0:00:25 > 0:00:29From its high, green mountains to its wide, blue waters.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33From its shaded rivers to its rich pastures,
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Northern Ireland is a land of boundless beauty.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40It's also a big hit with you, our viewers.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43A little while ago, we asked for your suggestions as to where we
0:00:43 > 0:00:47should go to film and many of you said Northern Ireland.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49So here we are.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53You pointed us in the direction of a little-known but stunning region.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56It's off the beaten track and a world away in time.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02The beautiful Sperrin Mountains, a hidden landscape.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Magical, mysterious, too, we'll be revealing some of its secrets.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Tom's continuing his investigation into garden cities.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18It's claimed that garden cities offer the perfect blend
0:01:18 > 0:01:23of town and country, but will a new wave of these new towns
0:01:23 > 0:01:27really appeal to people used to rural way of life?
0:01:29 > 0:01:33And Adam's on the case of the bloodsucking beasties
0:01:33 > 0:01:35lurking in our countryside.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Ticks come second only to mosquitoes
0:01:38 > 0:01:41as transmitters of disease worldwide,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43and I'll be finding out what problems these little bloodsuckers
0:01:43 > 0:01:47cause to farmers and anybody else who enjoys the countryside.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Don't worry, this little bloodsucker's already dead.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03From the Mountains of Mourne to the rugged Antrim coast,
0:02:03 > 0:02:08this is a landscape that stirs the imagination.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Earlier this year, when we asked you for your suggestions
0:02:11 > 0:02:15of the places Countryfile should go, many of you said here -
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Northern Ireland.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21And I'll testify to that.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23I am a County Down lass, born and bred,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26and, even though I left here when I was 18,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28I'll always be proud to call this place home.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33But I'm starting in less familiar surroundings,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36somewhere you wanted to tell us about,
0:02:36 > 0:02:41right at the heart of the country in rural County Londonderry.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46Another world - enchanting, timeless and largely unknown.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52You'd be forgiven for mistaking this breathtaking terrain
0:02:52 > 0:02:55for the Peak District or Northumberland National Park,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59but there's a difference - there's nobody here.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02These are the Sperrin Mountains.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07They gave us one of the greatest poets of our age,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10the Noble Laureate Seamus Heaney.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Most of us have heard of him,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16but the stunning landscape that he was nurtured in is barely known.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22Only now is this remote wilderness being put on the map.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Fiona Bryant heads up a project that's opening up
0:03:25 > 0:03:28more of the Sperrins for people to get out into and enjoy.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Fiona, I've done a lot of walking in the Mournes,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36but I've never really stopped in the Sperrins
0:03:36 > 0:03:39and I just don't know why, because it's absolutely beautiful.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41- It's gorgeous.- It really is stunning.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43What's nice about the Sperrins is that it has a completely
0:03:43 > 0:03:46different character from mountains like the Mourne.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49It's a large, open peat bog, it's blanket bog,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51so the character is different -
0:03:51 > 0:03:54it's more rolling hills than big, dramatic mountains.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- Yes, but...- But it gives it its own sense of drama.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01It's kind of bleak, as well, and you don't see a soul.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04No, you can walk here all weekend and you can have
0:04:04 > 0:04:05the entire hills to yourself.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08You'll maybe only see a farmer working in the distance.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Yet, for all its beauty,
0:04:15 > 0:04:19there are next to no official walks through this pristine landscape.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23You can't just wander off into the distance,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26because there are no trails up there, there's nothing to follow
0:04:26 > 0:04:28and unless you've got a map and you're quite confident,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31you could quite easily get lost when the mist comes down.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Heading out into these hills can be a challenge,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39and it's not just because of a lack of trails.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42The reason people don't come in to walk on the hills
0:04:42 > 0:04:44is that access is very complicated here.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- All of the land we see is privately owned...- Right.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49And in some cases it's owned by
0:04:49 > 0:04:51a number of different farmers together.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56So, if this is privately-owned land, are we effectively trespassing, then?
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Well, no, because there is informal access along the mountains here.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Most farmers don't disagree to people coming along for a walk.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07But in order for us to actually promote this landscape
0:05:07 > 0:05:09to the rest of the world, to tourists and visitors,
0:05:09 > 0:05:11we have to have formal access.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15We've been working with the farmers to try and get this particular trail
0:05:15 > 0:05:19up to the national standard, so that people can actually come out
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and experience this beautiful scenery for themselves.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34The Sperrins inspired one of the world's greatest poets,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37a Nobel Prize winner, whose experiences growing up
0:05:37 > 0:05:41on a farm in the shadow of the Sperrins would never leave him.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Seamus Heaney was fascinated by this landscape and the way of life here.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53His father dug in the potato fields and his grandfather before him
0:05:53 > 0:05:55cut these peat bogs for turf.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01The cold smell of potato mould
0:06:01 > 0:06:03The squelch and slap
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Of soggy peat
0:06:06 > 0:06:07The curt cuts of an edge
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Through living roots awaken in my head
0:06:11 > 0:06:14But I've no spade to follow men like them
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Between my finger and my thumb
0:06:17 > 0:06:19The squat pen rests
0:06:19 > 0:06:21I'll dig with it.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27With the pen as his tool, Heaney dug deep,
0:06:27 > 0:06:31precious words evoking the true character of this land.
0:06:32 > 0:06:38He wrote of what he saw and of places and people that still exist.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44All I know is a door into the dark
0:06:44 > 0:06:49Outside, old axles and iron hoops rusting
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Inside, the hammered anvil's short-pitched ring,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55The unpredictable fantail of sparks
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Or hiss when a new shoe toughens in water
0:06:58 > 0:07:02The anvil must be somewhere in the centre
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Horned as a unicorn
0:07:04 > 0:07:06At one end square
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Set there immoveable as an altar
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Where he expends himself in shape and music
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Sometimes, leather-aproned
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Hairs in his nose
0:07:17 > 0:07:19He leans out on the jamb
0:07:19 > 0:07:20Recalls a clatter
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Of hoofs where traffic
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Is flashing in rows
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Then grunts and goes in
0:07:26 > 0:07:28With a slam and flick
0:07:28 > 0:07:30To beat real iron out
0:07:30 > 0:07:32To work the bellows.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42So this is what lies behind the door into the dark.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46- This is the forge and this is Barney. Hello.- How are you doing?
0:07:46 > 0:07:47- How are you?- Oh, tiptop.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50'Barney Devlin's forge in Castledawson was
0:07:50 > 0:07:55'the inspiration for one of Heaney's best-known poems, The Forge.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57'Published when Heaney was 30,
0:07:57 > 0:08:01'it's based on his experiences as a child walking to school down the road
0:08:01 > 0:08:06'in Anahorish, a route that took him past Barney's blacksmith's shop.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08'Heaney could hear the sound of hammer on anvil
0:08:08 > 0:08:10'from the other side of the street.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12'It lit his imagination,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15'but he never ventured through the door to see what was inside.'
0:08:29 > 0:08:30Hair in his nose.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Leaning against the jamb.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37Yes.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44So just from his imagination?
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Is there anything maybe not quite accurate?
0:08:58 > 0:08:59Definitely.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01Yes.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02'Many years after writing it,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06'Seamus Heaney would return to the subject of his poem,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10'only this time entering the forge he had conjured up in his imagination.'
0:09:24 > 0:09:28'Through his poem, Heaney captured a dying art form.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33'94-year-old Barney is the last in a long line of blacksmiths who
0:09:33 > 0:09:35'worked iron in this forge.'
0:09:41 > 0:09:42Of course.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44You've seen a lot of changes over the years.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50Queueing up? Really?
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Yeah, but it must be great that Seamus wrote the poem,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20so at least that will always live on.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27The horses and carts of Barney's youth may have gone,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31but here, right in the heart of this beautiful country,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33time has a way of standing still.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47The Ballinderry River flows out from the foothills
0:10:47 > 0:10:51of the Sperrin Mountains, a silvery sliver, snaking down to
0:10:51 > 0:10:56Lough Neagh, the largest body of fresh water in the British Isles.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01It's a beautiful river, but it's much more than that.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04It's a last stronghold of one of our most endangered creatures,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06the freshwater pearl mussel.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Once, there were millions of them on this river,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12now there's perhaps a thousand.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Freshwater pearl mussels are slow-growing creatures.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21They can live for up to 150 years,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25but they need absolutely pristine conditions to survive.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30And there's the problem, because the slightest
0:11:30 > 0:11:35contamination of the water can, and has, wiped out whole populations.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39'But help is at hand.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43'Conservationist Mark Horton is heading up a world leading project
0:11:43 > 0:11:45'to save the pearl mussel.'
0:11:45 > 0:11:48What's been causing the contamination, Mark?
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Well, the catchment is full of agricultural land,
0:11:52 > 0:11:53so there's lots and lots of cattle.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56They've been getting in and out of the river and eroding the banks
0:11:56 > 0:11:58and they've simply been doing that to get drinking water
0:11:58 > 0:12:01and it's been proven in the past that cattle standing in the river
0:12:01 > 0:12:03are more likely to go to the toilet there anyway,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06so you've got all sorts of things getting into the water.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11'All this muck and silt can settle on the mussels and suffocate them,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15'so keeping cattle away from the river banks is vital.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18'Mark's using an ingenious bit of kit to help do this.'
0:12:20 > 0:12:24This is a pump and what's great about this is that the cows operate it
0:12:24 > 0:12:26themselves and the cattle simply come here
0:12:26 > 0:12:30and nudge the pump with their nose and this fills the trough
0:12:30 > 0:12:32from the river and so they have access
0:12:32 > 0:12:34to the drinking water that they need.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37'This device has helped clean up the Ballinderry,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40'all we need now are some young mussels.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44'The Ballinderry River Trust runs this breeding centre which is
0:12:44 > 0:12:48'playing a major part in saving the freshwater pearl mussel.'
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Well, some of these are pretty big, aren't they, Rebecca?
0:12:52 > 0:12:54They are, they can grow to quite a large size.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56How old do you reckon this one could be?
0:12:56 > 0:13:01That one is probably about 100 years old, so to put it into context,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- that mussel was a baby when the Titanic was being built.- Goodness.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08- Yeah.- And they're called pearl mussels, but, er...- Yes.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Obviously not every one has a pearl in it.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Not every one, maybe one in every thousand has a pearl.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17These are specimens from the university collection.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- Those are the two very fine ones, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20They are very nice ones.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22The brown ones are pearls as well, are they?
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Yes, you can get them in a range of colours.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27So is the reason that they're threatened now
0:13:27 > 0:13:30because people do hunt them for the pearls?
0:13:30 > 0:13:33It is one of the main reasons, that, along with habitat destruction.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38'To survive, baby mussels depend almost entirely
0:13:38 > 0:13:41'upon one of the most unusual relationships in nature,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44'it's with this local species of trout.'
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Adult mussels will spit out the baby mussels
0:13:47 > 0:13:51and the fish will eat the baby mussels, essentially,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54and then the mussels will live on the gills of the fish
0:13:54 > 0:13:55for about nine months
0:13:55 > 0:13:57and then they'll drop off into the sediment.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00And what benefit do the baby mussels get from that?
0:14:00 > 0:14:05The oxygenation of the gills, oxygen passing over the gills of the fishes.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- Helps them grow. - It helps them grow.- Wow!
0:14:07 > 0:14:09- That's incredible, isn't it?- Mm-hm.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19'I'm heading to a secret location where Mark and his team
0:14:19 > 0:14:21'are just about to release this year's
0:14:21 > 0:14:23'first batch of juvenile mussels.'
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Mark, what are you doing with that traffic cone?
0:14:28 > 0:14:32This is called a bathyscope, it's a glass-bottomed traffic cone.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34THEY LAUGH
0:14:34 > 0:14:38So you can look down the inside of it with it under the water
0:14:38 > 0:14:40and you'll be able to see the mussels in the gravel,
0:14:40 > 0:14:41so do you want to have a go?
0:14:41 > 0:14:43But I thought we were releasing baby mussels.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46What are you looking at ones that are already in the river for?
0:14:46 > 0:14:49So this stretch of river that we're in here is where the remaining
0:14:49 > 0:14:52wild mussels live and it's important that we bring them
0:14:52 > 0:14:55together into a tight group. It helps in the breeding process.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58It means that the females are more likely to get fertilised
0:14:58 > 0:15:00and grouped together, they're actually safer.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Do you put the baby mussels in with the big ones?
0:15:02 > 0:15:04- You put them in with the bigger ones, yes.- Ah, right.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- Yeah, and that creates a population. - Have you found any?- Yes, there's
0:15:07 > 0:15:10three just here, if you want to have a little look under the water.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11Oh, yeah, yes.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14So they're bedded down into the gravel and they have a foot that
0:15:14 > 0:15:18sticks out the bottom of the shell and that holds them into the gravel.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Am I allowed to touch them here or what?
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Well, you have to have a special licence to even touch them,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26you're not allowed to take them from the wild,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29but I think, John, given that you're with us today on the river...
0:15:29 > 0:15:30I'm allowed to pick one up.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33..you can lift one out and have a look at them, yes.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36- That's a good size, isn't it? - It is a good one, yeah.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38So you'll cluster them all together,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40- what, along the bank somewhere? - In a safe place
0:15:40 > 0:15:43- behind a big boulder.- Right. - And then we'll bring the juveniles
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and we'll put the juveniles out between the adult mussels.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Rebecca, you've brought the young ones along, haven't you?
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- How old are these?- These ones are about 15 to 16 years old.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59- They're the teenagers, then?- They are the teenagers of the group, yeah.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02- I hope they get on with the oldies. - I hope they behave themselves.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05So how many teenagers are we planting in today?
0:16:05 > 0:16:08In this patch, we're going to plant 20 teenagers altogether.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12'500 in total will be released this year,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14'that's half as many again
0:16:14 > 0:16:17'as already live in the Ballinderry River.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21'From where I'm standing, things are looking rather more
0:16:21 > 0:16:23'hopeful for the freshwater pearl mussel.'
0:16:29 > 0:16:31A couple of weeks ago on the programme,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34we heard about plans to create a new wave of garden cities,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38but can they really deliver the perfect blend of city
0:16:38 > 0:16:42and country living and even help solve the rural housing crisis?
0:16:42 > 0:16:43Here's Tom.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Many of us would love to capture the essence of the countryside,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59bottle it and take it back home with us,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02especially if we live in a built-up area.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07Well, there was one man who did much more than just imagine that.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11That man was the Victorian social reformer Ebenezer Howard,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14founder of the garden city movement.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18He firmly believed that a town could be built where,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21to quote from his own book - "the advantages of the most
0:17:21 > 0:17:24"energetic and active town life with all the beauty
0:17:24 > 0:17:28"and the delight of the country may be secured in perfect combination."
0:17:32 > 0:17:37It was more than just a dream and in 1903, this place was founded -
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Letchworth, the first ever garden city.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45'Letchworth in Hertfordshire was a revelation.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47'Its unique blend of town
0:17:47 > 0:17:50'and country meant no more crowded industrial streets.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54'This garden city had wide, tree-lined boulevards
0:17:54 > 0:17:58'and an unprecedented amount of open spaces, greens and parks
0:17:58 > 0:18:00'where nature could flourish
0:18:00 > 0:18:03'and these features are still enjoyed today.'
0:18:03 > 0:18:05I hope we might see some butterflies, seen one or two whites
0:18:05 > 0:18:09in the distance, but I think I saw something come down just over here.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12'Brian Sawford was born and bred in Letchworth
0:18:12 > 0:18:16'and used to work as a countryside officer for the local council.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19'I'm joining him on his weekly nature walk on a common
0:18:19 > 0:18:20'near the town centre.'
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Oh, there's something there with a black spot on its wing,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27a brown and orange top to it.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30- That is a meadow brown. - There it goes.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Some of the ideals of Ebenezer Howard, I think,
0:18:34 > 0:18:38have followed through, like he wanted to keep open spaces like this.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40He wanted countryside
0:18:40 > 0:18:44and town to meld in and you still have that to a degree,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47which from a natural history point of view,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49is very good because along those areas,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53which are, I would call them biogenetic corridors, by which,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56you know, wildlife can move and spread, bring
0:18:56 > 0:19:00stuff from the outer countryside almost into the town centre here.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01It's good for the soul.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05'It is extraordinary what you can find
0:19:05 > 0:19:07'right in the heart of Letchworth,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11'but can we recapture this blend of town and country today?
0:19:11 > 0:19:14'Well, the government hopes to do just that
0:19:14 > 0:19:16'with a new wave of garden cities.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20'Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is
0:19:20 > 0:19:22'the man and behind the modern scheme.'
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Do you want to be known as the new father of garden cities,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- a new Ebenezer Howard? - Ebenezer Clegg, that would be nice.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31No, look, if I can play a role in my time in government
0:19:31 > 0:19:33to kind of rediscover the spirit of Ebenezer Howard
0:19:33 > 0:19:36and Raymond Unwin and these great, great pioneers
0:19:36 > 0:19:38who at the turn of the last century realised
0:19:38 > 0:19:42that we needed to think big, think creatively, think green,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44I'd be delighted to be able to do so.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47'But how realistic is that aim
0:19:47 > 0:19:50'and who will want to live in these new garden cities?
0:19:50 > 0:19:54'Would they help address the lack of affordable rural housing or
0:19:54 > 0:19:58'just provide a greener alternative for city slickers?
0:19:58 > 0:20:00'It's hard to know until we've built them,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04'but some would-be planners have already been putting pen to paper.'
0:20:05 > 0:20:10The Wolfson Economics Prize recently challenged people to design
0:20:10 > 0:20:12a new garden city
0:20:12 > 0:20:17and the housing charity Shelter is one of the five finalists.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20'I'm meeting Adam Terry who's worked on the plans to find out
0:20:20 > 0:20:23'what their garden city would be like.'
0:20:23 > 0:20:25We've proposed a plan for a city on the Medway,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28on the Hoo Peninsular in Medway, in south-east England,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31but our point is really that we've developed a model
0:20:31 > 0:20:33that can be applied across the country and what we've tried
0:20:33 > 0:20:36to do is integrate town and country as best as possible.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39You can see we've got greenery running right the way through.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41We wanted to make it part of people's daily lives,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44not just building a park that people would go to once a month or so.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46We wanted to really bring the country into the town.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49'You can see the appeal of a scheme like this,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52'a town with affordable housing, its own services and jobs
0:20:52 > 0:20:55'and a connection to the natural world that many
0:20:55 > 0:20:59'living in built-up areas can currently only dream of,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01'but what about those living in the rural areas
0:21:01 > 0:21:04'where a garden city could be built, what's in it for them?'
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Do you think this will appeal to people actually
0:21:07 > 0:21:10- living in the countryside around here?- I think it will.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13We've spoken to people in that area and we know that they have some hopes
0:21:13 > 0:21:16and aspirations and want to see their children get a home of their own.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18At the moment, that's not looking possible.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21They also have some concerns and that's understandable
0:21:21 > 0:21:23and we've sought to address those concerns in the design.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26One of those is, of course, about preserving the nature
0:21:26 > 0:21:29of the countryside in that area, that's why we have a big swathe
0:21:29 > 0:21:31of protected land around this and that's why we've tried to bring
0:21:31 > 0:21:33the country into the town where possible,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36but we also know that people have concerns about things
0:21:36 > 0:21:39like services and jobs and we've sought to address those as well.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42'Not everyone's convinced.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45'The Country Land And Business Association, for example,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47'feels that garden cities may address
0:21:47 > 0:21:50'the current urban housing shortage,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52'but would have limited appeal to those currently
0:21:52 > 0:21:54'living in the countryside.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58'It feels a better solution is starting small, rather than big.'
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Instead of creating whole new cities,
0:22:03 > 0:22:08they suggest that adding ten homes to thousands of villages would
0:22:08 > 0:22:13make a pretty big difference to the national shortage of places to live.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17'Martin Collett is from the English Rural Housing Association,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20'which already builds small amounts of housing in villages,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22'like Winford in North Somerset.'
0:22:22 > 0:22:25What we're doing here is building
0:22:25 > 0:22:28eight affordable homes for local people.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32We're adding to some we built about nine years ago.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35If you look at the houses, you can see that we're building using
0:22:35 > 0:22:37local styles, local materials,
0:22:37 > 0:22:41so it blends into what's already existing in the village.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46'Although Martin's not against the principle of garden cities,
0:22:46 > 0:22:51'he feels modest local building schemes are a better way forward.'
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Small developments like this are generally well received
0:22:54 > 0:22:56by communities especially when they initiate
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and support them in the first instance,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01but if you were to scale that up, I think
0:23:01 > 0:23:04there would probably be serious concerns from the local community.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Do villagers in smaller settlements say to you or others,
0:23:08 > 0:23:09"We need a few more houses here"?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Yeah, that's exactly why we're here today.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14This is a second phase development.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17We built ten houses in this village about nine years ago
0:23:17 > 0:23:20and we've been invited back to build another eight,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22because those initial ten were so successful
0:23:22 > 0:23:26and they managed to keep people in that rural community that wanted
0:23:26 > 0:23:30to be there, that worked there, that had family networks there,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33that rely on Mum and Dad for child support, for example.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37'The patron of the English Rural Housing Association
0:23:37 > 0:23:38'is the Princess Royal.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41'She recently told Countryfile of her preference for adding
0:23:41 > 0:23:44'small amounts of housing to existing villages,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48'rather than starting from scratch, but the Deputy Prime Minister
0:23:48 > 0:23:51'says his plan will have rural benefits too.'
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Here's the irony, by planning big, if you like,
0:23:55 > 0:24:00thinking big about creating larger, new, settled communities,
0:24:00 > 0:24:01garden cities,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05ironically, you do a lot of good for the countryside as well,
0:24:05 > 0:24:11because you can help stop this endless encroachment on one piece
0:24:11 > 0:24:15of green field after the next.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17You can stop this rash of planning disputes,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20the tendency towards urban sprawl.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22We spoke to Princess Anne recently on the programme
0:24:22 > 0:24:25and she said she very much favoured that idea of
0:24:25 > 0:24:27small, five or six house developments
0:24:27 > 0:24:30round a lot of villages rather than big new developments,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32do you disagree with the Princess Royal on this one?
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- I'm not going to disagree with Princess Anne.- Well, you are.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37I'm not, slightly different to urban sprawl,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40what she's talking about is if you can find ways in villages,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44attractive villages, to expand them a little bit more with local support,
0:24:44 > 0:24:45why would anyone object to that?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I'm talking about something quite, quite different, which is
0:24:48 > 0:24:51a national crisis, we're not building enough homes,
0:24:51 > 0:24:56we're stuck in a series of very confrontational
0:24:56 > 0:24:59planning disputes, lots of small-scale planning disputes
0:24:59 > 0:25:04across the country, people fear endless urban sprawl,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07I think garden cities are one of the solutions
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and that's why I want to do my bit to push them ahead.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16To satisfy the need for both rural and urban housing,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18we're going to have to look at a range of measures.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Brownfield sites are part of the solution.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23But whether we're talking garden cities
0:25:23 > 0:25:25or thousands of smaller projects,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28a large increase in the number
0:25:28 > 0:25:30of rural homes seems inevitable.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34And creating an appetite for a lot more
0:25:34 > 0:25:37settlements in our cherished countryside?
0:25:37 > 0:25:39That's going to be a challenge.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43You may remember that earlier this year
0:25:43 > 0:25:46we were working with Kew Gardens "Grow Wild" campaign to give
0:25:46 > 0:25:52away 230,000 free wild flower seed packs to Countryfile viewers.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56So how did you get on with them? We asked James Wong to find out.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Wild flowers are not just a sight for sore eyes,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08they're an essential part of our natural world.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Once a splash of colour in our green and pleasant land,
0:26:14 > 0:26:21a staggering 97% of British meadows have been lost in the last 75 years.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25But there are people who are fighting to turn the tide,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28including 230,000 of you.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Kew Gardens sent out the packets of seed in the spring
0:26:33 > 0:26:37and a few weeks ago, we asked you to send in photos of what developed.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39And THIS is one of them.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42So I've come here to Ellerton in East Yorkshire to meet
0:26:42 > 0:26:43the family that sent it in.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47- Hello there.- Hello, hi, come in.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51'David and Lindsay Rocket and their three-year-old son Jacob
0:26:51 > 0:26:54'now have a thriving wild flower patch in their back garden.'
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Shall we go and look at your flowers then?
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- You going to water them? - Look at this, Jacob!
0:27:00 > 0:27:03That's a pretty fantastic mini meadow you've got going on here.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05You going to have a little water of them?
0:27:05 > 0:27:08- Cos they haven't been watered for a while, have they?- Good boy.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11So when did you guys plant these? Cos they're taller than Jacob now.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13We planted them in April, we got the seed packet
0:27:13 > 0:27:16through about the middle of April and planted them then.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20- He really enjoyed it.- And watered them very well!
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Watered them very well, yeah.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24But you planted them all and he raked them all in,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- and has been looking after them ever since.- Incredible.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32- What do you think about these flowers, Jacob?- It's a bit brilliant! - It's a bit brilliant?
0:27:32 > 0:27:34That is the best description ever,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37meadows are definitely a bit brilliant.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40That is a red one.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I think it's important for them to know about nature
0:27:43 > 0:27:46and where things come from and how plants grow and stuff.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49But he loves it, he absolutely loves it, he's really into it.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Ah-ha! You got a last little one there? That's a poppy.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55'Now, some wild flowers like poppies
0:27:55 > 0:28:00'and corncockle do contain tiny amounts of natural toxin.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02'Eating them in large quantities, especially the seeds,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04'could make you ill.'
0:28:04 > 0:28:06You should always keep an eye on your kids and pets in the garden.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09We should always wash our hands as well, shouldn't we, Jacob?
0:28:09 > 0:28:12- Shall we drift off and do that? - Shall we go and wash our hands?
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Now we've been picking flowers in the garden?
0:28:14 > 0:28:16- Yeah!- Come along, come along.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Let's see who can get the wettest.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19DAVID AND LINDSAY LAUGH
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Jacob's patch is fairly typical of many.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30But you've grown the seeds in all sorts of places - in pots,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33in planters, in beds, in borders.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Anywhere you could grow them, you did grow them,
0:28:36 > 0:28:39and you've sent us the pictures to prove it.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48Now, for some people, nothing grew. And that includes our very own Ellie.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52But for most people, it was a riot of colour across the country.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55The giveaway has been a huge success,
0:28:55 > 0:28:57and we'd like to thank everyone who took part.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03The Grow Wild campaign isn't just about getting wild flowers into
0:29:03 > 0:29:06OUR gardens, it's also funding
0:29:06 > 0:29:09community projects right across the UK.
0:29:09 > 0:29:14This one at St Nicholas Fields is just a mile from the centre of York.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Jonathan Dent is the reserve manager.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Look at this place. What's going on here?
0:29:19 > 0:29:24- Talk about an unexpected location for a nature reserve.- Yeah, yeah, it is.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27In recent years, this area has been used as a brickworks
0:29:27 > 0:29:28and a landfill site.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32Now it's been turned back into wild flower meadow,
0:29:32 > 0:29:36and Grow Wild have donated 300 plug plants to help it along.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39This is a yarrow,
0:29:39 > 0:29:43which will grow up into kind of a nice white flowering plant,
0:29:43 > 0:29:47and we've got other ones we've spread across the meadow in
0:29:47 > 0:29:48little clusters, and hopefully
0:29:48 > 0:29:50they'll thrive and spread out themselves.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53What kind of management do you do to keep these things healthy?
0:29:53 > 0:29:55We've had to water them a few times, which is
0:29:55 > 0:29:58quite unusual for being on a nature reserve.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00But the other way we manage them is scything,
0:30:00 > 0:30:04the traditional heritage skill of scything.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06That's what those Grim Reaper types are doing.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09- Yeah, you can see a few over there. - Why a scythe and not a lawn mower?
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Surely it's quicker to get round the site?
0:30:11 > 0:30:15Well, you'd think that, but this area we're on isn't flat,
0:30:15 > 0:30:17and we've also got all these wild flowers in here,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19so sometimes we have to do targeted cutting.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24And it's not just Kew Gardens campaigning to get
0:30:24 > 0:30:27wild flowers back into the British landscape.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Other big organisations are joining the party too.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34Plantlife is persuading councils to manage their roadside verges
0:30:34 > 0:30:37for wildlife, which means mowing them less often
0:30:37 > 0:30:41and letting wild flowers thrive. And last year,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44the Queen's Jubilee was celebrated with an ambitious plan -
0:30:44 > 0:30:47to establish Coronation meadows
0:30:47 > 0:30:48in every county in the country.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54This one, Brockadale, is in Yorkshire.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Many of the wild flowers here have finished flowering,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01but one of the reasons Coronation meadows were established
0:31:01 > 0:31:03was as a source of wild flower seed.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07'Karen McDermott is the reserves officer here.'
0:31:08 > 0:31:11Hello, Karen, what's this bad boy in the back here?
0:31:11 > 0:31:12- Just a minute.- Oh, right.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16- Just switch it off.- OK, OK.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23- Ah, that's better.- What is it? Now that we can hear each other.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26It's a seed harvester that we use for harvesting
0:31:26 > 0:31:28wild flower seeds from meadows like this.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32- So...- Oh, is this it through here?
0:31:32 > 0:31:34Great big roller with stiff bristles on,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37it literally sweeps the top of the plants.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41So you get a big bushel full of wild flower seeds - then what happens?
0:31:41 > 0:31:44In this specific example, we're using this as a donor site and we're
0:31:44 > 0:31:48transferring the seeds to another meadow that is not
0:31:48 > 0:31:51nearly as diverse in species and is quite isolated.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53There's no way the seed is going to spread there naturally,
0:31:53 > 0:31:57so for this meadow, we're going to be creating a brand-new meadow.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05As loads of you have discovered,
0:32:05 > 0:32:08growing your own wild flowers really can be a piece of cake.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13And it's not just the insects that are enjoying the results.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18Many of you have told us your friends and neighbours are admiring them too.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21For most of us, they've exceeded expectations, and you're
0:32:21 > 0:32:25planning on growing them again next year, but bigger and better.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31- SHAUNA:- At this time of year, the landscape
0:32:31 > 0:32:33is full of summer splendour.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35But there's a dark side to our countryside.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Adam's been getting up close to a
0:32:38 > 0:32:42tiny but sinister creature that can affect livestock, pets and us.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46And be warned - this story might make you feel a bit itchy.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57Here on the farm in the Cotswolds, we've got about 2,000 animals.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05From livestock to my family pets.
0:33:10 > 0:33:11Stay there, sit.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14Like humans, all animals are susceptible to
0:33:14 > 0:33:16disease and parasites,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19and it's important that we look after the welfare of our animals,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22not only because we care about them, but also because
0:33:22 > 0:33:24happy, healthy animals are productive animals,
0:33:24 > 0:33:28producing lots of good quality meat and milk and rearing their young.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31So we keep a careful eye out for all sort of bugs, really,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34and there's one that really makes my skin crawl.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Ticks. These bloodsuckers are some of the worst.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41On a global scale, they come second only
0:33:41 > 0:33:43to mosquitoes as transmitters of disease.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47They've been around for millions of years,
0:33:47 > 0:33:49as have some of the diseases they carry.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55One man who knows all about ticks and the problems they can cause is
0:33:55 > 0:33:57Dr James Logan, an entomologist from
0:33:57 > 0:34:00the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04- Hi, James.- Hi, Adam.- I see you've come armed with some ticks.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07- I have indeed, yes.- These are some we've got off dogs on the farm.
0:34:07 > 0:34:08- OK, brilliant. - So tell me about them,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11- they're horrible little creatures, aren't they?- Yeah, they are indeed.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14Ticks are arachnids, so they're related to spiders,
0:34:14 > 0:34:16they've got eight legs, so they're not actually insects.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19They can be found in vegetation, they go on our pets,
0:34:19 > 0:34:23our dogs and cats, and livestock as well, but they also climb
0:34:23 > 0:34:26onto us, and the big problem is that they suck our blood.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28And when they do that, they can also transmit disease.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31One of the biggest problems we have in this country is
0:34:31 > 0:34:33Lyme disease, which is transmitted by tick.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36It can become quite serious and you can get neurological problems,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39it can even develop into meningitis in some cases.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41Worth being aware, but just cos you've had a tick on you
0:34:41 > 0:34:43doesn't mean you're going to get Lyme disease.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46That's right, not every tick will have Lyme disease,
0:34:46 > 0:34:48and the chances are, if you're bitten by a tick
0:34:48 > 0:34:51and you remove it early enough, you'll be absolutely fine.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54But if you do get any symptoms quite soon after being bitten,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57like a rash that spreads or flu-like symptoms, go to your GP,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59get some advice, they'll give you the medication,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01it's very simple to treat early on.
0:35:01 > 0:35:02So is this fairly typical?
0:35:02 > 0:35:05The sheep go into the deep vegetation to get out of the sun
0:35:05 > 0:35:08and into the shade, would they be picking up ticks?
0:35:08 > 0:35:11Yeah, absolutely, this is exactly the type of habitat you find ticks.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14So, these ones are dead, most of them,
0:35:14 > 0:35:16I'll tip one out onto the cloth and you can...
0:35:16 > 0:35:19Cos it's quite an art getting them off once you've got a tick on.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22- LAUGHING:- Yes, it is. - So using one of these dead ones...
0:35:22 > 0:35:24because you don't want to put a live one on your hand,
0:35:24 > 0:35:29- attach itself to you. How do you remove them?- OK, let me show you.
0:35:29 > 0:35:30When the tick is attached,
0:35:30 > 0:35:33its mouth part is deeply embedded in your skin.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35The best thing to use are fine-tipped tweezers.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38You want to get in as close to the skin as possible
0:35:38 > 0:35:40and grab hold of the mouth part.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Then you want to pull very firmly...
0:35:43 > 0:35:46with even pressure, upwards.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49So there's no twisting involved at all when you use tweezers,
0:35:49 > 0:35:50and that is the best way to remove ticks.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Ticks can carry a whole host of diseases.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58Lyme disease is one for us humans to watch out for,
0:35:58 > 0:36:00but animals can also come under attack.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03As Mark Hoskins found out on his dairy farm in Wiltshire.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08When did you realise you had a tick problem here?
0:36:08 > 0:36:12About three-and-a-half years ago when we took this parcel of land on.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15We moved some cows to this particular field, actually,
0:36:15 > 0:36:17and I came to check them one day,
0:36:17 > 0:36:19and there was an animal stood on its own.
0:36:19 > 0:36:20On further investigation,
0:36:20 > 0:36:24I noticed it was passing urine that was deep red.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27So I contacted the vet straightaway and went from there.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31- And what was it? - It proved to be redwater, which is
0:36:31 > 0:36:35a parasite passed on from the ticks called Babesia.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39As the tick latches onto the animal to feed,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43it passes the parasite through to the blood stream.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47This then ruptures the red blood cells, hence the redwater,
0:36:47 > 0:36:50the passing of the red urine.
0:36:50 > 0:36:51And what happened to the cow?
0:36:51 > 0:36:54We actually lost the cow, but I saved a further five,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57so at least those are still living.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00And are you not nervous grazing all your calves down here then?
0:37:00 > 0:37:04We have to get them onto the pasture within the first eight months
0:37:04 > 0:37:08of life, and then that creates an immunity to redwater.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10We haven't had a problem since.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Ticks have always been part of our countryside, brought over
0:37:15 > 0:37:20by animals that colonised the land before we were even an island.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24Of course, you can't insecticide the whole countryside to get rid of them,
0:37:24 > 0:37:25so it's a case of being more aware
0:37:25 > 0:37:29and making sure you wear long trousers in tick areas.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32There's little definitive data on the number of ticks across the UK,
0:37:32 > 0:37:34and that's why Jolean Medlock
0:37:34 > 0:37:37and Mica Peach from Public Health England have been collecting
0:37:37 > 0:37:40and studying these creepy-crawlies for the last ten years.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44- Hi, Jolean.- Hi, Adam. - Good to see you.- And you.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46Looks like you're dusting the grass,
0:37:46 > 0:37:48- what are you up to here? - Well, we've got this cloth
0:37:48 > 0:37:51and we're dragging it over the vegetation to pick up ticks.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54So the ticks are on the vegetation and they've got little hooks
0:37:54 > 0:37:55on the end of their legs,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58and they think this is an animal and climb on.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01We're measuring the number of ticks you get on this cotton cloth.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05So you're literally sort of harvesting ticks?
0:38:05 > 0:38:08Yeah, that's right, the ticks spend about three years in this kind of
0:38:08 > 0:38:10environment and they feed for about
0:38:10 > 0:38:12three weeks during those three years.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15So they climb up the vegetation when they're ready to quest,
0:38:15 > 0:38:18- looking for an animal.- So what is it when a tick "quests", what's that?
0:38:18 > 0:38:20It's when it's climbed up the vegetation to the
0:38:20 > 0:38:23top of the grass and is waving its front legs around,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26and it's got special organs on the end of its legs that pick up
0:38:26 > 0:38:28vibrations and carbon dioxide.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32No eyes, they can smell and sense the animal coming.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34They have little hooks, and they climb onto the animal,
0:38:34 > 0:38:37there's no jumping out of trees or running up to them.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42- And have you got any?- Yeah, we've got a couple of nymphs over here.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45We use these fine forceps to pick them up.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48And there's an adult female down here.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51- Goodness me, she's a bit bigger, isn't she?- She is.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55She looks quite red, her body distends about 200 sizes.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59When she's fully fed she'll be on the animal for about a week.
0:38:59 > 0:39:00She'll drop off into the vegetation
0:39:00 > 0:39:03and over the next month lay about 2,000 eggs
0:39:03 > 0:39:05and really sustain that population.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08So now you've got the little critters in there, what happens now?
0:39:08 > 0:39:11- Now we take these back to the lab to identify them.- OK.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17Back at tick HQ,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20the tick surveillance team can get a closer look at these beasties.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23And while we can't eradicate them from the countryside,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26we can at least identify what we've found.
0:39:26 > 0:39:31The nymph is detecting our presence here by carbon dioxide,
0:39:31 > 0:39:33heat and changes in light.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37- And it's walking towards its meal. - Wants to come and get a feed off us!
0:39:37 > 0:39:40It does, yeah. And once they've fed...
0:39:40 > 0:39:43Before I change this over, you can see the kind of size they get to.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47- Here is a fully engorged female. - Oh, my word.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50And you can barely see her legs and the rest of her features
0:39:50 > 0:39:52because that's now full of blood.
0:39:52 > 0:39:53And what species is this one?
0:39:53 > 0:39:57This is Ixodes ricinus female, which is the sheep or deer tick.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59So that's the common one?
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Yes, this is our most common, widely-distributed,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04most abundant species.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07It is that because it feeds on pretty much anything -
0:40:07 > 0:40:09reptiles, birds and mammals.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11It's very well adapted.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13If people find ticks, you want them to send them into you.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Yes, we run the Tick Recording Scheme, anybody can send us
0:40:16 > 0:40:19a tick - farmers, vets, members of the public.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21We ask them to record some information on where
0:40:21 > 0:40:24they found the tick and it all goes into our database.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28'So if you find a tick making a meal out of you or your animals,
0:40:28 > 0:40:31'rather than flush it down the loo, pop it in the post instead,
0:40:31 > 0:40:35'and you'll be helping this lot build a map of ticks across the country.'
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Ticks have been around for millions of years
0:40:38 > 0:40:41and they're likely to be around for millions more.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44But hopefully, with all the research that's going on,
0:40:44 > 0:40:46we should learn how to protect our animals
0:40:46 > 0:40:49and ourselves from these horrible little bloodsuckers.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52Don't know about you, I'm feeling a bit itchy.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55I'll be giving myself a good check over when I get home.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06We've been exploring the captivating landscape of Northern Ireland,
0:41:06 > 0:41:09and we came here because some of you told us to.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12When we asked for your suggestions of where to film a few months back,
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Northern Ireland came out pretty near the top.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18And I'm in my favourite bit,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21back on the County Down coastline of my childhood.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27Mm, just the smell of the sea makes me feel at home here,
0:41:27 > 0:41:29because I have so many happy memories.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31Growing up in Lisburn, we'd head to this coast
0:41:31 > 0:41:34most weekends on holidays, for endless salty days
0:41:34 > 0:41:38and nights spent dreaming of living in a stripy lighthouse.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43To me, County Down will always be plundering
0:41:43 > 0:41:47the rockpools of Tyrella Beach to fill your boots with crab or
0:41:47 > 0:41:51riding out into the forest on your favourite steed.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55And for an aquatic adventure, nowhere beats Strangford Lough.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02With 150 miles of its own twisting coastline,
0:42:02 > 0:42:06Strangford Lough is the largest body of salt water in the UK.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10A vast inland sea of shipwrecks,
0:42:10 > 0:42:14whirlpools and strange green islands.
0:42:15 > 0:42:20As local legend has it, there are 365 islands on the lough,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22one for every day of the year.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26Actually, there are just 120,
0:42:26 > 0:42:29and they make Strangford a great place for sailing.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31But as the wild weather this week showed,
0:42:31 > 0:42:35the lough can be challenging, and conditions can change quickly.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38Today though, it's pretty calm, so I'm out with my cousin Heather,
0:42:38 > 0:42:42who inspired me to take up sailing as a child in these waters.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48- Ready to jibe?- Ready.- Jibe out...
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Just let her come round.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56It's all coming back to me, I'm a bit rusty, I'm afraid!
0:42:56 > 0:42:58Twice daily tides renew and refresh the lough,
0:42:58 > 0:43:01enriching its shorelines with nutrients,
0:43:01 > 0:43:06making Strangford one of the most fertile breeding grounds in the UK.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09A staggering three-quarters of all of Northern Ireland's
0:43:09 > 0:43:11plant and animal life can be found here.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16And it's the drumlins that are the real draw.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18One in particular has always intrigued me,
0:43:18 > 0:43:22but has remained off limits until now.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25I'm getting a special pass to go somewhere even
0:43:25 > 0:43:26we locals don't get to go.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33Where I'm going next, unfortunately this trusty gig won't cut it.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36So I'm going to have to change boats. In we go.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44Hugh Thurgate from the National Trust is
0:43:44 > 0:43:47the warden of the aptly named Bird Island.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51It's renowned for its cormorants.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54There are just a few weeks left to ring the last of this
0:43:54 > 0:43:57year's chicks before they fledge and fly away.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02So, Hugh, I've always heard about Bird Island
0:44:02 > 0:44:06and wanted to come on here, but I was never allowed.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08Well, we're privileged today to be on the island.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10The birds are protected by law,
0:44:10 > 0:44:13and if you're going to disturb a breeding colony, which is
0:44:13 > 0:44:17what you inevitably do if you're monitoring them,
0:44:17 > 0:44:20you need a licence from the Environment Agency.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22- OK, so you've got the licence?- I've got the licence.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24- We're good to go? - Good to go.- Brilliant.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28We need to work quickly.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30Hugh has limited our time on the island
0:44:30 > 0:44:32so we cause the minimum disturbance.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37- There should be some in here. - They're so cute.- They're fluffy.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40- They're fluffy and...kind of awkward.- Yeah.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42But they're quite big, aren't they?
0:44:42 > 0:44:45'These cormorant chicks are three to four weeks old
0:44:45 > 0:44:47'and about a week from fledging.'
0:44:47 > 0:44:52So probably the best way to handle it is if we put it down.
0:44:52 > 0:44:58And all you need to do, you just need to resist a wee bit,
0:44:58 > 0:45:02and clasp your hands round the wings and under the tummy.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05The data Hugh collects helps track the young cormorants.
0:45:05 > 0:45:06On leaving the lough,
0:45:06 > 0:45:11some will migrate as far away as the north coast of Spain, spending
0:45:11 > 0:45:15their first winter an incredible 1,000km from their birthplace.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20And about 60% will return to Strangford in two years to breed.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25So what is it about Bird Island that attracts them so much?
0:45:25 > 0:45:30Well, they've chosen it because it's a good distance from the mainland.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33That, for a sea bird, is a massive plus,
0:45:33 > 0:45:37because what they're most concerned about are mammalian predators.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39Strangford Lough is famous for its marine diversity,
0:45:39 > 0:45:43so I presume these sea birds feed right off it in these salty waters.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45A lot of them do,
0:45:45 > 0:45:50but the cormorants actually spend a lot of time feeding in fresh water
0:45:50 > 0:45:55- inland, and they go to Lough Neagh. - Right, 30 miles or so away? Wow.
0:45:55 > 0:46:00You're talking a 60 mile round trip on a feeding foray,
0:46:00 > 0:46:03and it's energetically worthwhile for them to do that,
0:46:03 > 0:46:06because they're getting a highly nutritious freshwater fish,
0:46:06 > 0:46:10and that generally is eels.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12So they're healthy...
0:46:12 > 0:46:16Healthy, vigorous and I always feel - although numbers do fluctuate -
0:46:16 > 0:46:20with Bird Island they consistently get young away.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23- They generally don't have calamitous years.- It's pretty successful.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26It's a successful colony and it's the biggest in Northern Ireland.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29- I know, it's fantastic, thank you so much for bringing me here.- Pleasure.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32We better leave them in peace now.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35'A lifelong ambition achieved, and Bird Island
0:46:35 > 0:46:36'was well worth the wait.'
0:46:45 > 0:46:51The Sperrins - a 600 million-year-old range of mountains.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53A vast and barren landscape
0:46:53 > 0:46:56of peat-clad hills and heather-topped moors,
0:46:56 > 0:46:58with countless stories to tell.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04The ancient landscape is draped in myths and legends
0:47:04 > 0:47:06and holds many secrets.
0:47:09 > 0:47:14Among those secrets are these, the mysterious Beaghmore Stones.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20There are no less than seven stone circles here,
0:47:20 > 0:47:22the biggest set of them in Northern Ireland.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28Archaeologist Ken Neill has been studying the Northern Ireland
0:47:28 > 0:47:30landscape for many years
0:47:30 > 0:47:33and has a real soft spot for these curious stones.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Just how old are these stones, Ken?
0:47:37 > 0:47:40Well, most of them seem to have been built around 1600BC,
0:47:40 > 0:47:44so that puts them just about in the middle of the Bronze Age.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46Any idea why there are seven circles?
0:47:46 > 0:47:48We don't really know,
0:47:48 > 0:47:50the circles are arranged in an interesting pattern.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52Six of the circles are in pairs
0:47:52 > 0:47:54and then there's one circle on its own.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57There's been lots of theories and I'm sure there'll be lots more
0:47:57 > 0:47:58for what this site means.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00One of the most popular is that some of the straight lines
0:48:00 > 0:48:04of stones that lead from the circles were pointing to the
0:48:04 > 0:48:07summer solstice and the moon at the solstice as well.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10The interesting thing about that is, if you plot all the circles in
0:48:10 > 0:48:14Ireland, they're pointing in lots of directions, so there's no agreement.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16Bang goes that theory really, yeah.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19And were they always like this, above the ground?
0:48:19 > 0:48:21When they were built they were on the ground surface
0:48:21 > 0:48:23and peat built up around them,
0:48:23 > 0:48:26so when they were rediscovered in the 1930s it was only really
0:48:26 > 0:48:30the tops of some of the tallest of these stones that were visible.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33They were discovered by some local farmers who were hand-cutting peat.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38The more they dug, the more they found,
0:48:38 > 0:48:42until the entire site was revealed in all its mystical glory.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55Now, this one is different from all the rest, isn't it?
0:48:55 > 0:48:57Because the centre is littered with stones.
0:48:57 > 0:49:02There are over 800 stones really flooding the inside of this circle.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06They don't form any discernible pattern that we can identify.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08One theory is that all of these monuments were
0:49:08 > 0:49:12built as a response to a deteriorating climate,
0:49:12 > 0:49:14and that the peat that eventually encased them
0:49:14 > 0:49:15was starting to grow up,
0:49:15 > 0:49:19and the people were trying to appease their god, and they built
0:49:19 > 0:49:23this whole complex as a response to try to bring back the good weather.
0:49:23 > 0:49:24And there's not just the circles,
0:49:24 > 0:49:29because I've noticed some straight lines of stones as well.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33They run up to this central pile of stones, forming a circle,
0:49:33 > 0:49:35it's what we call a stone cairn.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39It's set centrally between the two stone circles.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41Yeah, the circles touch the cairn, really.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44They do, and the four lines run out from the cairn, so there's
0:49:44 > 0:49:48an interrelationship between the cairn, the circles and the lines.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52Some very clever design work going on 3,500 years ago!
0:49:52 > 0:49:55There was, someone must have had this concept in their head,
0:49:55 > 0:49:56and they were able to produce this,
0:49:56 > 0:50:00whether they were a king or a priest or whether it was just
0:50:00 > 0:50:03a communal effort, people agreed they would work together.
0:50:03 > 0:50:04A big task.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07You're not going to make this sort of effort just on a whim, this
0:50:07 > 0:50:10was obviously very, very important to the people that lived here.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12And one thing they have done is
0:50:12 > 0:50:15- leave us with one huge mystery. - Exactly.
0:50:15 > 0:50:16JOHN LAUGHS
0:50:21 > 0:50:23These circles will be for ever treasured for their
0:50:23 > 0:50:26strange links with the distant past.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30But I'm told there's a different kind of treasure still buried
0:50:30 > 0:50:32deep inside the Sperrins.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38In a moment, I'll be finding out what else waits to be
0:50:38 > 0:50:40discovered in these mountains.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42But first, what's the weather going to be like in the week ahead
0:50:42 > 0:50:45right across the UK? Here's the Countryfile forecast.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12You asked us to return to Northern Ireland, and we have done.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16We've seen wondrous things, fabulous countryside,
0:52:16 > 0:52:20endangered creatures and met a poet's inspiration.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23We've also been exploring the beauty and hidden secrets
0:52:23 > 0:52:27of the Sperrin Mountains, but there's one secret more to uncover.
0:52:28 > 0:52:33As the old saying goes, "There's gold in them there hills!"
0:52:33 > 0:52:36And right now, I'm standing on a gold mine.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38Or rather, a potential one.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40MUSIC: "Gold on the Ceiling" by The Black Keys
0:52:46 > 0:52:49People have been searching for gold here since ancient times,
0:52:49 > 0:52:53but modern-day exploration started in the late 1970s.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57I'm meeting geologist Dr Mark Cooper to discover more.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00Well, just how much gold do you reckon there is in those hills?
0:53:02 > 0:53:05The exploration that's been done to date, John,
0:53:05 > 0:53:10shows there to be three million ounces that's known about.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13'Or a cool £2.5 billion worth,
0:53:13 > 0:53:15'just waiting to be hacked out of the ground.'
0:53:17 > 0:53:20And what does the gold actually look like in the hills?
0:53:20 > 0:53:24This particular sample here is from one of the
0:53:24 > 0:53:26exploration boreholes that has been put down.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29Within those crystals, there are tiny little cracks,
0:53:29 > 0:53:32and the gold is contained within those cracks.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36This particular piece of rock will run
0:53:36 > 0:53:38maybe 20 grams per ton of gold.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42This is really good rock, this contains a lot of gold.
0:53:42 > 0:53:47So, economically, this is extremely mineable.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51When you think of gold mining, you think of the gold rush
0:53:51 > 0:53:54and people panning for gold, do they still pan for gold round here?
0:53:54 > 0:53:58They're still panning for gold, and I pan for gold sometimes.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00- Have you found any?- I've found some.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02Doesn't look like much.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06Those 30 grains of gold in there represent about
0:54:06 > 0:54:08- three hours of my life. - LAUGHING:- Oh, really?
0:54:08 > 0:54:11But the actual process of panning for gold,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14it's one of the ways in which we
0:54:14 > 0:54:17explore for the bedrock sources of gold.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19So it's actually a very valuable exploration tool.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23So if you find a few specs in a stream, it could well
0:54:23 > 0:54:27- be that the surrounding rock has a lot of gold in it.- Absolutely.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34Maybe there's a pot of gold
0:54:34 > 0:54:37at the end of every rainbow in the Sperrins.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40'But will I find a pot today?'
0:54:40 > 0:54:44I've just built a wee dam and I've done a bit of digging.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Some gravel in here, so this is your gold pan,
0:54:47 > 0:54:52- let's get some gravel in there. - OK.- Now...
0:54:52 > 0:54:55The first thing to do is fill it full of water.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58'And I'm not the only prospector today attracted
0:54:58 > 0:55:01'by the lure of gold. Here comes Shauna.'
0:55:01 > 0:55:04- Oh, here's Shauna, hello! This is Mark.- Hello, nice to meet you.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08- How you doing?- Take this pan. - Thank you. Panning for gold.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12Let me get you some of the gravel out of here, so...
0:55:14 > 0:55:18If there's any gold in here, any heavy minerals,
0:55:18 > 0:55:20they'll fall to the bottom of the pan.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24These ridges in here will keep the gold nuggets in.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30What do you think, Mark, have I got any in there?
0:55:30 > 0:55:33- Afraid there isn't any in here? - Is that a bit?
0:55:33 > 0:55:36- Fool's gold, I'm afraid, John. - Fool's gold!- Oh, John...
0:55:38 > 0:55:41If you know where to look in the Sperrins, you stand a very good
0:55:41 > 0:55:45chance of finding gold nuggets, you just need the time and the patience.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47And we haven't got the time, I'm afraid,
0:55:47 > 0:55:50because that's it today from Northern Ireland.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53But thanks to all of you who got in touch asking us to come here.
0:55:53 > 0:55:54Obviously I'd recommend it.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57And next week we're in Herefordshire,
0:55:57 > 0:55:59where I'm going to be testing some foodie treats,
0:55:59 > 0:56:03because the quality of the food has really put that county on the map.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06- So, hope you can join us then, bye for now.- Bye-bye.