0:00:31 > 0:00:32Cumbria.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37The home of much-loved author and illustrator, Beatrix Potter.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42She wasn't just inspired by this sublime setting -
0:00:42 > 0:00:45as a farmer, she fought to conserve and care for it.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Which character do you think would have an absolute feast in here?
0:00:51 > 0:00:54- ALL:- Peter Rabbit! - Peter Rabbit.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55QUACKING
0:00:59 > 0:01:00HELEN PUFFS AND PANTS
0:01:00 > 0:01:03- Nearly at the top now. - This makes it all worth it!
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Helen's getting stuck in with the Lakeland games
0:01:06 > 0:01:08she loved watching as a child.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11- How do you stay on your feet? - Don't know!
0:01:11 > 0:01:12SHE LAUGHS
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Tom's investigating the world's most widely used herbicide.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It's used on our farmland, our parks, our gardens,
0:01:22 > 0:01:24and even our allotments.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26So why are there calls from across Europe
0:01:26 > 0:01:29to ban the use of glyphosate?
0:01:29 > 0:01:34And Adam's in Suffolk, where heavy horses are helping to recreate
0:01:34 > 0:01:36a Capability Brown landscape.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38How do you think we would load this log on here
0:01:38 > 0:01:41without the aid of any mechanical means?
0:01:41 > 0:01:44I'm not sure. I don't know how you're going to lift it off the ground.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11The lush Lakeland landscape is nature at her most creative.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18It's captured the imagination of many great artists and writers,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22who created their own masterpieces here, inspired by these fells.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26And one of the most famous of them all is Beatrix Potter.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28Born in London,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32her love affair with the southern Lake District is well documented.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36But what many people don't know is that it all began further north,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39at Lingholm, on the shores of Derwentwater.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46It was in these tranquil surroundings as a young woman
0:02:46 > 0:02:49that she came up with the ideas for her most famous
0:02:49 > 0:02:51stories - Mrs Tiggy-Winkle,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Squirrel Nutkin and Peter Rabbit.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Jessie Binns, a ranger with the National Trust,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04has been looking more deeply into the relationship
0:03:04 > 0:03:07between Potter's works and the landscape.
0:03:07 > 0:03:08- Jessie, hello!- Hello!
0:03:08 > 0:03:10- Very nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Now, of all the beautiful places in the Lake District,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15why are we meeting at this particular spot?
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Well, we're in the hamlet of Littletown right here,
0:03:18 > 0:03:19that she writes about.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24And what we've been finding is that she drew the actual hills
0:03:24 > 0:03:25that are around here.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29- She wrote about real people and about real places.- Right.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34And she's actually painting the real landscape that's around here,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37so I thought, well, I wonder if I can track down some of the places
0:03:37 > 0:03:39where she stood to make those paintings.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42- Right, and how's it going, then? - Well, it's going all right...
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Luckily, the rangers who work with me,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48some of them have worked in these valleys all their lives,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52so they said, "OK, we'll start in this area, start in that area."
0:03:52 > 0:03:54And then once you start looking,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57suddenly you kind of come round a corner and go, "That's it!
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- "That's it!"- So you've got all these big burly rangers
0:04:00 > 0:04:02- reading Mrs Tiggy-Winkle! - Absolutely! Yeah.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Trying to find the actual places.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Suddenly, we've stepped right into the painting of Lucy,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14from Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17You can see, can't you, there, the top of the crag coming down
0:04:17 > 0:04:20and that beautiful rounded hilltop in the background?
0:04:20 > 0:04:22- Yeah.- Yeah, we are here.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25- She's captured it beautifully, hasn't she?- Yeah.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Have you said to the people in the farmhouse,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30"Do you realise that your house is in a Beatrix Potter book?"
0:04:30 > 0:04:31No, I've been too scared!
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Well, maybe they're watching Countryfile now.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36If you are, congratulations!
0:04:38 > 0:04:41"Lucy scrambled up the hill as fast
0:04:41 > 0:04:43"as her stout legs would carry her.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47"She ran along a steep pathway, up and up,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50"until Littletown was right away down below."
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Another famous tale that comes straight out of the landscape
0:04:58 > 0:05:01at Lingholm is Squirrel Nutkin.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03So this is quite a famous tree, this one, Jessie.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Yeah, and when you look at this you can really see why.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08I mean, that is absolutely...
0:05:08 > 0:05:09- Oh, my word!- Isn't it?
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- Yes, it is!- Isn't that great?
0:05:11 > 0:05:13It's bang on!
0:05:18 > 0:05:20This is from The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23and it's the squirrels rafting to the island.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- It's such a beautiful... Great idea.- Isn't it great?
0:05:26 > 0:05:29And I've been going round and round Derwentwater looking at this island
0:05:29 > 0:05:32from all angles, trying to make the hills
0:05:32 > 0:05:34in the background match up,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37and I think this is closest I've seen.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41But also we've got this fantastic clue, because this is one of
0:05:41 > 0:05:43the very few photographs of Beatrix
0:05:43 > 0:05:45actually sketching in the landscape.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- Isn't that beautiful? - Isn't it fabulous?- Yeah.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51We're pretty sure that this photograph was taken on
0:05:51 > 0:05:53St Herbert's Island looking that way.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56So we know that she visited the island.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58We've got proof that she was there.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01What you hope to do with all of this evidence that you've now
0:06:01 > 0:06:04- accumulated?- Ah! Well, my grand plan, if I can make it work,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08is I'd love to actually install replicas of her original
0:06:08 > 0:06:11watercolours in the landscape temporarily,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15so that people can physically stand at the spot where Beatrix stood
0:06:15 > 0:06:18and feel as inspired by it as she was.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21And then see the artwork that she produced from that.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24And I think if we can make that connection between her love
0:06:24 > 0:06:28of the lakes and the landscape around it,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31I think it would be an amazing thing to be able to share with people.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36"They made little rafts out of twigs,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38"and they paddled away
0:06:38 > 0:06:40"over the water to Owl Island
0:06:40 > 0:06:42"to gather nuts."
0:06:44 > 0:06:47It certainly feels magical to be standing on the spot where
0:06:47 > 0:06:52Beatrix Potter dreamt up some of her wonderful wild heroes.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Now, it's the world's most used herbicide, so why is it that
0:07:03 > 0:07:07across the UK and Europe there's an argument to ban glyphosate?
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Here's Tom.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Today's farmers have many tools at their disposal,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20but when it comes to using the world's bestselling weedkiller,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24glyphosate, it isn't without controversy.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Around three-quarters of a million tonnes of this staff,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33glyphosate, are used on our farmland
0:07:33 > 0:07:36across the world every year.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38But now some people say it's unsafe
0:07:38 > 0:07:42and could increase the risk of cancer.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45And the European Union is considering a ban.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57So when you're spraying this,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00are you driving yourself or you get a bit of satellite assistance?
