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These green acres will surprise you. This isn't the rural shires | 0:00:30 | 0:00:35 | |
or even the remote uplands. | 0:00:35 | 0:00:36 | |
This is just minutes from the centre of London. | 0:00:36 | 0:00:40 | |
The Lee Valley has provided fun and fresh air for city-dwellers | 0:00:40 | 0:00:44 | |
for more than four decades, | 0:00:44 | 0:00:46 | |
but it is more than just the green lung of London. | 0:00:46 | 0:00:49 | |
It is also home to a vast array of wildlife. | 0:00:49 | 0:00:53 | |
(How about that?) | 0:00:53 | 0:00:55 | |
As well as being its lungs, it's London's larder, too. | 0:00:58 | 0:01:02 | |
It's hard to believe that all of this started with just one man | 0:01:02 | 0:01:06 | |
and a few cucumber plants. Today, I am going to be meeting | 0:01:06 | 0:01:09 | |
the Sicilian family who have turned salad-growing | 0:01:09 | 0:01:12 | |
into a real Italian job. | 0:01:12 | 0:01:14 | |
Tom's been doing a bit of detective work. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:20 | |
There is little doubt that climate change will affect our future, | 0:01:20 | 0:01:24 | |
but what about the present? I'll be looking for proof that | 0:01:24 | 0:01:27 | |
it's already had a significant impact | 0:01:27 | 0:01:29 | |
on the British countryside. | 0:01:29 | 0:01:32 | |
And Adam's in search of a new bull. | 0:01:32 | 0:01:35 | |
This is Isaac, | 0:01:35 | 0:01:37 | |
my lovely Gloucester bull. And the Gloucester | 0:01:37 | 0:01:40 | |
are quite a rare breed. | 0:01:40 | 0:01:42 | |
Isaac, here, has been doing his bit to increase the numbers in my herd, | 0:01:42 | 0:01:47 | |
but now that his daughters are in the herd, | 0:01:47 | 0:01:49 | |
I can't have him mating with them, so I have got to go out and find | 0:01:49 | 0:01:53 | |
a new bull. You're lovely, but you're standing on my toe! | 0:01:53 | 0:01:57 | |
Water meadows and wetlands, | 0:02:09 | 0:02:13 | |
green swards and lazy streams... | 0:02:13 | 0:02:16 | |
where nature abounds and wildlife thrives. | 0:02:16 | 0:02:20 | |
This could be the middle of nowhere, but it isn't, because, standing here, | 0:02:20 | 0:02:25 | |
you are just 15 miles from the centre of London. | 0:02:25 | 0:02:28 | |
This is the Lee Valley, | 0:02:31 | 0:02:34 | |
often described as the green lung for London. | 0:02:34 | 0:02:37 | |
10,000 acres of pristine green space, right on the city's doorstep. | 0:02:37 | 0:02:42 | |
The Lee Valley runs for 26 miles, | 0:02:45 | 0:02:48 | |
from Ware in Hertfordshire, right down to the River Thames. | 0:02:48 | 0:02:53 | |
There's all kinds of rare and important habitat here, | 0:02:54 | 0:02:57 | |
but there is one that is rarer than most. | 0:02:57 | 0:03:01 | |
Chalk streams - about as rare as habitats get. | 0:03:01 | 0:03:06 | |
Less than 200 in the world and only found | 0:03:06 | 0:03:09 | |
in England and northern France. | 0:03:09 | 0:03:11 | |
So, taking care of them... That goes without saying. | 0:03:11 | 0:03:14 | |
Their pristine water is important for wildlife, not just the fish | 0:03:19 | 0:03:23 | |
and birds, but the creepy-crawlies that they all feed on. | 0:03:23 | 0:03:27 | |
But the Lee Valley is close to urban areas, | 0:03:28 | 0:03:31 | |
and pollution is a constant threat, so farmers like | 0:03:31 | 0:03:35 | |
Nicholas Buxton are doing what they can to help keep their rivers clean. | 0:03:35 | 0:03:40 | |
What we've done, principally, is we've put in a series of deflectors | 0:03:41 | 0:03:44 | |
along here, to recreate the natural pattern of the river, | 0:03:44 | 0:03:49 | |
where it flows from side to side. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:51 | |
It was dredged a long while ago and it was lacking in interest. | 0:03:51 | 0:03:54 | |
There was not much habitat there. | 0:03:54 | 0:03:57 | |
The deflectors create areas of fast and slow water. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:02 | |
Keeping the water flowing is one way of keeping the river clean. | 0:04:02 | 0:04:06 | |
It creates good habitat, too. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:08 | |
So it doesn't just have to be fast-flowing throughout? | 0:04:09 | 0:04:12 | |
It's the variation and you can see it | 0:04:12 | 0:04:14 | |
up and down this length, where we have sections | 0:04:14 | 0:04:17 | |
of slow water, with reeds, and faster water, | 0:04:17 | 0:04:19 | |
with clean gravels on the other side, which is ideal for spawning. | 0:04:19 | 0:04:22 | |
What sort of wildlife have you seen return, as a result of this? | 0:04:22 | 0:04:25 | |
I am very pleased to see that the mayfly have come back. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:28 | |
They had a few very low years, but, of late, the last couple of years, | 0:04:28 | 0:04:32 | |
we have had an excellent hatch of mayfly. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:34 | |
The insect life very much enjoys these reed beds and have done well. | 0:04:34 | 0:04:39 | |
To find out just how well the river is doing | 0:04:41 | 0:04:44 | |
requires wellies and the right kind of equipment. | 0:04:44 | 0:04:47 | |
I am joining Charlie Bell, | 0:04:51 | 0:04:52 | |
from the Hertfordshire & Middlesex Wildlife Trust. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:56 | |
Along with her volunteers, she is here to monitor the invertebrates, | 0:04:56 | 0:05:00 | |
especially the mayflies. | 0:05:00 | 0:05:01 | |
Why does me bringing my net along give us a clue | 0:05:02 | 0:05:05 | |
about the health of this river? | 0:05:05 | 0:05:06 | |
Unfortunately, a lot of the pollution is not going to be | 0:05:06 | 0:05:09 | |
visible if you're just walking along the bank. | 0:05:09 | 0:05:12 | |
A healthy river can look | 0:05:12 | 0:05:14 | |
exactly the same as a polluted river, to the eye, | 0:05:14 | 0:05:16 | |
so you need to get in and sample the invertebrates and have a look. | 0:05:16 | 0:05:20 | |
A lot of them are very pollution sensitive, | 0:05:20 | 0:05:22 | |
so they're a really good indicator of the health of the river | 0:05:22 | 0:05:25 | |
and the general water quality. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:27 | |
'Net at the ready, it's time to put the boot in. | 0:05:27 | 0:05:31 | |
'This is called kick sampling - a trusted method | 0:05:31 | 0:05:34 | |
'for collecting specimens. Gather the silt and stones you kick up | 0:05:34 | 0:05:39 | |
'and, hopefully, there's plenty of mayfly nymphs.' | 0:05:39 | 0:05:42 | |
Let's have a look. I love this bit. | 0:05:42 | 0:05:45 | |
'So, what have we got?' | 0:05:45 | 0:05:47 | |
-And there's loads! -'The freshwater shrimp, | 0:05:47 | 0:05:50 | |
'a bullhead fish, | 0:05:50 | 0:05:53 | |
'the odd mayfly nymph. | 0:05:53 | 0:05:56 | |
'Not a bad sample. | 0:05:56 | 0:05:59 | |
'Maybe volunteers Jonathan Foregombe and Peter Ilston have fared better.' | 0:05:59 | 0:06:03 | |
-Found anything interesting? -We've got a mayfly nymph here. -Yep. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:08 | |
'And a good specimen, too. This creature will have lived | 0:06:08 | 0:06:11 | |
'in the gravel in the riverbed for two years, but any day now, | 0:06:11 | 0:06:16 | |
'it will hatch into a full-grown adult.' | 0:06:16 | 0:06:18 | |
If we put it in the water, | 0:06:18 | 0:06:21 | |
-you can actually watch its gills. -Oh, yeah, they are in the middle. | 0:06:21 | 0:06:25 | |
Wonderful. | 0:06:25 | 0:06:27 | |
Do you know exactly which species of mayfly, Charlie? | 0:06:27 | 0:06:30 | |
This is a species called Ephemera danica. | 0:06:30 | 0:06:33 | |
It is the one that's known as THE mayfly. | 0:06:33 | 0:06:35 | |
There's many different species of mayfly, but anglers tend to call | 0:06:35 | 0:06:40 | |
this one THE mayfly. So, this is really nice. | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
-So, this is all a good sign, Charlie? -It is, yes. | 0:06:43 | 0:06:45 | |
We've done a relatively short sample here, but we have got a tray | 0:06:45 | 0:06:49 | |
that is teeming with life, so it's a really good sign. | 0:06:49 | 0:06:52 | |
For now, it is just the proof we need | 0:06:55 | 0:06:59 | |
that this chalk stream is healthy. | 0:06:59 | 0:07:01 | |
The rivers and lakes of the Lee Valley | 0:07:02 | 0:07:05 | |
support more than just a large array of wildlife, | 0:07:05 | 0:07:09 | |
as Matt is about to find out. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:10 | |
The Lee Valley does more than merely refresh Londoners' lungs. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:21 | |
It fills their stomachs, too, | 0:07:21 | 0:07:23 | |
with 150 years of fruit and veg growing | 0:07:23 | 0:07:25 | |
right on the capital's doorstep. | 0:07:25 | 0:07:28 | |
The Lee Valley was close enough to get fresh produce | 0:07:28 | 0:07:32 | |
into the heart of the city within hours of picking, | 0:07:32 | 0:07:34 | |
yet far enough away to have clean air and open spaces. | 0:07:34 | 0:07:38 | |
The Lee Valley produces three-quarters of one of the UK's | 0:07:38 | 0:07:42 | |
most popular fruits, and this site alone grows five million of them. | 0:07:42 | 0:07:47 | |
It's a fruit with a long and auspicious history. | 0:07:47 | 0:07:50 | |
Emperor Tiberius had them on his table every day. | 0:07:50 | 0:07:53 | |
Catherine of Aragon liked them sliced, in salads. | 0:07:53 | 0:07:57 | |
And they have even been grown on the International Space Station. | 0:07:57 | 0:08:01 | |
I am, of course, talking about... | 0:08:01 | 0:08:03 | |
the humble cucumber. | 0:08:03 | 0:08:05 | |
And, yes, it IS a fruit and they can be eaten just like one. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:09 | |
CRUNCHING | 0:08:09 | 0:08:11 | |
Mmm. | 0:08:11 | 0:08:12 | |
Cucumbers originally came from Asia. | 0:08:12 | 0:08:15 | |
The people who put them on the map here in the Lee Valley | 0:08:15 | 0:08:17 | |
came from foreign climes, too - Sicily. | 0:08:17 | 0:08:21 | |
Giovanni Abella was one of those. | 0:08:22 | 0:08:24 | |
He came here in 1957. | 0:08:24 | 0:08:27 | |
After a stint in a concrete factory, | 0:08:27 | 0:08:29 | |
he rented his first greenhouses. | 0:08:29 | 0:08:31 | |
By the late '60s, he was on his way. | 0:08:31 | 0:08:34 | |
Since then, his business has grown from strength to strength. | 0:08:35 | 0:08:38 | |
UK Salads is now very much an Italian family affair. | 0:08:38 | 0:08:41 | |
Helping him are his three daughters - | 0:08:41 | 0:08:44 | |
Jo, Leonora and Franca - | 0:08:44 | 0:08:46 | |
their husbands - Vito, Paz and Giuseppe - | 0:08:46 | 0:08:49 | |
and now a grandson, Jake, is on the books, too. | 0:08:49 | 0:08:52 | |
John, very nice to meet you. | 0:08:53 | 0:08:55 | |
-You must be very proud of your family? -Yes. Very good. | 0:08:55 | 0:08:58 | |
-And very proud of all of this? -Yes, thank you. | 0:08:58 | 0:09:01 | |
So, tell me, do you have a history of growing, | 0:09:01 | 0:09:03 | |
-since you were a little boy? -Yeah, I work in the farm in Italy, | 0:09:03 | 0:09:06 | |
-with my father there. -OK. And what were you growing? | 0:09:06 | 0:09:09 | |
-Corn. Corn. -Oh, corn. -Yes, in Italy, yeah. -OK. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:13 | |
In the 1950s and '60s, | 0:09:16 | 0:09:18 | |
the Lee Valley market gardens | 0:09:18 | 0:09:20 | |
were desperately short of people like John, | 0:09:20 | 0:09:22 | |
with experience of working on the land. | 0:09:22 | 0:09:25 | |
One of our biggest problems, we are very, very short of labour, indeed, | 0:09:25 | 0:09:30 | |
and we have to rely on foreign labour. | 0:09:30 | 0:09:33 | |
With their first-hand experience of growing fresh produce back home, | 0:09:33 | 0:09:37 | |
the Sicilians were an obvious choice for the greenhouses. | 0:09:37 | 0:09:40 | |
It wasn't just fruit and vegetables that were grown here. | 0:09:40 | 0:09:43 | |
Their biggest crop was flowers, which were taken in to London | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
and sold at Covent Garden, | 0:09:46 | 0:09:48 | |
the capital's main fruit and vegetable market until the 1970s. | 0:09:48 | 0:09:52 | |
-About 1969, I buy the glasshouses here... -OK. | 0:09:52 | 0:09:57 | |
..and I started my own business. And I carry on like this. | 0:09:57 | 0:10:00 | |
So, when you bought the glasshouses | 0:10:00 | 0:10:02 | |
-originally... -1969. -..were you growing cucumbers then? | 0:10:02 | 0:10:05 | |
-Cucumber, yes. It was roses in here. -Roses. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:08 | |
I take the roses out and I put cucumber in, | 0:10:08 | 0:10:11 | |
-then carried on with cucumber all the time. -And why cucumbers? | 0:10:11 | 0:10:14 | |
Because I understand the cucumber. | 0:10:14 | 0:10:17 | |
I don't understand about roses! | 0:10:17 | 0:10:19 | |
MATT LAUGHS | 0:10:19 | 0:10:21 | |
The cucumber business was hard work back then. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:25 | |
It was manual labour, seven days a week. | 0:10:25 | 0:10:27 | |
Coal was used to fire boilers that provided the warmth | 0:10:27 | 0:10:30 | |
the cucumbers needed to grow. | 0:10:30 | 0:10:32 | |
John often slept in his greenhouses, to keep an eye on his plants. | 0:10:32 | 0:10:37 | |
Things are a lot different now. | 0:10:37 | 0:10:39 | |
He has son-in-law Vito to help. | 0:10:39 | 0:10:41 | |
Vito grew up in Sicily, | 0:10:41 | 0:10:43 | |
but met wife Jo when he came to visit cousins, also in the business. | 0:10:43 | 0:10:46 | |
And he never went back. | 0:10:46 | 0:10:48 | |
Listen, let's start at the bottom and work up, | 0:10:48 | 0:10:51 | |
because you have got them in these little grow bags here. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:54 | |
-What is inside there? -Inside is coconut bits. -Oh, coconut? | 0:10:54 | 0:10:58 | |
-Yeah. Is crushed coconuts. -Right. -That particular one is coming | 0:10:58 | 0:11:04 | |
-from Sri Lanka. -You can see all the little coconut hairs in there. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:07 | |
Years ago - seven, eight years ago - we used to grow in this stuff | 0:11:07 | 0:11:12 | |
-called rock wool. -Which is loft insulation! | 0:11:12 | 0:11:14 | |
That's right. Correct. | 0:11:14 | 0:11:16 | |
And you have got these pipes and tubes coming in here. | 0:11:16 | 0:11:19 | |
-Is that feed? -That is the feed, from the irrigation computer. | 0:11:19 | 0:11:22 | |
So each one gets all the nutrients and water and, by the way, | 0:11:22 | 0:11:28 | |
the computer adjusts - more fertiliser or less water | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
-or... -It's all at the touch of a button these days? -Yeah. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:34 | |
In this mock-Mediterranean climate, cucumbers grow really fast. | 0:11:37 | 0:11:41 | |
Now, this was filmed over six hours and they grew about an inch. | 0:11:41 | 0:11:45 | |
But even with this finely tuned system, | 0:11:45 | 0:11:49 | |
the cucumbers are still susceptible to the age-old adversaries. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:53 | |
Is your biggest challenge pests? | 0:11:54 | 0:11:57 | |
This little fella, he will go and search for other little insects | 0:11:57 | 0:12:02 | |
-called thrips, which causes a lot of trouble for the cues. -Mm-hm. | 0:12:02 | 0:12:07 | |
-When the little fruit... He can go in there. -Mm-hm. | 0:12:07 | 0:12:13 | |
-Are those little cucumbers in there? -Yes, that is about seven | 0:12:13 | 0:12:16 | |
-cucumbers in there. -OK. -What he is doing, he starts biting the cues | 0:12:16 | 0:12:21 | |
when they are very, very small. | 0:12:21 | 0:12:23 | |
-Then, when they start growing, they are growing curly... -Right. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:26 | |
..which is no good to us. We can't sell to the supermarket. | 0:12:26 | 0:12:30 | |
Did I not hear right that the curly ones are actually the tastiest? | 0:12:30 | 0:12:33 | |
Yes. Is the better. More sugar, more tastier. | 0:12:33 | 0:12:35 | |
So, why are supermarkets selling us these long ones? | 0:12:35 | 0:12:40 | |
I think it is... People do not know the curly ones is the better one. | 0:12:40 | 0:12:44 | |
Vito, not after this. | 0:12:44 | 0:12:46 | |
Seriously, everybody is going to be after curly cucumbers now. | 0:12:46 | 0:12:49 | |
-Yes, it is the best. -Well, Vito doesn't throw away any of | 0:12:49 | 0:12:52 | |
the curly cucumbers. The north London Greek and Turkish communities | 0:12:52 | 0:12:55 | |
absolutely love them! | 0:12:55 | 0:12:57 | |
It's the old philosophy - waste not, want not. | 0:12:57 | 0:13:00 | |
And his commitment to environmentally friendly practices | 0:13:00 | 0:13:03 | |
is not just a load of hot air. | 0:13:03 | 0:13:05 | |
As well as a biomass boiler, they also have one of these... | 0:13:05 | 0:13:09 | |
It's a massive engine, which burns gas to heat the greenhouse | 0:13:11 | 0:13:15 | |
and also provides electricity for the National Grid. | 0:13:15 | 0:13:17 | |
Now, as well as that, it produces CO2, which, of course, | 0:13:17 | 0:13:21 | |
is a greenhouse gas, and it's used in the greenhouse. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:24 | |
But it's not contributing to global warming. | 0:13:26 | 0:13:28 | |
The carbon dioxide is fed through the pipes into the greenhouses, | 0:13:28 | 0:13:32 | |
where the plants absorb it. It's all controlled | 0:13:32 | 0:13:35 | |
by the touch of a button. But despite the gadgets and gizmos | 0:13:35 | 0:13:39 | |
and computers, there are still some jobs that are all about hard graft, | 0:13:39 | 0:13:44 | |
like harvesting. That's because only a human can judge when a cucumber | 0:13:44 | 0:13:48 | |
is big enough, heavy enough | 0:13:48 | 0:13:50 | |
and, you've guessed it, straight enough. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:52 | |
It's been fascinating to see the lengths that this family is going to | 0:13:54 | 0:13:58 | |
to create the perfect conditions for cucumbers, | 0:13:58 | 0:14:01 | |
but outside of the glasshouses, | 0:14:01 | 0:14:03 | |
and on the subject of our environment, | 0:14:03 | 0:14:05 | |
there are a number of predictions as to | 0:14:05 | 0:14:07 | |
what climate change is going to do | 0:14:07 | 0:14:09 | |
for the future of British agriculture. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:11 | |
But what is happening now? Tom has been to find out. | 0:14:11 | 0:14:15 | |
The British weather can be wild, wonderful and downright weird. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:22 | |
In the last few years, we've had droughts, big freezes | 0:14:22 | 0:14:26 | |
and the wettest winter on record. | 0:14:26 | 0:14:28 | |
So, what's going on? Well, for some, these extremes show | 0:14:28 | 0:14:33 | |
that our climate is changing. | 0:14:33 | 0:14:35 | |
A warmer world, they say, is delivering wilder weather. | 0:14:35 | 0:14:38 | |
Others, though, say our climate's always been unpredictable. | 0:14:38 | 0:14:43 | |
The Thames regularly froze over during a period | 0:14:43 | 0:14:46 | |
known as the "little ice age", which ended in the 19th century. | 0:14:46 | 0:14:50 | |
And some believe the Romans took advantage of warmer weather | 0:14:50 | 0:14:54 | |
to grow grapes in the north. This time, though, it's the rapid rate | 0:14:54 | 0:14:58 | |
of change that worries the experts. | 0:14:58 | 0:14:59 | |
They say it's already having an impact right across the globe. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:03 | |
But where's the proof? | 0:15:03 | 0:15:05 | |
For some, it's right here in the British countryside. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:10 | |
It is like a blizzard of petals. | 0:15:10 | 0:15:11 | |
It's great, it's like those Chinese movies. | 0:15:11 | 0:15:14 | |
Spring has come early | 0:15:14 | 0:15:16 | |
at the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens at Wisley in Surrey. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:20 | |
Hundreds of apple trees are in bloom, and although we've had | 0:15:20 | 0:15:23 | |
a mild winter this year, the early blossom here is not a one-off. | 0:15:23 | 0:15:28 | |
We've done some preliminary work, | 0:15:28 | 0:15:31 | |
so we've got data back to the 1950s, | 0:15:31 | 0:15:33 | |
and we've also got a weather station here, | 0:15:33 | 0:15:35 | |
and we're beginning to look at preliminary findings | 0:15:35 | 0:15:38 | |
that are showing that flowering | 0:15:38 | 0:15:40 | |
is becoming slightly earlier and longer in timeframe. | 0:15:40 | 0:15:44 | |
We're only going back a few decades, | 0:15:44 | 0:15:46 | |
a blink of the eye in terms of climate. | 0:15:46 | 0:15:48 | |
-How robust can it be? -We have to continue to collect that data | 0:15:48 | 0:15:52 | |
so we get a longer dataset and make that more robust. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:57 | |
But you, as a gut feeling, | 0:15:57 | 0:15:59 | |
are pretty convinced that these trees are experiencing something | 0:15:59 | 0:16:02 | |
different than they would have done 50 years ago? | 0:16:02 | 0:16:05 | |
I think there's some evidence that suggests | 0:16:05 | 0:16:08 | |
that they are experiencing something to do with climate change. | 0:16:08 | 0:16:11 | |
Whether it's 50 years ago or not, I'm unsure, but the more data we do, | 0:16:11 | 0:16:15 | |
we can see that there is some element of changing climate. | 0:16:15 | 0:16:18 | |
While this study may give us clues, it's not yet conclusive, | 0:16:21 | 0:16:24 | |
but the RHS believes | 0:16:24 | 0:16:26 | |
there is evidence of climate change all around us. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:29 | |
It's just surveyed 1,000 of its members and revealed to us | 0:16:29 | 0:16:33 | |
more than two-thirds of them said they've seen at least some changes | 0:16:33 | 0:16:37 | |
in their gardens relating to climate. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:39 | |
It's told us that gardeners and professional gardeners | 0:16:41 | 0:16:44 | |
see that climate change is happening, believe it is happening. | 0:16:44 | 0:16:47 | |
There are extreme weather conditions which are more challenging for them, | 0:16:47 | 0:16:51 | |
different flowering times, so early, late, often double flowering times. | 0:16:51 | 0:16:56 | |
Has strong are these results? | 0:16:56 | 0:16:57 | |
It occurs to me that those that see something are the ones that report, | 0:16:57 | 0:17:00 | |
-therefore it's a bit biased. -It is biased, but it gives us a snapshot | 0:17:00 | 0:17:04 | |
of what people are thinking, gardeners are thinking, | 0:17:04 | 0:17:07 | |
and allows us to do further research, to provide evidence to deal with | 0:17:07 | 0:17:12 | |
things like flooding and drought, and that is what we want to do | 0:17:12 | 0:17:14 | |
and the RHS has provided that advice | 0:17:14 | 0:17:17 | |
so they can garden and enjoy their gardens. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:19 | |
So the RHS and some members think | 0:17:19 | 0:17:21 | |
they are seeing early evidence of changing weather. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:25 | |
So does the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:29 | |
It says that the global average temperature has | 0:17:29 | 0:17:32 | |
increased by just under one degree centigrade in the last 130 years. | 0:17:32 | 0:17:37 | |
A small change, but enough to affect our sensitive ecosystems. | 0:17:37 | 0:17:43 | |
Studies have shown several species of butterfly in Britain | 0:17:45 | 0:17:48 | |
are now being found further north, because of warmer temperatures. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:53 | |
And they are not the only ones on the move. | 0:17:53 | 0:17:57 | |
You might see a couple of Dartford warblers. | 0:17:57 | 0:17:59 | |
On top of the gorse here, there's a couple of territories. | 0:17:59 | 0:18:02 | |
Scientists also believe some birds are shifting in the same direction. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:06 | |
One in particular, the Dartford warbler, is not only moving, | 0:18:06 | 0:18:10 | |
it's thriving as Britain slowly warms up. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:12 | |
The Dartford warbler is a species which is really quite sensitive | 0:18:12 | 0:18:16 | |
to the cold in winter. | 0:18:16 | 0:18:17 | |
They need places where the mean temperature in the coldest month | 0:18:17 | 0:18:21 | |
is above two degrees centigrade, | 0:18:21 | 0:18:22 | |
so traditionally they've been associated with southern Britain. | 0:18:22 | 0:18:25 | |
As the climate has changed, | 0:18:25 | 0:18:27 | |
the species has really increased in numbers, | 0:18:27 | 0:18:30 | |
getting up to about 3,000 pairs. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:32 | |
They have colonised south-west England. | 0:18:32 | 0:18:34 | |
They have gone up to south Wales, | 0:18:34 | 0:18:36 | |
places as far north as Cannock Chase and East Anglia, | 0:18:36 | 0:18:39 | |
and even a pair in the Peak District. | 0:18:39 | 0:18:41 | |
So as we have fewer cold winters, they're doing better | 0:18:41 | 0:18:45 | |
-and they're able to move further north? -Absolutely. | 0:18:45 | 0:18:48 | |
The pattern hasn't been consistent, has it? | 0:18:48 | 0:18:51 | |
Within the last five years, | 0:18:51 | 0:18:52 | |
I can remember some very snowy, very cold winters, | 0:18:52 | 0:18:55 | |
so how do they cope with the variation we get anyway? | 0:18:55 | 0:18:58 | |
I think it's the fact that the frequency of these bad winters | 0:18:58 | 0:19:01 | |
has been declining, especially through the '90s and the '00s. | 0:19:01 | 0:19:04 | |
That's what's been responsible | 0:19:04 | 0:19:06 | |
for this really quite dramatic push forward. | 0:19:06 | 0:19:08 | |
And how convinced are you that this is a symptom of climate change? | 0:19:08 | 0:19:12 | |
It's hard to be absolutely certain, | 0:19:12 | 0:19:14 | |
but it's also hard to see that it could be anything else that's | 0:19:14 | 0:19:17 | |
responsible for a northward push of a cold-sensitive species like this. | 0:19:17 | 0:19:21 | |
The Dartford warbler may take climate change in its stride, | 0:19:21 | 0:19:26 | |
but other birds seem to be finding it hard. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:29 | |
The cold-loving dotterel in the Scottish mountains could struggle, | 0:19:29 | 0:19:33 | |
because it can't move any higher to escape the warmth. | 0:19:33 | 0:19:37 | |
And scientists believe other species may suffer this time. | 0:19:37 | 0:19:40 | |
Species' ranges do change. | 0:19:41 | 0:19:43 | |
They move north and south as the climate changes. | 0:19:43 | 0:19:45 | |
What's different this time is the magnitude | 0:19:45 | 0:19:48 | |
and the rate of climate change, and the real question mark | 0:19:48 | 0:19:50 | |
is whether or not species are able | 0:19:50 | 0:19:52 | |
to move at the rate that the climate is changing. | 0:19:52 | 0:19:54 | |
So what are we hoping to find here? | 0:19:58 | 0:20:00 | |
'For animals that can't adapt to climate change, | 0:20:00 | 0:20:03 | |
'it's going to be tough to say the least. | 0:20:03 | 0:20:05 | |
'And when those animals help provide the food we eat, | 0:20:05 | 0:20:08 | |
'it's going to impact on us too. | 0:20:08 | 0:20:10 | |
'For David Brooks, it all starts with the humble beetle.' | 0:20:10 | 0:20:14 | |
That is actually what we are looking for, a ground beetle. | 0:20:14 | 0:20:17 | |
So why is it you're so interested in this beetle? | 0:20:17 | 0:20:20 | |
We're interested in this whole group of beetles | 0:20:20 | 0:20:22 | |
because they are important to agriculture, | 0:20:22 | 0:20:25 | |
and they're important as they're predatory insects, | 0:20:25 | 0:20:28 | |
what we call carnivorous insects. They eat other insects. | 0:20:28 | 0:20:30 | |
The insects they eat are particularly pest species, | 0:20:30 | 0:20:33 | |
things like greenfly and slugs, | 0:20:33 | 0:20:35 | |
so they're very important | 0:20:35 | 0:20:37 | |
in terms of maintaining the sustainability of agriculture | 0:20:37 | 0:20:40 | |
and helping the farmer with his yields of the crops. | 0:20:40 | 0:20:43 | |
They really are the farmer's friend, aren't they? | 0:20:43 | 0:20:46 | |
-Very much so. -And what are you seeing in terms of their numbers recently | 0:20:46 | 0:20:50 | |
that might be relevant to the climate change story? | 0:20:50 | 0:20:53 | |
What we're seeing overall is three-quarters of the species | 0:20:53 | 0:20:56 | |
that we've tracked out of 68 species are actually in decline. | 0:20:56 | 0:21:01 | |
These beetles, the different species, are very much adapted to the habitat | 0:21:01 | 0:21:04 | |
they are actually in, so when that changes, | 0:21:04 | 0:21:07 | |
then the climate can have adverse effects. | 0:21:07 | 0:21:10 | |
Numbers are declining, but this bug is a battler. | 0:21:11 | 0:21:14 | |
He has survived shifts in the climate before. | 0:21:14 | 0:21:17 | |
This time it's different, though, | 0:21:17 | 0:21:19 | |
and the way we manage our countryside is partly to blame. | 0:21:19 | 0:21:22 | |
This particular species was around just after the ice age | 0:21:22 | 0:21:25 | |
and he survived the ice age, and various huge climatic events. | 0:21:25 | 0:21:29 | |
The difference was that their habitat wasn't so denuded as it is now, | 0:21:29 | 0:21:33 | |
and fragmented, so they can move around the landscape much more. | 0:21:33 | 0:21:37 | |
Now that habitats have become more fragmented and come under more | 0:21:37 | 0:21:40 | |
pressure through intensification of farming methods and so forth, | 0:21:40 | 0:21:43 | |
climate can have a bigger effect than it would have done in the past. | 0:21:43 | 0:21:47 | |
So, from beetles to birds to blossom, there's growing evidence | 0:21:47 | 0:21:51 | |
that climate change is affecting us now, | 0:21:51 | 0:21:53 | |
but are these just isolated cases, or is the impact more widespread? | 0:21:53 | 0:21:58 | |
This is the operation centre, | 0:21:58 | 0:22:00 | |
the nerve centre of the Met Office weather forecasting activity. | 0:22:00 | 0:22:04 | |
At the Met Office, they don't just do weather forecasts. | 0:22:04 | 0:22:07 | |
They look at climate change across the world. | 0:22:07 | 0:22:10 | |
Richard Betts, a scientist here, | 0:22:10 | 0:22:12 | |
helped to write a major international report which says | 0:22:12 | 0:22:15 | |
a wide range of plants and animals are being affected. | 0:22:15 | 0:22:18 | |
We're seeing the natural world responding to | 0:22:18 | 0:22:21 | |
a change in climate in the UK. We're also seeing that happening in | 0:22:21 | 0:22:25 | |
other countries around the northern hemisphere, and also you can see it | 0:22:25 | 0:22:28 | |
on the satellite as well - | 0:22:28 | 0:22:29 | |
trees coming into leaf earlier in the spring. | 0:22:29 | 0:22:32 | |
These changes in the natural world | 0:22:32 | 0:22:34 | |
are signs that the climate is changing | 0:22:34 | 0:22:36 | |
and, in fact, these are the clearest indicators | 0:22:36 | 0:22:39 | |
of an impact of climate change. | 0:22:39 | 0:22:40 | |
A lot of your understanding comes from models. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:43 | |
Talk me through what we've got here. | 0:22:43 | 0:22:44 | |
This is showing temperature changes | 0:22:44 | 0:22:46 | |
relative to the preindustrial state, essentially. Blues are colder. | 0:22:46 | 0:22:50 | |
Yellows and oranges and reds | 0:22:50 | 0:22:52 | |
will be warmer than the preindustrial state, | 0:22:52 | 0:22:54 | |
so you can see the different patterns of warming around the world, | 0:22:54 | 0:22:57 | |
and as we get onto the end of the 21st century, | 0:22:57 | 0:22:59 | |
we're getting higher levels of warming, | 0:22:59 | 0:23:01 | |
four or five degrees or more. | 0:23:01 | 0:23:02 | |
We've been looking at the response of plants and animals. | 0:23:02 | 0:23:05 | |
It makes me wonder how they will cope | 0:23:05 | 0:23:08 | |
when the Earth might look like this. | 0:23:08 | 0:23:10 | |
What we are seeing at the moment | 0:23:10 | 0:23:11 | |
and what we expect for the future is change which is unusually fast. | 0:23:11 | 0:23:15 | |
-And therefore difficult for nature to adapt fast enough to keep up with? -That's right. | 0:23:15 | 0:23:19 | |
In particular, | 0:23:19 | 0:23:20 | |
if species are responding differently at different rates, | 0:23:20 | 0:23:23 | |
you'll get disruption of the ecosystems | 0:23:23 | 0:23:25 | |
for the different rates of response. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:27 | |
If you've got certain natural events tied to spring, | 0:23:27 | 0:23:32 | |
if one species is moving forward by a week and another by two days, | 0:23:32 | 0:23:36 | |
they come out of synchrony, so if they are depending on each other, | 0:23:36 | 0:23:39 | |
that interdependency is essentially broken, so disrupting the ecosystems | 0:23:39 | 0:23:44 | |
is what would be expected as a consequence of this. | 0:23:44 | 0:23:47 | |
So, botanists and bird and bug specialists do seem pretty convinced | 0:23:53 | 0:23:58 | |
they're seeing some signs of nature responding to a change in climate. | 0:23:58 | 0:24:03 | |
And whilst wildlife has adapted to shifting weather patterns before, | 0:24:03 | 0:24:08 | |
if today's change is too rapid, | 0:24:08 | 0:24:11 | |
it's feared some species could get left behind. | 0:24:11 | 0:24:14 | |
The Lee Valley is a 26-mile swathe of green | 0:24:26 | 0:24:29 | |
just a stone's throw from the centre of London. | 0:24:29 | 0:24:32 | |
Despite being so close to the capital, | 0:24:33 | 0:24:35 | |
the Lee Valley has a real feeling of wide, open countryside. | 0:24:35 | 0:24:40 | |
There are lakes, | 0:24:43 | 0:24:46 | |
woods, | 0:24:46 | 0:24:48 | |
open meadows | 0:24:48 | 0:24:50 | |
and, as I saw earlier, pristine chalk streams. | 0:24:50 | 0:24:53 | |
Then there's the wildlife - water voles, otters, mayflies... | 0:24:53 | 0:24:59 | |
seabirds? | 0:24:59 | 0:25:01 | |
Yup, seabirds. The common tern, in fact. | 0:25:02 | 0:25:06 | |
To find out what they're doing here, | 0:25:06 | 0:25:09 | |
-I'm meeting wildlife warden Dave Hutley. -Thank you. | 0:25:09 | 0:25:13 | |
It seems quite surprising that they would have seabirds so far inland. | 0:25:13 | 0:25:16 | |
Yes, the pits here are old gravel workings, | 0:25:16 | 0:25:19 | |
and they are the perfect habitat for terns to use to nest, | 0:25:19 | 0:25:23 | |
if they've got spaces to nest on, | 0:25:23 | 0:25:25 | |
-which are what these tern rafts are for. -Terns love gravel. | 0:25:25 | 0:25:29 | |
These specially built rafts are covered with the stuff. | 0:25:29 | 0:25:33 | |
It replicates the birds' usual coastal breeding grounds. | 0:25:33 | 0:25:37 | |
And what kind of nest will they create on this ground? | 0:25:37 | 0:25:40 | |
What they'll do, they'll dig out a shallow hollow in the gravel and | 0:25:40 | 0:25:43 | |
then they will just nest on that, just lay the egg straight onto that. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:47 | |
They're very good, very camouflaged eggs. | 0:25:47 | 0:25:49 | |
And then once the chicks hatch, they stay on here. | 0:25:49 | 0:25:51 | |
We've got the barriers on to stop predators coming on board | 0:25:51 | 0:25:54 | |
-and stop the chicks going off. -Perfect! | 0:25:54 | 0:25:56 | |
Why don't you just put it out on the natural islands? Why these rafts? | 0:25:56 | 0:25:59 | |
These rafts are better because less predators can get out on here. | 0:25:59 | 0:26:03 | |
The islands do get very overgrown, as you can see, | 0:26:03 | 0:26:07 | |
the scrub coming up on there, whereas these are controlled... | 0:26:07 | 0:26:10 | |
-Much more manageable. -Yeah. -This is your ride here. -It certainly is. | 0:26:10 | 0:26:14 | |
Hello. Do you want me to pass you that? | 0:26:14 | 0:26:17 | |
Over to you. | 0:26:19 | 0:26:20 | |
Right, I shall leave you to it. Here's to a bumper season, then. | 0:26:20 | 0:26:24 | |
-Indeed. Let's hope so. -Nice one. See you later. -Bye-bye. | 0:26:24 | 0:26:27 | |
Now the raft is ready, it's towed out into the middle of the lake | 0:26:29 | 0:26:33 | |
to await the return of the terns to breed. | 0:26:33 | 0:26:36 | |
They'll soon be here in numbers, | 0:26:38 | 0:26:40 | |
but there's one species here who are raising chicks already. | 0:26:40 | 0:26:44 | |
They live on an island where few feet tread | 0:26:51 | 0:26:54 | |
and the only access is by boat. | 0:26:54 | 0:26:56 | |
We tried to cause as little disturbance as possible. | 0:27:01 | 0:27:04 | |
But the adult birds break from the treetops. | 0:27:08 | 0:27:11 | |
They look prehistoric, swooping around like pterodactyls. | 0:27:12 | 0:27:16 | |
They are grey herons, one of our biggest birds. | 0:27:22 | 0:27:26 | |
It's amazing arriving here. It feels quite dramatic, doesn't it? | 0:27:28 | 0:27:31 | |
They fly off, and then it's a completely uninhabited island. | 0:27:31 | 0:27:34 | |
Wait till you see the young. | 0:27:34 | 0:27:36 | |
-If you didn't think birds came from dinosaurs, this will prove it. -Wow! | 0:27:36 | 0:27:39 | |
I'm with Paul Roper | 0:27:41 | 0:27:43 | |
and his team of wildlife wardens from the Lee Valley Park Authority. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:47 | |
We're here to ring the heron chicks. | 0:27:48 | 0:27:50 | |
The mother keeps a watchful eye overhead as we approach the nest. | 0:27:52 | 0:27:56 | |
We've got to be quite quick, actually, | 0:27:58 | 0:28:00 | |
because when the herons come off the nest, the chicks are left | 0:28:00 | 0:28:03 | |
exposed to the cold, so they have flown off because we've arrived. | 0:28:03 | 0:28:07 | |
We've got to be quick about it. It's really not resting on much. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:12 | |
OK, we've got two in this nest now. I'll bring them down for you. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:18 | |
I can see something with downy feathers. | 0:28:21 | 0:28:23 | |
This may look rough on the chicks, | 0:28:23 | 0:28:26 | |
but Paul's an expert licensed handler. He knows what he's doing. | 0:28:26 | 0:28:29 | |
-Put your hands just there. -Just there. A bit of protest. | 0:28:31 | 0:28:35 | |
-They're so beautiful. -These are real dinosaur birds. | 0:28:35 | 0:28:40 | |
God, they are! They just look incredibly prehistoric. | 0:28:40 | 0:28:43 | |
Each chick is ringed and gets its own individual number. | 0:28:44 | 0:28:48 | |
A note is made which will help identify in the future. | 0:28:48 | 0:28:52 | |
1505444. | 0:28:52 | 0:28:56 | |
And these have to be big enough to allow the herons to get full-size with a ring on? | 0:28:56 | 0:29:00 | |
Herons are quite easy to ring, | 0:29:00 | 0:29:02 | |
-because the legs are quite big from an early age. -Oh, yeah. | 0:29:02 | 0:29:06 | |
It's because they climb about in the canopy, | 0:29:06 | 0:29:09 | |
so even when they are this size, they all run around quite fast, | 0:29:09 | 0:29:13 | |
and they can be quite difficult to pick up at this size. | 0:29:13 | 0:29:17 | |
I think most people will find it remarkable that they nest so high in trees, given how big they are. | 0:29:17 | 0:29:22 | |
Yeah, they're quite a big bird, | 0:29:22 | 0:29:23 | |
but it's really down to the strategy for the young, because the young, | 0:29:23 | 0:29:26 | |
it's a good survival strategy. They can climb around in the trees, | 0:29:26 | 0:29:30 | |
not many predators can get up to them, | 0:29:30 | 0:29:32 | |
and they build these huge nests, as you've seen already, | 0:29:32 | 0:29:35 | |
so they're very large nests, but it's a good place for them to breed. | 0:29:35 | 0:29:39 | |
They're not susceptible to foxes and things. | 0:29:39 | 0:29:42 | |
But also, these herons breeding on this island, it's safer for them, so they prefer it | 0:29:42 | 0:29:45 | |
if they can get onto an island like this and breed up in the trees. | 0:29:45 | 0:29:48 | |
-And herons are quite a good news story, aren't they? -Yes, they are. | 0:29:48 | 0:29:51 | |
These ones have been doing quite well. | 0:29:51 | 0:29:54 | |
From about seven or eight years ago, | 0:29:54 | 0:29:56 | |
they've come up from four pairs on this island | 0:29:56 | 0:29:58 | |
to an average of around 30 pairs year now, | 0:29:58 | 0:30:00 | |
which seems to be stabilising at about that figure. | 0:30:00 | 0:30:02 | |
That's a healthy increase year on year. | 0:30:05 | 0:30:08 | |
With the chicks safely back in the nest, it's time for us to leave | 0:30:10 | 0:30:16 | |
and let the parents return. | 0:30:16 | 0:30:18 | |
Who'd have thought there'd be | 0:30:20 | 0:30:22 | |
so much natural beauty just a stone's throw from London? | 0:30:22 | 0:30:25 | |
It's just goes to show, no matter how well you | 0:30:25 | 0:30:27 | |
think you know your landscape, it still has the power to surprise you. | 0:30:27 | 0:30:31 | |
Now we want you to surprise us. | 0:30:31 | 0:30:34 | |
Please e-mail us with your suggestions of those | 0:30:36 | 0:30:40 | |
untold stories that are special to you | 0:30:40 | 0:30:42 | |
for a completely new series of Secret Britain. | 0:30:42 | 0:30:46 | |
We know that you know Britain's countryside better than anyone else. | 0:30:48 | 0:30:52 | |
We want to hear about secret places | 0:30:52 | 0:30:55 | |
and wonderful wildlife events that few people get to witness. | 0:30:55 | 0:30:59 | |
Over the summer, Adam and I will be exploring the secret places | 0:31:01 | 0:31:05 | |
and people of Britain that you tell us about. So this is | 0:31:05 | 0:31:08 | |
your chance to share those locations that are special to you with us all. | 0:31:08 | 0:31:12 | |
We are looking for a lost treasure revealed only at low tide, | 0:31:12 | 0:31:18 | |
a wildlife spectacle, a neglected country craft | 0:31:18 | 0:31:24 | |
or simply one of our best-known landmarks with an unknown story. | 0:31:24 | 0:31:29 | |
It's the personal connection of you and your family to the | 0:31:29 | 0:31:34 | |
secret places and people of Britain that we are seeking. | 0:31:34 | 0:31:37 | |
So share your ideas with us. | 0:31:37 | 0:31:39 | |
Please e-mail your thoughts, with photos too if you can, to... | 0:31:39 | 0:31:47 | |
You'll find all the information you need on the Countryfile website. | 0:31:48 | 0:31:52 | |
Earlier, I heard how the Lee Valley is the hidden heart of the UK's | 0:31:57 | 0:32:01 | |
cucumber business and how Sicilian families are running the show. | 0:32:01 | 0:32:06 | |
Families like the Abella dynasty. | 0:32:06 | 0:32:08 | |
Life's changed a lot since head of the family John | 0:32:08 | 0:32:11 | |
came here in 1957, and it's still changing. | 0:32:11 | 0:32:15 | |
And that means that here in the Lee Valley, the familiar cucumber | 0:32:15 | 0:32:18 | |
is now rubbing shoulders with some new Mediterranean neighbours. | 0:32:18 | 0:32:22 | |
With so many people holidaying in the sun | 0:32:22 | 0:32:25 | |
and being exposed to different cuisines, there's increasing demand | 0:32:25 | 0:32:29 | |
for something new and different, like vine and cherry tomatoes, | 0:32:29 | 0:32:32 | |
which are perfect for the bambini in the family. | 0:32:32 | 0:32:35 | |
And there's another growing market - for peppers. | 0:32:39 | 0:32:42 | |
They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. | 0:32:42 | 0:32:45 | |
And they do say that the orange ones are the sweetest, | 0:32:47 | 0:32:49 | |
but these days, there's a new kid on the block. | 0:32:49 | 0:32:51 | |
Thank you. Here he is, this little fellow. | 0:32:51 | 0:32:54 | |
You may think that this is a hot chilli pepper, | 0:32:54 | 0:32:56 | |
but no, these are sweet, | 0:32:56 | 0:32:58 | |
juicy - another one that's perfect for little people's lunchboxes. | 0:32:58 | 0:33:01 | |
And it doesn't stop there | 0:33:01 | 0:33:03 | |
because the Abella family have just started growing these. Aubergines. | 0:33:03 | 0:33:09 | |
They may still be a rare sight in British kitchens, | 0:33:10 | 0:33:14 | |
but aubergines are close to the Italian heart. | 0:33:14 | 0:33:17 | |
John's son-in-law Pas sells them now, but he's been eating them | 0:33:17 | 0:33:21 | |
since he was a child. | 0:33:21 | 0:33:22 | |
When I was young back home in Sicily, | 0:33:23 | 0:33:26 | |
my grandma and my mum, we would have aubergines | 0:33:26 | 0:33:29 | |
cooked in different ways every other day, virtually, | 0:33:29 | 0:33:32 | |
whether they be fried or with pasta or... | 0:33:32 | 0:33:35 | |
One form or another, we would have aubergines. | 0:33:35 | 0:33:38 | |
It was a poor people's food in them days, but nowadays it's the trend. | 0:33:38 | 0:33:42 | |
-Yes. These days, classy. -It really is. -Look at that. -It's phenomenal. | 0:33:42 | 0:33:46 | |
You almost want to just put that on the side and look at it. | 0:33:46 | 0:33:48 | |
Yeah. It is beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. | 0:33:48 | 0:33:50 | |
So for anyone thinking about growing aubergines, what's the secret? | 0:33:50 | 0:33:54 | |
You've got to be very patient and you've got to look after it. | 0:33:54 | 0:33:58 | |
It's like looking after babies, and we've got a lot of babies here! | 0:33:58 | 0:34:01 | |
Well, John's babies are all grown up now | 0:34:04 | 0:34:07 | |
and are important cogs in the salad-growing machine. | 0:34:07 | 0:34:10 | |
They all know about cooking the way Mama used to | 0:34:10 | 0:34:13 | |
but would they know how to make a classic cucumber sandwich? | 0:34:13 | 0:34:17 | |
The traditional way to prepare a cucumber sandwich | 0:34:17 | 0:34:21 | |
here in the Home Counties is to slice the cucumber | 0:34:21 | 0:34:25 | |
as thin as possible, so you can almost see through it, | 0:34:25 | 0:34:28 | |
and then lay it down onto some white bread | 0:34:28 | 0:34:32 | |
with the crusts cut off. | 0:34:32 | 0:34:34 | |
All very delicate indeed. | 0:34:34 | 0:34:36 | |
But that's not the case here in this house. | 0:34:36 | 0:34:39 | |
A traditional Italian kitchen, everybody busying away here | 0:34:39 | 0:34:42 | |
and I'm very intrigued. | 0:34:42 | 0:34:44 | |
-This is aubergine that you've prepared. -That's right. | 0:34:44 | 0:34:46 | |
-Give us an idea of... Can I try it? -Of course you can. | 0:34:46 | 0:34:49 | |
Give us an idea of what's going on here. | 0:34:49 | 0:34:51 | |
-It's aubergines in breadcrumbs. -Right. | 0:34:51 | 0:34:53 | |
What you do, you just slice them thinly | 0:34:53 | 0:34:56 | |
and then dip them in seasoned egg | 0:34:56 | 0:34:58 | |
-and then coat them in breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. -That's lovely. | 0:34:58 | 0:35:02 | |
-Not a lot of people know what to do with aubergines. -That's right. | 0:35:02 | 0:35:05 | |
It's not something that a lot of people know how to cook. | 0:35:05 | 0:35:09 | |
And Jo is over the stove. | 0:35:09 | 0:35:10 | |
I'll go and see what is happening over there. | 0:35:10 | 0:35:12 | |
This is my kind of kitchen, this. Right, what's happening in here? | 0:35:12 | 0:35:16 | |
I've cooked up some linguine pasta | 0:35:16 | 0:35:18 | |
and I'm preparing the sauce, which is made from home-grown tomatoes... | 0:35:18 | 0:35:22 | |
Of course. | 0:35:22 | 0:35:23 | |
..made with aubergines to give it the aubergine flavour, mashed up | 0:35:23 | 0:35:27 | |
and then made into this lovely sauce. | 0:35:27 | 0:35:29 | |
In typical Italian family tradition, | 0:35:29 | 0:35:31 | |
there's an abundance of food for us to eat. | 0:35:31 | 0:35:34 | |
But it is that pasta sauce I'm after. | 0:35:34 | 0:35:37 | |
I'll try a bit of this. | 0:35:37 | 0:35:38 | |
-It's long pasta, this. -So, the Italian way. You need a spoon | 0:35:40 | 0:35:43 | |
-and you need a fork. -Like that. -That's it. That will help you. | 0:35:43 | 0:35:47 | |
Mm, Jo. Mm. What do I say? What's the Italian? | 0:35:49 | 0:35:53 | |
-Buonissima. -Buonissima. | 0:35:53 | 0:35:56 | |
A taste of Italy a stone's throw from London. Beautiful. | 0:35:56 | 0:36:01 | |
On Countryfile we get to visit some amazing places | 0:36:04 | 0:36:08 | |
and meet some amazing people from all over the country, | 0:36:08 | 0:36:12 | |
but sometimes there's no place like home, | 0:36:12 | 0:36:14 | |
as Adam knows all too well. | 0:36:14 | 0:36:17 | |
I'm lucky to live and farm in the heart of what I think is | 0:36:20 | 0:36:24 | |
one of the most beautiful counties in England - Gloucestershire. | 0:36:24 | 0:36:28 | |
It's a county that lends its name to some magnificent cattle. | 0:36:29 | 0:36:33 | |
Gloucesters. | 0:36:35 | 0:36:37 | |
These are some of my Gloucester cattle, | 0:36:41 | 0:36:43 | |
a really lovely old-fashioned breed that were once used | 0:36:43 | 0:36:46 | |
to pull the plough. They're also used for meat and milk production. | 0:36:46 | 0:36:50 | |
My dad started collecting them in the late '60s, early '70s. | 0:36:50 | 0:36:54 | |
We've had them on the farm ever since. | 0:36:54 | 0:36:56 | |
We've now got about 15 of them. | 0:36:56 | 0:36:57 | |
We like the cows to breed every year. | 0:36:57 | 0:37:00 | |
They have a nine-month gestation, so that's where the bulls come in. | 0:37:00 | 0:37:03 | |
My Gloucester bull has been with me for five years. | 0:37:05 | 0:37:09 | |
He's done a fine job looking after his ladies, | 0:37:09 | 0:37:11 | |
but soon he'll need replacing. | 0:37:11 | 0:37:13 | |
This is Isaac, my Gloucester bull. | 0:37:13 | 0:37:16 | |
I just thought I'd bring him out into the sunshine | 0:37:16 | 0:37:19 | |
to show him off to you. | 0:37:19 | 0:37:21 | |
The Gloucester are a lovely breed. | 0:37:21 | 0:37:24 | |
They're very docile and easy to handle. | 0:37:24 | 0:37:26 | |
The bulls are generally a bit darker than the cows, | 0:37:26 | 0:37:29 | |
a dark brown-black colour, | 0:37:29 | 0:37:32 | |
mahogany colour, with this typical white line down their back and tail. | 0:37:32 | 0:37:36 | |
He is a reasonably beefy bull, | 0:37:36 | 0:37:38 | |
although they are dual purpose, for meat and for milk. | 0:37:38 | 0:37:42 | |
And he's a fine character. Lovely chap. | 0:37:42 | 0:37:45 | |
But now that he's related to some of the young females in the herd, | 0:37:45 | 0:37:49 | |
he obviously can't mate with them, | 0:37:49 | 0:37:51 | |
so what I've got to do is find a bull to go onto those young heifers, | 0:37:51 | 0:37:55 | |
and find a replacement for you, really, mate. | 0:37:55 | 0:37:59 | |
Come on, then. | 0:37:59 | 0:38:02 | |
Finding that replacement for Isaac isn't as easy as it sounds. | 0:38:06 | 0:38:09 | |
The trouble with rare breeds is just that - they are rare. | 0:38:11 | 0:38:14 | |
But luckily, just down the road from my place, | 0:38:19 | 0:38:22 | |
farmer Clifford Freeman has | 0:38:22 | 0:38:23 | |
a fantastic herd of Gloucester cattle. | 0:38:23 | 0:38:26 | |
-What a beautiful herd. How many have you got? -I've got 151. | 0:38:26 | 0:38:30 | |
There are 84 females and five bulls and the rest are steers. | 0:38:30 | 0:38:36 | |
That must be one of the biggest herds in the country, isn't it? | 0:38:36 | 0:38:40 | |
Yes, I would imagine it is one of the biggest herds | 0:38:40 | 0:38:42 | |
and one of the biggest herds for quite a while, I should have thought. | 0:38:42 | 0:38:46 | |
Your dad worked with my dad | 0:38:46 | 0:38:48 | |
and a few others to help save the breed going back, didn't they? | 0:38:48 | 0:38:51 | |
Absolutely. Early '70s, there was only 60-odd left. | 0:38:51 | 0:38:54 | |
And they saved them and preserved them | 0:38:54 | 0:38:56 | |
and grew the numbers up to about 1,000 in 1990, but we've dropped back | 0:38:56 | 0:39:01 | |
to 700 now, so we've got a little bit of work to do to keep them going. | 0:39:01 | 0:39:06 | |
They can't just be preserved. They need to have a purpose. | 0:39:06 | 0:39:10 | |
Clifford is a modern-day farmer | 0:39:11 | 0:39:13 | |
but he likes to keep a touch of the old days on his farm. | 0:39:13 | 0:39:16 | |
-It's a lovely old building. -Yes, I built it about four years ago. | 0:39:18 | 0:39:22 | |
It's based on a building that was already here. | 0:39:22 | 0:39:24 | |
The stalls are a replica of what was on my grandfather's farm. | 0:39:24 | 0:39:27 | |
So that's where they would have put their heads through to go | 0:39:27 | 0:39:30 | |
-into yoke for milking? -Absolutely. Yes. | 0:39:30 | 0:39:32 | |
The cattle used to come in, | 0:39:32 | 0:39:34 | |
they used to put a little bit of food down for them to eat, | 0:39:34 | 0:39:38 | |
and just push up and there they are. | 0:39:38 | 0:39:41 | |
Once they were milked, they just used to open them and let them go. | 0:39:41 | 0:39:45 | |
-And this is the next generation of cows, then? -That's right. | 0:39:45 | 0:39:48 | |
These will go to the bull in 12 months' time. | 0:39:48 | 0:39:51 | |
They will summer out and be ready for the bull around next January time. | 0:39:51 | 0:39:57 | |
As well as the heifers, you've got a lovely couple of young bulls here. | 0:39:57 | 0:40:01 | |
So it's a new bull I need, and I understand you've got a mature bull | 0:40:01 | 0:40:04 | |
you might be able to let me use. | 0:40:04 | 0:40:05 | |
Yeah, we have. Yeah, yeah. Let's go and have a look. | 0:40:05 | 0:40:08 | |
Just doing this to make him look a bit smarter for the cameras, really. | 0:40:11 | 0:40:15 | |
BULL BELLOWS | 0:40:17 | 0:40:19 | |
'Once the big boy's spruced up, he likes to make his presence known.' | 0:40:22 | 0:40:26 | |
He's excited. He's eyeing up his new wives over there. | 0:40:26 | 0:40:30 | |
-BELLOWING CONTINUES -Let's go and have a look at them. | 0:40:30 | 0:40:33 | |
He's got some height about him, hasn't he, in the shoulder. | 0:40:33 | 0:40:36 | |
Yes, he's a big bull. Yeah, he's one of the biggest bulls | 0:40:36 | 0:40:38 | |
I've seen for a Gloucester bull for a good few years. | 0:40:38 | 0:40:42 | |
Really lovely. | 0:40:42 | 0:40:43 | |
The Gloucesters aren't the best in the back end, are they? | 0:40:45 | 0:40:47 | |
No, and he's no exception. His back end is what lets him down. | 0:40:47 | 0:40:51 | |
A fine fellow, aren't you. What's his name? | 0:40:53 | 0:40:55 | |
-Er, his name is Constable. -Constable. | 0:40:55 | 0:40:58 | |
-And he's what...? How old is he? -He's seven. -Right. | 0:40:58 | 0:41:01 | |
CATTLE BELLOW | 0:41:01 | 0:41:02 | |
-And what sort of money do you want for him? -Um, he's not for sale. | 0:41:02 | 0:41:06 | |
I'll hire him to you. We're not selling bulls at the moment. | 0:41:06 | 0:41:08 | |
We're tending to keep the bulls | 0:41:08 | 0:41:10 | |
because we don't know when we'll need them again | 0:41:10 | 0:41:12 | |
with the different lines we've got. | 0:41:12 | 0:41:13 | |
When would he be available? | 0:41:13 | 0:41:15 | |
He'll be available at the end of June, beginning of July. | 0:41:15 | 0:41:17 | |
OK. Well, that would be perfect. | 0:41:17 | 0:41:19 | |
CONSTABLE BELLOWS | 0:41:19 | 0:41:21 | |
'Deal done. Constable will meet my girls in the summer. | 0:41:22 | 0:41:26 | |
'In the meantime, he's got a job to do here.' | 0:41:26 | 0:41:29 | |
Right, then, fella. | 0:41:29 | 0:41:30 | |
Come on, then, we're going to go and see your ladies. | 0:41:30 | 0:41:33 | |
'Clifford's herd of 150 cattle are split up | 0:41:33 | 0:41:36 | |
'and graze over different farms around the county, | 0:41:36 | 0:41:39 | |
'which hopefully ensures the whole herd | 0:41:39 | 0:41:41 | |
'isn't wiped out if a disease strikes. | 0:41:41 | 0:41:43 | |
'We're moving some cows and calves to a neighbouring farm, | 0:41:49 | 0:41:52 | |
'owned by Matthew Rymer. | 0:41:52 | 0:41:54 | |
'He's working with Clifford on an initiative | 0:41:54 | 0:41:56 | |
'they hope will promote the uniqueness of Gloucester beef | 0:41:56 | 0:41:59 | |
'and address a growing interest in where our food comes from.' | 0:41:59 | 0:42:03 | |
It's being born, it's being reared, it's being fattened, | 0:42:05 | 0:42:08 | |
it's slaughtered, it's butchered and it's being sold | 0:42:08 | 0:42:11 | |
within a four-mile corridor of the River Severn | 0:42:11 | 0:42:13 | |
to create a very, very local produce - | 0:42:13 | 0:42:15 | |
Gloucestershire born-and-bred beef. | 0:42:15 | 0:42:17 | |
It can add to the attraction of what's a beautiful vale | 0:42:17 | 0:42:19 | |
that we live in, and it's cattle country. | 0:42:19 | 0:42:22 | |
And we're providing a traceability so that, when you buy the meat, | 0:42:22 | 0:42:25 | |
you can trace it straight back to the animal | 0:42:25 | 0:42:27 | |
using the latest online technology. | 0:42:27 | 0:42:29 | |
So you can actually see the animal, when it was slaughtered, | 0:42:29 | 0:42:32 | |
when it was butchered, where, how, who. | 0:42:32 | 0:42:35 | |
Playing a key role in Matthew and Clifford's | 0:42:35 | 0:42:38 | |
traceability of Gloucester beef is 21-year-old butcher Ben Morton. | 0:42:38 | 0:42:42 | |
He has plenty of enthusiasm and youth on his side. | 0:42:42 | 0:42:46 | |
-Hi, Ben. -Hi, Adam, how are you? | 0:42:46 | 0:42:47 | |
All right, good. So this is a bit of Gloucester, is it? | 0:42:47 | 0:42:49 | |
Yeah, this a bit of Gloucester beef, | 0:42:49 | 0:42:52 | |
sourced just literally down the road from me. | 0:42:52 | 0:42:54 | |
-This is it's fillet I'm just taking out now. -Look at that! | 0:42:55 | 0:42:58 | |
So what makes this sort of beef so special? | 0:42:58 | 0:43:01 | |
Well, if you have a look there, can you see this grain and marbling? | 0:43:01 | 0:43:03 | |
-Yeah. -That is all about rare breeds, | 0:43:03 | 0:43:06 | |
and Gloucester is one of the main, main breeds that is ideal for this. | 0:43:06 | 0:43:10 | |
I mean, that will just melt away in the pan | 0:43:10 | 0:43:13 | |
-and it'll just eat like butter. -Wonderful! | 0:43:13 | 0:43:15 | |
Look at the colour difference. | 0:43:15 | 0:43:17 | |
That's a deep red. | 0:43:17 | 0:43:19 | |
You know, the same with here. The marbling... | 0:43:19 | 0:43:21 | |
An amazingly dark colour, isn't it? | 0:43:21 | 0:43:23 | |
But people, I think, aren't used to this dark colour | 0:43:23 | 0:43:27 | |
and it almost puts them off. | 0:43:27 | 0:43:29 | |
For you, as a young man, starting your own business, | 0:43:29 | 0:43:31 | |
you've got to compete with the big boys. How difficult is that? | 0:43:31 | 0:43:34 | |
Well, um... | 0:43:34 | 0:43:36 | |
Very. But... | 0:43:36 | 0:43:37 | |
..he who dares... This is from Only Fools And Horses, | 0:43:39 | 0:43:41 | |
but he who dares wins. | 0:43:41 | 0:43:43 | |
But traceability is so important, especially... | 0:43:43 | 0:43:46 | |
I've got to beat everyone else. | 0:43:46 | 0:43:48 | |
How do I do that? | 0:43:48 | 0:43:49 | |
I do it by telling them the story. | 0:43:49 | 0:43:52 | |
I want to tell those customers that story that, | 0:43:52 | 0:43:55 | |
"Right, this is Gloucester beef. | 0:43:55 | 0:43:57 | |
"It's from literally a mile down the road. | 0:43:57 | 0:43:59 | |
"It's killed ten miles away, in Gloucester, | 0:43:59 | 0:44:02 | |
"it comes back to me, it's hung for four weeks, | 0:44:02 | 0:44:04 | |
"and then I bone it all out, tie the joints, put it on the counter, | 0:44:04 | 0:44:07 | |
"and then cut it for the customer. | 0:44:07 | 0:44:09 | |
"It's all done within this small area." | 0:44:09 | 0:44:12 | |
And for a little butcher's shop like us to still be in a little village | 0:44:12 | 0:44:15 | |
and still going... | 0:44:15 | 0:44:17 | |
I mean, it's really exciting and nerve-racking. | 0:44:17 | 0:44:20 | |
ADAM LAUGHS | 0:44:20 | 0:44:22 | |
Thanks to youngsters like Ben, | 0:44:22 | 0:44:24 | |
the future's looking bright for Gloucester cattle. | 0:44:24 | 0:44:26 | |
Shame the same can't be said for Ellie. | 0:44:26 | 0:44:28 | |
She's in a jam over in the Lee Valley. | 0:44:28 | 0:44:31 | |
'Ever get the feeling you're in the wrong place?' | 0:44:39 | 0:44:42 | |
This is definitely... | 0:44:44 | 0:44:45 | |
the wrong place. | 0:44:45 | 0:44:47 | |
'This is the Olympic White Water Centre in the Lee Valley, | 0:44:48 | 0:44:52 | |
'scene of many Team GB triumphs in 2012. | 0:44:52 | 0:44:55 | |
'But this isn't a winning situation. | 0:44:57 | 0:45:00 | |
'I'm in a serious spot of bother.' | 0:45:01 | 0:45:03 | |
-Shall I do that? -Try winding down the window. | 0:45:03 | 0:45:05 | |
-It's going to come in if I do that. -It's not, it's OK. | 0:45:05 | 0:45:09 | |
'Just as well this lot are on hand.' | 0:45:09 | 0:45:11 | |
'These are the volunteers of the RNLI. | 0:45:16 | 0:45:18 | |
'This is a flood training exercise. | 0:45:22 | 0:45:25 | |
'I should feel safer.' | 0:45:25 | 0:45:27 | |
-I'm glad of the sunroof, I'm telling you now. -Yeah, so... | 0:45:27 | 0:45:30 | |
-Just coming in and above your head, Ellie. -All right. | 0:45:30 | 0:45:32 | |
We'll get it open and take you out of the car. | 0:45:34 | 0:45:36 | |
'Getting out of the car is tricky enough. | 0:45:36 | 0:45:39 | |
'Moving in fast-flowing water is trickier. | 0:45:39 | 0:45:42 | |
'The team have a carefully choreographed technique | 0:45:42 | 0:45:44 | |
'to deal with it, though. | 0:45:44 | 0:45:47 | |
'It may look a bit like line dancing in dry suits | 0:45:47 | 0:45:50 | |
'but this routine saves lives.' | 0:45:50 | 0:45:52 | |
My word, Glen. I'll never get used to that. | 0:45:55 | 0:45:58 | |
-How quickly things can go wrong! -Very quickly. | 0:45:58 | 0:46:00 | |
And we're finding more and more people | 0:46:00 | 0:46:02 | |
are overestimating the capability of their cars | 0:46:02 | 0:46:05 | |
and finding themselves in those sorts of situations. | 0:46:05 | 0:46:07 | |
What, they'll just drive into water? | 0:46:07 | 0:46:09 | |
Yeah, I think that people think they can get through, | 0:46:09 | 0:46:11 | |
it's a regular route they're taking, | 0:46:11 | 0:46:13 | |
they've not listened to the signage, they've driven through | 0:46:13 | 0:46:16 | |
and find themselves in the situation you found yourself in, | 0:46:16 | 0:46:18 | |
sat in the car as the water's rising up around them. | 0:46:18 | 0:46:21 | |
Are you seeing more of it, then? | 0:46:21 | 0:46:22 | |
We're finding that flood is becoming more prevalent, | 0:46:22 | 0:46:24 | |
in terms of what we're expected to do | 0:46:24 | 0:46:26 | |
and, as a result of that, we're finding ourselves | 0:46:26 | 0:46:28 | |
across the whole of the country, dealing with it. | 0:46:28 | 0:46:31 | |
I have to say, I am so glad that you guys are here. | 0:46:31 | 0:46:33 | |
Even on training conditions like this, I felt really scared then. | 0:46:33 | 0:46:36 | |
-Good. I hope you felt safe once the team arrived. -I did. | 0:46:36 | 0:46:39 | |
I was so glad to see the yellow and red, I tell you. | 0:46:39 | 0:46:41 | |
Good. Good to hear. | 0:46:41 | 0:46:43 | |
This last winter has been a record breaker, | 0:46:44 | 0:46:48 | |
the wettest yet - | 0:46:48 | 0:46:50 | |
floods up and down the country, leaving countless stranded | 0:46:50 | 0:46:53 | |
and many in danger. | 0:46:53 | 0:46:55 | |
What catches most people out is the sheer force of floodwater - | 0:46:55 | 0:47:00 | |
just a foot of it will cause a car to float. | 0:47:00 | 0:47:03 | |
How much does it take to knock you off your feet? | 0:47:03 | 0:47:06 | |
Well, let's find out. | 0:47:06 | 0:47:09 | |
This is Legacy Site. | 0:47:09 | 0:47:10 | |
We request one pump, three cumecs, please. Over. | 0:47:10 | 0:47:14 | |
'Here it comes. | 0:47:16 | 0:47:17 | |
'Three tonnes of water a second, about the same as 20 bathtubs full. | 0:47:18 | 0:47:23 | |
'Even though it's only ankle-deep, | 0:47:25 | 0:47:27 | |
'it's all I can do to stay on my feet.' | 0:47:27 | 0:47:30 | |
-Shall I try and go back? -Start just behind that wall, OK? | 0:47:31 | 0:47:35 | |
'When it's turned up to five tonnes a second... | 0:47:38 | 0:47:40 | |
'..no chance. | 0:47:42 | 0:47:44 | |
'Thank you, gentlemen. Lesson learned. | 0:47:46 | 0:47:49 | |
'You know how to sweep a girl off her feet.' | 0:47:50 | 0:47:53 | |
We're in the Lee Valley, | 0:48:03 | 0:48:05 | |
a vast, green swathe just a few miles north of London. | 0:48:05 | 0:48:09 | |
At one end, there's acres of open country. | 0:48:09 | 0:48:12 | |
At the other... | 0:48:12 | 0:48:14 | |
the Olympic White Water Centre, | 0:48:14 | 0:48:16 | |
where Ellie was in a spot of bother earlier. | 0:48:16 | 0:48:19 | |
This is where Team GB won canoeing gold at the 2012 Games. | 0:48:19 | 0:48:23 | |
Now, during the Olympics, I was fascinated by the flow of water | 0:48:24 | 0:48:28 | |
that was created from these courses and, really, | 0:48:28 | 0:48:31 | |
the secret are these rails here, into which... | 0:48:31 | 0:48:34 | |
these building blocks are fastened. | 0:48:34 | 0:48:36 | |
Now, everything you can see on the side there, | 0:48:36 | 0:48:38 | |
that's creating the channel and the flow of the water | 0:48:38 | 0:48:41 | |
and everything on the bottom, these obstacles here, | 0:48:41 | 0:48:44 | |
these create the huge white-water waves. | 0:48:44 | 0:48:47 | |
The higher the obstacle, | 0:48:47 | 0:48:48 | |
the bigger the wave that'll tumble off the back of it. | 0:48:48 | 0:48:50 | |
And, I tell you what, | 0:48:50 | 0:48:52 | |
it really is quite exciting to be in here at the moment | 0:48:52 | 0:48:54 | |
because, as soon as those black doors are open there, | 0:48:54 | 0:48:57 | |
six foot of water will be gushing right down here. | 0:48:57 | 0:49:00 | |
Speaking of which, let's go and turn it on. | 0:49:00 | 0:49:02 | |
'Why did I ever say yes to this? | 0:49:05 | 0:49:07 | |
'All that water Matt's turning on will be coming right at me, | 0:49:07 | 0:49:11 | |
'because I'm going to take this course on. | 0:49:11 | 0:49:14 | |
'But I'm not going alone. | 0:49:14 | 0:49:15 | |
'I've called on the help of Olympic gold medal winner Tim Bailey.' | 0:49:15 | 0:49:18 | |
Well, these are the driving machines that are powering the pumps, | 0:49:23 | 0:49:27 | |
creating all of the excitement up there. | 0:49:27 | 0:49:29 | |
Now this, this is Ellie's course. So let's... | 0:49:29 | 0:49:32 | |
put that one on. There's one. | 0:49:32 | 0:49:34 | |
Second drive, up. | 0:49:35 | 0:49:38 | |
We'll go for two. Or maybe...? | 0:49:38 | 0:49:39 | |
Actually, let's do three. Here we go. | 0:49:39 | 0:49:42 | |
That'll give her something to battle against. | 0:49:42 | 0:49:44 | |
The course fills up in no time. | 0:49:46 | 0:49:48 | |
Having got the water running, I can now adjust the flow. | 0:49:49 | 0:49:52 | |
Let's start with a nice, easy one. | 0:49:54 | 0:49:55 | |
OK, so let's look at intermediate course | 0:49:57 | 0:50:01 | |
and then we'll go on to B, that's 4,900 cubic metres per second. | 0:50:01 | 0:50:05 | |
Yes, I will commit to that. | 0:50:05 | 0:50:07 | |
Good luck, Ellie. It'll be a nice warm-up for you. | 0:50:07 | 0:50:10 | |
The water here right now is flowing fast enough | 0:50:12 | 0:50:14 | |
to fill 65 bathtubs a second. | 0:50:14 | 0:50:18 | |
I just hope Ellie's brought enough towels. | 0:50:18 | 0:50:22 | |
My only experience of white water like this | 0:50:22 | 0:50:24 | |
was years ago on the Zambezi. | 0:50:24 | 0:50:26 | |
I actually nearly drowned, | 0:50:26 | 0:50:28 | |
so I'm approaching this with quite a bit of trepidation, I have to say. | 0:50:28 | 0:50:31 | |
But I am...willing to give it a go. | 0:50:31 | 0:50:34 | |
'I'm counting on Olympian Tim Bailey | 0:50:39 | 0:50:41 | |
'to get me round this course in one piece.' | 0:50:41 | 0:50:44 | |
This bit's nice and calm. | 0:50:45 | 0:50:47 | |
'But before I even think of throwing myself in the rapids, | 0:50:47 | 0:50:50 | |
'it's off to the training pool, | 0:50:50 | 0:50:52 | |
'where Tim's going to help me brush up on my rusty canoe skills.' | 0:50:52 | 0:50:55 | |
-If we need to turn to the right... -Yeah. | 0:50:56 | 0:50:58 | |
-..what'll happen is, I'll get you to paddle forwards... -Yeah. | 0:50:58 | 0:51:01 | |
-..and I'll paddle backwards at the same time. -OK. | 0:51:01 | 0:51:04 | |
And hopefully that'll... That'll mean we spin around, yeah. | 0:51:04 | 0:51:07 | |
And that'll help us manoeuvre. | 0:51:07 | 0:51:08 | |
It's really nippy, isn't it? It turns on a dime. | 0:51:08 | 0:51:11 | |
So shall we do a bit of paddling on this flat, | 0:51:11 | 0:51:13 | |
just to feel a bit more like we've had a bit of practice? | 0:51:13 | 0:51:15 | |
The other thing that will be useful on the white water is, | 0:51:15 | 0:51:17 | |
once you're getting bounced around by waves, | 0:51:17 | 0:51:19 | |
it'll be important to lean one way and the other. | 0:51:19 | 0:51:21 | |
It does mean a big lean, so you're basically going to try | 0:51:21 | 0:51:24 | |
and get out over the sausage on the side there. | 0:51:24 | 0:51:27 | |
If I come out, I come out and that's that. | 0:51:27 | 0:51:29 | |
-I've just got to get in the drink and swim. -Yeah, pretty much. | 0:51:29 | 0:51:32 | |
'Thanks for that, Tim(!) | 0:51:34 | 0:51:36 | |
'From the flat calm of the training pool | 0:51:36 | 0:51:38 | |
'to the absolute torrent out on the course, | 0:51:38 | 0:51:40 | |
'it's time to enter the tempest.' | 0:51:40 | 0:51:43 | |
Right, I'm just going to paddle until you shout at me, OK? | 0:51:44 | 0:51:47 | |
MUSIC: "A City In Florida" by Deadmau5 | 0:51:47 | 0:51:52 | |
'Tim's tips are paying off. | 0:51:52 | 0:51:54 | |
'The canoe is behaving itself. | 0:51:54 | 0:51:57 | |
'I don't think I'm doing too badly. | 0:51:57 | 0:51:59 | |
'But I bet Matt's got something up his sleeve.' | 0:51:59 | 0:52:02 | |
Right, I'm just laying the course out now. This slalom course. | 0:52:07 | 0:52:10 | |
So the green poles, they've got to come downstream through. | 0:52:10 | 0:52:13 | |
And then the red ones, they got to come around and come back upstream. | 0:52:13 | 0:52:17 | |
We'll put this right in the middle, I think. | 0:52:17 | 0:52:19 | |
There we are. | 0:52:19 | 0:52:21 | |
That looks pretty tasty there. That'll do nicely. | 0:52:21 | 0:52:23 | |
And that's only the first of the obstacles | 0:52:25 | 0:52:28 | |
that I'm putting in Ellie's way. | 0:52:28 | 0:52:29 | |
I reckon it's time we really pumped up the volume. | 0:52:29 | 0:52:32 | |
Right, so doing ever so well with 4,900 cubic litres a second. | 0:52:34 | 0:52:38 | |
Shall we go 6,500? Or 10,000? Let's do 10,000. | 0:52:38 | 0:52:43 | |
"Commit?" Absolutely. | 0:52:43 | 0:52:45 | |
'OK, second attempt. | 0:52:47 | 0:52:50 | |
'We're going to the slalom gates this time. | 0:52:50 | 0:52:53 | |
'But something's...not right.' | 0:52:53 | 0:52:55 | |
My God! What's happened here?! This is way higher! | 0:52:55 | 0:52:58 | |
You're not wrong. | 0:52:59 | 0:53:00 | |
I've just sent twice the volume of water down at you. | 0:53:00 | 0:53:04 | |
Happy paddling! | 0:53:04 | 0:53:05 | |
This is looking a bit bumpy. | 0:53:11 | 0:53:13 | |
Good. | 0:53:13 | 0:53:14 | |
Now here comes that green gate. Squeeze with the knees. | 0:53:16 | 0:53:20 | |
Oh, it's too late - she's gone! | 0:53:20 | 0:53:22 | |
But good effort, Ellie. | 0:53:25 | 0:53:26 | |
She's OK. | 0:53:31 | 0:53:33 | |
Even if she does look like she's in a washing machine. | 0:53:33 | 0:53:36 | |
A full spin cycle, Matt. | 0:53:36 | 0:53:38 | |
Now, come on. Lend a hand. | 0:53:38 | 0:53:40 | |
Are you all right? | 0:53:40 | 0:53:41 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:53:41 | 0:53:43 | |
Come here. | 0:53:43 | 0:53:44 | |
Agh! | 0:53:44 | 0:53:45 | |
-There you go. Are you all right? -I'm full of water! | 0:53:45 | 0:53:49 | |
Oh, dear. That wasn't what I was expecting. | 0:53:49 | 0:53:51 | |
No, but you still made that green gate, even though you fell out. | 0:53:51 | 0:53:54 | |
-Yeah! -You were going through it, like that. Brilliant! | 0:53:54 | 0:53:57 | |
-Still got the point. I got the point. -Are you invigorated? | 0:53:57 | 0:53:59 | |
I'm certainly that. | 0:53:59 | 0:54:01 | |
-Ooh, God, I'm choking! -I do... | 0:54:01 | 0:54:02 | |
I do feel slightly responsible for that. | 0:54:02 | 0:54:05 | |
Cos I could have pressed 6,500 but I went for 10,000. | 0:54:05 | 0:54:08 | |
-Is that why it went up?! -I was controlling it, I'm sorry. | 0:54:08 | 0:54:10 | |
(God.) | 0:54:10 | 0:54:11 | |
You're the meanest! You are the MEANEST! | 0:54:11 | 0:54:13 | |
-Shall we say goodbye? Because that is it for this week. -Yes, it is. | 0:54:13 | 0:54:17 | |
Next week, we'll be celebrating 24 hours of spring, | 0:54:17 | 0:54:20 | |
from the delights of the morning chorus, | 0:54:20 | 0:54:22 | |
all the way through to the magic of the midday mayfly. | 0:54:22 | 0:54:25 | |
And I'll be dry by then. See you then. | 0:54:25 | 0:54:27 | |
Good for you. Well done. Let's get you a hot chocolate. | 0:54:27 | 0:54:30 |