0:00:27 > 0:00:29The Clyde Valley, south Lanarkshire.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Once known as the fruit basket of Scotland.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Its sheltered, fertile soil produced rich pickings when it
0:00:40 > 0:00:42came to growing.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Plums, strawberries, gooseberries,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48they all used to grow in abundance here.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50But the once thriving market for its fruit
0:00:50 > 0:00:53has pretty much died out and there was a danger that the
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Clyde Valley orchards would be lost from this landscape altogether.
0:01:00 > 0:01:01But thanks to this lot,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04the landscape is beginning to bear fruit again.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Cheers!
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Where there's blossom, there's bees.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13And Ellie's visiting a school that's a hive of activity.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18- This is cool, isn't it?- Yeah. - This is a good science lesson!
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Tom's looking at the major problem caused by microplastics.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27We can clean up the small pieces that we can see, but it's
0:01:27 > 0:01:30pretty much impossible to clean up the microplastics from a beach.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33And Adam will be meeting the second of our
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Countryfile Young Farmer of the Year finalists.
0:01:36 > 0:01:37He started with nothing,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41he has said and done what he said he was going to do
0:01:41 > 0:01:44and more. I think he will go all the way.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Vast valleys frame grand vistas.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08Water, flickering, flowing, crystal clear.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Blossom bursting, during a Scottish spring.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16This is Lanarkshire.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22is just up the road and beautiful Lanarkshire is its back garden.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25And it's to here that city dwellers escape.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28It's only a few miles up the road, but it's a world away.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35The River Clyde is the blue thread that runs through the two
0:02:35 > 0:02:38halves of Lanarkshire. North Lanarkshire,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42which contains many of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45and, as you head further out, the more rural South Lanarkshire.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54It was the King's love of figs and pears that led to the
0:02:54 > 0:02:58fruit basket of Scotland being planted, almost 900 years ago,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01filling these slopes with blooming blossom.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08'Tom Clelland is the fourth generation of his family to
0:03:08 > 0:03:11'grow fruit here, in the Clyde Valley.'
0:03:11 > 0:03:14So, who was the first family member of yours to come to this part
0:03:14 > 0:03:16of the world?
0:03:16 > 0:03:19My great-grandfather came here to grow strawberries,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23gooseberries and plums. That would be somewhere round about 1900.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26And this orchard, I mean, you can see it here,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30the way it stretches along this bank side, but back in the day,
0:03:30 > 0:03:34I mean, this whole valley would have just been ablaze with colour.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Why doesn't it look like that now?
0:03:36 > 0:03:40The heyday of the Clyde Valley
0:03:40 > 0:03:42was about 1900 to 1970.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46In the 19th century, fruit started to come in in refrigerated
0:03:46 > 0:03:49containers from North America. Apples, pears.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52And they were better quality than they could grow around here,
0:03:52 > 0:03:57so the growers in the valley diversified and that was into
0:03:57 > 0:04:02strawberries and glasshouses and they also found that
0:04:02 > 0:04:05the Victoria plum really liked this area.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08In the 12 miles from Lanark down to Bothwell,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11all sorts of fruits were grown here.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14How much of a business is there here today?
0:04:14 > 0:04:17I mean, is it worth it for you?
0:04:17 > 0:04:19No, it's not economically viable.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22I keep the orchard and I plant it up,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24but it's really just for heritage reasons.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Cos my family did it, my dad, my grandfather, my great-grandfather.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35'But now, there's a mini revival to bring fruit growing back
0:04:35 > 0:04:37'to these slopes.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40'It's being led by people like Duncan Arthur,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43'a leading light in the local orchard cooperative.'
0:04:45 > 0:04:48So, what does the group hope to achieve, then, Duncan?
0:04:48 > 0:04:50What's the idea behind it all?
0:04:50 > 0:04:53A lot of the knowledge disappeared and also
0:04:53 > 0:04:56a lot of the fruit used to just lie on the ground.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57By setting up the group,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01it's a place for people to come for knowledge, help,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04funding in some instances, and more importantly,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08the products at the end of it, we can take, make into juice at
0:05:08 > 0:05:12the moment, sell it, and that money comes back into the community
0:05:12 > 0:05:14for us to plant more trees.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18'Over the years, some orchards have been lost,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21'but many are ripe for rejuvenation.'
0:05:23 > 0:05:24Is this typical, Duncan,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28of the kind of orchards that you've been rediscovering, if you like?
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Unfortunately, yes.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34'As part of the wider National Orchard Inventory for Scotland,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36'Duncan has led a team of volunteers,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38'surveying the Clyde Valley.'
0:05:39 > 0:05:42So, how did you teach folk to do this?
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Because I'm guessing not a lot of them were experts, were they?
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Yeah, you're right there. And during the fruiting season,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52it's quite easy cos you can explain the difference between a plum,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55an apple, a damson, that's easy, but the surveys, given
0:05:55 > 0:06:00so many orchards, went right through to November, December.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03And there's some tricks that you can use, one to help with the size of
0:06:03 > 0:06:08the trees, and another to identify what is in an orchard.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13So, this tree that we've got here, quite a square-ish kind of bark.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Yeah, well, that's good because you've identified straightaway
0:06:16 > 0:06:18that this is likely to be a pear tree.
0:06:18 > 0:06:24Pears tend to have this almost like a crocodile's back appearance.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Looking at this one then, in particular,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29this being more of a twisted kind of bark.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32You should have been doing our surveys with us, Matt,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35because that's exactly what we would be asking them to look for.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Quite deep riven but with a twisting effect, as it grows up.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41- And that's plum. - And that's a plum.- Yeah.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44And then the apple, which is a much smoother bark.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47A much smoother bark on the apple and you can tell by the
0:06:47 > 0:06:51fruiting spurs on an apple a lot of the time.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53'And Duncan has a nifty way of ageing
0:06:53 > 0:06:56'a tree from the thickness of its trunk.'
0:06:56 > 0:07:01The rule of thumb, or should I maybe say rule of finger, was a tree
0:07:01 > 0:07:06zero to eight years old would be between your finger and your wrist.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Between eight and 20 would be between your wrist and your leg.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Over 20 but under 30 would be between your leg and your torso.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Bigger than your torso, you're looking at probably 50 years.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27'The results of the surveying showed South Lanarkshire is still
0:07:27 > 0:07:31'the biggest and most concentrated orchard area in Scotland.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37'Later, I'll be visiting an orchard that Duncan and his team have
0:07:37 > 0:07:40'brought back to life for a celebration of Clyde Valley
0:07:40 > 0:07:42'fruit growing.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46'But first...'
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Pollutant issues caused by disposable plastics have been
0:07:49 > 0:07:50well documented.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54But blink and you could miss the latest pollutant to threaten
0:07:54 > 0:07:56our countryside - microplastics.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Now, these tiny particles are causing a big headache,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03but where are they all coming from? Here's Tom.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Sand Bay in Somerset.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Loved by families and dog walkers.
0:08:19 > 0:08:25But if you look closer, much, much closer, you'll spot a problem
0:08:25 > 0:08:30that affects all of our beaches and probably reaches far beyond.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Microplastics are tiny, measuring less than 5mm.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Plastic never really disappears, it just breaks up,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44getting smaller and smaller.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47In fact, just about all the plastic
0:08:47 > 0:08:50ever made is still out there somewhere.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53It's a real cause for concern and now
0:08:53 > 0:08:55even governments are taking notice,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59which is why beach clean ups like this are more important than ever.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04I'm here to help Dr Sue Kinsey, from the Marine Conservation Society.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08You're looking very busy here. Can I give you a hand?
0:09:08 > 0:09:09Yes, that would be fantastic.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12What we're doing is picking up all the litter, basically.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- And you don't have to look far, do you?- No. No, it's everywhere.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Look at this.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Pipes.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23- Oh, hm. Now, most of the stuff I'm picking up is fairly big.- Yeah.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26But obviously, we're talking about microplastics today.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31- So have you got some smaller bits in here?- That there, a tiny bit there.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33- Yeah.- I mean, who knows what that once was?
0:09:33 > 0:09:36But that was obviously a bigger object at some point.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40And you can already see that it's sort of breaking up on the edge,
0:09:40 > 0:09:44so what is about 5mm across is already becoming a lot less.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46- Yeah, absolutely.- Yeah. - Absolutely.- And you've got
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- polystyrene in here as well. - This type of polystyrene,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52you can see it's filled with little sort of balls and when they
0:09:52 > 0:09:54break up, they look like fish eggs and lots of animals will then
0:09:54 > 0:09:57just go, "Oh, fantastic! Lunch!" And eat it.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Even as I'm touching it, tiny bits are falling off.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Yeah, it's just breaking apart.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Why is it that it's particularly concerning for you?
0:10:03 > 0:10:06We can clean up the small pieces that we can see,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09but sometimes if you take a bucket full of sand and put it
0:10:09 > 0:10:12in water, you will find lots of microplastics.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15It's pretty much impossible to clean up the microplastics from a beach.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19'But where are all these microplastics coming from?'
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Well, this looks like it couldn't possibly be microplastic,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25but it will eventually break down into very small, tiny, tiny pieces.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28And then we've got something that probably lots of people have
0:10:28 > 0:10:32heard about. It's the microbeads that are in facial scrubs, body
0:10:32 > 0:10:35scrubs, and you can see they're absolutely minute.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37And there's no way any sewage system
0:10:37 > 0:10:39is going to be able to deal with those.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43'Another major source are the raw pellets that all plastic
0:10:43 > 0:10:45'products are made from.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49'Known as nurdles, they frequently end up in the sea.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53'But surprisingly, the vehicles we drive are also a huge contributor.'
0:10:55 > 0:10:58The rubber tyres, putting plastic on the road surface, as they're going
0:10:58 > 0:11:02along, it's shredding and going down the drains and in to our seas.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04And what about the synthetic shirt?
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Right. This is a fairly recent problem.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08So, in the washing machine,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11they're shedding little bits of fibre into the water.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15'Every year, across the world,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19'we produce about 300 million tonnes of plastic and that number is
0:11:19 > 0:11:24'growing, adding to the huge amount already circulating in our oceans.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27'Which is why microplastics are on the radar of the
0:11:27 > 0:11:29'Royal Research Ship Discovery.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33'She's just returned to Southampton after three weeks in the Atlantic.'
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Microplastics aren't just floating around.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40They can work their way up the food chain,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44even potentially making their way into my fish supper.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48And I'm not sure if I fancy plastic sprinkles on my dinner.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57'That's why I'm joining Professor Richard Lampitt on board.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00'He's testing how microplastics are affecting the plankton at the
0:12:00 > 0:12:02'bottom of the ocean food chain.'
0:12:02 > 0:12:04OK. So, what's happening here?
0:12:04 > 0:12:06So, I saw Clare just putting in a little file at the bottom there.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- Is that a sample that's being collected?- Yes, absolutely.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13As a result of that, we can identify the microplastics,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17which are these little red ones here, and various types of organism
0:12:17 > 0:12:22here, which have been affected by the addition of the microplastics.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26What is it about the plastics that could be harming the plankton?
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Essentially, they have toxins inside them, which may leach out.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33So then going into the gut of the organism, and the second way
0:12:33 > 0:12:36is pollutants in the environment which may get stuck to the
0:12:36 > 0:12:39outside and then gradually released over time.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42And that can happen and is known to happen.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45'Plankton end up in pretty much every animal in the sea,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49'including fish, so is it a risk to us?'
0:12:49 > 0:12:53A number of people feel that the major threat is from eating it.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56You're getting it into your shellfish or into your fish.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59My own feeling is that's probably not going to be the major
0:12:59 > 0:13:01cause for concern.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04The most likely influence is going to be that change in the
0:13:04 > 0:13:07ecosystem structure and function. How it actually operates.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11'It's a real problem, but at the moment,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14'not much is being done about it.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17'That's because microplastics are the new pollutants on the
0:13:17 > 0:13:21'block and we're still scrabbling to understand them.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24'The UK will ban plastic microbeads
0:13:24 > 0:13:27'in cosmetic products later this year.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30'But that's only a tiny fraction of what ends up in our oceans.'
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Getting rid of all the microplastics already out in the
0:13:36 > 0:13:38environment is nearly impossible,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42but making sure we dispose of plastic correctly,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45recycling wherever possible, would certainly help for the future.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52But it's not just our beaches and oceans we need to be worrying about.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Later on, I'll be discovering this is
0:13:54 > 0:13:56a problem which could lie much, much closer to home.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10ELLIE: We're in South Lanarkshire, exploring the Clyde Valley.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14The Clyde is a river that carries not only a weight of water,
0:14:14 > 0:14:19but the weight of reputation, for industry, for urban expanses,
0:14:19 > 0:14:20and for pollution.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26But upstream, it's a different story.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Here, pristine water cascades over a series of falls,
0:14:30 > 0:14:35nourishing wildlife and the trees on the steep sides of the gorge.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53These are the Falls of Clyde, set in ancient woodland,
0:14:53 > 0:14:54some of the oldest in Scotland.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59It feels timeless.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01It sounds timeless.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Close your eyes here and you're transported across the millennia.
0:15:08 > 0:15:14A clue to just how old this woodland is lies not in the mighty
0:15:14 > 0:15:19river gorge carved out over aeons, but in the unassuming
0:15:19 > 0:15:23wild flowers beneath my feet that thrive in the spring.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33'Steve Blow from the Scottish Wildlife Trust is taking
0:15:33 > 0:15:35'me on a floral odyssey.'
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- Hey, Steve.- Hi, Ellie. - How are you doing?
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- This is good, to keep big boots off delicate flowers.- Indeed.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43- I'll tiptoe over here. - It's fantastic.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45- Yes.- Gosh, isn't this full of wild flowers?
0:15:45 > 0:15:48I recognise wood anemone, bluebell and celandine.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51You're going to have to help me out with the others.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52Another one is sanicle,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56which is one of the ones that's just coming into flower here.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59And another, we've got a very feathery leaf back here.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02- Oh, yeah.- This one here. - Looks a bit like a carrot top.- Yeah.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05That's pignut. If you were gathering nuts in May,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07- those are the nuts you'd be gathering.- What does it mean
0:16:07 > 0:16:10that all these different wild flowers are here together?
0:16:10 > 0:16:12It tells us that this woodland hasn't really been touched
0:16:12 > 0:16:15ever since it was formed at the end of the last ice age.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18So these flowers, they moved in sort of thousands of years ago and
0:16:18 > 0:16:20have remained here ever since.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34- A carpet of wood anemones. - Yes.- Goodness!
0:16:34 > 0:16:36How big a patch do you think this is, then?
0:16:36 > 0:16:39It's about ten metres-ish?
0:16:39 > 0:16:43For every two metres of growth, it might take as much as 100 years.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- So these could have been here for 500 years.- 500 years or so.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49500 years to spread from one to this much!
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Mm-hm.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53That's mind-bogglingly slow! Wow! Worth it for us, though.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55- Fantastic.- Absolutely beautiful.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06'But the wild flowers aren't the
0:17:06 > 0:17:09'only species with tales to tell here.'
0:17:09 > 0:17:12So, one of the other regular little visitors we have round here
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- are dippers.- How nice!
0:17:14 > 0:17:17And they regularly hang out on the rocks right in front of us.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19They're quite charismatic, aren't they?
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Unusual, in that they can hunt underwater.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Yeah, they'll sit on the rocks, they'll bob up and down,
0:17:23 > 0:17:24looking for food underwater,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and then they use their wings as they go sort of under the water,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30to kind of fly around under and keep themselves on the river bed,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33turning over stones, looking for sort of nymphs
0:17:33 > 0:17:36of the mayflies and the stoneflies that are kind of flying around above
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- the river at this time.- It's obviously a good time of year for it
0:17:39 > 0:17:41because there's a lot on the wing today, you can see it, can't you,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44- in the sunlight?- Yeah.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48'If the wild flowers tell us how old the gorge is, the dippers can
0:17:48 > 0:17:52'tell us how clean it is, as they only thrive in good quality water.'
0:17:54 > 0:17:58There's another animal that is well known around here and
0:17:58 > 0:18:00compared to the dipper,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03it's the big, big brother.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09This gorge is the hunting ground of peregrine falcons.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14You'd imagine that this tranquil woodland would be the ideal
0:18:14 > 0:18:17place for them, but they don't actually live here.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20However, I've been given a tip off that to see them,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24I need to head to somewhere that's less of a haven and more of hole.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32A quarry, noisy, dirty and dangerous.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34The peregrines love it here.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38So much so, they've been resident here for more than 30 years.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41You must know this site pretty well. How long have you been coming here?
0:18:41 > 0:18:45- I've been coming to this site since 1993.- Wow, a fair while!
0:18:45 > 0:18:49'The precise location is secret, to protect the birds.
0:18:49 > 0:18:50'My guide is George Smith,
0:18:50 > 0:18:54'a licensed volunteer for the Scottish Raptor Study Group.'
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- So, where am I looking?- The female's tucked into the left-hand side.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00- Oh, yes!- Avoiding the wind.- Yeah.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02I guess an ideal spot really.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Safe from predators, quite a good place to go hunting from.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Indeed, yeah. There's a lot of food in this area.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12It's safe. It's an active quarry. People work here all the time.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15When eggs hatch here, they always fledge.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18That's not an easy site for you to get to, though, George.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19It certainly is not.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23It's one of the most crumbly sites I've ever been down to.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- Are you a climber first or birder first?- I'm certainly a birder first.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27Oh, right.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29I climb by need.
0:19:29 > 0:19:30You've been studying them for so long,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33there must be something really charismatic about this bird.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36I love watching peregrines. What does it for you?
0:19:36 > 0:19:39It's an apex hunter. It's top of the food chain. It's a stunning flier.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Fastest thing on Earth.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43And I'm privileged to be able to work with these things.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46- They are outstanding. - I absolutely agree with that.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52The way wildlife can carve a niche in the most unlikely of places
0:19:52 > 0:19:54has always delighted me.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57My spring morning here in the Clyde Valley has been a thrilling example.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Just downstream, Sean is exploring
0:20:05 > 0:20:07a different side to the Clyde Valley.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16While the Falls of Clyde might be a beautiful location to spot
0:20:16 > 0:20:20wildlife, it's the raw power of water cascading down that
0:20:20 > 0:20:23inspired a pioneering pair of the Industrial Revolution.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29New Lanark, a series of cotton mills,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31with a village that grew around them.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Founded in 1785 by David Dale, a Glaswegian entrepreneur,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41and Richard Arkwright, inventor of industrial cotton spinning.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48At its peak, 2,000 people lived or worked in this sublime landscape,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51all thanks to the power of the Clyde and some visionary thinking.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00'Andy Dimond works for the trust that runs the New Lanark site today.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05'His job is to keep the technology, old and new, running.'
0:21:07 > 0:21:10- Got to say, what a magnificent waterworks.- It's lovely, isn't it?
0:21:10 > 0:21:14It's lovely. It's a replica of the one that was originally in situ.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17It does the equivalent of roughly 75 horsepower,
0:21:17 > 0:21:19which is about the equivalent of a small car.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21We say a small car now, but at the time,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- that was the height of technology, wasn't it?- It was.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Sort of the equivalent of a driverless car now or a spaceship.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Absolutely. I mean, if you think about it,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32David Dale and Richard Arkwright could see the potential here
0:21:32 > 0:21:35of making this estate the actual powerhouse of Scotland.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39- You are using the river for power now.- Very much so, yes.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42We take the water from the actual lade,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46using a 1931 turbine to generate the hydroelectricity.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Roughly equivalent of about 650 domestic premises.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56'In 1799, at the height of the Industrial Revolution,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00'a new manager took over the mills. He not only transformed the
0:22:00 > 0:22:03'business here, but society as we know it.'
0:22:04 > 0:22:07And this is him, Robert Owen. From this office,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11he made the mills more efficient and he expanded the business.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14But unlike the stereotype of the slave driving mill owner,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18he did it whilst improving the lives of the workers and their families.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Owen was ahead of his time. Years before the law changed,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29he took children out of the mills and put them into the classroom.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Jane Masters is New Lanark's heritage manager.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41This is Clearburn, that's what the burn that runs
0:22:41 > 0:22:42through this area is called.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45And it was one of the areas where Robert Owen would have
0:22:45 > 0:22:51instructed his teachers to bring children to learn about nature.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54He believed that children were entitled to
0:22:54 > 0:22:58a diverse curriculum, so not just reading,
0:22:58 > 0:23:03writing and arithmetic, but also geography, history, singing,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06dancing, and also to be outside,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09enjoy the fresh air and be healthy.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12So he'd seen people in desperate situations and
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- he wanted to make it better for the people who worked for him.- Yes.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18For the people and in return for the site because
0:23:18 > 0:23:23he believed that if people were treated better, they would perform
0:23:23 > 0:23:26better in their role and the business would be more profitable.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33But it was the River Clyde that really drove the business and
0:23:33 > 0:23:35the machines inside the mills.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Today, they spin wool rather than cotton,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41under the watchful eye of Alan Barrowclough and his lifetime
0:23:41 > 0:23:45of experience in mills, from Yorkshire to Lanark, via Lancashire.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50The big problem that I've had is that all the machines that
0:23:50 > 0:23:52are built in the past,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56they was all smashed to bits by a scrap man and when New Lanark
0:23:56 > 0:23:59came along and asked me if I'd be interested in building
0:23:59 > 0:24:03machinery, I grabbed the chance because I knew that anything
0:24:03 > 0:24:07that I was going to make here would be here for a long time.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11How do the processes differ from the 1700s and the 1800s to now?
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Well, not really different. It's the same principle.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17The only difference now to what there was in the old days is
0:24:17 > 0:24:19that the machines are a lot bigger.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- So, they were getting it right in the 17 and 1800s.- They got it right.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25The Victorians got this right. There's no two ways about that.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32The mills were fully operational until 1968,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36which perhaps explains why New Lanark is relatively unchanged.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42Its crowning achievement was being awarded UNESCO World Heritage
0:24:42 > 0:24:45status, joining the likes of the Tower of London and the
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Great Wall of China.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49What I love about New Lanark is it's still
0:24:49 > 0:24:52a living and working community.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55The mills and other buildings house businesses, workshops and offices.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58There's even a hotel. And in the tenements over there,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02about 100 people still live in this beautiful location.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Textile production here is much smaller now,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12but Anne Ross is keeping the ancient art of dyeing alive.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Anne, this looks like a beautiful array of colours.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18- The colour of the Scottish countryside.- Oh, it is.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20It's just beautiful. But what's key about it is they're
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- natural colours, aren't they?- Yes. - And that's how things would have
0:25:23 > 0:25:26- been done in new Lanark hundreds of years ago.- Yeah, yeah.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28I particularly like that one. What's going on here?
0:25:28 > 0:25:31- That's using onion skins. - Onion skins?- Onion skins.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- How many onions did it take to make that?- Oh, enough to fill the pot.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37- You get a beautiful colour. - Yes, it is.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39I quite like this one. This is really standing out for me.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Presumably, that's come from lichen, has it?
0:25:42 > 0:25:43Yeah, that's a lichen.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47- Traditionally, it would be soaked in urine.- In urine?!- Yes.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49This is ammonia.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Ammonia, so you used the ammonia instead of the urine.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Traditionally, the churches would have
0:25:55 > 0:26:00a pot outside and the men would be asked to actually make a donation.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- So it's a different sort of donation to church, isn't it?- Yes.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It's amazing to think that some wool and this and a bit of ammonia,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10- or urine in the old days, and you get this.- Yeah.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Fantastic colour.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Every stone of New Lanark exudes history.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23A cradle of industry and the birthplace of principles we
0:26:23 > 0:26:25take for granted today.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29All here, thanks to some visionary thinkers and the sheer force
0:26:29 > 0:26:31of the River Clyde.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38MATT: Earlier, we heard how microplastics are causing
0:26:38 > 0:26:41a big problem for our beaches and oceans.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44But that's not the end of the story. Here's Tom.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Microplastics are tiny plastic particles.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59They come from items like everyday rubbish,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03cosmetic products,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06and even car tyres and the road surface we drive on.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13Millions of tonnes of them are found on our beaches and in our oceans.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17But there's another source that's posing a huge threat inland.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21The trusty fleece,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24it's almost a uniform amongst those who love the outdoors.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Indeed, they're a bit of favourite amongst Countryfile presenters.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32I think I've had this one longer than I've been on the show.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36But a single machine wash of a fleece like this can
0:27:36 > 0:27:39discharge almost 2,000 microfibres.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43From there, these fine plastic strands disappear down the
0:27:43 > 0:27:47drain and end up in waste water treatment plants.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51We call it waste, but actually, it's not wasted at all.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55It's processed into a fertiliser sludge, known as biosolids.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58But there's a problem.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01This sludge could be retaining almost all of the
0:28:01 > 0:28:03microplastics from the waste water.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08And we've been spreading it all over our fields throughout the UK.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14It looks just like compost and is a neat solution to dealing with
0:28:14 > 0:28:16our sewage waste,
0:28:16 > 0:28:21but is this wonder fertiliser simply loaded with microplastics?
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Farmers like Robin Aird have been using this treated sludge on
0:28:28 > 0:28:30their land for decades.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33The estate is looking fantastic, but tell me, what's the
0:28:33 > 0:28:36attraction of using what comes from our sewage farms on your field?
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Tom, we've been using sewage cake on the farm now for 15 years.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43It's a great source of phosphate,
0:28:43 > 0:28:46which is what we need to grow these crops.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48It's one of the three main nutrients.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52And it's an easy product that we can utilise without having to use
0:28:52 > 0:28:55a rock-mined product out of the ground.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59Would this crop be looking anything as good as it is if you
0:28:59 > 0:29:03weren't putting sewage biosolids on it?
0:29:03 > 0:29:06If you took the product straight away and not replace it,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09then straightaway you'd have a completely different looking crop.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12I remember as a child, sewage cake first coming out onto the
0:29:12 > 0:29:15farms and my stepfather was paid to take the sewage cake.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18I remember the line in the field where half the field was
0:29:18 > 0:29:20spread and the other half wasn't.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22And it was sort of that much difference in height.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24It's a great source of phosphate.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27The only downsides up to now was the aroma issue.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30What do you think about the fact that what you're putting on
0:29:30 > 0:29:33the soil could well be containing little bits of plastic?
0:29:33 > 0:29:35I think it's a concern.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39We don't want to pollute our ground. Our ground is our money earner.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42Are you worried enough to stop using them?
0:29:42 > 0:29:44Until I can find out what sort of levels we're looking at.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48I mean, if we found that we had very damaging levels, then, yes,
0:29:48 > 0:29:51we would stop straightaway and find alternative products.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56There has been very little research in this area so far,
0:29:56 > 0:30:00but one study estimates that in the worst case, 100,000 tonnes of
0:30:00 > 0:30:05microplastics could be being spread on our fields every year in the UK.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10And a report by the Chartered Institution of Water and
0:30:10 > 0:30:14Environmental Management warns that microplastics can accumulate
0:30:14 > 0:30:16in the soil.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19It adds, they may release harmful chemicals,
0:30:19 > 0:30:21which could enter the human food chain.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26'Our lack of knowledge is the main challenge,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29'so I'd like to get a close-up look at these biosolids.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34'Here at Brunel University in London, Dr Chris Green studies
0:30:34 > 0:30:36'microplastics in our environment.'
0:30:36 > 0:30:39- Shall we remove the fleece and put a lab coat on?- Yes.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42- We'll get straight to it. - The microfibre fleece.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45'He's going to help me test a sample of treated sludge.'
0:30:46 > 0:30:49So, we've got a nice box of biosolid here.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52So first step's going to be for you to dig right in deep to it
0:30:52 > 0:30:56and get us about 10 grams into there.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59I like your use of the word "nice" because presumably this,
0:30:59 > 0:31:01how can I put it, originated in a toilet in someone's home?
0:31:01 > 0:31:04- Absolutely. - There we go. Get a bit like that.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09'We add a salt solution and shake up the sample.'
0:31:09 > 0:31:11Cocktail hour!
0:31:11 > 0:31:14'Then, spin it in a centrifuge to float off any microfibres.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22'Once it has settled and filtered, I can finally see them for myself.'
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Wow, it's tiny! Can't even see it with the naked eye.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33So, what did our samples turn up?
0:31:33 > 0:31:36We found polyethylene, and also polyester,
0:31:36 > 0:31:38both fibres and fragments, in those samples.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43Is it too much of a stretch to say that these microplastics
0:31:43 > 0:31:46could be poisoning our farmed environments?
0:31:46 > 0:31:49We need to generate a greater understanding of the hazard that we
0:31:49 > 0:31:53have here. Certainly, there is a potential for them to be ingested.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56Certainly, there is the potential for them to pass on chemical
0:31:56 > 0:31:59pollutants from the plastics themselves to an organism.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03Could the water companies be doing more to remove these microplastics?
0:32:03 > 0:32:05We're looking at such small particles,
0:32:05 > 0:32:09to have a system to remove those is going to be practically impossible.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11In terms of treating the sludge,
0:32:11 > 0:32:13I think that would be incredibly difficult.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17So that means that we need to look further upstream and we need
0:32:17 > 0:32:21to look at the way we are using plastic in our day-to-day lives.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24So, what's the water companies' position?
0:32:24 > 0:32:28They're certainly not the source of the microplastic pollution,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31but they do sell biosolids to the farmers.
0:32:31 > 0:32:36The body that represents them, Water UK, told us:
0:33:02 > 0:33:06Microplastics in the ocean are a concern for marine biologists
0:33:06 > 0:33:09and increasingly for environmental groups.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13But the discovery that they're on our land brings this much
0:33:13 > 0:33:14closer to home.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17The trouble is we don't know how dangerous they are for
0:33:17 > 0:33:19wildlife or for us.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22This is an area where ignorance dwarfs knowledge.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Earlier in the year, we asked you to let us know of young farmers
0:33:36 > 0:33:38who you felt deserved special recognition.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Well, of all of the nominations that you sent in,
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Adam and Charlotte have managed to whittle them down to a
0:33:43 > 0:33:47shortlist of just three and here is the second of those finalists.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55On Countryfile, we meet lots of young farmers and we know how
0:33:55 > 0:33:58hard they work and how special they are.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04They deserve a big thank you from all of us.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Which is why we created Countryfile's Young Farmer Award.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12We wanted to hear your stories of how young farmers contribute
0:34:12 > 0:34:14so much to our countryside,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17so we could celebrate some of the hardest working individuals.
0:34:17 > 0:34:18And you sent in hundreds of
0:34:18 > 0:34:20nominations from all over the country.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24There are some really strong, inspirational farmers.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27Just too many of them! It's not going to be easy,
0:34:27 > 0:34:31- but I think we're getting down to what we really want.- Yeah.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34It's part of the BBC's Food and Farming Awards,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37and the winner will be announced at a ceremony later in the year.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45Last week, we met our first finalist, Tom Phillips,
0:34:45 > 0:34:48a 16-year-old hill farmer in south-east Wales.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54He grew up on the family farm and now helps run it.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57- That's a lot of responsibility for a 16-year-old, isn't it?- Oh, it is.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01It is, but I get the occasional telling off for not doing
0:35:01 > 0:35:04something right, but animals know me, I know them.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09But our second finalist is rather different.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12In fact, he's from a town centre,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14just a few miles away from Milton Keynes,
0:35:14 > 0:35:16where the cows are concrete.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25Tom Addison is 23. He grew up on housing estate in Buckinghamshire.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30But in just a few short years, he's transformed himself into
0:35:30 > 0:35:33a knowledgeable and skilled young farmer.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39And that's not been easy because this farmer doesn't have a farm.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Instead, Tom keeps his livestock on small rented plots of land,
0:35:43 > 0:35:45dotted around the countryside.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49And home's in the middle of town.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52Tom lives with his mum, veterinary nurse Angela, and dad Andy,
0:35:52 > 0:35:55- who is a motor racing engineer. - Hello!- Angela, hello.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57'His passion for farming was triggered by
0:35:57 > 0:36:00'a connection with some family friends who farm nearby.'
0:36:02 > 0:36:05How did this farming story all begin?
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Just through me knowing John and Suzanne, really.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12I house sit for them and horse sit for them, and Tom used to tag along.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14I would go with Suzanne and do the horses,
0:36:14 > 0:36:18and he would go off with John and do what men do on farms, really.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22Tom, what was it about farming that you thought, "Yeah, that's for me?"
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Well, it was being outside all day, I think,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27and it's a different job every day, and working with the cattle.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Doing stock work just seemed to appeal to me, really.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32It just clicked, I suppose.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35- Andy, you're not a farmer, are you? - No, not at all, no.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38For all Tom's life, I've worked in Formula 1.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42- How did you feel, him going into farming?- We're fine with it.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45It's an outdoor job, it's something he's passionate about.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48And the more he finds out about it, the more I think he loves it.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52Tom started with just six sheep,
0:36:52 > 0:36:54and set up his own business,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56Addison's Lamb -
0:36:56 > 0:37:00rearing and selling local meat direct to the public.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07- They're a smart looking bunch of ewes and lambs, Tom!- Thanks, Adam.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10- How many have you got in total? - There's 170 in total.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14- And do you just manage them on your own?- Yeah. Yeah.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16'That's a lot of hard work for one person.'
0:37:17 > 0:37:21Meanwhile, back in town, Angela tells me how farming
0:37:21 > 0:37:24has really brought about a change in Tom.
0:37:24 > 0:37:29When Tom was at school, he couldn't cope with playground situations.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32He actually spent the breaks in the library or in the classroom
0:37:32 > 0:37:34with the teacher. Same with dinner.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36He'd go into the dinner hall and eat dinner with everybody,
0:37:36 > 0:37:38but then he'd go to the library.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41So, to hear him now,
0:37:41 > 0:37:45going asking people if he could rent their land...
0:37:45 > 0:37:48- Yeah.- From someone who was so shy, it's amazing.- Yes.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52And to be on his own and facing people and holding his own ground...
0:37:52 > 0:37:55yeah, it's...we're...
0:37:55 > 0:37:57yeah, really chuffed.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Tom gave up school and joined agricultural college.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04The farming bug had him,
0:38:04 > 0:38:07and, aged just 17, he travelled all the way
0:38:07 > 0:38:11to Australia on his own to gain more experience.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16Tom is open to everything.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18He will take anything that's thrown at him on,
0:38:18 > 0:38:22and he'll look for new opportunities.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25His head's always buzzing with new ideas.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28He knows what he wants to do and he'll go for it and he'll get it.
0:38:31 > 0:38:32And Tom's tireless.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36He holds down a series of farm jobs to subsidise his lamb business.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45- They seem quite noisy.- Yeah, they're ready for some food,
0:38:45 > 0:38:46for some more grass.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50- How many farmers are you working for, then?- Upwards of 20, I suppose.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52- Yeah.- Goodness me! Doing what?
0:38:52 > 0:38:55Contract shepherding, relief milking, tractor driving,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58everything. Anything they want me to do, really.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02- All to help fund your own farming project?- Yeah, all to pay the bills.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05Goodness me, what a productive young man you are.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07And what's the dream? Where's the future?
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Hopefully to move onto my own holding, I suppose.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13And just to be successful in the breeding and the job that I'm doing.
0:39:13 > 0:39:14Yeah, well, great.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21Well, it's not easy moving ewes and lambs,
0:39:21 > 0:39:22but the dog did a good job.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25- Yeah, she's pretty handy, yeah. - When did you get her?
0:39:25 > 0:39:27- I got her for my 21st birthday. - Oh, did you, how lovely!- Yeah, yeah.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29- It's a good little bridge. - Yeah, I built this.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32- It's all right, isn't it?- So, you're a handyman, too?- Yeah!
0:39:32 > 0:39:35So, you rent land on various farms, but you've got some buildings, too?
0:39:35 > 0:39:37Yeah, we've got some just across the road,
0:39:37 > 0:39:39- so do you want to have a look? - Yeah, I'd love to.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Just down the road is where it all started,
0:39:43 > 0:39:46with former John Martin and his wife, Suzanne.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Tom came here as a 14-year-old,
0:39:49 > 0:39:52to help his mum house sit, and that was that!
0:39:52 > 0:39:54They nominated him for our award.
0:39:54 > 0:40:00On the face of it, having a 14-year-old from the local town,
0:40:00 > 0:40:02you wouldn't expect them, in many ways,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05to sort of particularly get interested in it.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07He came here and he saw what was happening here,
0:40:07 > 0:40:09and he used to follow me around,
0:40:09 > 0:40:12and I didn't realise how much
0:40:12 > 0:40:16he was getting from it in those days.
0:40:16 > 0:40:21He said a couple of weeks ago, "It's all your fault,
0:40:21 > 0:40:24"because I used to look up to you."
0:40:24 > 0:40:28I didn't realise at the time, but that's just the way it happened.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31When he came here to start with, he could drive a tractor but
0:40:31 > 0:40:34he couldn't do all the other big things with it.
0:40:34 > 0:40:40So, I only had to tell him once, and then he was in
0:40:40 > 0:40:41and he listened and he did it.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45If you were putting on a sort of, you know, "employ this farmer",
0:40:45 > 0:40:47what would you tell me about Tom?
0:40:47 > 0:40:51He's got a lot of guts and he has a lot...he's driven.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54He knows what he wants. He wanted to be chairman of Young Farmers,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57he wanted to have his sheep, he wanted to work on dairy.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59And he can do them all, wherever he wants.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02And what we want is for somebody to say,
0:41:02 > 0:41:03"OK, here's a tenancy for you."
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Of course, he is only young, isn't he?
0:41:05 > 0:41:08- He's got time! - Yeah, he's 23, he's got time, yes.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10But he wants to do it now!
0:41:10 > 0:41:13- Are you proud of what he's done? - Yeah. Yeah.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15I wish him all the luck in the world.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20'And Tom's already on to the next stage of his plan, from sheep...'
0:41:20 > 0:41:22- Whereabouts on the gate? - Just top rung.
0:41:22 > 0:41:23'..to something a little bigger.'
0:41:30 > 0:41:33- Come on, boys.- Perfect!
0:41:33 > 0:41:35- Very simple, isn't it?- Yeah, it's easy.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38And why have you decided to start rearing calves, then?
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Well, lambing's over, and we've got the buildings here,
0:41:40 > 0:41:41and it's just perfect for the job.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43- Helps pay for the rent? - Yeah, that's it.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45And do you prefer sheep or cattle?
0:41:45 > 0:41:47- Oh, I'd say it's cattle that I love, yeah.- Is it?- Yeah!
0:41:47 > 0:41:49Well, it's been fascinating to meet you, Tom.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52You've obviously got a huge amount going on in your life,
0:41:52 > 0:41:56- and you deserve the success that comes your way.- Thank you very much.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58- Good to meet you.- Nice to meet you, Adam, cheers.- All the best.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02The progression into beef farming is typical.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05Tom never stands still and never stops working.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07What an inspiration.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12- What do you think to Tom, then? - I think he's really determined.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15And I think, actually, what it shows is that if you are really
0:42:15 > 0:42:19determined, even if you're not from a farming family, actually,
0:42:19 > 0:42:21even if you don't grow up in the countryside, you can do it.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24I'm really impressed by his passion and determination to be
0:42:24 > 0:42:28a farmer, but what I really like is the fact that he's looking at
0:42:28 > 0:42:30- it as a business.- Because there's got to be a bottom line,
0:42:30 > 0:42:34hasn't there? Or else all that hard work gets you nowhere.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38- So, two down, one to go. - Off we go - to the North.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47- ELLIE:- South Lanarkshire's soft green hills offer some of the best
0:42:47 > 0:42:49agricultural land in Scotland.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Then there are the less green parts.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03I've been told that I'm here to meet a farmer.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05But this doesn't feel right. I'm on an industrial estate on the
0:43:05 > 0:43:09outskirts of Glasgow, and I can't see any farmland.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15But in between these factories and storage units,
0:43:15 > 0:43:17there are green spaces.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21I'm here to meet urban farmer Warren Bader,
0:43:21 > 0:43:25who puts them to use creating food and habitat for bees.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29Now, look at that, feel the weight on that comb.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33Originally from South Africa, he now runs
0:43:33 > 0:43:37a beehive adoption service for anyone with a bit of space to spare.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41- Hi, Ellie!- How are you doing, Warren?- Yeah, good, thank you.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44- It's a beautiful day, isn't it? - It's gorgeous.
0:43:44 > 0:43:45So, you're the urban farmer?
0:43:45 > 0:43:50That's quite correct, I style myself as an urban farmer.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53We have a company and we rent out beehives to various
0:43:53 > 0:43:57organisations, but we also do staff training with them.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01- Mm.- And it's to teach them about the importance of bees, and about
0:44:01 > 0:44:04sustainability and about the environment.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06And how did you get started?
0:44:06 > 0:44:10I used to be a film producer, but I just had enough of, you know,
0:44:10 > 0:44:13the rigours of film production,
0:44:13 > 0:44:15and I wanted to learn how to keep bees.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18So, a real-life change for you, then, doing this?
0:44:18 > 0:44:22Yeah, I've changed from one sort of producing to another kind of
0:44:22 > 0:44:24- producing, basically, so!- Yeah.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26It seems surprising to a lot of people,
0:44:26 > 0:44:29but, in fact, urban environments are great for bees.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32They're fantastic, they're absolutely incredible.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36There's a huge amount of foraging opportunities for the bees.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42A few miles away, as the bee flies,
0:44:42 > 0:44:46Warren's next project is not a business but a school.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52The students are creating an eco-garden,
0:44:52 > 0:44:55and the bees will be the centrepiece.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00Tell me what's going on here.
0:45:00 > 0:45:01Well, we're planting the potatoes here,
0:45:01 > 0:45:05and it needs to be from your wrist up to your elbow, roughly,
0:45:05 > 0:45:08so eventually there will be kind of like a hill.
0:45:08 > 0:45:09- Like a mound on top of it?- Yeah.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17- What are you putting in?- That's thyme, I think it is.- Lemon thyme.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20And have you had a chance to learn about how to look after the bees?
0:45:20 > 0:45:21Eh, no, not really much,
0:45:21 > 0:45:24but we did a competition for the designing of the hive.
0:45:24 > 0:45:25So, you've designed the hives,
0:45:25 > 0:45:27but there will be a bit of looking after bees as well?
0:45:27 > 0:45:30Yeah, uh-huh, we've not learned anything about that yet,
0:45:30 > 0:45:32- but hopefully we will soon. - You nervous about it?
0:45:32 > 0:45:34- Have you been stung before? - Eh, no, not really!
0:45:41 > 0:45:45Maths teacher Colin McIntyre was the one who came up with the idea.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48- Put that in.- Mr McIntyre, leading by example here.- I try my best, yes.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51- Try my best.- How are you doing? What's this going on here?
0:45:51 > 0:45:54This is an Apple Clydeside, so an apple tree.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56From just out the Clyde Valley. Trying to keep it local.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59Is it a good idea having bees in the school? It was your idea!
0:45:59 > 0:46:00It wasn't easy initially.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03It's something we looked at. We looked at with the council,
0:46:03 > 0:46:05the local authority. And, eventually, we got the permission
0:46:05 > 0:46:08to do it, which is great. We're really looking forward to it.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10And all the pupils are really excited about the arrival
0:46:10 > 0:46:13- of the bees.- But you're roping in all the departments of the school.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16- It's not just beekeeping. - Yeah, science, home economics,
0:46:16 > 0:46:18maths for pattern work, looking at honeycombs
0:46:18 > 0:46:21and seeing what patterns there are in the natural world.
0:46:21 > 0:46:22Yeah, we're everywhere,
0:46:22 > 0:46:25even the likes of the English Department, you can write poems
0:46:25 > 0:46:28about bees, the music department can create music about bees.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32And maybe young entrepreneurs can take the honey and start a business,
0:46:32 > 0:46:34and show them what a business is all about,
0:46:34 > 0:46:36from the production to the manufacture.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38And are you going to come in over the summer holidays
0:46:38 > 0:46:41- to check on them?- I'll try. - And rope in some students, perhaps.
0:46:41 > 0:46:42We'll definitely do that.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44- We'll do that, Olivia?- Um...
0:46:44 > 0:46:47- Might take a bit of persuading. - Yeah.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58Bee suits on, and Warren is here with the hives.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00SHE CHEERS
0:47:00 > 0:47:05They're here, the bees are here! So exciting. Check this out, everybody.
0:47:05 > 0:47:06Check this out.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10You can see the pollen inside that the bees have collected.
0:47:12 > 0:47:17Isn't that amazing? The bees will use that. That's their food.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21This is cool, isn't it? This is a good science lesson.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26'The bees are pretty active for an hour or so while they reorientate
0:47:26 > 0:47:29'themselves before settling down in their new environment.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31'Warren will be easing the students in gently
0:47:31 > 0:47:33'to their new responsibilities.'
0:47:33 > 0:47:35There's lessons ahead with Warren.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38And then the bees are all yours. This is so exciting!
0:47:38 > 0:47:43It's a three-year period in which we're working with the school.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46So we can start training them up so when these guys graduate from
0:47:46 > 0:47:49the school, they'll have transferred their knowledge,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52so it'll be a continual legacy.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55You'll become the teachers of the years below you.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02These bees will soon be winging their way across the green spaces
0:48:02 > 0:48:07of Glasgow, gathering nectar and making school time a little sweeter.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13Well, this sunny weather is just what the bees need to give
0:48:13 > 0:48:16them enough energy to explore their new home.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19And if you're hoping for sun or rain this week,
0:48:19 > 0:48:22you'll want to know what's ahead with the Countryfile forecast.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09Today, we're in Lanarkshire, tracking the Clyde Valley
0:49:09 > 0:49:11and its river through what was once known
0:49:11 > 0:49:13as the fruit basket of Scotland.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20Some places have a park. Some places have a community centre.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23But this place is so wedded to its tradition of fruit growing
0:49:23 > 0:49:26that locals have a community orchard.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31Just a couple of years ago,
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Kirkfieldbank was completely overgrown.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Local groups rescued the orchard from oblivion and
0:49:37 > 0:49:41planted 150 new fruit trees for the whole community to enjoy.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Today, we plant one more.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50So, what variety is this, Duncan?
0:49:50 > 0:49:53This is a good Scottish variety called James Grieve,
0:49:53 > 0:49:56which is a very popular one.
0:49:56 > 0:49:57Uh-huh.
0:49:57 > 0:50:02We want to encourage the propagation of traditional varieties
0:50:02 > 0:50:04but we're not stuck in the past.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08So it's worthwhile us planting some new ones just to see how they take.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11You've obviously got to choose quite robust varieties as well,
0:50:11 > 0:50:13being in this part of the world.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16Well, we have some interesting ones down at the bottom there that
0:50:16 > 0:50:18come from Canada and Sweden.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22Now, not traditional apple growing areas but you reckon
0:50:22 > 0:50:25if they're going to survive there, they can survive in Lanarkshire.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27Yes!
0:50:28 > 0:50:31With the newest additions settled in, I'm meeting some folk who
0:50:31 > 0:50:35have connections past and present to the Clyde Valley orchards.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39They're warming up for their annual festival to celebrate that heritage.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43Before the memories fade,
0:50:43 > 0:50:47an oral history project has captured forever the voices of
0:50:47 > 0:50:51local people and their recollections of this area's fruit growing heyday.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57I can remember going to the fruit market when I was maybe nine or 10,
0:50:57 > 0:51:00and it was the summer holidays. What an experience that was!
0:51:01 > 0:51:03That was the Clyde Valley.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06When I was young,
0:51:06 > 0:51:09I remember having to drive the van and going in the lorry.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13The pits shut down for three weeks when the plums were on
0:51:13 > 0:51:16because the miners could make more money
0:51:16 > 0:51:20picking plums than they could working in the pits.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25# All along the road... #
0:51:25 > 0:51:28Those memories were recorded by local musician Billy Stewart,
0:51:28 > 0:51:32which, in turn, inspired some new material.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36# A ghostly reminder of an industry that's lost
0:51:36 > 0:51:41# And a time that will never come again. #
0:51:52 > 0:51:54- Billy, good to see you. - Good to meet you.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57So, you've been busy, then, turning all these wonderful stories
0:51:57 > 0:51:58into songs.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02Yes, well, the idea came originally from my own family,
0:52:02 > 0:52:07who were all growers. And I just felt that...
0:52:07 > 0:52:09they were disappearing.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13And their history was disappearing with them,
0:52:13 > 0:52:15and the whole of the Clyde Valley was changing.
0:52:15 > 0:52:20Hopefully, the songs will last, and they will keep the history
0:52:20 > 0:52:24of this particular area and this particular part of Scotland going.
0:52:28 > 0:52:33Another slice of local history has been captured by Karen McCusker.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35She's put together a collection of local dishes which have
0:52:35 > 0:52:38graced Clyde Valley dinner tables for centuries.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42We've got three different recipes here.
0:52:42 > 0:52:46- We've got an apple and tomato soup. - Apple and tomato soup?
0:52:46 > 0:52:48What date of history does this come from, then?
0:52:48 > 0:52:50It comes from the 1960s-1970s.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53It was submitted by one of our volunteers
0:52:53 > 0:52:55from her mother's cookbook, actually.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58She actually lived in the Clyde Valley and grew up here.
0:52:58 > 0:53:02- So that's a locally...- Oh! - ..submitted recipe.
0:53:02 > 0:53:03Oh, I like that.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06- It's quite nice, isn't it? - Yes, I'm surprised by that.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09So, we're onto the main course now, which is...?
0:53:09 > 0:53:12This is a medieval recipe. It's a fish and apple pie.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15- A fish and apple pie?- Yes. - Sounds horrific!
0:53:15 > 0:53:17So, there's apples, there's some dried fruit,
0:53:17 > 0:53:20and some fish, some spices.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22A little bit sweet and savoury.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25It smells a little bit like a mince pie, actually.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28- A bit like Christmas mince pie with fish in it.- Yes.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30THEY LAUGH
0:53:30 > 0:53:32'First you get the flavour of salmon...
0:53:32 > 0:53:34'and then comes the apple.'
0:53:34 > 0:53:37Yeah. Yeah, it's all right. There's a lot going on in there.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40- And how do you know this existed, then?- Well, we found it
0:53:40 > 0:53:43in a medieval manuscript. So it had to be translated.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45So we sat down and I had to translate that.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47When you read the medieval recipes,
0:53:47 > 0:53:51they're actually just a paragraph, a list of ingredients that says,
0:53:51 > 0:53:53"Boil this and then bake it."
0:53:53 > 0:53:55There's no real measurements or anything.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58So you have to sort of come up with it on your own, really.
0:53:58 > 0:54:03This is a weird pie. I mean, how bad was the first attempt?
0:54:04 > 0:54:06- It was pretty interesting, that's for sure.- Yeah!
0:54:08 > 0:54:11'Karen has collated everything into an online recipe book,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14'including her own apple butter squares.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17'So, good news, you can have a go at the fish and apple pie yourself.'
0:54:18 > 0:54:21- Perfect!- Thank you.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25That apple and fish pie, though.
0:54:25 > 0:54:26I'll never forget that!
0:54:28 > 0:54:29'After all that food,
0:54:29 > 0:54:33'there's only one apple classic to wash it down with.'
0:54:33 > 0:54:34Cheers!
0:54:34 > 0:54:38Well, we've had blossom, we've had bees and we've got plenty
0:54:38 > 0:54:41more seasonal treats for you next week with our spring special.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48John's gathering some wild ingredients
0:54:48 > 0:54:51for a seasonal spring beer.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54- You're actually the first person to drink this.- Am I really?
0:54:54 > 0:54:57- It's a special moment. - I hope that's an honour. Let's see.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02I'll be in Lincolnshire, looking at the science of spring flowers.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05Well, this is just the first stage of getting these beautiful
0:55:05 > 0:55:07flowers into your homes.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09But to really help these tulips on their way,
0:55:09 > 0:55:12it takes some springtime super science.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15And I'll be in Cornwall to see
0:55:15 > 0:55:18some of the UK's lesser-known spring blooms.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23Aha! Look at that! It is a soup of plankton!
0:55:23 > 0:55:26Actually can't see my fingers through the other side.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28Oh, we've got a jellyfish in here, too!
0:55:34 > 0:55:37Well, that's all we've got time for from the beautiful
0:55:37 > 0:55:38and sunny Clyde Valley.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41We'll see you next week. Bye for now.