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Satellite assistance guiding the steering of it,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06the direction of it and also for switching the chemical on and off.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11Andrew Ward farms 1,600 acres of arable land in Lincolnshire.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Today, he isn't spraying glyphosate,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17but when he does, he uses it to wage chemical warfare on one of
0:08:17 > 0:08:21the most prolific weeds that farmers face - blackgrass.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Give me a feeling of the timetable
0:08:23 > 0:08:25of how you'd use it in fields like this.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27The field we're in at the minute is sugar beet.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29It was sprayed on the bare soil,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31as the blackgrass is germinated in the autumn,
0:08:31 > 0:08:35and then it was sprayed again in the spring before we sow the crop.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37So that would be two applications.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- And in a wheat field, maybe, like... - In a wheat field like that,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43again it depends how soon the field is cultivated after harvest.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46And so our aim is to get as many glyphosates on as we can.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48So in most fields,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52they'd often be getting two or maybe three goes with glyphosate?
0:08:52 > 0:08:55They would with us, yes, but a lot of farmers, probably only one.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Glyphosate is the only effective weedkiller on the market
0:08:59 > 0:09:03that can rid a field of blackgrass.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06But that's not the only way it's being used on farms.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09It can also be used to dry wheat before harvest.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12In a wet year, like we're having at the moment,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15the wheat is slow to mature and it ripens very unevenly.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Farmers use it to ripen their crops so that the millers then have
0:09:19 > 0:09:21a better availability of premium red wheat
0:09:21 > 0:09:25so they can actually make better quality loaves of bread.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28For farmers like Andrew,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31glyphosate is more than just a useful tool -
0:09:31 > 0:09:34it's an essential part of agriculture
0:09:34 > 0:09:36that he says he can't do without.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40And it's not just farming that relies on this weedkiller.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42The next time you sit on a park bench,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45lean on a lamppost or pass a roadside tree,
0:09:45 > 0:09:46there's a good chance
0:09:46 > 0:09:49that glyphosate will have been sprayed around them.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Introduced in the 1970s by the biotech giant Monsanto,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01today, glyphosate is widely used to keep railway lines free of weeds
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and by councils in public places.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09And you might even find it in your garden shed or on the allotment,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12because glyphosate is the active ingredient
0:10:12 > 0:10:14in the world's bestselling weedkiller, Roundup.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18But despite its wide-spread use,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22there are growing calls for it to be banned due to safety concerns.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29We've got to get a little bit more relaxed
0:10:29 > 0:10:31about having a few more weeds,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34plants out of place in our farmed environment.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39Helen Browning runs a 1,400-acre organic farm in Wiltshire,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42and is the chief executive of the Soil Association.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44We've got a fairly typical picnic here in front of us -
0:10:44 > 0:10:47a loaf of bread, sandwiches and a pasty,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50but the news about glyphosate gives you some concerns about this.
0:10:50 > 0:10:51Tell me.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Well, glyphosate has been cited as a probable carcinogen.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Surveys have shown that something like two-thirds of bread products
0:10:58 > 0:11:00have glyphosate residues in them,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03it's turning up in breast milk, in our urine,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05so this chemical is becoming ubiquitous.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08It's getting into us on a regular basis.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Now that there is this concern over its carcinogenic properties,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14we've got to stop that.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Last year, the World Health Organisation
0:11:20 > 0:11:24listed glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen
0:11:24 > 0:11:27or, in other words, it probably increases the risk of cancer.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31For such a widely used herbicide
0:11:31 > 0:11:35to be listed as probably carcinogenic sounds fairly scary,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38but it's worth remembering what's in the same category -
0:11:38 > 0:11:40being a hairdresser, for instance.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45And of greater risk is sunlight - little of it today, granted -
0:11:45 > 0:11:49and also alcohol, listed as carcinogenic.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54It's these safety concerns that led campaign groups
0:11:54 > 0:11:58like the Soil Association to call for a ban on the use of glyphosate
0:11:58 > 0:12:01on crops just before they're harvested
0:12:01 > 0:12:03and from being used in public spaces.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Their demands have been gathering momentum.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Recently, glyphosate came close to being banned across Europe,
0:12:11 > 0:12:17but was given an 18-month stay of execution by the European Commission
0:12:17 > 0:12:20while they consider a new report into its safety.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Even though our nation recently voted for Brexit,
0:12:27 > 0:12:31UK farmers could still be affected by a European ban.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34That's because even when we officially leave the EU,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37farmers could be stopped from exporting foods
0:12:37 > 0:12:40containing traces of glyphosate onto the continent.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42If there had been a decision in Europe
0:12:42 > 0:12:44a few weeks ago to ban glyphosate,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46what would that have meant to your farm?
0:12:46 > 0:12:49It would have really been catastrophic for the farm,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51because we'd have had to grass down big areas
0:12:51 > 0:12:53and then cease growing things on there.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55It would then question whether it was actually worthwhile
0:12:55 > 0:12:57carrying on farming in the other part of the farm.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01So it's not an exaggeration to say if you couldn't use glyphosate
0:13:01 > 0:13:03it might question your future in farming?
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I don't think it is an exaggeration at all.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08The National Farmers Union agree with Andrew
0:13:08 > 0:13:12that a complete ban would be very costly.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15They estimate that more than £500 million-worth of production
0:13:15 > 0:13:19would be lost each year without the use of glyphosate.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23But does it really pose as serious a risk to health as being claimed?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Many of those who are convinced glyphosate is safe
0:13:31 > 0:13:33say opposition to it is driven by a desire
0:13:33 > 0:13:36to cripple its leading manufacturer -
0:13:36 > 0:13:41a company seen by some as the bogeyman of modern farming,
0:13:41 > 0:13:42Monsanto.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46So, is that true, and can we farm without it?
0:13:46 > 0:13:48I'll be finding out later.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56The beginning of the 20th century saw the arrival of tractors
0:13:56 > 0:13:59powered by petrol and diesel.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Before then, our farmland was shaped and cultivated
0:14:02 > 0:14:05by horse and steam power.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08You may think that as soon as mechanisation came along,
0:14:08 > 0:14:09working horses became redundant,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12but actually there was a time at the turn of the century
0:14:12 > 0:14:15when old and new worked side by side.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Here at Old Hall Farm in Cumbria, they still do.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Husband and wife Alex and Charlotte Sharphouse
0:14:25 > 0:14:27are combining their two passions.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Charlotte loves working with heavy horses,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33whilst Alex prefers something a bit more up-to-date.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Charlotte!
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- Who is this fella?- This is Troy.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Now, talk me through to how you got to this point in your life.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Ten years ago, we bought this derelict farm,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and we set about farming a traditional Lakeland farm.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51It's all about the forgotten skills, the forgotten arts,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- the forgotten machinery. - So it's still a working farm?
0:14:54 > 0:14:57It's still a working farm. We farm it traditionally.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00We've just got about 120 acres.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03So a traditional farm would have done a bit of dairy,
0:15:03 > 0:15:05a bit of arable, a bit of beef.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06So that kind of bucks the trend.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Most... There are a lot of people leaving farming,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12yet you've spent a decade investing in it and trying to set up a farm.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Absolutely. We certainly are bucking the trend.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16When you work with the horses, you can think,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18"Yeah, that's why tractors came!"
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Troy's raring to go and I'm also being put to work.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26It's time to harvest some potatoes.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Come on, Troy. Come on, lad. Back up.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Reins next.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Just want to go up through the ring.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38- OK, Troy.- Walk on.
0:15:38 > 0:15:39We've got this, Troy.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42We're away. Teamwork now. Walk on.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43So I just have to...?
0:15:43 > 0:15:45- Steer where the potatoes are. - Aim down the middle.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46Ah!
0:15:48 > 0:15:50I've plunged it off track, haven't I?
0:15:50 > 0:15:54I'm really sorry, but I've missed the line, haven't I?
0:15:54 > 0:15:56- LAUGHING:- That's my profit gone.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Walk on, Troy. Walk on. Good boy.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Towards the end of the 19th century, horses were being replaced,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08and this was a more familiar scene on farms across the land.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12This is where Alex comes into his own.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14These are unbelievable!
0:16:14 > 0:16:16So what do you do with these?
0:16:16 > 0:16:18These are a pair of ploughing engines.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21You can see the two massive winch drums underneath the engines.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23You park the engine each side of the field
0:16:23 > 0:16:25and pull the implement between them.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28It was the very first form of mechanisation,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30after the horse, with steam.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35It revolutionised, really, land cultivation on a decent scale.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Yet these didn't replace horses overnight, did they?
0:16:38 > 0:16:40No, certainly not. These particular engines are 1920,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43but you still needed a horse to be able to fetch water to them.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46They'd use 1,000 gallons of water between them in a working day,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49a tonne of coal each.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Then, because of the size of them,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52they could obviously only do the big lumps of land,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54so you'd still need the horse to finish off
0:16:54 > 0:16:56and then tidy up afterwards.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57I know you're a pretty resourceful man,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01but there's resourceful and then there's off-the-scale resourceful.
0:17:01 > 0:17:02I'm looking around here...
0:17:02 > 0:17:06How many bits and bobs have you built and created and fixed up?
0:17:06 > 0:17:11Everything we have, really. I don't buy anything that's done, really.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15A year ago, Alex and his team took on their most ambitious project yet.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21Talisman.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25It's considered to be the king of the steam world.
0:17:25 > 0:17:26At the turn of the 20th century,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30it was the ultimate vehicle for heavy haulage and farm work.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33With only one left in existence,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Alex is attempting the formidable task
0:17:36 > 0:17:40of making his very own Talisman from scratch.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43This is a serious-looking piece of kit. What is happening here?
0:17:43 > 0:17:45This is the front, the smoke box,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48where the wheels fit underneath on the axle.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Why do you think it's important to have something like this
0:17:50 > 0:17:53right here in the 21st century?
0:17:53 > 0:17:56I'm a traditionalist, and I want to show people
0:17:56 > 0:17:59what the old skills were and how good they were.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01A lot of the things we're doing on this now have been forgotten
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and can't be done, so we're having to reinvent the wheel a little bit.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Well, it's never going to get finished if I stand here
0:18:07 > 0:18:11- gabbing and asking questions, so can I help?- Yeah, you certainly can.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14We're going to have a go at putting some rivets in.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17'Alex has got to a pivotal point in his build -
0:18:17 > 0:18:21'Talisman is about to take shape.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25'Now for my part in the process. I hope I don't mess it up.'
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Don't drop it. As fast as you can.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Don't... Don't hurry me.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33Oh, right, I see what you mean about making it fast.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Oh, when you said, "Hurry up", I was like, "Why are you rushing me?
0:18:36 > 0:18:39"This is a tricky business." But you need it to be hot, right?
0:18:39 > 0:18:40It's got to be hot.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56Just put it down now.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59Impressive.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Well done. Look how happy you are!
0:19:03 > 0:19:05'What an incredible achievement.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08'Now there's only one thing left to do.'
0:19:09 > 0:19:11PLOUGHING ENGINE WHISTLES
0:19:11 > 0:19:14'With Talisman well under way, I want to see what it feels like
0:19:14 > 0:19:18'to be behind the wheel of one of these remarkable machines.'
0:19:19 > 0:19:24- You've really got to put a bit of welly into this, haven't you?- Yeah.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37You know, for most people, steam power and hoof power are outdated,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39but one thing you cannot argue with
0:19:39 > 0:19:41is that this farm is powered by passion.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45PLOUGHING ENGINE WHISTLES
0:19:50 > 0:19:52BUZZING
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Beatrix Potter explored the length and breadth of the Lake District,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13taking the world she saw around her
0:20:13 > 0:20:16and reinventing it in delicate watercolours.
0:20:18 > 0:20:23Her stories may be quaint and gentle renditions of natural history,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27but Beatrix Potter herself was anything but a wilting violet.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31She was deeply involved in farming,
0:20:31 > 0:20:36and her impassioned campaigning certainly ruffled a few feathers.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38I have always thought it somewhat odd
0:20:38 > 0:20:42that the lady, who has a perfectly competent husband,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45should insist on managing every detail of farms
0:20:45 > 0:20:47and woodland problems herself.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Inspired by Potter's feistier side,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02local artist Freya Pocklington has set out
0:21:02 > 0:21:05to paint Cumbria's colourful countrywomen.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13- Hi, Freya.- Hello.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- Whoa, your paintings are amazing. - Thank you.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19So much going on in them, isn't there?
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Really colourful and in-your-face.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Where did the whole idea come from?
0:21:23 > 0:21:26I like looking at just different animals and their quirkiness,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28which Beatrix Potter did as well.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31But I wanted to look at more contemporary issues as well,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35and show what she did in a new light, and promote her farming
0:21:35 > 0:21:38as well as the fact that she was an illustrator and artist.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40I thought the farming side of what she did
0:21:40 > 0:21:42was really admirable and amazing.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Freya is an artist in residence at the National Trust's Acorn Bank,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50and some of her subjects might look familiar
0:21:50 > 0:21:52to regular Countryfile viewers,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55like the Wool Clip members Matt met last year.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01I like the fact that they were women working together.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03They started working after foot and mouth,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07realising that they had to approach the wool industry differently.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09And I like the fact that they were businesswomen,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12being successful at what they did as well.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15We've also met Sarah Lunn on the programme,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18a busy, rural vicar with livestock of her own.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20I was really fascinated that she's a vicar,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23but she has all these different types of animals.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25She has a very, very busy life.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27She's looking after 12 different areas,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30and I think when she goes back to her animals,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32that's where she has her own time.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Freya's current painting features horse whisperer Victoria Smith,
0:22:39 > 0:22:41who started working with animals
0:22:41 > 0:22:44whilst recovering from a serious illness.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46I was fascinated with Victoria.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49I thought she was such a strong, powerful, lovely lady
0:22:49 > 0:22:53and very humble with it. Such a fascinating story about her as well.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54So is this how you work?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57You start with an outline and then you fill in the detail?
