0:00:29 > 0:00:31The Furness Peninsula -
0:00:31 > 0:00:35a little-known corner of Cumbria jutting out into the Irish Sea.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39It's within spitting distance of the Lake District,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41but a world away from all of its crowds.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49There it is, in all its glory - the Furness Peninsula,
0:00:49 > 0:00:51a hidden gem waiting to be explored.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54I'll be discovering how this landscape
0:00:54 > 0:00:58has been shaped by nature and by us for centuries.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03While Julia's flying high,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06I'm all at sea with the crew on board the Hearts of Oak.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10The Furness Peninsula is dominated by the shipbuilding town of Barrow,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12which is just behind us.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14It's the neighbouring town of Ulverston
0:01:14 > 0:01:16that put this area on the shipbuilding map
0:01:16 > 0:01:19and that is where this beauty comes in.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21She's a centuries-old gaff cutter,
0:01:21 > 0:01:25and I'm going to be finding out what it takes to sail her.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30In Yorkshire, Tom's investigating a British obsession - the weather.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36This summer, the threat of wet has never been far away.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Miserable if you're planning a day out,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41but merciless for the rural economy.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44I'll be finding out just how bad it's been.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49And Adam's been taking a break from the farm to explore Orkney.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51I'm heading to Swona Island,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54where a herd of cattle have roamed free for nearly 40 years
0:01:54 > 0:01:58and I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of these wild beasts.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12At the southernmost tip of Cumbria,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16the Furness Peninsula claims to be the sunniest part of the Lakes.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Sticking out to the west of Morecambe Bay,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24the shipbuilding town of Barrow-in-Furness
0:02:24 > 0:02:26is at the peninsula's heart,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29the island of Walney, hugging the southern tip.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32The peninsula hasn't been here for long.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35It owes its existence to the mountains to the north -
0:02:35 > 0:02:38a story that dates back to the last great ice age.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41The best way to see into the peninsula's frozen past
0:02:41 > 0:02:44is from up there.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50And that's where this baby comes in!
0:03:06 > 0:03:1125,000 years ago, this view was completely different.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14The Irish Sea was in fact a huge glacier.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18And ice blanketed the land as well.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22That magnificent mountain is Black Combe,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and it measures in at 2,000 feet.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26It would have been totally hidden
0:03:26 > 0:03:29under a sheet of ice 3,000 feet thick.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35As the ice ploughed downhill over the mountains, it cut away rock.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39It was that ice that shaped the Lake District we love today.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43The ice moved down from higher land and carved out these deep valleys,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47depositing rocks and boulders along the way and over time,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51those rocks and boulders created the peninsula and its islands.
0:03:51 > 0:03:57The largest island is Walney, a faint sliver 11 miles long.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00To find proof of its ice age past, that's where I'm landing.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07To help me,
0:04:07 > 0:04:11I've called in some specialists who know the lie of the land.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14Sand artist Jamie Wardley
0:04:14 > 0:04:17is going to sculpt Britain on this very beach.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20We're just doing the side of Scotland here.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22It's a little bit tricky,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25because we've got all of these peninsulas going on.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29We'll be needing Jamie's map later.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33But first, I'm catching up with a boy
0:04:33 > 0:04:36who once skimmed the island's colourful pebbles.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Half a century later, Colin Waters works at
0:04:39 > 0:04:43the British Geological Survey and knows a thing or two about rocks.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47So what can we see here then, Colin? What's it showing us?
0:04:47 > 0:04:50It's one of the rare occasions we can actually see the deposits
0:04:50 > 0:04:52that make up the heart of Walney Island.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55We know that these are actually glacial boulder clays -
0:04:55 > 0:04:58they formed beneath a glacier.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00So, these boulder clays, as you can see,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02have a wide variety of material.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04All the way from this very stiff clay -
0:05:04 > 0:05:07you can see this has been compressed under great thicknesses of ice.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09We've also got these large boulders.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Really, it's only ice that can carry such a diversity and size.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Also if you notice the different colours we've got here -
0:05:15 > 0:05:17the lovely greens, pinks,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20these are from rocks from all round the Lake District
0:05:20 > 0:05:21and all around the Irish Sea area
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and again, it shows is where the ice has actually travelled from.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28But where did all these rocks come from?
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Jamie's masterpiece is taking shape, so it's time to find out.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Jamie! Fantastic work!
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Well, I'm done now, so I'm going to rush off.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Your work here is done.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45OK, Colin, let's put it all into perspective,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47let's get us on the map. So, here we are.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55And that is Black Combe, which is just over yonder.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58I recognise that, some lovely granite.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01This one is from the west side of the Lake District,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04let's say about...there.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07My favourite slate comes from the Lake District.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11It's about 480 million years old - one of the oldest rocks in the Lake District.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13This is from Black Combe.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15There we go.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17These are coming from the southern side of the Lake District.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Round Windermere, perhaps.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Another granite, that can go to southern Scotland.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- 'Scuse me, Colin?- Yes?- What's that?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27That's a bit of brick, actually.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- This is definitely not glacial.- No!
0:06:30 > 0:06:35And I suspect it's probably from somewhere roundabout here
0:06:35 > 0:06:37and it's about 10 years old.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41The last few pebbles in place and the picture's complete.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45- Such geological diversity in a small area.- It's amazing, actually.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47What we are seeing here is pretty much the geology
0:06:47 > 0:06:50of all of northern England, and parts of southern Scotland,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54all transported by glaciers and carried and dropped here on Walney.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Hard to believe that tens of thousands of years ago
0:06:59 > 0:07:01these pebbles travelled up to 100 miles.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04But now we're heading just up the coast
0:07:04 > 0:07:07to have a go at something more relaxing.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14I hear that Colin was a champion stone-skimmer as a lad -
0:07:14 > 0:07:17so I've challenged him to a skim-off.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Might have been a mistake...
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Oh!
0:07:22 > 0:07:25If anywhere in the world has got as many pebbles as this, I'd be amazed.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27It's ideal for a geologist.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33You're obviously an expert and spent far too long doing this as well.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Mine are just going slap bang into the waves.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Oh, I got a skim! Thank goodness!
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Just a stone's throw from here, James is on the mainland
0:07:52 > 0:07:55exploring some of the often overlooked delights
0:07:55 > 0:07:57of the Furness Peninsula.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Sitting in the shadow of the more popular Lake District,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06not many venture as far as this westerly edge of Britain's coast.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12But to do so is to be rewarded with some truly breathtaking scenery.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21It might not have the great lakes
0:08:21 > 0:08:23and the mammoth mountains of its neighbour,
0:08:23 > 0:08:27but the twisting coastal curves around the peninsula
0:08:27 > 0:08:30mean there are plenty of these golden beaches.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32And it's the sands here at Sandscale Haws
0:08:32 > 0:08:36that are arguably the most stunning and special of them all.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40This nature reserve is watched over
0:08:40 > 0:08:44by the Lake District's imposing presence across a narrow spit of sea.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Desert-like dunes rise out of the dramatic landscape.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52It's these dunes and what grows in them that I'm here to see.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56Neil, this is a stunning landscape,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59but there's more to it than meets the eye, isn't there?
0:08:59 > 0:09:02There really is, yeah. For example, where we're walking now,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05this area used to be regularly inundated by the high tide,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08so this area has really been reclaimed from the sea to land.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12The currents in this bay mean that
0:09:12 > 0:09:15new sand is constantly being deposited on the shoreline.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19This is creating new land and gives us the rare opportunity
0:09:19 > 0:09:22to see geology moving in fast forward,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24and to chart the rise of a dune system
0:09:24 > 0:09:26through the plants that live there.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30What are we looking at here, Neil?
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Right, well this area that we're crouching on now,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36this is just four years old
0:09:36 > 0:09:38and it's the very start of a sand dune system.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43This tiny little plant down here, this is prickly saltwort.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47This is one of the first plants that you will get out on bare sand.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49It doesn't really mind the tide coming over it.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53It's a pioneer species - the first thing to colonise areas of land.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Absolutely. So, that's the very first stage.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Then we get into these dune-building grasses.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00This is the sand couch-grass, and the flower -
0:10:00 > 0:10:04any gardeners out there will be very familiar with couch -
0:10:04 > 0:10:05it's a notorious weed.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09And then in the background here, we've got sea lyme grass,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11which is a much bigger plant.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14This is when you really start to see how sand dunes can grow.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16- Yeah, there's a real hummock.- Yeah. So, this is a barrier now.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19When the wind's blowing from the west, the sand's going to
0:10:19 > 0:10:23build up over here and these grasses are so specialised,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26that is actually going to stimulate the grass to grow even more.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28The sand couch and the sea lyme grass,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31they can both grow for about 20-25 centimetres of sand per year.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35But the real star species is the marram grass,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38which can grow for up to a metre of sand per year,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40so dunes can grow very, very quickly.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Playing detective in these dunes is a dream day out
0:10:43 > 0:10:45for a botanist like me.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49But what I'm even more excited to see are some rare species
0:10:49 > 0:10:53that are thriving deep in the established dune systems.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57OK, so down here we've got Grass of Parnassus,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01which is one of the more showy plants of the dune system.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Very, very nice, white flower.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- Beautiful, and ironically, not a grass.- Not a grass at all, no!
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Down here, we've got something that's even more special.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14This is round-leaved wintergreen, which is quite a rare plant.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16It's nationally scarce in the UK.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19This particular subspecies of round-leaved wintergreen
0:11:19 > 0:11:21is only found in coastal areas like this.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Where we're standing now, back in the 1980s,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27the high tide would have been getting up to where we are now.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30That's over 100 feet of new land in just 30 years -
0:11:30 > 0:11:34all helping to sustain more than 600 species of flora
0:11:34 > 0:11:38that can be found within the 700 acres of Sandscale Haws.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43And as the shifting sands move across this landscape,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46they shape an ever-moving parade of plant life.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51But of course, when most of us head to the beach,
0:11:51 > 0:11:56there's a far less practical and far more playful use for sand.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Looks like I need to work on my skills!
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Two guys whose talents stand a little taller than mine
0:12:04 > 0:12:07are James Haig and Jamie Wardley.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10For them, making sand-sculpted marvels is a full-time job
0:12:10 > 0:12:15and they claim the secret is using water, and lots of it.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17But I've heard about a more scientific method
0:12:17 > 0:12:20to making the perfect sandcastle and I'm keen to try it out.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24There is a study from the University of Amsterdam
0:12:24 > 0:12:26that actually says it's all about tiny amounts of water,
0:12:26 > 0:12:281% water, 99% sand?
0:12:28 > 0:12:32- No, no. 1% water?!- 1% water.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37- Let's give it a try, then. - Right, OK. You're on!
0:12:37 > 0:12:41- Go on, then.- OK. So it's...- Take some away, James, take some away!
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- That is 100ml, right? - Right, we'll go with that, OK.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49In 10 litres of sand.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52The principle that we use is use as much water as you can.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56'To test our techniques, we're each making a column of sand.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00'And while I'm following the scientific sand sculpting formula...'
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Foreign scientists did trials to find this! This must be the right one!
0:13:04 > 0:13:07'..Jamie's sticking to his wet sludge.'
0:13:07 > 0:13:09I'm done, I'm done!
0:13:11 > 0:13:12Careful now, James.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Oh, no.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17I was never any good at Jenga,
0:13:17 > 0:13:22- and it looks like you need the same skills.- Oh, no!
0:13:22 > 0:13:24My mathematical method may be in pieces,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27but will Jamie's sopping wet sand fare any better?
0:13:30 > 0:13:31There we are. Look at that!
0:13:31 > 0:13:34So it seems science might work in the lab
0:13:34 > 0:13:38but here on British shores, soaking your sand is the way to go.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Do a little window, do a little window.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42Isn't that wonderful?!
0:13:47 > 0:13:51Not only is the landscape of the Furness Peninsula fascinating,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54it's also played a vital role in an industry
0:13:54 > 0:13:58that's put this corner of the country firmly on the map.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02And that industry is shipbuilding,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04and Barrow-in-Furness does it on a massive scale,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06because it's home to these.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13This is the Royal Navy's latest submarine.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16It is nearing completion and it's absolutely massive.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Making these magnificent machines here not only takes advantage
0:14:21 > 0:14:23of generations of local shipbuilding talent,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26but also the make-up of the surrounding land.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33The banks of the Barrow sit on a deepwater channel,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35which means that big ships and submarines
0:14:35 > 0:14:38can sail in and out of here to the open sea.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41This area is constantly on the move.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44This channel is only kept open by the lads that I'm about to meet.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50The crew of the Norma are part of a team of dredgers
0:14:50 > 0:14:54who work all year round to keep this 40-foot-deep channel clear.
0:14:56 > 0:14:57I'm heading out to get a closer look at her
0:14:57 > 0:15:01with the man who's in charge of the operation.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03So, what's Norma up to out here, Bob?
0:15:03 > 0:15:07The Norma, it's a plough vessel.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09It's about 10 metres wide,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13and this is the final process in the dredging campaign this year.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15What's been going on in the last few weeks?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18The main channel dredgers are much bigger vessels,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22and they come in and take up the material off the bottom.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25This tends to leave quite deep furrows,
0:15:25 > 0:15:29a bit like a ploughed field on the bottom of the channel
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- which we like to level off. - And that's where the Norma comes in?
0:15:32 > 0:15:35- That absolutely it.- So, how much stuff are you taking out then?
0:15:35 > 0:15:36It's quite a lot.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39It's well in excess of a million tonnes this year.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46It was the clearing of this deep sea channel that secured Barrow's place
0:15:46 > 0:15:49as the shipbuilding capital of this coast.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52But as Barrow rose,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56it was at the cost of its smaller neighbour, Ulverston.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59So fine were the boats that were built in Ulverston
0:15:59 > 0:16:01they were sold all over the country.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03But as the deep waters of Barrow
0:16:03 > 0:16:05lured more industrial, bigger loads,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08the boat yards in Ulverston were forced to close.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Up until recently, it was thought that
0:16:10 > 0:16:13all trace of the vessels that were built there had been lost.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17That was until one woman
0:16:17 > 0:16:20stumbled across the story of the Hearts of Oak -
0:16:20 > 0:16:24the last boat to set sail from Ulverston's shipyards.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Jennifer, how did your connection with the Hearts of Oak start?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30You're not exactly a mad boat fan, are you?
0:16:30 > 0:16:32I certainly aren't a mad boat fan, no.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36It quite horrifies me to think of going in deep water.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41The boat, well, we began in 1977 when I visited an old man
0:16:41 > 0:16:44called John Wilson who lived quite near us.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48He told us about Hearts of Oak and showed me a picture of it.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50I kept thinking about the Hearts of Oak,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53and that she was built in Ulverston,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57and I thought, well really, she needs restoring.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- Did you know where she was at this stage?- Not at that stage, no.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02But we sort of got on the trail, my husband and I,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04and we just kept on looking,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07and a series of coincidences and good luck,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09and we eventually found her.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14The Hearts of Oak was built by this man - John Randall McLester,
0:17:14 > 0:17:18the last apprentice of the Ulverston shipyards.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23When she set sail in 1912, she was a thing of beauty.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Almost a century later, when Jennifer set eyes on her,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29she was a weather-beaten wreck.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Bonfire condition, probably, is the best thing we could say.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36The guy who owned her said if he hadn't contacted me,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39he was going to set fire to her.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Thanks to Jennifer, far from becoming firewood
0:17:43 > 0:17:46this last link to Ulverston's glorious past was saved.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Jennifer bought her for just £1, but helped raise over £80,000
0:17:50 > 0:17:54to pay for three years of painstaking restoration.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03And here she is, look, in all of her glory.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06She's absolutely beautiful.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13Yes, she's a wonderful boat. Quite a history. Yes.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Later, I'll be finding out what it's like
0:18:15 > 0:18:18to set sail in this historic cutter.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Cumbria has had more than its fair share of wet weather
0:18:23 > 0:18:25over the last few years,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28but this summer, much of the rest of Britain shared the same fate.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33So what damage has the rain done to our delicate rural economy?
0:18:33 > 0:18:34Tom has been finding out...
0:18:43 > 0:18:47It may have brightened up recently, but let's face it -
0:18:47 > 0:18:50this summer has been a washout.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55As a nation obsessed with the weather,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57the odd damp shower rarely puts us off.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01But this year was different.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06Summer 2012 was a record-breaker - and for all the wrong reasons.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09THUNDER RUMBLES
0:19:09 > 0:19:13- NEWSREADER:- 'Tonight, the Met Office is warning of severe weather...
0:19:13 > 0:19:17'..last month was the wettest June since records began...
0:19:17 > 0:19:20'..the unsettled theme is set to continue for at least the next few weeks...
0:19:20 > 0:19:22'..this washout summer.'
0:19:22 > 0:19:26- Lovely sunshine and now we've got a downpour.- Hello. Hello.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28- Is everybody nice and dry?- Yes!
0:19:28 > 0:19:30What a lovely English summer.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39For our countryside and the people who actually live and work within it,
0:19:39 > 0:19:44this summer wasn't just inconvenient, it was really, really costly.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49We've all seen the damage caused by the floods and storms
0:19:49 > 0:19:52on the news and the repair bill is going to be huge.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56One of the main rural insurers, NFU Mutual, has already seen
0:19:56 > 0:20:00a threefold increase in claims compared with last year.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Five million homes are at risk from the rising waters.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05We are still counting the cost,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09but even a rather conservative estimate for repairing and replacing
0:20:09 > 0:20:13all that damaged property is in the region of £25 million.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17But we're also taking less obvious financial hits
0:20:17 > 0:20:19from our sodden summer.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Anyone for ice cream?
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Anyone?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Anyone at all?
0:20:27 > 0:20:28No.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Drumming up business while it's raining is no easy task
0:20:32 > 0:20:35and visitor numbers to the countryside have certainly fallen.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39For some, while the downpours were torrential,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41cash flow was barely a trickle.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Someone who knows all about that is the owner of this van.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47He's based on a farm just up the road from here
0:20:47 > 0:20:49where they make the ice cream.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Normally in peak season, it's selling by the tub load.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57But this summer, much of that business has melted away.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Thousands of businesses in the UK rely on a healthy tourist trade.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Gary Rogers is no exception.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Here in Yorkshire, he and his family have been making ice cream
0:21:07 > 0:21:11for 20 years. This year, they've got lots left over.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14So, what's in there, Gary?
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Completely full of ice cream.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19You'd rather it was empty, rather than chocker like it is?
0:21:19 > 0:21:23It's completely stuffed. Far too much ice cream in there.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27All that stock is normally sold to local tourist venues, shops
0:21:27 > 0:21:30and big rural events. But this summer, Gary was hit hard.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32This is this morning's princely takings.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36- I think there's £9.80 there.- I'll count it first. Thank you very much.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38That's better than we've had this year so far.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Well, I think it was partly my poor sales technique.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43The weather wasn't great, but I guess you're used to that.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47We're very used to it this year. Yeah, it's been a catastrophic year.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51Ever since the end of March, we've had virtually rain every day.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55- Really? It's been that bad, has it? - It's been worse than anybody around here's ever known.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00We think so far this year we're at least 50% down on last year
0:22:00 > 0:22:02and last year, of course, was down on the previous year
0:22:02 > 0:22:05because each summer the weather seems to get worse.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Gary faced more than 40 cancelled outdoor shows this year.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Hundreds of other events went the same way because of the weather.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Even the Great Yorkshire Show had to be abandoned
0:22:18 > 0:22:22for the first time in its history, at a cost of £2.5 million.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29When you add up the lost business, cancelled shows
0:22:29 > 0:22:31and low visitor numbers, you're looking at a loss
0:22:31 > 0:22:34far greater than that for flood or storm damage.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Again, it's just an early estimate,
0:22:36 > 0:22:41but the cost could well be around £480 million.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44And as I'll be finding out later in the programme,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46the financial blows don't stop there.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57The Furness Peninsula, a finger of land surrounded by sea.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00At the very south, on Walney Island, there's an enterprise
0:23:00 > 0:23:02that's making the most of a landscape
0:23:02 > 0:23:05transformed by both man and nature.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09I'm on my way to visit a unique farm that only exists
0:23:09 > 0:23:12because of an unlikely series of events that started unfolding
0:23:12 > 0:23:15more than 10,000 years ago.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Way back in the ice age, glaciers deposited
0:23:20 > 0:23:23vast quantities of gravel on Walney, carried down from the mountains.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Millennia later, that gravel was exploited by man.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31It was extracted to be used in construction,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35leaving behind pits which eventually flooded with seawater.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40The area also became home to one of the biggest
0:23:40 > 0:23:42breeding colonies of gulls in Europe,
0:23:42 > 0:23:4440,000 strong.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49And they provided one more vital ingredient for our farm...
0:23:49 > 0:23:50poo.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54The seagull droppings made the water fertile
0:23:54 > 0:23:57which meant tiny plants called algae could grow,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59the perfect food for farming oysters.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03This modest building and network of pools make up
0:24:03 > 0:24:06the biggest oyster nursery in Europe.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Bet you didn't know that.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12The 24-acre site rears an astonishing
0:24:12 > 0:24:15100 million baby oysters each year.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17The young shellfish are sold to oyster farms
0:24:17 > 0:24:19across the UK and Europe.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24These are familiar adult oysters.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26There's a mixture of males and females in here
0:24:26 > 0:24:29and this is the perfect environment for them to breed.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32As soon as one of them releases an egg or some sperm,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36the others will follow. Then the water will go milky white.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39A new generation of oysters will be born.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42The baby oysters are put in special tanks to grow.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Food is dripped in and water piped through
0:24:45 > 0:24:48to keep the youngsters clean.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50So, Mike, here they are. Incredible to look at.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54These ones here are about 1mm in size
0:24:54 > 0:24:58- so really small.- And how many do you think are in each tube?
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Well, I think altogether there's about five million in this lot here.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05- So in that, maybe one million... - That's incredible.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07..in just the one bottle.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10- And how old are these fellas? - They're about three weeks old.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16But as the oysters get bigger,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20feeding and cleaning take on a whole new scale.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Now, the teenagers here live out in the pools
0:25:23 > 0:25:28and everybody knows that cleaning teenagers can be a messy business.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32The boys are hauling the mucky critters out
0:25:32 > 0:25:34and putting me in charge of mothering duties.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38- Right. Come on, Julia. It's time to wash some oysters.- OK.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- Blimey. It's heavy. - Are you ready?- Yeah, ready.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43- It will get heavier.- OK.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- It's coming.- Hang fire.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Blimey.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50And why do you wash them? What are you washing off them?
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Well, all the faeces sit on the top of the oysters
0:25:54 > 0:25:58and washing it gets rid of all of that.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04What it does... The oysters being out of the water...
0:26:04 > 0:26:07- Excuse me.- Struggling with that?
0:26:07 > 0:26:12It exercises the oyster muscle which makes more of a hardy oyster.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Now, this is a lot of work. Why do you bother with all of this?
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Why not just harvest them from the wild?
0:26:18 > 0:26:21- Well, there's not as many in the wild.- Oysters are filter feeders.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Do they get enough food from these pools?
0:26:24 > 0:26:30From the pond system, generally they get a good bloom of algae.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33At least they did until recently.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35Now, remember seagull droppings are a crucial ingredient
0:26:35 > 0:26:37to grow food for oysters.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Well, worryingly, seagull numbers have plummeted.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Has the drop in gull numbers affected you? Because, obviously,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45fewer gulls, less poo, less fertiliser.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Yeah. Over the past five years or so, the gull colony
0:26:49 > 0:26:51has definitely decreased
0:26:51 > 0:26:55and our pond nutrients have definitely reduced.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Adding artificial fertiliser was a short-term fix
0:26:58 > 0:26:59for the oyster farm.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03But the risk of losing the gull colony altogether
0:27:03 > 0:27:06was a major concern for the local wildlife trust.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Last year, they didn't find a single chick.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12I'm meeting Peter Jones to find out why.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15- Hi, Peter.- Hi, Julia. - How are you doing?- Fine, thanks.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18- Good. How are the gulls?- Very good. Yes.- Happy and flappy?- They are.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20- Shall we go and take a look? - Yeah, definitely.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25The numbers this year... We've had about 3,000 pairs here.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Back in the '60s when there were the most gulls here,
0:27:27 > 0:27:31we were looking at there being about 40,000 pairs of herring gulls
0:27:31 > 0:27:34- and lesser black-backed gulls. - That's a dramatic decline.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36- Absolutely, yeah. - So, what's it down to?
0:27:36 > 0:27:42The main two reasons have been that the food sources dropped for them
0:27:42 > 0:27:45significantly. There used to be a landfill site on the island
0:27:45 > 0:27:47which shut down in the late '80s.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51- Being scavengers that they are... - Absolutely. Yes, yes.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55The other reason is predation has become quite a big issue
0:27:55 > 0:27:56for them as well.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Things like foxes and stuff come in and will take the birds
0:28:00 > 0:28:01as they're on the nest.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04And this is your solution, an electric fence?
0:28:04 > 0:28:06It is. The electric fence we had installed this year.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Last year, without any fences like these,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12we didn't get a single chick away from this whole colony.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15This year, we had nearly 1,000 chicks fledge.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22The gulls and their flying fertiliser are back,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26although they may never reach their previous numbers.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Hopefully the population will be healthy enough to keep these
0:28:30 > 0:28:33chic little shellfish on the menu around here.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Just not for me. I can't bear them.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39It's your last chance to vote for your favourite photo
0:28:39 > 0:28:42in this year's Countryfile photographic competition.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44The theme is Walk On The Wild Side.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48Here's John with a reminder of what you need to do.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50In a moment, I'll give you the phone numbers to vote for.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54Calls cost 10p from a BT landline. Other operators may vary.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57And of course, from mobiles may cost more.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26You'll find all the details of the phone vote on our website.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29And don't forget, the phone lines close at midnight.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31Just a warning, if you phone after then,
0:30:31 > 0:30:34your vote won't be counted and you may be charged.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43Adam keeps all sorts of rare breeds on his farm, but today he's hoping
0:30:43 > 0:30:47to see some beasts you definitely won't find in the Cotswolds.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Once he's checked out what mood his new bull is in.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58This is my new Belted Galloway bull called Crackers.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01My mate Neil, who I bought him from from Yorkshire,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04warned me that he has got a bit of a lively temperament.
0:31:04 > 0:31:05And he's jumped out twice,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08looking for other cows on the farm, since I've had him.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11But now he seems to have settled down with his cows
0:31:11 > 0:31:13and I'm really pleased with him.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16Crackers can be a bit feisty,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20but there's one herd of cattle I've been told about that are truly wild.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22They roam completely free
0:31:22 > 0:31:25on one of the most inhospitable islands in the Orkneys.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30And I've been invited out to the Orkneys to go and see them.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32And that's an offer I can't refuse.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44Thank you.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49'It's quite a journey, but worth it if I can catch a glimpse
0:31:49 > 0:31:51'of these unique cattle.'
0:31:51 > 0:31:55They live on the island of Swona, just west of South Ronaldsay.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05I've arrived on the Orkneys and it's a world away
0:32:05 > 0:32:07from my farm on the Cotswolds.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10I'm travelling south to meet up with Cyril Annal
0:32:10 > 0:32:13whose family have owned Swona for generations.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16And his farm is based on South Ronaldsay.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28You must be Cyril.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31- Yes. Hello. - Hi. Good to meet you.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34- This is Alexander, my son. - Hi.- Nice to meet you.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37How many generations have been on this farm?
0:32:37 > 0:32:41- Since 1600. Came to Orkney first. - Goodness me.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44That's incredible. I've been doing a bit of research
0:32:44 > 0:32:48and I found these old photographs of the family.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51- Who's this of? - That is my Uncle Arthur in Swona.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54- And that one?- That is my grandfather.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57This is over on Swona that you own now.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Yes, we do.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02And these cattle that were there, domesticated, tame,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05being used to pull the plough.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Back then, they were pets. They all had names and everything.
0:33:08 > 0:33:14- And now, wild beasts of the island? - Completely feral. Crazy as can be.
0:33:14 > 0:33:19- And when did the people leave the island?- 1974. March, 1974.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22- And left the cattle behind?- The theory was that we could go back
0:33:22 > 0:33:25and go and take the calves every year.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28But because cattle are quite smart and bright,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32they got to realise it wasn't the best, seeing these humans.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34So they went more and more wild.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38So eventually, we thought it would be best just to leave them alone
0:33:38 > 0:33:42and that's how they slowly developed into a feral herd.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46Look. BSE came and that was the end of any more in the freezer.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49- Yeah, sure.- Also, I got a bit older
0:33:49 > 0:33:52and I couldn't run faster than them.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55They could run faster than me, so it was time to stop.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01'Cyril and Alex go to Swona
0:34:01 > 0:34:05'to check on the cattle's welfare a couple of times a year.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07'And today, I'm lucky enough to be joining them.'
0:34:11 > 0:34:15'Despite supporting a vibrant community for generations,
0:34:15 > 0:34:17'the island was abandoned in the '70s
0:34:17 > 0:34:22'when the difficulties of living here meant island life was unviable.'
0:34:22 > 0:34:24How many acres is the whole island?
0:34:24 > 0:34:27- About 270 roughly.- 270?!
0:34:27 > 0:34:31- They've a fair roam, these cattle. - It varies depending on the tide.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33We might never find them.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36They're here or else they've all gone swimming.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39THEY LAUGH
0:34:45 > 0:34:47No sign of them here. Where could they be?
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Just over that hill there. They can't be anywhere else.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54- OK. So we'll carry on hiking over that way?- Oh, yes.- OK.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59There's plenty of cowpats, they're definitely here.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Oh, well, they'll be about somewhere, hopefully.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04- Is that one there?- Aye. - Oh, that's one over there, yes.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07That looks like a bull to me.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10- It's already spotted us, you see him looking this way?- Yeah.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13And so is it safe to just walk over towards him?
0:35:13 > 0:35:16No, we will certainly go around in a circle,
0:35:16 > 0:35:20- so that we don't get between that bull and the herd.- OK.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Because he might decide that he wants to go back to the herds
0:35:22 > 0:35:24and deal with us in between.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27They'll all run together, and they'll not be looking at us,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30- they'll be looking at one another. - We have to be a bit careful.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37As we cautiously circle around the bull, the herd emerges.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39The main herd sticks together there.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42If you can see the white one in the middle, she will kind of be
0:35:42 > 0:35:46the dominant female, and then, way off in the distance,
0:35:46 > 0:35:49at the other side of the loch, we think we have got an old bull.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53We'll go and check him to see if he's OK.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56Last summer, the dominant bull pushed him out of the herd
0:35:56 > 0:35:59and forced him away from the herd and led him
0:35:59 > 0:36:01to the other end of the island.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04It's really interesting watching this behaviour.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07They're separate from the herd down there,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10just looking at us with ears sticking out like ping pong bats.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14As a cattleman, you know, I can instantly tell that they're like,
0:36:14 > 0:36:18hang on, there's something going on here, ears up, heads up high,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20facing us square on.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25Go and have a look at this rather benign old gentleman down at the loch.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30On a day like today, it looks idyllic,
0:36:30 > 0:36:34but in reality, these cattle have a tough life out here in these conditions.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36It's survival of the fittest.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45- What sort of age do you think he is, Cyril?- That fellow? 15 to 20.- Is he?
0:36:45 > 0:36:48- He's a very old gentleman. - And on a modern farm,
0:36:48 > 0:36:52you just wouldn't see bulls that old, would you?
0:36:52 > 0:36:54You wouldn't see him. He'd never be allowed to age.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58He'd probably have some of the problems that humans have,
0:36:58 > 0:37:01such as stiff and sore as we all get.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04And he's walking along now, he's getting along OK,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06and he's grazing, an amazing shape,
0:37:06 > 0:37:10he's quite heavy at the front end, and narrowing to the back end.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12Yes, this is so that he can push.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Head down and push the other one out of the way.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19More like a buffalo than a modern Aberdeen Angus.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22Certainly, no tags in their ears now,
0:37:22 > 0:37:26they don't have to comply with all of the Defra rules any more.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29If you help me, we'll go and put a tag on this one!
0:37:29 > 0:37:33I think we'll just leave the poor old fellow alone, shall we?
0:37:35 > 0:37:38It's fascinating to see how the cattle have returned
0:37:38 > 0:37:41to their wild instincts.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43But what of the people who lived on this island?
0:37:47 > 0:37:51A cluster of houses stands as a memorial to a lost way of life.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01At its peak, there were around 30 people
0:38:01 > 0:38:03living on the island in four or five houses.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05The land would have been farmed,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07the gardens would have been immaculate.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09And it would have been very well loved.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12But by 1974, there were only two left -
0:38:12 > 0:38:14Cyril's aunty and uncle who were getting old
0:38:14 > 0:38:15and they decided to leave too.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22And this is how they left it.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24It's almost like they just walked out
0:38:24 > 0:38:26and left all their belongings behind.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31There's an old newspaper here from 1974. Christmas cards.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Look, even some reading glasses.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Lovely old recipe book on how to make jams.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47It's as though they thought one day, they'd be back.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00This is their lovely old cattle shed where the cows
0:39:00 > 0:39:02and the oxen would have been brought in for the winter
0:39:02 > 0:39:06and tied up by the neck and led out to work.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09A very quiet, docile, domesticated animal.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Now, their descendants are running wild on the island.
0:39:13 > 0:39:18As their splendid isolation continues, these Swona cattle
0:39:18 > 0:39:22look set to be classified as a breed in their own right.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Next week, I'm travelling even further afield.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31I'm in Switzerland, helping gather sheep off the Alps.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41We're exploring the natural wonders of the Northwest's Furness Peninsula.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44I'm making my way from the mainland to nearby
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Piel Island on a very special boat.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54Earlier, I discovered how the Hearts of Oak had been rescued from ruin.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57And now, I have the chance to set sail on it,
0:39:57 > 0:40:01- as I hitch a ride over to Piel Island. How you doing, lads? All right?- OK!
0:40:01 > 0:40:04Now, I've brought some friends along for the ride.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07- More about these a little bit later on. Handle with care.- Cheers.
0:40:07 > 0:40:12- There we are. Perfect. Am I OK just to hop over?- Hop aboard.- Super.
0:40:12 > 0:40:13Let's go sailing!
0:40:13 > 0:40:17The crew are all volunteers, keen amateurs who have
0:40:17 > 0:40:20fallen in love with the idea of sailing a vintage cutter.
0:40:22 > 0:40:27- And I'm keen to find out more about her. She was a prawner?- Yes.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29- A Morecambe Bay prawner. - Which is, Morecambe Bay is...?
0:40:29 > 0:40:33Morecambe Bay is just over there, yes. We're on the corner of it.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37And how would she have worked then? And why is she the design that she is?
0:40:37 > 0:40:40She'd have been worked by, typically, a man and his son.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43They're built like this for speed.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47To get out on the tide and back on the same tide,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51to get the catch back, because there was no refrigeration.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55- And is there any significance with the red sails?- Yes, it's tradition.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58And they look nice.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02I believe they used to treat the sails, the fishermen of the time,
0:41:02 > 0:41:06they used to treat the sails with stuff like red lead and linseed oil.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08And that gave them the colour to cause them to last.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12I understand there's quite an interesting technique to stop it from tipping over?
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Oh, yeah, stones. You want to have a look?
0:41:15 > 0:41:20- Oh, yeah, if we can.- Well, if you get to... That's...
0:41:20 > 0:41:24Oh, right, it's just chucked in the bottom there.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27Lead would be ideal, but we can't afford lead.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31- Do they go the full length of the hull?- They do, yeah.- Good. Right.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34I might jump up there and do a little bit of rope pulling now.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43- Gordon, you look a picture there. - Yes, it's pleasant, isn't it?
0:41:43 > 0:41:46You do look at home, and it looks like we've got a little bit of wind!
0:41:46 > 0:41:49- Yes, we're actually sailing. - Yes!- A pleasant change.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53- Very, very gently, but we are actually sailing. Come on, show me the ropes, quite literally.- Right.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56I'm going to try and help the lads tack,
0:41:56 > 0:41:58moving the sail in order to change direction.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00Keep your head down, that's the key, isn't it?
0:42:00 > 0:42:03- OK, so undo these then, Gordon, yes?- Yes. Cast off the jib.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06- This one as well?- Yes. Cast them both off.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Tighten those up.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15Well that felt like plain sailing. There's only one small problem.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17The only problem is, Piel Island's that way!
0:42:17 > 0:42:18THEY LAUGH
0:42:18 > 0:42:23- So it's take two on the turning. - Just a nice full flow in the sail.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26And this time, things are heading in the right direction.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33- Good. We're going the right way now.- Yeah.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35We should be there for midnight!
0:42:35 > 0:42:38That's the thing, you go at the pace of nature though!
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- That's the beauty of it! - Yes, yes, the pace of the wind, yes.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46Well hopefully, the tide is on our side, because I've got to
0:42:46 > 0:42:50make it in time for a royal appointment with the King of Piel.
0:42:55 > 0:43:00Now, while we're exploring Cumbria, Tom's on the other side of the Pennines in Yorkshire,
0:43:00 > 0:43:03counting the cost of some of the wettest weather on record.
