0:00:27 > 0:00:31Ancient, powerful, mighty.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Mountains and hills can make us feel small and insignificant.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39They're special, challenging places that draw us up and away
0:00:39 > 0:00:42from the hustle and bustle of everyday life
0:00:42 > 0:00:45and it's easy to see why.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Blencathra may not be the highest fell in the Lake District,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54but it's been a firm favourite with poets, walkers, geologists
0:00:54 > 0:00:58and many others over the centuries.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01And soon, it could be yours. Why?
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Well, because after nearly 400 years in the same family,
0:01:05 > 0:01:07it's up for sale.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13I'll be taking a trip with the man who's selling his mountain
0:01:13 > 0:01:16and finding out what the new owners can expect for their money.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19And we'll also be having a look back at some of the best bits
0:01:19 > 0:01:22of Countryfile to have featured hills and mountains.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27Like the time Adam encountered some unusual cows in the Swiss Alps.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31Just getting up close to these cattle is absolutely wonderful for me.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35The thickness of its head, it's just incredible.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Or when Matt learned how to farm the traditional way
0:01:38 > 0:01:40in the Cambrian Mountains.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Come on, man, come and show me your part of the world.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46And when Julia donned a skirt and hat
0:01:46 > 0:01:49to climb like ladies did a century ago.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53So, I'm about to do one of the stupidest things I have ever done,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57scrambling, in a skirt, wearing this bonnet!
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Oh!
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Our hills and mountains are cherished.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16To many of us, they offer escape, adventure and a sense of belonging.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19And if you fancied it, this one,
0:02:19 > 0:02:24the stunning Blencathra, could soon belong to you.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Blencathra, or Saddleback as it's sometimes known,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33sits north-east of Keswick in the Northern Fells.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37And now, it's up for sale.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39I've got the brochure and I've arranged
0:02:39 > 0:02:43for the most unusual property viewing I have ever had.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46This is not an easy viewing appointment, Miles!
0:02:46 > 0:02:48LAUGHTER
0:02:48 > 0:02:49- Nice to meet you.- Hello. And you.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53So, tell me, then, what do I get for my money?
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Well, you can buy this wonderful magnificent mountain,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58with arguably one of the most recognisable
0:02:58 > 0:03:00and best-known of the lake and fells.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04It's about 2,500 acres of fell land.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06And can you make any money on it?
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Not a lot, no.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11The grazing is all with local farmers,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13who have common grazing rights on it,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16so they've that as a right, so they don't pay for that.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18But it's not really being sold as an investment
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- that's going to produce you a big return.- What's the price again?
0:03:21 > 0:03:25We're quoting 1.75 million, I think that's right,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27it's difficult to put a price on something like this
0:03:27 > 0:03:29because there's very little to compare it with.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- This must be a first for you, having to sell a mountain?- Very much so.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35There have been sales, parts of Snowdon were sold a few years ago,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38but nothing in the Lake District has ever come out,
0:03:38 > 0:03:39as far as we're aware.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41And who do you think might be interested?
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Well, that's a good question, we're waiting to see, really.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47High-worth individuals who buy investments,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51like buying a Turner or a Canaletto or something,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53instead of that, you can buy a mountain.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Instead of hanging it on your wall, you can actually go out
0:03:55 > 0:03:57and enjoy it and walk on it.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Later, I'll be meeting the elusive man
0:04:01 > 0:04:05who's decided to sell this mountain.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06But first...
0:04:06 > 0:04:09A couple of autumns ago, Jules headed to Snowdonia,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13where Welsh ponies braved the elements all year round
0:04:13 > 0:04:15and where he got slightly more than he bargained for
0:04:15 > 0:04:17when he agreed to help round them up.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Snowdonia, 3,000 feet.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34This is hard terrain, it's beautiful,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37but bleak and inhospitable.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42Unless, of course, you're a wild Welsh mountain pony.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45These mini-hooved crusaders have called this beautiful
0:04:45 > 0:04:50and somewhat treacherous landscape home for the last 2,000 years.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53They are up here, whatever the weather, all year round,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55except for one day in autumn,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58when they're brought back down into the fold.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Snowdonia is the only place in Britain that they exist.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06And farmer Gareth knows them best.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Well, Gareth, there's no doubt that these ponies are absolutely unique,
0:05:09 > 0:05:11to withstand the weather up here,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14I mean, you wouldn't leave sheep up here through the winter, would you?
0:05:14 > 0:05:15No, no, no.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It's most probably the only pony which would survive up here
0:05:18 > 0:05:23or anything that would survive up here. Is these little ponies.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Because they've been bred here, in the 1940s,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29- when we had the very hard... - 1947?
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Yeah. Half the ponies on the mountains died.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- Did they?- My grandfather said they were stood there,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38dead, frozen on their feet.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42- Aw!- So, the ones that did survive from that winter were really special
0:05:42 > 0:05:44and these bloodlines are still here.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Now, you mentioned your grandfather, these have been a family obsession
0:05:48 > 0:05:49for generations for you, haven't they?
0:05:49 > 0:05:52When your family has been keeping these ponies for 300 years,
0:05:52 > 0:05:57- we can go back 300 years.- Wow. - And it's something powerful.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59There's something beautiful, mystic,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02just something very close to all our hearts.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05They're like us, we've been born and bred up here,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07you've got to be a special kind of person.
0:06:07 > 0:06:08You would say that, wouldn't you?
0:06:08 > 0:06:10LAUGHTER
0:06:10 > 0:06:12The ponies may be as hard as nails,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15but even they need a bit of TLC sometimes.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Today, they're being rounded up for their annual health check
0:06:18 > 0:06:21by Gareth and the other six families that own them.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24It's all done using maximum horsepower.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25WHISTLING
0:06:25 > 0:06:28On quads and bikes.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- Look at them!- Yeah. It's all good fun.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34The circus has arrived on top of a mountain in Snowdonia.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Now, does anybody know what's going on?
0:06:38 > 0:06:39Is there a plan?
0:06:39 > 0:06:42LAUGHTER
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Listen, these are all family and they all know where to go.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Everybody has got their own spot.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53These chaps don't have time for social niceties,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56there's work to be done. It's organised chaos!
0:06:58 > 0:07:00The thing about wild ponies is that...
0:07:00 > 0:07:03well, they're wild and they don't always behave as they should,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07when being moved around by a mechanical rodeo.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08But I've got to learn fast,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12because I'm part of the team and these guys don't mess around.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Your job is watching this ravine here.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17- They'll be wanting to break up, will they?- Exactly.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- OK.- Exactly. This is all open mountain,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22so the idea is, with a big net,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- you want to be doing a bit of shouting.- Yeah.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Whatever comes to mind.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30They won't understand you, they only understand Welsh up here.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32LAUGHTER
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Let's go!
0:07:44 > 0:07:47SHOUTING
0:07:54 > 0:07:57The plan was that everything was going to come
0:07:57 > 0:07:59running down that part of the hill, there.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Unfortunately, they had other ideas and they went that way.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06I couldn't stop them, the other bikes couldn't stop them,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08they've now disappeared over the hill.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17After a manic two hours, some master driving from Gareth
0:08:17 > 0:08:22and the team, and more luck than judgment from me, it's great news.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26We've rounded up a cracking 131 ponies.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Now, all we've got to do is get them down to the farmyard,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30where they can be checked over.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Each pony is owned by one of seven local families.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38It's been like this for generations.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42But how on earth can they tell which pony is which?
0:08:42 > 0:08:45They've all got special earmarks in them,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48where we know whose pony is who.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Given that they all live on the mountain,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52- does it matter who owns them, in a sense?- Yes, it does.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54It does.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Because these have been handed down by generations from father to son.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59And you want to keep your breeding stock going.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Yes, yes, and you know which ponies are yours
0:09:01 > 0:09:04and some of them have got special... Close to your heart.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Each family has to carefully manage their pony's bloodline
0:09:07 > 0:09:09to prevent interbreeding.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12It's important that there's only one stallion per herd,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14so the young males are sold off along with any other ponies
0:09:14 > 0:09:18too old or weak to survive the coming winter.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21After making sure the remainder have their earmarks,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23they'll be released back onto the mountain
0:09:23 > 0:09:25to join the few hundred living there.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28It would be nice to have rare breed status,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31and maybe get rare breed status for the families as well!
0:09:31 > 0:09:33LAUGHTER
0:09:33 > 0:09:35It's been a real privilege to have played a small part
0:09:35 > 0:09:38in helping these incredible ponies.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41These animals are a living slice of our history
0:09:41 > 0:09:44and thanks to extraordinary work from farmers like Gareth,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47they should continue to be so for generations to come.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58The Lake District's Blencathra mountain stands proudly
0:09:58 > 0:10:01above spectacular countryside.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03And for the first time in 400 years,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07this mighty mountain is on the market.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09I want to take a closer look.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Time to ditch the glossy brochure and use a guide
0:10:12 > 0:10:17who has been indispensable for Lakeland Fell walkers for 50 years.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Alfred Wainwright, of course.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24His books are still the guides many walkers rely on
0:10:24 > 0:10:27to navigate the slopes.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29And it's easy to see why.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32The personality of his writing and the information in this book
0:10:32 > 0:10:37is really compelling and Blencathra was one of his favourite mountains.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41He writes here, "This is a mountain that compels attention,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43"even from those dull people
0:10:43 > 0:10:45"whose eyes are not habitually lifted to the hills.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47"To artists and photographers..."
0:10:47 > 0:10:50"It is an obvious subject for their craft.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55"To sightseers passing along the road, its influence is magnetic.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00"To the dalesfolk, it is the eternal background to their lives,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03"there at birth, there at death.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06"But most of all, it is a mountaineer's mountain.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Wainwright dedicated more pages to Blencathra
0:11:13 > 0:11:16than any other fell in his own inimitable manner.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23David Powell Thomson gives guided tours of the fells.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- So, Wainwright loved this mountain, then?- Oh, he did.
0:11:26 > 0:11:27Why did he love it?
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Well, it's such an iconic mountain, isn't it?
0:11:30 > 0:11:32When you look at it, from afar,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34you've got these five huge buttresses,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37four gullies, that face south.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Has it changed much, do you think, since he was writing about it?
0:11:40 > 0:11:42It's a lot busier, I would think.
0:11:42 > 0:11:48Yeah. He came here in the winter of 1661, climbed it every Sunday,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51by a different route and didn't see a soul.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Not during the whole of that winter,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- he didn't see anybody else on the summit.- Lucky man!
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- You can't do that today. - No, indeed not.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01I would think you'd be very lucky, it would be late at night.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03And he's done this fabulous map.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- His books, a page a night, after work.- Wow!
0:12:06 > 0:12:08And when he wasn't doing these,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12he was out gathering notes, surveying the areas.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14They're a fabulous legacy to his work.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18He did these as an aide-memoire for himself,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21for when he became doddery and couldn't get out on the fell,
0:12:21 > 0:12:26he could actually read his book and reminisce about his own work.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28But, there are thousands, millions...
0:12:28 > 0:12:32The millionth one actually
0:12:32 > 0:12:36was sold in a book shop, with a little note in it to say
0:12:36 > 0:12:40that Wainwright would have lunch with the person who got it.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44But he didn't like people, other people, he was a solitary person.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46It's said that he went out,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49and found it and bought it himself, so that nobody else could get it!
0:12:49 > 0:12:53People say, people know these areas well,
0:12:53 > 0:12:57- I don't think anybody knew them as well as he did.- Indeed.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- And you come out with one of these, don't you?- Yeah, every time, yeah.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04- I can do snap! - You've got all the basics.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Yeah, map, compass, whistle and a Wainwright.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Wainwright was not the first to fall for the beauty of this place.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was smitten 200 years ago.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22But it was another beautiful landscape
0:13:22 > 0:13:24that inspired his greatest poetry.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27As Julia found out when she went to the Quantocks in Somerset.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35This is Coleridge country.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37"So, twice five miles of fertile ground
0:13:37 > 0:13:40"With walls and towers were girdled round
0:13:40 > 0:13:44"And here were gardens bright with sinuous rills
0:13:44 > 0:13:47"Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree
0:13:47 > 0:13:50"And here were forests ancient as the hills
0:13:50 > 0:13:53"Enfolding sunny spots of greenery."
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Kubla Khan is one of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's most famous poems
0:13:58 > 0:14:00and one of the most famous in the English language
0:14:00 > 0:14:05and he wrote it 200 years ago when he was living here in the Quantocks.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17It is beautiful, with its mix of rolling hills,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20open heathland and deep, wooded valleys.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23It's easy to see what Coleridge fell in love with.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26He came here, aged 24, to escape the city.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29He was barely known as a poet when he arrived,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31but all of that was about to change.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35"Friends, whom I never more may meet again
0:14:35 > 0:14:39"On springy heath, along the hilltop edge
0:14:39 > 0:14:41"Wander in gladness and wind down
0:14:41 > 0:14:45"Perchance to that still roaring dell of which I told."
0:14:51 > 0:14:52So, here it is, Tom,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55the dell that was mentioned in many of Coleridge's poems.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Yes, this is Holford Glen, a place which was a great inspiration
0:14:59 > 0:15:01for him and also for his friends,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04William and Dorothy Wordsworth, who lived just up the road.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07He would walk from Nether Stowey, three miles away,
0:15:07 > 0:15:11almost daily to visit them and to visit places like this
0:15:11 > 0:15:14and they were almost obsessive wanderers in this landscape
0:15:14 > 0:15:16and drew enormous inspiration from it.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19In fact, it was a key moment in the history of English poetry,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22the moment when landscape and nature
0:15:22 > 0:15:26became primary inspirations for poetic achievement.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Another handsome view over our shoulder, Tom,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40and another inspirational spot for him.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44It was, very much so, this was a place that he visited all the time,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47daily, and, of course, it was the beginning of the journey,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51which led to his most famous poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54He and the Wordsworths set off along the great track,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57just over there, on a November day at four in the afternoon,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00- just as the rain was beginning to fall.- Lovely!
0:16:00 > 0:16:03And it was this landscape which was the context
0:16:03 > 0:16:06in which that great poem was brought into existence.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10The track is now named after the great man himself.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12And this is it, the Coleridge Way.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16It follows the same routes that he would have traversed 200 years ago
0:16:16 > 0:16:21and if he walked it today, he'd see that little has changed.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23The track starts here in Nether Stowey,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26the village that Coleridge lived in.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32'His cottage is now a museum, owned by the National Trust.'
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Hello. 'And they've decided to return it
0:16:34 > 0:16:36'to its original state as Coleridge's home.'
0:16:38 > 0:16:41- Afternoon, afternoon. - Oh, hello, nice to meet you.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- Hello, Stephen, good to see you're busy.- We're very busy, yes.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46So, the whole house has got to be packed away, is that right?
0:16:46 > 0:16:49It is, yes, we're having a major re-presentation of the property.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52We've to start by clearing the whole place
0:16:52 > 0:16:55- and if you want to give us a hand... - Absolutely, I will be very happy to.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58I see an awful lot, a lot of delicate little things.
0:16:58 > 0:16:59I mean, what's this?
0:16:59 > 0:17:01We have Coleridge's little ink-pot there
0:17:01 > 0:17:04- and we have his will. - Look at that, 1829!
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Yes, lots and lots of items that were very personal to him.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11We just have to get all these packed up today.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19It's this old upstairs room that houses some of Coleridge's
0:17:19 > 0:17:25most personal treasures. The quills that he used to pen his masterpieces.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28This is the room that Coleridge wrote Frost At Midnight, isn't it?
0:17:28 > 0:17:30We're almost certain that this is the room,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33- Frost At Midnight was written in. - Shall we have a go?
0:17:33 > 0:17:37You should be able to get about six or seven words out of every dip.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39I'm lucky if I can get six or seven LETTERS,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41let alone six or seven words!
0:17:41 > 0:17:45It's going to take me a long time, let me tell you!
0:17:45 > 0:17:48"The Frost performs its secret ministry
0:17:48 > 0:17:50"Unhelped by any wind
0:17:50 > 0:17:53"The owlet's cry came loud and hark again
0:17:53 > 0:17:55"Loud as before
0:17:55 > 0:17:57"The inmates of my cottage all at rest
0:17:57 > 0:18:01"Have left me to that solitude which suits abstruser musings..."
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Coleridge lived in the Quantocks for just three years.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13But the landscape inspired him to his greatest poetry.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25We've been enjoying our hills and mountains for generations,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27but I am not sure what they would have made of THIS
0:18:27 > 0:18:29in Coleridge's day.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33If you just look right up there, you can make out Andy Thompson,
0:18:33 > 0:18:39who's currently hurling himself down this mountain at top speed.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42It's fun, apparently.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Oh my goodness! That's fast!
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Andy is a fell runner who's going to help me
0:18:49 > 0:18:52throw myself down a mountain as well.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Wow! Whoa there, Andy!
0:18:57 > 0:19:00My goodness! That must be murder on your knees!
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Yeah, it can be at times.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- You get used to after a while. - What's the appeal of fell running?
0:19:06 > 0:19:09For me, the big excitement is running downhill,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12also being out on the fells on your own, almost having a mountain
0:19:12 > 0:19:16to yourself, but moving at speed, yeah, it's really exciting.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18What's so special about this particular mountain?
0:19:18 > 0:19:21For me, on a personal point, moving up from the south,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25it was the first mountain I ever went up in the Lake District.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27- Tempted to put in a bid? - Not on my wage salary!
0:19:27 > 0:19:31Never mind! So, how about this fell running then?
0:19:31 > 0:19:33A lot of it comes with confidence and building up slowly,
0:19:33 > 0:19:38and then having that ability at times just to take your brain out
0:19:38 > 0:19:41and let your legs just go down the hill,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43but under a little bit of control.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47For me, it's gaining a fine balance between confidence and speed.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49You seem to be letting yourself go down there,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52- your arms were all over the place. - That really helps with the balance
0:19:52 > 0:19:55and you're almost over-exaggerating your arms to compensate your feet
0:19:55 > 0:19:57being slightly off balance at times,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00so you're waving around a little bit and you feel a bit of a goon,
0:20:00 > 0:20:05but you can hold your balance a lot more on the side of the fell.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07This isn't exactly a starter slope, is it?
0:20:07 > 0:20:10No, I would say this is fairly technical,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13but I reckon we can give it a bit of a whirl.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14Here we go.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23- I can't put the brakes on!- That's cool. Widen your stride a touch.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25- Keep going, come on. - This is too steep!
0:20:25 > 0:20:27Come on, nice work, let's move.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Everything that isn't bone or muscle is wobbling.
0:20:30 > 0:20:31It's better than uphill, though.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35The uphill bits can be just as fun, I think, sometimes.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37- Well, Andy, I'm going to leave you to it.- OK.- Good job.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Enjoy the rest of your day. See you now. Bye!
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Now, running downhill is quite hard work,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45but not nearly as hard as when I was challenged to ride
0:20:45 > 0:20:49the hill in Yorkshire as part of the route of this year's Tour de France.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56This is the sleepy village of Holme on the edge of the Peaks.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59It may look quite quiet and serene now but, come July,
0:20:59 > 0:21:04it's set to get the biggest wake-up call in its recent history.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Because, for the first time, the world-famous
0:21:08 > 0:21:12Tour de France cycle race is set to thunder through here
0:21:12 > 0:21:15on day two of this epic race.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19150,000 people are expected to come along to watch.
0:21:19 > 0:21:20But that's nothing,
0:21:20 > 0:21:2512 million people line each stage of the route every year.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31There's only one way to see what the Tour de France competitors
0:21:31 > 0:21:35will face. I'm going to cycle the hill myself.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37I am joining Mark Etches and some of the lads
0:21:37 > 0:21:40from Sheffrec Cycling Club from Sheffield
0:21:40 > 0:21:44and this hill is part of their training.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48So, Mark, this is your standard route as part of your training.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53What sort of perils are the Tour de France riders going to face?
0:21:53 > 0:21:59Well, this is one of the penultimate climbs of stage two,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02so this is quite a climb,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06so we expect maybe some attacks to come on these slopes here.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10- Right.- So this is where it starts to kick up.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Mile and a quarter now to the top of the climb.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14There's a mark in the road.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17So we know exactly how far we've got to go.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Good grief, it's not easy, is it?
0:22:20 > 0:22:25I am struggling to keep pace with Mark at around 5mph.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28The riders in the Tour de France will be attacking this hill
0:22:28 > 0:22:30at three times that.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35Around this corner now, the wind will start to come across.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- Right.- Can you feel the wind now?- Yeah!- Bit of a push...
0:22:41 > 0:22:466, 5, 6%, so it's just starting to...
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- pull on those calves.- God, it is! - Yeah!
0:22:49 > 0:22:53I am a keen cyclist, but this gradient is testing me to the limit.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57I know I can do better than this and although I shouldn't blame my tools,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00there has to be something wrong with this bike!
0:23:00 > 0:23:03A quick stop to check and I don't believe it,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06I have been riding with the brakes on.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09There you go, look. I am not that unfit, the break was locked on!
0:23:09 > 0:23:12A likely story!
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Thank goodness, I can hold my cycling helmet high again
0:23:16 > 0:23:18and we're nearly at the top.
0:23:18 > 0:23:24This is where the many thousands of spectators will be jumping for joy
0:23:24 > 0:23:28at the site of the biggest cycle race in the world.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30- We're nearly there. - We're getting towards the top.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33- Yeah!- Are we going to have a sprint?- No, we're not!
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Last push to the line.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37ELLIE GROANS
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Keep going. Let those legs burn.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Yes. All right.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52I am out of breath. I have nothing to say.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- That was amazing. - Did you enjoy that?- Yeah.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- I feel sorry for them.- They won't be able to enjoy this view.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00No. It's a stunning place up here.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04- You feel like you're on top of the world.- Incredible, incredible.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Cycling up that hill with the brakes on
0:24:17 > 0:24:19certainly put me out of my comfort zone,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23but these Herdwick sheep are entirely comfortable out here
0:24:23 > 0:24:25on this Lakeland mountain.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28They belong to tenant farmer, Willie Tyson
0:24:28 > 0:24:32who has lived here since he was two years old and, I have to say,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36he's got one of THE nicest views I have ever seen.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Some of his ewes are enjoying the pastures in the field below
0:24:42 > 0:24:45ready for lambing, but even in late spring,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49there's no sign of his lambs just yet.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52It looks very peaceful just now with the sun shining
0:24:52 > 0:24:56and the grass is growing, things are starting to turn green.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Unfortunately, in January and February,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00it can be a bit bleak.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Last year, we had quite a lot of snow at the end of March
0:25:02 > 0:25:05and that's why we don't lamb so early,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08because we lie about 850 feet here.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11It isn't unknown to have a bit of snow, even in May.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Wow! So these Herdwicks are a very special breed, aren't they?
0:25:14 > 0:25:15Yes, very hardy.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20The Herdwicks, the indigenous breed, they've been here centuries,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23there are records going back to Furness Abbey in the 12th century.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Probably come from Scandinavia, originally.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28How do you feel about this mountain up for sale?
0:25:28 > 0:25:30- What do you make of all that? - It's a bit of an eye-opener!
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Almost romantic, if you would.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35As it stands at present,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38we own what's called the common grazing rights.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41That's a right to graze this common.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46I think, in the event of this lump of mountain being sold,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49the commons graziers own the grass
0:25:49 > 0:25:51and I think an inch of the turf.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53That's it.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56All that's above it and below it belongs to the Lord of the Manor.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59You've had many years of this incredible view, as well,
0:25:59 > 0:26:00you're very lucky.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02It doesn't pay the rent, but if I could bottle it,
0:26:02 > 0:26:03I would be worth a fortune!
0:26:03 > 0:26:06ELLIE LAUGHS
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Adam wished he could have brought the view home
0:26:09 > 0:26:11when he visited Switzerland.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Here, an unusual breed of cow grazes
0:26:14 > 0:26:17amongst the mountainous Alpine scenery.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25The Swiss Alps, where snow-capped peaks tower into the sky
0:26:25 > 0:26:28and descend into lush valleys.
0:26:33 > 0:26:362,500m above sea level
0:26:36 > 0:26:39live some big, brutal, bruising animals,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42famous in Switzerland for fighting.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45The Eringer cow has to be one of the most unusual breeds
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I have ever heard of.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54In some parts of Spain, bullfighting is quite a common
0:26:54 > 0:26:59and controversial spectacle but, here, the cattle fight each other
0:26:59 > 0:27:03and is often the way of the Swiss, it's a lot less controversial.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09In Switzerland, cow fighting events are a big deal.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Huge crowds come to see the Eringer cows battle it out
0:27:13 > 0:27:15until one is pronounced the winner.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17It's completely natural behaviour.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Fighting is the way this breed establishes a hierarchy
0:27:20 > 0:27:22within the herd.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24CHEERING
0:27:29 > 0:27:34This man farms the cows high on the slopes of the Turtman Valley.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37He's taking me to see his cows and he's brought along his friend,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41Florian, in case he needs help with his English.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Here they are, the cows!
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- Yes, now we've found it.- How many?
0:27:46 > 0:27:49There are about 900 and 1,000.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51A lot!
0:27:51 > 0:27:53I just imagined a few, but there are lots.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57- Can we get closer, is it safe? - Yes, they're harmless.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00They are like a dog.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02They really like the people.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04- Great, let's go and get closer.- OK.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11So, whilst they fight each other...
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Hello!
0:28:14 > 0:28:16They are so friendly!
0:28:16 > 0:28:20They're incredibly gentle with people.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24These ones lying down here, they're lovely.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31The bells are huge!
0:28:31 > 0:28:36- Very big bells.- Yeah, and also noisy.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42They're so friendly, they're living up here in a mountain,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45but they're like pets!
0:28:45 > 0:28:48I can't imagine them fighting.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57Just getting up close to these cattle is absolutely wonderful for me
0:28:57 > 0:29:02and holding their skin, you can feel that it's really thick.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04Hello!
0:29:04 > 0:29:08And their meat is just solid, it's muscle.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12Although they're short, they're powerful little beasts.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Look at you!
0:29:15 > 0:29:21Look at the thickness of its head. Just incredible!
0:29:21 > 0:29:23Lovely!
0:29:27 > 0:29:31- So, this is the queen of this mountain.- The queen fighting cow?
0:29:31 > 0:29:35- Yes.- How did she become queen?
0:29:35 > 0:29:38She win all the other cows.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41So how many fights will she have?
0:29:41 > 0:29:45Oh, this one, her third year,
0:29:45 > 0:29:47she is queen. They make no other fight.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51I think in 100 days, ten fights.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53When they're fighting, it's a big event?
0:29:53 > 0:29:58Yes, it's a big event, there are normally 200 cows.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01And if your cow wins, do you get money?
0:30:01 > 0:30:04No, you win a bell!
0:30:04 > 0:30:09- You get a nice bell. - Yes, a nice bell!
0:30:09 > 0:30:13- So, do you breed the cows for fighting or for eating?- For both.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16For eating, I have prepared something for you.
0:30:16 > 0:30:22- You have?- Yes, we can go and take a picnic.- Great, OK.- Let's go.
0:30:30 > 0:30:36- So, what have you got here? - This is cheese. From this area, too.
0:30:36 > 0:30:42And this is meat from the fighting cows, from a cow from me.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46- Wonderful, so this is from one of your cows?- Yes.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Mmmm! Great flavour.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56- You like it?- It's fantastic. You make this yourself?
0:30:56 > 0:30:59- Yes, yes.- So, you farm the cows and you're a butcher, too.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02Yes, and the cows,
0:31:02 > 0:31:06when they become older or you don't like it,
0:31:06 > 0:31:10- we make meat.- Really delicious, I will try some of this bread, too.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14The food is fantastic. You must eat some, too. I am being greedy.
0:31:14 > 0:31:20I will give you a little bit of wine and we've two red wine.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24I don't want to drink too much, we've a long walk back down the mountain.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28You're a big man, no problem for you!
0:31:33 > 0:31:36I love visiting other farms to see what people are getting up to,
0:31:36 > 0:31:41but to come up here, in this fantastic scenery,
0:31:41 > 0:31:45to see a cattle farmer, is really quite extraordinary.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Back in Britain, I'm in the Lake District
0:31:57 > 0:32:00exploring the ancient mountain, Blencathra.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03It's one of the many mountains and hills
0:32:03 > 0:32:05we've scaled the heights of on Countryfile.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09A couple of years ago, John visited the Isle of Man
0:32:09 > 0:32:12and explored the circuit of the TT course.
0:32:12 > 0:32:17He also went to the mountain where scattered pieces of metal
0:32:17 > 0:32:21lie as evidence of a tragedy, almost 70 years ago.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25It's April, 1945,
0:32:25 > 0:32:31the end of the Second World War in Europe is just two weeks away.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33A Young American pilot sets off from Essex
0:32:33 > 0:32:36in his B-17 Flying Fortress,
0:32:36 > 0:32:40heading to Northern Ireland with 30 US servicemen on board,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43looking for some rest and recuperation.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45So, unlike thousands of other bomber flights,
0:32:45 > 0:32:47this was not going to drop bombs,
0:32:47 > 0:32:49this was taking people to have a good time?
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Exactly, these guys were going on R and R
0:32:52 > 0:32:54for a few days in Northern Ireland.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56Most of them had been in the UK,
0:32:56 > 0:32:58probably for as long as a couple of years
0:32:58 > 0:33:02and they were mainly the guys who actually serviced the aircraft,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05loaded the bombs onto them, they were ground crew,
0:33:05 > 0:33:07they never normally went into an aeroplane,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10so it must have been quite an adventure for them.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12As the flight was approaching the Isle of Man,
0:33:12 > 0:33:14what time of day would that have been?
0:33:14 > 0:33:17It was about ten o'clock or 10:15 in the morning.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19And what were the weather conditions like?
0:33:19 > 0:33:23It was fairly cloudy, the cloud was down to perhaps 1,000 feet.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26It is often cloudy on the Isle of Man!
0:33:26 > 0:33:28That's right, it's known as Manannan's cloak,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32the sort of god of man, brings down his cloak of cloud
0:33:32 > 0:33:36and sadly it's caught quite a few fliers out over the years.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38And the captain, the pilot, was he experienced?
0:33:38 > 0:33:41He was a very experienced pilot, yeah.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45He had been on 47 bombing missions over enemy territory,
0:33:45 > 0:33:49so you really couldn't get much more experienced than that in those days.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52So how come he didn't know about this hill?
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Well, that really remains a mystery,
0:33:55 > 0:34:00the aircraft's flight plan took it at 5,000 feet.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Just north of the island, but for some reason,
0:34:03 > 0:34:07it was much lower and much further south.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11In the days before GPS, pilots and navigators relied entirely
0:34:11 > 0:34:14on visual landmarks, to confirm their course.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17So low cloud could lead to disaster.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30It impacted just behind us
0:34:30 > 0:34:33and wreckage spread all the way up the hillside,
0:34:33 > 0:34:38it was scattered over probably 250m, complete devastation.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41- And everybody died. - Everybody killed instantly, yeah.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Not a chance of survival.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47Just think everybody on board was looking forward
0:34:47 > 0:34:49to having a great few days.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53The flight in a way was oversubscribed,
0:34:53 > 0:34:57they had to run a lottery to select the guys who went on it.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00And tragically to end your life.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02- They turned out to be the unlucky ones.- The unlucky ones.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07These twisted shards of metal are all that still remain.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14The men who died here are commemorated today by a simple
0:35:14 > 0:35:17plaque on this windswept hillside.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21A permanent reminder of some of the many lives these misty hills
0:35:21 > 0:35:23have claimed.
0:35:30 > 0:35:35The beautiful terrain of Blencathra also has its own intriguing history.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39This is the Blencathra Centre on the side of the mountain.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45It was built in 1904 as a sanatorium for people
0:35:45 > 0:35:47suffering from tuberculosis.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51Back then, TB was so feared that sufferers were sent away to
0:35:51 > 0:35:56isolated places like this and given a strict dose of fresh air and rest.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02Nowadays, the centre has a more pleasant purpose.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05If you've ever been on a geography field trip,
0:36:05 > 0:36:09the chances are you've stayed in a residential centre like this one.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11This week, it's the turn of the geography
0:36:11 > 0:36:14students at Nottingham University and instead of mucking
0:36:14 > 0:36:18about down here, they're up there on the mountain.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20I'm going to go and find them.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32Your job is to pull apart what is nearly 450 million years of history.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36'Before I know it, I'm back at university.'
0:36:36 > 0:36:40Sketch this place. Look out for lumps, bumps, wiggles,
0:36:40 > 0:36:43things that we can interpret later on that might tell us
0:36:43 > 0:36:47some of the processes that have gone on in this place.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49- How's yours looking, Lydia? - Not too bad.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53It's just trying hard to get the appropriate features in,
0:36:53 > 0:36:56rather than trying to make it artistic and things like that.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58- You like being out in the field? - 100%, definitely.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01It's really good sort of applying what you've
0:37:01 > 0:37:04learned in your lectures into a physical landscape and environment.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08- It's a good way of cementing what you've learned.- Yeah, definitely.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10And learning new stuff as well.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13It's not just taking what we've learned in the lectures,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16it's actually learning new things as well, which is really good.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19Yeah, absolutely. How's yours looking? What's that?
0:37:19 > 0:37:21This is a feature I've noticed down in the valley bottom,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23a braided stream, it looks like.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27Different grasses there, which gives us that indication.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30Missed that one. I'll copy your answers!
0:37:32 > 0:37:34Just doing a few trees.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39'Job done. But am I top of the class?'
0:37:39 > 0:37:43- Really well spotted.- Ta-da! What do you reckon?- Ellie...it's not bad.
0:37:43 > 0:37:44- Thanks!- Um...
0:37:44 > 0:37:48I really like the fact you've got the whole of the valley in.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51- You haven't just focused on one site.- That was my plan.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54And I'm interested by what you've picked up in the valley
0:37:54 > 0:37:57bottom there. Some wiggles, some lines. You've got...bits of grass?
0:37:57 > 0:37:58It's a braided stream.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01- A braided stream!- What does the rest of the picture show?
0:38:01 > 0:38:04- Is this all a glacial scene that we're looking at?- Well, absolutely.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08We've got a big wide valley with a massive bottom in it.
0:38:08 > 0:38:09And actually quite a small river.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12A river like that could never produce a valley this size,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15so this valley has been made by something much more powerful.
0:38:15 > 0:38:16And that, of course,
0:38:16 > 0:38:19is the glaciers that were in this environment 20,000 years ago.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22So, why draw? Why is it useful for your students to draw like this?
0:38:22 > 0:38:25It's what you pick out and what you leave behind.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27What we're trying to get them to do is learn how to pick out
0:38:27 > 0:38:30the features in the landscape that tell its long-term story.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Because it's building up that understanding of the landscape
0:38:33 > 0:38:37that's critical to being able to understand how it works today.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40What do you think about the notion that this mountain is
0:38:40 > 0:38:43- up for sale, that someone's going to own it?- It's a fascinating prospect.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46Somebody is going to buy potentially 450 million years of history.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50You have a chance to be a custodian of a really important
0:38:50 > 0:38:54geological and geomorphological record in this place.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56- Can you ever really own it, if it's that old?- No.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59I think you can only ever be a custodian of something
0:38:59 > 0:39:03- as important of this.- Yeah. Maybe it'll go to a rich geologist.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06- I think I might need to talk to my boss about a pay rise.- Yes!
0:39:06 > 0:39:09All club together!
0:39:09 > 0:39:11'In our dreams!
0:39:11 > 0:39:14'Last summer, Matt saddled up and got a taste of sheep farming,
0:39:14 > 0:39:18'the traditional way, in the Cambrian Mountains in Wales.'
0:39:25 > 0:39:29Terrain and climate dictate things around here.
0:39:29 > 0:39:30For centuries,
0:39:30 > 0:39:34farming communities have carved out a living on the open mountain,
0:39:34 > 0:39:38using time-honoured methods passed down from generation to generation.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54And if I'm going to go where they go, I've got to swap this
0:39:54 > 0:39:58trusty steed for something that's stood the test of time.
0:39:58 > 0:40:03- Lads, how are we doing? Owen. James. And who is this?- This is Balls.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Balls?!
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- Do I...? Should I ask? - Why is he called Balls?
0:40:09 > 0:40:12I bought him off my neighbour a few years ago and he named him
0:40:12 > 0:40:16- and he's a bit of an eccentric character.- Is he? Good lad!
0:40:16 > 0:40:20Listen, Balls, it's lovely to meet you. He's a lovely lad!
0:40:20 > 0:40:22Owen, wherever we go, we've got quite a journey,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25but where are we headed and what's the plan?
0:40:25 > 0:40:28We're going up on the side of the mountain there now.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30We're going to push the sheep up.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32They tend to come down a bit overnight,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34especially if the weather's been bad.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38In the morning, we push them back up where the better pasture is.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41'Old traditions die hard in these uplands.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43'To work the steep face of the mountain,
0:40:43 > 0:40:47'Owen takes to the saddle, just like his forebears did,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51'raising hefted flocks that don't stray from the mountain.'
0:40:53 > 0:40:57- There's three lads here and one horse.- Yeah.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Well, we realise you're not very fit, so you'd better have the horse!
0:41:00 > 0:41:04Cheers, Owen. Well, Balls, this is going to be exciting. Come on, man.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07Come and show me your part of the world.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13There's a good boy.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15OWEN WHISTLES
0:41:15 > 0:41:16As soon as Owen starts whistling, that's it.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20- He knows the commands, doesn't he?- Yeah.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22So these are all hefted sheep. They know the area.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26- Basically, there's no fences. - No, no fences.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30Each spring, when the ewes and lambs come out,
0:41:30 > 0:41:35the lamb learns their patch of ground from its mother every year.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39'Owen still adheres to the old Hafod a Hendre system.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42'After a winter down in the valley,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45'he pushes his hefted flock up to the peat bogs
0:41:45 > 0:41:48'and moorland of the mountain, where they graze the ancient mosses,
0:41:48 > 0:41:51'lichen and herbs over the long summer.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54'Bringing them back down to lower ground in the winter doesn't
0:41:54 > 0:41:57'just give the sheep a break from the harsh mountain conditions,
0:41:57 > 0:42:01'it allows the rich upland pastures to replenish.'
0:42:01 > 0:42:05What is it then about this particular grassland, or even this
0:42:05 > 0:42:08landscape, this way of life, that makes the meat taste so different?
0:42:08 > 0:42:12Probably, you can rush it. It's a seasonal thing.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16It's all down to the grass growth and the time of year.
0:42:16 > 0:42:21You're dependent on that. There's nothing you can do to rush it.
0:42:21 > 0:42:22It's a nice, steady process
0:42:22 > 0:42:25and you get a really good product at the end of it.
0:42:25 > 0:42:30- So tried and tested formula. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.- Yeah.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34'But the survival of traditional farming communities in these
0:42:34 > 0:42:37'uplands is far from guaranteed.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40'Already one of the least populated areas of Wales, young
0:42:40 > 0:42:44'people are moving away in search of more lucrative professions.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47'Farmsteads are being sold off and farmers like Owen
0:42:47 > 0:42:51'and his brother, James, are becoming a dying breed.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57'In response, a group of local farmers are joining forces to
0:42:57 > 0:43:01'promote their mountain produce and breathe new life into this place.'
0:43:03 > 0:43:06The system itself, really, over the years,
0:43:06 > 0:43:10has been about working together, neighbours working together,
0:43:10 > 0:43:14to gather each neighbouring block of hill.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17It's sort of moved on now into marketing
0:43:17 > 0:43:20and selling the lamb together.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23A benefit, yeah, definitely.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26'Owen is chairing the Cambrian Mountains Initiative,
0:43:26 > 0:43:29'a marketing venture set up to help farming families
0:43:29 > 0:43:32'capitalise on this area's natural resources.'
0:43:33 > 0:43:36And so how has it been going, this scheme,
0:43:36 > 0:43:41and what's the situation this year, in comparison to last year?
0:43:41 > 0:43:43Good, yeah.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46We moved about 4,500 lambs last year
0:43:46 > 0:43:52and we've got potential orders up towards 20,000 lambs this year.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55We started with nine members, we've got 21 now
0:43:55 > 0:43:57and we're looking for more.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00'These lambs are being weighed before they get sent to market.'
0:44:00 > 0:44:03- That one feels quite good, actually. - This one ready to go?
0:44:03 > 0:44:06Yeah, if you feel there, look,
0:44:06 > 0:44:10you can just tell cos there's just a nice covering there.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12- Perfect.- Yeah. Ready to go.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14Beautiful.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20There we are. Shut that, so they don't run all the way through.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24- How would you describe the taste difference?- It seems as if...
0:44:24 > 0:44:25I don't know.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29It's like as if there's almost a bit of sugar in it, it's that sweet.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32Very often with meat, you want other stuff to go with it.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35You could just eat this on its own. Just a bit on its own.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37It's just nice.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50The beautiful Blencathra mountain in the Northern Fells
0:44:50 > 0:44:54of the Lake District, a favourite with walkers, poets,
0:44:54 > 0:44:58runners and just about anybody else who gazes on it.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01But as we've been hearing, it's about to be put up for sale.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Now, the man who's selling it could call himself
0:45:04 > 0:45:08the Earl of Lonsdale or Viscount Lowther,
0:45:08 > 0:45:11or even the Baron of Whitehaven. But I've been told to just call him Hugh.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15- How you doing, Hugh?- Hi. - Good to meet you.- Good on you.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18- So we're going in this to see the mountain?- That's right.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21- I suggest you go round there and get in.- OK.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23- We'll go and make a go for it. - Let's do it.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28Hugh says the best view of the mountain is along this bumpy track,
0:45:28 > 0:45:32so we're off-roading in his old army truck.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34After 400 years and with a heavy heart,
0:45:34 > 0:45:36he's decided he has to let go of
0:45:36 > 0:45:39one of the jewels of the Lonsdale estate.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42Why is it you're selling the mountain?
0:45:42 > 0:45:49My father died in 2006 and I inherited the Lonsdale estates at that point.
0:45:49 > 0:45:55- Right.- And I was faced with a £9 million death duties bill.- Wow.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58And I was given ten years in which to pay it.
0:45:58 > 0:46:03We sold a painting, which went to the Tate Gallery. It was a Turner.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06I sold a derelict farm steading.
0:46:06 > 0:46:11We managed to reduce it down to £2.7 million, owing,
0:46:11 > 0:46:15but I've only got 18 months to go until I've got to finalise.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17- Yikes.- Right. Yikes, exactly.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19And who do you think might go for the mountain?
0:46:19 > 0:46:22- Who do you think is going to buy it? - Who's got the most money?
0:46:22 > 0:46:25- I would reckon the Russians or the Chinese.- Yeah.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28And I don't mind if the Russians or the Chinese own it,
0:46:28 > 0:46:31it doesn't bother me, because I can still walk on it,
0:46:31 > 0:46:33I can still look at it, I can still fly over it.
0:46:33 > 0:46:38I can still take my horse up there if I want, no problem.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43While Hugh takes me to see his mountain,
0:46:43 > 0:46:47let's look back at the time Julia went to the West Highlands of Scotland
0:46:47 > 0:46:51and discovered the challenges faced by women climbers a century ago.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01Glencoe is one of Scotland's most popular climbing playgrounds.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04Thousands take to its hills.
0:47:04 > 0:47:09And I'm not the first woman to have been seduced by this craggy paradise.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15In the early 1900s, many women were accomplished mountaineers,
0:47:15 > 0:47:18but they had to climb with men.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21They weren't allowed to join the Scottish Mountaineering Club,
0:47:21 > 0:47:25the most prestigious and renowned climbing club of its day.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29You can imagine how a small group of determined women climbers
0:47:29 > 0:47:32reacted to that. So they decided to do something about it.
0:47:33 > 0:47:35On 18th April 1908,
0:47:35 > 0:47:39Jane Inglis Clark, her daughter Mabel, and Lucy Smith
0:47:39 > 0:47:44conceived the idea of a climbing club of their own, for women only.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46Imagine that!
0:47:46 > 0:47:48And so, by a boulder a bit bigger than this one,
0:47:48 > 0:47:53the three appointed themselves president, secretary and treasurer.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57The Ladies Scottish Climbing Club was born.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00And the club is still going strong.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02I'm heading to Blackrock, their Highland headquarters,
0:48:02 > 0:48:06to meet members Alison Higham and Rhona Weir.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09My teacher was at that time the president of
0:48:09 > 0:48:13the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club, and I have lived in Cornwall.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17I came to Glasgow, and she realised I was missing the outdoors
0:48:17 > 0:48:19and took me climbing and I loved it.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23I'd never seen a Highland hill until she took me climbing, a real mountain.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25- How old were- you then? 15.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28And, rude to ask a lady's age, I know,
0:48:28 > 0:48:32- but please tell us how old you are. - I'm now 92.- Incredible.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36- And still active in the outdoors. - Still active.- Climbing?
0:48:36 > 0:48:40Not climbing, but I walk, and I go uphill, but not climbing.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42Let's go back to the title of the club,
0:48:42 > 0:48:44the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club,
0:48:44 > 0:48:48- and they were indeed ladies, weren't they?- They were ladies.
0:48:48 > 0:48:49They didn't work.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52For instance, the Inglis Clarks had one of the first cars
0:48:52 > 0:48:57in Edinburgh, which Mr Inglis Clark lent us for meets.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59The car came with a chauffeur.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02How fantastic, being chauffeur-driven to your walk!
0:49:02 > 0:49:05The chauffeur would meet us at the bottom,
0:49:05 > 0:49:06at the finish at the end of the day.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10But look how many women are on that transport.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14And look what they're wearing! Why do they have to wear hats?
0:49:14 > 0:49:16Just a tradition, I suppose.
0:49:17 > 0:49:21The wild and adventurous spirit of these pioneering women is
0:49:21 > 0:49:24reflected in the landscape they embraced.
0:49:24 > 0:49:25It's untamed and unspoiled.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29Now owned by the National Trust for Scotland, they go to great lengths
0:49:29 > 0:49:31to ensure it stays that way,
0:49:31 > 0:49:34which is exactly what our lady climbers love.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Time to turn back the clock and take to the hills.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43- Right...- Don't forget your hat. - No, I went to get my hat.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Here we are, women against the elements,
0:49:45 > 0:49:47or should I say, women against tweed?
0:49:47 > 0:49:50It's going to be interesting walking in this garb!
0:49:50 > 0:49:54You wouldn't have dared leave your town or village wearing trousers.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57You might have had trousers underneath.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00Once you got away from the village,
0:50:00 > 0:50:03you may well have taken your skirt off
0:50:03 > 0:50:07and hidden it behind a boulder to pick up later.
0:50:07 > 0:50:11And I'm the next era. I'm being bold.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15- I'm wearing breeches. - Where are we heading, Alison?
0:50:15 > 0:50:18We're heading up to Coire na Tulaich on Buachaille Etive Mor
0:50:18 > 0:50:20to do some scrambling in the old style.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23Are you going to sit this one out, Rhona, or are you coming with us?
0:50:23 > 0:50:25I think I'm going to fall off. I'll just go back now.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29- Have a lovely climb. - Thank you.- Bye-bye!
0:50:32 > 0:50:34I don't know about you, Julia,
0:50:34 > 0:50:37but I'm finding this really hot, these tweeds.
0:50:37 > 0:50:38This skirt is a nightmare.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42It clings to your legs and every time you take a step, you trip over it.
0:50:42 > 0:50:47So I'm hauling this extra weight, and now the midges are getting me.
0:50:47 > 0:50:53'Don't laugh! This get-up was all the rage with women climbers in 1908.'
0:50:53 > 0:50:57It's about 20% harder in a skirt. Do you think we look glamorous?
0:51:01 > 0:51:04They must have been hardy, climbing in heavy tweeds with no harnesses,
0:51:04 > 0:51:08no helmets and just a line of rope attached to the lead climber.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Today, I'm getting a taste of what it was like back then,
0:51:12 > 0:51:15so I'm opting not to wear a helmet, but only
0:51:15 > 0:51:19because we're scrambling and I'm under strict supervision from Alison.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21Do not try this at home, ladies.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24And that's it. All I wanted was a nice, gentle stroll.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27- We're going scrambling.- Yeah.
0:51:27 > 0:51:32It's a different technique from what it is these days.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36They sound good. Making easy work of it.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38Right, Julia, I've found a good stance,
0:51:38 > 0:51:45- and I'll be taking the rope in. And then you can climb after me. - Thank you.
0:51:45 > 0:51:50Of course, women could not climb without a hat,
0:51:50 > 0:51:53so I'm about to do one of the stupidest things I've ever done,
0:51:53 > 0:51:57scrambling in a skirt, wearing this bonnet.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06Ooh! Rope knocking my hat.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08Standing on the skirt.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12Blimey!
0:52:12 > 0:52:16Wasn't easy being a woman in 1908.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19You didn't hang on to your hat!
0:52:19 > 0:52:21Of course I didn't hold on to my hat!
0:52:21 > 0:52:24I'm more interested in holding on to the rock.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28- Ladies used to have to hang onto the hat as well.- How ridiculous.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33Take your time and come round to my right.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36I'm going to come and sit here.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39- There we go.- There we are. Well done.- Lovely.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43I take my hat off to those ladies, not that I have to,
0:52:43 > 0:52:45because it's blown away in the wind,
0:52:45 > 0:52:48but this makes it at least 30% more difficult.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51Yeah. I give those ladies top marks.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53- They were amazing.- Very impressive.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55- And this is beautiful. - Isn't it beautiful?
0:53:00 > 0:53:04Julia getting to grips with mountaineering, Victorian style.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07In the Lake District, I'm scaling these lumps and bumps
0:53:07 > 0:53:10in Hugh Lonsdale's old Army vehicle.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13He's the current owner of the Lonsdale estate,
0:53:13 > 0:53:1830,000 acres of farmland, forest and, for a little while longer,
0:53:18 > 0:53:22Blencathra, the imposing mountain he's put up for sale.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30So, Hugh, do you think you will be sad to see the mountain go?
0:53:30 > 0:53:35Yes, I will be, in a way, because it is the loss of our family heritage.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37But it's the lesser of the two evils,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40- with me having to pay the death duties.- That's true.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43Without having to disrupt other people's lives.
0:53:43 > 0:53:48If we don't sell this, I will have to start selling houses and farms
0:53:48 > 0:53:51and things like that, which I will have to evict all the tenants
0:53:51 > 0:53:55- and totally disrupt their lives.- It's been a tough decision, hasn't it?
0:53:55 > 0:53:58- Yes, well, it's the way it goes. - It is.- The way it goes.
0:54:00 > 0:54:05Hugh's hoping to get around £1.75 million for Blencathra.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09Whether you think that's good or bad value is up to you.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12To me, the view, at least, is priceless.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16Well, that is it from the Lake District.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19Next week we will be in the Lee Valley, the green lung
0:54:19 > 0:54:22of London, where Matt will be finding out why it became
0:54:22 > 0:54:24a powerhouse for growing fruit and veg,
0:54:24 > 0:54:29and I'll be with the RNLI on a floodwater rescue exercise.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31Hope you can join us then. Bye-bye.