0:00:28 > 0:00:30Hurricane strength winds.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33A nation caught off-guard.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Huge swathes of the UK plunged into chaos.
0:00:45 > 0:00:52It was exactly 30 years ago today that the Great Storm of 1987 hit.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55If you're old enough, you can probably remember where you were.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00Huge areas of the countryside were destroyed that night and 15 million
0:01:00 > 0:01:04trees came crashing down in the darkness.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Such extreme weather really hits the landscape hard,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11so is 30 years long enough for nature to fight back?
0:01:14 > 0:01:17I've come to Wakehurst in West Sussex,
0:01:17 > 0:01:21where the 16th-century mansion and historic gardens bore the full brunt
0:01:21 > 0:01:23of the storm.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26- What was it like?- It was terrifying. The noise was incredible.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Three decades later, I'll be finding out how this landscape
0:01:35 > 0:01:37has been repaired and renewed...
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Over the last 30 years, there's been an amazing amount of restoration.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42..and what makes this place
0:01:42 > 0:01:45so important for trees across the globe.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51I'll also be looking back at some of our own encounters with extreme
0:01:51 > 0:01:56weather, like the time Matt went looking for a town lost at sea.
0:01:56 > 0:01:57The bracing winds,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00occasionally getting slapped in the face by the winds!
0:02:00 > 0:02:04Or when Sean was nearly lost at sea himself.
0:02:04 > 0:02:05So, Glenn, I've done some fishing in my time,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09but it was quite different to this.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12And when Adam saw the impact that extreme weather can have on our
0:02:12 > 0:02:15landscape and those who strive to rebuild it.
0:02:17 > 0:02:18Goodness me.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22I knew the dyke was bad, but it's absolutely devastated, isn't it?
0:02:22 > 0:02:25It's dreadful. It's very hard to imagine the power of the sea.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39The Sussex countryside.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44A patchwork of fields and forests.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47It looks like it's been this way for centuries,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49but there have been some recent changes.
0:02:55 > 0:03:0030 years ago today, this landscape was changed forever,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04as the biggest storm in living memory smashed its way through
0:03:04 > 0:03:07southern England, leaving massive devastation in its wake.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12And the Botanic Gardens here at Wakehurst in West Sussex
0:03:12 > 0:03:14were right in its path.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26The Great Storm of 1987 tore through our countryside and towns alike,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29ripping up buildings and tossing down trees.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Even the Met Office was unprepared for the extreme speed and intensity
0:03:37 > 0:03:38of the gales.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46With winds gusting at up to 100mph, nothing was safe.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Tragically, 18 people lost their lives.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Here at Wakehurst, the Kew Gardens country estates,
0:04:00 > 0:04:05they had a magnificent and historic woodland, but that night,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08as hurricane-strength winds ripped through the grounds,
0:04:08 > 0:04:13centuries-old trunks snapped like twigs and, in the end,
0:04:13 > 0:04:1520,000 trees were lost.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22It's not a night Dave Marchant is likely to forget.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Dave, you were here at the time, weren't you?
0:04:28 > 0:04:32I was, yes. We were living in the cottage in the middle of the garden.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34- What was it like?- It was terrifying.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Trees flying past, the house was shaking.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41We were really frightened with the amount of noise
0:04:41 > 0:04:43- of the wind going by.- Yeah.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47And we got up and we turned the CB radio on, and we were listening to
0:04:47 > 0:04:51the truckers saying they had to stop and there were trees down across
0:04:51 > 0:04:53the road and we realised it was something really big.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56We'd lost power, we'd lost water, we'd lost telephones.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58- It's quite apocalyptic, really. - Yes, yes.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03The next morning, the devastation was revealed.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Botanic collections that took generations to gather were gone
0:05:07 > 0:05:09in the blink of an eye.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11What was that feeling like when you came out and you saw
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Wakehurst in a whole new light?
0:05:13 > 0:05:18We were shocked, and didn't know whether to cry or what to do
0:05:18 > 0:05:20when we walked out that morning.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22It must have been quite disorientating.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Hellishly disorientating.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26I was born here.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29My father was here 50 years before me, and my mother,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32and I knew the estate backwards.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35And we walked outside, we couldn't find our bearings because
0:05:35 > 0:05:37major landmarks had gone.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Wakehurst set to work removing the fallen trees, and the noise
0:05:44 > 0:05:48of chainsaws rang out across the county for years,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51as the land was cleared and the team came to terms with the loss.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Nature is a wonderful healer.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59We replanted, we put in windbreaks.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05It took us five years, and it was quite an experience.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08So, lots and lots of work involved, and so much work involved that you
0:06:08 > 0:06:10were decorated for it.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Yes, I was awarded the MBE in 2002
0:06:14 > 0:06:17for services to the Wakehurst estate.
0:06:17 > 0:06:18That was a great honour.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Rebuilding this landscape was never going to be just as simple as
0:06:26 > 0:06:29replanting the trees that had fallen over and, later,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33I'll be finding out how they began the long process of restoration.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37If you have any memories, or even pictures of the Great Storm,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40we'd love to see them. Please tweet us at...
0:06:44 > 0:06:48The storm 30 years ago destroyed these woodlands,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50but as Matt discovered, 700 years ago,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53an even bigger storm destroyed a whole town.
0:07:00 > 0:07:06Suffolk, a dynamic coastline eroding in parts, yet growing in others.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10What the North Sea gives, it also takes away.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17I'm in Dunwich, just south of Lowestoft.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22In the Middle Ages, this place was one of the country's most important
0:07:22 > 0:07:24North Sea trade imports.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30But these waters that brought the town all of its wealth
0:07:30 > 0:07:33eventually sealed its fate.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Brutal and relentless storms would batter the port,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40crumble the coastline and flood the land.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43And during one particularly vicious storm,
0:07:43 > 0:07:48the land just gave way and a quarter of Dunwich sank.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55That same Great Storm of seven centuries ago also claimed hundreds
0:07:55 > 0:08:00of lives, washed away by the flood, committed to a watery grave.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07I'm heading out to sea, to where Dunwich's sunken streets now lie.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Taking me is Professor David Sear.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13He's a geographer, who's made it his life's mission to plot the remains
0:08:13 > 0:08:16of what is Europe's largest underwater town.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20That looks quite choppy out there this morning.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21Just a tad. Yeah.
0:08:21 > 0:08:27The way you've got to look at it is about this time of year, in 1287,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30the biggest storm took out Dunwich, and it might be that we're going to
0:08:30 > 0:08:32experience a little bit of it first-hand, actually.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Well, that's the whole point of going out there, to sense the power
0:08:34 > 0:08:36of these waves that brought the town to its end.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39- I think we'll sense the power of the waves, Matt.- Yeah.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52- Woohoo!- Oh, yeah.- Look at this wave! Here we go!
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Certainly a good way to wake you up first thing in the morning.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57It's a bit bracing, isn't it?
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Bracing winds. Occasionally getting slapped in the face by the winds!
0:09:03 > 0:09:05So, when did you first experience this place?
0:09:05 > 0:09:10And when did the love of this whole world that's beneath the waves
0:09:10 > 0:09:12come to your life?
0:09:12 > 0:09:15We used to holiday here as a family and they did have these
0:09:15 > 0:09:18strange lumps of masonry on the beach.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22And I can remember being sat on them and being told,
0:09:22 > 0:09:26"You're sitting on the remains of a medieval church."
0:09:26 > 0:09:30And then, even better, that out there was this vast...
0:09:31 > 0:09:35..medieval town of eight churches, chapels, priories.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37And it's unbelievable, you know?
0:09:41 > 0:09:45The boyhood dream turned to professional reality when David had
0:09:45 > 0:09:48the idea to use acoustic imaging to see through the murky waters...
0:09:50 > 0:09:54..technology traditionally used by the US Army to find mines.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59It works like shining a torch onto the sea bed,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02only using sound instead of light.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04When the sound hits something hard, like a ruin,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08it bounces back and a detailed picture is built up.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10It just got taken out, whereas the ones up on the top...
0:10:10 > 0:10:12We're now ploughing through the waves,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14right above the streets of Dunwich...
0:10:16 > 0:10:18..and this is what's beneath us.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23The medieval town held in the dark water.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30This technology has helped David and his team draw the most accurate
0:10:30 > 0:10:33map yet of the town dubbed Britain's Atlantis.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Woohoo! That was good.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43But in a swell like this, you can only get so close to the past.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45We stand a much better chance on dry land.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Here, David is looking to the ground beneath our feet to tell us more
0:10:51 > 0:10:53of Dunwich's story.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56OK, we're ready to go. Are you ready for this?
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Yeah. Just put our weight on it?
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Put more weight on it, and down we go.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02That's it, all the way, that's it.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04We have some suction here.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Hang on!
0:11:06 > 0:11:08THEY LAUGH
0:11:08 > 0:11:10There we go.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14We're taking mud cores, a sort of tube of history, where layers
0:11:14 > 0:11:18in the soil give clues as to what caused Dunwich to disappear.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20And this is the exciting bit, look at this.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23You can see all the sand grains.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- Yeah.- It's quite a discrete band here.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31The only way you're going to get that is if you've had some energy
0:11:31 > 0:11:33pushed into the system, and around here
0:11:33 > 0:11:37the only way you get energy is through big coastal storms
0:11:37 > 0:11:41punching their way through that gravel barrier and then spilling
0:11:41 > 0:11:44all the sand, washing it across...
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Bringing it all with it and literally just dumping it.
0:11:46 > 0:11:47Just dumping it here, yeah.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52What I think is really fascinating is that we've gone from estuary,
0:11:52 > 0:11:57storm, marsh, estuary, back into marsh.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01So, looking back down at this tube then with estuary, marsh, estuary,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05marsh, are we due another estuary in this patch?
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Yeah. I think that's what this tells us,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11is that we can expect in the future to see that change again,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13and that it is perfectly natural.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17David's cores show
0:12:17 > 0:12:19that the Suffolk coastline is constantly changing.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26It's been that way for centuries, and will be that way
0:12:26 > 0:12:27for centuries to come.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32As the unlucky residents of Dunwich found out,
0:12:32 > 0:12:36our coastline is especially vulnerable to the elements.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Earlier this year, Anita visited the very edge of East Yorkshire to see
0:12:40 > 0:12:43how nature has weathered the storm and come back fighting.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52It's been battered by gales, lashed by waves and slowly, bit by bit,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54it's been swallowed up by the sea.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58And what was Spurn Point is now Spurn Island.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05The huge storm surge back in December 2013 ripped through
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Spurn Peninsula at its narrowest point.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Huge chunks of road were washed away.
0:13:11 > 0:13:17The coastline changed forever and wildlife habitats were devastated.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Spurn Point was cut off from the rest of the peninsula.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Now, at high tide, it becomes an island -
0:13:25 > 0:13:27the UK's newest.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Andy Gibson from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
0:13:29 > 0:13:31witnessed the aftermath.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35The disruption and the mess must have been awful.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37It was not the familiar...
0:13:37 > 0:13:42You know, we went to bed having a road here and having mobile dunes
0:13:42 > 0:13:46and grasses, and we came back and the shoreline had moved 70 metres
0:13:46 > 0:13:48into the estuary, so that's a landscape change.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52- It's just incredible.- So, did it look like that, basically?
0:13:52 > 0:13:55We can see the sort of grassy dune on the sandbank on the side with the
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- road that we've just come along. And that was this, was it?- And that was
0:13:58 > 0:13:59all this, with this type of road
0:13:59 > 0:14:01which was cobbling, made up of blocks.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- So this is the old road? - That's the old road blocks.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Goodness me. The power of the sea.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08- That's incredible, isn't it? - Phenomenal power.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Wildlife took a hit, too.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15The storm battered important feeding and breeding grounds
0:14:15 > 0:14:18for wetland birds. But the picture is different today.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Andy is taking me to Kilnsea Wetlands Nature Reserve,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27where the bird populations have bounced back.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30More than 100,000 migratory waders have been recorded here
0:14:30 > 0:14:33in the last 12 months.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35What bird species do you see using this wetland?
0:14:35 > 0:14:39In the winter, there's the knot, the redshank, the dunlin,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42the oystercatchers, grey plovers.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44There's that whole range of wading birds
0:14:44 > 0:14:46that use this part of the Humber.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48At this time of year, in April,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51there is the avocets coming to breed.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- Can we see some now? - We can. So, you can see there...
0:14:54 > 0:14:57- All lined up.- I can, there they are.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59This is a good breeding point for them, it's undisturbed.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02What happened to this landscape after the surge?
0:15:02 > 0:15:05The unexpected part was it filled it up with water,
0:15:05 > 0:15:06but then with the pressure of water,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10it opened up land drains that were existing from its previous usage
0:15:10 > 0:15:12and it just about drained the place.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17So the habitat wasn't ideal for avocets from a point of view
0:15:17 > 0:15:20of being isolated islands and spits, and the predators
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and the disturbance was much greater for them.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Now the water's back in,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28they've got an isolated spit to breed on and, hopefully,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31they will have a little bit more success.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41I'm at Wakehurst in West Sussex,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44remembering the Great Storm of 30 years ago.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48And just like the wildfowl of Spurn Point,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51nature has been rejuvenated in these woodlands.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58After the 1987 storm destroyed 60% of the trees here,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02the caretakers saw a glimmer of hope through the carnage,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05an opportunity to create an innovative but controversial
0:16:05 > 0:16:06new landscape.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Ian Parkinson, the Woodlands and Conservation Manager, was new to
0:16:12 > 0:16:17Wakehurst on the night of the storm and he's been here ever since.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19I'm glad you got me one of those, Ian.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22- Good.- How high are we going? - Oh, 60 metres?
0:16:22 > 0:16:23Oh, that's high enough!
0:16:28 > 0:16:32There's only one way to get an overview of an estate this size -
0:16:32 > 0:16:34up high, over the tree tops.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36- Up we go.- Up we go.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- How are your air legs? - Well, we'll find out in a minute.
0:16:50 > 0:16:51Don't look down.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01What was it about Wakehurst in particular?
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Why did it get affected so badly?
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Well, I think you can see as you look out across this landscape
0:17:06 > 0:17:09just how elevated Wakehurst is.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10So we're very vulnerable.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13And all of the tree canopy had reached the same age,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15so it was a very mature canopy,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18so there was nothing to defuse the wind and that meant everything
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- toppled over at the same time. - Yeah.
0:17:21 > 0:17:22You can see where the wind
0:17:22 > 0:17:24kind of really swept through the estate.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28- Yeah.- And it looks like a giant game of pick-up sticks.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30But as we stand next to this huge redwood here,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32and as we look across the landscape,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35there are clearly plenty of mature trees that survived.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Well, there were a few trees that were battered but unbowed
0:17:39 > 0:17:41and they're trees that we celebrate here,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44and this giant redwood is one of those.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49The team had a lot of decisions to make about the best way to redevelop
0:17:49 > 0:17:53the landscape and, 30 years on, they're still working on it.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57The storm was devastating, but it did act as a catalyst for change,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00so it gave us a unique opportunity to redevelop,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03to redesign the layout of the botanic plant collections.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08The new plan was to plant trees in geographical groups,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11creating the woodlands of the world in miniature.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19While a bird's eye view is fun,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22nothing beats getting your boots muddy,
0:18:22 > 0:18:24so we've got our feet back on solid ground.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32So, here we are in the temperate woodlands of the world.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34We're currently in Australia.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36These trees I don't recognise.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38These are Wollemi pine trees.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Eucalyptus all around, eucryphia...
0:18:40 > 0:18:44- Oh.- So, trees of a warmer climate.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Where are we now?
0:18:56 > 0:18:58- Well, we're in the temperate woodlands of Chile now.- A-ha!
0:18:58 > 0:19:00And of course one of the iconic trees of that region
0:19:00 > 0:19:02is this monkey puzzle.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05- Yeah.- We have many that survived the storm,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07but this one was planted shortly after.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11- This is one of my favourite trees. - They're incredible, aren't they?
0:19:14 > 0:19:17We're now moving into New Zealand.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Most of these trees have been planted since the hurricane.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23They're very much planted as a conservation
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and scientific and education resource.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29So these are very, very valuable botanic collections.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Who'd have thought you could tour the southern hemisphere
0:19:34 > 0:19:35without ever leaving West Sussex?
0:19:37 > 0:19:41In a moment I'm going to be getting my hands as well as my boots muddy,
0:19:41 > 0:19:45planting some saplings and doing my bit to restore the woodlands here,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49as well as finding out why the future of conservation at Wakehurst
0:19:49 > 0:19:50isn't just held in the ground.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56But first, as Adam found out in the Orkney Islands,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59stormy weather can threaten even the hardiest of breeds.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Low-lying and exposed to the elements,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06this is a tough place to live -
0:20:06 > 0:20:08man OR beast.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Many years ago, Dad and I came up to these islands to help secure
0:20:12 > 0:20:15the future of these wonderful little North Ronaldsay sheep,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18and it's a trip that brings back fond memories.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29In the 1970s,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33this rare breed only lived on this one isolated island, so they were
0:20:33 > 0:20:36vulnerable to disease wiping them out.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38But with the help of the locals,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41my dad and I managed to move some of the sheep to safer locations
0:20:41 > 0:20:43around the UK.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Now, with several flocks established on the mainland,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48the future of the breed looks more secure.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54However, back here on their tiny native island,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56things aren't looking so rosy.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03The North Ronaldsays were banished to the beach back in 1832,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07when the laird built a sheep dyke around the whole island
0:21:07 > 0:21:09to reserve the pastures for cattle.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16Deprived of grass, the sheep soon adapted to their new environment,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18living solely off seaweed.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Kevin Woodbridge moved from England 39 years ago
0:21:24 > 0:21:26to become the island's GP.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Now retired, he has become clerk
0:21:28 > 0:21:32of North Ronaldsay's grandly-titled Sheep Court.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I know here it's very different to our sheep back home that get fat
0:21:35 > 0:21:38in the summer. Your sheep get fat in the winter, don't they?
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Yes, in the summer they're entirely dependent on what they can pick up
0:21:41 > 0:21:42in the ebbtide, but, in the winter,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46the storms uproot all the seaweed beds out in the sea and bring huge
0:21:46 > 0:21:50banks of seaweed onto the foreshore, and then the sheep actually gorge
0:21:50 > 0:21:52themselves on that and they are actually fittest and fattest at
0:21:52 > 0:21:55this time of year and the best time to send them off for market.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57- So can we get up close to one and catch one?- Yes.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58What is a good one? He looks pretty big.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- That one?- A good one there, yes.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Let's have a feel of him. He's got a good covering of meat over his
0:22:09 > 0:22:11backbone and on the rib there.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14He's really quite podgy. And the meat is delicious, isn't it?
0:22:14 > 0:22:17The meat is wonderful. It's very lean and very tasty.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21During the winter months, on that seashore it must be so harsh.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25What is it then in the sheep that makes them such good survivors?
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Well, it's a primitive breed which has adapted entirely to living here
0:22:28 > 0:22:32on the seaweed. But you can see that the fleece is really lovely
0:22:32 > 0:22:35and thick and downy underneath, and you've got these hairs
0:22:35 > 0:22:38coming through and the guard hairs on the outside,
0:22:38 > 0:22:39which gives a warm inner lining,
0:22:39 > 0:22:44but also it sheds the rain and the snow and the sleet away
0:22:44 > 0:22:46from getting in and soaking the fleece.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48So they are in fine fettle -
0:22:48 > 0:22:50putting on condition, there's plenty of them.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- What's the problem?- The problem really is that the depopulation of
0:22:54 > 0:22:57the island has reduced the number of people who are keeping sheep, and so
0:22:57 > 0:23:01maintaining the full flock is a challenge from reduced numbers
0:23:01 > 0:23:03and also maintaining the dyke
0:23:03 > 0:23:05which has been very seriously storm-damaged
0:23:05 > 0:23:06in the last few years.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08We haven't got the manpower in the island to get it back up.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10The dyke being the sea wall
0:23:10 > 0:23:12- that keeps the sheep on the seashore?- Yes.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Like the rest of the UK, in the last few years,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Orkney has experienced some huge storms.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Whilst the sheep and the islanders have adapted to cope with the worst
0:23:23 > 0:23:25the winter weather can throw at them,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28the stone sheep-dyke has been devastated.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Peter Titley is a former chairman of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and founder of the Orkney Sheep Foundation,
0:23:39 > 0:23:43a special organisation dedicated to the North Ronaldsay survival.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48- Hi, Peter. Great to see you. - Hello, Adam. Great to see you.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Goodness me, I knew the dyke was bad, but it's absolutely devastated,
0:23:52 > 0:23:54- isn't it?- It's dreadful.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57It's very hard to imagine the power of the sea.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00How important is it then to keep the sheep on the seashore?
0:24:00 > 0:24:03If they were to go elsewhere and mix with other breeds of sheep,
0:24:03 > 0:24:08we'd lose the genetic integrity, and once that has gone then these
0:24:08 > 0:24:11special sheep, with thousands of years of history,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15are lost to the world forever because this is the only place
0:24:15 > 0:24:18where they actually live in this traditional way.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22This is a very special place. Very special sheep.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26So a daunting task ahead, but maybe fencing is the answer.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29You've got a fence here already that can contain the sheep.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Well, it's a temporary answer.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35I mean, if the dyke is down, one has to rely on this temporary fencing,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38this wire fencing, but it's not ideal.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40What we want to see is some restoration.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43We want to see the dyke rebuilt, so that we can actually return
0:24:43 > 0:24:46these sheep to something that actually fits
0:24:46 > 0:24:49their ancient history on this shoreline.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54The islanders are doing what they can.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58But in the face of such devastation, they need help.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Kate Traill Price is the great-great-great-granddaughter
0:25:04 > 0:25:07of the laird who originally commissioned the dyke.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11She's also working with the Orkney Sheep Foundation to help rebuild it.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Back in the day you'd have had over 500 people living on the island.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Everybody was in charge of their own section,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20they'd help to repair it every time it was down.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23And it really worked for generations and, of course, now,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26with less than 50 people living on the island, it's a mammoth task
0:25:26 > 0:25:29for these guys. And, as you can see, they are all skilled,
0:25:29 > 0:25:33they all know how to do it, but there's just not enough hands.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Well, it's quite a skilled job.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37I'd better have a word with some of the masters at work here
0:25:37 > 0:25:39and find out how they do this.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42With the dry stone walls in the Cotswolds,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45we build them really tight so you can't see through them.
0:25:45 > 0:25:46Here, there's lots of gaps in the wall.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50The seas like to be able to come through the holes in the dyke,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52and we like to see it coming through
0:25:52 > 0:25:55rather than staying on the other side and knocking down the dyke.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Oh, I see. If you had a solid barrier,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00the wave would just knock it down rather than come through?
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Yes. Of course, it only works in a limited way because eventually
0:26:03 > 0:26:05it knocks it down anyway.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08So how long have you been building dry stone walls on Orkney?
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Getting on 70 years.
0:26:10 > 0:26:1370 years? So how old are you then?
0:26:13 > 0:26:15- 79.- Goodness me, it must be this Orkney air.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Actually, come to think of it, I'm just 79 today.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22- No, really?- Wish me happy birthday. - Happy birthday!
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- Thank you.- What a way to spend your birthday.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27What a treat, building a dry stone wall!
0:26:40 > 0:26:43While Adam's rebuilding for a native breed,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46I'm helping out with something a little more exotic.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Here at Wakehurst, there are a few ancient specimens that somehow
0:26:54 > 0:26:59managed to survive that stormy night in October 30 years ago,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03just like this incredible monkey puzzle tree, which is clearly
0:27:03 > 0:27:06something of a fighter because it's still standing tall today.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Now, as part of the ongoing restoration following the storm,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17it's getting some new neighbours thanks to Jo Wenham,
0:27:17 > 0:27:18the Nursery Manager.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- Can I give you a hand there, Jo? - Hey, yeah. That would be great.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25- Thank you.- Good. So what are we planting up?
0:27:25 > 0:27:29So, these are araucaria araucana.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32- Latin for?- Latin for monkey puzzle.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36And they were collected in 2009 when we went on an expedition to Chile.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38You've got other monkey puzzles here -
0:27:38 > 0:27:40why couldn't you just use seeds from your collection?
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Well, we only have female trees at the moment so we need the males
0:27:44 > 0:27:47to enable the seed to properly pollinate each other
0:27:47 > 0:27:49so we get filled seed.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54So, we went and collected these from a unique genetic population
0:27:54 > 0:27:57in the coasts of Chile, the only one remaining in the world.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01The seeds are harvested from the cones of mature trees.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05They are an edible seed, actually,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09and they make monkey puzzle mash out of them so we ate monkey puzzle mash
0:28:09 > 0:28:10- while we were out there. - What's it like?
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Beautiful. Sort of chestnut mash, that sort of thing.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16So each of these will be the seed on the cone?
0:28:16 > 0:28:22Yes. They will peel away and you'll get about 200 seeds in each cone.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26They can't be stored traditionally in a seed bank because of that
0:28:26 > 0:28:29fleshy seed, so we are going to conserve them here at Wakehurst
0:28:29 > 0:28:33in a massive swathe, which we hope to be a Patagonian walkway.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Amazing.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39And none of these budding woodlands of the world would have been planted
0:28:39 > 0:28:42if it hadn't been for the 1987 storm.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46Over the last 30 years, there's been an amazing amount of restoration
0:28:46 > 0:28:49that's happened at Wakehurst, an amazing amount of planting and this
0:28:49 > 0:28:52is just a continuation of that, trying to conserve plants.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55- In it goes.- OK.- Let's do it.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00There we go. So that is one of...
0:29:00 > 0:29:02- How many?- 80.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05I feel like my work here is done. I might leave you to the other 79.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07- Thank you.- It's always a lovely feeling, isn't it,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10- putting a tree in the ground? - It is amazing.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16There we go - my monkey puzzle firmly in the ground,
0:29:16 > 0:29:18a little helping hand towards nature.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23But the hand of man can also be a hindrance as well as a help and,
0:29:23 > 0:29:25just like extreme weather,
0:29:25 > 0:29:29the storm of our industry can cause endless damage.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32But nature, as always, fights back,
0:29:32 > 0:29:34as Matt found out in Tyne & Wear.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39There is a raw beauty to this place, with honest scars
0:29:39 > 0:29:41of its industrial past.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46Eight miles over there is Newcastle and, on a good day,
0:29:46 > 0:29:50across the Tyne, you can see Sunderland from here.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57A land stitched together through the seams of its coal,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01mined for generations to power the region's shipyards and steelworks.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09This steep hill is actually man-made.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11It's a massive pile of waste -
0:30:11 > 0:30:15spoil from the pursuit of coal
0:30:15 > 0:30:20at what was once one of the largest working coal mines in the world...
0:30:21 > 0:30:22..the Rising Sun Colliery.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Today this former pit is a country park,
0:30:28 > 0:30:32a haven for wildlife, and somewhere to get away from the urban sprawl.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39So here we are, then, Danny,
0:30:39 > 0:30:42a place that holds a lot of memories for you.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Quite true. Quite good memories.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48- Quite sad memories as well.- Yes.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52Former mine worker Danny Harrison remembers a time before the
0:30:52 > 0:30:56day-trippers, when this site was alive with industry,
0:30:56 > 0:31:00a busy pit producing more than 2,500 tonnes of coal a day.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05What do you remember about life down there, Danny?
0:31:05 > 0:31:10Well, it was very dangerous, I suppose, but if you asked any miner,
0:31:10 > 0:31:14- they'd take it in their stride, you know.- Yes.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16As the air travels through the workings,
0:31:16 > 0:31:18it gets hotter and hotter, you know.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20I used to go down as a fitter,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23and people would be looking for their fitter
0:31:23 > 0:31:27and didn't realise it was me because I would be in short pants, no shirt
0:31:27 > 0:31:31and just a pair of boots and that, you know, cos it used to get...
0:31:31 > 0:31:34- Because it was so hot down there? - The sweat was running out of you.
0:31:34 > 0:31:39So it can be very tricky, but at times good fun.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43By the time the Rising Sun closed in 1969,
0:31:43 > 0:31:47Tyneside had already lost most of its collieries.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49This was just one more nail in the coffin
0:31:49 > 0:31:52of the north-east's coal industry.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55What do you feel when you stand here now?
0:31:57 > 0:31:59I feel a bit sorry because...
0:32:01 > 0:32:05..basically, we lost 1,700 jobs,
0:32:05 > 0:32:09so I get a bit sad on that...
0:32:09 > 0:32:11Do you see any beauty here?
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- Oh, yeah.- You can? - It is, it's beautiful.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20The minute the pit closed in 1969, land reclamation began.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24By the mid-'70s, 29,000 trees had been planted.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28But more than six decades of mining took a heavy toll.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31The soil was left thin and poor.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33As a result, these trees are struggling
0:32:33 > 0:32:34to reach their full height.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37So you reckon most of these would have been planted at the same time?
0:32:37 > 0:32:40Yeah, I mean, all the trees you see here, planted all at the same time.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44This Swedish whitebeam, a non-native species,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47as you can see the diameter of it, it's hardly grown at all.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Not what you'd expect from a tree in its 40s.
0:32:51 > 0:32:52Chris, the park's land officer,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55is showing me just how shallow the tree roots go.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57So we've got a bit of a casualty here, Chris,
0:32:57 > 0:33:00of the north-east winds. But it's exposed the soil,
0:33:00 > 0:33:02you get a good view of what's going on underneath.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05Yeah, I mean, as you can see, really poor soil.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07We've got a bit of brick there.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09A bit of metal there that has surfaced.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12- Things just keep popping up every now and again.- Right.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18The site was originally planted with hardy North American trees
0:33:18 > 0:33:20like lodgepole pine,
0:33:20 > 0:33:23the kind of trees that could cope with poor growing conditions.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28For native trees to have a chance, the soil quality needs to improve.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32With the soil itself, then,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35are you just hoping that time is going to be your friend and it will
0:33:35 > 0:33:36just improve with age?
0:33:36 > 0:33:40Yeah, I mean, every autumn obviously we're going to get all the likes of
0:33:40 > 0:33:42pine needles, leaves - you know,
0:33:42 > 0:33:44as you can see everything is starting to rot down.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46- Yes.- It's looking really good for the future.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Today, the Rising Sun Country Park is one of the best places for
0:33:51 > 0:33:54wildfowl and wading birds on Tyneside -
0:33:54 > 0:33:59acres and acres of wetland making the perfect habitat for breeding.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03But this winter's massive downpours have flooded huge areas of the park
0:34:03 > 0:34:05and that's a problem.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07Look at this, Matt, it's turned into a swamp.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Goodness me. Is this unprecedented then?
0:34:09 > 0:34:11- Have you ever seen anything like this before?- No.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14I haven't, but we've got members of the public who walk around here
0:34:14 > 0:34:18who have lived here for 40 years and they have said they've seen nothing
0:34:18 > 0:34:19- like this before.- Right.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24Chris is concerned the high water levels may affect breeding.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28A worry then, as far as nesting birds are concerned for you?
0:34:28 > 0:34:32Yeah, I mean, the water levels have got a lot deeper so the types of
0:34:32 > 0:34:36birds that would live on here, it might be too deep for them to feed.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40Also we've got two nesting islands, permanent ones -
0:34:40 > 0:34:43the black-headed gulls and the Arctic terns nest on them and they
0:34:43 > 0:34:45are underwater now. Nonexistent.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52It's not just this park that's been struggling with flooding.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56Sadly, it seems extreme weather is becoming more and more frequent.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04The extraordinary storm of '87 will live long in the memory,
0:35:04 > 0:35:08but in recent years we've seen more devastation at home
0:35:08 > 0:35:10and natural disasters abroad.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16So we sent Tom in search of some answers.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22So is the exceptional rainfall and widespread flooding we've seen in
0:35:22 > 0:35:25recent years just part of a natural cycle
0:35:25 > 0:35:28we can expect to die away again?
0:35:28 > 0:35:30Or, is it the new normal?
0:35:32 > 0:35:34To help me answer that question,
0:35:34 > 0:35:38I'm meeting weather forecaster and friend of Countryfile, John Hammond.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41- Good morning, John.- Hello, Tom.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45Welcome to my open air, rather wobbly 3D weather studio.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Those BBC economies are really beginning to bite.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51- You said that, not me.- So how does this help us to understand what
0:35:51 > 0:35:55- happened this winter?- One factor we think which was behind this event
0:35:55 > 0:35:57this winter was actually El Nino -
0:35:57 > 0:36:01the other side of the world, the heating of the tropical Pacific.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04We know that that heating actually affects the behaviour of the jet
0:36:04 > 0:36:08stream. The jet stream meanders around the northern hemisphere,
0:36:08 > 0:36:09very important for our weather.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13It was those winds which brought up a lot of warm, moist air from the
0:36:13 > 0:36:17tropics and headed in our direction along this atmospheric river,
0:36:17 > 0:36:19generating a lot of cloud up through the Irish Sea.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22As it hit high ground here in Cumbria,
0:36:22 > 0:36:26that air was forced to rise, and if you lift moist air it condenses
0:36:26 > 0:36:29and it cools and it produces colossal amounts of rain -
0:36:29 > 0:36:32over a metre of rain this December in parts of Cumbria.
0:36:32 > 0:36:33So, with climate change,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36are we likely to see this kind of weather more often?
0:36:36 > 0:36:38That's a really hard question to answer and it's a challenge for
0:36:38 > 0:36:41climate scientists, but certainly we think that with a warmer planet,
0:36:41 > 0:36:43warm air can hold more moisture.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45If you raise the temperature by one degree
0:36:45 > 0:36:47it can hold 6% more moisture.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50So these atmospheric rivers coming up towards us
0:36:50 > 0:36:55will contain more moisture, and these extreme winter rainfall events
0:36:55 > 0:36:59are likely, we think, with a warmer planet, to become more extreme.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03But this kind of extreme weather is often described as a
0:37:03 > 0:37:07one-in-100-year event, so how come we are seeing it so regularly?
0:37:07 > 0:37:09It's a bit like rolling a dice.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Come over here to the snow patch.
0:37:12 > 0:37:18Statistically, you'd expect the six to come up every sixth throw.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20But it doesn't. It's a bit like the weather.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23A one-in-a-100-year event is a long-term average.
0:37:23 > 0:37:28The reality is that these events can crop up in quick succession and then
0:37:28 > 0:37:29nothing happens at all.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32What we do think is, with a warmer world,
0:37:32 > 0:37:37in a sense the dice are loaded towards those more extreme events
0:37:37 > 0:37:41- happening more often.- So could these more frequent flooding events
0:37:41 > 0:37:45- be the new normal?- That's the challenge for climate scientists.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47We think, with a warmer climate,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50the odds are shortening but we don't know what they are shortening to yet
0:37:50 > 0:37:52and more research is needed.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54So it could become more often than one in 100,
0:37:54 > 0:37:56but we don't know what the new figure is?
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Yeah, one in what? That's the challenge.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07With the possibility of more frequent bad weather,
0:38:07 > 0:38:11we need to carefully plan ahead for the protection of our wild species.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25This historic estate has seen generations of owners gather plants
0:38:25 > 0:38:28and trees from across the world.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32But this priceless collection was destroyed by the storm of '87.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Out on the land they are helping to protect the monkey puzzle tree
0:38:43 > 0:38:45by planting them in the ground.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47In here, they are helping to preserve trees
0:38:47 > 0:38:49in a very different way.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Welcome to the Millennium Seed Bank.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58What's certain is the need to safeguard our plant life
0:38:58 > 0:39:01from future storms, and here they have the technology.
0:39:03 > 0:39:08Believe it or not, this is the most biodiverse place on Earth.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12In there is 13% of the world's wild plant species.
0:39:12 > 0:39:17We're deep underground and it's -20, which is necessary to preserve
0:39:17 > 0:39:20the two billion seeds that are in there.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22It's so cold, I'm going to need this.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39Danny Ballesteros from Kew Science is on hand to explain more.
0:39:40 > 0:39:41Danny, hello.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44- Hi, Ellie.- This is such an extraordinary place.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46I've never been anywhere like it. It's incredible. What is a
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Millennium Seed Bank, what's its purpose?
0:39:49 > 0:39:53So the Millennium Seed Bank, as the name says, is a bank.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55So it's where we store seeds for the future.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00It's estimated that one in five plant species are threatened with
0:40:00 > 0:40:05extinction worldwide, so preserving these seeds could be the saviour
0:40:05 > 0:40:07of landscapes across the globe.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13So what's the process of getting the seeds into the seed bank?
0:40:13 > 0:40:15So what we do is to dry them.
0:40:15 > 0:40:20Once they are dry, we put them here in the freezer.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24- Yes.- Because at these temperatures, -20 degrees Celsius,
0:40:24 > 0:40:27we can keep them for a very, very long time, for years.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34The team collect seeds from all over the world.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40Around 90% are OK to be dried and then stored in the seed bank.
0:40:41 > 0:40:42The other 10%,
0:40:42 > 0:40:47including the monkey puzzle and our very own oak and horse chestnut,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51have what's called recalcitrant seeds, and they require
0:40:51 > 0:40:53some hi-tech handling.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59So what happens to the recalcitrant seeds?
0:40:59 > 0:41:02Well, recalcitrant seeds have seeds that cannot be dried and,
0:41:02 > 0:41:03because they cannot be dried,
0:41:03 > 0:41:06they cannot be stored at the conditions of the seed bank.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10Currently, the only technology we have is the use of liquid nitrogen
0:41:10 > 0:41:14in order to freeze them very fast and keep them at those really,
0:41:14 > 0:41:15really low temperatures.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21These seeds hold a lot of water, so if they were frozen slowly,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25ice crystals would form and damage the tissues.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29Ultra-fast freezing is the only way to preserve them.
0:41:29 > 0:41:34But first, Danny needs to remove the tiny embryos from the seeds.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36Look how fast you do this.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38Like a top chef processing food.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Sometimes. We cannot damage them...
0:41:40 > 0:41:42- Yeah.- ..so you have to be careful.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47So this whole thing isn't preserved, it's just this tiny piece?
0:41:47 > 0:41:49It's just the tiny, the tiny embryo.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57The embryos are then processed and they're ready for freezing.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01Liquid nitrogen is -196 degrees,
0:42:01 > 0:42:04so we'll need a bit of extra protection.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Within five seconds, they will be completely frozen, so...
0:42:15 > 0:42:17All right, see you on the other side.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20No ice crystals allowed.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23- No ice crystals.- Fantastic.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27So, there they are, frozen, the oaks of the future.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33And there's one more little slice of nature that's being saved
0:42:33 > 0:42:34for a future date.
0:42:34 > 0:42:35Right then, Danny...
0:42:38 > 0:42:39Hold on a second.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41What's this?!
0:42:41 > 0:42:44They're even preserving the Countryfile Calendar here.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47And if you want to get your hands on yours,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50you don't have to go to quite such extreme lengths.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Here's John with the details.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54I love that!
0:42:54 > 0:42:56That's magnificent.
0:43:01 > 0:43:06It costs £9.50 including free UK delivery.
0:43:06 > 0:43:07You can go to our website
0:43:07 > 0:43:10where you'll find a link to the order page.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12Or you can phone the order line...
0:43:23 > 0:43:26If you prefer to order by post, then send your name,
0:43:26 > 0:43:28address and a cheque to...
0:43:42 > 0:43:45A minimum of £4.50 from the sale of each calendar
0:43:45 > 0:43:48will be donated to BBC Children In Need.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08In the last 30 years,
0:44:08 > 0:44:13Wakehurst has become a showcase for conservation on a global scale.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16But I'm off to an area of the estate which has been left untouched
0:44:16 > 0:44:17since the Great Storm.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35And the best person to show me this pristine wilderness
0:44:35 > 0:44:38is the Nature Reserve Warden, Steve Robinson.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41- Hey, Steve.- Hi, Ellie. Welcome to my paradise.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43Thank you! Special access.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45You're the privileged one, you are.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Natural woodlands laugh in the face of a footpath, don't they?
0:45:02 > 0:45:03Properly wild.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09Steve, this place feels very different to the rest of the estate.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13It's very unique in that it hasn't changed since the 1987 storm,
0:45:13 > 0:45:16so these trees, you can see here, lying here, actually fell
0:45:16 > 0:45:19that very night. And the way we can tell that is they're falling
0:45:19 > 0:45:21in a south-westerly direction.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24That's the way the wind pushed through the woodland here,
0:45:24 > 0:45:25knocked over these big trees.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27It's not just this one, there are some all around us here.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29Yeah, they all fell the same way.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32And what's nice, you've got a dead tree here,
0:45:32 > 0:45:34decaying very slowly into the ground.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37Some trees take as long to grow back down into the ground as they do
0:45:37 > 0:45:40- to actually grow and live. - Was it a deliberate decision
0:45:40 > 0:45:43to leave everything and create an environment like this?
0:45:43 > 0:45:46This part of the estate isn't open to the public,
0:45:46 > 0:45:49so as regards health and safety, we could allow the trees
0:45:49 > 0:45:51to go through a natural system of decaying.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55Basically, a healthy woodland is an untidy woodland and that provides
0:45:55 > 0:45:57a whole matrix of different environments,
0:45:57 > 0:45:59different invertebrates, mammals, insects, etc.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06There may be benefits for wildlife now, but during the storm,
0:46:06 > 0:46:08it was a different story.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11It happened at night so the nocturnal animals were out
0:46:11 > 0:46:13and about, away from their sets and their dens.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15So, Ellie, you've got things like these game trails,
0:46:15 > 0:46:20they've been used by generations of animals - badgers, foxes, deer.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23A lot of them navigate themselves back by using these trails as
0:46:23 > 0:46:24scent trails with their noses.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28So when these trees came down, for instance here,
0:46:28 > 0:46:31their game trails would have been completely disrupted
0:46:31 > 0:46:34by fallen branches, so it would have been complete confusion
0:46:34 > 0:46:36- to get them back to their home. - Incredible.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46Not all of the trees here fell on that devastating night in 1987.
0:46:49 > 0:46:50This is a more recent tree coming down,
0:46:50 > 0:46:52cos it's in a different direction.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Yeah, so this is a huge beech tree that came down earlier this year.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59It's come down sort of north-easterly direction so we know
0:46:59 > 0:47:01it's not an '87 storm tree.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05And also it hasn't decayed anywhere near as far as the other trees.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08When a big tree falls, for the first time in years,
0:47:08 > 0:47:11light floods down on to the forest floor
0:47:11 > 0:47:13and new life begins to flourish.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18So also, you get fungi coming in through here,
0:47:18 > 0:47:20and this has got a fantastic local name, if you like,
0:47:20 > 0:47:23- called Bachelor Button fungi. - Strange name.
0:47:23 > 0:47:27Very much looks like Liquorice Allsorts, but you can't eat it.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30So this is woodland as it would be without the hand of man.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32Definitely, yeah - without the chainsaw,
0:47:32 > 0:47:34without the need for the wood-burning stove.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38This is how woodland should be left to go through its own natural
0:47:38 > 0:47:39- ecological process.- Fantastic.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42What an amazing landscape.
0:47:50 > 0:47:51Well, with a bit of luck
0:47:51 > 0:47:53the weather won't be quite so dramatic this week.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57But let's find out to be sure, with the Countryfile forecast
0:47:57 > 0:47:58for the week ahead.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15I'm at Wakehurst in West Sussex, to find out how the Great Storm
0:49:15 > 0:49:18of 30 years ago changed this place forever,
0:49:18 > 0:49:21and how nature fought back.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24And on Countryfile, we've been battling the elements on air
0:49:24 > 0:49:26for nearly the same amount of time.
0:49:26 > 0:49:27THUNDER RUMBLES
0:49:36 > 0:49:37What a soggy pair we are, eh?
0:49:37 > 0:49:40I know, but don't worry, warm-hearted, warm-hearted.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45Thick fog and rain. It can get very harsh.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53The Highlanders took off their kilts.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57Sleet and snow...
0:50:02 > 0:50:03It's horrible!
0:50:10 > 0:50:12Whose idea was this in winter?
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!
0:50:20 > 0:50:21My legs are killing.
0:50:27 > 0:50:28That's not even funny.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36My stormy bike ride was clearly one of the worst,
0:50:36 > 0:50:38but if there is a close second,
0:50:38 > 0:50:41it has to be the time that Sean visited North Yorkshire
0:50:41 > 0:50:43a couple of years ago.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50This wintry weather keeps many people away, but, for some,
0:50:50 > 0:50:54these are the perfect conditions for a spot of fishing.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58But I'm not talking about your average angling -
0:50:58 > 0:51:00this is extreme.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04Winter cod fishing is said to be one of the most difficult forms
0:51:04 > 0:51:06of the sport that there is.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09And it's that challenge that attracts committed anglers
0:51:09 > 0:51:13like Glenn Kilpatrick to these blustery beaches.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16So, Glenn, I've done some fishing in my time but it was coarse fishing
0:51:16 > 0:51:19in tranquil lakes and rivers.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21Quite a bit different to this.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23Yeah, this is going to be a very different day for you, I think.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28Glenn's been fishing the numbing North Sea around Whitby since
0:51:28 > 0:51:33he was a boy. His real passion is winter rock fishing for cod.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36I never would have thought you could do cod fishing from the land.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39I always assumed you'd be out on a boat.
0:51:39 > 0:51:44Yeah, well, this time of year, because of the winter storms we get,
0:51:44 > 0:51:47it churns all the food up out of the local shoreline.
0:51:47 > 0:51:51So you've got worms and shrimps and everything living in the sand here,
0:51:51 > 0:51:53you've got sand eels underneath us.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56In the rocks, you've got crabs and shrimps.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58So the fish will come right in,
0:51:58 > 0:52:01right into a few feet of water to find that food.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04It's like a big banquet for fish, really.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06And in this part of the country it's really popular, isn't it?
0:52:06 > 0:52:10Yeah, each weekend, there's some big competitions right across the coast.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12Hundreds and hundreds of people enter.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15You get large groups of people out most nights of the week,
0:52:15 > 0:52:17right through winter, fishing.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22Glenn and his die-hard mates think nothing of braving gale-force winds
0:52:22 > 0:52:25like this, in pursuit of a prized catch.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28This lot are like the SAS of the angling world.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32Is this the most difficult type of fishing you can do?
0:52:32 > 0:52:37Most definitely, yeah. I think the skill and the knowledge involved
0:52:37 > 0:52:40here to really get the best out of this type of fishing
0:52:40 > 0:52:43and environment, yeah, it probably is the most difficult.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48On a day like today, nowhere finer
0:52:48 > 0:52:53than this little place here because of the shelter of the bay.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56We've also got a big reef runs offshore
0:52:56 > 0:52:58about half a mile out of here.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00So on the roughest of rough days, this is the place to fish.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05I've got to be honest, with these fierce winds hammering away at us,
0:53:05 > 0:53:08it doesn't feel that sheltered to me and the camera crew.
0:53:18 > 0:53:19So, this is the bait, what is it?
0:53:19 > 0:53:23Yeah, there's a mix there, there's peeler crab,
0:53:23 > 0:53:26there's mussel and there's lugworm, which are all found naturally here -
0:53:26 > 0:53:29- that's the reason we use them. - Doesn't look very nice to you and I
0:53:29 > 0:53:31but I guess that's a cod's feast, is it?
0:53:31 > 0:53:33To a cod, that's a big fillet steak.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37Glenn, is it always like this? These conditions are awful!
0:53:37 > 0:53:40This is as harsh as it gets. As long as the sea's rough, this is...
0:53:40 > 0:53:42We like to be out in this sort of weather,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45- this is when the fish come in to feed.- My hand's getting so cold.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47I find the back of my hands go very numb.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50Yeah. I find all of my hands go very numb.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Glenn's caught a 15-pounder here in the past,
0:53:55 > 0:53:57but today's proving tough...
0:53:57 > 0:53:59..for all of us.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05He's caught a fish.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07- He's caught one?- Yeah, in the red.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09- Is that lunch?- That could be lunch.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16These guys are hugely experienced,
0:54:16 > 0:54:20but the dangers of winter rock fishing shouldn't be underestimated.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23For us, today, the weather has continued to worsen,
0:54:23 > 0:54:26so we're playing it safe and heading in.
0:54:26 > 0:54:31Thankfully, we can seek refuge in a local restaurant where chef Simon,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34an honorary member of Glenn's fishing fraternity,
0:54:34 > 0:54:37is going to work his magic with our catch of the day.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40Here we are, Simon, this is what we caught this morning.
0:54:40 > 0:54:41It's not a lot - is this going to be enough?
0:54:41 > 0:54:43It's not very big,
0:54:43 > 0:54:46but I'm sure I'll be able to put something together with it.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49The local people, they love it deep-fried in batter.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51But I'll do something a bit different today
0:54:51 > 0:54:53and do you a nice piece of pan-fried.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10- So what do we all think of the food? - Unbelievable.- Fantastic.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13Great, isn't it? Can I just point out, when I took the fish in there,
0:55:13 > 0:55:16he was pretty derogatory about it. He said it was very small,
0:55:16 > 0:55:19how's he going to do this, how's he going to cook for you guys?
0:55:19 > 0:55:22He's sort of performed a biblical miracle, hasn't he,
0:55:22 > 0:55:23feeding all six of us?
0:55:23 > 0:55:25He's done well.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28Well, I think, maybe after we get finished, we could
0:55:28 > 0:55:29pop out and do a bit more fishing.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32- Yeah, sounds good.- I think we need to, really, don't we, yeah?
0:55:32 > 0:55:34I think I'm going to sit this one out, guys.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36The fishing's always better at night.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38No, it's all right. I'll leave it.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46I'd stick to the coarse fishing if I were you, Sean.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53Well, that's all we've got time for for this week.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56Remember, if you want to get your hands on the Countryfile Calendar,
0:55:56 > 0:55:58just head over to our website.
0:55:58 > 0:56:02Next week, John and Margherita are in Cornwall where they'll be looking
0:56:02 > 0:56:04at lost language, and trying a feast with a difference.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06We'll see you then, bye-bye.