0:43:04 > 0:43:11Summer 2012, a season of extremes which has been anything but summery.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15Tourist attractions, county shows, local producers,
0:43:15 > 0:43:19the rural economy has been hit from all sides by record
0:43:19 > 0:43:23and sometimes spirit breaking bad weather.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Earlier in the programme, we heard from Gary Rogers,
0:43:27 > 0:43:31whose ice cream business has taken a battering over the last few months.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35He's lost an estimated £800,000 this year,
0:43:35 > 0:43:39but not just because of the struggle to sell his wares.
0:43:39 > 0:43:44We think so far this year, we're at least 50% down on last year,
0:43:44 > 0:43:46and last year, of course, was down on the previous year,
0:43:46 > 0:43:49because each summer the weather seems to get worse.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54Gary makes the ice cream on his farm which he runs with his wife Mandy.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59She's had to deal with a whole range of problems caused by the weather.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03You see in here, it's all a bit soft, being in all that mud.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07- Yeah, again, just really down to the wet weather, I think.- Yes.
0:44:07 > 0:44:12With such wet conditions, lameness was always going to be a problem.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16For Mandy, it's been hard to bear and expensive to fix.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18And that's not all.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22With a spell of drier weather, her Charolais beef herd can finally
0:44:22 > 0:44:26enjoy the outdoors, but feeding them is still a costly business.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31Well, it's been tough, from the very start, really.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34Spring calving, when they calve they go straight out,
0:44:34 > 0:44:37and this year, it was just a mud bath, really.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40I had a particular field over there that I set aside.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43It's the only one really with the trees, so they had some shelter,
0:44:43 > 0:44:47but they were basically getting through a bale of silage a day,
0:44:47 > 0:44:50which is almost more than they eat when they're inside.
0:44:50 > 0:44:51The weather was just so bad.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55With feed prices at an all-time high, livestock farmers
0:44:55 > 0:44:59across the country are going to be faced with some shocking food bills.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02And of the story only gets worse
0:45:02 > 0:45:05when you start to look at how crops have fared.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09So what will the effect of this year's bad weather be
0:45:09 > 0:45:11on farmers and shoppers?
0:45:11 > 0:45:14Well, I've got a harvest festival basket here.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17Scottish fruit growers have said that mould and disease
0:45:17 > 0:45:20could cost them 10 million this year.
0:45:20 > 0:45:25Disease is also affecting cereal crops, so oats and wheat.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27One thing that does like it wet is fungus.
0:45:27 > 0:45:32Bad news if you are growing root crops like carrots or potatoes,
0:45:32 > 0:45:37we could expect to see many more with blemishes on the shop shelves.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41And then you come to honey and apples.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45They are suffering because of a lack of insects.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50To see for myself just how that population has been affected,
0:45:50 > 0:45:52I'm joining in on a butterfly hunt.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56He is away!
0:45:56 > 0:45:58Well done. Quick, Tom!
0:45:58 > 0:45:59THEY CHEER
0:45:59 > 0:46:00There we go!
0:46:02 > 0:46:06This little guy fluttering around here is a Small Skipper.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08Small Skipper.
0:46:08 > 0:46:12Dave Wainwright is a butterfly conservation officer.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14This beauty here is a Common Blue,
0:46:14 > 0:46:18which is something I've hardly seen at all this year.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22He is trying to assess the impact of this year's weather
0:46:22 > 0:46:25on these colourful little creatures.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29Just put the pot over them like so, and...
0:46:29 > 0:46:31HE BLOWS
0:46:31 > 0:46:32Magic blow.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35..blow 'em into the pot and there you go, Tom, there is your butterfly.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37What variety is this?
0:46:37 > 0:46:39That's a Ringlet, and it's actually one of the few
0:46:39 > 0:46:42that's doing reasonably well this year.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45We walked across most of this field, the five of us,
0:46:45 > 0:46:48and this was the first thing we saw. How unusual is that?
0:46:48 > 0:46:50It's pretty unusual.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54It's been a particularly bad summer for butterflies.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57Usually you get bad summers and the butterflies are there,
0:46:57 > 0:47:00they are just waiting for the sun to appear,
0:47:00 > 0:47:02but as you've seen, we've had some quite sunny weather today
0:47:02 > 0:47:04and they are just not there, basically, to find them.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06Butterfly Conservation has recently finished
0:47:06 > 0:47:08its annual big butterfly count.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12We've been given a sneak preview of the results.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15Although some have done better than normal, 15 out of the 21 species
0:47:15 > 0:47:19studied had declined compared with last year, including
0:47:19 > 0:47:24well-known varieties like the Red Admiral, Peacock and Painted Lady.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27But even if we do see fewer insects like butterflies,
0:47:27 > 0:47:29does that really matter?
0:47:29 > 0:47:31What am I looking at here?
0:47:31 > 0:47:34This is a malaise trap, a classical insect trap...
0:47:34 > 0:47:37'Just up the road is another bug hunter, Prof Tim Benton,
0:47:37 > 0:47:39'an ecology expert and government adviser.'
0:47:39 > 0:47:43But, look, you can see there are very little.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47There is a small moth and some flies and that's about it, really.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49Very few bugs, very few beetles,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52almost nothing that I would expect to see at this time of year.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56- It's far from humming.- It is absolutely far from humming.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58It is actually quite a nightmare.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01Why does an absence of insects matter to farmers?
0:48:01 > 0:48:05The absence of insects matters to farmers in a number of ways.
0:48:05 > 0:48:10They benefit from pollination services, bees, hoverflies and so on,
0:48:10 > 0:48:15provide about £430 million worth of services to increase yields.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18Farmers benefit, the countryside benefits because these things,
0:48:18 > 0:48:21although most people don't care about them,
0:48:21 > 0:48:24they are eaten by birds and even birds that normally eat seed
0:48:24 > 0:48:26feed their babies these,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29and if words don't get their food, they suffer.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31People come into the countryside and like listening to skylarks,
0:48:31 > 0:48:34they like seeing the swifts and the swallows flying around,
0:48:34 > 0:48:36and all that impacts on the rural economy
0:48:36 > 0:48:38in quite a major way.
0:48:39 > 0:48:43There are still fields yet to be harvested and counted,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46but our early estimates suggest losses,
0:48:46 > 0:48:49whether through lack of insects, soggy crops
0:48:49 > 0:48:54or diseased animals, could easily be in the region of £595 million.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00So where does this all leave the rural economy?
0:49:00 > 0:49:03Well, if you add the total for farming to the tourism losses
0:49:03 > 0:49:06and the huge bill for repairing storm and flood damage, we reckon
0:49:06 > 0:49:12the wettest summer in a century has cost us well over £1 billion.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18Another typical summer's day.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22It's just started to rain as another low comes in from the west.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26Whether you treat this place, the countryside, as your workplace
0:49:26 > 0:49:31or your playground, its financial fortunes fluctuate with the weather.
0:49:31 > 0:49:36What this summer has proved, is quite how deep those sodden troughs can be.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42The weather may have been causing havoc with our rural community,
0:49:42 > 0:49:45but we've got a bit of blue sky today.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47The question is, will it stay that way?
0:49:47 > 0:49:50Let's find out with the Countryfile weather forecast.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11We are on the Furness Peninsula, where Julia and I have been
0:53:11 > 0:53:16discovering hidden wonders of this rarely explored Cumbrian landscape.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19I'm ending my voyage at Piel Island.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23At just half a mile long, it's tiny, but exquisitely formed.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29Its only permanent residents are the island's custodians,
0:53:29 > 0:53:31Steve and Sheila Chattaway.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37Not only are they caretakers of the island, but an ancient
0:53:37 > 0:53:40tradition also means that they are King and Queen of Piel,
0:53:40 > 0:53:44so I've come bearing gifts, and I'm off to meet them in their palace.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46Or more to the point, the pub.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48Come on, girls.
0:53:51 > 0:53:52I'll just pop you down there.
0:53:52 > 0:53:57All set, ready to meet Their Royal Highnesses. Here we go.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01- Steve!- Matt!- How are you doing? All right?- Nice to see you.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03I don't really know how to address you properly.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05Sheila, is it ma'am as in ham?
0:54:05 > 0:54:08- Sheila.- It's just Sheila?- Yeah.- OK.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11- This King and Queen thing, this is for real, isn't it?- Yes, it is, yes.
0:54:11 > 0:54:12How did that all come about?
0:54:12 > 0:54:15This started with back in the Middle Ages when,
0:54:15 > 0:54:19I think it was the last time the UK was invaded,
0:54:19 > 0:54:22by a chap called Lambert Simnel, he was only 11 years old
0:54:22 > 0:54:25but he landed on Piel Island with about 5,000 mercenaries,
0:54:25 > 0:54:27and claimed to be the King of England.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30Following on from then, traditionally,
0:54:30 > 0:54:35the landlord of The Ship Inn at Piel Island becomes the King of Piel.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Steve and Sheila might be island royalty,
0:54:37 > 0:54:41but they certainly don't live a privileged lifestyle here on Piel.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44They are aiming to make themselves self-sufficient by grazing
0:54:44 > 0:54:48the land as the monks who lived here did in the 12th century.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51And that's where my regal gift comes in.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53See what you think of these, Sheila.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55There you are.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57What?
0:54:57 > 0:55:00I've brought you something appropriate for island life.
0:55:00 > 0:55:05- Fabulous!- A white star and a black rock.- Perfect!- Here we go, girls.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08These girls are a little too young to fend for themselves
0:55:08 > 0:55:11with the rest of Steve's flock so we are releasing them
0:55:11 > 0:55:14into their own palatial surroundings.
0:55:14 > 0:55:15Welcome home.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18- What do you think of that? - There you are, girls.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23Breathe it in, girls. That's island air.
0:55:27 > 0:55:31But a desire to live out the good life isn't the only legacy
0:55:31 > 0:55:33the monks left on Piel Island.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38This fort was built by the monks of Furness Abbey,
0:55:38 > 0:55:41which is over on the mainland, and the whole idea was,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44it was built to protect grain and wool
0:55:44 > 0:55:47that was going to be traded with Ireland, across the sea.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50Nobody really gets the chance to see inside here,
0:55:50 > 0:55:53but Steve is going to show us around this place.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55It was built in 1327,
0:55:55 > 0:55:58and at the time, it was the largest of its kind in Northwest England.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04The monks of Furness Abbey, they used to run
0:56:04 > 0:56:08something like 12,000 sheep, which was a heck of a lot of wool.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12- Yeah.- But, obviously, there was other things going on as well.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19There was quite a market for illicit liquor and things like that,
0:56:19 > 0:56:22and they'd bring it via Ireland or the Isle Of Man, or up from Flanders.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26Obviously, they'd take wool to Flanders and they'd bring stuff back.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29- And the monks were into that then, were they?- Oh, God, yeah.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32Yeah, absolutely. They were the mafia of the day. Big, big business, yeah.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35The fortress might now be past its best
0:56:35 > 0:56:38but it still dominates the landscape,
0:56:38 > 0:56:42with views stretching for miles around.
0:56:43 > 0:56:49This is the perfect spot to look out for shady characters.
0:56:49 > 0:56:55Speaking of which, I've just spotted a little minx perched on a rock.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58Bradbury, Bradbury! Do you read me? It's Baker.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00If you look behind you,
0:57:00 > 0:57:03you will see that I'm the king of the castle and you're the dirty...
0:57:03 > 0:57:09Dirty rascal! Hello, darling! How was your day on the high seas?
0:57:09 > 0:57:13It was good but how did you get on with the oysters?
0:57:13 > 0:57:17An amazing process and I would have brought you one
0:57:17 > 0:57:20but I know you don't really like the oysters, a bit like me.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22That's it from the Furness Peninsula.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24Don't forget there are just a few hours left to vote
0:57:24 > 0:57:27in our Countryfile photographic competition.
0:57:27 > 0:57:28All the details are on our website
0:57:28 > 0:57:31and the results will be revealed on October 7th,
0:57:31 > 0:57:34including the photograph that our judges like most.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37You can see those 12 photos again by pressing your red button now.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40Next week, we're going to be in north Nottinghamshire
0:57:40 > 0:57:42where I'll be following in the footsteps
0:57:42 > 0:57:45of one of our most controversial novelists, DH Lawrence.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47Hope you can join us then.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50Matty, how are you getting off the island?
0:57:52 > 0:57:55Um... I thought we were going back together.
0:57:55 > 0:57:57Well, I'm getting a train, love.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00I've got to leave quite sharpish so good luck.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02I hope you've got your armbands.
0:58:02 > 0:58:03Bye.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07Julia?
0:58:07 > 0:58:10'Julia? Julia!'
0:58:18 > 0:58:21Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd