Countryfile's Ramble for Children In Need Countryfile

This autumn, a rambling revolution hit rural Britain.

The first ever Countryfile ramble for BBC Children in Need.

Over two days, six of us,

and more than 7,500 of you, covered the countryside.

Some walked alone, some on an epic scale.

But every footstep counted,

every mile mattered.

In this special edition of Countryfile, we'll bring you

those rambles and the inspirational youngsters who joined us.

And we asked for your help in making sure we make a real impact in

changing lives through the Countryfile ramble

for Children in Need.

For one weekend, the Countryfile ramble for Children in Need

covered the countryside.

Thousands of you organised your own sponsored rambles and,

as it was our idea, we led the way,

inviting some of you to join us on walks that celebrated

some of the best rural landscapes Britain has to offer.

From Dorset's Jurassic Coast, with its cliffs, coves

and a whole lot of Countryfile viewers...

THEY CHEER

HORN BLARES

Off we go!

..to hundreds of you joining me in the glorious Windsor Great Park.

Up north, I'm heading out on an epic eight-mile hike,

leading this lot up into the hills of the Peak District.

And in Scotland, where better than a beautiful loch to

show off some stunning sites that everyone can enjoy?

Onward!

Tom headed across the water to catch up with some of you out

rambling and raising money in Northern Ireland.

And for my walk, something a little bit more extreme.

3,000 feet up there, but the good news is, I'm not going alone.

I've got all this lot with me. So, are we ready to go?

-ALL:

-Yes!

-You're all set? Come on, then, let's go for it.

My ramble started with 25 of you...in Snowdonia.

It has just gone 8:30 AM in the morning.

All of our ramblers-cum-scramblers are gathered

here at the foot of Tryfan. That is the task that lies ahead of us.

This Snowdonian mountain reaches 918m at its peak.

That's 3,012ft in old money.

Our hike, beginning at the foot of Tryfan,

takes us along the spectacular

Heather Terrace, eventually rising to the southern summit of the mountain.

The circular route then drops down into the valley path

for the long walk home.

There are 25 adventurous Countryfile viewers embarking on the walk today.

Different ages, backgrounds, from all around the country.

All of whom are united

and determined to raise some money for Children in Need.

But there's one member of the group with a very personal

connection to the charity.

Because it has been helping her for more than seven years.

Ella has grown up in the Cumbrian countryside, but has had to

rely on her other senses to fully appreciate the great outdoors.

She's been severely visually impaired since birth.

On a good day, Ella can see 2m in front of her.

On a bad day, white-outs cause temporary blindness.

I have a condition called nystagmus,

which means that the nerve isn't connected to the eye properly.

My eye wobbles uncontrollably from side to side.

I also have a condition called hemianopia.

It makes me have blind spots like this.

In preparation for guiding Ella on the mountain, I caught up

with her, together with her project worker, Jan Quinn, a few weeks ago.

I wanted to understand more about the world that Ella can see.

So, Jan has kindly put together these glasses that

sort of simulate my vision.

I mean, I'm just seeing it now, this car.

There is a real fear in going forward.

We can try the steps to the library, if you'd like?

-Your balance OK?

-It is the depth that's difficult to work out.

Yeah.

Do you know, thinking about that, I mean, going up a mountainside...

ELLA LAUGHS

And yet that is exactly what Ella is about to do.

Last kisses and cuddles.

THEY LAUGH

-Are you all right? You ready?

-Yeah.

-Here we go, then.

We'll see you when we get down.

The difficulty of what lies ahead for Ella can't be overestimated.

And for her mum, Jane, it is going to be a long

and agonising wait for her safe return.

It is an unusual feeling this morning,

watching my girl go up that mountain.

She's a little nervous, so am I.

But she's been working hard at this for the last six weeks

in the gym, and really trying hard to get some stamina and keep fit.

Thoughts today are with her, what she's going through, how she's going

to get there, and just, like any anxious mum,

wants to see her come back.

Sorry.

Nice and gentle.

So here we are, Ella, it has started.

It is happening.

After so much anticipation and...

waiting, we are on the mountain.

-Yes, we are.

-THEY LAUGH

Just keep at that pace, it is really good, Ella.

'We've got a team of guides and medics with us on today's walk.

'And we are going to need them every step of the way.'

That is fantastic. You're positively motivated.

ELLA LAUGHS

Heading up the support team is lead guide Mark Agnew,

a highly experienced mountaineer, who's led expeditions all over

the world, but most importantly...

he knows this mountain well.

We are about 45 minutes in and things are going to get quite a bit

more challenging. Not just for Ella, but for all of our walkers.

For all of us, that's right. The ground now steepens off quite a bit.

We've got a rough area to walk ourselves up.

Then we come to the bottom of a scree slope, and that is going to...

It is loose in places, so it is a challenge for everybody. But once we

get to the top of that, we then come onto the Heather Terrace path.

And it's a real challenge to get to that point.

Once we're there, it is along the path and up towards the summit.

That Heather Terrace path that you're talking about,

-we can see it almost cut into the side of the mountain.

-That's it.

It's that definite sort of diagonal line across the

side of the mountain.

Yes, there's a hole down to the right-hand side, so stay there.

-Brilliant.

-OK.

-That's excellent.

'We are following this fence line, from Tryfan Bach,

'to the foot of the scree slope.'

-I can hardly see the path.

-It is over here.

Yes, this terrain is a nightmare.

You've got this kind of muddy sogginess...

mixed with huge boulders.

From a perspective point of view, it's very difficult for Ella

to be able to judge what is going on beneath her.

Mixed in with the colours of the heather and everything,

it all sort of blends into one.

That's it.

'Before Ella steps foot on the tricky loose rock of the scree slope,

'experienced guide Debs offers a few words of advice.'

Nice and steadily, you might feel a bit of rock,

but you just have to kind of go with that. And you'll get a feel of it,

and you will realise the ones that are going to just hold.

Yes, that's fine. One step at a time.

Good work.

CHEERING

That is the sound of respect, that, Ella. That's what that is.

That was amazing, honey.

-How are you doing?

-I'm good.

Are you all right? You're not going to moan, are you?

You did really well. OK, you did. Look at you, you'll start me off.

Look what you've done.

You've done brilliantly so far, OK. You've done amazing.

Absolutely superb.

When you get up this height.

And what kind of a feeling of space have you got here?

It's amazing.

-It's beautiful. Sorry.

-SHE SOBS

It's just amazing. Didn't think I could do it.

Well, you've proven yourself that you can.

-Yeah.

-And you just keep thinking, as you always have done,

of all of those children that you're helping...by doing this.

All those people are sat at home and are watching what you are doing,

and they are thinking, "If she can do that...

"you know, I can do my bit."

-Yeah. And I want them to.

-Yeah, of course.

You can do your bit...

'Ella is impressing us all with her determination,

'but this is just the start.

'There's a long way to go before the summit,

'and later we'll see if she can conquer this mountain.'

From our highest peaks, to the very edge of our landscape,

Dorset's Jurassic Coast is my kind of countryside.

Dramatic, steeped in history

and simply stunning.

And this is where my ramble begins,

in the sublime setting of Lulworth Cove.

What better place to start our ramble than this fabulous

coastal location, with stunning clifftop pass?

There is of course just one thing missing,

and that's people to walk them. But fear not, they're all here.

-Good morning, everybody! ALL:

-Morning!

-Are you ready to ramble?! ALL:

-Yes!

Our ramble will take us six miles from Lulworth Cove

on the Lulworth estate...

westwards past Durdle Door and Holworth Ho!,

before coming to an end at Osmington Mills.

This landscape of steep cliffs exposed to the elements can be

quite literally breathtaking.

But they say sea air is good for you,

and there's a familiar face in the crowd who knows more about

whether that's true than most, weatherman John Hammond.

So tell us about this sea air. Is it really good for you?

Well, if you look back to sort of Victorian times,

Edwardian times, when of course cities were polluted with

thick soot, and people had bad bronchial conditions, certainly

to escape from the city and get out to the seaside was a great thing.

Nowadays, of course, the cities have got a lot cleaner,

the medical benefits are, well,

perhaps a little bit more marginal, but I think psychologically it is

fantastic to get out to the seaside, and the air coming towards us

has come across 3,000 miles of ocean,

so the air is absolutely pristine.

But I think it is the feel-good factor,

if you like, of being out and doing some exercises.

It is just as good for you as the marginal medical benefits.

-Yeah, we love taking the airs, don't we?

-Absolutely, yes.

And breathing in that coastal air with us today,

a whole host of Countryfile viewers, who've travelled from far and wide

to be here.

-We live in the Midlands but we love walking.

-Yeah.

And we like this part of the coastline.

-We are from just outside Chester, Cheshire.

-Oh, a fair way then.

Have you raised much money?

If I mention certain names, we'll get more money.

-Oh, well, quick, chuck it in.

-Quentin Bird.

-John Barlow.

-£500. Kerching, kerching, kerching.

The dollar signs are rolling.

And, of course, that's the main reason we are here,

not just to admire the view, stunning though it is. Everyone on this

ramble is determined that their footsteps will have a real

impact in helping some of the most disadvantaged youngsters in Britain.

Doing a little bit of tossing it up, I think we're on to a few thousand

quid for this ramble, which is not bad for a stroll in the countryside.

And no-one here knows more how vital the work of Children in Need

is than 14-year-old Grace and her mum Denise, who recently

moved from Gloucestershire down here to the Dorset coast.

-Grace and Denise, how are you finding the walk?

-Yes, good. Enjoying it.

-Blew the cobwebs away?

-Yes.

-You have moved to the coast. How you finding it?

-I'm really enjoying it.

Settled in school really well, made some amazing friends.

-Really nice to be able to come swimming as well.

-Yes, fantastic.

-Denise, why the move down here?

-Well, we lived in Gloucestershire.

That was where Grace was born.

When we lost Andy, Grace's daddy, to cancer,

it was a couple of years and then we decided it would be really

nice to move down towards our family.

Grace's dad, Andy, died six years ago when she was just eight years old.

Me and my dad, we were like best friends,

as well as dad and daughter.

We used to do everything together.

I was Daddy's girl and it was us against the world, really.

Andy was ill for several months before he received

the devastating diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer.

It was just two weeks after this diagnosis that Andy passed away.

He was 53.

I watched him go from...

..happy, bright, healthy person,

to someone that was ill and I kind of lost my dad as I was going along

and I was...I was scared.

Grace isn't alone.

More than 100 children are bereaved of a parent each day in the UK.

What they desperately need is help

to find a way to rebuild their lives,

to carry on without one of the people who loved them most.

Grace and her mum found that lifeline through the children's bereavement

charity Winston's Wish, which is supported by Children In Need.

-You going to be doing...

-Bye-eye!

As part of their healing process, many families take part

in outdoor activity weekends, organised by the charity.

They made you feel safe and it wasn't all about

the death and the sadness and all the horrible stuff.

You had that time to go out, have fun,

be with people that knew exactly how you felt.

Being outside kind of makes you wake up, in a way.

You get the fresh air, you feel refreshed,

you feel clean and it's just nice to breathe the outside, I think.

What Winston's Wish has done, has given us

the confidence to be able to carry on our lives.

We've good memories of Andy and those memories then turn into

positive things.

They've brought me out the other side, so now it's time for me

to give something back.

The ramble can be used as an opportunity to show others across

the country that they're not alone and that there is help out there.