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Yes. Yeah, I start using something like this Conte pastel here,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04and I just do lots of different marks with it, like this.
0:23:04 > 0:23:10Then, after that, I get some tissue and I rub it in.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13It kind of creates movement around the picture.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Often what I do is I would put a layer of ink.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18So it's a little bit like oil painting,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20where you're building it up.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22So I put the pastel on, then I put the ink,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24then I put the pastel again and then the ink.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29So it's quite painterly, even though it's drawing.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32- Just let it drip? - Yeah, just let it drip.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42What do you think Beatrix Potter would think
0:23:42 > 0:23:45of all the characters in your pictures?
0:23:45 > 0:23:48I think she'd be fascinated in the women.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50I think they are people that she would admire too.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54I think they're very strong but humble women.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57And I think that they are making a massive contribution
0:23:57 > 0:23:59to the landscape here in the northwest.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Yeah, they're just fantastic women.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08One of Freya's subjects who has a lot in common with Beatrix Potter
0:24:08 > 0:24:10is local farmer Susan Aglionby.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Hello, Jeremiah.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16How are you, darling? Are you a good boy?
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Freya has invited me to come and meet her
0:24:20 > 0:24:24and her companion in the painting - longhorn bull Jeremiah.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Just give him a stroke there, all right?
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Hi, Jeremiah.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31Whoa.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32Good to meet you.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Susan, I understand your family ties here in Cumbria go back a long way.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43A long way. Almost 900 years. My husband's family lived round here.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45When we could escape from London,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48very similarly to Beatrix Potter, I thought,
0:24:48 > 0:24:53"Gosh, if she can start a new career at 45 and farm, perhaps I could."
0:24:53 > 0:24:55So she really was an inspiration to me.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58And like Beatrix Potter, you have a real interest
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- in preserving the countryside, especially farms.- Yes.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05I want people to appreciate where their food comes from.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Healthy soil producing healthy plants,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11which produces healthy animals, which produces healthy children.
0:25:11 > 0:25:12It's just wonderful.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15- You are a real-life Beatrix Potter, aren't you?- No, no.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18I'm not an artist! I'm not an artist, sadly.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22But Freya is, and she's painted you. What do you think of the picture?
0:25:22 > 0:25:26I think it's very striking. It's very, very strong.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28It looks really wintry.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32I mean, that skill of being able to get the coldness of winter,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35which it was... It was a dreich day that she came to see us.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37It was, yes, it really was.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46Freya's final paintings will be on display in August.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48A tribute to a different side of Beatrix Potter
0:25:48 > 0:25:51and the other strong women who nurture and work in
0:25:51 > 0:25:54this beautiful Lakeland landscape.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Now, earlier we heard about the controversy
0:26:02 > 0:26:05surrounding the herbicide glyphosate,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08used widely by farmers, councils and gardeners.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13However, there are some who say that the health risks are exaggerated,
0:26:13 > 0:26:14as Tom's been finding out.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27For many farmers,
0:26:27 > 0:26:32the herbicide glyphosate is an essential part of agriculture.
0:26:32 > 0:26:33But, as I've been hearing,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36there's a gladiatorial clash under way -
0:26:36 > 0:26:39a battle over how it can be used in the future.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43Its opponents say it increases the risk of cancer.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46So, how do those who want to keep farming with glyphosate
0:26:46 > 0:26:49respond to these health claims?
0:26:49 > 0:26:52When you get wet weather at the flowering of the wheat,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55you tend to get this business. This is fusarium.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57- That's a fungal disease on there. - It is, yeah.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Sean Sparling is vice chairman
0:26:59 > 0:27:02of the Association of Independent Crop Consultants.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06He believes that any health risks have been exaggerated.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Is it right that we're spreading this chemical
0:27:09 > 0:27:13the World Health Organisation says is probably carcinogenic
0:27:13 > 0:27:16over 2 million hectares? That's an area the size of Wales.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19We're dousing the country in a carcinogen.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22The majority, the vast majority of experts
0:27:22 > 0:27:25within the European Food Standards Authority
0:27:25 > 0:27:27have said it is not carcinogenic
0:27:27 > 0:27:30and probably would not cause any damage to human health
0:27:30 > 0:27:32over the course of a lifetime.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35As we stand at the moment, if you work the figures out,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39you'd have to eat somewhere between 750 and 1,000 loaves of bread
0:27:39 > 0:27:41every day for a number of years
0:27:41 > 0:27:44in order to get anything close to the maximum residue level,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48which is actually about a hundredth of the top line,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50if you like, for a dangerous dose.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54Given that you are convinced that glyphosate is safe,
0:27:54 > 0:27:58why do you think it is that there's such a powerful lobby
0:27:58 > 0:27:59to get rid of it?
0:27:59 > 0:28:01One word - Monsanto.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04There are groups of people around the world
0:28:04 > 0:28:08who feel that if we stop Monsanto producing glyphosate,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10we stop GM crops in the future.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12The problem with that argument is
0:28:12 > 0:28:15it's not just Monsanto that makes glyphosate.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19So Monsanto and one of their most successful products, glyphosate,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21has become a symbol for those who dislike
0:28:21 > 0:28:24- the way modern farming has gone. - Absolutely.
0:28:24 > 0:28:25That is it in a nutshell.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29The damage that will do to UK agriculture is almost incalculable,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31not just UK but world agriculture.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Monsanto's role in agriculture,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45including being among the first to develop GM products,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48has long made the company controversial.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Worldwide, they sell up to £3.7 billion-worth
0:28:51 > 0:28:55of glyphosate-based herbicides each year.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59But you won't find any being sprayed on this organic farm in Wiltshire.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01This is a crop of spelt,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04which is a sort of old-fashioned version of wheat.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07It's becoming increasingly popular for people who are slightly worried
0:29:07 > 0:29:12about their gluten intake, because it has a lower level of gluten.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15So does Helen Browning from the Soil Association agree
0:29:15 > 0:29:19there's a green conspiracy against Monsanto?
0:29:19 > 0:29:22Isn't it the truth that a lot of opposition to glyphosate
0:29:22 > 0:29:26is driven by a hatred of its creator, the company Monsanto?
0:29:27 > 0:29:29I don't think that's driving this at all.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33I think there are concerns about the corporate control of agriculture,
0:29:33 > 0:29:37the way that farmers are being constantly sold products
0:29:37 > 0:29:40and just how much of all of that technology is wrapped up
0:29:40 > 0:29:42in a few very big companies.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45I can really understand why farmers feel so nervous
0:29:45 > 0:29:47about losing glyphosate.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50It's been a key tool for them for the last 40 years,
0:29:50 > 0:29:53so it's going to mean that we have to be a bit more inventive
0:29:53 > 0:29:55about how we farm.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57I think that could be good for our countryside.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01So what do you think is the alternative to using glyphosate?
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Obviously, on organic farms we've never used this product,
0:30:04 > 0:30:06so a crop like this will be naturally harvested,
0:30:06 > 0:30:08it will ripen naturally.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10We use a lot of other techniques to help control weeds,
0:30:10 > 0:30:11like undersowing.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14There's lots of techniques that organic farmers are using
0:30:14 > 0:30:17that we can share with non-organic farmers too.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Perhaps it's no surprise that Helen champions
0:30:20 > 0:30:24taking a more organic approach, but does stopping using glyphosate
0:30:24 > 0:30:30to dry wheat before harvest simply mean higher costs for us all?
0:30:30 > 0:30:34If we're taking the issue of glyphosate use on wheat pre-harvest,
0:30:34 > 0:30:38that might incur a slightly additional cost for farmers,
0:30:38 > 0:30:42say, in drying their crop. So, these costs are tiny.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45I think most members of the public would feel they'd rather pay
0:30:45 > 0:30:48an extra half a penny for their loaf of bread
0:30:48 > 0:30:51and know that it hasn't got that dangerous chemical in it.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55It will, of course, be down to the appetite of the public
0:30:55 > 0:30:59to stomach any increased costs, however much they might add up to.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02But, for now, the use of glyphosate is allowed,
0:31:02 > 0:31:04with strings attached.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08The decision on its future is expected within the next 18 months.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14The European Commission is waiting on further public consultation,
0:31:14 > 0:31:15and a scientific review,
0:31:15 > 0:31:20but it seems unlikely that this will deliver a decisive verdict,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23a knockout blow for either side.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26In the end, this will be a political decision,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29with the way we grow and farm at stake.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40I'm in Cumbria, discovering the dramatic landscape
0:31:40 > 0:31:43which inspired Beatrix Potter to write
0:31:43 > 0:31:46some of her most famous stories.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50Beatrix Potter loved the Lake District, and for ten years,
0:31:50 > 0:31:52her family would spend their summers here at Lingholm
0:31:52 > 0:31:54on the banks of Derwentwater.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01And it was here that she got the idea for her most celebrated
0:32:01 > 0:32:04creation, the one who would begin it all -
0:32:04 > 0:32:08a misbehaving rabbit called Peter.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12"First he ate some lettuces and some French beans.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14"Then he ate some radishes.
0:32:14 > 0:32:20"Then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley."
0:32:20 > 0:32:23Potter herself said that the kitchen garden here was the basis
0:32:23 > 0:32:26for Mr McGregor's garden in the story.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28The new owners are completely restoring it
0:32:28 > 0:32:30so that it can be open to the public.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Lingholm has its own version of Mr McGregor too,
0:32:38 > 0:32:41but unlike the fictitious gardener, who chased wildlife,
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Ken Swift nurtures it.
0:32:45 > 0:32:50The woods here on the estate were the inspiration for Potter's story
0:32:50 > 0:32:51of Squirrel Nutkin,
0:32:51 > 0:32:55and Ken is keen to boost the numbers of red squirrels living here.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58So this is our red squirrel feeder.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00We're trying to get the red squirrel population back up.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04By feeding, it allows us to monitor the amount of reds that we've got.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06- How often do you see them? - Once or twice a week.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08You tend to get them scurrying up and down trees.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12You hear them chittering in the tree tops at you sometimes. It's lovely.
0:33:12 > 0:33:13Let's have a look at the food, then.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16We've got all sorts of wonderful things in here, then.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19Are you feeding them anything specific to try and attract them?
0:33:19 > 0:33:23It's just a general mix, really - peanuts and seeds.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25There's some sweetcorn and bits and bobs like that.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Can you tell that it is a red squirrel that's been feeding here?
0:33:28 > 0:33:31You can, because you can differentiate
0:33:31 > 0:33:33between the greys and the reds feeding. Greys are messier.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36They sort of get into it and throw it all over the place,
0:33:36 > 0:33:40where reds are a bit more delicate, like they are in their stature.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43- Fair enough. Like their demeanour, general demeanour.- Yes.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45You can sometimes see that when you come back to the trap
0:33:45 > 0:33:47if it's an absolute mess, you think,
0:33:47 > 0:33:49"Well, there's been a grey squirrel in there."
0:33:49 > 0:33:50The sweetcorn in here as well,
0:33:50 > 0:33:53sometimes you'll find that the reds don't actually eat that.
0:33:53 > 0:33:54They'll just leave a layer of sweetcorn,
0:33:54 > 0:33:57whereas the greys will plough through everything that's in there.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01Oh, OK. As well as looking at the feeder, you're also filming them.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04- Yes.- We've got this little camera down here.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07I presume it's going on this tree here. It's on this tree.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09- I'll pass it round. - If you pass it. That's lovely.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12- That there. - Are we a good height there, Ken?
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Yeah, I think that's going to be good.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16We'll get some good shots off that.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18- Yeah, perfect.- Good. - Have you managed to film any yet?
0:34:18 > 0:34:21We've actually got some footage that I can show you, if you like.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23- Yes, please! - We'll go and have a look.
0:34:23 > 0:34:24I'll grab the food.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31So, I'll just load this one up for you, Matt.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33- This is some footage we got... - Oh, my word!
0:34:33 > 0:34:35Isn't that wonderful?!
0:34:35 > 0:34:37- You can really tell what's been... - Here he comes.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39Hello.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41- Aren't they lovely-looking things, though?- Beautiful.
0:34:41 > 0:34:42Absolutely beautiful.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44- Obviously slightly wary at the moment.- Yep.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48Oh, they are so dainty, aren't they? Beautiful.
0:34:48 > 0:34:49Look at him.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51Oh!
0:34:51 > 0:34:54- I mean, real proof, obviously, that...- That we've got them.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57That you've got them and that Squirrel Nutkin is alive and well
0:34:57 > 0:34:59- here in the woods.- Indeed.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01You should set some cameras up on the water's edge
0:35:01 > 0:35:04and see if you can get any of the squirrels rafting
0:35:04 > 0:35:07- across to the island.- Rafting across to the island, indeed, yeah.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11'Seeing evidence of real red squirrels in the woodland,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14'it feels like a little bit of Beatrix Potter's magic
0:35:14 > 0:35:16'has rubbed off on this place.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19'We'll leave them to gather their nuts in peace.'
0:35:21 > 0:35:25"Riddle me, riddle me, rot-tot-tote!
0:35:25 > 0:35:29"A little wee man, in a red red coat!"
0:35:37 > 0:35:39This year marks 300 years since the birth
0:35:39 > 0:35:43of the great landscape designer Capability Brown.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Adam's in Suffolk finding out how a rare breed is being used
0:35:48 > 0:35:51to restore one of his famous landscapes.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09Capability Brown was responsible for changing the landscape
0:36:09 > 0:36:12of 18th-century England.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16He moved hills, created lakes and shaped the countryside.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22He worked on some of the most famous estates in the country,
0:36:22 > 0:36:27such as Blenheim Palace and Stowe.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30He was highly sought after by the aristocracy.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33It's thought that Brown worked on more than 170 gardens
0:36:33 > 0:36:35across Britain.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38I'm at one of them - Euston Hall in Suffolk -
0:36:38 > 0:36:41discovering one of his remarkable landscapes.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46To celebrate the anniversary,
0:36:46 > 0:36:49these grounds are being transformed to their former glory.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53What's really exciting is that the heavy work is being carried out
0:36:53 > 0:36:56by a magnificent team of Suffolk Punch horses,
0:36:56 > 0:36:59just as they would have done 300 years ago.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01I can't wait to see them in action.
0:37:07 > 0:37:08There's only one man in this country that
0:37:08 > 0:37:12has the horsepower to take on such a task.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14I met Nigel Oakley earlier this year.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17He breeds Suffolk Punch horses,
0:37:17 > 0:37:21and it's not often I meet anyone so passionate about a rare breed.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Nigel is picking me up in style
0:37:23 > 0:37:26to see these beasts of burden in action.
0:37:26 > 0:37:27Hello, there.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Hello, Nigel.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33How are you? Good to see you.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37- Lovely to see you again.- I should be calling you sir, shouldn't I?
0:37:37 > 0:37:40Something very similar, but not spelled quite that way.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42Can I jump on? Yeah, please do.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48- What a wonderful way to travel. - Lovely, isn't it?
0:37:48 > 0:37:51To think we've got a Suffolk horse on Category 1 of the rare breeds
0:37:51 > 0:37:53pulling us along, it's a privilege for all of us.
0:37:53 > 0:37:54It really is.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03So the lords and ladies would have been taken around estates,
0:38:03 > 0:38:05in fact, this would have been their transport, wouldn't it?
0:38:05 > 0:38:08Well, it would have been the only form of transport available
0:38:08 > 0:38:10in that time. You know, you're talking the 1700s.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12That's 300 years ago.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Horses were only really just coming into it,
0:38:15 > 0:38:17cos it had been oxen prior to that.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19In your mind, the Suffolk is one of the best.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22The Suffolk is indeed the best, yeah.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24What we're here for today, with the gardens,
0:38:24 > 0:38:26they would have been horsepower,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29the lakes would have been dug out by hand
0:38:29 > 0:38:32and the soil carted with horse and cart.
0:38:32 > 0:38:33There was no other way of doing it.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36You know, the JCB came a long while after.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43It's lovely seeing these Suffolks chain harrowing.
0:38:43 > 0:38:44It's a lovely sight.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47I mean, we could be looking at something 300 years ago.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49The chain harrows are pulling out the moss
0:38:49 > 0:38:51and levelling the ground, aren't they?
0:38:51 > 0:38:53- Knocking down the molehills. - Yeah, aerating the ground.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Those horses, they're not just playing,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57they're actually doing a job.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02What do you think Capability Brown would have made of all of this,
0:39:02 > 0:39:04of what you're doing now?
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Well, hopefully, he'd have thought
0:39:07 > 0:39:11what he did 300 years ago is still in people's minds
0:39:11 > 0:39:14and they're still appreciating the work that he did initially.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16His nickname of Capability,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19apparently he went to somewhere like Euston Estates,
0:39:19 > 0:39:23looked at the land and said, "This land has great capabilities."
0:39:23 > 0:39:26Then, I think, in 1744, he married
0:39:26 > 0:39:28and ended up fathering nine children,
0:39:28 > 0:39:30so he was a man of great capability.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41To find out more about the restoration,
0:39:41 > 0:39:45I'm meeting with the Countess of Euston Hall, Lady Clare.
0:39:46 > 0:39:5030 years ago, Brown's original plans for the estate were uncovered,
0:39:50 > 0:39:54which means the grounds can now be renovated to his original design.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00How exciting was it when you found Capability Brown's drawing
0:40:00 > 0:40:02- of your estate?- It was so thrilling,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04because the whole thing had been lost.
0:40:04 > 0:40:09The river had silted up, there was nothing to be seen of these
0:40:09 > 0:40:13- glorious lakes and broadwaters.- Now you've brought it all back to life.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17Yes, in the last sort of two years, it's been totally opened up again.
0:40:17 > 0:40:23We had to move 60,000 tonnes of smelly mud from the river.
0:40:23 > 0:40:2560,000 tonnes.
0:40:25 > 0:40:30That must have meant, in the old days, 120,000 journeys.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Quite incredible, isn't it? When you think of the scale of it,
0:40:33 > 0:40:35how many horses must have been working on the place.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38Just remarkable.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40Today you're celebrating the Suffolk Punch horse,
0:40:40 > 0:40:42but getting them to do some practical work
0:40:42 > 0:40:44in the boggy areas too.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47It couldn't be better. They couldn't be better suited for parkland work.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52They've got fairly small feet. Tractors make such a filthy mess.
0:40:52 > 0:40:53Everything had got so overgrown,
0:40:53 > 0:40:57we had to cut down all the old trees and pull them out.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01Horses are far better than tractors for that.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05I think they have got a great future in parkland restoration.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10These Suffolk Punches have such incredible power.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13They drag the logs to the edge of the woodland with ease,
0:41:13 > 0:41:17where they are then loaded on to a timber cart for transportation,
0:41:17 > 0:41:20using an ingenious method.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24How do you think we would load this log on here without the aid
0:41:24 > 0:41:27- of any mechanical means?- We've got to get it up onto this beam?
0:41:27 > 0:41:30Up onto here without Paul Daniels or anybody else.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34I don't know. I'm not sure.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36I don't know how you're going to lift it off the ground.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43Oh, I see. So they're using those logs as a bit of a ramp.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Yep. Then the endless rope comes over to the whippletree.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48The whippletree's the spreader bar on the back of the horse
0:41:48 > 0:41:51- which keeps the chains from his hocks.- Yeah.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53The endless rope will just twizzle it up.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55There we go. Wow, look at that.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02- That's so clever, isn't it? - Isn't it?
0:42:02 > 0:42:04Marvellous, really, when you consider
0:42:04 > 0:42:06a very, very simple technique
0:42:06 > 0:42:09and very little equipment to carry around with you.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11A rope doesn't weigh too much.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13So how many trunks would you get on here?
