0:00:26 > 0:00:29The beautiful and tranquil River Teign
0:00:29 > 0:00:32snakes lazily through the valley in Devon that bears its name.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Surrounded by lush green countryside and fertile farmland,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40it's one of the prettiest parts of the county.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42It's home to a few stately piles, too.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46This is known as the last castle to be built in England,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50but despite its relative youth, it's falling apart.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55The flat roof leaks, the 40 miles of pointing need chiselling out
0:00:55 > 0:00:59and the 913 windows, well, they need to be repaired and replaced,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01so its owners are about to start
0:01:01 > 0:01:04a multi-million pound restoration project
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and I'll be finding out about the plans.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Sitting on the edge of Dartmoor, it is perhaps unsurprising that
0:01:10 > 0:01:12the Teign Valley has mystical qualities,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15which have inspired all sorts of artists.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18And I'm on the hunt for the magical locations
0:01:18 > 0:01:22that have motivated musicians, have inspired artists
0:01:22 > 0:01:24and captured the imagination of filmmakers.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29They all have one thing in common. They're all home to fairies.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30I wonder if I'll see one.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37And John is hoping our countryside will also cast its spell on you.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Our Living Landscape, that's the theme
0:01:41 > 0:01:44of this year's Countryfile photographic competition.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48We want you to capture the beauty of the British countryside
0:01:48 > 0:01:50and all the life within it.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54I'll have full details of how to enter and two of last year's judges,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Chris Packham and Jo Brand, will provide the inspiration.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01- You can do loads of clicks at once, can't you?- I can.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03You're like the animal paparazzi.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08And Adam has finally made a decision about his new arrival.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11This little calf is one of Eric's offspring.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13As you can see, it's quite an unusual colour,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17so a couple of weeks ago, I asked you to write in with some suggestions
0:02:17 > 0:02:20to help me name it and today, I'll be revealing my favourite.
0:02:31 > 0:02:32The Teign Valley runs from
0:02:32 > 0:02:34the northern edges of Dartmoor National Park
0:02:34 > 0:02:38down to the seaside town of Teignmouth on the Devon coast.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44In its upper reaches, towering high above the countryside,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48you can catch glimpses of a castle, but don't be fooled.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50This is no medieval pile of stones.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53In fact, it's less than 100 years old.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56It's imposing, it's grand
0:02:56 > 0:03:00and it was built as the plaything to house one very rich man.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05This is Castle Drogo, but unfortunately, it's falling apart.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13Castle Drogo was the dream of grocery shop magnate, Julius Drewe,
0:03:13 > 0:03:17who, in 1910, commissioned one of the greatest architects of the day,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Edwin Lutyens, to build him a home fit for a supermarket king.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25The budget, a piffling £50,000.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28That's about £20 million in today's money.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Castle Drogo is often referred to
0:03:31 > 0:03:33as the last castle to be built in England
0:03:33 > 0:03:35and unlike its other counterparts,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38it's never seen a battle, apart from the elements
0:03:38 > 0:03:43and that is because it's built directly facing onto Dartmoor.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Pounding rain and howling gales have been too much
0:03:47 > 0:03:51for architect Edwin Lutyens' newfangled construction methods
0:03:51 > 0:03:55like steel-reinforced concrete and ash felt flat roofing.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59The National Trust, who took over the house in 1974,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02are spending £11 million on this,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05one of their biggest ever repair jobs.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07'The house manager is Bryher Mason.'
0:04:07 > 0:04:11- It doesn't look too bad, does it, from here?- It looks OK.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15And from the outside, it really does look like the fortress
0:04:15 > 0:04:19that Julius really wanted and that has always been part of the problem -
0:04:19 > 0:04:23actually realising how serious the problem is getting.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27If we don't do something now, in ten years' time,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30parts of the structure will be completely unsound.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33The water will have got into the steelwork inside the concrete
0:04:33 > 0:04:37and we would have to start replacing all of that, which is a big job.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41And why do you think that it is so important to protect this building?
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Because it is our youngest castle,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46there's not a huge amount of history that goes along with it.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49- £11 million is a lot of money. - It's a lot of money to spend.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52It's a big building, it's conservation on a grand scale,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55but I think it's important because it really encapsulates
0:04:55 > 0:04:58a really key part of British and world history.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02The first foundation stone was laid in 1911.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05The last fixture and fitting went in in 1931.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07The world changed around this building.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10But also, the techniques that were used in constructing this building
0:05:10 > 0:05:13changed how we build buildings today.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Water leaks were first noticed in 1913,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22while the castle was still being built.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25They became a constant battle for Julius Drewe's family
0:05:25 > 0:05:26throughout the generations.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Bunny Johnstone is his great-granddaughter.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31By the time she lived here in the 1950s,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35the leaking roof was a part of everyday life at Castle Drogo.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Yes, I think it was, really, because this is the scullery,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41but was the kitchen when I was a child growing up,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44so it always had two or three people working here
0:05:44 > 0:05:46and lots of lovely smells.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47Yes, the smell of bread.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50You could see everything being prepared and in the afternoon
0:05:50 > 0:05:53I was allowed to make the odd cake here as I got older.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56So I think it was a very special room for me, yes.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00But here, you just have to glance up at the ceiling to realise why
0:06:00 > 0:06:02- all this work is being done.- I know.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04It wasn't leaking when I was a child here,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07it was the other corridors. The top corridors,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11we had to have the china bowls and towels in to catch the drips.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Oh, that was a constant thing, was it?
0:06:13 > 0:06:15It was a constant thing, moving bowls,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19because wind changes direction of rain, so it was constant.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22But no, this is dramatic now, isn't it?
0:06:22 > 0:06:25When you look up here now then and you see how the weather is
0:06:25 > 0:06:29literally wrecking this place, do you feel sad?
0:06:29 > 0:06:33I feel very grateful something is being done about it, actually,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and somebody else is taking it on
0:06:36 > 0:06:39and taking the utmost care to mend it.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Because I guess if the National Trust hadn't stepped in,
0:06:42 > 0:06:47- then now it would be pretty much in ruined condition?- So I understand.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50At least it's being dealt with now.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52The repair work is going to take five years.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Later in the programme, I'll be up on the battlements,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58where they are already making a start.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08An early summer morning in the heart of the Teign Valley,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12the sun gently rousing the slumbering villages and towns
0:07:12 > 0:07:14and, greeting the waking day,
0:07:14 > 0:07:20a rare sound these days on country lanes - the hooves of working horses.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26But for Samson and Tally, this is their daily commute.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31It might look like I'm stepping back in time,
0:07:31 > 0:07:32but the man with those horses
0:07:32 > 0:07:34is actually taking a fresh new approach
0:07:34 > 0:07:37to earning a living from the land
0:07:37 > 0:07:41and he is combining it with some pretty traditional methods.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42So far, it's working.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48This is Ed Hamer's valley.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Raised in the small town of Chagford,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53he spent his youth learning the ropes on local farms
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and was determined to root himself here, working the land.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02But, with no family farm to inherit or enough cash to buy his own,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05he had to find another way to make it happen.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08The answer, here in Chagford, was Chagfood.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13So what exactly is Chagfood then?
