0:00:31 > 0:00:33As a Countryfile presenter, I have the privilege
0:00:33 > 0:00:37to travel all across our magnificent countryside...
0:00:39 > 0:00:41..exploring truly breathtaking landscapes...
0:00:43 > 0:00:45..meeting the people who look after it...
0:00:47 > 0:00:49..and experiencing the wonders of our wildlife.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55When the filming ends, I think I'm even luckier,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59because I get to return to a part of the countryside that is particularly
0:00:59 > 0:01:02special to me, and it's where I call home.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10I grew up on the western edge of the Cotswolds, in Gloucestershire,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12within the Five Valleys near Stroud.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17This is my countryside
0:01:17 > 0:01:20and I have been exploring it ever since I could walk...
0:01:22 > 0:01:26..but today I am going to see it as I've never done before.
0:01:27 > 0:01:28I can see my house!
0:01:30 > 0:01:32And whilst I am flying high,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36I'll be looking back through the Countryfile archives to the time
0:01:36 > 0:01:41when we asked some well-known faces, from DJs, to comedians...
0:01:41 > 0:01:44It's a seal. False alarm everyone, it was a seal.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46..chefs to singers...
0:01:46 > 0:01:50# My old man said follow the van. #
0:01:50 > 0:01:54..which part of our magnificent countryside was special to them?
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Broad green meadows...
0:02:09 > 0:02:10..rolling hills...
0:02:12 > 0:02:14..and picture postcard villages...
0:02:15 > 0:02:18..there's no mistaking the beauty of the Cotswolds.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Growing up around here really sparked my interest
0:02:25 > 0:02:27in wildlife and the natural world.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32And I think when you're surrounded by it in those early years,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35it sort of becomes a feeling and an instinct,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37rather than just something you see around you.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44One of my first memories was when I was five years old,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48and because we lived on a valley our garden was terraced,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50and I fell off a 20 foot drop,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53and landed in the rosemary bush and got covered in cuckoo spit,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57and I remember being really freaked out at seeing the larvae of the
0:02:57 > 0:03:00froghopper. The smell of rosemary still to this day takes me back to
0:03:00 > 0:03:02that slightly stressed out moment.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06I guess it was all part of my childhood countryside education.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15From those early brushes with nature all those years ago,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18today I am President of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24And someone who shares my passion for this landscape
0:03:24 > 0:03:28is one of our rangers, Alex Sumnall. How's it going, Al?
0:03:28 > 0:03:30- Hello, Ellie, how are you? - I'm good. Are you?
0:03:30 > 0:03:31- Very well, thank you.- Good.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34If you had blonde curly hair you could be my sister and me,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37playing in the stream, although we were just building dams,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39we weren't doing this. Tell me about this process.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41So what we are doing today is
0:03:41 > 0:03:43we're doing a technique called kick sampling.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45The idea is we're disturbing the rocks and sediment
0:03:45 > 0:03:47and hoping to catch the invertebrates who live
0:03:47 > 0:03:49in the bottom of this river, into the nets.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52And this is a really good indicator of how healthy the water is.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55So, if we have certain invertebrates in here,
0:03:55 > 0:03:56we know that the river is doing well,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59it's healthy, and that's good for the ecosystem.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00- Shall we have a little look?- Yes.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Scoop it right out there.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Just put mine in. The moment of truth.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09There is plenty of movement in here...
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Oh, my goodness, it is teeming with life.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12That is a really good sign,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15so hopefully we've got a lot of these indicator species
0:04:15 > 0:04:16that we are hoping to find.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19There's the bull head, that's a very good find.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- What else have we got here?- We have some mayfly larvae in here and
0:04:22 > 0:04:25they're a very good indicator of good water quality and you can tell
0:04:25 > 0:04:26it's a mayfly larva,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29it's got a three-pronged tail and it's also got the gills
0:04:29 > 0:04:30- on the side of its body.- Amazing.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32They're quite short-lived, aren't they?
0:04:32 > 0:04:34They get on the wing then they don't have long on this Earth.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36- Very short-lived. Yes.- Amazing.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38I'm not just saying this because this is my patch,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40but I have done lots of freshwater sampling before,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42I've never seen as much variety as there is in this tray.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44So this is showing the stream is in great condition, then?
0:04:44 > 0:04:46It is, yeah, yeah, so we'll undertake a lot of work here
0:04:46 > 0:04:49we'll actually encourage the invertebrates like this.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50So what have you got to do, work-wise?
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Some of it is because if it becomes too overshaded and too dense,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55it cuts off light down to the water,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58and, of course, that prevents photosynthesis,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00the bottom of food chain, so if we open up areas like we've done
0:05:00 > 0:05:03in this part of the reserve, we're starting the food chain up again.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06I can see you have some of the brush and log piles that you've created,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08is that from clearing all of this?
0:05:08 > 0:05:10That's correct. Yeah, so the log piles here,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13that's really good for newts and toads and frogs.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14Fantastic for bats.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16If you can imagine all the insects we are creating from these
0:05:16 > 0:05:20- habitat piles and the water.- It's just teeming with wildlife
0:05:20 > 0:05:23and that's why I love this place so much. Brilliant.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27It's reassuring to know that with people like Alex,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29the countryside I love is in good hands.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Well, mucking about in the river has brought back
0:05:34 > 0:05:36many cherished childhood memories
0:05:36 > 0:05:40and that's what David Essex went in search of when he travelled
0:05:40 > 0:05:41to the Kent/Sussex border.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57The first time I came down I think I was probably about four.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Growing up in East London, there wasn't much countryside, so the
0:06:02 > 0:06:07big adventure was to come down hop picking, around September time.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16What would happen is that this open-back truck would turn up
0:06:16 > 0:06:20at Canning Town where I was living, and the women and children
0:06:20 > 0:06:23would pile onboard with suitcases.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Lo and behold we're into the countryside.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36I remember going to Robertsbridge, Tenterden.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40My dad, before I turned up, I know went to Robertsbridge.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42That's where he used to go.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53Hello, mate.
0:06:53 > 0:06:54DOG BARKS
0:06:54 > 0:06:58This feels very familiar, especially the dog barking.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Also the smells as well.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03The buildings.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05Yeah.
0:07:05 > 0:07:06This takes me back.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14First of all, you would turn up, the farmer would come out,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17and would give you these
0:07:17 > 0:07:20sort of, well, I suppose it's like a duvet affair,
0:07:20 > 0:07:25then you go off to a haystack and you fill it all with hay,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and then you carry it to your bunk in the cow shed.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37I remember distinctly that the cow sheds we slept in had tin roofs,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40because you could hear the rain coming down,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42and I always thought that was wonderful.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45I still like that, the sound of the rain on a tin roof.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Generally in the week, it was women and children
0:07:55 > 0:07:57that came down initially on the lorry,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59and then the men folk were... Basically, they were dockers,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02they would all come at the weekend and they'd be singing
0:08:02 > 0:08:06round a fire, like a brazier, I remember.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08I remember the smell of that,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10and, of course, all the kids had to go to bed,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13but I could hear it in the distance, you know,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15# "My old man said follow the van. #
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Stuff like that. So yeah, it's very emotive.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31I didn't do much hop picking, no.
0:08:31 > 0:08:37For me, there was too many different things that I wanted to experience,
0:08:37 > 0:08:43like climbing trees, or nicking the farmer's apples and going off and
0:08:43 > 0:08:47just seeing things that I'd never really seen before.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58JJ! How are you?
0:08:58 > 0:09:01David. Are you going to show me how this works?
0:09:01 > 0:09:03- Yes, sure.- Right, let's have a look.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Oh, I see. Right.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13So that gadget's there actually cutting the vines.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17- It cuts.- Cuts through, and then they drop into here.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28It looks different because, from memory,
0:09:28 > 0:09:33there used to be these kind of bins that were made of sacking,
0:09:33 > 0:09:38and the pickers would sit there and the pole man would come down,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42pull down some hops over the bin, and then they would pick into it.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44I mean, my nan was incredible.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48She was a demon, and she knew specifically, you know,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51exactly what was a bushel in the basket.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56Sometimes I'd pick a little bit before I'd go off on adventures,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58and she'd say "No, Dave, that's too much,"
0:09:58 > 0:10:01so she'd knock a few off and it was exactly right.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07He's got the easy job, hasn't he?
0:10:19 > 0:10:21There he goes.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24A load of hops, off to the automated picking machine,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26as opposed to my nan.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Generally at weekends we'd follow the grown ups through the fields
0:10:36 > 0:10:39to the pub and get our lemonade and packet of crisps.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44For a little boy coming from the East End,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48it was magical. Summer seemed to last forever.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53Adventures were ongoing, and filled every day.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59And the feeling of community and family was extraordinary.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05My relatives were travellers, and there was an Uncle Levi,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07I remember him saying to me, "You know,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09"as a little boy you're looking at cars,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12"and you're thinking about fortune and money and all the rest of it."
0:11:12 > 0:11:16He said, "Just watch the sun rise in the morning
0:11:16 > 0:11:18"and set in the evening,
0:11:18 > 0:11:19"live a natural life."
0:11:19 > 0:11:22It had a sort of profound effect on me.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28All this did. All this, you know, the love of the countryside was,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30I suppose, instilled in me at that time.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41I've still got a tradition where I take a string of hops
0:11:41 > 0:11:44and I drape it round my mum's grave,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48because I know she would have liked that - and, of course, my nan.
0:11:48 > 0:11:54So I've still got that, so I'm going to nick a string of hops, if I can,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57if the farmer will let me, and that's where they'll end up.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14For some, the appreciation of the countryside comes from their journey
0:12:14 > 0:12:18through it, and that was true for actress Nina Wadia
0:12:18 > 0:12:21as she took to the breathtaking Highlands,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25sharing her love of the open road and her passion for adventure.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Our driving holidays began because of Mum and Dad.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39We never booked hotels or, you know, places in particular.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42We would just go and hope to find a little quirky B&B.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45That's the holidays I knew.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55I wanted to just recreate that kind of love of travel,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and just adventure with my own new little family,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02so we tend to do that, we jump in a car
0:13:02 > 0:13:04and the kids always get excited, "Where we going?"
0:13:04 > 0:13:06And I say, "I have no idea!"
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I've always had an affinity with Scotland
0:13:12 > 0:13:15and it might be because I went to a school in India,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17where I was born,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20called Bombay Scottish Orphanage High School.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24There's something about here, in Scotland,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27that I just feel at home.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29There's something special in these mountains.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34The view changes dramatically, every few miles.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39My son in particular, loved Scotland,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42and he said "Mum, Mum, look at the mountains,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44"don't they look like sleeping dinosaurs?"
0:13:44 > 0:13:48And I said, "Actually they do, they really do."
0:13:59 > 0:14:04We were in Fort William and we wanted a just explore day out,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07so we wanted to go somewhere that was a bit off the beaten track.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13We ended up at a loch called Loch Leven, which we, you know,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15never knew existed.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20My hubby and myself had had a little bit of a barney in the car,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24and so as soon as we hit the loch we went, "Ah, why are we bothering,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26"look at this, this is so beautiful."
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Yes, holidays in Scotland can save your marriage, you heard it here!
0:14:35 > 0:14:38It was perfect timing because it was lunchtime and we found
0:14:38 > 0:14:42a seafood cafe which did some of the best food I've had.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48It ended up being the most perfect day.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51It's not a very well-known place, it's not a very well-known loch,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54it's not even that huge, but it is just beautiful.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11Anywhere that there is water I feel connected, I feel at peace.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16It just has this feel of tranquillity about it.
0:15:18 > 0:15:19Ah!
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Who could ask for anything better?
0:15:23 > 0:15:26We've got the most beautiful food,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28you've got the most beautiful view in the world.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30The sun's shining.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46I think because of the roles I've played on TV people might not know
0:15:46 > 0:15:49that I very much love adrenaline sports.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56There is a waterfall up this way.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01It would be amazing to go and explore around there.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10I've had an absolute love for doing anything that makes my heart jump,
0:16:10 > 0:16:11and for anything that makes me think,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13"I'm probably going to do die doing this."
0:16:15 > 0:16:17- Hiya.- Hi, Nina, how are you doing?
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Yeah, good thank you. Good.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Look, I love doing stuff like this,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26except I like to start at the top and then land down.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28This I've never done before.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30- Starting at the bottom. - So you're more into jumping.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- Yes, I'm always jumping. - This is called Via Ferrata.
0:16:32 > 0:16:33- OK.- It's just a beautiful climb up
0:16:33 > 0:16:35the side of the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38- All the way up there? - Yes, we're going to get to
0:16:38 > 0:16:39the very top of that cliff, there.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Remember, go slow!
0:16:49 > 0:16:51This way.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53SHE GIGGLES
0:16:53 > 0:16:54- OK?- OK.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- Now you've got to get back on. - Oh, no, I can't!
0:17:01 > 0:17:03You can either stand on here or down there.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08What do I hold on to?
0:17:08 > 0:17:09There's loads of handles.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Holy Moley.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22We're probably about 80 metres vertical here,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24about the same height as the top of the waterfall.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Wow. I can see why it is called the Grey Mare's Tail.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- Why?- Well, it actually looks like a horse's tail.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Obviously.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37We're just over halfway, Nina.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39We're just...
0:17:39 > 0:17:42SHE LAUGHS
0:17:47 > 0:17:48Superb.
0:17:50 > 0:17:51Oh, boy.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59That's it, Nina. We're on the top.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Wa-hey!
0:18:06 > 0:18:07Well done. Brilliant.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Oh. Again!
0:18:11 > 0:18:12Again!
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Come on over here, Nina, I'll show you the Pap Of Glencoe.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19OK.
0:18:21 > 0:18:22This is breathtaking.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26Oh...
0:18:28 > 0:18:31This could not be a more perfect day.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36I came to my favourite loch, did something unbelievably exciting,
0:18:36 > 0:18:41this sunset - I mean, seriously, if there is a heaven, this is it.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55On today's programme we are visiting places in the British countryside
0:18:55 > 0:18:57that mean something special to us.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02For me, it's where I grew up in the Cotswolds.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06It's a landscape that captures the imagination.
0:19:08 > 0:19:14This area will forever be associated with Laurie Lee's Cider With Rosie,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18a poetic tale of rural life in these valleys,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21and it continues to inspire people to this day.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27This area is called the Golden Valley,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29and it's one of my favourite places to walk.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33It's the quality of the light through the beechwood,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36refracted through low-hanging mists
0:19:36 > 0:19:39that gives this meandering valley its name.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44No wonder it's drawn artists from miles around.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50For the last 20 years,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53artists John and Fiona Owen have made this valley their home.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Hi, John and Fi, how are you both?
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- How are you?- So good to see you!
0:20:02 > 0:20:05It was years since I last saw you, how long must it have been?
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Well, you were a little girl in a smock dress,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- that was my last memory of you before we moved.- Smock dress!
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Smock dress!
0:20:12 > 0:20:15They used to be my neighbours in my last house.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16It's so lovely to see you.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20What was it that first brought you to this incredible valley,
0:20:20 > 0:20:21the Golden Valley here?
0:20:21 > 0:20:25I actually felt I discovered the Golden Valley because we didn't have
0:20:25 > 0:20:28a car in those days, and I came along this valley on the train
0:20:28 > 0:20:32and I was amazed. It was like so lush and green.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Actually, the following day, I think, I got on my bike and
0:20:35 > 0:20:39came over and, you know, really did discover it, like an explorer.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41How fantastic. So, your work is quite different to John's.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45How do you incorporate what you see here in the valley into your work?
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Well, it's the plants that are my real love,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50so I just like capturing every detail.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54I've been doing some wood anemones, these are just simple sketches,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56and then, when I work them up,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00I weave them into a sort of tapestry of the wildlife,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02all based on our woods...
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- Beautiful. - ..between here and our home.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08John, how do you transfer a landscape like this into your work?
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Well, I normally try and do a drawing, but sometimes, you know,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14there's no time to do a drawing, so I take a photograph,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16or whatever information I can gather,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19to get some kind of impact from the landscape.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21I'm looking for light and shade, really.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Is there a particular type of light in this valley?
0:21:24 > 0:21:26I've heard that that's why it's got the name.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27It's very elusive, you know?
0:21:27 > 0:21:30We walk it every day and it's always different.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33It's just got a sort of mellow edge to it, living here, I think.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Quite a lot of mists, aren't there in this valley?
0:21:36 > 0:21:37Yeah, lots of mists.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39It's a very deep valley.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42It's beautiful work, it's lovely to see what we have in front of us
0:21:42 > 0:21:44translated into fabulous art like this.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58When I was in my 20s,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01I left all this behind and went to go and live in America,
0:22:01 > 0:22:06but it wasn't until I'd gone, that I really appreciated what I had,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08and that was true for DJ Edith Bowman,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12when she returned home to the rugged coastline of the East Neuk of Fife.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25I grew up in a little fishing village called Anstruther,
0:22:25 > 0:22:27which is on the east coast of Scotland.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35When I was a teenager I felt very differently about this place
0:22:35 > 0:22:38than I do now. I probably hated it.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41I couldn't wait to get out.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44I left to go to university in Edinburgh,
0:22:44 > 0:22:48I kind of did that gradual thing of going from the little village
0:22:48 > 0:22:51to the kind of bigger city, but then to the biggest city, London.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54So I think the further away I got from it,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56the more I crossed that line into missing it
0:22:56 > 0:22:58and loving it and needing it.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Everything's kind of all right when I come back here,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09just inhale that sea air and see this landscape, which is...
0:23:09 > 0:23:12You know, it's not typically picturesque
0:23:12 > 0:23:14and kind of postcard pretty.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18It's rugged, it's real, it's angry,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21the waves in the sea are angry when it's like this, but
0:23:21 > 0:23:24I love it. I could just stare out there for hours.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33There's always been cameras in our house,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35so we were encouraged to take pictures as kids.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40But then it was only really when I was at Radio 1
0:23:40 > 0:23:42and I kind of saw this great opportunity to
0:23:42 > 0:23:45take pictures of bands and things like that,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48that it became a bit more than a hobby.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Then I went back to college to do a night course.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55The first place I thought of when I was asked to do a project on
0:23:55 > 0:23:59landscapes was here. There's so much that you can photograph,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03be it the rock formations, and every step you take, it's different.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07It just really opened my eyes to be able to see what was around me
0:24:07 > 0:24:11and to acknowledge what's around me and capture what's around me, as well.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23This is Pittenweem Harbour.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26I spent a lot of time here as a kid growing up.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28There's a lot of history with my family here.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33My dad grew up in a house just over the other side of the fish market,
0:24:33 > 0:24:35you know, and it's where he spent his childhood.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39My great-grandfather used to mend nets.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41My uncle Brian, as well,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43he was a fisherman.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45We used to go out on the boat with him all the time.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52I've got this real want to document this place through my photography.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Different people that I know still work in that industry
0:24:56 > 0:24:58and are still keeping it going.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16I have so much respect for...
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Especially the men and women who are still involved in the fishing
0:25:20 > 0:25:24industry round this coast, because it's not an easy life.
0:25:24 > 0:25:25It's brutal out there.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35This is May Island and it's the most bonkers and brilliant little island,
0:25:35 > 0:25:40with these natural statues that have risen from the sea.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41It's beautiful and scary.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Fishing was such a thriving industry here
0:25:55 > 0:25:59and it's part of my family history as well, and so, you know,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02I'm intrigued by that and I'm intrigued by, you know,
0:26:02 > 0:26:07people still living here and being here and making their life here.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Almost having more courage to stay here than I did.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Nick, is this the last one?
0:26:15 > 0:26:17OK, this is good.
0:26:29 > 0:26:30I loved that.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33It reminded me of being out in the boat with my uncle Brian
0:26:33 > 0:26:35before he passed away,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38which is just the loveliest memories, really, of him.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42This place is home.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46It always has been and it always will be, to be honest.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54I would hope that I never take it for granted ever again.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05This week, we've been revisiting the most cherished places of some familiar faces.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10For Falklands veteran Simon Weston, it's his beloved South Wales.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27The Brecon Beacons is a special place for me.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31It was somewhere we got taken when we were kids, with the family.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Even as a young boy, I remember just thinking
0:27:37 > 0:27:41just how powerful it all felt here, just how beautiful.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44It's so incredibly lovely here,
0:27:44 > 0:27:49and even in the rain, there's something very special about it.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57Brecon is probably the one place that I have a fond memory
0:27:57 > 0:28:01of my biological father. There wouldn't have been too many
0:28:01 > 0:28:04in my life that I can remember, if I'm brutally honest, but
0:28:04 > 0:28:07I do remember him taking my oldest friend and myself, Carl, camping.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13I must have been ten or 11.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18And we used to go off and leave my father here and we'd go off along
0:28:18 > 0:28:22the road there and walk all the way almost into Brecon from here,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24which was just a great laugh.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29I suppose the cherry on the cake for that week was
0:28:29 > 0:28:33as the weekend arrived, so did a great big jamboree of Girl Guides.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37They arrived at the top of the valley near Storey Arms and they pitched their tents
0:28:37 > 0:28:39and we thought all our Christmases had come at once.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41We were only young boys.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45You know, if you've got a good memory,
0:28:45 > 0:28:46always look to the good ones,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48try to put the bad ones behind you,
0:28:48 > 0:28:52and the Brecon Beacons is always somewhere very special.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04I was about 17, 18, when I first came here
0:29:04 > 0:29:06to train with the military.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09It was raining then and I thought, what had I done wrong?
0:29:13 > 0:29:17The last time I was here training was with the Welsh Guards.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20We were getting ready to go to the Falklands and, as you can see,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22if you've ever seen pictures of the Falklands,
0:29:22 > 0:29:24this is fairly similar terrain.
0:29:25 > 0:29:26The problem was, we were training,
0:29:26 > 0:29:30it was quite nice and it was dry and the white grass,
0:29:30 > 0:29:33and we were hiding from the helicopters that were hunting us
0:29:33 > 0:29:37because we were a mortar line, which meant we lined our mortars up
0:29:37 > 0:29:38and we were doing light firing.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40One of the guys, a guy called Mike Dunphy,
0:29:40 > 0:29:42decided he'd make a cup of tea.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46He set fire to the white grass and the next thing you've got about
0:29:46 > 0:29:4930 men like whirling dervishes doing the berserker,
0:29:49 > 0:29:51dancing round trying to put this fire out
0:29:51 > 0:29:54and the mountainside was getting more and more alight.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Fortunately we brought it under control, but my goodness,
0:29:57 > 0:29:59it was touch and go!
0:29:59 > 0:30:02But you look back and it is one of those funny moments,
0:30:02 > 0:30:05it's one of those funny little stories you tell
0:30:05 > 0:30:07and you just remember your friends,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10because a lot of those guys on that mortar line never came home.
0:30:19 > 0:30:24I got injured on June 8th, 1982.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28The first warning came as the plane swept low over the ships.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33Sir Galahad was immediately in flames.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Two companies of the Welsh Guard were still on board.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40We lost 48 men dead and 97 injured,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42out of which I was the worst injured.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49I suffered
0:30:49 > 0:30:5248% burns.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54They didn't want to send me home when I was down there,
0:30:54 > 0:30:57they wanted to keep me down and bring me back by ship,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00but being a good Welsh boy, I wanted to come back to all of this.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07This is where I was brought up, I'm very proud of where I'm from.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Those people down there just beyond those trees,
0:31:10 > 0:31:11down in the village of Nelson,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13that's what helped make me
0:31:13 > 0:31:15and those are the people who helped me survive,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18because they supported me so incredibly well.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31In my darkest days, I had PTSD and nobody had diagnosed it.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38This is Senghenydd mountain, it overlooks Nelson,
0:31:38 > 0:31:43which you can't see through the mist and the haze,
0:31:43 > 0:31:45but this is the place where
0:31:45 > 0:31:48I used to come just to get some solitude.
0:31:51 > 0:31:58Everybody needs to regroup, so coming up here for me was escapism,
0:31:58 > 0:32:00was an opportunity just to try and regroup,
0:32:00 > 0:32:04but it was somewhere that I'd always come as a kid, and, I suppose...
0:32:06 > 0:32:08..it's the child in your eye.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10You don't want to lose the child in your eye, and you're trying to
0:32:10 > 0:32:13regain that and regroup with that, and that's what it was for me.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16It was coming up here and trying to
0:32:16 > 0:32:19get back the happiness that I had as being a child,
0:32:19 > 0:32:23and that's the solitude you seek when you come up here.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25Just to enjoy thinking and looking,
0:32:25 > 0:32:29and sometimes things just become a lot clearer.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36There's a great sense of pride in the valleys and being Welsh.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40It helps create communities, it helps create environments.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44Wales is very special, you know, and I'm so very lucky
0:32:44 > 0:32:46to have been born here.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57The valleys around Stroud in the Cotswolds
0:32:57 > 0:33:00are one of my favourite places in the UK,
0:33:00 > 0:33:02and it's where I call home.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08But while some of the valleys are bathed in sunlight,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11others have an altogether chillier feel.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17This is the Woodchester Valley,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20and the topography here is quite steep sided.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23It means even in summer it doesn't get very much sunlight,
0:33:23 > 0:33:24it can be quite a chilly walk.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27But it's a valley that holds a lot of memories for me.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31In the summer, we would pick the elderflowers from the hedgerows and
0:33:31 > 0:33:32sell them to a local drinks company.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Back then you'd get a pound for every pound in weight.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38It was a decent amount of money back then.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42But there's also intrigue here.
0:33:44 > 0:33:49Sitting in the depths of the valley is an abandoned Victorian Gothic manor house.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54There's a lot of mystery surrounding this place,
0:33:54 > 0:33:58about the person who built it and why it was never finished,
0:33:58 > 0:34:03and the setting really lends itself to myths and legends.
0:34:03 > 0:34:04Back when we were teenagers,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07we used to come down here after dark, getting up to no good.
0:34:11 > 0:34:16Today, my fascination isn't with the house, but with its inhabitants.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18Doctor Roger Ransome knows them well.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23He's been studying the resident bats here since 1959.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26- Hello, Ellie.- Good to see you. - Yes, and you.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29I'm excited about this. All these years I've been coming down here
0:34:29 > 0:34:31when I was growing up, I've never even seen the bats.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33How long have they been here?
0:34:33 > 0:34:36The building was abandoned in about the 1870s, and they could
0:34:36 > 0:34:41have come in possibly from Forest of Dean shortly afterwards,
0:34:41 > 0:34:43perhaps by the turn of the century.
0:34:43 > 0:34:44Amazing, all this time.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47In the valley I live in now there's lots of pipistrelles,
0:34:47 > 0:34:48what species have you got here?
0:34:48 > 0:34:52The two most common ones here, which are actually endangered species,
0:34:52 > 0:34:55are the greater and the lesser horseshoe bats.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57I'm really excited about the possibility of seeing them.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59Now, I'm only allowed in here today
0:34:59 > 0:35:02as I'm helping Roger with his research.
0:35:02 > 0:35:08Sometimes, well, hopefully we'll find a few round this corner.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11Ah, yes. Here we are.
0:35:11 > 0:35:12Oh, wow.
0:35:14 > 0:35:15Look at this, they're right there!
0:35:15 > 0:35:17Amazing.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20These are lesser horseshoe bats.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23They just look brilliant.
0:35:23 > 0:35:24- Look at them there.- Yeah.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27I don't think I've ever been this close to lesser horsehoes.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29- Yeah.- They're just,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32they're like a curious kind of decoration just hanging there.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Their wings folded over their bodies.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Yes, and they're nice and peaceful for the moment.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42We're not licensed to handle these, so we don't touch them.
0:35:42 > 0:35:43So we'll leave those horseshoes here.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45OK. What a wonderful sight.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50So we head off in search of the greater horseshoe.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53This is exciting, I love this.
0:35:53 > 0:35:54- Right.- Right.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Oh, yes, they're hanging on the wall.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58There's a greater and a lesser.
0:35:58 > 0:35:59You can really see the difference.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01- Yes.- This is amazing!
0:36:01 > 0:36:05Roger quickly collects the bats before they wake from their torpid state.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09- There we are.- Gently does it. - I'll put that one there.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14He notes down where he finds them, their ring number, sex and weight.
0:36:14 > 0:36:1816.8 grams.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21Fantastic. And these rings go on them from when they are babies?
0:36:21 > 0:36:26Yeah, usually within a few days of being born they'll be marked.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29Now, we've got a little tick, now, look.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32Oh, so we do. That will drop off eventually, won't it,
0:36:32 > 0:36:35- when it's had its fill? - Once it's fed, it will drop off.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38And these won't permanently be here at Woodchester, will they?
0:36:38 > 0:36:40- No.- They'll move around?
0:36:41 > 0:36:45They're born here, they stay here normally until about October and
0:36:45 > 0:36:48then they shift off to big hibernation sites,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51but a few do stay here all winter.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53How many bats do you think you've handled in your lifetime?
0:36:56 > 0:36:59- 14,000. - That's a lot of bats.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Roger's work here has been going on for nearly 60 years
0:37:03 > 0:37:07and is the longest continuous study of any mammal in the world.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12The last few years, we've been concentrating on
0:37:12 > 0:37:17behaviour and genetics and life span.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19That's another juvenile, you can see it's grey.
0:37:19 > 0:37:20Yes, I can see, yeah.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25It's been a real pleasure to have played a tiny part
0:37:25 > 0:37:28in Roger's research into such a wonderful animal.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34What an amazing experience.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38I've been here so many times and I had no idea this was going on.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40There's always more to see,
0:37:40 > 0:37:42particularly where wildlife is concerned,
0:37:42 > 0:37:44and that was the case for Susan Calman
0:37:44 > 0:37:46as she ventured across the Firth of Clyde
0:37:46 > 0:37:48to the beautiful Isle of Arran.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59I've been coming to the island of Arran since I was five.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04We came here for summer holidays every year,
0:38:04 > 0:38:08and we've been coming back ever since, so this place is really,
0:38:08 > 0:38:09it's just part of me.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14When we got on that CalMac ferry,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17I always used to come up and stand on the front of the deck here,
0:38:17 > 0:38:20so I could see how close we were getting to the island.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24"Scotland in miniature" they call it, and it really is,
0:38:24 > 0:38:28because it has the lowlands, beautiful scenery,
0:38:28 > 0:38:30the mountain ranges, and it's just extraordinary
0:38:30 > 0:38:34because everything that you can find across there, is here.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47This particular beach, Blackwaterfoot Beach,
0:38:47 > 0:38:49is where we spent most of our time.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54We'd put up the windbreak and we'd go swimming in that sea.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58The temperature would vary from frozen to very frozen.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01But do you know what?
0:39:01 > 0:39:03It makes you hardy for life,
0:39:03 > 0:39:07having to smile for a photograph whilst freezing.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14I'm not going in again!
0:39:19 > 0:39:24One of the reasons why I find this place so peaceful is...
0:39:25 > 0:39:28..you can go for a walk for five or ten minutes, 20 minutes,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31and you find the most extraordinary things.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41The Machrie standing stones is in the middle of this beautiful valley.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48This feels like the heart of the island and, I mean,
0:39:48 > 0:39:52they think these were probably erected about 2,000 BC,
0:39:52 > 0:39:54no-one quite knows why they're here.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56There's a theory about midsummer but,
0:39:56 > 0:40:00you can just feel the history that for thousands and thousands of years
0:40:00 > 0:40:04people have been coming and living and working on the land.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09When you come and stand in this stone circle,
0:40:09 > 0:40:11it's a slightly spiritual place.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13And for me, this is one of the places
0:40:13 > 0:40:16that makes me come back again and again.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32The wildlife on this island is just, it is spectacular.
0:40:35 > 0:40:41I've seen lots of beautiful things - seals, sharks, birds, red squirrels,
0:40:41 > 0:40:43but I've never seen an otter.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46And I understand this is the place where the otters hang out.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48We're going to speak to Lucy Wallace,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51who lives on the island, who is a bona fide otter expert.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55- Hello.- Hi.- Nice to see you, nice to see you.
0:40:55 > 0:40:56Beautiful morning.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58This is the place to be for otters, is that right?
0:40:58 > 0:41:00It's a good place for spotting otters, yeah.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02It's a rocky shore,
0:41:02 > 0:41:04it's quite shallow.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06We've got a lot of kelp beds out there,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08stuffed with the kind of things that otters like to eat.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11So, while we're waiting for the otters...
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Please come out, I've never seen an otter. Please.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20- ..right over there...- Yeah. - ..are some rather happy seals.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Stunning common seals.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25I think there's one lying on his back.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27That's wonderful.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30My cats do that, they just lie on their back on the sofa,
0:41:30 > 0:41:32just enjoying themselves.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34It's a tummy that needs tickling, isn't it?
0:41:34 > 0:41:36I don't know if I would. So all you need to do now...
0:41:38 > 0:41:39..is find me an otter.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50Oh, no, it's a seal, it's a seal.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53It's a seal. False alarm everyone, it was a seal.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58It would be a good call, I think, if we were to pack up
0:41:58 > 0:41:59and move along the coast a bit.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Right, let's do it.
0:42:01 > 0:42:02There are otters to find.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06Marching away as quick as we can.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08I know.
0:42:08 > 0:42:09It's exciting.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15Those covered rocks there, with the waves breaking,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18an otter just came out onto those rocks and went back in again.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20So straight in line with the lighthouse?
0:42:20 > 0:42:22Straight in line with the lighthouse,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25there's loads of sort of spray and surf.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Right on the top and he's eating a fish.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29Oh, yeah.
0:42:29 > 0:42:30Wow.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Wow! He's loving that.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37It's quite far out, isn't it, actually?
0:42:37 > 0:42:40- Yeah.- And you think it's a he?
0:42:40 > 0:42:44Looks quite big from here, it's a long way off, can't be sure,
0:42:44 > 0:42:47- but looks like quite a big individual.- OK.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49My gut feeling is that that is a dog otter.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52That's my first otter.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54I'm so thrilled.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58Thank you very much. I've been wanting to see an otter for years
0:42:58 > 0:43:01and I've finally seen one. Sitting, bold as you like, having lunch.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Oh, he's shaking, he's on the next rock, yeah.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05The next rock along.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07Thank you so much.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09Oh, that's grand.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16There we go.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28Sometimes getting out into the countryside, away from the rat race,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31is just what you need to recharge the batteries.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36And that's just what Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines
0:43:36 > 0:43:39did when he headed into the wilds of Dartmoor.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48Outdoor life has always been something I've thrived on.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57Being in the environment of the kitchen with all that stress, work,
0:43:57 > 0:44:00going out and taking a moment in and around this environment really
0:44:00 > 0:44:03gives me inspiration, but it also gives me a chance to think.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10I was born in Exeter, grew up in Devon.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14So, these parts of Dartmoor and the surrounding area are pretty much
0:44:14 > 0:44:16my playground as a child.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20Wow, what a view.
0:44:20 > 0:44:21It's incredible.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28So, this is Cranbrook Castle, it's a hillfort,
0:44:28 > 0:44:29one of three in this area -
0:44:29 > 0:44:33Hound Tor, Fernworthy, Chagford.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37It's just incredible to see this landscape now,
0:44:37 > 0:44:38stretching out to Devon.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42I really get a sense of place and
0:44:42 > 0:44:46a connection with this landscape, massively. Incredible view.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51I've taken the time in the last sort of ten, 12 years,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53to do wild camping.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59Right, I'm ready to go.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07You know, as a young man I was in the Cadet Force.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09We used to come on Dartmoor doing point-to-point.
0:45:11 > 0:45:17But I think, above all, it's a great reminder of a wonderful childhood.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21We used to go, as just the boys with my father, on Dartmoor, camping.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25When I look back, I think Father's not here any more, but in a way
0:45:25 > 0:45:27there's lots of memories and lots of things that come back,
0:45:27 > 0:45:30places that you've been to that you then suddenly remember.
0:45:39 > 0:45:40Good spot for it, I think.
0:45:42 > 0:45:46Hopefully the rain will hold off, at least until I get my tent up anyway!
0:45:50 > 0:45:52I just love the atmosphere of the place,
0:45:52 > 0:45:54the moods that it gives through the weather.
0:45:56 > 0:46:00You can see the weather fronts coming in and you really sense that
0:46:00 > 0:46:04different parts of the moor are experiencing different, sort of,
0:46:04 > 0:46:06microclimates and you really get that.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08It's very atmospheric.
0:46:36 > 0:46:41Wow, what a completely different view this morning from last night.
0:46:41 > 0:46:46It just shows how drama unfolds on Dartmoor with the weather cycle.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56Here we are looking for some field mushrooms.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58Here's a few, here.
0:47:02 > 0:47:06Beautiful mushrooms, very tasty, very delicate.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10I think the key thing is to remember you've got to know what you're
0:47:10 > 0:47:13picking, and in this regard, field mushrooms are quite safe.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17So I'm going to cook this Dartmoor steak
0:47:17 > 0:47:19with our foraged field mushrooms.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27There we go, got plenty.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34So what I'm going to do is I'm going to oil and season the beef.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38I've got just one pan to cook, so I'm going to griddle it.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42This is going to be cooked in a few minutes,
0:47:42 > 0:47:45so just get it nicely sealed.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49Going to add some oil with the mushrooms,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52and a little bit of seasoning, as well.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54In they go.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58It smells good.
0:48:03 > 0:48:04I'm cooking for two.
0:48:05 > 0:48:06Look at that.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14Incredible.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18We're pretty good to go, really.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39For me, I feel connected to the landscape and the land,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42and, of course, the produce which I use.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47It's, yeah, stunning.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51A bit like my steak!
0:49:01 > 0:49:05From the floor of the deep valley, the climb up may be steep,
0:49:05 > 0:49:07but it's worth it.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12This is home, and there's something reassuring about being here,
0:49:12 > 0:49:13in the landscape I know so well.
0:49:15 > 0:49:16In the summer months,
0:49:16 > 0:49:20I can't help but notice the gliders soaring in the clouds above me.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24But I'm yet to experience a bird's-eye view over my own turf.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30Seems a bit amiss, given that I've got the Cotswold Gliding Club right on my doorstep.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37So I'm going to meet Gerry Holden,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40who's probably been flying above my head for the last 20 years.
0:49:43 > 0:49:44- Hi, Gerry.- Hello.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47All looking present and correct, nothing's about to fall off?
0:49:47 > 0:49:49Hello, Ellie. No, it's all there, it's all functional.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52I've seen gliders up here for years and years.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54Is this a good spot for gliders?
0:49:54 > 0:49:56It's reasonably flat, which is good,
0:49:56 > 0:49:58and the airfield's obviously fairly large,
0:49:58 > 0:50:00and we do get good, strong thermals.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03Explain the principles about how a glider works.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05We obviously haven't got an engine,
0:50:05 > 0:50:07so we have to be towed up behind an aircraft.
0:50:07 > 0:50:12When we're up there, the biggest challenge is to stay aloft,
0:50:12 > 0:50:16and what we're doing is we're flying on a column of rising air.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19So all the birds go to that column of rising air,
0:50:19 > 0:50:20circle in it and climb,
0:50:20 > 0:50:23and gliders are absolutely no different.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25That's on a good summer's English day.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28We don't always get good summer's days, look at this.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30So, really, we're ready to go, I think.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32- Yeah?- If you're up for it?
0:50:32 > 0:50:34I think so. I am quite nervous but I'm excited.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36That's normal and to be expected.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38So I want to get you settled in and comfortable,
0:50:38 > 0:50:41so you know what you're doing and then I'll get in,
0:50:41 > 0:50:43because I assume you want me to come with you.
0:50:43 > 0:50:44I'd prefer it, I'd prefer it!
0:50:44 > 0:50:45Very good.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50This will be a first for me.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53I've never experienced my home patch from the air before,
0:50:53 > 0:50:56and I can't wait to see it from a whole new perspective,
0:50:56 > 0:50:59and while we wait for the runway to clear...
0:50:59 > 0:51:02Well, it looks like we've got the weather that we need for flying,
0:51:02 > 0:51:04but will you have the weather that you need this week?
0:51:04 > 0:51:07Time to find out with the Countryfile forecast.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13This week, we've been revisiting some of our most cherished places in
0:52:13 > 0:52:17the British countryside, with the help of some famous faces.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22I've been exploring the five valleys in the Cotswolds.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25This beautiful countryside is where I grew up
0:52:25 > 0:52:27and I'm still proud to call home,
0:52:27 > 0:52:31and now I'm going to experience it as I've never done before -
0:52:31 > 0:52:33from the air.
0:52:35 > 0:52:36Here we go.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41We're off!
0:52:43 > 0:52:45OK, that's us up and flying, Ellie.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47Wow. That is smoother than I thought.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54OK.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58- Happy?- Yeah, it's just taking my breath away a bit.
0:52:58 > 0:52:59- Pretty awesome.- Yeah.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02Oh, my goodness.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05I've got to be honest,
0:53:05 > 0:53:08my initial thought is that it's quite terrifying.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10Ooh la-la.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16But once I see a familiar-looking landscape ahead of me,
0:53:16 > 0:53:19it quickly takes my mind off things.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21I think I can see my sister's house.
0:53:21 > 0:53:22Woohoo.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26Oh, my goodness, I've never seen this view,
0:53:26 > 0:53:28I thought I knew this place.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Someone's got a swimming pool down there.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38There's my pub.
0:53:38 > 0:53:39I can see my house.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43That's amazing!
0:53:43 > 0:53:46It's grand seeing your house from the air.
0:53:46 > 0:53:47It is. It's like nothing else.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49- It's just awesome.- It is.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52You wait till we release.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54OK, we're about 1,400 feet now.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56- OK.- We've got a little bit of climbing to do yet.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01Just down there, I can see that's the Golden Valley.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05Brilliant. It's amazing.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08I think I finally have my nerves under control,
0:54:08 > 0:54:11so Gerry's given me one rather daunting responsibility...
0:54:12 > 0:54:14..to set us free.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16- Say when. - Go, now.- Is that it?
0:54:16 > 0:54:17There he goes.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21And we're on our own.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23Silence descends.
0:54:24 > 0:54:29It's just us, the sky above, and the glorious Cotswolds below.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31Wow.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34So there you go, what do you think of this then?
0:54:34 > 0:54:36Wow, it's really extraordinary.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44Once you start gliding, once you're on your own, what is it...
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Are you looking for anything or feeling?
0:54:47 > 0:54:50You can see that there are defined clouds with grey bottoms.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53- Oh, yeah, I see those. - We'll probably lift under those.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55So you're sort of looking for clouds,
0:54:55 > 0:54:57- that's your biggest giveaway, is it? - Yeah.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02It's still taking my breath away.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04It takes something to get used to it, doesn't it?
0:55:04 > 0:55:06Yeah, yeah. This is great fun.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10It feels just like flying as a bird of prey would.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14There are so many buzzards in the valley near me,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17and it's how I imagine it would be to fly with them,
0:55:17 > 0:55:18using the thermals.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20What an experience.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28There's my piano teacher's house.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30There's Jan. Hi!
0:55:35 > 0:55:39Getting this view of the landscape I feel like I know and love so well,
0:55:39 > 0:55:43has been an experience like no other, one I will never forget.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46Seeing it in such a different light.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49Feeling like one of the birds of prey that I admire from the ground.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53Well, I hope you've enjoyed revisiting some
0:55:53 > 0:55:55famous faces and their favourite places.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58I hope you can join us next time.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00All we've got to do now is land.