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Well, with a single horse pulling it and in these wet conditions
0:42:17 > 0:42:19where the ground's not that solid,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23probably five of those sort of diameter-length logs.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Then you'd obviously take them to your depot,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28roll them off and then come back for another load.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37Incredible, the work of Capability Brown,
0:42:37 > 0:42:40but even more amazing, the man and the horsepower
0:42:40 > 0:42:42that created these beautiful views.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45Without the horses and the men, it could never have happened.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47We have a job to imagine it now.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50We've had, I don't know, 10 or 12 horses here today.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53This estate, even in the memory of Lady Clare,
0:42:53 > 0:42:55had 40 horses working here then.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59That was the intersection between horsepower and mechanisation.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01In the days of genuine horsepower,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04there must have been hundreds of them.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Well, it's been a real treat to see them all coming together.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08- Thank you for inviting me along. - Not at all. Thank you.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11It's been a spectacle for me, although I work with them every day.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13Thanks very much.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23This may look like just a field of sheep,
0:43:23 > 0:43:26but later this week, it will be centre stage
0:43:26 > 0:43:30for one of the oldest sporting events in the country.
0:43:30 > 0:43:34This year marks the 130th anniversary of the Ambleside Show,
0:43:34 > 0:43:37and with it comes a showcase of traditional sports.
0:43:38 > 0:43:43For me, Lakeland sports show off this part of the world at its best.
0:43:43 > 0:43:44You get a whole host of dedicated,
0:43:44 > 0:43:48talented people taking each other on in a manner of different sports.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50The fell runners blow my mind.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52I used to sit on probably this very rock as a kid
0:43:52 > 0:43:54and watch them go up to the top,
0:43:54 > 0:43:56you'd see them trot along the horizon,
0:43:56 > 0:43:59and then they come thundering down at lightning speed.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01I don't even know how they stay on their feet.
0:44:01 > 0:44:03That's just one of the things that goes on.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06Cumberland wrestling, I mean, that is something else.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09DRAMATIC MUSIC
0:44:15 > 0:44:18Men have been wrestling here for centuries.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20It's a rough and ready sport
0:44:20 > 0:44:24which some believe came over with the Vikings.
0:44:24 > 0:44:25Right, both hold. Wrestle.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29But now the girls are really getting stuck in.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32The first ever women's world championship
0:44:32 > 0:44:34for Cumberland wrestling is being held this year.
0:44:36 > 0:44:37Second one to Connie.
0:44:37 > 0:44:4120-year-old Connie Hodgson is going to show me the ropes.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43Now, there are many Cumbrian sights I'm proud of,
0:44:43 > 0:44:44and this is certainly one of them.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46Two sisters wrestling in a soggy field.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49Connie, let me pull you away for a second.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51I'll let you have a bit of a break, Hannah.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53How did you get into all this in the first place?
0:44:53 > 0:44:56Well, my dad's done it since he was a young lad,
0:44:56 > 0:44:58so we just started going to the academy with him
0:44:58 > 0:44:59and learnt how to do it.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01I'm pretty sure I've watched your dad wrestle over the years
0:45:01 > 0:45:03at Ambleside or Grasmere.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05I don't want to interrupt your training too much,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07but, come on, you've got to show me some moves.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10I've seen a lot of this over the years, but I've never done it.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13- Where do you start?- Well, you start by shaking hands.- Right.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16Then your left arm goes over and your right hand under.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18Then you hold like that.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22- Once you get a hold, you're not allowed to let go.- Right, OK.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25- Oh, snuggly.- Your hands need to be about... Yeah, there.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Then your chin needs to be on the shoulder like that.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30- It's quite intimate, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33- The first move is called a back heel. You pull them in.- Right.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36Then you put your heel behind theirs and lift it up
0:45:36 > 0:45:38and push them back.
0:45:38 > 0:45:39- Right.- Do you want to try it?
0:45:39 > 0:45:41Yeah, right.
0:45:41 > 0:45:42Wrestle.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46- That's it.- Yay!
0:45:46 > 0:45:48Right, she's down. We're done.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50What's the hardest move?
0:45:50 > 0:45:53- Eh, full buttock is quite hard. - Full buttock?
0:45:53 > 0:45:54Yeah.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56What does that involve?
0:45:56 > 0:45:59So...you get a hold and then you go inside your opponent, like that,
0:45:59 > 0:46:02and you get them right behind you and stick your bum into them.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06- Right.- Put your leg across and pull them right round.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10I don't really know what happened there.
0:46:10 > 0:46:11Come on, be honest - how did I do?
0:46:11 > 0:46:14You did really well. You picked it up so well.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17Right, well, I really enjoyed that, but I think I'm done.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19I'll just peel myself off the floor. You know what?
0:46:19 > 0:46:22Women's wrestling might be in its infancy here,
0:46:22 > 0:46:24but there is one sport that's been challenging the locals
0:46:24 > 0:46:26for a lot longer.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28Connie, I'm reversing out the ring.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31It's called the guide's race.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33Mark Addison is the current champion
0:46:33 > 0:46:36and has been running since he was eight years old.
0:46:36 > 0:46:41- Here he is, our mountain goat. Good to see you, Mark.- Nice to meet you.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Right, talk me through your connection to the guide race.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45Well, as I was younger,
0:46:45 > 0:46:47I always used to come here and watch my dad run in this race.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50He was my hero, really, like most sons with their fathers,
0:46:50 > 0:46:52I always thought I wanted to do what Dad did, so...
0:46:52 > 0:46:55This isn't a sport that you can only do in your 30s and 40s, is it?
0:46:55 > 0:47:01No, no, it's... You get people still competing, 60s, even 70s, even 80s.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03It's pretty incredible.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06With the fell runners, obviously, people say we're a tough breed,
0:47:06 > 0:47:08so you get the older people coming through as well.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10- It's for all ages, really. - Right.- Right, off we go.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13MUSIC: Run Boy Run by Woodkid
0:47:15 > 0:47:17- Up here?- Up here.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23The guide's race is thought to have started back in Victorian times
0:47:23 > 0:47:26when tourists seeking to take exercise used the knowledge
0:47:26 > 0:47:27and skills of local fellsmen
0:47:27 > 0:47:31to guide them over the mountainous landscapes.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34The guides were hugely competitive, and the race was born.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45- It's quite steep, that, let's be honest.- It is.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48That's the worst bit out the way, though. That's the steepest bit.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51- This is about the halfway point now. - Where are we going?
0:47:51 > 0:47:53So that rocky outcrop just out there, that's the top.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56That's where we're running up to, to turn to come back down.
0:47:56 > 0:47:57How long is this course?
0:47:57 > 0:48:00It's just under 2 miles, about 1.8 miles.
0:48:00 > 0:48:01So how typical is that for a fell race?
0:48:01 > 0:48:05Guide's races are typically short, steep, fast and intense.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Have I imagined this or have I seen people up here cheering you on?
0:48:08 > 0:48:10- Do you get a crowd up here? - Yeah, you do.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12There's nothing better than when you come out of the ferns,
0:48:12 > 0:48:15you're puffing and blowing a bit and then they just give you
0:48:15 > 0:48:16a really big cheer, "Come on."
0:48:16 > 0:48:18That's either really motivational or really annoying.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20I always find it motivational for me.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22- You're doing really well. - I'm going to lead the way...
0:48:22 > 0:48:24- Right, okey doke. - ..so I can set the pace.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37- Climbing, not running.- You're doing really well. Keep it going.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39I'm on my hands and knees.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42- HELEN PANTS - Nearly at the top now.
0:48:42 > 0:48:43Oh, my word!
0:48:46 > 0:48:47There we have it.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52This makes it all worth it.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57Right, well, admire it, take it in
0:48:57 > 0:49:00because, as they say in fell running,
0:49:00 > 0:49:01what goes up must come down.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03Looking forward to this bit, I think.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08Is he having a laugh?!
0:49:08 > 0:49:10You're just showing off now.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16I thought I was quite cool, now I feel like grandma.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28- How do you stay on your feet? - I don't know.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30Oh.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33'Ah, you don't.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35'Well, Mark did say, "What goes up must come down."
0:49:35 > 0:49:38'Having been a spectator of the Lakeland Games for years,
0:49:38 > 0:49:41'I didn't appreciate just how tough they are until now.'
0:49:43 > 0:49:45The finish line is in sight.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48I can't keep control of my legs or my laughter.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51- I don't know how you do that. - You're all right with that, Helen.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53That was a proper good fell running fall, that.
0:49:53 > 0:49:54Good to see you bounce straight back up.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57I'll let you crack on without me. I think I've been a hindrance.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00- Mark, absolute privilege. Thank you so much.- My pleasure.
0:50:00 > 0:50:01- Good luck.- Catch you later.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03Don't tell anyone, but that really hurt.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16We're in Cumbria.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22And while Helen's been flat out learning Lakeland sports...
0:50:22 > 0:50:25I don't really know what happened there.
0:50:25 > 0:50:26And here we are.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29..I've been discovering the landscapes that gave rise
0:50:29 > 0:50:32to the fantastical tales of Beatrix Potter.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39But the landscape didn't just influence the author -
0:50:39 > 0:50:42the author also had a big impact on the landscape.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56She celebrated and championed rural life.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00She was determined to preserve this countryside that she loved so much,
0:51:00 > 0:51:04leaving many hill farms and acres of land to the National Trust.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Despite being an outsider and a woman,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13she became president of the Herdwick Sheep Society.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16She founded a rural nursing trust,
0:51:16 > 0:51:20and she hosted camps for Girl Guides on her land at Hawkshead.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26Today, Hawkshead Guides and Brownies are working towards
0:51:26 > 0:51:32a new badge which celebrates 150 years since Beatrix Potter's birth.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34Now, to earn their badge,
0:51:34 > 0:51:36they have to complete three country tasks
0:51:36 > 0:51:37that she would have approved of.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40Now, obviously, I'm not a Girl Guide,
0:51:40 > 0:51:41so I'm not eligible for one.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44However, this lot are, so let's find out what's going on.
0:51:44 > 0:51:45Hello, everybody.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47- ALL:- Hello. - Hiya, hi, hi.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49Who is going to tell me what's happening here?
0:51:49 > 0:51:52- We've planted flowers. - You've planted some flowers. Lovely.
0:51:52 > 0:51:53What have you been planting?
0:51:53 > 0:51:55Cos I can see a wonderful array of different plants.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58- Does anybody know the different names?- They're French marigolds.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01Ooh! Very good. Well, I mean, this all sounds like a wonderful idea,
0:52:01 > 0:52:02this Beatrix Potter badge.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Where did the idea come from? Whose idea was it?
0:52:05 > 0:52:07Well, I'm a mad Beatrix Potter fan.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11'Julie Bell is the region chief commissioner.'
0:52:11 > 0:52:14She was a great conservationist, an environmentalist.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16I just think she was a really great woman.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18She's a really great role model for Girl Guiding.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21So, the girls have got a range of things to do.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24Some of that is around conservation and learning what's going on
0:52:24 > 0:52:27- in their local area. - Is that just happening in this area?
0:52:27 > 0:52:30It's in northwest England, we're the region that are promoting it,
0:52:30 > 0:52:32so I'm really proud about that.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34But, actually, anybody can do it in any part of the country.
0:52:34 > 0:52:38We've had our first e-mail from the States cos they would like to do it.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42The Potter badge challenges
0:52:42 > 0:52:45range from planting and growing food and flowers
0:52:45 > 0:52:47to building a wildlife habitat.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50This lot are definitely getting hands-on with nature.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52What have you found there?
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Rosy, Roxie, Kylie, Ross,
0:52:55 > 0:52:58- Diane, Steven, and Erin.- Wow.
0:52:59 > 0:53:04Which character do you think would have an absolute feast in here?
0:53:04 > 0:53:07- ALL:- Peter Rabbit. - Peter Rabbit.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09I like the fact you've got Jemima Puddle-Duck
0:53:09 > 0:53:11running around as well. I think that's super.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13- I've got more worms. - Yeah, more worms.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16There's a lot of worms. That's what makes the soil so good.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25What's happening here?
0:53:25 > 0:53:29We're making, like, a bug hotel.
0:53:29 > 0:53:30Oh, my word.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32And we'll put the food on top of there.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34- I would love to live in there. Is this all part of it, then?- Yeah.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37- That's how they get in. - That's how they get in!
0:53:37 > 0:53:41Has that hotel got a spa? Cos if it has, check me in.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45Yes. I hear that you've certainly earnt your activity badge today.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48Yes. And you've earnt your Beatrix Potter badge. Well done.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51- Well, there we are. - You had a good day?- Yes.- Yeah.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53Yeah, this is all about the Beatrix Potter badge.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55- Isn't that the most wonderful little sight?- Gorgeous.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58If you were a little something, you could live in there
0:53:58 > 0:54:00until Jemima Puddle-Duck comes along and eats you.
0:54:00 > 0:54:01THEY CHUCKLE
0:54:01 > 0:54:03That's all we've got time for this week.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06Next week, we are going to be celebrating all things summer.
0:54:11 > 0:54:12I hope you're hungry.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14CHEERING
0:54:14 > 0:54:17You're going to have to put some more on.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20I've done lots of harvesting in my time, but never like this before.
0:54:20 > 0:54:21Not in the river? No.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26This is absolutely spectacular, isn't it?
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Ooh!
0:54:29 > 0:54:31It's so close to us.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35That is literally heaven.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42But from all of us here, let's say goodbye on three. One, two, three...
0:54:42 > 0:54:44- ALL:- Goodbye!