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Well, we're a community-supported market garden and we grow vegetables
0:08:17 > 0:08:20and flowers, soft fruit and herbs on about six acres,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22which we supply to members
0:08:22 > 0:08:25in three communities of our neighbouring parishes.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28So, members are kind of shareholders, are they?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Our members sign up for a share of the harvest
0:08:30 > 0:08:31throughout the entire growing season,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34so if it's a bad year, they share a crop loss with us, the growers.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37If it's a good year, then they share a bumper harvest between them.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40But at this time of year, not a lot to put in the boxes, is there?
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Not a lot put in the box, but we are entirely seasonal,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45and our members accept when they sign up
0:08:45 > 0:08:48that they're buying into what's available seasonally
0:08:48 > 0:08:50on their doorstep at each time of the year,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52so we have quite an established hungry gap.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53But if there is no guarantee about
0:08:53 > 0:08:57what they're going to get for their money, what's the attraction?
0:08:57 > 0:09:00People wanted to address a disconnection that's occurred
0:09:00 > 0:09:02between them and where their food comes from,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04so that's the kind of niche that we fill.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07We aim to get people in touch with where their food comes from.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Founded by Chinnie Kingsbury three years ago,
0:09:11 > 0:09:16the project soon outgrew its original one-acre site and now has five more.
0:09:16 > 0:09:22This year, 63 locals have signed up, each paying up to £600 a year
0:09:22 > 0:09:26upfront for a share of the harvest, delivered in weekly veg boxes.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32From the start, Ed has bypassed modern machinery
0:09:32 > 0:09:35in favour of the four-legged alternative
0:09:35 > 0:09:36and I'm keen to know why
0:09:36 > 0:09:39he is so convinced that horsepower is the future
0:09:39 > 0:09:42for small-scale, sustainable farming like his.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49What made you go for horsepower, then?
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Well, it was really through growing up in an agricultural landscape,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55farming community and seeing traditional farming skills dying out
0:09:55 > 0:09:59and really, my main motivation is keeping the traditions alive,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02keeping the farming skills alive for the next generation.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04But is it as efficient as modern farming?
0:10:04 > 0:10:06It depends how you measure efficiency. You have to bear in mind
0:10:06 > 0:10:09that when you use working horses, you're very much reducing
0:10:09 > 0:10:11the compaction on your soil, so that stands you in good stead
0:10:11 > 0:10:14in the long run and maintains the health and vitality of your soil.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17The other important thing is that we are quite keen
0:10:17 > 0:10:19to develop and demonstrate there can be a farming system
0:10:19 > 0:10:21that doesn't use fossil fuels.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24And what have you got lined up today for Samson and Tally?
0:10:24 > 0:10:26We are going to be doing a spot of disc harrowing
0:10:26 > 0:10:29- to work up the ground for the spring crops to go in.- Using this?
0:10:29 > 0:10:30Using the homesteading, yeah.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- Do you fancy being one of our volunteers today, John?- Why not?
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Just tell me what to do. Right, just grab the reins.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40So you sit there with the reins in your hand.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45This is the hardest bit - dropping the harrow. Right, now the command.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47Heads up! Walk on!
0:10:54 > 0:10:57'Well, I thought I'd done most things on a farm,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00'but this is a first and it's very satisfying.'
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Ed is among just a small number of farmers
0:11:08 > 0:11:10still using working horses in the UK
0:11:10 > 0:11:14and sometimes they look for their equipment overseas,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16where horses are in more common use.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22This multipurpose plough has been imported
0:11:22 > 0:11:25from an Amish community in North America.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Whoa! Well, I could volunteer for this all day long.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38A nice comfy seat, great views, two lovely horses doing all the work.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Well, most of it.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52For everyone involved, it's one of those win-win situations.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54People who get their veg boxes delivered
0:11:54 > 0:11:57are encouraged to visit the farm as often as they can.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00They get the chance to meet up over lunch
0:12:00 > 0:12:02with some of the volunteer workers.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05The reward, I suppose, that we all have is the sense of
0:12:05 > 0:12:10seeing things grow and then reaping the benefits when we harvest the veg
0:12:10 > 0:12:12and we all get to cook it together and eat,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14sit around the table and enjoy it.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16What do you love about it?
0:12:16 > 0:12:18You know, not relying on supermarkets,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22finding a way that we can rediscover our place on this earth
0:12:22 > 0:12:28and how we can create our own vibrant food culture locally.
0:12:33 > 0:12:34Thank you very much.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36With lunch over,
0:12:36 > 0:12:41Ed and Samson set off to make the beds for the next batch of carrots.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47So, you're confident now then that you could make this work long term?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49We are very confident in the long term.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51The demand is there and it's a robust model going into the future.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54So Samson is not going to be out of work any time soon?
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Not any time soon.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Well, a good old-fashioned farming scene like that would make
0:13:04 > 0:13:08a perfect entry for this year's Countryfile photographic competition.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Your 12 best pictures will feature in next year's Countryfile calendar
0:13:12 > 0:13:15and, as we will be revealing later,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17if it's to beat this year's record total,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19that's going to take quite some doing.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25The River Teign flows into the sea between the twin towns
0:13:25 > 0:13:29of Teignmouth and Sheldon on Devon's south coast.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Katie is finding out how important fishing has been here
0:13:32 > 0:13:33over the generations.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35On a day like this,
0:13:35 > 0:13:36it's hard to believe that
0:13:36 > 0:13:39anything could be wrong with this beautiful river,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42but beneath the surface, all is not well.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Fish numbers are down and the river is officially failing.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48I'm going to find out more
0:13:48 > 0:13:52by taking part in one very modern form of fishing
0:13:52 > 0:13:54and one very ancient method.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57Here on Sheldon Beach,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Mike Bolsworth uses a traditional technique
0:14:00 > 0:14:03called seine fishing to catch trout and salmon.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06- Hiya, how are you? All right? - All right.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08so, you've got your nets, you've got your boat.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10How does this work?
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Well, basically, we wait for the tide to turn
0:14:13 > 0:14:17and we shoot the eddy inside the pool, just in this area here.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21So, basically, you wait for the tide to be coming back in, is that right?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- Coming back in. We shoot the flood. - That's called shooting the flood.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26You get in your boat and you're going to row where?
0:14:26 > 0:14:29I'm going to row out around from here.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I'm going to row out by that white boat, down along
0:14:32 > 0:14:34and then come back in on the same side on the same shore.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37- OK, so how long have you been doing this?- A long time.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41- LAUGHTER - Good answer, isn't it?
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- Since the beginning of time! - Yeah, more or less.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45It's been going on here on the estuary
0:14:45 > 0:14:47for generations and generations.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51During the war, in the original days and that, the women used to do it
0:14:51 > 0:14:54when the men were away at war or were away at sea.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01'Mike will row in a semicircle between two points on the beach,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03'trapping any fish in his net.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06'There used to be enough fish here to sustain a living.
0:15:06 > 0:15:12'The record catch is 98 salmon in one net, but that was way back.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'Declining numbers mean today's fishermen can only do this
0:15:15 > 0:15:16'to supplement other incomes.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21'Mike's hoping to catch sea trout today
0:15:21 > 0:15:24'as the salmon season hasn't started.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26'Once he climbs ashore, it's all hands to the net,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29'including the new recruit.'
0:15:29 > 0:15:30Goodness me!
0:15:30 > 0:15:33This is the worst place to be. I'll row the boat next time.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36LAUGHTER
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- Fish there, in about. - Oh, look at that!
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Steady, whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- Got to go back, got go back. That's a salmon, that is.- He's huge!
0:15:49 > 0:15:53- That one's got to be returned to the water.- Oh.- There you go, baby, go.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54Oh, my goodness!
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- Anything else in the net? - Nothing else in the net.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01A load of weed and that's about it.
0:16:01 > 0:16:07One large salmon and not a single sea trout. And that's not unusual.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12The reason for the lack of fish and a possible solution
0:16:12 > 0:16:17lies far inland where the river takes on a very different character.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19It's in the shallow, winding gravel beds
0:16:19 > 0:16:21that the salmon start their lives.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23These are their spawning grounds
0:16:23 > 0:16:26and it's here that action is being taken.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I'm helping Adrian Dowding and Olivia Durkin
0:16:33 > 0:16:35from the Westcountry Rivers Trust
0:16:35 > 0:16:39use the latest technology to catch baby fish to study them.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43This electro-fishing works by sending a current into the water,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46which temporarily stuns the salmon fry.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49The team will survey 30 different locations
0:16:49 > 0:16:51to find out which have fewest fish
0:16:51 > 0:16:54and therefore the greatest problems.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Hang on a minute, I thought that the river was failing,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58but there are loads of fish in here.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Well, we brought you to a good site today.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04This is a very good spawning gravel site for salmon and trout
0:17:04 > 0:17:06and that's why we're catching lots of fish today.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10So are there parts of this river where you aren't seeing
0:17:10 > 0:17:13- results like this and where it really is failing?- Yes, absolutely.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16There is something inherently wrong at the moment.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19It might be a cyclical thing, but, in general,
0:17:19 > 0:17:20if we look at the land management
0:17:20 > 0:17:24and try and prevent sources of pollution in the first place,
0:17:24 > 0:17:28that should benefit the river and ultimately increase the fish stocks.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34It may be surprising that a tranquil river like this
0:17:34 > 0:17:35is suffering pollution.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38But while the Teign isn't affected by industry,
0:17:38 > 0:17:39it has other problems
0:17:39 > 0:17:42like fertiliser that is leached from farmland
0:17:42 > 0:17:45and cattle trampling slurry into the spawning areas.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50The fishing is done. Now we can examine our catch.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53So, what have we got here?
0:17:53 > 0:17:56So, the little guys, they are salmon and trout
0:17:56 > 0:18:01and the bigger fish with the big head, they're bullheads.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04'As part of the study, the trust take DNA samples
0:18:04 > 0:18:07'so they can track these fish throughout their lives.'
0:18:07 > 0:18:12So the fish we caught this morning, if we'd taken a sample from it,
0:18:12 > 0:18:13if we knew how to do that,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15you would've been able to tell us we came from?
0:18:15 > 0:18:16Absolutely, yes, yes.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21You caught it from the estuary at the bottom of the river, didn't you?
0:18:21 > 0:18:24So, yes, if you'd taken a swab then, we would be able to tell you
0:18:24 > 0:18:27if that fish was definitely heading back into this river
0:18:27 > 0:18:30and up the Teign system or somewhere else.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34And that will help identify which stretches of the river
0:18:34 > 0:18:38are succeeding in producing new generations of fish
0:18:38 > 0:18:42and which are failing, so the trust can track down the causes
0:18:42 > 0:18:44and work with landowners to put things right.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48They've been stunned, studied and swabbed.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Now it's time for the fry to get back to what fish do best.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04On a hillside above the River Teign, I'm visiting Castle Drogo.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Instead of facing cannon fire and invading armies,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10this 100-year-old building is taking on...
0:19:10 > 0:19:13the Great British weather.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15So far, it's been a losing battle.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Leaking roofs, windows and walls mean this unusual stately home
0:19:19 > 0:19:22is falling apart, but that is about to change.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27The National Trust have just started a five-year restoration project
0:19:27 > 0:19:28to save the castle,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31so soon most of it will be covered in scaffolding,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33but the castle is going to stay open
0:19:33 > 0:19:36so that the visitors can get a feel for the work.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41There's been many previous attempts to save this castle.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44In the 1960s, the original owner's grandson,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Anthony Drewe, even tried some DIY
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and this is the actual cage that he would work from,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53hung precariously over the edge of the castle wall.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Mind you, I'm not sure how I would feel
0:19:55 > 0:19:59suspended from the other side, especially now it's a bit rusty.
0:20:04 > 0:20:05'In the '80s,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09'the National Trust replaced all the mortar between the granite blocks
0:20:09 > 0:20:13'with modern cement, but that's leaking and needs to be removed.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16'One of the stonemasons back then was the man who is now overseeing
0:20:16 > 0:20:20'the whole project, clerk of works, Wes Key.'
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Wes, how are you doing?
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Sorry to interrupt you there. You're a busy lad.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Now, I understand, from a building point of view,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29you have quite a close family connection with this place?
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Yeah, my grandfather actually sort of drove a steam lorry up to here
0:20:32 > 0:20:35delivering stones from the quarry at Blackingstone, so...
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Right, and when did you start working here?
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I started here 30 years ago.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41So whose fault is it then that it needs repairing?
0:20:41 > 0:20:42Oh, it's a minor thing(!)
0:20:42 > 0:20:45That's why I'm knocking out the pointing now.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48I made a mistake and put cement in, so...we're starting again.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Now, on the way up here, I mean, it is an incredible building
0:20:51 > 0:20:54and it looks like it could stand here for 1,000 years,
0:20:54 > 0:20:55so what went wrong?
0:20:55 > 0:20:58When it was made, they were trying to use modern technology,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00so they've got reinforced concrete roofs,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02a bit like a multi-storey car park.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05The theory was right, but in practice it didn't work.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06They didn't know about expansion.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09There's no expansion joints in the building,
0:21:09 > 0:21:11so as the building contracts and expands
0:21:11 > 0:21:14due to heat and cold, you get the sort of vertical cracks.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18So with the restoration then, are you going for the same concept
0:21:18 > 0:21:21but just better materials, or are you going to change the whole roof?
0:21:21 > 0:21:24We've gone to a new system, which is really a sort roofing felt.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27- It's done in three layers. - But still the same idea with...?
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Still the same idea and we're actually going to go
0:21:30 > 0:21:32back down to Lutyens' original ash felt layers.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34So when you see you say going down to that level,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36does that involve taking all these off?
0:21:36 > 0:21:39All this, right the way down and actually past there at some point,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41so when you look up the outside of the building,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43we'll go down to the window heads.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Wes's team will remove and re-lay
0:21:46 > 0:21:49more than 2,000 of these granite blocks -
0:21:49 > 0:21:52a huge task, but vital to save this important part
0:21:52 > 0:21:56of British architectural history for future generations.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00- When will it be finished, Wes? When will it be finished?- 2017.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03The end of 2017. As long as we have fair weather.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Well, let me give you a hand.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14- I tell you what, it's pretty tough, isn't it?- It is, yes.
0:22:14 > 0:22:15You'd think... I mean, back in the '80s,
0:22:15 > 0:22:17the reason you put in such tough stuff then
0:22:17 > 0:22:20was because you didn't want the water to penetrate.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23The idea back then was to stop the water from coming in, so...
0:22:23 > 0:22:25That is rock hard!
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Well, I've done about ten centimetres there, Wes.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32How much further is there to go?
0:22:32 > 0:22:36Well, you've got another sort of 65 to 68 kilometres to do now, so...
0:22:36 > 0:22:37LAUGHTER
0:22:40 > 0:22:42The restoration project here at Castle Drogo
0:22:42 > 0:22:44isn't just limited to the house.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48The gardens are also in need of a bit of TLC and later on,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50I'm going to be down there helping out.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55Just look at the view from up here. You can see for miles and miles.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58What a place to take a picture of the landscape,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01but then, as John will explain, that's your job.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07If you're looking for beautiful scenery and diverse wildlife,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10you're spoiled for choice here in the Teign Valley.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13It's the perfect place to launch
0:23:13 > 0:23:16this year's Countryfile photographic competition,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20with its theme of Our Living Landscape.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23As always, the 12 best pictures according to the judges
0:23:23 > 0:23:26will grace the pages of the next Countryfile calendar,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28which we sell in aid of Children In Need.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Full details of the competition are coming up later, but first,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38we've sent regular judges, Chris Packham and Jo Brand,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40to another lovely part of Britain
0:23:40 > 0:23:43to show us how to take the perfect calendar photo.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46I keep forgetting what the theme for this is.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49- It's Our Living Landscape. - Our Living Landscape?
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Our Living Landscape and this is one of the greatest living landscapes
0:23:53 > 0:23:56the UK has to offer, Jo - the New Forest.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01- I've been visiting these trees, Jo, since 1983.- Have you?
0:24:01 > 0:24:05- Surely you were born in around 1983? - 1961!
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Right, fair enough.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09But look at them. I like these trees a lot.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Look at that lovely carpet of moss running down one
0:24:12 > 0:24:16and then the speckling, the freckling, of those lichens there
0:24:16 > 0:24:18and the pale trunks
0:24:18 > 0:24:22and all of it is covered with this rich canopy of freshly opened beech.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26I was going to say, you need to get out more, but we are out, actually.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28LAUGHTER
0:24:28 > 0:24:31- I spend too much time out. - Yes, you need to stay in more!
0:24:34 > 0:24:37That's very boring.
0:24:37 > 0:24:38SHE LAUGHS
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Jo, look at this beauty.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43It's like a perfect natural sculpture.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Henry Moore couldn't have come up with this,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48this needed to be made by a beech tree and nature.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52No, I do agree with you for once, it is absolutely beautiful.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54They don't just have to do trees, do they?
0:24:54 > 0:24:58- They can do lakes, they can do mountains...- Wildlife too.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Water is a great subject because of its reflective qualities.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03You know, that would be good.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Rivers, lakes, streams, but all of the smaller stuff,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09anything living in the landscape.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23It's probably the winner.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Of course I'm going to be disadvantaged with a little camera
0:25:28 > 0:25:31because I'm also disadvantaged with a little brain
0:25:31 > 0:25:34in terms of how much I know about photography.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Next up, wildlife - always a popular calendar subject,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43but what makes the perfect shot?
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- We've got some fallow deer here. - Oh, yeah.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53They are one of the stars of the New Forest for many people
0:25:53 > 0:25:55who visit to take photographs.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59- You're brilliantly camouflaged today, Jo.- Do you think so?
0:26:01 > 0:26:04As long as we keep a safe distance back from them,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07they will go about their business of feeding here.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13Is it the rarer the animal, the better the photo? Is that...?
0:26:13 > 0:26:16- Not for me.- OK.- I mean, rarity...
0:26:16 > 0:26:19It's nice to see a rare animal or to capture a rare moment
0:26:19 > 0:26:22in its behaviour or something like that.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26That can be interesting, but for me, particularly with a calendar photo,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29it has to be beautiful enough to last 30 days on the wall.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS RAPIDLY
0:26:38 > 0:26:42- See, when they run, you can do loads of clicks at once, can't you?- I can.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44You're like the animal paparazzi.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47What I can't do with this lens at the moment
0:26:47 > 0:26:48is get the whole group in.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51I can only get a maximum of three, four, five animals in my frame,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55so if you want to set this herd of deer in the landscape,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57this is something I can't do with this lens.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02All right, then. I'll just take advantage of that and...
0:27:02 > 0:27:04de-telephoto.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11I think there is a lot I could do with this.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13I could prop a door open with it and, you know,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16it kind of makes a nice chunky necklace.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Jo's approach to photography is radical
0:27:19 > 0:27:23and I think she's always after capturing a moment.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26I think she was after making a moment today with a red top,
0:27:26 > 0:27:27to be honest with you.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31With landscape and wildlife under their belts,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33it's time to review the morning's work
0:27:33 > 0:27:37and what better way to do it than over a picnic lunch in the forest?
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- And how have you got on? - Well, I've just got through...
0:27:40 > 0:27:47I'm on number 47 out of 547 and, as yet, I've not wowed. How about you?
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- I seem to have eight. - Eight photographs?- Yeah.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52You've taken eight photographs?!
0:27:52 > 0:27:55- No, actually, that's all I can find at the moment.- Right.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58But, weirdly, they are all brilliant.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00LAUGHTER
0:28:00 > 0:28:01So what do you say to that, Mr Packham?
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Well, I say congratulations then, I suppose,
0:28:04 > 0:28:05but I say it with an air of disbelief.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08- Here is my favourite one. - Let's have a look.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14- Don't look like that! - But what is it?
0:28:14 > 0:28:17I don't know. It's like a purple thing.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20But what are those twigs doing in it?
0:28:20 > 0:28:24- And is that your foot in the corner? - Yes.- Is it your foot?- Yes.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27- It is your foot!- Yes!
0:28:30 > 0:28:35So, I have this year's calendar here, the one we judged last year.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39If I could take a picture like that, would that be...?
0:28:39 > 0:28:41That's nearly as good as that one with my foot in,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45- but not quite.- Jo, look, this one has got lots of sparkly dew.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48All of these beautiful out-of-focus highlights,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51which have turned into these jewels. It's a lovely photograph.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55- Are you saying that's better than mine?- It hasn't got a size...
0:28:55 > 0:28:57five and a half...
0:28:57 > 0:29:00- size five and a half walking boot in the corner.- OK, OK.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05Just to prove it's not all about traditional cameras,
0:29:05 > 0:29:08Chris is going to spend the afternoon snapping away on a smartphone.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11The final challenge is to get up close to the birdlife
0:29:11 > 0:29:16at Hatchet Pond and, straightaway, Chris is in amongst it.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21- I'm afraid birdlife is not my thing, no.- Right, swan, come here.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25I've got an idea. No, I've changed my mind. Look, bread.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28I forgot my wellies and I've eaten my bread, so...
0:29:31 > 0:29:34Swan! Eat the camera!
0:29:34 > 0:29:36Please fall over.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39That would be my best shot of the day,
0:29:39 > 0:29:43you face down in the drink with a swan pecking the back of your head.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54I think Jo has peaked. I think she has peaked.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56She's almost sort of
0:29:56 > 0:29:59ambling abjectly and aimlessly at the moment,
0:29:59 > 0:30:01pointing her camera at random things.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03I think, you know, she was
0:30:03 > 0:30:06so satisfied with her photograph of the out-of-focus flower
0:30:06 > 0:30:08with the big twig across the frame
0:30:08 > 0:30:11and her shoe in the corner that she can't move on.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14I think she thinks that she has hit the mother lode with that one.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19It's the end of the day, so did Chris come up with the goods
0:30:19 > 0:30:22on his smartphone or has Jo something up her sleeve?
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Jo, having taken all of those photographs this morning,
0:30:26 > 0:30:30this is possibly the one that's given me the most satisfaction
0:30:30 > 0:30:34- and I've taken it on my smartphone. - What more could you ask for?- What?
0:30:34 > 0:30:38- Apart from a back shot of you and a swan.- Oh, yes.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40That's quite nice, isn't it?
0:30:40 > 0:30:42I thought your enthusiasm was tremendous
0:30:42 > 0:30:45and that's what people need to be.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47So I'm saying to people, don't be like me,
0:30:47 > 0:30:51don't just sit there and go, "That will do," because that's my motto.
0:30:51 > 0:30:57Be like Chris and go for it and do something a bit challenging.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59- With swans.- With swans.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Chris and Jo there, showing that almost anyone can take
0:31:03 > 0:31:06a photo worthy of the Countryfile calendar.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08So now, it's your turn.
0:31:08 > 0:31:09Later in the programme,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13I will have full details about how you can enter this year's competition
0:31:13 > 0:31:16plus a few more tips about the kind of things that we are looking for.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20And Matt will be revealing just how much this year's calendar
0:31:20 > 0:31:22has raised for Children In Need.
0:31:22 > 0:31:23It's a lovely surprise.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32Maybe it's something in the water.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38Or this landscape -
0:31:38 > 0:31:43an enchanting place rich in myth and lore...and magic.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49It's easy to see why the area around Chagford in Devon
0:31:49 > 0:31:51has cast a spell over some of the locals.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58As soon as you set foot in this beautiful place,
0:31:58 > 0:32:00it whisks you back to another age,
0:32:00 > 0:32:04but the journey I am here to take is not about travelling through time,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07it's about going to a different world entirely
0:32:07 > 0:32:09and a magical one at that.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18Around 1,500 people are lucky enough to call this parish home.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21Among them, a higher than usual number of artists,
0:32:21 > 0:32:26writers and musicians, most drawn here by one thing.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Fairies.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30BELL TINKLES
0:32:30 > 0:32:32The last time I believed in fairies,
0:32:32 > 0:32:34I was tall enough to look one in the eye,
0:32:34 > 0:32:36but you don't have to spend long in these woods
0:32:36 > 0:32:41to understand why even the adults think that this is a magical place.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44My guide in this glen is Elizabeth-Jane Baldry,
0:32:44 > 0:32:48a woman with a passion for Victorian fairy harp music.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50When she's not plucking strings,
0:32:50 > 0:32:52she turns her hand to fairy feature films,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55using the woods around Chagford.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57What makes this landscape so special, do you think?
0:32:57 > 0:33:01It's such an ancient landscape here, so untouched.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06There just seems to be a sense of a living, sentient spirit almost
0:33:06 > 0:33:09in the landscape and you do feel it when you play.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11SHE PLAYS A CHORD
0:33:11 > 0:33:15- Just the sense of something. - The perfect place for fairies.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18- Absolutely!- But fairies are something, these days,
0:33:18 > 0:33:22that we tend to think of being something only children believe in.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24- It wasn't always like that, was it?- Not at all.
0:33:24 > 0:33:30In Victorian times, the belief in fairies was an absolute obsession
0:33:30 > 0:33:32and there were many reasons for that.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34There was the whole Industrial Revolution,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37so people were moving out of the countryside.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41There was a nostalgia for our old folklore history.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44They represented, especially for the women,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47everything that the Victorian woman was not allowed to be.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49But what changed?
0:33:49 > 0:33:52I think, with the war, the First World War,
0:33:52 > 0:33:58it was such a horrible and terrible time that the idea of fairies
0:33:58 > 0:34:03couldn't hold up against such a harsh reality.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07One man passionate about preserving folklore
0:34:07 > 0:34:09is fairy artist, Brian Froud.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15He was the conceptual designer on Hollywood film, The Dark Crystal.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22This place is enchanting, but I'm looking around
0:34:22 > 0:34:26and I'm seeing bluebells and moss and the brook.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30How do you see fairies and goblins and trolls?
0:34:30 > 0:34:32Well, they are all around you,
0:34:32 > 0:34:35but I think in particular in the Teign Valley, they congregate.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37They hide away here.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40They like the tumbled rocks, they like the mossy trees,
0:34:40 > 0:34:42they love the water.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45And right in these spaces here,
0:34:45 > 0:34:48you can access the fairy world really easily.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51- So you genuinely believe in fairies?- Absolutely.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55I couldn't do what I do without really believing in fairies.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57But they are the spirits of nature.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00They are the hidden aspects of nature.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04So when you look at a tree, there's a life to it.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Now, you can just say it's biology,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10but when you look at a tree,
0:35:10 > 0:35:14especially as an artist, you feel something about a tree.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17And when I draw fairies, a tree fairy,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20it's about my feeling about a tree.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23Can you appreciate that there must be people who think, "What?
0:35:23 > 0:35:26"Fairies in the forest? That's bonkers!"
0:35:26 > 0:35:29Um... well, you might think it is,
0:35:29 > 0:35:34but I say to people you can go through life not believing.
0:35:34 > 0:35:41Now just for one moment, just imagine that fairies are real. How do you feel?
0:35:42 > 0:35:44Everybody goes "Ah!"
0:35:44 > 0:35:48It's much better to live in a world that is ensouled,
0:35:48 > 0:35:52that everything you're looking at is a life to it.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55And that is what nature really is. It has life.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57And what I do is give it a face.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59Every time you talk about what you do,
0:35:59 > 0:36:03you have a huge smile across your face. Not a lot of people have that.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06I don't know why I'm doing this job, but I am drawn to it.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08I have to do it. This is my passion.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13You'd better watch out for that one behind you. He's sitting just behind you.
0:36:13 > 0:36:18You see, I can't help it, because I have to now look.
0:36:18 > 0:36:19THEY LAUGH
0:36:21 > 0:36:23Well, Brian is obviously a natural.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26But finding fairies isn't easy for a novice like me.
0:36:29 > 0:36:30Maybe I'll have more luck
0:36:30 > 0:36:33on the set of Elizabeth Jane's next fairy film.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39And these days you get an incredible range of people.
0:36:39 > 0:36:44Well, we recently did a feature film of a 12th-century fairy tale
0:36:44 > 0:36:48and it had over 200 local people involved.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52We've got an Oscar winner, a BAFTA winner, all giving their time
0:36:52 > 0:36:54because they believe in fairies.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57- You're quite a slick operation these days.- Yes, we're quite slick.
0:36:57 > 0:36:58We almost know what we're doing now.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Well, I can't say that I do know what I'm doing
0:37:00 > 0:37:01but I would like to give it a go.
0:37:01 > 0:37:06- I think you should. I think you should.- Can I call "action"? Let's go.
0:37:06 > 0:37:07'Forget Spielberg.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09'This is Skelton's take on a scene
0:37:09 > 0:37:12'from the tale of a girl whisked away by the fairies.'
0:37:12 > 0:37:14Right. Is everybody ready?
0:37:14 > 0:37:16Evie, look gorgeous. It's not difficult for her.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18Everyone, think like a fairy. OK?
0:37:20 > 0:37:21Action.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30We give your sister rest. Far from the world of men.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36She will never know grief or old age. Is anything better?
0:37:37 > 0:37:39You shall never know.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48- Cut! Well done. - Well done, everyone!
0:37:48 > 0:37:50They were absolutely brilliant.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52I don't think I'll be booking my tickets to Cannes, but they should.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55- Thank you so much.- A pleasure.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58'Well, this magical town and those who live here,
0:37:58 > 0:38:02'human or otherwise, have certainly won me over.'
0:38:07 > 0:38:09Down on a rather soggy Adam's Farm,
0:38:09 > 0:38:13it's the younger animals that are demanding all of his attention.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29In April, I collected four of my wild rare breed Exmoor foals
0:38:29 > 0:38:31from an equine college in Cheshire.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34They had spent several weeks there being trained.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38Now they're settled back into life on the farm but their training isn't over yet.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48If it wasn't for the rain, this would be a lovely job.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52Students at Reaseheath College made a great job with these ponies.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55They were wild when we first took them there.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57And now we can get a halter on them,
0:38:57 > 0:39:01we can walk them and it's really important that we keep that going
0:39:01 > 0:39:04because we need these ponies to be handlable, to be sold on
0:39:04 > 0:39:08for people to use as riding ponies or pets, and it'll be a couple of years
0:39:08 > 0:39:12before you can put a saddle on one if you wanted to ride them.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14And they are great at conservation grazing,
0:39:14 > 0:39:18where the rough pasture needs to be kept down for the wild flowers to grow.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20Because the Exmoor is so tough,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23it can really survive outdoors anywhere in the UK.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26I just adore them as a breed.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31Tony and I will keep up the halter training with my Exmoors
0:39:31 > 0:39:33over the coming weeks.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35But there's one little fellow who's got
0:39:35 > 0:39:37a bit of a wait before his first lesson.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47And there it is - a newborn Exmoor foal. It's really sweet.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50She gave birth to it out in the field here.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53They are such a hardy, primitive breed that they just give birth
0:39:53 > 0:39:56perfectly happily by themselves. Usually at night, actually.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00I've very rarely seen one give birth. That's a colt. A little male.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03So we'll keep it on its mother during the summer
0:40:03 > 0:40:07and then wean it in the late autumn and hopefully,
0:40:07 > 0:40:10it'll go on to be a lovely little riding pony for somebody.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20For this time of year, it's unusually cold and wet.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22Although we have a shelter out in the fields,
0:40:22 > 0:40:27it's still far too miserable for this soggy day-old donkey and his mum.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29'So I'm bringing them indoors.'
0:40:29 > 0:40:30Go to your mummy.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35There's a good boy. There he is.
0:40:35 > 0:40:36There he is.
0:40:38 > 0:40:43The Exmoors can survive out in really wet, cold conditions,
0:40:43 > 0:40:45even the foals.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48But donkeys originate from hot countries
0:40:48 > 0:40:51and their coats aren't waterproof.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54With the Exmoors, they have a guard hair that the rain just runs off
0:40:54 > 0:40:58but the donkey coat seems to absorb the water.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00So this little donkey foal in this rain,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03and it has really turned cold, could die of pneumonia.
0:41:03 > 0:41:11So I'm just into grab a towel and rub it dry. Here we are.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Now, little one. Just dry it off a bit.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18It will have a drink from its mum in a minute.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23Warm itself up, get some milk inside its tummy. Is this all right?
0:41:26 > 0:41:29And the other jenny, the other female,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31is due to give birth quite soon.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34So we really want her to be in the warm as well.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37If she gave birth out in the cold tonight,
0:41:37 > 0:41:39the chances are the foal would die.
0:41:41 > 0:41:42So it's good to get them in.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48There are babies all over the farm.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51The ewes have all finished lambing,
0:41:51 > 0:41:54and because the grass has grown so well, so have my lambs.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57But we still have to keep a close eye on them just in case.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04We check around the stock on the farm at least once a day
0:42:04 > 0:42:06and with the sheep, when I'm driving around, I want to get them
0:42:06 > 0:42:09all up on their feet to make sure they're not lame.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12One thing we've noticed recently is that the ewes are getting very mucky,
0:42:12 > 0:42:14and Dave, who works with the livestock,
0:42:14 > 0:42:17has got a flock of sheep into the handling pens to sort them out.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26All these ewes have been feeding on lush grass out in the fields
0:42:26 > 0:42:29and because of that, their muck has become quite loose
0:42:29 > 0:42:32and has stuck to their wool, which can cause problems.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38So if I just grab one, I'll show you what's happened.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42So here on the back end of the sheep, you can see
0:42:42 > 0:42:44the muck is now stuck to her.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46And what happens at this time of year,
0:42:46 > 0:42:50the blow flies are about and they will be attracted to the muck,
0:42:50 > 0:42:52they will lay their eggs in the muck that will
0:42:52 > 0:42:56hatch into maggots that then eat the flesh of the sheep.
0:42:56 > 0:42:57Just absolutely horrible.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00And also, we're not far off shearing,
0:43:00 > 0:43:02and we don't want all this muck in amongst the wool
0:43:02 > 0:43:04when we're shearing so it's a good thing to do for that as well.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Dave's got the ewes in a head yoke here to hold them nice and still.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20And he is using the shearing machine to clip the wool off round
0:43:20 > 0:43:22their back end so he's going down one leg, around the tail
0:43:22 > 0:43:26and down the other leg and a little bit underneath.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29He has to be quite careful not to cut the sheep. The shears are very sharp.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32You don't want to get your fingers in the way either.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41Some of the long-wool breeds like the Cotswold and the white-faced Dartmoor here
0:43:41 > 0:43:43have got such a lot of long wool
0:43:43 > 0:43:48that the muck sticks to it really easily and makes this crutching job a lot more difficult.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57Come on! Come on!
0:43:57 > 0:44:03Go on then, little lamb. Well, that's that flock of 95 done.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05Only about another 600 to go.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12In the meantime, it's back to another one of my new arrivals.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16This time, it's a lovely little highland calf, fathered by Eric.
0:44:21 > 0:44:23All of Eric's wives have given birth now,
0:44:23 > 0:44:25so we've got five little calves on the ground
0:44:25 > 0:44:30and the last one born was that very pale blonde-coloured calf.
0:44:30 > 0:44:35Quite unusual because its mother is the sort of typical reddy- ginger colour of the Highland.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38And I got Robin Chilton out from the Highland Cattle Society
0:44:38 > 0:44:41because one of the calves born a fortnight ago was that
0:44:41 > 0:44:43little one over there just walking away,
0:44:43 > 0:44:45a sort of silvery colour when he was born,
0:44:45 > 0:44:48and Robin explains to me that we get a huge array of colours
0:44:48 > 0:44:50in the Highland breed,
0:44:50 > 0:44:54right through from almost white to very blonde and then the red
0:44:54 > 0:44:56and the dun-colour like this cow here,
0:44:56 > 0:44:59a sort of chocolaty colour, right through to black.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01And the silvery calf that was born
0:45:01 > 0:45:04is going a bit of a cafe creme sort of dun colour now.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07And he's not as unusual as I first thought.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10But I was so struck by him
0:45:10 > 0:45:14that I asked you to send in your suggestions for a name.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17They only condition was that the name had to start with the letter N.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24And incredibly, more than 11,000 of you suggested names,
0:45:24 > 0:45:26so thank you very much to each and every one of you.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30We had some interesting ones like Neul, which is Gaelic for cloud,
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Norvin, which is old English for friend from the North,
0:45:33 > 0:45:37some funny ones like Nicky-Nacky-Noo, Nadam and Neric,
0:45:37 > 0:45:41and then some very popular ones like Noah, Neptune.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44Nickel was very popular because of the colour of the calf.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47And then one that a lot of people like
0:45:47 > 0:45:51and I like too is the name Nevis because of Ben Nevis,
0:45:51 > 0:45:55that mountain that reaches right up in the clouds near Fort William.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57And hopefully, that little calf
0:45:57 > 0:45:59will grew into a mountain of a bull one day.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Next week, I've got an unexpected arrival on the farm
0:46:07 > 0:46:10and Crackers, the Belted Galloway bull, is to blame.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20It might be cloudy over Adam's farm in the Cotswolds,
0:46:20 > 0:46:23but here in Devon, the weather is wonderful.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25Perfect for taking pictures.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30Everywhere you look in the Teign Valley, there are perfect pictures.
0:46:30 > 0:46:35Ideal subjects for this year's Countryfile photographic competition,
0:46:35 > 0:46:37with its theme of "Our living landscape".
0:46:39 > 0:46:42This year, we want pictures that capture the beauty of the British
0:46:42 > 0:46:45countryside and all the living things within it.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47And there's plenty to choose from.
0:46:50 > 0:46:51Wherever you are in the country,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54you're never far from a wonderful view.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56The golden hours around dusk and dawn
0:46:56 > 0:47:00are great times for taking photos but even in the middle of the day,
0:47:00 > 0:47:03you just can't go wrong with a place like this.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17But we don't just want landscapes. The countryside has such diversity.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21You might enjoy the challenge of photographing wildlife
0:47:21 > 0:47:23in its natural habitat,
0:47:23 > 0:47:28or maybe just the simplicity of picturing plants and trees.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39And don't forget, when you're out with your camera,
0:47:39 > 0:47:42that much of our countryside is actually a workplace.
0:47:42 > 0:47:47So we'd like lots of pictures of people and animals on farms,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50in forests, wherever humans have made their mark.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06From all your entries, the best 12 photographs selected by our judges
0:48:06 > 0:48:07will take pride of place
0:48:07 > 0:48:12in the Countryfile calendar for 2014, one for each month.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15As always, Countryfile viewers will vote for the overall winner,
0:48:15 > 0:48:20who will get to choose photographic equipment to the value of £1,000.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23And whoever takes the picture that the judges like best
0:48:23 > 0:48:27will get to choose photographic equipment worth £500.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37The competition is not open to professionals and because we want
0:48:37 > 0:48:41all the entries to be original, they mustn't have won any other competition.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43You can send in up to four photographs
0:48:43 > 0:48:46and they must have been taken in the UK.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49Please, please, let us have hard copies,
0:48:49 > 0:48:53not pictures e-mailed or on computer files.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55Write your name, address and daytime
0:48:55 > 0:48:57and evening phone number on the back of each photo,
0:48:57 > 0:49:01with a note of where it was taken, then send your entries to:
0:49:11 > 0:49:14Full terms and conditions are on our website,
0:49:14 > 0:49:16where there are also details
0:49:16 > 0:49:19of the BBC's code of conduct for competitions.
0:49:19 > 0:49:24Now, the closing date is Friday, July 26.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27I'm sorry, but we can't return any entries.
0:49:30 > 0:49:34Whatever you decide to photograph, make sure you do it responsibly.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36Follow the countryside code
0:49:36 > 0:49:40and take care not to disturb any animals or damage the environment.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47And please, be careful not to send in the wrong photos.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49Quite a lot of people do every year and often,
0:49:49 > 0:49:53we get what seem to be treasured old family photographs,
0:49:53 > 0:49:57nothing to do with a photographic competition about the countryside.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00For instance, I wonder who this is, he or she?
0:50:00 > 0:50:05I think it's a she but if you recognise this person, this little child,
0:50:05 > 0:50:11let us know. And this is, according to the back, David and Christopher.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16A clue might be they live somewhere near Macclesfield,
0:50:16 > 0:50:18if anybody knows who they are, let us know.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22'If you can help us track down where these mystery photos
0:50:22 > 0:50:25'came from, then please get in touch through the website.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27'We'll put the pictures there too.'
0:50:27 > 0:50:30In a moment, Matt will be revealing just how much this year's
0:50:30 > 0:50:33Countryfile calendar raised for Children In Need
0:50:33 > 0:50:36and it's a truly astonishing total.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38But before that, if you are going to be out and about
0:50:38 > 0:50:40in the countryside with your camera in the week ahead,
0:50:40 > 0:50:42you'll want to know what the weather will be like.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44So here is the Countryfile forecast.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10In the Teign Valley in Devon,
0:53:10 > 0:53:13our British weather has been a real problem for Castle Drogo.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16And it's a challenge in the gardens too.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18But it didn't stop the original owner, Julius Drewe,
0:53:18 > 0:53:20having a sense of humour.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26Not all of the buildings on the estate are built to a grand scale
0:53:26 > 0:53:29and are terribly imposing. What about this?
0:53:29 > 0:53:32Built for the children of Castle Drogo.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34It's only got one room inside and as it looks like rain,
0:53:34 > 0:53:36I think I might take shelter.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40I hope there's no problem with this roof.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47Elsewhere in the gardens, there's serious work underway.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49The architect of the house, Edwin Lutyens,
0:53:49 > 0:53:55also laid out designs for a thoroughly modern early 20th-century garden.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59Today, head gardener John Rippin is trying to reinstate Lutyens' plan.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06John, this looks like a lovely cosy, comfy section of the garden.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09- Wonderful!- Yes. You wouldn't imagine you're in the middle of Dartmoor.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11And here you have to make the most of it because there is a very
0:54:11 > 0:54:14brief moment when these flowers are looking pristine.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18They're all orchestrated to flower at this one period of time.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20In the 1920s, azaleas were at the height of fashion.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24They were just coming from China and northern India.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27- Really bright, garish. Really blew people away.- Look at the garish pink.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30I mean, this really is something special, isn't it?
0:54:30 > 0:54:32I'm not normally one for those kind of bright colours
0:54:32 > 0:54:35but just for a couple of weeks, it's quite cheerful, isn't it? Spectacular.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41These shrubs in the informal area are the actual ones
0:54:41 > 0:54:44planted for Julius Drewe almost 100 years ago.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48'Further down the garden, we're into more structured space,
0:54:48 > 0:54:51'which has needed more restoration.'
0:54:51 > 0:54:54This part is very different.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56This obviously, then, the formal section.
0:54:56 > 0:54:57Starting to get really formal.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59You can see the architecture, the geometry,
0:54:59 > 0:55:02different levels like a giant stage set.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06- Is the idea for you, then, to try and stick to the original plan as much as possible?- Yes.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09When I came here, I was really looking forward to putting
0:55:09 > 0:55:13some new designs in - it's a modern, fairly modern garden, 1920s.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17but after some research, we found actually it's a really rare 1920s garden.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20In the 1920s, there were still people who had the grand vision to create
0:55:20 > 0:55:24gardens like this. As soon as it was built, that was it.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28The period finished, the style moved on to a more modern style
0:55:28 > 0:55:33and this was left on the strand line as something from a previous bygone age, almost.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35And obviously comes with its challenges, John.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39- I mean, gardening on the edge of Dartmoor.- Massively.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41We're actually in quite a microclimate here.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43If you look at the trees swaying around,
0:55:43 > 0:55:46you go beyond the shelter belt, it's wild. You'll get knocked over.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50So we have a microclimate. We can attempt to grow plants here.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54Possibly the most ridiculous place on Earth to have a formal English garden.
0:55:54 > 0:55:55But it works.
0:55:55 > 0:55:56THEY LAUGH
0:55:59 > 0:56:02Well, gardening the edge takes a small army. So maybe I can help.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10You know what they say. Many Matts make light work.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16WHISTLES
0:56:16 > 0:56:18Right, lads. That'll do.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21I've done my bit towards this massive restoration project.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23The rest is up to the National Trust.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28Well, that is almost it from the Teign Valley.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30But as we have just launched this year's Countryfile
0:56:30 > 0:56:33photographic competition, let's find out how much money
0:56:33 > 0:56:36last year's calendar raised for Children In Need.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39So, the best 12 photos from last summer's competition made up
0:56:39 > 0:56:44the 2013 calendar and 320,000 of you went out and bought one,
0:56:44 > 0:56:48raising the incredibly grand total of:
0:56:55 > 0:56:57It is a fantastic total that'll make a huge difference
0:56:57 > 0:56:59to the lives of so many children in need.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02So thanks to each and every one of you who bought one.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05Next week, we are going to be in North Wales at Woodfest,
0:57:05 > 0:57:08which celebrates traditional lumberjack skills.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10I think I might need my checked shirt for that one.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12Hope you can join us then.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd