0:00:30 > 0:00:32If it's majesty you're after,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35the Yorkshire Dales have it on a grand scale.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44I think I have the best job in the world.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46I hope it's that sunny when we go!
0:00:46 > 0:00:48From here in the Countryfile office,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50we travel the length and breadth of Britain
0:00:50 > 0:00:53to experience the very best of our countryside -
0:00:53 > 0:00:57the people, the places,
0:00:57 > 0:01:01the most beguiling and magical of scenery -
0:01:01 > 0:01:04adventures, whatever the weather.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10This is what being a Countryfile presenter's all about.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Today, I'll be exploring my beloved Malhamdale,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22on my home turf of Yorkshire.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24I think it's pretty obvious
0:01:24 > 0:01:28why this is one of my favourite places on Earth
0:01:28 > 0:01:29to come walking.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38I've been coming here for years,
0:01:38 > 0:01:43but today I'm going to experience it as never before.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45- No way!- You can do it, you definitely can do it.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47You can nearly reach the next sling.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Go on, Anita.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51You've got it, you've got it.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55This is my countryside,
0:01:55 > 0:01:56my piece of heaven,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59and there are places all over the UK
0:01:59 > 0:02:01that hold special meaning for others.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04I'll be looking back through the Countryfile archives,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07revisiting some well-known faces,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09from comedians...
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Oh! It's quite refreshing after a while.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13..to athletes...
0:02:13 > 0:02:15and chefs...
0:02:15 > 0:02:16Bon appetit.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18..who are sharing with us
0:02:18 > 0:02:21their favourite parts of this, our magnificent countryside.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04People always wonder what it is about folk from Yorkshire
0:03:04 > 0:03:07that make them so proud, like me.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Well, it's growing up in environments like this.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13This is one of my favourite places on Earth -
0:03:13 > 0:03:18the limestone amphitheatre that is Malham Cove.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41So, I grew up in Bradford, not too far away from here,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44and this was a place we'd come out to on day trips.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46My dad would lift me and my brother out of the car
0:03:46 > 0:03:48and we'd run around on top, here,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50getting rid of all that energy.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53One of my most cherished memories and visits
0:03:53 > 0:03:57was coming here on New Year's Day about ten years ago.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59It was covered in snow,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02it was picture-postcard beautiful,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05and I remember standing up here, looking out,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08and wondering what lay ahead for me and my family...
0:04:11 > 0:04:14..looking out to the future, to new beginnings,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17all those possibilities,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20but still connected to the past...
0:04:20 > 0:04:23with history quite literally beneath my feet.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31- Hello, Chris.- Cracking view! - Isn't it spectacular?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Every time it takes my breath away.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38'Yes, there is one man who loves this place as much as I do,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40'even in weather like this.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43'The man in the waterproofs is Chris Wildman,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46'chair of the Kirkby Malhamdale Parish Council.'
0:04:46 > 0:04:49I mean, to me this place is just a marvel,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51but living here,
0:04:51 > 0:04:53do you think you take it for granted a bit?
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Probably do take it for granted. Apart from the rain, of course.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59But, yeah, even just looking here,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03it's amazing what you can see that you haven't maybe seen before,
0:05:03 > 0:05:04or haven't noticed before.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- It's a fantastic place, and very atmospheric this morning.- Isn't it?
0:05:08 > 0:05:09It's perfect.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15At the end of the last ice age, more than 11,000 years ago,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19rain water began to erode this limestone landscape,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21following the cracks and crevices
0:05:21 > 0:05:24to form the distinctive pavement we see today
0:05:24 > 0:05:26and Chris has a clever way of remembering
0:05:26 > 0:05:29some of the unfamiliar technical language.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32The cracks and the slabs, they're great.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34I always used to struggle how to remember it,
0:05:34 > 0:05:39but basically the big slabs are hard and they're clints,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Clint Eastwood.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44And the gullies are called grikes.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47So claims cos they're hard, like Clint Eastwood,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50and grikes I can remember cos it's like yikes,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53cos running around as a seven-year-old,
0:05:53 > 0:05:54you don't want to fall down one of those.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58As the ice sheets began to melt,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Malham Cove became a colossal cascading waterfall,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04helping to carve out the valley below.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Then, last Christmas,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Chris experienced something he thought he'd never see.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Malham Cove is over 300-foot-high
0:06:11 > 0:06:15and was essentially created by a waterfall,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- and of course it did it again last year.- Did it?!
0:06:18 > 0:06:23For one day only, 6th December, we had Malham waterfall again, yeah.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26They think that's probably about the first time in 300 years,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30- or at least living memory.- So, did everyone come out to have a look?
0:06:30 > 0:06:31It was quite busy, yeah,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34there was a lot of people coming and taking photos.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36And if the rain keeps coming down like it is today,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38- we might have another waterfall later!- Well, we might, yeah.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55The view from this limestone plateau is just gorgeous, isn't it?
0:06:55 > 0:06:58And the quest to reach some of our highest summits
0:06:58 > 0:07:01is not only exhilarating, but also addictive,
0:07:01 > 0:07:02as we found out last year
0:07:02 > 0:07:06when comedian Ed Byrne visited the Isle of Skye.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15I am a Munro-bagger.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21I am someone who is attempting to climb
0:07:21 > 0:07:24all of the Munros in Scotland.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29The Munros are mountains above 3,000 feet,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31of which there are 282.
0:07:34 > 0:07:40I don't know why people who tick off mountains are known as baggers,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42but they just are,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44but I'm not going to argue with it.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53I have had days where it's just been torrential rain
0:07:53 > 0:07:55and just mist and you never see anything
0:07:55 > 0:08:00and it's just a joyless trudge up this steep and featureless hill
0:08:00 > 0:08:02to get to the top and not see anything
0:08:02 > 0:08:04and walk straight back down and get back in the car
0:08:04 > 0:08:06and you've literally done nothing
0:08:06 > 0:08:08but tick off a mountain that you haven't done before.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10And you go, "What was the point of that?"
0:08:12 > 0:08:14I don't know what the point of that is.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19I feel sometimes that the whole concept of Munro-bagging
0:08:19 > 0:08:22is a cruel trick that the Scottish are playing on tourists,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25because 3,000 feet,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27the minimum height a mountain has to be to be a Munro,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30coincidentally seems to be the very height
0:08:30 > 0:08:32that Scottish cloud tends to just sit.
0:08:38 > 0:08:44We're here on Skye now because this is the home of the Cuillin Ridge,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48which is a chain of 11 Munros
0:08:48 > 0:08:55that represents the most extensive mountaineering challenge the UK has.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59And in the middle of the Cuillin Ridge is Sgurr Dearg,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02also known as the Inaccessible Pinnacle,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05which is unique among all the Munros
0:09:05 > 0:09:09in that it's the only one that you need to rock climb,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12you need ropes, to actually get to the top of it.
0:09:12 > 0:09:18So, it looms large in my mind as the one I'm worried about,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22basically, cos even though I love mountains,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25I'm not actually very good with heights.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00That's, er.... That's it. That's the inaccessible pinnacle.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04Or "in pin". Er...
0:10:04 > 0:10:06It's a lot bigger than I've had it described.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11And, er... Yeah, a little bit more frightening than I was expecting.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17I'm feeling a certain level of trepidation about the climb.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20I don't want to say frightened, or scared,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23because that'll make me sound like a coward.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- We're ready to go.- OK. Let's do it. - Let's head down.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34One metre slack!
0:10:38 > 0:10:40OK! Climbing!
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Well, it does feel a bit slippy, all right.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05If the wind'd just stop blowing,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07it probably wouldn't be so bad.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29HE PANTS
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Yeargh! Oh, my giddy aunt.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Oh! Oh!
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Is this it?
0:12:00 > 0:12:05- Is this the top? Is it? If I touch you, does that count?- Well done, Ed!
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Thanks for your help, Martin. Appreciate it.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- Pretty wild conditions.- They were... Yeah, it was unpleasant.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16It was unpleasant for a good 60% of it. I think.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Ah, but, you know,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22that's certainly the most hard-fought Munro I've bagged.
0:12:25 > 0:12:31That's number 76. Ticked off. Another 206 to go.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33It's all plain sailing from here.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45Well, as exhilarating and exciting as that was, I am glad it's over.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50There should be a little bit of self-discovery in every journey
0:12:50 > 0:12:57and, er, the main self-discovery from today is I'm a hill walker.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00I'm not a rock climber, or a mountaineer. I'm a hill walker
0:13:00 > 0:13:05and I'm glad that the rock climbing part of my Munro adventure
0:13:05 > 0:13:07is now done.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Right. Where did I leave my rucksack?
0:13:21 > 0:13:23On today's programme,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26we're visiting places in the British countryside
0:13:26 > 0:13:28that mean something special to us.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32For me, it's Malhamdale in North Yorkshire.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35A landscape to fire the imagination.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37WATER FLOWS
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Wow! What a place.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42This is awe-inspiring.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45The noise is all around you, like a wall of sound
0:13:45 > 0:13:49and, right now, I feel so insignificant.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59This monumental limestone ravine is Gordale Scar,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03carved out over thousands of years by torrents of glacial meltwater.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Nature is truly dominant here.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13You'd think this place was an absolute gift for an artist
0:14:13 > 0:14:18but, at one time, this dramatic ravine was considered "unpaintable",
0:14:18 > 0:14:22too majestic to be compressed onto canvas.
0:14:22 > 0:14:23I can understand why.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33But times have changed.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37Today, Gordale Scar inspires countless artists
0:14:37 > 0:14:39and, having grown up here in Malhamdale,
0:14:39 > 0:14:44Katharine Holmes has spent more time painting this place than most.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- Hi, Katharine.- Hello! - The all-weather artist.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49- Yes.- This is dedication.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Yes, well, I love this time of year, actually,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55and this sort of weather is interesting.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Interesting is a good way of describing it!
0:14:58 > 0:14:59Interesting for painting. It looks good.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01The painting's getting rained on, does that matter?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04It's actually adding to it.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06I put some ink on and it's made all these marks,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09which I think are quite good equivalents for the limestone.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- It's getting blessed by nature.- Yes.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18The drama of the Dales has inspired Katharine's artwork.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27But she's not the only member of her family
0:15:27 > 0:15:29to have captured Malhamdale on canvas.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37That's because Katharine's mother and grandmother have also
0:15:37 > 0:15:39painted these very same scenes.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45So you're third generation female artist.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48What was that like growing up in such a creative household?
0:15:48 > 0:15:53There were always lots of paints and art materials.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56It was just there, just took it for granted.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58That's like if you grow up in a farming family,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00you'll take on the family farm.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03And what do you think your grandma will make of your paintings?
0:16:03 > 0:16:06I think she'd be pleased that I was carrying on painting.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09And would she go out in all weather as well?
0:16:09 > 0:16:12She did, yes, she'd just have a big old tweed coat on,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16and she set off on foot, or by bus.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18- What was grandma's name?- Constance.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23- Constance Pearson.- Constance Pearson, a proper Yorkshire lass.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26- She was.- I think not only are you following in her footsteps,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29I think, Katharine, you really are your grandmother's granddaughter.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31THEY LAUGH
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Katharine comes from a dynasty of artists inspired by this landscape.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50Now, it's the love of locations that compels us to go back there
0:16:50 > 0:16:55time and time again, and last year, Josh Widdicombe shared with us
0:16:55 > 0:16:59his treasured memories of the holidays he took in Pembrokeshire.
0:17:09 > 0:17:15I came on family holidays for almost a decade, from the age of 6 to 16.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19I spent two weeks of summer round the beaches around Pembroke town.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28I can kind of make anything nostalgic,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30so this is quite a confronting thing coming back here,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32cos I might find out it was rubbish and it was just me
0:17:32 > 0:17:34pretending in my mind that it was good.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46This is the campsite I used to camp on with my parents.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48St Petrox Campsite.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52I've no idea how we found out in the time before internet,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55but once we decided we liked it, we'd do it every year,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57which was kind of our attitude to everything.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01MUSIC: Country House by Blur
0:18:01 > 0:18:06When we'd be putting our tent up, we'd listen to music.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Obviously, 1995,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12I vividly remember buying Country House to help Blur beat Oasis.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16But it wasn't always that cool.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20I remember the year when we had Donald Where's Your Troosers?
0:18:23 > 0:18:27The great thing about a tent is, however wrong you get it,
0:18:27 > 0:18:31really, it's never going to be a pleasure even if you get it right.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34So it doesn't really matter if you get it wrong.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36It's going to be an uncomfortable night.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41I think we can all agree that move
0:18:41 > 0:18:44was absolutely astonishing use of the wind.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48AIRBED SQUEAKS
0:18:48 > 0:18:50This is suspicious, isn't it?
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Wonder whether I'll get to sleep in that.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59OWL HOOTS
0:18:59 > 0:19:01I'm very tired, so that's a bonus.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08KETTLE WHISTLES
0:19:09 > 0:19:12I think I'm going to quit camping while I'm ahead now.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17I've done it, I slept all right, I only woke up every two hours...
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Then I had a nice shower and now I've got some Honey Nut Loops.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Life is seven out of ten. I'm enjoying it.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30DUCKS QUACK
0:19:33 > 0:19:37When we'd come to Broad Haven Beach, which was our beach of choice,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39there was this amazing walk along these lily ponds.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46It's unbelievably nice, isn't it? I...
0:19:46 > 0:19:48The weird thing is, the bit I remember most
0:19:48 > 0:19:50about this is this bridge
0:19:50 > 0:19:53with the handle on one side. Perilous.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Surely they can afford two handles.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00It's the best way to get to any beach.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Obviously it means once you're on the beach, you're on the beach.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10If you need to go to the toilet, it's a dune or the sea.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14It's much bigger than I remember.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24I mainly remember the wind.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26My parents having to buy a windbreak
0:20:26 > 0:20:28and hammer it into the beach.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32And you'd basically be sheltering as the wind hit you and it's...
0:20:32 > 0:20:34not particularly relaxing.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Roll up your trousers, Brits on holiday.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Definitely played cricket
0:20:42 > 0:20:44on the beach, that's my main memory of that.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Oh, it's gone!
0:20:48 > 0:20:49Oof!
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Very low bounce.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53All the things you imagine you would do
0:20:53 > 0:20:55on a British holiday on the beach.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57That is so cold.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02It can't always have been this cold, that is un... I mean, that's...
0:21:02 > 0:21:04That's colder than a cold shower.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Aah! Bracing.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09It's quite refreshing after a while.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Kind of about four or five, when the sun's coming down,
0:21:17 > 0:21:18we'd go from the beach...
0:21:18 > 0:21:23At the other end of the lily ponds is a tea rooms, um,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26actually called, I think, Ye Olde Cafe.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Thank you.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Cheers.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37- Cheers, thank you.- You're welcome.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Now, there's a lot of debate over
0:21:42 > 0:21:44whether you put the jam or the cream on first.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Quite high-level debate, as well. And...
0:21:49 > 0:21:52You've got to go jam first. The cream is the best bit.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54It's not just a replacement for butter.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09When you look back nostalgically on something,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11you've probably imagined it differently,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14or time has changed it in your head,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16but it was exactly the same, really.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22It's a really, really nice place. I'm glad it is,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25because I don't think it would have needed to be that nice a place.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28I think it was the circumstance that made it nice, the family holiday.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30But it just happens that...
0:22:30 > 0:22:31I mean, that beach
0:22:31 > 0:22:35is way better than so many beaches.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40It's such a nice beach,
0:22:40 > 0:22:44and...very lucky, really, to have got to go there.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Maybe too many years in a row, could have mixed it up a bit,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50but, um...yeah, it's very nice.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00This week we've been revisiting the most cherished places
0:23:00 > 0:23:02of some familiar faces.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04For England Test cricket captain Alastair Cook,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07he doesn't have to travel far to find his rural retreat,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11as it's on his wife Alice's family farm in Bedfordshire.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14When we visited, lambing was in full swing.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23- COMMENTATOR:- He's made 200 in a Test Match against Australia.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27That is a wonderful achievement from Alastair Cook.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- Hey, Tess. - HE WHISTLES
0:23:30 > 0:23:32- COMMENTATOR:- It's all over.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35And England have won their first series in Australia
0:23:35 > 0:23:37for 24 years.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41- HE WHISTLES - Here, up.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44- COMMENTATOR:- And Alastair Cook becomes England's
0:23:44 > 0:23:48all-time leading run scorer in the history of Test cricket.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51SHEEP BLEAT
0:23:57 > 0:24:01My day usually starts 6.30 to 6.45.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05We're just starting lambing now with the ewes.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09This has just been born.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15There's about 600-odd acres, mainly arable stuff, here.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Probably about 3,000 sheep around.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23I first came up here when I was 18 and I came to see Alice.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30We met at school.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33I used to come down the farm and podge around
0:24:33 > 0:24:35for an hour, hour and a half, not really knowing what I was doing,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37but just doing little jobs,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39and it was, you know, a big release for me
0:24:39 > 0:24:42in terms of, I wasn't thinking about cricket 24/7.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46The more time I spent up here
0:24:46 > 0:24:48and the more kind of integrated I got into the family
0:24:48 > 0:24:51and the more I understood about farming,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55the more it has become a lifestyle rather than a release.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59It's a serious farm, a serious operation.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02This is what I do when I'm not playing cricket,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04you know, trying to help out on the family farm,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06trying to be more useful than not.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08I feel as if I now know what I'm doing.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14I can't quite see a head, but normally they come out
0:25:14 > 0:25:18and they tuck their noses in front of their hooves at the front...
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Yeah, she's not going to be too long off.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31I do love it, you know.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Of course there's days when you're electric fencing, either in the cold
0:25:34 > 0:25:37or, you know, you're storing stuff, and you're thinking,
0:25:37 > 0:25:38"I'd rather be somewhere else,"
0:25:38 > 0:25:41but, you know, that's just part and parcel of it.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I think farming does help my cricket,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48in the way that I'm not lying on the sofa thinking,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50"Oh, what's my technique doing here?"
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Cooky was going through a very lean patch once,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57but the farm was brilliant.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59He came, got completely stuck in,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01was tagging sheep,
0:26:01 > 0:26:02he was up at 4.30 loading the lorry.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05He then went on to score 290,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07which I think my dad and all the local farmers
0:26:07 > 0:26:09took a huge amount of credit for.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10They've never let him live it down.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Whenever he sort of has a bit of a rough time, it's all he gets.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16"Get on the farm and you'll be all right! Forget batting practice."
0:26:19 > 0:26:22The sheep won't talk to you about cricket,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24and I think in any elite team,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28the environment is pretty brutal because you're expected to win.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31To me it was that release, it was getting away from that...
0:26:31 > 0:26:34the pressure, I suppose, of playing international cricket
0:26:34 > 0:26:36and doing something totally different
0:26:36 > 0:26:38so you're not always thinking about cricket.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40- SHEEP BLEAT - Is she eating it?
0:26:41 > 0:26:42Good girl.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44We've got a young daughter called Elsie
0:26:44 > 0:26:46who's coming up to two in April.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50It's an incredible place for, I think, Elsie to grow up.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Alice talks so fondly about her childhood growing up on the farm.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58Mum and Dad would be working and we'd just run about in the shed,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02and now, you know, Elsie's lucky that, you know,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04she has the same thing - Cooky and I are in here working,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07she just potters with the dog, the lambs, her wheelbarrow.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Alice's grandparents are just there,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15her mum farms just round the corner. You know, her brother's there.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17You know, it's such a family environment.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19I feel very privileged that that's here.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22We're in a great environment for Elsie to grow up in.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28Rah!
0:27:30 > 0:27:31THEY LAUGH
0:27:33 > 0:27:36- Who's in here, Elsie? - Baby lambs.- Baby lambs?
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Well, the future's really interesting.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Who knows what's going to happen with the cricket?
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Hopefully I've got three or four more years left at the top.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46That would be brilliant.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49But knowing we've got something here which I love doing anyway
0:27:49 > 0:27:52and we can get bigger is really exciting.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54I feel we're sort of really lucky.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57We've just bought a little smallholding five minutes away
0:27:57 > 0:28:00and we're really excited to sort of expand on that.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Cooky's quite interested in doing more with cattle.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04At the minute we have a few.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Cooky actually bought me two for our first wedding anniversary.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11Quite an odd one, but brilliant. Like, my sort of present.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Shoo them on, Els. Shoo them on.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17There's so many good things about the farming
0:28:17 > 0:28:21kind of community which I love and obviously is challenging.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25Cricket has been my life for so long,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27it's given me so much that I'd love to stay involved.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30If I could combine cricket and farming at the same time,
0:28:30 > 0:28:32that would be absolutely ideal for me.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36They're both my passions and not many people can say what they do
0:28:36 > 0:28:39for their job or their life is what they love doing all the time
0:28:39 > 0:28:41and I pretty much love everything to do with it.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53This is Malhamdale in Yorkshire,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56which I think is one of the best places on Earth.
0:28:58 > 0:29:03Over thousands of years, the immense power of glacial ice and torrents
0:29:03 > 0:29:07of meltwater sculpted this limestone landscape into the place I love.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21It's the elemental power of fire that's most at work here
0:29:21 > 0:29:23in the village of Malham today.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30METAL CLANGS
0:29:30 > 0:29:32WATER FLOWS
0:29:34 > 0:29:35The sound of a ringing anvil
0:29:35 > 0:29:38has echoed through this village for centuries.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40But for local smithy, Annabelle Bradley,
0:29:40 > 0:29:43it was a calling that she hadn't expected.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49As if it wasn't dramatic enough out there, it's so atmospheric in here.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Very proud to be able to work from here.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53Presumably you come from a long line of smithies
0:29:53 > 0:29:57- and this is in your blood. - No, first-generation blacksmith.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Prior to this I was a tax accountant,
0:29:59 > 0:30:01- so a big change in career. - A tax accountant?
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Tax accountant to blacksmith. How does that happen?
0:30:04 > 0:30:09I've always been kind of active and kind of doing more hobby-type crafts
0:30:09 > 0:30:11then when we moved to Malham.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14We saw this building and always thought it would make a fantastic business.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17So I applied for it on the basis of doing silversmithing
0:30:17 > 0:30:18and other kind of crafts from here,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21not really planning to begin with to be a blacksmith,
0:30:21 > 0:30:23but it's been a blacksmith for over 200 years
0:30:23 > 0:30:26and church wardens wanted it to retain as that.
0:30:26 > 0:30:27OK, I'll be a blacksmith, then.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30And then when people started buying the things... Wow!
0:30:30 > 0:30:32SHE LAUGHS
0:30:32 > 0:30:34So, what is it that brought you to Malham?
0:30:34 > 0:30:36- Because you're not Malham born and bred, are you?- No, no.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40My husband and I, as our first date, we came for a picnic at Malham Cove.
0:30:40 > 0:30:41SHE LAUGHS
0:30:41 > 0:30:44It's just a place we just fell in love with straightaway.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It is such a romantic story,
0:30:46 > 0:30:48particularly for me, cos I love this place,
0:30:48 > 0:30:50that you fell in love with Malham,
0:30:50 > 0:30:52and then you fell in love with your future husband.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Will you be the first in a long line of female blacksmiths, do you think?
0:30:55 > 0:30:57I would like to think so.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00My two daughters do come and make things now.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02It's their way of getting pocket money is making things to sell.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06I am very conscious that the girls will realise that I would
0:31:06 > 0:31:10like them to continue blacksmithing, but it may not be feasible for them.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13The chances are they will go off, move away and do other things,
0:31:13 > 0:31:15but I hope they continue to like blacksmithing
0:31:15 > 0:31:17and keep doing a little bit now and again.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19But I would like them to come back and take over
0:31:19 > 0:31:20so I can retire at some point!
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Cos I don't like the thought of ever handing over the keys
0:31:23 > 0:31:25to this place to someone else, you know.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27I'd like to always be able to come and potter.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38A woman after my own heart.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Fell in love with Malhamdale,
0:31:40 > 0:31:44left the spreadsheets behind and forged a new career as a blacksmith.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47And the natural world can have an effect on us all.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Last year, Chef Tony Singh took us to Loch Awe,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53where he first fell in love with fresh produce.
0:32:11 > 0:32:12Wow.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15Still beautiful, eh?
0:32:16 > 0:32:19I can remember coming 28 years ago.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21But it just feels...so welcoming.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29I was a YTS chef when I was 18
0:32:29 > 0:32:32and that led to working here, Ardanaiseig Hotel.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35And that was the first time, basically, I'd left home.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42The thing I always remember that sticks in my mind was the loch
0:32:42 > 0:32:43just around the corner.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45It was so stunning.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47And... Wow.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51There you go. That stayed with me forever.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02It's just...feels exactly the same.
0:33:04 > 0:33:05Kitchen there, which was great.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08The first kitchen I ever worked in that had windows.
0:33:08 > 0:33:09It was just phenomenal.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19You wonder why people went out camping or climbing mountains.
0:33:19 > 0:33:20It's a mountain, yeah.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22And when you're here, you're intoxicated by it.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24I went over to the island, wanted to go up there.
0:33:24 > 0:33:25Wanted to go trekking and everything.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28So I was champing at the bit to get out and experience everything.
0:33:31 > 0:33:36Well, this is the old boathouse.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39This is where I first cast off on my first fishing trip.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41And what an adventure that was!
0:33:41 > 0:33:44MOTOR WHIRS
0:33:44 > 0:33:48- Fancy some fishing?- Definitely.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54I came out and it was beautiful. It was like this.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56So we thought we'd go out for a couple of hours,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58hopefully catch a trout and put it on the menu.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Fishing rods out, casting off.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06And then the weather changed, just like that.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09Rain came in, started getting choppy.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Panicked. Water was coming in,
0:34:11 > 0:34:15so we tried to head straight back to the shore through the waves.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17And then it just got worse.
0:34:17 > 0:34:18We ended up a mile and a half away,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22had to trudge back to the hotel with the engine.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25Late for work, no fish.
0:34:25 > 0:34:26Soaked, got into trouble.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Then we had to go back and tie off the boat and everything.
0:34:29 > 0:34:30It was a nightmare.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32But it never put me off, going back out, or this view or anything.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34This is amazing.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37So here I am again and hopefully, we'll catch something this time.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Put it down the middle there.
0:34:49 > 0:34:50If it's going to snag off...
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Luck's out. It's not going to happen.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56- Well, that's fishing. - Shall we head back?
0:34:56 > 0:34:58- That's not a bad idea. - Come on, then.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Everybody talks about Scotland's larder being the best in the world,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07and it is, but it was coming to Ardanaiseig
0:35:07 > 0:35:12that really etched it into my psyche.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15The produce on our doorstep, the butcher coming up with the lamb
0:35:15 > 0:35:17that he got from the farmer that he knew.
0:35:17 > 0:35:23Catching trout. The guys going picking wild mushrooms or berries.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25Look, there we go. Look at that.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29Hedgehog mushrooms.
0:35:29 > 0:35:30We've got some there.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32If you're not sure, never eat anything, eh?
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Very, very important. Just...oh...look at that.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37What got a fantastic cep there.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41Look at that.
0:35:43 > 0:35:44It's been eaten a little bit.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47They used to be called penny buns. Or ceps. You get smaller ones.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50But this was an eye-opener, because back in the city, we were
0:35:50 > 0:35:52getting produce and it was great and it was fresh and it was lovely.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54But we just didn't connect.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Well, I didn't connect, I didn't add one and one together.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00But picking it fresh and seeing it, it was just like...
0:36:00 > 0:36:03It was a revelation. It was fantastic.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09And it was free. So everybody was a winner.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15The things that you pick up, it had a really profound effect on me.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22I've got a recipe from a wee coffee shop in town for scones,
0:36:22 > 0:36:23and I still use that.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27These things always take you back to good times.
0:36:29 > 0:36:30It's gorgeous.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39Lovely.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41In the pocket.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53This is it. This is another amazing memory.
0:36:53 > 0:36:54This is elemental.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56We've got fire, we've got hot water,
0:36:56 > 0:36:59we've got some fantastic brown trout that we're going to do justice to.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02Just a little bit of spice and cooked on the fire. This is just...
0:37:02 > 0:37:04You can't get better than that. Look at that. Look at the view.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11So we've got a fantastic brownie here.
0:37:11 > 0:37:12Look at that. Beautiful.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15And we're just going to cook it on the embers of the fire. So...
0:37:15 > 0:37:16Making a little pocket.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23To that, we've got some fantastic thyme from the garden.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30Just a little bit of cinnamon there. Some garlic cloves.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32Some white wine.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34Some harissa paste.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Lemon.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40Lovely fish, put it in.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42Make sure you get right in there.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48Rapeseed oil.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50The steam and the juices in there
0:37:50 > 0:37:53are going to make the sauce for the fish.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59And that's it. A Viking boat.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Fit burial for the brown trout.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04We just want the embers there.
0:38:28 > 0:38:29This is it.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33This season I spent in Ardanaiseig,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35away from home when I was 18...
0:38:37 > 0:38:39..in this amazing countryside.
0:38:41 > 0:38:42Ah...look at that.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46This made me want to be a chef. This was it.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49This fantastic raw produce that we had.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Nah. Words can't describe it.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54You have to feel it. And it's just brilliant.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Bon appetit.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Sometimes, what we love about the natural world
0:39:07 > 0:39:10can sit right in the shadow of some of our biggest cities.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16On the edge of Leeds is the 1,500 acre Temple Newsam estate,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19where Adam was put through his paces last year
0:39:19 > 0:39:23by two-time Olympic gold medal-winning boxer Nicola Adams.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37- Nicola, great to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39Goodness me! Don't run too fast. I'm not very fit.
0:39:39 > 0:39:40Oh, I won't. I won't.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42THEY LAUGH
0:39:42 > 0:39:44So, have you been coming to Temple Newsam for a while?
0:39:44 > 0:39:49Yeah, I have. Since I was a little girl.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52We used to do sports days here. My parents used to bring me here.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56It's like, literally, two minutes round the corner.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58And I'm fine. I'm right here.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01- Incredible, isn't it?- Yeah.- How lucky you are. That's lovely.
0:40:01 > 0:40:06So do you prefer the cosiness of the gym or the great outdoors?
0:40:06 > 0:40:07Oh, I love the great outdoors.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11Nothing beats having the sun on your back and being outside, getting
0:40:11 > 0:40:14a bit of fresh air, instead of being stuck in a sweaty gym all the time.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16THEY LAUGH
0:40:16 > 0:40:19- It's a beautiful sight, isn't it? - Definitely.- It's lovely out here.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Pretty intense, your training, though. How often are you doing it?
0:40:22 > 0:40:25Yeah, really intense. I train three times a day.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Do you fancy having a go?
0:40:27 > 0:40:29- Yeah, OK. Yeah.- Cool.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Oh, you can punch better than that. What's that?!
0:40:41 > 0:40:42THEY LAUGH
0:40:44 > 0:40:46- I wouldn't want to hurt you. - THEY LAUGH
0:40:46 > 0:40:48- No, you won't hurt me. I'm tough. - I know!
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Right, that's enough of that, so what next?
0:40:51 > 0:40:54Rather than tell you, I'm going to show you. It's exciting.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55All right, let's have a look.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01You genuinely train like this?
0:41:01 > 0:41:05Yeah, this has really helped to build up my shoulders.
0:41:05 > 0:41:06- Amazing.- Yeah.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09What makes an Olympic gold medallist.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12Do you want to try?
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Yeah, why not?
0:41:14 > 0:41:15You almost chopped right through it.
0:41:17 > 0:41:18I'll be standing way clear!
0:41:22 > 0:41:26That's all right, you're not that bad, actually. Pretty good.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- You can really feel it. It's quite hard work, isn't it?- Yes.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35That timing, as well. Does it help with the timing of a hit?
0:41:35 > 0:41:36Yeah, it does, definitely.
0:41:40 > 0:41:41'As much as I appreciate the workout,
0:41:41 > 0:41:45'I think it is time to get back to more familiar territory.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49'There's something I want to show Nicola.'
0:41:49 > 0:41:51PIGS GRUNT
0:41:51 > 0:41:54The farm here at Temple Newsam is a rare breeds centre,
0:41:54 > 0:41:56just like my farm,
0:41:56 > 0:41:58with the likes of Kerry Hill sheep,
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Golden Guernsey goats
0:42:01 > 0:42:04and these very cute Tamworth piglets.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06Let me see if I can catch a piglet.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07The mum might not like this too much.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10The piglets tend to squeal when you pick them up, sometimes.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13PIGLET SQUEALS
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Shh, shh... Come on in, come on in.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21It's just that...
0:42:21 > 0:42:25It's not hurting it, it's just like a little, "Mum, Mum."
0:42:25 > 0:42:27- Have you ever held a piglet before? - No, no.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29You just cuddle it like a baby.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31It might squeal a bit when I pass him over.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34But it'll soon settle down.
0:42:34 > 0:42:35- OK.- There we go.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38- It didn't squeal at all. You've got a natural touch.- Yeah.
0:42:38 > 0:42:43- Aw! What do you reckon?- Until it finds out it's bacon tomorrow!
0:42:43 > 0:42:44Joking, not joking!
0:42:48 > 0:42:51'Now Nicola has got to grips with one of the smallest residents here,
0:42:51 > 0:42:54'I'd like to introduce her to some of the larger ones.'
0:42:54 > 0:42:56COWS MOO
0:42:56 > 0:42:58When was the last time you came down to the farmyard here at
0:42:58 > 0:42:59Temple Newsam?
0:42:59 > 0:43:02The last time I came here, I must have been about ten years old,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04- with my mum.- I bet you were sweet, weren't you?
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Yeah, I was quite small.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08I'm not that much bigger now, to be fair!
0:43:08 > 0:43:11- Have you ever fed cows before? - No, this is the first time.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13There's various different breeds in here.
0:43:13 > 0:43:14This is the Belted Galloway,
0:43:14 > 0:43:16the ones with the belt round their middle.
0:43:16 > 0:43:17They're a really tough, hardy breed.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20In the corner there's a little calf. That's a Shetland calf,
0:43:20 > 0:43:21from the Shetland Islands.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23And the Gloucester, here,
0:43:23 > 0:43:25they're what's known as a dual-purpose breed so they are
0:43:25 > 0:43:28quite good at producing beef and pretty good at producing milk.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31- They produce single and double Gloucester cheese.- Oh, cool.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35I always thought all cows were the same. I'm learning a lot today.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38Right, that's the cattle fed. Now I have got something else to show you.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Sweet.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43Seeing as Nicola put me through my paces,
0:43:43 > 0:43:45I thought I'd return the favour.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48Now then, I've got a bit of a challenge for you if you're
0:43:48 > 0:43:51- up for that.- Yeah, I am always up for a challenge.- As long as you win.
0:43:51 > 0:43:56- Yeah!- Peg, here. This is my Border collie sheepdog, Peg.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00What I thought we would try and do, or what I thought I would get
0:44:00 > 0:44:05you to do, is get those sheep into that pen over there, using Peg.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08So if I teach you the commands and then I'll let you do it.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11There's "stand" and "lie down" for stop.
0:44:11 > 0:44:12Lie down.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16And then "walk on" for on.
0:44:16 > 0:44:17Walk on.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21Good girl. I'll send her round to the right,
0:44:21 > 0:44:23which is an "away" command.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26Away. Lie down. Lie down.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30And then left is "come bye". Come bye. Good girl.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32Are you ready for this challenge?
0:44:32 > 0:44:35- Do you reckon you can get these sheep in the pen?- I'm ready.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37Let's do this. Come on, Peg. We've got this.
0:44:41 > 0:44:46- Lie down.- Now away. Say "away", to the right.- Peg, away.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49HE WHISTLES
0:44:49 > 0:44:51That's it.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54- Lie down. - Lie down, Peg! Lie down.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58- Now left, which is "come bye". - Come bye.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01She works for you better than she works for me!
0:45:03 > 0:45:06Oh, we've missed the pen. So away.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10Peg, away. Come bye.
0:45:10 > 0:45:11Well done, excellent.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17- And come bye.- Come bye. Come bye.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20- Lie down, lie down.- Lie down. Lie down.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26And that's it. Hey, you got them.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29Well done! Fantastic, congratulations.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33Here, Peg, what a good girl. Well, you're a great team, you two.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35- Yeah.- Go and have a drink, Peg.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39She'll go in the trough now and go and cool herself down.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41If you ever happen to hang up your gloves,
0:45:41 > 0:45:43there is always a job for you on the farm.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46And Peg has had her drink now, it is time to get ours, isn't it?
0:45:46 > 0:45:49- Yeah, and a steak!- Here, Peg.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03This is it, my childhood love - Malham Cove.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22I remember that sense of anticipation and it hasn't changed.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25As you get closer and closer to the rock,
0:46:25 > 0:46:28it just gets bigger and bigger.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32Whether you're 7 or 77, the magic never goes.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47It's 80 metres to the top.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49Some of the most spectacular views once you get up there but
0:46:49 > 0:46:51that's easier said than done.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54These are some of the hardest rock climbs in the world.
0:47:03 > 0:47:09I have so much respect for climbers. What they do is so difficult.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Not only is it a fantastic sport but they are conquering this huge,
0:47:15 > 0:47:18dramatic, terrifying bit of nature.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23They need strength, not only in body, but also in mind.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29Neil Gresham is one of Britain's best all-round climbers.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33Oh!
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Oh, my goodness me.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42Having scaled incredible heights around the globe,
0:47:42 > 0:47:46the grandeur of Malham Cove still keeps drawing him back.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49I've been coming here my whole life and I've always wondered
0:47:49 > 0:47:51what it is that makes you climbers climb this thing.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53I don't know, really.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55When I first came here I wasn't a climber at all,
0:47:55 > 0:47:57I was a schoolboy on a geography field trip.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00It didn't really occur to me that I was ever going to climb it but
0:48:00 > 0:48:02I just knew that I wanted to come back.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05As I grew up and got into climbing,
0:48:05 > 0:48:08I always vowed that one day I would come and try and pit my wits
0:48:08 > 0:48:11against this place because it really is one of the best places to
0:48:11 > 0:48:13go sport climbing in the UK.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16You see people here trying routes for years and years.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19There's one guy who's even been trying this one climb for nine years
0:48:19 > 0:48:23- and still hasn't done it. - Nine years? Surely you'd give up.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25I don't know whether that is something that we should be,
0:48:25 > 0:48:29- you know, looking up to. - Oh, definitely.- Tenacity.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31Totally. We say, in the climbing community,
0:48:31 > 0:48:34maximum respect for making big pushes like that.
0:48:37 > 0:48:42It took Neil a year to conquer the hardest climb of his life.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45Last autumn he became the first person to scale one of the
0:48:45 > 0:48:49remaining great challenges of unclimbed rock in the UK.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52A route he has christened Sabotage.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56There's actually an existing climb here that only goes about
0:48:56 > 0:48:59two-thirds, three-quarters of the way up the cliff and then it stops
0:48:59 > 0:49:02because there's a really difficult overhang right at the top.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04So I was able to kind of do the lower part of this climb and
0:49:04 > 0:49:07then pull over the overhang and go all the way to the top.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09But it wasn't something that I just did on the whim,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12spur of the moment, it took me a whole year of preparation.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15Why does it take so long to prepare for a climb?
0:49:15 > 0:49:17During that period I really had to devote everything to it,
0:49:17 > 0:49:21it was all about following a really strict diet, no alcohol,
0:49:21 > 0:49:25training in much the same way as an Olympic athlete would.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27And how did it feel when you actually did it?
0:49:27 > 0:49:30What was that sense of achievement like?
0:49:30 > 0:49:32You can't put it into words.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35When you put your heart and soul and everything into something
0:49:35 > 0:49:37and then it finally comes good...
0:49:37 > 0:49:40Equally, it does leave you with a bit of a sense of anti-climax,
0:49:40 > 0:49:43you suddenly think, "What am I going to do now?"
0:49:43 > 0:49:46And the answer is, I'll probably try and climb something even harder
0:49:46 > 0:49:48because that's what we climbers do.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51I am, and always have been, completely in awe of climbers.
0:49:51 > 0:49:56I think just the physicality and also the beauty of this sport
0:49:56 > 0:50:00- has always amazed me.- Well, I think it might be your turn next, Anita.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03You can't come all the way to Malham and not have a go, can you?
0:50:03 > 0:50:06Of course I'll do it. Of course I'll do it!
0:50:06 > 0:50:08That's what I like to hear, up for a challenge.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12I am going to attempt one of Malham Cove's less challenging routes.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16Trouble is, for a beginner like me, it's still going to be
0:50:16 > 0:50:19very difficult, especially in this weather.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26This tiny bit of overhang is providing me
0:50:26 > 0:50:28with just enough shelter.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30I may have found the driest spot in Britain today.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33But if you want to be better prepared for the weather,
0:50:33 > 0:50:36here's the Countryfile forecast for the week ahead.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19This week, we've been revisiting some of our most cherished places
0:52:19 > 0:52:21in the British countryside.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26I've been exploring Malham Cove in North Yorkshire,
0:52:26 > 0:52:29a place I've been drawn to since childhood.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35It's been a wet and wild day.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Now I'm about to experience this landscape
0:52:41 > 0:52:43as I've never done before -
0:52:43 > 0:52:47halfway up this vertical limestone cliff face.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50It's one of the hardest, if not the hardest places in the UK to
0:52:50 > 0:52:53go climbing. Even the easiest route is really difficult.
0:52:53 > 0:52:58So, yeah, you're going to need all the skills you can muster and
0:52:58 > 0:52:59a little bit of good luck as well.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01SHE LAUGHS
0:53:01 > 0:53:04'All ably assisted by one of Britain's best all-round climbers,
0:53:04 > 0:53:06'Neil Gresham.'
0:53:07 > 0:53:10I have got to get over my fear. I've been coming here my whole life.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15Never in my life will I have had this perspective, but now or never.
0:53:15 > 0:53:16Now or never.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21Just how hard is it to climb limestone?
0:53:21 > 0:53:23How does it compare to other rocks?
0:53:23 > 0:53:25Limestone is probably the most difficult rock type because it
0:53:25 > 0:53:28is really smooth and the holds on it tend to be really small.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30There is no friction and, yeah,
0:53:30 > 0:53:33you often feel like there's nothing positive to grab hold of.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36What about on a day like today, freezing cold, wet?
0:53:36 > 0:53:40You would normally just stay inside and sit by the fire and read a book.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43But seeing as we are here, we'll just have to make the most of it.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46OK, well, I don't fancy my chances but I am here.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49Look at that, drip of water in my eyes. Shall we go for it?
0:53:49 > 0:53:51Yeah, let's give it a go. Come on.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53Try and go right towards that plant.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56And then back left and follow the orange clips.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59All right, now or never, as I said. Shall I just stand on here?
0:53:59 > 0:54:02Yeah, yeah, just go for it. Go up a little bit more.
0:54:03 > 0:54:04Up a little bit more.
0:54:07 > 0:54:08Move my leg?
0:54:08 > 0:54:10Yeah, that's good.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14Yeah. Pull on that, that's great. Really good.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16A little bit higher, there's a hold for you.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19You will need to stand up on the left foot. Perfect. There you go.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22That's it.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25That's really good. You have to trust some quite small footholds.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Look for your foot.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36Yeah, yeah, there, that's great. Now pull.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39That's it, that's it, that's it. That's it, and now reach.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41Ah! OK.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44Good try, that's a good try. You are nearly there.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48Yeah, there, that's it, well done.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50- No way.- You can do it, you definitely can do it.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54You can nearly reach the next sling, go on. That's it, left.
0:54:54 > 0:54:55Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:54:57 > 0:54:58That's it.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01Go on, Anita.
0:55:01 > 0:55:02Come on. Come on.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05SHE PANTS
0:55:05 > 0:55:07You've got it, you've got it.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12Come on, one more move and you've done it. Come on.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Come on!
0:55:14 > 0:55:17- Touch the top.- I can't!
0:55:17 > 0:55:18There you go.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20Ah!
0:55:20 > 0:55:23Yeah, brilliant, well done. That's it. That's the top now.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25You don't have to go any higher.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29- Wow.- Well done. Well done.
0:55:31 > 0:55:36That was so exhilarating and utterly terrifying, but what a view.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39I've got a smile on my face but my legs are totally shaking.
0:55:39 > 0:55:40That's it for this week.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43I hope you've enjoyed revisiting those beautiful places.
0:55:43 > 0:55:44The good news is,
0:55:44 > 0:55:47there's lots more to come throughout the rest of the year.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54This year, we'll be joining more well-known faces.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59From DJs to comedians...
0:55:59 > 0:56:02I've been wanting to see an otter for years and I've finally seen one.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05..chefs to singers.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08# My old man said follow the van... #
0:56:08 > 0:56:11To find out which part of our magnificent countryside is
0:56:11 > 0:56:13special to them.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20I hope you join us next time.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23I've just got to figure out how to get down now!