For a parent, the thought of any child going through

the pain of their mother or their father dying is really heartbreaking.

But by supporting Children In Need, you can

help other children like Grace when they desperately need it.

So please donate if you can.

-Grace, I must say, you are completely fabulous.

-Thank you.

Not only have you, you know, come out the other side

of the experience you've gone through, you're doing...

You're doing some good now. You're a ambassador for Winston's Wish.

I am, yeah.

Being a young ambassador, my friends know that they can come

and talk to me and I'll listen and I know what it's like, so...

-Yeah, you truly get it.

-Yeah.

-Offering your strength to others.

-Yeah.

-Really impressive. Well done, you.

-Thank you.

As the miles pass, the cliff gets steeper and we all have to dig deep.

But keeping our spirits up is camaraderie,

a common sense of purpose

and the natural wonder of sights like the magnificent Durdle Door.

It's a landscape that's long fascinated local lad John Hammond.

I grew up about 30 miles along the south coast that way.

This is a unique stretch of coastline

and it represents hundreds of millions of years of history.

This area was swampland and then it was desert

and then it was forest and then it was under ocean

and in each of those periods,

you had different fossils being laid down, layer upon layer

and then through a geological quirk,

everything has been upended like that

and we're sort of walking across the pages of history

and each mile is several million years and that's why you have

such variety in fossil life along this Jurassic Coast.

The hamlet of Osmington Mills and the end of our ramble are drawing near.

Six miles, some incredible sights and some new friendships made.

What do you think your favourite bit today was?

I think I have to say it's going downhill.

For Grace, though, this is the most amazing sight of all -

everyone turning out to help support others like her

in their time of need.

We're here, we're here! Final few steps.

Here's Grandma to meet everybody.

Aw. How lovely.

-It's been a fabulous walk. Well done. Good job, everybody.

-Thank you.

Yeah!

Well done, everybody.

Thanks very much. Thanks, everyone, for your support.

All around the country on the big ramble weekend,

thousands of you organised your own rambles for Children In Need.

Some large, some small...

Hi!

..scattered all around our rural landscape.

There's dog walking,

baby carrying

and good old-fashioned yomping.

And across the water in Northern Ireland,

our roving reporter Tom quickened his pace to catch up with some of you.

'It's early morning at Cave Hill, a rural gem overlooking Belfast.

'The country park here is a gateway to the countryside

'and walkers, cyclists and runners are already out in force.

'Among them is local father and son, Liam and Ben.

'Like thousands of others around the UK today,

'they're raising money for Children In Need.'

Thanks for having me join your walk, it's beautiful.

I had no idea this was right on the doorstep of Belfast.

Yes, it's fantastic.

We literally live 10, 15 minutes up the road

and it's really great to come down here.

What is it you like about this so much?

It's just a wide open space, the views are fantastic up here,

-so they are, on a day like this. It's great.

-Yeah.

I was amazed, you've got this wilderness right on your doorstep.

-Great for a kid like you.

-Yeah, it's brilliant just to run around,

go in the caves and stuff with my friends and have a bit of banter.

-Yeah, real sense of freedom out here as well.

-Yeah, there is.

-And how's the fundraising going?

-It's going really well.

-We've raised up to about £120, round about that.

-Very good.

So, we want to continue with the fundraising right up until November.

'Liam and Ben have done a tremendous job gathering sponsorship

'for their walk and they're not the only ones raising money

'in Northern Ireland this weekend.'

-Hello, hello!

-Hello, how are you?

'In fact, it doesn't take long before I bump into another group

'of local people raising money for Children In Need.'

We all work for an organisation called Niamh -

-Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health.

-Uh-huh.

-David actually is one of our tenants.

-I'm one of the tenants.

-Yeah.

You down here in Belfast, is that when you're based?

We're based in Belfast but we have schemes throughout Northern Ireland.

So, we thought this would be a good idea.

-We do a lot of walking anyway...

-Brilliant.

-..and very often can be up here.

-Have you been up here before?

-No, it's the second time I've been up here.

-Only the second time?

-Oh, right.

-It's very good.

-It's brilliant, there's a great view and everything.

-Fabulous view.

It's so dramatic with the cliffs here, I just think it's great.

Yeah, it's fabulous.

In Northern Ireland alone,

eight million pounds' worth of Children In Need grants

help fund charities that span from Belfast to Enniskillen,

Strabane to Larne.

Sticky Fingers Art House in Newry is a project full of glitter,

glue and play. A place for local children,

some of whom live in challenging circumstances.

Art actually gives an inner confidence to children -

they can communicate, they can create things.

It's got a value, it's got a currency.

You see children growing in confidence

because they come in and make things happen

and they know they're creating something and they feel good

and they can show other people what they've done.

There's a great achievement in what they do.

And that's clear as day when you see a quiet child slowly developing

and growing in confidence and before long,

they're shouting your name and just...

They don't need me as a teacher any more, they just play.

But not satisfied with the Art House HQ,

this charity has branched out.

The magical forest trail here tells of a giant's lair,

complete with fairy houses, artwork and storytelling.

-Where's the chimney?

-There's a bird's nest!

And you know what? It's proving pretty popular.

I think it's a place that your imagination can go free.

Yeah, that's good! Where you can just explore. Go crazy!

-There's like loads of different...

-Do cartwheels!

It's fun for the child just to walk up

and it's also healthy for their minds just to get outside

and just look at everything that's there.

-Before you just walked up and you just saw trees.

-Yeah.

And it was a little boring.

I'm talking. It was a little boring.

You're hogging the camera!

Sticky Fingers is just one of over 200 projects

in Northern Ireland alone which Children In Need helps to support.

It just goes to show what that money you're raising can deliver.

To give £5...

There are even more Countryfile viewers raising money

in Northern Ireland today...

and if I'm going to catch up with some of them,

I need to get a wriggle on.

60 miles northwest of the Sticky Fingers project,

I've found these fundraising supremos

rambling just outside Omagh.

Tell me about this place, this bit of Northern Ireland that I'm in.

This is known as the Gortin Glens and this is very, very scenic

and we get a lot, a lot of visitors.

We arrived this morning just to create numbers

and we got involved walking and we couldn't stop.

-We just kept going and going and going.

-Brilliant.

The walkers, cyclists and horse riders here

are taking part in Join Us Up, an event to encourage more paths

to link towns and villages with the countryside.

When the group heard about the Countryfile ramble,

they simply had to get involved.

-You're Sean who's organised this, is that right?

-That's right, Tom.

-How's it going?

-One of many of us.

-Well, you've done tremendously, look at this.

-Over 60 walkers,

couldn't believe it this morning when they all turned up.

And it seems to me, it's a great win-win here because it's good

to get out for a walk anyway, isn't it?

Let alone the fundraising on top of that.

The funds raised by all our ramblers today will be vitally important,

helping the lives of nearly half a million disadvantaged children

and young people all around the UK.

It's great to see so many people out here of all ages,

most on foot, some on bikes, some on horseback

but if you can't get out yourself, don't worry, you can still help.

Get those fingers working and start texting.

MATT: Whether organising your own sponsored rambles

or joining us on ours,

this was a truly epic weekend in the making,

celebrating the beauty of our countryside,

the cheerfulness of its people...

SHE LAUGHS

..and the courage of youngsters helped by Children In Need

and wanting to inspire others.

That was amazing, honey.

-How you doing?

-I'm good.

You've done brilliantly so far, OK? You've done amazing.

And Anita was about to go for a right royal ramble.

Windsor Great Park, just a stone's throw from London,

its centrepiece is the oldest and largest inhabited castle

in the world.

A rural retreat for kings and queens for over a thousand years

and the great park itself has been used by city dwellers

to escape into the countryside for centuries.

Today, though, there's a few more of them than usual.

CHEERING

Hundreds of Countryfile viewers are descending on this one location

for by far the biggest of this year's rambles.

'As I'm leading everyone, I've got the job of making sure

'we're all limbered up before we head off.'

So I thought maybe I would teach you a little dance.

'And who better to lend a hand with some impromptu countryside

'choreography than my Strictly dance partner, Gleb Savchenko?'

Oh, Gleb!

-He's here!

-Hey, guys.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... Come on!

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... And again!

'With hamstrings stretched and pulses racing,

'it's time to begin our ramble around the park.'

Three, two, one!

AIR HORN BLARES

Off we go.

AIR HORN BLARES

An epic location for a stunning spectacle,

Countryfile viewers on the march.

We're starting our 3.8 mile circular route by heading up

The Long Walk from Windsor Castle before taking a loop through

ancient woodland and open pastures,

eventually joining The Long Walk once again to finish where we began.

'With George III watching on,

'I catch up with park manager Phil Edwards

'to get the lowdown on the landscape we're rambling through.'

Why are we walking towards George III?

George III was the first real monarch that had a major influence

on the park. In the 1700s, he opened it up

and made it available to everyone,

especially The Long Walk towards the castle where it was

kind of like a social event for the local people of the town.

And the trees are pretty special here, aren't they?

-Oh, they are.

-How old are they?

Well, the oldest tree that we've got is 1,200 years old and then

we've got the biggest collection of ancient oaks in all Europe.

-In the whole of Europe?

-Yes.

It's absolutely beautiful and right on the edge of London.

Oh, I can't believe it. 20 miles and you're in the centre of London

and you've just got woodlands

that are uninterrupted for a thousand years.

Gosh, you have the best job.

I'm a New Zealander and it's hard to leave home

but you can't leave a place like this, there is no other job that

would encompass my interests and my passions anywhere else in the world.

The public have been taking pleasure in promenading

through this park for over 300 years

and it seems everyone here is loving being in the great outdoors today.

How many have you got?

I don't know how many I've got

but I've kind of got thousands.

-Thousands of conkers. I think you've got thousands as well. Wow-ee!

-Yeah.

But for us, of course,

rambling here today also has a real sense of purpose.

Children In Need help fund more than 2,500 projects across Britain

and everyone from Russian dancers to superheroes

is rambling in support of them.

..the parents and children have been sponsoring us.

-Have much have you raised, do you know?

-About £300 already,

-we're aiming for £1,000.

-Amazing, amazing, amazing.

-Yeah.

We've raised about...

£135.

-Do you think everybody should get out and do a ramble?

-Yes.

Some of the other walkers here know from first-hand experience

how essential Children In Need support is.

-Beullah, do you get into the countryside much?

-No.

-No.

-Not very much.

But I like it when I get to go.

What do you like about it?

I like all the plants and the animals.

Beullah and her brother David Jesse live only 30 miles from here

but it's a world away from Windsor's wide open spaces.

For them, surrounded by the concrete of city life in London,

Kennington's Lollard Street Adventure Playground

is a little patch of green.

A safe place to play and children are queuing up for it.

We're open Monday to Friday, we open at 10:30 in the morning.

The kids start queuing up at about nine o'clock to get in here.

We do have a maximum capacity of kids we can take

which is between about 50 and 60.

Unfortunately it does mean sometimes we have to turn kids away,

which is really sad.

Since we've been coming here, my kids get up every morning -

"play centre, play centre!" and they love it.

And six-year-old Elsa knows exactly what she's going to do

once the doors open.

I'm going to go to the zip wire

and then after I'm going to go to the slide

and then after I'm going to go the tyre and then after

I'm going to go to the swings,

then I'm going to go back to the zip wire.

For some, like eight-year-old Raldean and his mum Pauline,

Lollard Street is far more than a playground.

This place has helped me a lot.

When I say a lot, I mean a lot.

It's in the same area that I work and I know he's safe here.

Finding care for Raldean can be complicated as he has autism

but thanks to funding from Children In Need,

the playground is able to offer an inclusion project,

catering for children needing extra support.

We have a dedicated member of staff who works on a one to four

sort of basis and they're just there to just help that child

feel fully included in the playground.

Raldean, when he first came, he was very shy.

Since he's been here, he's made lots of really good friends.

He also has challenged himself physically in amazing ways

which is brilliant.

It helps Raldean and it helps me.

I would say it's really a lifeline.

But for the other children this project takes in every day,

the support it offers is just as life-enhancing.

This is where sunflower seeds come from. Eat that one.

A nature garden created in a corner of the playground

is teaching these youngsters about a whole new world.

If you live in a small home and you don't have a garden,

then the nature garden's really great for getting kids involved

in learning how to garden, getting more in touch with nature.

This is a big sunflower that I can't even hold it!

This place is simple but what it offers is vital -

somewhere safe to play and thrive and a thread that connects children

from the city to the countryside beyond.

The funding Children In Need offer helps make this possible.

If, like me and everybody here, you believe that every child

deserves to have some countryside in their life and a bit of joy,

then it's simple - all you have to do is donate to Children In Need.

Even if you haven't managed to get out on a ramble, it doesn't matter

because every penny counts and you can help

kids like Cassidy and Lacey. And you're loving it, aren't you? Yeah.

To help projects like Lollard Street, you can give £5 by...

While we're out here to raise money,

for these children, today is all about enjoying the simple pleasures

our rural landscapes offer.

'And before our ramble reaches its end,

'I want to show two of the Lollard Street children,

'Beullah and David Jesse, just how remarkable nature can be.'

Right, now,

I've been told that there are three elephants in this tree.

-Can we spot them?

-Up there, isn't there?

-What about here? Look, look.

-What about this?

-Oh, that's a baby one.

-Oh, yeah!

-That one looks most like an elephant.

-That's awesome.

-That's amazing, isn't it?

-And that's its trunk.

What do you think of this tree?

-It's really old.

-It's cool!

Shall we see if there's a little bit of it, maybe an acorn or

a bit of bark, something that you could take back to London with you?

-Yeah.

-Yeah? So you've always got a bit of this tree.

-Even these acorns look ancient.

-They look ancient.

It's perfect.

'Having come full circle, our regal ramble's nearing its end.

'And the finish line is in sight.'

Come on then, shall we run?

Come on, let's go.

Round of applause, everyone. Well done.

'We came, we saw and we rambled.

'And for those that've taken part, there are memories made

'and the satisfaction of money raised.'

Aw, how are you?

While my ramble had the most people on it,

Matt's Snowdonia scramble was definitely the toughest.

That's it. Just keep moving forward. Well done.

By the halfway point for visually impaired youngster Ella,

the scale of the task was beginning to push her to her limits.

MATT: After three hours of walking up the tough terrain of Tryfan,

we've reached the Heather Terrace - a rough boulder-strewn route

that stretches along the edge of the mountain.

I think because we've got these huge jagged rocks

and they're all so irregular that actually I'm sure you'd agree, Ella,

this is probably the most challenging section of the walk for you so far.

-Yeah, I'm still waiting for the so-called path.

-Yeah.

There's a great team spirit on today's walk,

with several of the guides enjoying the chance to walk with Ella.

I take the opportunity to catch up with Jan.

She's been working with Ella for more than seven years.

-Jan, when you look back down to the car park...

-Yep.

..way, way below us...

-That's right.

-..how do you sum up

what you're watching here with Ella going through this landscape?

In a word, it is, it's incredible.

It is a journey for her.

Getting her here today has been about practice walking, confidence,

making the first telephone call to her to say, "Fancy a challenge?"

Seeing her as a mentor to others has been an important part of her

wanting to do this for her and for the younger people behind her.

And here we are now at this height and I mean, just look at her,

she's just progressing. She has this kind of, this positive motion,

she's just not stopping, she just wants to keep going always.

She does, she does. And that is a testament to who she is.

Ella's used to not following the easy path.

The strength and determination we're witnessing today

has been built and nurtured working with Jan and her colleagues

at Sight Advice.

It's a charity that's able to help young people like Ella,

thanks to funding from Children In Need.

What Sight Advice helps to do is to make children go

and explore in a safe environment for themselves in places

that are full of, you know, grass and fields

and trees where, you know, they can get their knees dirty

-and have a few grazes but safe, if you see what I mean.

-Mm-hm.

We've been to an activity centre, we've been horse riding,

we've been cycling.

Is it possible for you to put into words what those kind of

life experiences have meant to you?

It's just encouraging really to say you're not alone.

Come on, get together, build each other's confidence

and go out there and do it.

You may be considered different by other children

but we know that you're not.

That was incredible, Ella. I'm not just saying it.

'It's been five hours since we left the base of the mountain

'and the physical and mental pressures of Heather Terrace

'are taking their toll.'

-Everyone here is rooting...

-OK.

-..and you are nearly at the top.

-Yep.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-Do you want a drink or are you all right?

-I'm OK.

One final little push.

Things are actually getting really intense now.

We've turned the corner, the wind's blowing, you know,

Ella's senses are going in overdrive at the moment,

she's got so much adrenaline pumping.

Just one, I think, this time.

'We're more than 2,500ft up and closing in on the rest of the group

'who've reached the saddle of the mountain.

'They're preparing for the final push to the summit

'but for Ella to reach the saddle of Tryfan

'is truly a momentous feat in itself.'

I'm right behind you, don't worry. Nearly there, Ella.

CHEERING

There you go, two last little steps.

Don't rush this bit. There you go.

CHEERING What about that?

Wahey!

You did it! You did it!

All those people behind you. OK?

-It's huge. Yeah?

-Yeah.

And you did it, OK?

Thank you.

Come on.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

That was mightily impressive, you know,

and you just kept going, just going forwards and...

I faced all my fears today.

-And you've beaten them all, haven't you?

-Yeah, yeah.

Just take a breath of that fresh air.

It doesn't get much fresher than this, let me tell you.

-It's beautiful.

-You've earned every single lungful of it.

-Thank you.

Well done. Seriously well done. Well done.

You can help young people like Ella.

There are thousands of charities around the UK that need your support.

To donate £5...

It's been an exhausting and emotional journey to get this far

but a few hundred feet still lie between us

and Tryfan's southern summit.

She came to conquer a mountain

but has Ella got anything left in reserve?

-Do you want to carry on?

-I'll try it.

-OK.

-Yeah, I'm going to try.

-She wants to go on.

She wants to go on. CHEERING

Brilliant. Wow.

-ELLIE:

-Inspired by stories like Ella's,

thousands of you got out there and played your part.

When we asked for you to join our ramble weekend,

an army of Countryfile viewers answered the call.

You let your feet do the talking and sent us the tweets

and e-mails to prove it.

Thank you.

Leading his own merry band on a hike

through the Derbyshire hills was Adam.

This ramble through the picturesque Edale valley

in the Peak District is the longest of the weekend.

Starting in the village of Edale,

our eight-mile circular walk follows the Pennine Way,

up through the tough climb of Jacob's Ladder

and onward to the summit of Kinder Low

before looping along the edge of Edale Moor

and back towards our starting point.

Part of today's walk follows a historic packhorse route -

Jacob's Ladder.

Back in the 17th century,

the towns and cities surrounding the Peak District

were rapidly expanding, partly thanks to the woollen industry.

The route became well-trodden by packhorses carrying loads

between Sheffield and Manchester.

Today, it's just us ramblers

and the only packhorses are, well, the crew.

-What did you think of Jacob's Ladder?

-That was interesting.

Been in the Peak District but this is the first time

that I've actually walked up this route before so, yeah, it's good.

Especially being out with everybody for such a good cause as well.

It's good to be part of it all.

But the fact that we're able to walk up here at all is thanks to

a group of ramblers in 1932,

determined to highlight that walkers were being denied access

to the countryside.

Local guide and expert Kim Haywood explains more.

It's glorious, isn't it? Wonderful history of the place.

Yeah, so it's the place of the mass trespass.

In the early '30s, over 400 people came up here

and had a big trespass on the plateau.

They did get caught coming down,

a lot of police were there waiting for them,

some of them got arrested

and that paved the way in the late '40s to get an act

to create National Parks and eventually in '51,

the Peak District was the first ever National Park in Britain.

It's thanks to them we're all up here now being able

-to enjoy this beautiful countryside.

-Absolutely.

And so for Children In Need, it's lovely, isn't it?

Oh, it's brilliant. It's a great event, you know,

these guys have done lots of hard work, raised money,

they've raised awareness

and now they've got a great day to enjoy on the hill as well.

Well, thanks for guiding us.

-I haven't got a map so I'm glad you're here.

-Pleasure.

Dozens of our dedicated Countryfile viewers are testing their limits on

this eight-mile route, all to help raise money for Children In Need.

And amongst this band of ramblers are a group that have directly

benefited from funds raised by Pudsey and friends.

One of the many projects Children In Need supports

is Sheffield Young Carers,

a charity that focuses on helping these unsung heroes.

A young carer is a child or young person

who's caring for a member of their family

because that person's got illnesses, physical or mental illnesses,

long-term, disabilities or drug or alcohol issues.

The charity supports around 200 of Sheffield young carers,

offering help, guidance and the chance of some respite.

The responsibilities that people are taking on are kind of

adult responsibilities and even as an adult,

they're hugely hard to manage alongside all the other things

in your life so for a child, it's huge on top of going to school

and making friends and growing up and all those other worries

that children and young people have anyway.

If somebody you love isn't well or has got a lot of things

going on for them, that's on your mind all the time.

One of the young people the charity helps

is 18-year-old college student Sarah.

If I'm being totally honest,

I didn't know that what I was doing was caring for my mum.

It was just day-to-day living to me

but breaking that cycle of not wanting to leave her

and making sure she's OK before I leave

has kind of really changed my life.

Sarah's mum, Bev, has been poorly for some years

but only recently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

I can go from being really happy to being really, really upset

in the space of a few minutes.

I can get really angry as well, which frightens me

because I do lose it quite quick, it's like a really short fuse.

I smash things. I want to smash the world if I could.

The pressure on Bev, Sarah and the rest of the family was tremendous.

It was only when they became aware of Sheffield Young Carers

that they could begin to turn their lives around.

Being a part of Young Carers made me aware

that Mum will be fine on her own,

I can leave her and she's not going to be just gone

and she now knows that she's going to have good days and bad,

so she can encourage both, she can relax a bit

when she's in a bad day, so they've really changed our lives.

The charity helps young carers and their families

through home visits and one-to-one sessions,

but it's trips out of the city, to places like this farm,

that really provide these youngsters with

some rural respite from their daily routine.

Getting out of the house is really nice,

so coming to somewhere that's so open and fresh air,

is really, really lovely.

Within the groups, there's loads of people my age

and similar ages that I've met.

I've never really talked to my own friends

about anything to do with the caring role I have,

but to have the opportunity to speak to someone who understands

and knows what it's like is a really nice opportunity to have.

She has had to cope with a lot.

She's really, really gone through it

and got through college and I'm so, so proud.

And I'm so proud of my mum as well, because she's the one who has to

go through it day-to-day, but she's still here and she's still my mum.

So, Sarah, how are you finding the walk?

Well, there are some challenging parts,

but the views are amazing, so it's all worth it, really.

So, tell me about how you feel, all these people out supporting

Children In Need, that directly supports the charity you work with?

It's an amazing cause

and as many people as possible who raise money

can make so much happen with the money

cos it just goes to so many amazing charities.

'Well, us fundraising ramblers are making good ground

'and we're almost at the highest point of our walk,

'the summit of the slightly misleadingly named Kinder Low.

'Well, it's high enough for us today.'

Well done, everybody, we've made it the top!

CHEERING

-CHEERING

-Come on!

I reckon we have a sandwich and then go back down.

LAUGHTER

BAGPIPE DRONES

JOHN: While Adam is on the downhill run,

my ramble is just beginning.

Loch Leven in Kinross is Scotland's largest lowland loch.

Serene, majestic and with a shoreline of 13 miles.

Everybody ready to ramble?

CHEERING Off we go, then.

Our four-mile ramble will be a gentle stroll along the banks of Loch Leven,

starting at the pier in Kinross before arching north-eastwards,

following even ground all the way, to end in Balgedie.

For me, this route doesn't simply promise some glorious sights,

it also highlights the fact that the British countryside

is becoming increasingly accessible to all,

thanks to pathways like this one.

Paths like this are absolutely ideal, you know,

and over the years there are more and more places

that are becoming more accessible.

And the kids, in turn, will benefit.

-Well, they're both fast asleep at the moment!

-Yes!

-They're enjoying the fresh air!

-They're not really taking it in.

-Just the fresh air, not the view!

-Yes!

One family not only loves getting out into the countryside,

but also has first-hand experience of Children In Need's support,

through 14-year-old Cameron who has brittle bone disease.

Beautiful loch view there, isn't it?

I think you've been helped an awful lot, haven't you,

-by the Brittle Bone Society?

-Yeah.

They help people buy wheelchairs or equipment that they might need,

but they also have conferences every year,

which just help you kind of meet other people and just get advice.

-And swap stories and experiences and things?

-Yeah.

Children In Need helps fund the Brittle Bone Society,

especially the Cool Bones club that Cameron belongs to.

For the whole family, though,

the support through the years has been really vital.

Cameron first broke a bone, his thigh bone, when he was just six weeks old.

I couldn't settle him, he was screaming

and, when we changed his nappy,

we discovered his femur was a funny shape,

so we took him to hospital and, thankfully,

the doctors there recognised the condition straightaway.

I think we were numb more than anything.

We had to move into hospital for four weeks

and there was X-rays and tests and doctors and information,

so, yeah, it was really terrifying.

Osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bones,

basically means that I can break stuff

without really falling or anything.

In the last 15 months, Cameron has had over 60 fractures now.

He can yawn, he can sneeze, he can stretch in the morning,

getting dressed, it happens an awful lot. Sometimes just lifting him.

You know, it can be a position that he's been lifted in 100 times,

but one of those times there will be a break.

Since he was born, Cameron has suffered around 250 fractures

and he's having more breaks now than ever, as he becomes a teenager.

Living on the west coast of Scotland

and away from specialist medical support, Cameron and his family

have had to learn how to deal with some of the fractures themselves.

So, this is the break bag. We carry it everywhere we go.

So these are splints for Cameron's arms,

so if he has a fracture, we can pop those on.

That's a huge knee splint.

We have our bag of tricks.

So we have all the medication he needs, we have slings,

we have bandage for under casts,

we have casts...

But sometimes the break bag simply isn't enough.

On our ramble today, Cameron's left leg is in plaster again.

Just ten days ago, he broke his femur simply moving his leg in bed.

It was so serious, he needed to be stabilised for two hours

before being airlifted to hospital.

He's still in pain, but you wouldn't know it.

He's here with a smile on his face,

doing his bit in the hope that you'll do yours.

Your support really does matter

because it could help Children In Need continue their vital work

of supporting thousands of children like Cameron

and giving them help when they really need it.

'Cameron is an incredible young man

'and I happen to know that he's also an aspiring actor,

'so to make today even more special,

'I've got a surprise message from a man who is his absolute hero.'

Hi, Cameron. I wish I could be with you today.

Sadly, I can't cos I'm in London in a play,

but I want you to know that you have 100% full support...

-AS POIROT:

-..from a certain Belgian detective

that I know you enjoy to watch,

called Hercule Poirot.

Good luck!

-How about that, eh?

-Wow!

-A personal message from the man himself!

-Whoa!

-Right...

The beauty of a ramble is it's not a race.

There is time to stop and stare and take in your surroundings.

And what a place to do it!

Loch Leven is one of the most important sites in Britain

for waterfowl, as reserve manager Neil Mitchell knows only too well.

We can have up to 50,000 different ducks,

geese and swans at any one time.

Whooper swans from Iceland, pink-footed geese,

we can have more than 10% of the world population

of pink-footed geese here.

And although it's beautifully quiet here,

-you're not far from civilisation, are you?

-No, absolutely not.

I've had so many people today saying they've driven past

on the motorway and not realised that this was here.

We are very close to a lot of people,

but yet it is a tranquil site to come and visit.

-Great place for a ramble.

-Exactly.

-Carry on, everybody!

Leaving the loch side behind,

the final leg of our ramble cuts through autumn woodland,

opening out on to newly sown fields.

At the other side, is our journey's end.

And this is it! Our finishing line! CHEERING

Well done, everybody!

The final few steps before stories are swapped and tummies filled.

Surprisingly, quite a lot of our ramblers,

although they are reasonably local,

had never been here before,

so today they've had their eyes opened to this lovely place

and also raised some money for Children In Need and you can do too,

so please donate whatever you can to help people like Cameron

and thousands of other children in need.

-ELLIE:

-It was a sight like no other and an undertaking

that captured the heart, minds and feet of thousands of you.

Our first ever Countryfile ramble for Children In Need

stretched the length and breadth of the nation.

Through every kind of landscape and on every size of ramble,

every step we took raised vital funds to help some of Britain's

most disadvantaged youngsters.

And perhaps no-one was more inspirational than young Ella -

severely visually impaired, but determined to conquer a mountain.

'After almost six hours, Ella has made it to the saddle of Tryfan.'

CHEERING

You did it! You did it!

'But her aim was to reach the mountain's peak

'and despite the toll the climb has taken,

'she has made the brave decision to push on.

'When I chatted with her, a few weeks ago in the Lake District,

'Ella explained what has driven her to do this.'

I'm trying to inspire young people who are also visually impaired

or with any other disability,

that whatever challenge you set out to do,

don't think about your disability, go out and get it,

don't let anybody stand in your way.

'For Ella, this ramble is not only to inspire others,

'but also to honour the memory of a man who inspired and loved her,

'her dad, who passed away two years ago.'

He used to work for the National Trust

and do all the maps for all the area and all the mountains,

so he used to know this area like the back of his hand.

At least I can say, "I might not have got to do it with you,

"but I'm doing it in your memory, to show you that I can do it."

-And you're doing it for him.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

Just a few metres to go now, Ella.

Here we go, this is the final walk to glory!

-The final summit!

-After everything you've been through, Ella, you...

-After all the tears!

-..you have reached the top.

There it is! Yes! ELLA CHEERS AND LAUGHS

I'm going to stick my hand where you can see it.

-Come on, high-five. Yes, that is it! Get in!

-Yeah!

THEY LAUGH

-This is it!

-It's beautiful.

I can see a beautiful canvas with lots of different colours

and the stunning curves of the mountains

and it is just beautiful, really special.

I'm surprised I'm not actually out of breath

and on the floor at the minute, with a paramedic over me!

THEY LAUGH

But it's been worth it.

Sound, smell, touch, everything has been used today,

even this lovely, wonky old eye.

And, do you know, it's interesting, because

when we were stood above Lake Windermere

and we looked out and we saw the rays of sunlight coming down,

you said something to me that I'll never forget,

-when you said that the angels are coming down and...

-Windows to heaven.

Windows to heaven. And we've come round

and we've had haze and we've got to the top

-and there's the windows, look.

-Yeah, windows to heaven.

-There you go.

-Looking down.

-Yeah.

Very special.

What you've done today is you've been given an opportunity

to have a go at something.

A huge opportunity that I'll never get again.

And really, at its heart, that's what Children In Need is, isn't it?

It's giving children an opportunity to make the most

of what...the situation that they're in.

Yeah, to be independent, to be themselves

and to do what they want instead of what society dictates.

And so, for anybody that's wondering

whether or not they're going to donate

when they watch this, what would you say to them?

Just give, give now! Please give something,

even if it's just a pound, please donate something to Children In Need

because it's really worth it.

You just need a little comfort blanket to say,

"It's OK, we'll catch you and then throw you back up there."

-It's hard to hold it!

-There we go.

ELLA LAUGHS

'But the sheer exhilaration of reaching the top soon evaporates.

'For Ella, a daunting prospect lies ahead -

'a three-hour descent.'

And then step...

'For the rest of us, this may be the home stretch,

'but Ella's severely impaired vision

'gives her virtually no depth perception,

'which makes the journey down much more difficult than the climb up.'

So we're going to edge along that way,

so I don't know if it's easier

-for you to turn and use that to hold?

-Probably.

Where do we go from here?

-So, over and down and then it goes round and through.

-OK.

-So, is it more scree?

-It's a bit like this, OK, but this bit...

This is definitely, definitely the biggest challenge for Ella.

I think psychologically, because in her life, normally,

going down stairs is a big issue and I'm just sensing now that, you know,

having been overcome with emotion in getting up there, this is...

this is turning into...

She's starting to panic a little bit, she's sensing that, you know,

darkness is approaching, she knows she's got a long way to go

and she knows that she is running out of energy.

You know, she's tired, she's been through a lot so far.

It's just a big, big deal, this, for her, getting down.

Just head towards Matt this time.

I'm going to come in front of you now.

'With the light fading rapidly, Ella's struggle becomes

'more and more difficult

'as the little vision she has fades in the darkness.'

-OK?

-Yeah, just the light's gone.

-The light's gone, yeah, course.

-We won't let you fall, OK?

-OK.

-We promise, we won't let you fall.

'She is determined to see this through,

'determined to prove to herself and to others that,

'no matter who you are, you can live a life without limits.

'And, after ten hours on the mountain,

'this truly incredible young lady has done exactly that.'

Well, I think we're on ground level and to prove it...

CHEERING

There's Mum!

That's wonderful! Eh?

-Mum, she was outstanding.

-Thank you.

Honestly, I cannot tell you.

I have one thing to say to you.

On behalf of every single person that has watched you do that...

-Respect!

-Thank you.

CHEERING

Ella did this to inspire, but also to ensure that others

could have the support that she has received.

And you, too, can do your bit.

Our first ever Countryfile ramble for Children In Need

may have finished, but thanks to all of you who've got out there

and played your part, this is actually just the beginning.

You exceeded our expectations,

your response was nothing short of phenomenal

and you showed what the power of our countryside and its people have

when we join together.

What you've done, every pound that you've raised or donated,

has created a legacy that will last far beyond this one weekend.

It will help change lives

and support some of our most vulnerable youngsters

for years to come.

So, from them and from us,

thank you.