0:00:30 > 0:00:35Fair weather has flushed this land green. The hedgerows burst.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37The first hay is cut.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41And all across the fields and lanes, expectation is growing.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43This is West Yorkshire,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45a county with big country,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48and it needs it, because in a fortnight's time,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52almost the whole world are going to descend on these quiet valleys.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55And here's a clue as to why -
0:00:55 > 0:00:59one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, the Tour de France.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03And this year, it's starting off right here in La Belle Yorkshire.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06I'll be meeting the artists and farmers
0:01:06 > 0:01:09marking the event in a special way.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11HE WHISTLES
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Come on. Get them in.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Whilst I'll be telling the story of one of our greatest-ever cyclists.
0:01:18 > 0:01:24After a while, they started letting the women ride with the men,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28and then she found out she was beating them as well.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30So, you'll be needing this then, Ellie.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32I certainly will. I'll be cycling on and off-road
0:01:32 > 0:01:34and you'll find out why in just a minute.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36- Happy biking.- Thank you very much. See you later.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39Also tonight, Tom's looking at
0:01:39 > 0:01:42one of the most controversial issues in farming.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Bee numbers have dropped dramatically in the last 50 years.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51So is the decision to ban one of the most widely used insecticides
0:01:51 > 0:01:55now helping their cause? I'll be investigating.
0:01:55 > 0:01:56And Adam's catching up with
0:01:56 > 0:02:01the young farmer who literally won the farm.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Last year, I visited this beautiful place in Snowdonia
0:02:04 > 0:02:06to meet up with a Welsh young farmer
0:02:06 > 0:02:09who'd just won the keys to manage
0:02:09 > 0:02:12this rugged but stunning Welsh hill farm.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14And now I'm back again.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Wonderful.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Wild.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28Wuthering.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31The Yorkshire Moors have long inspired hikers
0:02:31 > 0:02:32to take to its hills,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36but it's pedal power that's set to shake up these hazy heaths.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Because the biggest bike race of them all, the Tour de France,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44is coming.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49The opening stages of the Tour are happening here in Yorkshire.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Stage 2 passes right through West Yorkshire,
0:02:52 > 0:02:53close to the town of Oxenhope.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57And it's not just the cyclists who'll be putting on a show.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03The locals have planned a very special Yorkshire welcome.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11If the landscape round here wasn't stunning enough,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13the fields are getting a face-lift.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Yorkshire itself is being turned into an almighty artwork.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Farmers and artists are getting together along the route
0:03:24 > 0:03:26to create a gigantic spectacle,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29using the hillsides as their canvas.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33The project, known as Fields of Vision,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36was the brainchild of one man - Andrew Wood.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40So how did you come up with the idea in the first place?
0:03:40 > 0:03:43One night in the pub, we sat down and said,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46"Look, we could do something on a really grand scale here."
0:03:46 > 0:03:48It's been lingering for about eight years, has this idea,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50but then when they decided the Tour de France
0:03:50 > 0:03:53was coming right to our doorstep, we just thought,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56there's never going to be a better opportunity to do this than now.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59What better way to draw people's attention to the stunning landscape
0:03:59 > 0:04:02than by kind of accentuating it,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04by putting these giant artworks in the landscape?
0:04:04 > 0:04:08And did you have an idea of what the artwork should be, at the beginning?
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Well, my original idea that I sold it to people on
0:04:11 > 0:04:13was to have a massive pint of beer.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16We were going to put it in a field and then we were going to kill it
0:04:16 > 0:04:18and it'd go brown then, so we'd have a brown pint of beer.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21And at the top, we were going to pen some sheep in
0:04:21 > 0:04:22to give it a frothy head.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Unfortunately, because it had to be "proper artwork",
0:04:26 > 0:04:28that idea went by the wayside.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29What's been your role in all of it?
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Well, apart from kind of coming up with the idea in the first place,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36I'm leading the team that's putting the artworks
0:04:36 > 0:04:38from paper onto the pasture.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40We've used various techniques -
0:04:40 > 0:04:43covering, cutting, fertilising,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45and white-line marking, like you do on a football pitch.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48We've got to make it look like their original did,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50so that's the really tricky bit,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52to try and make sure that we do the artist justice.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57So Andrew, how was it, bringing artists and farmers together?
0:04:57 > 0:04:59They're quite a different breed, aren't they?
0:04:59 > 0:05:02As the middleman, it's been quite a challenge.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05The farmers are kind of get on, crack on and do it,
0:05:05 > 0:05:06blunt and say things as they are,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09and the artists are totally opposite to that.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12- So, er...- Talking about concepts and visions.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Oh, yeah. You watch the artist talking and the farmer's just there,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17raising his eyebrows and scratching his head.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19By the end, everybody seemed to be happy.
0:05:19 > 0:05:20Totally two different species.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Today, local artist Louise Lockhart's design, The Leap,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29is being drawn into the landscape
0:05:29 > 0:05:32by who else but a bunch of cyclists?
0:05:32 > 0:05:35The idea is their tyres churn up the ground
0:05:35 > 0:05:37to mark out the image.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40There's a few of them coming a cropper here.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42It's not the easiest track in the world!
0:05:42 > 0:05:45It was really difficult, actually, to come up with a drawing
0:05:45 > 0:05:47that could be cycled in a loop
0:05:47 > 0:05:51but also fit in with the contours of this rather steep field.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53So what's the idea behind this image?
0:05:53 > 0:05:55What is it, first of all, and what's it about?
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Well, it's a big leaping woman leaping across the hillside.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02And the image is of a very free dancer.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07The bike played quite a significant role in the equality of women.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Because its invention was the first time that women
0:06:11 > 0:06:14could just travel off on their own without being chaperoned.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Also, you can't cycle in tight corsets and big hoopy skirts,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21so it was the first time that these corsets began to be made redundant,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23and more practical clothing was worn.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26I love the idea that this is a cycle-able image.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Yeah, and hopefully all the tyre tracks
0:06:28 > 0:06:30from all these different people
0:06:30 > 0:06:32will create a really black, muddy line.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36It'll look like my original line drawing when it's...
0:06:36 > 0:06:39- But on a huge scale!- Wonderful!
0:06:39 > 0:06:41I'm swapping my racer for a mountain bike
0:06:41 > 0:06:44and joining local schoolchildren to lend a wheel
0:06:44 > 0:06:46marking out the track.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49And to top it all, I'm being timed.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52BLOWS WHISTLE
0:06:53 > 0:06:54Wobbles!
0:06:56 > 0:06:57Here we go.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01I like this.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Cycling to create art.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Stay within the lines!
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Louise is right behind me, the artist.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Watching me going off the lines!
0:07:13 > 0:07:15You're causing a backlog!
0:07:18 > 0:07:21We won't give her penalty points for that minor indiscretion there.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Keep it going, Ellie!
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Yeah! Hello!
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Whoo! Done it!
0:07:31 > 0:07:35'Phew! I made it. But I'm not breaking any records today.'
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Well, I'm going to leave these guys to make their mark
0:07:39 > 0:07:42while I try and get a better view of this artwork.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44From the air.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55This is an incredible way to see the landscape of West Yorkshire.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00Just coming into view is the glorious leaping lady in full flow.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04She's...leapt into liberation.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06That's a fantastic view.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09They've really done a good job, those children,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11churning up the outline of her figure.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13SHE LAUGHS
0:08:16 > 0:08:19'Whilst Ellie is high above, I'm down on the ground,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23'meeting one of the farmers who've given over their fields.'
0:08:26 > 0:08:28'This is a land of dramatic contours.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31'High hills and steep valleys
0:08:31 > 0:08:34'make it a challenging place to keep livestock.'
0:08:37 > 0:08:40It can be pretty bleak up here in the uplands.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41The weather can get extreme,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45and in the open moorland, there's just nowhere to hide.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51So only the hardiest of breeds will do,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55including Highland cattle and traditional Swaledale sheep.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59For centuries, the shepherd and his dog
0:08:59 > 0:09:03have been etched into the very fabric of this countryside.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07But never before quite like this. Just take a look.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13This is where art and farming really come together.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17This gigantic piece is called, no surprise, One Man And His Dog.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20Like the work Ellie's just seen,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23it's the brainchild of Andrew Wood,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26cousin of farmer Miles Greenwood,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28who works this land with his son, Nathan.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31My cousin cornered me in the pub one night
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and he said, "I need a farmer as a guinea pig, and you're it."
0:09:34 > 0:09:36So I said, "Yeah, why not?"
0:09:36 > 0:09:39And...just grew from there,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41and next news, we are where we are, really, so...
0:09:41 > 0:09:44And Nathan, did you get involved in all of this?
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Yeah, I've been involved right from the start.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49I've done public speaking about the project.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54Later on, I've been helping mark out the artwork with pegs and ribbon
0:09:54 > 0:09:57before they can be put into the ground permanently.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59And presumably the field has to be
0:09:59 > 0:10:02in a place where the public can get a really good view?
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Yeah. The field's got to be on a steep valley side,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08so that each of the artworks can be viewed from the ground
0:10:08 > 0:10:09as well as from the air.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12And when this artwork finally disappears,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14are you going to miss it?
0:10:14 > 0:10:16It fades gradually over a period of a couple of weeks
0:10:16 > 0:10:19and then we repaint it and it comes back to life.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21You soon become attached to these things.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24And it's quite a special feeling, actually,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26standing in the middle of a work of art.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Driving sheep over it yesterday, going across his head,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31and you think, "Oh, I better just..."
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Go not to rub him out.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36But, yeah, it grows on you after a while, it does.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38We're now going to attempt something that
0:10:38 > 0:10:40I don't think has been done before,
0:10:40 > 0:10:41and that is try to get those
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Herdwick sheep into the palm of that giant shepherd.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47That's the plan.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48JOHN LAUGHS
0:10:50 > 0:10:52'And volunteering to take on the task
0:10:52 > 0:10:55'is local sheepdog trainer Ian Ibbotson.'
0:10:55 > 0:10:56Hello, Ian.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58You're taking on quite a challenge, aren't you,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01bringing this artwork to life?
0:11:01 > 0:11:02How difficult is it going to be
0:11:02 > 0:11:05getting the sheep into this very small pen?
0:11:05 > 0:11:06This dog, I've only had for three weeks,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08so it could be difficult.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10But we'll work on it and be all right, I'm sure.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11- What is he called?- Nap.- Nap.
0:11:11 > 0:11:12The dog may be new to it,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15but you've got lots of experience, haven't you, Ian?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Yes, I have. I've been training dogs for 30 years.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21As the chairman of the Yorkshire Sheepdog Society,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24and this is proper Yorkshire sheepdog country, I thought
0:11:24 > 0:11:26we'd have a go at it and see how we went on.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28All the very best, Ian, and to Nap.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31And as this artwork is called One Man And His Dog,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I'm going to have a little go at doing a commentary. OK?
0:11:34 > 0:11:36So, off you go.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38And Matt Baker, eat your heart out.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41IAN WHISTLES TO DOG
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Nap is on his way. The sheep have been released.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48IAN WHISTLES SHARPLY
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Nice turn there, very nice, sharp turn.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54Heading them down towards the giant dog.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57And this is all part of Ian's plan.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01He is not taking them directly to the palm of the shepherd,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04they are going around the dog, and then they will come across
0:12:04 > 0:12:07this huge field towards the artwork of the shepherd.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12He's doing very well, this new dog.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18They want to graze on the dog, but there's no time for that,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20cos they are on the move again now.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26Nap holding them in a very neat bunch, there. Very neat.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Sheep are obeying him totally.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35And now the sheep are progressing down the body of the shepherd,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37just outside there,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41but back in again and heading towards his hand.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44And he needs to turn her now, rather neatly,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46which he has done.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Come on, Nap, get them in.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Pen in!
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Well done, Nap, well done, Ian.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Not bad for a novice.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Could say the same for the commentator, as well.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06SHEEP BLEATS
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Now, as we all know, bees play a vital part
0:13:10 > 0:13:14in arable farming in the UK, pollinating the crops.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17But has a ban designed to protect the bees
0:13:17 > 0:13:20actually made life harder for British farmers?
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Tom has been finding out.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29TOM: Bees - tiny, unobtrusive and industrious.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33The farmer's hidden helper.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Small maybe, but mightily important.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40Bees have a role in pollinating around a third of the food we eat,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42but there's a problem.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Numbers appear to have been falling.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46In fact, some people reckon they've
0:13:46 > 0:13:50dropped by around half in the UK since the 1980s.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Amongst other things,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57the finger of blame's been pointed at neonicotinoids,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59a pesticide used by farmers
0:13:59 > 0:14:03for the last 20 years on crops like oilseed rape.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Last year, the European Commission decided the risk to bees
0:14:07 > 0:14:10from those pesticides was so great, it banned them.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16For many farmers, their big advantage was that the seeds came
0:14:16 > 0:14:19ready-coated with neonicotinoids.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Without them, they're going to have to go back to spraying alone
0:14:22 > 0:14:24to protect against pests.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31'Bob Fiddaman has been growing oilseed rape on his farm
0:14:31 > 0:14:34'near Hemel Hampstead for more than 40 years.'
0:14:34 > 0:14:36What sort of thing are we looking for?
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Well, what we're looking for is the typical shot holing, or again, the
0:14:40 > 0:14:44leaf nibbled edge, which is the same sort of attack by the flea beetle.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47And it's that that's causing the damage.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49So you end up with a sort of shot hole there, or the nibble edge
0:14:49 > 0:14:51that we've got there.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55'Until this year, he has been using neonicotinoids to kill
0:14:55 > 0:14:59'the insects which love to feast on his crops.'
0:15:00 > 0:15:03As a working farmer, how much, if any more,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06labour do you have to put in if you're not using a seed treatment?
0:15:06 > 0:15:07Well, that's the point.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10If I'm having to spray because it's not in the seed, I will
0:15:10 > 0:15:13probably have to go back three or four weeks later and do it again.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17And that is what I dislike about the option that we are currently
0:15:17 > 0:15:19left with, with the removal of neonicotinoids,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22is the fact that I don't have that ability to be able to sit back,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25knowing that the crop is being protected through that early
0:15:25 > 0:15:28stage when I have other things that I need to get on with -
0:15:28 > 0:15:30getting land ready, getting the wheat seed into the ground,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32because that's my main cash crop.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34So what do you think about the ban?
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Wrong. Putting it bluntly.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41I think it's going to potentially do more harm than good.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Bob's not alone.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47The restrictions mean more work for many arable farmers
0:15:47 > 0:15:49across the country.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51That's one of the reasons
0:15:51 > 0:15:54the National Farmers' Union has been trying to overturn the ban.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58We think this is a bit of a kneejerk ban on something that
0:15:58 > 0:16:02was useful to the farmer when it came to producing crops.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05It hasn't got sound science behind it and we worry,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08particularly, that it's setting a precedent where we'll lose
0:16:08 > 0:16:10a lot more of these tools
0:16:10 > 0:16:12we need in our crop production tool box.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16But if this does help bees, surely that's what you've got to put up with?
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Well, I'm not convinced it does help bees.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20And I really can't understand why
0:16:20 > 0:16:24farmers across the world - South America, North America, Australia -
0:16:24 > 0:16:27they can carry on using neonics,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and only in this part of the world are we restricted from doing so.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36'The frustration for the NFU is that their members are doing more
0:16:36 > 0:16:38'work without conclusive proof
0:16:38 > 0:16:42'that these pesticides are harming bees in the wild.'
0:16:42 > 0:16:45But, despite their concerns, last April,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49the European Commission decided they did have enough evidence
0:16:49 > 0:16:55to justify a ban on the three most commonly used neonicotinoids.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59So, more than a year on, is the case any stronger?
0:17:01 > 0:17:05Scientists have been doing plenty of research, not just in the UK,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09but across the world, from the USA to Switzerland.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12But much of the work has been carried out in the lab.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17So what kind of places do you put your nest in, here?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20They're just tucked away anywhere where
0:17:20 > 0:17:23they're not going to get disturbed by people.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27'Professor Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex
0:17:27 > 0:17:30'is one of those doing research in the bees' natural habitat.'
0:17:32 > 0:17:34They really do sound like an angry hive in there.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37BEES BUZZ
0:17:39 > 0:17:42So, inside here,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45we've got a nice, healthy bumblebee nest.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46Why is this so important?
0:17:46 > 0:17:49There have been lots of studies in which bees have been exposed
0:17:49 > 0:17:51to these pesticides in a lab way,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53and they've been criticised,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55because, in the real world,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58bees are free to choose where they get their food.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00They might avoid areas where there are more pesticides,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02they might avoid crops that have been treated.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05And if that's so, then they might not be affected
0:18:05 > 0:18:08anywhere near as much as the lab studies have suggested.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10So, what we're trying to find out here is how much
0:18:10 > 0:18:12they are actually exposed to.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Cos this is as close as we can get to a completely natural,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16realistic setting.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19So, see if you can suck out a little sample of...
0:18:19 > 0:18:21So, just squeeze it, insert and
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- let go and hopefully I'll get a little bit on the end.- Exactly.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27'But, in the outside world, others claim it's disease or
0:18:27 > 0:18:30'habitat loss that's to blame, rather than pesticides.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33'Dave believes it's all three.'
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Bees face a number of stresses in the modern world.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39There aren't enough flowers.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41We've accidentally introduced
0:18:41 > 0:18:43diseases from other countries to Britain.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45And we're exposing them to pesticides.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47And I think it's those three things together
0:18:47 > 0:18:50that are causing them problems.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53'But there is also credible research out there which seems to
0:18:53 > 0:18:58'indicate that neonicotinoids are not a factor in the decline of bees.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03'One study in France, which suggests bees aren't being affected,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05'was carried out by Syngenta,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08'a leading manufacturer of neonicotinoids.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14'Dr Mike Bushell is their principal scientific adviser.'
0:19:14 > 0:19:19The study that we've just published was a four-year study,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23where we maintained hives of honeybees held alongside
0:19:23 > 0:19:26treated oilseed rape and maize fields in France.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29- Treated with? - Treated with neonicotinoids.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31And what has that shown you?
0:19:31 > 0:19:35It's shown us that, when you use neonicotinoids properly,
0:19:35 > 0:19:40they have a very low chance of causing any harm to bees.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41And how robust is that work?
0:19:41 > 0:19:43You'll be aware there has been some criticism,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46for instance over the scale of it?
0:19:46 > 0:19:47What you basically have to say is,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50"Do these studies replicate the real situation
0:19:50 > 0:19:52"as closely as possible?"
0:19:52 > 0:19:53And we believe that they do.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57'This is just one more piece of evidence in the controversial world
0:19:57 > 0:20:02'of neonicotinoid studies, and so far hasn't affected the current ban.'
0:20:07 > 0:20:09So, for the time being at least,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12most farmers will have to go back to
0:20:12 > 0:20:14the old system of spraying their crops
0:20:14 > 0:20:16with pesticides called pyrethroids.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21This is the pod, and then, inside here, are all be little seeds.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- If I can get in there.- How's it doing this year, on the whole?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26It's doing really well, actually.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29'As we've heard, that's angered many farmers,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31'but some, like Peter Lundgren,
0:20:31 > 0:20:35'who farms near Lincoln, believe it's actually an opportunity.'
0:20:35 > 0:20:38I am using pyrethroids,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40but I'm using pyrethroids that have
0:20:40 > 0:20:43a lower impact on bees and beneficial insects.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47For the short-term, I can manage my crop without it costing me
0:20:47 > 0:20:51financially and hopefully having a lower impact on bees.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54A lot of farmers, though, don't agree with you,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56and say this change is going to be costly and difficult for them.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59What I have had to do is put more time into the management
0:20:59 > 0:21:02of my crops, the selection of the chemicals I'm using.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03I have to work harder.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06But I think what we've got to do as farmers as a whole
0:21:06 > 0:21:07is behave responsibly.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11If we lose the bees and the farmers are implicated in the loss of bees,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14then the loss of public trust in farmers is going
0:21:14 > 0:21:17to cost me and every farmer in this country really dear.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21We cannot be the generation where the bees
0:21:21 > 0:21:24disappear from our farms and our countryside.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31The stakes are high, yet many farmers are far from convinced that
0:21:31 > 0:21:36using neonicotinoids rather than the older pyrethroids will have
0:21:36 > 0:21:40this disastrous effect on bees.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43But, with scientists divided, how will we know?
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Surely the two-year, Europe-wide ban
0:21:46 > 0:21:50should tell us just that?
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Scientifically, in terms of finding out the effect of neonicotinoids,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56how useful is this to you, the ban?
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Well, sadly, not very.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Actually, in 2014, they are probably being exposed to the same levels
0:22:01 > 0:22:03as they were in 2013,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06because many of our autumn-sown crops
0:22:06 > 0:22:07were sown before the moratorium.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10So we won't expect to see any benefits for the environment
0:22:10 > 0:22:12at all until next year,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14which is actually the year that the ban expires.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17And it's clearly not enough time.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21'So, how will the European authorities
0:22:21 > 0:22:23'know if the ban has been worthwhile?
0:22:23 > 0:22:26'Well, interestingly, they told us that...'
0:22:33 > 0:22:35What do you think about the way the EU are going to take
0:22:35 > 0:22:38the decision at the end of this ban in 2015?
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Well, what evidence are they going to use?
0:22:40 > 0:22:43They admit themselves that they can't determine whether it's
0:22:43 > 0:22:46been a success or failure, so what sort of policy-making is that?
0:22:46 > 0:22:49It's just... It's from the madhouse.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01By the end of next year, when this ban is up for a review,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04it's very unlikely that there will be conclusive proof over
0:23:04 > 0:23:06whether it helped bees or not.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11So, expect a continuing tug of war between the different interest groups
0:23:11 > 0:23:14until there is sufficient scientific evidence
0:23:14 > 0:23:17to really deliver an answer.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Open fells, plunging valleys,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33moors shrouded in mist.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36'The dramatic landscape of West Yorkshire is robust
0:23:36 > 0:23:39'and rugged, built for the resilient.'
0:23:42 > 0:23:45These windswept hills were once the training ground
0:23:45 > 0:23:48for one of Britain's greatest ever athletes.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51From the 1950s to the 1980s,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55one woman ruled these moors and dominated UK cycling.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Her name was Beryl Burton.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Almost unknown today,
0:24:03 > 0:24:08this Yorkshire working mother reigned on the road and track -
0:24:08 > 0:24:11smashing world records, gathering golds
0:24:11 > 0:24:15and racking up both national and world titles.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Beryl Burton was the best.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22For a quarter of a century, she was unbeatable over 25,
0:24:22 > 0:24:2450 and 100 miles.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Beryl cycled up these hills and down these dales.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Unstoppable, tireless, true Yorkshire grit.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38I enjoy going off for a day and I'll do about 80 miles
0:24:38 > 0:24:40in the Dales, thoroughly enjoy it,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42but I'm working hard all the time.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Some people say they couldn't do the amount of miles
0:24:45 > 0:24:47that I do for training,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49because they would be too tired,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51but I need the miles to get speed.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57'But how did this incredible athlete first become interested in cycling?'
0:24:57 > 0:24:58- Hello!- How are you doing?
0:24:58 > 0:25:00'Here's her husband, Charlie.' Good, good.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Charlie, what was it that got Beryl cycling in the first place?
0:25:03 > 0:25:05I hear it was down to you.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07She said that when she first saw me, she thought,
0:25:07 > 0:25:13"Oh! New boy. It's a pity that he's lame."
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Of course, what it was, I had me cycling shoes on with the plates,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20because I used to ride to work and change when I got there.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22I got talking to her. She says,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26"Oh, I'm going to get a bike like that."
0:25:26 > 0:25:29I says, "Are you?"
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Anyway, she got that one. So...
0:25:31 > 0:25:33- She got your bike?- Yes.
0:25:33 > 0:25:34She took mine.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38For the first few months, used to have to push her along behind,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40because she kept dropping back.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44And then, by the time it got into the second year,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47she was riding with the bunch.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50And by the third year, she was leading them.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55After a while, they started letting the women ride with the men
0:25:55 > 0:25:59and then she found out that she was beating them, as well.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01If you could only use one word to describe her character,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03what would you say?
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Um... Determined, must be it.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Yes. Very.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20To this day, she is the only woman
0:26:20 > 0:26:24to ever break a men's competition record.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31'I'm taking to the track named in her honour,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34'the Beryl Burton Cycleway.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36'Beryl's daughter Denise tells me
0:26:36 > 0:26:38'more about her mum's competition wins.'
0:26:38 > 0:26:41I think one of the most memorable ones is for
0:26:41 > 0:26:43the Otley Cycling Club 12-hour event.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45It's a time trial.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47You're timed, it's over 12 hours
0:26:47 > 0:26:50and you do as many miles as you can within that 12 hours.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52- Exhausting!- Yeah.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55She did very well. She won, she beat the men.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57- She beat the men?- She beat the men.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59She caught Mike McNamara,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02who was the men's champion at the time.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06I looked up the road and I thought, "It's McNamara!"
0:27:06 > 0:27:09And I went all goosey, all the back of my neck,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11all the hair stood up on the back of my neck.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14And I thought, "What am I going to do?"
0:27:14 > 0:27:16And I put my hand in me pocket
0:27:16 > 0:27:19and I fished this little bag of liquorice allsorts out.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22And as I caught him and rode alongside, I said,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24"Liquorice allsort, Mac?"
0:27:24 > 0:27:25And he said, "Ta, love!"
0:27:25 > 0:27:29And he took a liquorice allsort and I went on me way then.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Mike McNamara was one of the greatest cyclists of his age.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38But, on this occasion, he was soundly beaten by Beryl.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41She finished nearly half a mile ahead of him,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43smashing the men's record.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47No woman could challenge the men like Beryl,
0:27:47 > 0:27:52and this surprising athlete also had an unexpected training regime.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57And didn't she have quite a physical job, as well? She had a day job.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59She did, picking rhubarb.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01She did weight-training, in a way, because the rhubarb was
0:28:01 > 0:28:05great big bundles of it and you were bending down and picking.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08What was it like for you, growing up in this cycling-mad family?
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Well, it was normal for me. I didn't know any different.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Everything we did was cycling, to do with cycling.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16So then you got the bug yourself
0:28:16 > 0:28:18and became a competitive cyclist, too.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Yes, I represented Great Britain for lots of years. Yeah.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24And wasn't that a race when you and your mum were together?
0:28:24 > 0:28:25We raced together all the time.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29- Your mum had this incredibly competitive spirit.- She did.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33She wanted to win. She wanted to be the best and she wanted to win.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36- Even when she was competing with her daughter?- Even me.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38I was just another competitor. Yeah.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Tragically, Beryl died far too young.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44She was on her bike
0:28:44 > 0:28:48when a heart attack took her at the age of just 58.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53When the Tour de France comes to Yorkshire
0:28:53 > 0:28:55and thunders past the end of this cycle track
0:28:55 > 0:28:57in a couple of weeks' time,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00I'm going to be thinking about Beryl Burton,
0:29:00 > 0:29:03probably the most successful female cyclist
0:29:03 > 0:29:05the world has ever known.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09'And here she comes now to win her second road championship.
0:29:09 > 0:29:10'She crosses the line now,
0:29:10 > 0:29:12'and Beryl Burton of Great Britain,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15'the 30-year-old housewife from Leeds,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17'wins her seventh gold medal.'
0:29:23 > 0:29:26- JOHN:- Owning and running a farm is a dream for some people,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29but getting onto the farming ladder can be difficult.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Last November, Adam met Caryl Hughes,
0:29:32 > 0:29:34who had just won a year's scholarship
0:29:34 > 0:29:37to run a beautiful Welsh hill farm.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39So, you're from a farming background?
0:29:39 > 0:29:41Yep, North East Wales,
0:29:41 > 0:29:43Llangollen-ish sort of thing.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46So, pretty used to this terrain up there.
0:29:46 > 0:29:47This is going to be hard work, isn't it?
0:29:47 > 0:29:49It will definitely be hard work.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52It hasn't been farmed for a while, so there's no tracks.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54There's a lot of walking involved.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56The National Trust and the Welsh Young Farmers' Club
0:29:56 > 0:29:57run this amazing scholarship,
0:29:57 > 0:29:59and now that 23-year-old Caryl
0:29:59 > 0:30:01is over halfway through this scheme,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04I'm going back to the heart of Snowdonia
0:30:04 > 0:30:06to see how challenging it's been.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19When I met you first, the farm was empty, there was no livestock at all.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22And are these the ewes that I saw you buying from Arwyn, back in September?
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Yeah, these will be the first 40 we bought.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27- So these are...- Oh, there we go.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29SHE CALLS TO THE DOG
0:30:29 > 0:30:30- And how did lambing go?- Good.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33We've no major issues and they all came quite good.
0:30:33 > 0:30:34So, no, it's been a really good...
0:30:34 > 0:30:37- And the weather was kind to us this spring?- Definitely.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Anything's better than last year. So, no, it's been really good.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43And what's the plan now? What are you doing with them?
0:30:43 > 0:30:45So, we'll take these up now to the mountain
0:30:45 > 0:30:48and they'll be up there then till shearing time.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Hopefully they will go and the ewes will teach
0:30:50 > 0:30:52their lambs to become hefted.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54So, they'll find their habitat on the mountain
0:30:54 > 0:30:56and they'll stay there then and they'll
0:30:56 > 0:30:58teach their lambs where the water is and everything.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01And then it will pass on there from generation to generation
0:31:01 > 0:31:04and they'll become a flock for this mountain.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22- Is this the final gateway up onto the mountain?- Yeah, this is it.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24This is the gate now between here and the mountain.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27So, we'll let them take their time up
0:31:27 > 0:31:31and they should wander up slowly and pick their lambs up and off they go.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Well, that was quite a hike, but a good achievement.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Yes, that's it, now. The first ewes and lambs up there for 25 years.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40It's definitely a good step forward for the farm.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43It's a lovely site. Well done, you.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46'On my last visit to Llyndy Isaf,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49'Caryl was taking delivery of her very first animals from
0:31:49 > 0:31:52'Arwyn Owen, a local farm manager,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56'who has also been keeping a watchful eye on young Caryl.'
0:31:58 > 0:32:00How has Caryl been getting on?
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Oh, she's got on great, really.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06From day to day, I tend to think she's been here for years, almost.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10She's sort of adjusted so well to the farm, to the place,
0:32:10 > 0:32:12that it's easy to think that
0:32:12 > 0:32:14she's been farming here for an awful long time.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17Whereas, in reality, it's only been a matter of seven or eight months.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19And how well do you think the project works,
0:32:19 > 0:32:21the idea of getting young people that sort of foot on the ladder?
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Certainly, this year has been a great success.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27From our perspective, it's worked incredibly well,
0:32:27 > 0:32:29but the real measure of success, I think,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32will be Caryl's progress from here on in.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Finding a hill farm to run yourself for 12 months
0:32:35 > 0:32:36is always going to be difficult.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40So, hopefully that experience now will stand her in good stead.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42And I think, at the end of the day,
0:32:42 > 0:32:46if you can run a farm like this, then I think you can run any farm.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50'Rugged and tough hill farmers around here are hard to impress,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53'but it seems as though Caryl has made her mark.'
0:32:56 > 0:32:58So, you've introduced cattle to the farm now?
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Yeah, I've got these two that have just calved in March,
0:33:00 > 0:33:02so they've got young calves on them,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05and there's six more up there on the mountain, just making
0:33:05 > 0:33:06path for the sheep, really,
0:33:06 > 0:33:08and trying to clear some of the heather and stuff.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11- And you've chosen the Welsh Black. - Yeah, Welsh Black.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13I went to see Arwyn again for them.
0:33:13 > 0:33:14But, yeah, they're a hardy breed,
0:33:14 > 0:33:16used to living up those mountains.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18So, yeah, the plan is to keep them up there
0:33:18 > 0:33:20for as long as I can, really.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22And what sort of other things have you done on the farm?
0:33:22 > 0:33:25One of the first things to do was that mountain fence.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27So there was four and a half kilometres of fence line to do,
0:33:27 > 0:33:31so we carried just over a thousand posts up there by helicopter,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34so that was an experience I'll never do again, probably.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37So we carried them up and then we got the fencing contractor up there
0:33:37 > 0:33:38and he's just finished now.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40That's a huge job! Did you organise all of that?
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Yeah, organised the contractor and the helicopter.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45One of those things you'll probably never
0:33:45 > 0:33:48do again on that sort of scale. So it was great.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50And you're really getting the farm going for the future?
0:33:50 > 0:33:53Yeah, these calves now, they will be the future,
0:33:53 > 0:33:54the future of the herd, as well.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56And the calves that come out of the heifers.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58So, yeah, it's all for the future, really.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01- Trying to build the stock up so it can carry on.- Brilliant.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10'Caryl has a short while left on this beautiful farm and, in September,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13'is due to hand it over to the next lucky winner
0:34:13 > 0:34:15'of this fantastic scholarship.'
0:34:15 > 0:34:18You've obviously made quite a big impression on the farm,
0:34:18 > 0:34:21doing everything you've done so far. Is it going to be hard to leave?
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Yeah, I must admit, it's going to be quite hard, I think.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26I've made a lot of good friends and I've met a lot of people
0:34:26 > 0:34:30out here, and obviously, living in quite a gorgeous area, as well.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32It's going to be hard, yeah.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35'Well, Caryl is a real winner, and talking of winners,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38'a few weeks ago, we revealed the three finalists of the
0:34:38 > 0:34:42Food and Farming Awards Outstanding Farmer of the Year competition.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46Up for this prestigious prize were cattle farmer Luke Hasell...
0:34:46 > 0:34:50It's crazy to be feeding a beef animal that will finish off
0:34:50 > 0:34:53at grass cereals when we can be feeding that
0:34:53 > 0:34:54to the rest of the world.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57We ought to bridge that gap between the consumer and the farmer
0:34:57 > 0:35:01and tell a real story about the provenance of the food.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03..dairy farmer Neil Darwent...
0:35:03 > 0:35:06I think milk is a very undervalued food.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09We're producing a great, nutritious product from cows
0:35:09 > 0:35:12that are enjoying a great life and I want the world to know really
0:35:12 > 0:35:15what that means to them, in terms of the value of that product to them.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18'..and vegetable farmer Steven Jack.'
0:35:18 > 0:35:21What's the idea behind all these different colours?
0:35:21 > 0:35:23We all think the carrot has always been orange,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26but it's only been orange for the last 400 years.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30Prior to that, there were many different colours.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33But there are different tastes, textures
0:35:33 > 0:35:35and these are the type of ideas that
0:35:35 > 0:35:38we are keen to get out onto the shelves.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41'At the beginning of May, after much deliberation,
0:35:41 > 0:35:44'a winner was chosen from the three finalists, and I had
0:35:44 > 0:35:48'the honour of awarding the prize at a special ceremony held in Bristol.'
0:35:48 > 0:35:51The winner is our dairy farmer, Neil Darwent.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54APPLAUSE
0:36:01 > 0:36:04There were 100,000 dairy farmers in the UK in 1970.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05Today, there are only 10,000 left.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07But, believe me, we are still trying out there
0:36:07 > 0:36:09to produce a great product.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Thank you very much for all the support this
0:36:11 > 0:36:12award is going to give us.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15'Congratulations to Neil. I hope he goes from strength to strength.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18'And I'm really looking forward to next year's competition.'
0:36:34 > 0:36:36JOHN: West Yorkshire.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Open moorland, undulating hills,
0:36:39 > 0:36:42mill towns and beautiful valleys.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45And how about this for a spectacular vista?
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Cragg Vale.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50It's a landscape much-loved by artists, photographers
0:36:50 > 0:36:54and bird-watchers, but don't be deceived by its beauty.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56There's a beast lurking within.
0:37:00 > 0:37:01And this is it.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05The longest continuous hill climb in England,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08making it perfect for the Tour de France.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12The Cragg Vale hill isn't going to be the toughest one that the riders
0:37:12 > 0:37:16have to face, but it is certainly one of the most dramatic.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24To find out just how challenging it is,
0:37:24 > 0:37:27I'm catching up with local cyclist Jane O'Neil.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30She's been taking on this hill for years.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32Come on, Jane!
0:37:32 > 0:37:34So, this is the toughest bit of the climb,
0:37:34 > 0:37:36but it's really worth all the effort,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39because once you get to the top, the views are absolutely amazing.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45The hill climbs nearly 1,000 feet,
0:37:45 > 0:37:48or 305m, in less than six miles,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51so I'm glad that I'm already at the top.
0:37:51 > 0:37:52- Hello, Jane.- Hello.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Well, to me, that looked like really hard work.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57Well, it's not that bad, really, once you get used to it.
0:37:57 > 0:37:58A bit of a climb in places.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01How many times do you reckon you've pedalled up that hill?
0:38:01 > 0:38:02Several hundred, at least.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Sometimes it feels like thousands, on a bad day.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08But what's it like when it is really bleak up here?
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Well, you get some amazing weather up here.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13We can have really strong headwinds.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15It's fine when the wind is behind you,
0:38:15 > 0:38:16but sometimes if it's in your face...
0:38:16 > 0:38:19- I've been blown off my bike once. - Really?- Yeah.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21And then the water can come flying over from the reservoir,
0:38:21 > 0:38:23so you can get a good soaking on a really bad day.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25So, why do you do it?
0:38:25 > 0:38:26I love it. I just love cycling
0:38:26 > 0:38:29and there's nothing better than getting
0:38:29 > 0:38:30right up here to this amazing scenery
0:38:30 > 0:38:32and having a sense of achievement.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34And how long does it take you to pedal up?
0:38:34 > 0:38:37I think my average is probably about 50 minutes.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39I think 43 is the best I've ever done.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41Some people have done it in 16 minutes.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44So that's probably what the Tour de France cyclists
0:38:44 > 0:38:45are going to be doing.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Yeah, I think I read somewhere they're aiming for about 15 minutes.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50What's the best bit of this hill?
0:38:50 > 0:38:52- Going back down again? - Yeah, probably.
0:38:52 > 0:38:53THEY LAUGH
0:38:59 > 0:39:00As well as being a keen cyclist,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Jane is also a skilled artist in glass.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05But she only started drawing
0:39:05 > 0:39:08when she heard the Tour was coming to Yorkshire.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11Now, she's turning her images of matchstick cyclists pedalling
0:39:11 > 0:39:16through some of the highlights of the route into glass miniatures.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18We've just been to the top there, haven't we?
0:39:18 > 0:39:19This is Cragg Vale,
0:39:19 > 0:39:21with the Tour de France cyclists
0:39:21 > 0:39:22about to go up to the top of it.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25That's right. And the Robin Hood pub, which I cycled past.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29Well, this Tour de France has really inspired you as an artist, hasn't it?
0:39:29 > 0:39:30It certainly has, John.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32I just love this area, and I've cycled
0:39:32 > 0:39:34so many of the routes that are going
0:39:34 > 0:39:36to be on this year's Tour de France.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39How do you actually transfer this drawing onto the glass coasters
0:39:39 > 0:39:42and other glass work that you do?
0:39:42 > 0:39:45- Well, I get the images printed with glass enamels.- Like transfers?
0:39:45 > 0:39:48Like transfers. And they go onto squares of glass
0:39:48 > 0:39:50and they get assembled in the kiln.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53And then everything sorts of fuses together, melts together,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56so that the transfers become permanent.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58So, is that a finished coaster now?
0:39:58 > 0:40:00Well, not quite, because the unexciting bit, we need to sand
0:40:00 > 0:40:03the edges, to make sure there's no rough bits before...
0:40:03 > 0:40:06- JOHN LAUGHS - So, we need to do that in water,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10just to make sure that we're not exposed to any of the glass dust.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13- That's it.- Now, this all started as a hobby, did it?
0:40:13 > 0:40:16It did, yes. It was just something I was doing a few hours a week.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20But it's grown and grown and I'm enjoying it so much.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22My fantasy now is to get on my bike and cycle round the UK
0:40:22 > 0:40:26- and start drawing other areas for cyclists in it.- Right.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41We've been exploring West Yorkshire.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Its green dales, valleys and highways
0:40:44 > 0:40:48will soon be playing host to one of the world's great sporting events...
0:40:50 > 0:40:51..the Tour de France.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54It kicks off here in Yorkshire in a fortnight's time,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57and local people are really getting into the spirit of it.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04Earlier, we saw how farmers, artists and the local community
0:41:04 > 0:41:08have thrown their weight behind a massive land-art project.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12But it's not all supersized.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Willow sculptor Carole Beavis has been constructing
0:41:15 > 0:41:18some rather special smaller-scale stuff.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24- Carole, these look amazing. - Thank you.- They're fab.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27- Where are they going to go? Are they on the route?- They are, yeah.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30They're going to be in Huddersfield at the start of the Tour de France.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32- Have you made them all?- No.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34No, I've been involved in the making of them all.
0:41:34 > 0:41:39I made that one by myself, and then the other ones have been made with
0:41:39 > 0:41:43the help of lots of different groups of people in West Yorkshire.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48'This gang of willow cyclists will strike an athletic pose
0:41:48 > 0:41:51'as the Tour de France thunders through Yorkshire
0:41:51 > 0:41:53'in a couple of weeks.'
0:41:53 > 0:41:55Is there anything I can do?
0:41:55 > 0:41:58- I thought you might like to do a bit of hair.- Can you teach me?
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Right, you've cut the end here, the thicker end,
0:42:01 > 0:42:05so you just find where you want it to go and put a little bit in...
0:42:05 > 0:42:10anchor it down. There isn't really a set way of doing it.
0:42:10 > 0:42:11It's random weave.
0:42:11 > 0:42:16The only thing that can happen is if you get a really enthusiastic group,
0:42:16 > 0:42:20you might get slightly larger figures than you expected.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23This one actually hasn't got a name.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26But she's quite elegant, she looks quite acrobatic -
0:42:26 > 0:42:28I think she could be you, don't you?
0:42:28 > 0:42:31I wish! I wish I was this elegant.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34I am thrilled to be part of the tour in this willow form. It's amazing.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36Thank you.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38'Let's face it, it's the only way
0:42:38 > 0:42:41'I'm going to take part in the Tour de France.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43'But now I've got to head over the valley
0:42:43 > 0:42:46'to where John's got a message for me,
0:42:46 > 0:42:49'one he wants to shout from the hilltops, apparently.'
0:42:50 > 0:42:52On your bike!
0:42:52 > 0:42:54Eat pies!
0:42:54 > 0:42:56Drink milk!
0:42:56 > 0:42:58Read the book!
0:42:58 > 0:43:00Love life!
0:43:00 > 0:43:04Russell Brand, the man behind these big messages,
0:43:04 > 0:43:08has certainly planted Yorkshire sentiments on this hillside.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11How did this big idea come about, then?
0:43:11 > 0:43:14When we'd learned that Yorkshire had won the bid to run
0:43:14 > 0:43:17the Tour de France event, we thought we'd have a drive along the route.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20And as we were coming back, my partner, an American lady,
0:43:20 > 0:43:22suggested that we should be doing something to help celebrate it,
0:43:22 > 0:43:26something like the Hollywood sign in California.
0:43:26 > 0:43:27After a few minutes I thought,
0:43:27 > 0:43:30"Well, do you know what? We could actually do it.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33"But we won't spell Hollywood, we'll put something Yorkshire up."
0:43:33 > 0:43:36- In great, huge letters. - Ten-foot tall. Absolutely.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39And the messages keep changing, every few weeks.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Have you had any help in building these letters?
0:43:42 > 0:43:45As part of the project we included four local schools.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49Every letter they've built has been signed by everybody in the school.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52- Now, what have we got here? - We've got an L,
0:43:52 > 0:43:56which is the final letter in this salutation we're putting up.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58We'll get that up there, like that.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00If we can just check that's in line...
0:44:00 > 0:44:04- And all we need now is the final little bit.- Absolutely.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07- And here comes Ellie. - Here it is, the final piece.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10- Let's get that in.- Thank you. - How's it looking?
0:44:10 > 0:44:13- Nice.- We're going to have to stand right back.- I think you're right.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15Oh, John, you must approve of this.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18Yeah, how about that? "Love Yorkshire."
0:44:18 > 0:44:20- Why not?- Absolutely. Sends a message out, loud and clear.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23Nobody's going to miss that, are they, on the day that
0:44:23 > 0:44:24the Tour de France rides by?
0:44:24 > 0:44:27No, and that big day is Saturday the 5th of July,
0:44:27 > 0:44:29for those of you wanting to see all the action.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32But that's all we've got time for from West Yorkshire.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34Next week, Countryfile is going to be in Lincolnshire.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36While I will be at an old airfield,
0:44:36 > 0:44:38finding out why it's a hit with wildlife.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41And Matt will be helping to refurbish a beautiful old windmill.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44And I'll be launching this year's Countryfile photographic competition,
0:44:44 > 0:44:47- so hope you can join us then. - Bye-bye.- Bye for now.