire to meet up with a couple whose passion
0:36:58 > 0:37:02is with one of the most majestic and strong horses in the equine world.
0:37:04 > 0:37:05The Shire.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17Lance and Corinne Rose breed heavy horses and they want to show me
0:37:17 > 0:37:19something very special.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23They've got a young Shire foal here. Hello.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26- Hi, Lance. Good to see you. Hi, Corinne.- Hi, Adam.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28This is a lovely little foal. How old is this one?
0:37:28 > 0:37:30She is seven weeks old and this is Tia.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Goodness me, look at her great big long legs. She's wonderful.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37- You don't get bigger than this.- So how many heavy horses have you got?
0:37:37 > 0:37:40We've got eight and we've got five Shires,
0:37:40 > 0:37:43two Clydesdales and a Shire cross Dales.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47They became our passion really. They are very rare.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51These guys used to plough the fields, pull the canal boats,
0:37:51 > 0:37:55pull all the carts delivering the stone, taking all the muck away.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59Now, I'm used to driving tractors,
0:37:59 > 0:38:02but it's been a while since I handled a Shire.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07- OK.- OK. So we'll stop here,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10- so if you want to take your reins from round the hames.- Right.
0:38:10 > 0:38:15- Safe distance away.- OK.- That's it.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19- Right is away and left is come here.- Come here.- Yeah.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21- A bit like a working sheepdog. - Yes. That's right.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23- OK and to go is walk on? - Yes, walk on.- OK.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Walk on then.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Steady. Away.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35- Steady.- Pull her back a little bit. That's it.- She's keen, isn't she?
0:38:35 > 0:38:40- She loves her job.- Round to the left? - Yeah, have her turn round.- Come here.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47- How long does it take to train them? - To properly train them, a few years.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51- So what do you mainly use this one for?- Well, at the moment,
0:38:51 > 0:38:53we've just been asked to do an exciting project
0:38:53 > 0:38:56on a reservoir just down the road from us at Ambergate,
0:38:56 > 0:39:01where we are having to pull logs into a wood to make insect hotels.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06This is Ambergate Reservoir, where Severn Trent Water
0:39:06 > 0:39:10are building two new reservoirs on the site of an old Edwardian one.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12They will eventually serve
0:39:12 > 0:39:14over 500,000 customers in the East Midlands.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18The project engineer is Mike Wratten.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21It was built over 100 years ago, but it's showing signs of its age now
0:39:21 > 0:39:23and it's overdue for replacement.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25I suppose with this kind of contracting work,
0:39:25 > 0:39:27you have to be careful of the environment.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29I see you've done a lot of tree felling already.
0:39:29 > 0:39:30They were conifers planted
0:39:30 > 0:39:33at the time the original reservoir was constructed,
0:39:33 > 0:39:36so no great problems clearing those trees.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41What you can see just above us here is an area of ancient woodland,
0:39:41 > 0:39:46which Natural England are going to designate as a SSSI.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49One of the things that they've asked us to do is to move
0:39:49 > 0:39:52some logs from the area that we're felling
0:39:52 > 0:39:55up into the woodland here to construct insect hotels.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59Insect hotels are made from decaying natural materials
0:39:59 > 0:40:03and provide the ideal environment for insects, invertebrates
0:40:03 > 0:40:04and mammals to breed.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06I suppose when a horse is moving about
0:40:06 > 0:40:09in a Site Of Special Scientific Interest,
0:40:09 > 0:40:13they're not damaging all the flora and fauna that exist in there.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Yes, one of the key things that Natural England have highlighted
0:40:16 > 0:40:19is the fungi that live in the woodland, in the leaf litter itself,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22so the less we disturb that, so much the better,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25so far better to have something like a heavy horse
0:40:25 > 0:40:28come in and move the timber than heavy machinery
0:40:28 > 0:40:31that would do a lot of damage and chew things up basically.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37Hello, Chelsea. Ready for action? So, can I give it a go then, Lance?
0:40:37 > 0:40:40This is where the playing stops and the hard work begins.
0:40:40 > 0:40:41Right. Walk on then.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46Steady, steady.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50I can really feel the power of this horse now,
0:40:50 > 0:40:54pulling the timber through the wood, making real easy work of it.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59- Steady, steady. Where are we going? In there?- To the right, yes.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Whoa.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06So this is where the insect hotel is going, Lance, I presume, is it?
0:41:06 > 0:41:14This is some wood we've done earlier for small mammals, grubs, spiders.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17In a particular area of the woodlands, in the shade or...?
0:41:17 > 0:41:19In the shade, yeah, because fungus grows in the shade,
0:41:19 > 0:41:22it likes to go in the shade and rocky areas like this.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24OK, let's go and get another one.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Walk on. Walk on. Whoa.
0:41:37 > 0:41:38Walk on.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42There's a good girl.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Oh, crikey! I'm nearly falling over it now.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52It's really quite difficult, isn't it, trying to avoid the log myself?
0:41:52 > 0:41:54- It is, and see where you're going. - Away. Walk on then. Walk on.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57Good girl. Steady, steady.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03Walk on, walk on. Walk on. Whoa.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Heavy horses will never take back
0:42:07 > 0:42:10the work they lost to machinery and the Industrial Revolution,
0:42:10 > 0:42:14but hopefully there will always be special projects like this one
0:42:14 > 0:42:18where these magnificent animals can be used.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19Good girl. Walk on.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34In the heart of the Cambrian mountains
0:42:34 > 0:42:37sits the Elan Valley Estate, a beautiful spot that's got it all -
0:42:37 > 0:42:41woodland, rivers, massive reservoirs
0:42:41 > 0:42:45and there's 72 square miles of it.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47This is just one of the magnificent views
0:42:47 > 0:42:49you can get of the Elan Valley.
0:42:49 > 0:42:50Everywhere you look,
0:42:50 > 0:42:53there are reservoirs built more than 100 years ago
0:42:53 > 0:42:56to provide drinking water for the people of Birmingham.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00But today, I'm not too interested in all that water.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03What interests me is the land around it.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09I'm going on an exploration of this remote place to see for myself
0:43:09 > 0:43:14how the landscape is being cherished by the people who live around here.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16Head ranger on the estate, Sorcha Lewis,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18has unique access to the land.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21- Hello, Sorcha.- Oh, hello, John.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24- Nice to see you.- You too. - So what's going on here, then?
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Well, I'm just having a look at all the flowers that are starting
0:43:27 > 0:43:30to come out in this hay meadow and recording them for our records.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32So you are just spotting an eyebright there,
0:43:32 > 0:43:34one of my favourite wildflowers.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36Yes, I love eyebright. They are very cheerful, aren't they?
0:43:36 > 0:43:40- Supposed to cure all ailments of the eye, aren't they?- That's it, yes.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42And you've got a vast array of wildflowers here, haven't you?
0:43:42 > 0:43:45- At the moment, a carpet of buttercups.- It is and, I mean,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48that's what I think the beauty of the hay meadows are,
0:43:48 > 0:43:50is how they change from the buttercups to the yellow rattle,
0:43:50 > 0:43:53you've got the eyebrights coming through,
0:43:53 > 0:43:57so they change for the weeks before we cut them for hay.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02This is my patch, really.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05I'm very passionate about this meadow, particularly,
0:44:05 > 0:44:06because it's on our farm,
0:44:06 > 0:44:09as well as I come here through work to survey for it.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13So you're a mixture then, aren't you, of a ranger, a custodian
0:44:13 > 0:44:16- and a farmer?- Yes. Which is interesting...
0:44:16 > 0:44:17SHE LAUGHS
0:44:17 > 0:44:19..when it comes to topics at the table.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22But, yeah, I really enjoy the challenges from both sides
0:44:22 > 0:44:25of conservation and farming and making them work together, really.
0:44:28 > 0:44:34One of Sorcha's many jobs is to keep a log of mammal numbers in the area.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37And there's one in particular that she's trying to track -
0:44:37 > 0:44:40the elusive water vole.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42On all my years on Countryfile, Sorcha,
0:44:42 > 0:44:43I've never seen a water vole.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46Am I going to be lucky today, do you think?
0:44:46 > 0:44:49Well, we'd be very lucky today. I've spent a lot of time looking for them
0:44:49 > 0:44:51and they are pretty elusive, John.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55But I have put out some of these camera traps in the hope that they
0:44:55 > 0:44:57will actually catch the water vole for us.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00- Have you seen anything on the cameras yet?- I have.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03The first day I put them out, I did see an otter, which I didn't expect
0:45:03 > 0:45:07to see, which was a real delight, which spurred me to keep going.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11Are there any signs around of water vole?
0:45:11 > 0:45:16- Down here, I noticed little cut pieces of rushes.- Oh, yes.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18- And you can see... - Where it has been nibbled away.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22I think that might be the work of a water vole. I am very hopeful it is the work of a water vole.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24So what have we got on here?
0:45:24 > 0:45:26CAMERA BEEPS
0:45:26 > 0:45:29- Oh! Oh, there's something there. - Let's see it.- Do you see it?
0:45:31 > 0:45:35- Oh, yes.- Now that to me looks very much like a water vole.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38- It does, doesn't it? - And there it is, yeah. Look!
0:45:38 > 0:45:40- Can you see it grabbing the apple? - Fantastic!
0:45:40 > 0:45:44That is proof that they live around here, water voles -
0:45:44 > 0:45:48- one of Britain's rarest mammals. - That's it, in the uplands.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52- This is really interesting to catch some like that.- Oh, fantastic!
0:45:54 > 0:45:58Sorcha's not alone in wanting to preserve the natural beauty.
0:45:58 > 0:45:59I'm going to join artists from the nearby
0:45:59 > 0:46:03town of Rhayader to see what fires their imagination.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07- Can I join you? - Yes, you certainly can.- Thank you.
0:46:08 > 0:46:12Why do you all come up and paint in the outdoors?
0:46:12 > 0:46:14Isn't it easier to do it in a studio?
0:46:14 > 0:46:17Well, you don't get the same feel and it's very difficult to see
0:46:17 > 0:46:22exactly what you've got in a photograph, you don't get the sense of depth, the depth of field goes.
0:46:22 > 0:46:27You get a lot more atmosphere when you're painting outdoors.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29You can hear the birds, just everything around it,
0:46:29 > 0:46:31and I think that influences you,
0:46:31 > 0:46:33and you get wet, and the paper gets wet.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35- At least you've brought your- camper van. Yes, I did.
0:46:35 > 0:46:40- If it does rain heavier.- We had a warning that it was going to be wet.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44- That's my broad outline.- Yes.- What do you think?- It's a start, John.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52Just some of the local people who enjoy capturing their surroundings.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54But we want you to do that too with your cameras
0:46:54 > 0:46:59and enter your favourite shots of the British countryside in our photographic competition.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05To help with some inspiration, I've invited an old friend
0:47:05 > 0:47:08along, world-renowned landscape photographer, Charlie Waite.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13- How are you?- Hello, John. Nice to see you.- Good to see you again.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15Nice to see you, and here.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18- Yeah, why have you chosen this particular spot?- Pastoral.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22Pastoral, romantic and the depth...
0:47:22 > 0:47:24If you can just see those wonderful reflections,
0:47:24 > 0:47:28albeit rather vague ones, that do look as if they are going back
0:47:28 > 0:47:31and back and back, which I think is really lovely.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34Well, the theme for our photographic competition this year,
0:47:34 > 0:47:36Charlie, is "our living landscape".
0:47:36 > 0:47:40So how would you encapsulate that thought right here?
0:47:40 > 0:47:43I think the first thing I'd do is notice that it's part
0:47:43 > 0:47:46moorland and part farmed.
0:47:46 > 0:47:53So there is a relationship between man and man's industry and involvement with the land
0:47:53 > 0:47:55and then right at the top on those two rounded bits,
0:47:55 > 0:47:58there doesn't seem to be any at all. There are a few sheep up there,
0:47:58 > 0:48:01but really not much, so it's quite harsh up there.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03And down here it's very pastoral.
0:48:03 > 0:48:08I think if I can manage to produce an image that conveys that experience and that mood and
0:48:08 > 0:48:13that feel, then in theory the viewer should say, "Oh yes, I like that."
0:48:25 > 0:48:29- Your time's up Charlie.- It is.- I think this is my favourite shot.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32- What do you think of that? - Oh, it's far too good!
0:48:32 > 0:48:37Charlie's photographed everything from Mount Fuji to the Tuscan hillsides
0:48:37 > 0:48:39and here's what he made of this landscape.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51Already we have received thousands of entries for this year's
0:48:51 > 0:48:52photographic competition,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55but could it be that you haven't sent yours in yet?
0:48:55 > 0:48:58Details of how to do so are on our website.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00We're looking for beautiful photographs
0:49:00 > 0:49:02of the British countryside
0:49:02 > 0:49:04and of everything and anything that lives within it.
0:49:04 > 0:49:09The best 12 photos will make up the Countryfile calendar for 2014,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12which we sell in aid of Children in Need.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15And now for everybody who is going to be out and about in the week ahead,
0:49:15 > 0:49:17here comes the Countryfile forecast.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10I'm in the Cambrian Mountains,
0:52:10 > 0:52:14a wild and windswept landscape forming the backbone of Wales.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18Earlier I saw how farmers are putting traditional produce from this
0:52:18 > 0:52:20little-known region on the map.
0:52:20 > 0:52:26And I stopped off at a once popular spa town that's fallen on hard times since its Victorian heyday
0:52:26 > 0:52:31when people flocked here to drink its fabled healing water.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34But is there any truth in the claim that Llanwrtyd Wells' spring water
0:52:34 > 0:52:36cures scurvy?
0:52:36 > 0:52:40Researchers from Aberystwyth University have been looking into it.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45So, Bill, you've got some technical gadget there.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48And we're going to test the water and see how different this is than
0:52:48 > 0:52:51to tap water that we would normally drink.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56So, this is telling us
0:52:56 > 0:52:59how much material is actually dissolved in the water.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03So the higher the reading, the more dissolved or the more salty,
0:53:03 > 0:53:06in this case - this is quite a saline water.
0:53:06 > 0:53:11OK. And this is coming from deep, deep, deep underground.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15We're pretty sure this is quite deep. Deep but flowing very slowly.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19So what we might be looking at here is really relatively old rain water.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22- How old?- Ooh, thousands of years?
0:53:22 > 0:53:26Could have fallen on the hills around and very, very slow movement
0:53:26 > 0:53:27through these rocks,
0:53:27 > 0:53:30and then come back up to the surface relatively slowly.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34- And what's the smell, then? - Hydrogen sulphide.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37So that's the rotten egg smell that you can smell.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40Because this water spent a long time underground,
0:53:40 > 0:53:42it's been out of contact with the air.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46So it's lost any oxygen it had and it's just picked up this
0:53:46 > 0:53:50sulphury smell as it's passed through the rocks.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54Does this water excite you from a scientist's point of view?
0:53:54 > 0:53:57- It is a very interesting water. - And that's where Emma comes in.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59That's where Emma comes in.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03So, people from miles around flocked to this place for the health
0:54:03 > 0:54:06qualities of this water. You've done the tests -
0:54:06 > 0:54:08what is the conclusion?
0:54:08 > 0:54:09There's a lot dissolved in it,
0:54:09 > 0:54:14but nothing that you can conclusively say has health benefits.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17None of them would be for the cure of scurvy.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19For that you need vitamin C for.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21So you've got, you know,
0:54:21 > 0:54:24elements like bromide coming up in this which,
0:54:24 > 0:54:27of course, was reputedly put in the tea of soldiers
0:54:27 > 0:54:33during the war to suppress some of their more dangerous urges, shall we say.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37It's also got high lithium, which is used to treat depressives.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40So, you know, there are chemical things in it that might have an
0:54:40 > 0:54:44effect on people in terms of their mood, shall we say.
0:54:47 > 0:54:48So there we have it.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52It's unlikely to have cured the scurvy in the 18th-century but the
0:54:52 > 0:54:57idea this water CAN make people feel better may not be so outlandish.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05Lindsay Ketteringham, microbrewer and local landlord, has found it
0:55:05 > 0:55:09gives an award-winning edge to his Cambrian Mountain beer.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12Good.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16Does the beer have a slight, kind of, eggy tinge to it when it's finished?
0:55:16 > 0:55:20- Because, obviously, with the high sulphur content in there.- Mm-hm.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24No. It doesn't. During the brewing process it gets boiled for about an hour.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28So any gas goes off up the chimney.
0:55:29 > 0:55:34Well, let's see what effect the alcoholic version of this legendary water has on me.
0:55:34 > 0:55:38- Let's start one end and work along, shall we?- Right. That sounds like a good idea.
0:55:38 > 0:55:39This is my golden ale.
0:55:40 > 0:55:42That's a lovely summer drink, that one.
0:55:42 > 0:55:47- Oh, that's a lot... It's certainly flowery-er, isn't it? - Flowery, citrusy.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49I'm starting to relax into this now.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51- It's very nice, let's go for number three.- Drovers Return.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53Drovers Return. Cheers.
0:55:57 > 0:55:58Oh, right. Now, that's...
0:55:58 > 0:56:02That's... That's very different, actually to the other two.
0:56:02 > 0:56:07- It is.- That is very nice. - That's a smoother, fruitier one.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09But a little bit stronger.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13Oh, yeah. That's very fruity.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15Do you know my job is tough, isn't it?
0:56:15 > 0:56:18- Isn't my job...?- Oh, come on!- Isn't my job rock hard?- You're loving it!
0:56:19 > 0:56:20THEY ALL LAUGH
0:56:20 > 0:56:25I've been up that mountain on horseback today. Honestly.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29It is rock hard. Honestly. Cheers.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31HE LAUGHS
0:56:33 > 0:56:37So, from its water being turned into award-winning beer,
0:56:37 > 0:56:40to the mountain terrain that adds sweetness to its lamb,
0:56:40 > 0:56:45the produce that comes from these Welsh mountains is well worthy of taking centre stage.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52I've got some beautiful cheddar from the foothills.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55My very own Matt Baker ale to wash it all down.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02I'll just leave that there for a second.
0:57:02 > 0:57:08I've got this wonderful cawl, which is kind of a, it's like a traditional Welsh stew
0:57:08 > 0:57:12which has been made with the meat from Owain's lamb.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16Hmm!
0:57:16 > 0:57:19Do you know, this has been the perfect way to end
0:57:19 > 0:57:21what has been a very memorable day.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25And I could quite happily stay here for a very long time.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28But that's all we've got time for for this week.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31Next week, Ellie and Adam will be up in the Shetland Islands.
0:57:31 > 0:57:32Hope you can join them then.
0:57:56 > 0:57:59Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd