0:00:28 > 0:00:30The county of Cheshire,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33an expanse of peaceful English countryside,
0:00:33 > 0:00:39with magical wooded hillsides and gentle pastoral lowlands.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43It might be world-famous for its cheese,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45but one of Cheshire's lesser-known claims to fame
0:00:45 > 0:00:47is for weaving silk.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51It all started with farming families making silk buttons
0:00:51 > 0:00:54and it grew into a huge local industry.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Well, today I'm going to be calling in at one of the last mills still working.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Cheshire is an inspirational county.
0:01:03 > 0:01:09Writers in particular find the stimulating landscape here tempts them into putting pen to paper.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13One such writer is Alan Garner.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14Cheshire-born and bred,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Alan has this county at the heart of his work.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Best-known as a children's fantasy novelist,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22he'll be telling me about his love of the landscape
0:01:22 > 0:01:26and how even the view out of his kitchen window has helped inspire his latest novel.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Beneath the beautiful Cheshire landscape,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Jules is searching for creepy-crawlies.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36I should say if anyone's watching this, if you don't like spiders,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38look away now,
0:01:38 > 0:01:39because we may well find one.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Tom's gone for a seaside stroll...
0:01:44 > 0:01:46We are an island nation,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50but you might struggle to see that for yourself.
0:01:50 > 0:01:56Four years after it was decided to create an uninterrupted public footpath around the English coast,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00barely a fraction has actually been created.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04So is someone dragging their feet? I'll be investigating.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Adam's in Somerset visiting a farm with a difference.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12These young cattle are the future, of the dairy herd here
0:02:12 > 0:02:14and the cows on this farm
0:02:14 > 0:02:19not only produce milk to make cheese, but they also help to power the entire farm,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21and I'm here to find out how that all works.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Cheshire, a county with a rich historical heritage,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39a place of rolling hills and tranquil lowlands.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42To the east of the county on the edge of the Peak District
0:02:42 > 0:02:45lies the market town of Macclesfield
0:02:45 > 0:02:48which built its success on the skilful way
0:02:48 > 0:02:51it wove a precious thread from distant lands.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56The growth of this area dates back for centuries
0:02:56 > 0:03:02to the days when hard-working farming families would earn some extra cash in their spare time
0:03:02 > 0:03:05by making these...silk buttons.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07These buttons were special.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Using silk or mohair thread,
0:03:09 > 0:03:14the elegant fastenings caused a stir among the fashionable elite of London
0:03:14 > 0:03:16when they were taken there by journeymen.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19It was the start of a massive industry.
0:03:19 > 0:03:26From 1740, the 200 years that followed saw 120 buildings appearing around the town
0:03:26 > 0:03:28all dedicated to silk.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33The buildings that housed that industry, the mills and the dye houses,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35are still scattered all around the town,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and so are the terraces of workers' houses.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Whole families would live on the first and second floors,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44and then on the top floor was the workplace
0:03:44 > 0:03:46where they'd toil at their handlooms,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50with the distinctive windows letting in lots of light.
0:03:54 > 0:03:59To hear how the industry took off, I've come to the town's silk museum
0:03:59 > 0:04:01to meet curator Annabel Wills.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06Charles Roe started the first factory in Macclesfield
0:04:06 > 0:04:13which was for throwing silk, which is combining all those long fine threads into a useable thickness.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Just how big did the silk industry become here?
0:04:16 > 0:04:19By the 1890s, everything was concerned with silk.
0:04:19 > 0:04:26Making the fabrics, knitting, weaving, dyeing, even the machinery was made here.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Gradually, Macclesfield built into a market town,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33but the workforce was in the countryside around as well.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38People didn't mind walking a long distance to get to work in those days.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Asia was where the raw material came from,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46spun by silkworms that feasted on mulberry leaves.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49It was the way Macclesfield transformed it into fabric
0:04:49 > 0:04:51that made the town world-renowned.
0:04:52 > 0:04:58Paradise Mill was the last hand-weaving mill in the town to close in 1981.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Museum guide Mike Scott once worked in the textile industry.
0:05:03 > 0:05:09This is Macclesfield stripe, and it was a very fashionable item for ladies to wear,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12blouses, dresses, etc, in the 1920s and 1930s.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Very...very colourful.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17- Yes, very much so. - Very fine silk, isn't it?- Yes.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21There would have been about 30 to 40 looms here all going at the same time.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Are there any that still work?
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Yes, there's one up here I would like you to see.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31Time for a not-so-young apprentice to get weaving.
0:05:31 > 0:05:37- Another seven years and...- Seven years, that's how long it took? - That was your apprenticeship, yeah,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39before you got paid your correct money.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42And how many hours a day would they be doing this?
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Well, this could be up to ten hours a day.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- It's hard physical work.- It was.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52- And do you know how much they used to produce in a day?- No.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54- Two yards.- Two yards?
0:05:54 > 0:05:56But they were certainly no donkeys.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00They were skilled people, they were producing a very high-quality cloth.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Well, I suspect that I have ruined this bit of fabric for you!
0:06:03 > 0:06:06- I don't think I'm going to get any awards!- No, perhaps not.
0:06:07 > 0:06:13Although a lot of the skilled and supervisory jobs in the mills were taken by men,
0:06:13 > 0:06:18Macclesfield was known as a women's town because most of the workers were female.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22But during the Second World War, the entire workforce swung into action
0:06:22 > 0:06:27and every inch of Macclesfield's silk was used in the war effort,
0:06:27 > 0:06:32from making parachutes to silk handkerchiefs with maps printed on them,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36so that when airmen were shot down in Europe, they could try to find their way home.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40The luxurious quality of the silk
0:06:40 > 0:06:43is, in part, thanks to the local soft water.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Just about every mill and dye works was built close to the River Bollin,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51because they needed a constant supply.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56Former silk printer Sean Crutchley worked in the trade for 45 years.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02What kind of impact did this silk-making technique have on the water?
0:07:02 > 0:07:08You couldn't really say that it was water. This was black or green or blue,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10or whatever colour you fancied.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Because they would just drop the dyeing vessels straight into the water.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Well, you may have retired, Sean, but I see you still have a soft spot for silk.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- You've got a silk hankie in your pocket there.- Oh, yes!
0:07:21 > 0:07:22Beautiful, isn't it?
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- Is that one of your own designs? - Yes, it is, yes.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29- Very nice, too.- And, as I say, when you feel the quality of the silk,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32you'll appreciate what I mean about the water,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36- because it's the water that gives you that beautiful feel.- Yeah, very soft, isn't it?- Beautiful.
0:07:36 > 0:07:37Yes. It really is nice.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43As Asia took over the mass manufacturing of silk during the 20th century,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47an industry once so vital to Macclesfield began to die.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51But next to the river in the village of Langley,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53just a few miles from the town centre,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57a working textile mill is keeping an old tradition going.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Adamley has been printing silks here for 50 years,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05supplying, amongst others, the tailors of Savile Row.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07While the designs can now be digitally printed,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10they have kept some traditional techniques.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14These screen-printing rooms are laid out just like their predecessors
0:08:14 > 0:08:16in the Macclesfield mills of old,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19and Dane Rushton has prepared a table for me.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Is this screen-printing a family tradition, Dane?
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Well, yeah, I'm the third generation.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25My dad did it and my grandfather did it,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28so, yeah, it's been passed down through the family.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Well, let's get going, then!
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Right, so I'll put some colour in for you.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34Take it from me.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Just on the Countryfile bit.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37There we are, on that, yeah.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39And smoothly and slowly...
0:08:39 > 0:08:40- That's right.- ..Across.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42So, if you lift it up, John,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44- and reveal...- The big reveal, eh?
0:08:44 > 0:08:45Move it across a little bit.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48- Wow!- Place it down.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50- There's your design! - That is pretty impressive, isn't it?
0:08:50 > 0:08:54And what a combination, Countryfile and Macclesfield silk!
0:08:54 > 0:08:57- Art in the countryside!- It is.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Just across the border from us here in Cheshire, in Wales,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11there's now a continuous path running the whole length of the coastline,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15but, despite efforts to create one, the same can't be said for England.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Tom has been finding out why.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30With some of the world's most beautiful countryside and glorious coastlines,
0:09:30 > 0:09:32our country is made for walking.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36As islanders we're drawn to our coast,
0:09:36 > 0:09:41maybe in the summer for a lovely sunbathe or perhaps even a cheeky swim.
0:09:41 > 0:09:47At this time of the year, though, it's more likely to be a hearty walk and some bracing sea air.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53To make the most of that, in 2009, the then Labour Government
0:09:53 > 0:09:59announced it would create a continuous path around the entire coast of England.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04This 2,800-mile route would be finished within ten years.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10It was an ambitious project, some would say too ambitious.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15And so far they've completed just one per cent of new coastal path,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18a single stretch down on the Dorset coast,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21so that Olympic spectators could watch the sailing.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24So why are we so far behind?
0:10:26 > 0:10:32Well, to be fair, England is still ahead of both Scotland and Northern Ireland,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36and neither nation has plans to create a continuous path of its own.
0:10:36 > 0:10:43But here in Wales they managed to create this 870-mile coastal path in just five years.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46It's become a huge source of national pride
0:10:46 > 0:10:48and a big boost for the rural economy.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52For Alan and Liz Williams,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55owners of the Three Golden Cups pub near Bridgend,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57it's made a huge difference.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00What has the path meant to your business?
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Well, it's brought a lot of additional tourism in,
0:11:03 > 0:11:04which obviously we've benefited from.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08They come up here for a drink, often for a meal,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10and it's obviously increased our turnover,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13so we've enjoyed all the benefits from the coastal path,
0:11:13 > 0:11:18and we are able now to include a campsite for them to stay overnight.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20- And what do you think, Liz? - It's pretty much saved our business.
0:11:20 > 0:11:26It encouraged us to look at other areas, to incorporate people coming from the coastal path and camping,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30and I think without it, you know, we would really struggle.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32What does it sort of feel like in the summer now
0:11:32 > 0:11:35as compared to what it did a couple of years ago, either of you?
0:11:35 > 0:11:37The dynamics of the pub have completely changed.
0:11:37 > 0:11:43We've had Scandinavians, Germans, Americans, anywhere, really...
0:11:43 > 0:11:47I think as word's spreading what a beautiful place it is,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49more and more people are coming.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55Having a coastal path is clearly working for Alan and Liz,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58but what benefits does it have for the country as a whole?
0:11:59 > 0:12:02John Griffiths, the Welsh Minister for Culture and Sport,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05was instrumental in getting the path created.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08How did you do it? How long did it take?
0:12:08 > 0:12:13Well, we created over a six-year period and, of course, we had to commit resources.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16We spent something like £14.5 million over that period,
0:12:16 > 0:12:22but we drew together key partners and we had a very strong focus, and, you know, we got on with it.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25What do you think it has delivered for the country?
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Well, it's delivered the benefits we expected.
0:12:27 > 0:12:33We've got around three million visits to the coast path on an annual basis now.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37There's work in place which shows an economic benefit
0:12:37 > 0:12:41- of around £16 million a year additional spend.- Wow!
0:12:41 > 0:12:45And, you know, there are a range of businesses around the coast path in Wales
0:12:45 > 0:12:47that are directly benefiting.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50So you're saying it cost 14 million or so to set up
0:12:50 > 0:12:53and you're getting back 16 million a year? I mean, it's paying back every year.
0:12:53 > 0:12:59Absolutely, but beyond that, I think, the way that it's raised the profile of Wales internationally
0:12:59 > 0:13:01is absolutely priceless.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Of course the coast of Wales is less than a third of the length of England's,
0:13:06 > 0:13:11but the speed at which they've created their coastal path is impressive nonetheless.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15And, as we've heard, they're now reaping the rewards.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25But in England those benefits still seem distant.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30Four years after the plan was revealed to join up Britain's existing coastal paths
0:13:30 > 0:13:34in one continuous route, less than one per cent is complete.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Walking is a wonder drug!
0:13:37 > 0:13:40The Victorians were right! The smell of the sea air and walking
0:13:40 > 0:13:42can reduce all types of illnesses.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Nicky Philpott is from the walking charity Ramblers
0:13:46 > 0:13:49which has been acting as one of the consultants on the project.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52What do you think went wrong in England?
0:13:52 > 0:13:54I don't think anything's gone wrong.
0:13:54 > 0:14:00We got the Act in 2009, and we're delighted that that got cross-party support,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02but I think we need a real champion behind the coastal path.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07In Wales, there was that ambition to leave this as a legacy for the nation,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11and in England we just need the same amount of commitment and excitement,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14because, you know, it's the most exciting project, I think.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19Sustainable, green, benefits everybody... let's make it an exciting project.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22And with something of that scale, there will always be lots of little hurdles in its way
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and you need a bit of momentum to push through those things, don't you?
0:14:24 > 0:14:30Yeah, you do. And just a sort of political will and a willingness to work together,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34to make sure that we open up more places for us to enjoy.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39So whose fault is it that the path has strayed so far from the original plan
0:14:39 > 0:14:43to complete the whole 2,800 miles by 2019?
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Nicky didn't want to point the finger,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49and although they don't have a champion as such,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52the Coalition Government still seems to be committed
0:14:52 > 0:14:55to creating this continuous coastal route for walkers.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59So what went wrong? Did they underestimate the scale of the task
0:14:59 > 0:15:02or was there just too much bad planning and red tape?
0:15:03 > 0:15:09DEFRA told us the original ten-year timetable was set by the previous Labour Government,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12but they wouldn't tell us why that timetable had changed.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15However, they did say they would...
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Certainly, money is a big issue,
0:15:23 > 0:15:29because what DEFRA didn't say to us is that the original £50-million budget for the coastal path
0:15:29 > 0:15:32has been cut to just £4.5 million.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Things are now beginning to gather pace.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Earlier this year, the coastal access scheme was fast-tracked,
0:15:40 > 0:15:47but even given all that a 2,800-mile path is still an epic undertaking.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Natural England is the body charged with getting it done,
0:15:53 > 0:16:01and in 2010 senior advisor Neil Constable told John he was confident about the job ahead.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Well, this is a huge task you're taking on, isn't it?
0:16:03 > 0:16:05A coastal path all around England.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09It is, but it's achievable and it starts here at Weymouth.
0:16:09 > 0:16:16Three years on, I'm meeting Neil on the Dorset coast to see how he feels now about what they've achieved.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19So they've finished the path in Wales, we've barely started.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Why are we doing so badly?
0:16:21 > 0:16:23I don't think we're doing badly, Tom.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26It's a different horse for a different course.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30What we're doing in England is a very different thing and it's much more ambitious.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Well, it's a pretty lame horse currently for a tricky course,
0:16:33 > 0:16:35and we just haven't got much for people to walk along.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40Well, we're currently working on 500 miles of coast at this current time.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44We've got to cut our cloth accordingly.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46These are difficult times economically, so...
0:16:46 > 0:16:52but nonetheless we should, by the end of 2015, have some 900 miles
0:16:52 > 0:16:54that we've either finished or we're working on.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Do you feel you're getting enough support from central government for this?
0:16:58 > 0:17:03- Very much so.- Yeah?- They are behind this programme.- They're a real champion for it, are they?
0:17:03 > 0:17:07I think so, yes, yes, indeed. Yeah. But, as I say, we've got to cut our cloth according to our resources.
0:17:07 > 0:17:13And is it about resources? Have you not got enough money to roll this out? Is that why it's slow?
0:17:13 > 0:17:17We've got enough money to roll it out, but the rate at which we roll it out
0:17:17 > 0:17:19obviously will depend on the amount of money you've got.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23We know what the economic climate is at the moment, so we work within that.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29For Natural England a new system of fast tracking does seem to have made a difference.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36Work has begun on a stretch between Whitehaven and Allonby
0:17:36 > 0:17:39and also between Sunderland and Hartlepool.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44But despite this progress, the prediction now is that less than half of England's coastal path
0:17:44 > 0:17:46will be finished by 2019.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49So this is part of the stretch on your land, yeah?
0:17:50 > 0:17:55Yes, from here, and obviously the most visited part or between here and the cove.
0:17:55 > 0:18:01To even achieve that on their budget Natural England need the support of hundreds of landowners.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Sadly, not all the ones they've worked with so far are happy.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09James Weld owns the Lulworth Estate which contains four miles
0:18:09 > 0:18:12of Britain's only complete section of coastal path.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14So where are we here, James?
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Well, these are...this is one of the contentious points,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22where you've got the steps or what were steps coming up...
0:18:23 > 0:18:27..which we would always maintain or always have maintained in the past.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29So why haven't you maintained them this year?
0:18:29 > 0:18:34Because it is part of the spreading room and therefore a public right of access...
0:18:34 > 0:18:39and therefore we maintain that Natural England should be maintaining it.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Spreading room is a bit of a technical term.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48It basically refers to the land between the route of the coastal path and the sea's edge,
0:18:48 > 0:18:52covering dunes, marshes and, in this case, the beach and the steps that access it.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58But although Natural England and local councils will maintain the coastal path itself,
0:18:58 > 0:19:00they won't pay for the spreading room.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03There's no problem with the coastal path as such.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08We've had a coastal path for 100 and more years,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10and maintained it and continue to maintain it.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12The issue is the spreading room.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17And if they want to take all that on as a public right of way, which is fine,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19- they should take responsibility for it.- Right.
0:19:19 > 0:19:25We used to spend on the last stretch of four miles that we maintain
0:19:25 > 0:19:29twice the amount of money that Natural England spends on the whole 30-mile stretch
0:19:29 > 0:19:31between here and Portland.
0:19:32 > 0:19:38So should Natural England be paying for the maintenance from their path all the way to the sea?
0:19:39 > 0:19:42If you're giving people the right of access to the beach,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46whose duty is it to make sure that that access is safe and useable?
0:19:46 > 0:19:51- Yeah, well, let's be clear. What we're doing, we're creating a route along the coast.- Yeah.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56Yeah? People will have a right to be on cliff tops, on beaches, on foreshores,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00but as we can see from where we've been today there are a lot of places along the coast
0:20:00 > 0:20:04where people run businesses based on that access.
0:20:04 > 0:20:11They supply, you know, whatever it is, cafes, car parks, pubs, access to beaches, all sorts of facilities,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14you know, that's fine. You know, we're not going to do anything
0:20:14 > 0:20:16which is going to impact on people's business,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19it's for them to do as they see fit with their land.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25Basically, then, if it's in the spreading room, it's down to the landowner to maintain,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27and that's not the only bone of contention.
0:20:27 > 0:20:34For some that budget of around a pound a metre is simply too low to get the job done properly.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39There are also concerns that only the easy bits of coast have been looked at so far,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42with the big challenges yet to be addressed.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45And then there's the question of a completion date.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51The route around England and Wales is over 3,000 miles
0:20:51 > 0:20:54and would take the best part of a year to complete.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57But when will it be ready? Well, put it this way,
0:20:57 > 0:21:01I think you can wait a while before you have to ask your boss for a year off
0:21:01 > 0:21:04to complete your coastal odyssey.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Enchanting in the low, heavy sun
0:21:09 > 0:21:11winter's on its way to Cheshire.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Crisp light, dark shadows,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18the perfect day to step into a land veiled in lore and mystery.
0:21:19 > 0:21:2570 years ago, it was a land that became imprinted in the mind of a very sickly Cheshire boy.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28"Long years ago," said Cadellin,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30"beyond the memory of books or men,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33"Nastrond, the Great Spirit of Darkness,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35"rode forth in war upon the plain.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40"But there came against him a mighty king and Nastrond fell.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44"He cast off his earth-shape and fled into the abyss of Ragnarok."
0:21:47 > 0:21:48"He ran along the path to the rock.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53"Its smooth quarried surface drew him to the point
0:21:53 > 0:21:55"and the point drew him beyond.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58"There was nothing but the point and the air calling him.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03"Three strides to an end, three strides and then no more..."
0:22:03 > 0:22:05The young boy grew into a man
0:22:05 > 0:22:08and, as he did, he became a writer...
0:22:10 > 0:22:14..one who would embrace his county's landscape and its local folklore,
0:22:14 > 0:22:19bringing the two together to create fanciful stories in his subconscious.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23His name, Alan Garner...
0:22:23 > 0:22:26his imagination, decidedly brilliant.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31Since the '50s, Alan's been writing fantasy novels and folkloric tales.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35His books, including The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen and Elidor,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38have been celebrated for the clarity of their writing.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Alan's been compared to the likes of Tolkien,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45his books set here in Cheshire enjoyed by children and adults alike.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51How would you say that the landscape has sort of had an impact on your writing?
0:22:51 > 0:22:55It's had an enormous impact because I come from this landscape,
0:22:55 > 0:23:01and I feel almost as if I have literal roots in it,
0:23:01 > 0:23:06and it expresses itself through my mouth.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09You describe Cheshire throughout your work,
0:23:09 > 0:23:14- and you even set part of one of your stories on this track, didn't you? - Yes, I did indeed.
0:23:14 > 0:23:20Behind me, it leads to the setting of my second-most recent book
0:23:20 > 0:23:21which is called Thursbitch.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25You describe minute details, you know, in the rocks and the trees and things like that.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Did you spend a massive amount of time outside when you were a child?
0:23:28 > 0:23:33I was either in bed paralysed with dramatic illnesses throughout my childhood,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37which does tend to foster the imagination...
0:23:37 > 0:23:42Do you mind me asking, why were you laid up in bed? What was the matter?
0:23:42 > 0:23:46First of all, when I was two and onwards, it was diphtheria,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49and the house had to be fumigated.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Then, most dramatically, when I was six, I had at the same time
0:23:54 > 0:23:58whooping cough, measles and meningitis.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01That was the second time I officially died
0:24:01 > 0:24:04and that was the time I heard the doctors pronounce me dead!
0:24:04 > 0:24:08So when you were, you know, lying in bed with all that time on your hands,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12were you reading much, were you kind of making up stories in your head?
0:24:13 > 0:24:18I was making up stories in the ceiling because it was an old cottage with a sloping roof and beams,
0:24:18 > 0:24:23and there were cracks in the plaster and I would make pictures,
0:24:23 > 0:24:28as you see pictures in the fire, and it became a landscape for me,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30in which I could actually wander.
0:24:30 > 0:24:36In childhood, I can remember struggling up and down Alderley Edge and feeling very fed up,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39because all the exciting stories took place somewhere else,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43and that must have lasted in my subconscious mind,
0:24:43 > 0:24:52because, decades later, when I came to write, I was writing imaginary stories, but in a real place.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Do you think if you'd grown up somewhere else, you would have still been a writer?
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Yes, I'm certain I would. It's simply that I needed
0:25:00 > 0:25:06to draw on the surroundings, the environment, the landscape,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09to fill in the colours of my imagination.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15With his mind in motion, all Alan needed was a place to write.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17I was walking up this field
0:25:17 > 0:25:24and as the line of the roof rose above the top of the field,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28I realised it was the only place that I could ever live.
0:25:29 > 0:25:36In 1957, Alan bought Toad Hall. He was just a young man and Toad Hall was where he would write.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38At his side, his wife Griselda.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- Hello!- Hello. Nice to meet you.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Their growing family needed more space,
0:25:43 > 0:25:49so they brought in a very special kit house from just over the border in Staffordshire.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54Griselda, talk me through this stunning but rather unusual extension. How did it come about?
0:25:54 > 0:25:57This was in 1968...
0:25:57 > 0:26:01and we had three children who were growing up and we had no bathroom.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04So we looked for an architect, and the architect said,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07"Well, it's very difficult to extend a timber-framed house.
0:26:07 > 0:26:13"The best way to do it is to bring a timber-framed house and attach it."
0:26:13 > 0:26:16And he said he'd been trying to save this house for four years,
0:26:16 > 0:26:20but it had got a closing order on it and we were to go and collect...
0:26:20 > 0:26:25go and decide which two rooms we wanted, and he would find a way to build it.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31So when we saw the house, we realised, no, we couldn't take just two, it would be vandalism.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33So we brought all ten rooms,
0:26:33 > 0:26:38and since we didn't really have enough money to bring two, bringing ten was just mad!
0:26:39 > 0:26:44The entire building was dismantled and over 18 months rebuilt here.
0:26:44 > 0:26:50We think it was an apothecary's house because it's a very beautiful expensive house to build,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53and apothecaries were very rich because they dealt in spices.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00But little did Alan and Griselda know that in moving the apothecary house here to this site,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04they were also bringing medicinal secrets that were centuries old.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07With the new house in position,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10they found strange plants growing in the garden.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14All sorts of herbs came up round the base of the house.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Today the house has been put into trust.
0:27:18 > 0:27:24Sue Hughes, a trustee and herbal historian, has helped explain these surprise appearances.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29They don't grow here naturally, so why did they start to spout?
0:27:29 > 0:27:31We thinks probably when the timbers were taken down,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35because for hundreds of years the medicine house had had these plants growing around it,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39that the seeds have been shaken out, they've been disturbed, and they started to pop up here.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Feverfew, an old remedy for fevers,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45and in the summer opium poppies
0:27:45 > 0:27:48are still found growing around the new foundations.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53This enigmatic house is where Alan wrote all nine of his novels
0:27:53 > 0:27:57and later in the programme I'll be finding out how his ideas take shape.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09Heading west in the county, Jules has found himself an impressive vantage point.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14For almost 800 years, Beeston Castle has looked out across the Cheshire plains.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20The view here is just stunning.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23You can see eight counties of England and Wales.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Over there to the west we've got Denbighshire and the Welsh hills,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29north, we've got Merseyside, the Wirral,
0:28:29 > 0:28:32over to the east we've got the Peak District,
0:28:32 > 0:28:37and over there Staffordshire, and then southward Shropshire running off into the far distance.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40What a place to build a castle.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53This craggy outcrop has been occupied since prehistoric times.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58Its dramatic elevated position has made it the perfect place over the years to spot marauding invaders
0:28:58 > 0:29:00or even troublesome neighbours.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Objects found at Beeston over the centuries
0:29:05 > 0:29:09can help us piece together the lives of the people who lived here.
0:29:10 > 0:29:15They might not look much, but to Kate Potter from English Heritage, they're precious.
0:29:16 > 0:29:17That's a beauty.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21Yes, Jules, this is a replica Neolithic axe head,
0:29:21 > 0:29:26maybe dating back 2000BC, and it was an essential bit of anyone's toolkit.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30- And a really lovely discovery. - Yeah, I know, it's fabulous. - And where's the original?
0:29:30 > 0:29:33The original is held in the Grosnevor Museum in Chester.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35- So it's nice that it's still local. - Yes, definitely.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38Now, this many people might struggle to recognise.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42Yes, we have a fragment of a piece of Bronze Age pottery,
0:29:42 > 0:29:45so about 650BC.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50Perhaps it was part of a cooking vessel or a storage jar,
0:29:50 > 0:29:52so really an essential bit of daily life.
0:29:53 > 0:29:58But it wasn't until the 13th century that the medieval castle appeared,
0:29:58 > 0:30:00built for Ranulf the 6th Earl of Cheshire.
0:30:00 > 0:30:06Fast-forward 400-odd years and his Castle of the Rock was subject to the changing fortunes
0:30:06 > 0:30:10of the Parliamentarians and the Royalists during the Civil War.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Here we've got a little lead shot.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18- That's fabulous, isn't it?- Again, maybe used in one of the skirmishes here.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Now, you have to wonder who loaded that,
0:30:21 > 0:30:27- who fired it...- Yeah. After the Civil War many of the fortifications were destroyed and dismantled,
0:30:27 > 0:30:29so it couldn't be used as a stronghold,
0:30:29 > 0:30:33and then it kind of turned into the ruin that we really see today.
0:30:42 > 0:30:43Now, with so much history here,
0:30:43 > 0:30:46you would expect there to be one or two unsolved mysteries,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49and my favourite concerns Richard II.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53It's thought that he hid some treasure somewhere in the castle
0:30:53 > 0:30:56back in 1399 when he was on his way over to Ireland.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59And one likely hiding place for it could be down here.
0:31:00 > 0:31:06It's reportedly the deepest medieval castle well in England at 370 feet.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11Previous explorations cleared out debris when secret passages were revealed.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16But while Richard II's rumoured loot remains undiscovered,
0:31:16 > 0:31:22in Beeston's shadowy network of underground caves, there is a different treasure to be found.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24You see this?
0:31:24 > 0:31:30This is the egg case of a cave spider which is one of two species commonly found
0:31:30 > 0:31:33in these dark dungeonous places.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35I've turned off my white light
0:31:35 > 0:31:39in favour of one of your red lights. Why is red light a better bet in this kind of environment?
0:31:39 > 0:31:42Well, obviously, we know that these caves are frequently used by bats,
0:31:42 > 0:31:46and the one thing they don't want is brilliant white light disturbing them,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49and also it's better for your eyes, you know, your eyes get used to the light.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51- You can certainly see more, can't you?- You certainly can.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54- So that's the egg case?- Yes. - And what about the real spiders?
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Do you want to see the real spiders?
0:31:56 > 0:31:58I should say if anyone's watching this, if you don't like spiders,
0:31:58 > 0:32:01look away now, because we may well find one.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05It's very spooky with this red light, isn't it?
0:32:05 > 0:32:06It's great, isn't it?
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Where are they? Hiding away...
0:32:10 > 0:32:13- Up there!- There's a nice big female. - Look at that!
0:32:14 > 0:32:15It's incredible, isn't it?
0:32:15 > 0:32:17But it's not just spiders that fascinate you,
0:32:17 > 0:32:21because I gather that really you're a bit of a moth man, aren't you?
0:32:21 > 0:32:25Well, yeah, I think I'm probably more concerned with the moths than I am with the spiders,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28not that I dislike spiders or arachnids in general,
0:32:28 > 0:32:30but I'm really into the moths.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33- Do you see this?- Yeah, look at them.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35This is a thing called the herald moth,
0:32:35 > 0:32:38and this is one of the few moths that hibernates over the winter,
0:32:38 > 0:32:43and it will come out again in the springtime looking for nectar.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46This moth in particular is not strongly attracted to light.
0:32:46 > 0:32:51It's far more strongly attracted to sugars and sweet things,
0:32:51 > 0:32:55so if you've got ivy flowering in your garden at the moment, as many people have,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58check that on a mild night, you might get the herald moth there.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02But we're not just looking for insects.
0:33:02 > 0:33:07Jed Ryan is part of the Cheshire Bat Group who monitor the bats of Beeston Castle.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Now, you've been looking around these caves today, Jed,
0:33:10 > 0:33:12what have you found so far?
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Unfortunately, we've not found anything.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16What I've been looking for, hoping to find,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18is a lesser horseshoe bat.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21We know there are good roosts in North Wales
0:33:21 > 0:33:24which, as the bat flies, is only a few miles away,
0:33:24 > 0:33:28so we suspected that these bats are popping into South Cheshire,
0:33:28 > 0:33:34and this is one of the reasons Cheshire Bat Group have been coming here, trying to find them.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39Lesser horseshoe bats were last spotted in Cheshire more than 60 years ago,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43so the group were thrilled to have found them roosting here again in 2012.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46And there's good news!
0:33:46 > 0:33:50Bat consultant Mike Freeman has found one of the winged wonders,
0:33:50 > 0:33:56but rather than me and my crew disturbing its hard-to-access hiding place, Mike has filmed it for us.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01- That's the lesser horseshoe bat. - Well, it's amazing, and you haven't disturbed it,
0:34:01 > 0:34:03which is interesting. It seems quite happy there.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07Yeah, it's quite happy there. It's in a state of torpor.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11And as long as I don't stay there too long, then it's going to be fine there.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15- Jed, what does it mean to you, seeing this lesser horseshoe here in Beeston?- Superb.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17We know where they hibernate now.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20The work goes on now to find where they are in summer.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23But what strikes me is that Beeston as a formation has dominated this bit of the landscape
0:34:23 > 0:34:25for millions of years.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29And it's been a popular place to live for all kinds of people going back to the Bronze Age,
0:34:29 > 0:34:33and now maybe we've got a Bat Age! How about that?
0:34:33 > 0:34:36- Yeah, that would be fantastic! - Superb!
0:34:36 > 0:34:38Beeston's Bat Age, brilliant!
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Now, have you got yours yet?
0:34:47 > 0:34:49Next year's Countryfile calendar.
0:34:49 > 0:34:54There's still time to buy one before Christmas, and it does make a rather nice present.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58It's full of wonderful pictures from our photographic competition
0:34:58 > 0:35:01with its theme of our living landscape.
0:35:01 > 0:35:02And here's how you buy one...
0:35:03 > 0:35:07The calendar costs £9 including free UK delivery.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10You can buy yours on our website, that's...
0:35:14 > 0:35:16..or by calling the order line on...
0:35:26 > 0:35:30To order by post, send your name, address and cheque to...
0:35:37 > 0:35:41And please make cheques payable to BBC Countryfile Calendar.
0:35:42 > 0:35:48And at least £4 from the sale of each calendar goes to the BBC's Children In Need appeal.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Now to the rolling Mendip hills of Somerset.
0:35:57 > 0:36:03Not a bad place to work, but this prime land is home to no ordinary family-run farm.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07Something very special is going on here, as Adam has been finding out.
0:36:14 > 0:36:19This farm nestled in the hillside near Bruton in Somerset is huge.
0:36:19 > 0:36:261,300 dairy cows and a cheese factory producing a staggering 14,000 tons of the stuff a year.
0:36:26 > 0:36:33And if that isn't astonishing enough all of that is produced by 100% self-sufficient electricity,
0:36:33 > 0:36:37and a lot of this energy is going to be produced by these girls.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39And no, it's isn't a great big treadmill for cows.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45They're the first family-run cheddar-cheese producer to become 100% self-sufficient
0:36:45 > 0:36:47in green electric energy.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50To find out more I'm meeting John Clothier and his son Richard.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55- How long's the family been here? - Well, the family's been here since the early 1920s.
0:36:55 > 0:37:03But we can trace cheese and butter makers back through the generations to sort of mid-1850s, you know.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06And it was your mum that brought that cheese-making to the forefront, wasn't it?
0:37:06 > 0:37:09Yeah, it was Mum. She always wanted to produce something that was really, really good.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14That's why she started taking her cheese to the local competitions, to prove that she was good at it.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16She wanted to know how good she was.
0:37:16 > 0:37:22- And a secret recipe? - Oh, yes, we've got a secret recipe! We've got it locked in the safe!
0:37:23 > 0:37:25And how old were you when you first got involved?
0:37:25 > 0:37:30I was six or seven years old. They used to pull me a bench up in the cheese dairy
0:37:30 > 0:37:33and I used to go and stand on the bench, look into the cheese vats...
0:37:33 > 0:37:35almost fell in several times!
0:37:35 > 0:37:36How many of the family are involved?
0:37:36 > 0:37:42There's five of the immediate family members, myself, my brother and my two cousins and Dad,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45so it's quite a close-knit working group.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49Now, I'm interested to find out about this Somerset cycle, as you call it.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52The cows produce the milk that makes the cheese,
0:37:52 > 0:37:57then the cows produce the muck which we're now digesting into energy,
0:37:57 > 0:38:02and then the energy provides the power to power the cheese-making processes as well.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05So every part of the business impacts on one another.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- It sounds exciting. Can we go and have a look?- Yeah.- Absolutely.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13And it all starts with the cows.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Milking 1,300 is a big operation.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21It's Richard's cousin Dave who manages the herd.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25Come on down here, Adam, and you can put some units on.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27Goodness me! It's been a while since I've done this.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29It's pretty straightforward.
0:38:29 > 0:38:30So there we are, look. There's the lovely milk...
0:38:30 > 0:38:34coming out of the cow's udder to produce that cheese.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37So how many times a day are you milking?
0:38:37 > 0:38:40We're milking twice a day every day of the year.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43- Crikey! So it's hard work.- Yeah.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45How much milk are these cows producing?
0:38:45 > 0:38:50- We're producing 8,500 litres a year.- So reasonable levels.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Yes, yes, it's not too bad for two times a day.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56Great! I quite like this trough along here,
0:38:56 > 0:38:58so you don't get pooed on while you're putting the clusters on.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00Yeah, that's quite a good asset, that one.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02You don't get kicked either.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04You don't get it all down your neck.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07- How am I doing then, all right? - No, you're doing a good job.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Yeah, we might put you on permanently, actually.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Employ me as a herdsman?
0:39:12 > 0:39:15- Do you want morning shift or evening shift?- I'm no good with mornings, it'll have to be evenings.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21While the milk goes to the cheese factory, the slurry's also put to good use.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25- Hello, Richard. - Hi, there, Adam. You OK?
0:39:25 > 0:39:29- It's great seeing the milking process. I haven't put clusters on a cow for a while.- Yeah.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32- And brilliant all that milk going so locally to make your cheese. - Yeah, it's brilliant.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36And also the muck that these cows are producing's very important as well.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40Because this muck is what's going to power the farm and the cheese-making operation tomorrow.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44We've got the little scraper there so you can clear up these valuable bits that are left over.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48- You're putting me to good work. - We don't want to waste any, and I've got my best shoes on as well.
0:39:48 > 0:39:49LAUGHTER
0:39:49 > 0:39:51And what's this tractor here doing now?
0:39:51 > 0:39:55The tractor here is picking up the cows' slurry on a daily basis
0:39:55 > 0:39:58and taking it to the biogas plant where we're going to use...
0:39:58 > 0:40:03we're going to harness all the energy in the muck to generate the energy for making our cheese
0:40:03 > 0:40:05and the farm operations.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07And that's where the slurry pit comes in.
0:40:07 > 0:40:13All the cows' muck is pumped into anaerobic digesters to be converted into power.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17They may not be the prettiest, but it's where the magic happens.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20Inside of those vessels there, it'll all be bubbling away,
0:40:20 > 0:40:23being broken down by these methogenic bacteria
0:40:23 > 0:40:29which are the magic bacteria that drag the methane out of the slurry,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33so that we can use it for energy, for driving the combined heat and power plant.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36And that's collected in the big domes on the top, is it?
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Yeah, they're all full of methane gas, and the pressure builds up,
0:40:39 > 0:40:43and then that pushes it down into the two generators.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45Let's go down and have a look.
0:40:46 > 0:40:52But just like the cows, these anaerobic digesters need a varied diet in order to produce methane gas
0:40:52 > 0:40:54that can be converted into electricity.
0:40:55 > 0:41:01What we're doing here is adding a bit more solid matter, so the bugs have really got something to act on,
0:41:01 > 0:41:06so we're adding some chopped rapeseed straw here that we've got from some local farmers.
0:41:06 > 0:41:12We get all sorts of solids in. Farmers bring in old silage that isn't good enough to feed the cows.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16We also get some apple pomace from the local cider plants as well.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20- So it's like an agricultural recycling plant.- Just like an agricultural recycling plant.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22- A-CHOO! - Oh, excuse me. - Something that we get used to.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24That'll be that chopped straw.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26Yes...going up my nose.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28Let's go and have a look at the rest.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33This clever use of green technology is so efficient,
0:41:33 > 0:41:37it not only creates electricity for the dairy, but the entire cheese factory too.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43Basically, it's producing enough electricity to power 1,400 homes.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46Nothing here is wasted.
0:41:46 > 0:41:51Even the spent material from the anaerobic digester is put back into the cycle.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53A lot of the organic matter's been broken down,
0:41:53 > 0:41:58but the nitrogen, phosphates and potash are still in the fertiliser,
0:41:58 > 0:42:03so it's very valuable, and it means that we don't need to buy in artificial fertilisers any more.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07So the grass grows, the cows eat the grass, produce the milk... it just completes the cycle.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10The cycle just keeps going round and that's the way nature should work.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18But at the end of the day this place is about one thing.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22We're all suited and booted now because this is where the cheese is made.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26The secret ingredients are added to the milk
0:42:26 > 0:42:30and it's all processed in this vast factory where the cheese is made.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33And as this is a family business,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36it's Richard's brother Tom's turn to show me the process.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39This is the pressing stage of the cheese-making.
0:42:39 > 0:42:44A bolt of curd goes up into these towers and then it's pressed into blocks,
0:42:44 > 0:42:50expelled into a bag and then we vacuum-seal them and then transfer them into the packing hall,
0:42:50 > 0:42:52where we box them up, ready for maturing.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55And they'll be ready for sale in about 18 months' time.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58I've seen artisan cheese being made before all by hand,
0:42:58 > 0:43:02- but it's incredible this system you've got, a huge investment. - It's a huge investment, yeah.
0:43:02 > 0:43:07- I can see why you use so much energy and why you need an anaerobic digester.- Yes.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13From its humble beginnings, this family of cheese-makers
0:43:13 > 0:43:16have kept Grandma Ivy's secret recipe alive.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18I'm sure she would be very proud.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20I've never seen so much cheese,
0:43:20 > 0:43:23and, luckily, John's got some ready for me to taste.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25This is exciting! Look at that!
0:43:25 > 0:43:27John, this is where they keep you, is it? Locked up among the cheeses.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30Yeah, what's it like out today? I haven't been out yet.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32How many cheeses have you got in here?
0:43:32 > 0:43:36- We've got about 7,000 tons, I think. - Goodness me!
0:43:36 > 0:43:39- All happily maturing away. - And are you the chief taster?
0:43:39 > 0:43:43Well, I used to be, yeah. I'm still a part-time taster now, but I still enjoy it.
0:43:43 > 0:43:44So what have you got here?
0:43:44 > 0:43:48I've got a nice mature... extra mature...vintage, actually...
0:43:49 > 0:43:54..cheddar, which is about one-and-a-half years old now.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59Goodness me! So you just mature it in the boxes all in these stores?
0:43:59 > 0:44:05- That's right.- Yeah, it's matured at what would have been the temperature of a cold barn on the farm.- Yeah.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09And it'll mature anything up to about 18 months
0:44:09 > 0:44:11to give a good rounded flavour.
0:44:11 > 0:44:17And what the grader's looking for is a nice balance between the cheese breaking down texturally,
0:44:17 > 0:44:19and the flavour really peaking in the cheese...
0:44:19 > 0:44:24And when you break it up in your hands you can really smell...
0:44:24 > 0:44:28- those flavours coming through. - I've shoved it straight in my mouth! I didn't go for the tasting
0:44:28 > 0:44:29or the smelling.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32It's beautiful, isn't it? So is he still doing a good job, do you reckon?
0:44:32 > 0:44:35- Oh, magic.- Yeah.- Yeah, he knows nearly as much as I do now.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38I'm not fully qualified. I've only been doing it 30 years!
0:44:38 > 0:44:43Takes 80 years and you're still an apprentice in cheese-making.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45There's a long apprenticeship for a cheese-maker.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47That's the hardest badge to get!
0:44:47 > 0:44:50So here you are, Adam, you're on the first rung of the cheese-making ladder now.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52Another 30 years and you'll be qualified.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Well, it's a great place to start and a pleasure meet you both!
0:44:55 > 0:44:57Fascinating business.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59Go on, I just love cheese!
0:44:59 > 0:45:00Mmm!
0:45:03 > 0:45:07Next week, I'm in Dorset, catching up with a young farmer
0:45:07 > 0:45:11whose lambs are taking centre stage in his nursery's Nativity.
0:45:15 > 0:45:20Back in Cheshire, I've been spending the day with a celebrated, award-winning author
0:45:20 > 0:45:22who's been writing for more than 50 years.
0:45:22 > 0:45:29From fantasy novels to short stories and screen adaptations, Alan Garner's wide-ranging work
0:45:29 > 0:45:33is set in Cheshire and rooted in the culture and folklore of the county.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38He's joining me for a walk to tell me how his stories grow.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40An idea hits me...
0:45:40 > 0:45:45and it's rather like the comic-book bulb going "Ping!"
0:45:45 > 0:45:47And it does do that in my head.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50And I know it's an idea, it's a real idea,
0:45:50 > 0:45:56as opposed to a random thought, and then later, and I don't know how long that will be, weeks, months,
0:45:56 > 0:45:58something else happens and goes, "Ping!"
0:45:58 > 0:46:02and the two sparks join together
0:46:02 > 0:46:06and that leads to research, and I love research,
0:46:06 > 0:46:12I drag it out as long as I can because it puts off the moment of saying, "Well, where's the book?"
0:46:12 > 0:46:16And this is the thing that people find very hard to understand.
0:46:16 > 0:46:22I just wait. I sit, I make an appointment with myself in my workroom every night at 6 o'clock,
0:46:22 > 0:46:27and I sit and I watch the fire and this goes on for months and years.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29And I call it the "Oh, my God!" bit.
0:46:31 > 0:46:36I know that when I'm staring into the fire, feeling empty, is when my unconscious mind
0:46:36 > 0:46:38is actually structuring the story.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40The story then appears.
0:46:40 > 0:46:45You've got your camera with you. Do you use this when you're sort of planning and setting the scene?
0:46:45 > 0:46:53Well, all the time, because a camera enables me to register, record, in case I need it,
0:46:53 > 0:46:57but most of all by putting a frame round it and composing the shot,
0:46:57 > 0:47:04it makes me focus on what it is that I'm getting out of this particular piece of landscape.
0:47:05 > 0:47:10Like staring into the fire, photographs give Alan time and space to think.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15They also reveal a local feature that Alan's fallen in love with...
0:47:16 > 0:47:19..one that he sees each day from his kitchen window...
0:47:29 > 0:47:32..the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35When I came here in 1957,
0:47:35 > 0:47:38the scaffolding was still up on the telescope
0:47:38 > 0:47:41and I looked out of this window and watched it being dismantled
0:47:41 > 0:47:45and revealing that great work of art out there.
0:47:45 > 0:47:50After more than 50 years of living just a stone's throw from the telescope,
0:47:50 > 0:47:53it's a finally made it into the landscape of Alan's writing.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57Boneland, the final book in a trilogy he began in the '50s,
0:47:57 > 0:47:59was published last year.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03The main character is an astrophysicist at a Cheshire space observatory.
0:48:03 > 0:48:09It's a culmination of his life's work, spanning other worlds and the science of the future.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14In a few minutes' time, John will be just over there having a closer look at Jodrell Bank,
0:48:14 > 0:48:18but first, if you're looking to the skies wondering what they have in store for us,
0:48:18 > 0:48:20here's the Countryfile forecast for the week ahead.
0:50:07 > 0:50:12Medieval castles, rivers that powered old silk mills
0:50:12 > 0:50:15and a landscape that powers the imagination...
0:50:15 > 0:50:17this week we're in Cheshire.
0:50:17 > 0:50:22In the east of the county between the woodlands and fields of the Cheshire Plain,
0:50:22 > 0:50:26there's a landmark that's been broadening mankind's horizons.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31And I'm talking about far outside the country's boundaries,
0:50:31 > 0:50:34in fact, light years away.
0:50:42 > 0:50:47I've been invited behind the scenes at Jodrell Bank Observatory,
0:50:47 > 0:50:51the location of one of the most famous telescopes in the world.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56How about that? Look at the view down there!
0:50:57 > 0:50:59The Lovell Telescope.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02Good job I don't mind heights!
0:51:02 > 0:51:08It was the brainchild of Bernard Lovell, a doctor of physics from Manchester University,
0:51:08 > 0:51:11who, while working on radar systems during the Second World War
0:51:11 > 0:51:15detected echoes that he thought were coming from outer space.
0:51:16 > 0:51:22When the war ended, Lovell started to investigate using some radar equipment he'd got from the army,
0:51:22 > 0:51:27but the site wasn't suitable, it was in the city and suffered from too much interference.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29What he needed was a place in the countryside,
0:51:29 > 0:51:34and some land belonging to the university's botany department turned out to be ideal.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38Soon, telescopes would grow alongside the plants.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42By 1957, the Lovell Telescope was complete.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46250 feet wide, the biggest in the world.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50Today it's still used for research into outer space,
0:51:50 > 0:51:54and in charge of keeping it in action is engineer Phil Clarke.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57Is it a difficult job maintaining it?
0:51:57 > 0:51:59Some of it is, yeah.
0:51:59 > 0:52:04The bit we're looking at there is actually a recycled gun turret from the Second World War.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06- Never! What, from a ship?- Yeah.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11- From two ships, the HMS Revenge and HMS Sovereign. - And still going strong, then?
0:52:11 > 0:52:17Yeah. Fortunately, they had the foresight when they acquired those two,
0:52:17 > 0:52:19they actually got another set from another ship,
0:52:19 > 0:52:25so if we get any problems up there we can just get a spare out of our store and put it up there,
0:52:25 > 0:52:27- and we're back in operation.- Right.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30- Can we get a bit higher?- We can, we can have a look up in the ball. - Right!
0:52:33 > 0:52:40- Well, where are we now, Phil? - We're actually between the two ball surfaces of the Lovell Telescope.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43- That's the 1957 ball surface.- Right.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46The one above us was put on about 1971.
0:52:46 > 0:52:50- All the kit is above there, is it? - Yes.- Up this ladder?- Up this one.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52After you!
0:52:55 > 0:52:58Wow! The white is dazzling, isn't it?
0:52:58 > 0:53:02- You could almost get snow blindness from that!- You do!
0:53:04 > 0:53:05What we're stood on at the moment
0:53:05 > 0:53:07is actually the reflecting surface
0:53:07 > 0:53:08of the telescope.
0:53:08 > 0:53:09Up at the top above us
0:53:09 > 0:53:10that's the focus box.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15- So all the radio waves coming down hit this as a reflector, basically a mirror...- Yeah?
0:53:15 > 0:53:20..Get reflected back up to the top there and that's where the signals are received by the telescope.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22And when you're doing the maintenance,
0:53:22 > 0:53:24is the telescope still working?
0:53:24 > 0:53:26No, it's switched off.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28You wouldn't want to be up here while it was working,
0:53:28 > 0:53:32because if it tipped, it wouldn't be the place to be at all.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34- Because it moves around, doesn't it? - Yeah.
0:53:34 > 0:53:40Well, it is about to start working again, so it's back to earth for the final preparations.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43What it needs is a bit of old-fashioned manpower
0:53:43 > 0:53:46and some grease to make things run smoothly.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53And the Lovell Telescope swings back into action.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55But what does it tell us?
0:53:57 > 0:53:59To find out, I'm meeting Professor Tim O'Brien,
0:53:59 > 0:54:02a leading astrophysicist at the observatory.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07It's not the sort of telescope you put your eye to the back of, for a start.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09It's actually a thing called a radio telescope,
0:54:09 > 0:54:14so it picks up invisible radio waves arriving from outer space,
0:54:14 > 0:54:19gathers them in that giant bowl and brings them to a focus where we then analyse those signals.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23And you can turn those radio waves into images, then?
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Yeah, absolutely, so we can make a picture of the invisible sky
0:54:25 > 0:54:27just like we can see the sky with our eyes,
0:54:27 > 0:54:29but we're seeing with invisible radio waves.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31If we look at this example here,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34this is a thing called a starburst galaxy, M82.
0:54:34 > 0:54:38This a view that we get through a normal telescope, a visible-light telescope,
0:54:38 > 0:54:41and we see there's something going on in the middle
0:54:41 > 0:54:43by all this stuff firing out either side,
0:54:43 > 0:54:47but we can't tell what it is because we can't see through the dust clouds into the middle,
0:54:47 > 0:54:51but with a radio telescope we see through that, we see right into the heart of the galaxy,
0:54:51 > 0:54:57and if we just zoom in here, what we're seeing here are all these spots of radio light.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59They're stars that have exploded in the last few hundred years,
0:54:59 > 0:55:03and we wouldn't be able to see those at all unless we used a radio telescope.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07And why is it important to know what's happening in deepest space?
0:55:07 > 0:55:11I would answer that by...it's not going to change your life probably tomorrow or maybe even not next week,
0:55:11 > 0:55:15but it's actually what makes us human, to be curious about the universe,
0:55:15 > 0:55:16to understand the world around us,
0:55:16 > 0:55:20and it's part of that, and who knows what sort of things will come out of that in the future
0:55:20 > 0:55:22that will affect our everyday lives?
0:55:22 > 0:55:26But out of that technology has come lots of others things, like Wi-Fi, for example.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30That was actually developed by radio astronomers using techniques they had to invent
0:55:30 > 0:55:32in order for us to do radio astronomy.
0:55:33 > 0:55:38Jodrell Bank's been contributing to that understanding for half a century...
0:55:40 > 0:55:42..and continues to do so.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45Well, my day here is almost done,
0:55:45 > 0:55:51but before I go the scientists have arranged a rather wonderful treat for me...
0:55:51 > 0:55:52in the control room.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56I've been given special permission to drive the telescope.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00The code has been preset. All I have to do is press this key here...
0:56:00 > 0:56:05and it's destination Crab Nebula, an exploded star!
0:56:13 > 0:56:15I hope he knows that he's doing!
0:56:19 > 0:56:21Right, that's it from Cheshire for this week.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24Next week, we're in North Cornwall
0:56:24 > 0:56:25where Matt will be meeting
0:56:25 > 0:56:27the oldest herd of fallow deer in the country.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29And I'll be taking to the saddle
0:56:29 > 0:56:31to find out how cycling and conservation
0:56:31 > 0:56:34go hand in hand as I tackle a new woodland trail.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36Hope you can join us then. Bye for now.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd