:00:25. > :00:38.Two very different landforms that have shaped the county's landscape,
:00:39. > :00:48.This fabulous limestone is what gives the White Peak its name.
:00:49. > :00:53.Now these rocks are the relics of an ancient reef, weathered and eroded
:00:54. > :01:02.over time but there are even greater treasures way down beneath my feet.
:01:03. > :01:04.Where the limestone of the White Peak gives way to
:01:05. > :01:10.the gritstone of the Dark Peak lives one of our most beautiful creatures.
:01:11. > :01:14.Mountain hares, and at this time of year they're moulting their
:01:15. > :01:20.The thing is, that could spell trouble for the population here.
:01:21. > :01:26.Tom's also searching for an elusive animal.
:01:27. > :01:30.I'm on the lookout for wild boar, which can be a bit hit-and-miss
:01:31. > :01:34.to be over 1,000 here in the Forest of Dean,
:01:35. > :01:38.that's quite a big patch and, as I'll be finding out,
:01:39. > :01:42.not everybody thinks they are a welcome sight.
:01:43. > :01:47.And Adam's taking a look at an essential piece of farming kit.
:01:48. > :01:52.Modern-day tractors have got onboard computers and satellite navigation.
:01:53. > :01:54.But, believe it or not, I learned to drive on a tractor
:01:55. > :02:16.they've changed, even in my short lifetime.
:02:17. > :02:20.The jutting crags and brooding moors of the Peak District in Derbyshire.
:02:21. > :02:27.Visible signs of a tale that starts long, long ago.
:02:28. > :02:31.Like all good stories, it's a tale of light and dark.
:02:32. > :02:34.But it's not about good versus evil, dragons and knights,
:02:35. > :02:41.The Peak District is divided into two halves.
:02:42. > :02:44.The White Peak of limestone formed from marine creatures that
:02:45. > :02:48.lived hundreds of millions of years ago when this land was underwater.
:02:49. > :02:55.And the Dark Peak of gritstone and shale washed down from the Highlands.
:02:56. > :02:58.The story begins with these two different types of rock,
:02:59. > :03:08.how they've shaped the landscape, its wildlife, its industry.
:03:09. > :03:12.And where better to begin than here near Castleton -
:03:13. > :03:19.where the Yin of the White Peak meets the Yang of the Dark Peak?
:03:20. > :03:22.And it's the ancient story of the white limestone
:03:23. > :03:26.that fascinates local geologist Pete Lauder.
:03:27. > :03:28.Of all the places in the Peak District,
:03:29. > :03:34.Well, the reason, really, Matt, is because this is the best place
:03:35. > :03:37.to have a look at a limestone reef in Derbyshire.
:03:38. > :03:39.We're talking about an underwater reef.
:03:40. > :03:42.Well, the water would have been just above our heads here.
:03:43. > :03:45.Just lapping over the top of us. Yeah.
:03:46. > :03:48.And the reef would have been going down out there into a very,
:03:49. > :03:52.very deep basin. That was around about 350 million years ago,
:03:53. > :03:55.in a period of time which we call the Carboniferous.
:03:56. > :03:58.And you can see that the front of the reef curves all the way
:03:59. > :04:02.round there, round towards Castleton and above Castleton over there.
:04:03. > :04:06.This rock here was made up of microorganisms,
:04:07. > :04:10.lime-secreting algae, along with lots of other reef-building things
:04:11. > :04:14.that grew through that and supported the reef.
:04:15. > :04:18.Just beyond that, behind us, would have been a very shallow lagoon
:04:19. > :04:23.Measured in sort of metres. How far did this reef extend, then, Pete?
:04:24. > :04:27.and probably the best way I can show you is on a map.
:04:28. > :04:38.So we are here and the reef continues on round here...
:04:39. > :04:46.You can also see it extending over here. Yeah, it is big, then.
:04:47. > :04:52.So this is a series of reefs over a period of time
:04:53. > :05:00.and that defines a very large lagoon about 35km by round about 25km.
:05:01. > :05:08.I mean, there must be a huge amount of evidence of an underwater habitat,
:05:09. > :05:11.otherwise you would have no idea that it was a reef.
:05:12. > :05:16.and that's exactly the reason why I brought you here. A fossil hunt?
:05:17. > :05:19.A fossil hunt. Oh, yeah, I'm excited about that. Let's go.
:05:20. > :05:21.Don't forget your rucksack. OK, let's go, right.
:05:22. > :05:35.And tucked away on a very windy ridge,
:05:36. > :05:38.we find the proof that we're looking for.
:05:39. > :05:42.So all these tiny little circles here, they almost look
:05:43. > :05:46.like that could be erosion through rain or what have you, but how do you
:05:47. > :05:49.know that these were sea creatures or some kind of marine life?
:05:50. > :05:55.And here's one that I found in Indonesia. Oh, my goodness.
:05:56. > :05:58.And you can see they're exactly the same. Yes.
:05:59. > :06:02.So it tells us here that the corals 350 million years ago
:06:03. > :06:06.formed in warm, clear, shallow, aerated waters.
:06:07. > :06:09.So looking at this horseshoe shape that's right in front of us here,
:06:10. > :06:12.would these corals stretch all the way around the outside?
:06:13. > :06:14.Well, they would. All the way round the edge
:06:15. > :06:19.Not just the corals, though, but here you can see that's
:06:20. > :06:22.covered with these little fossils which are called crinoids.
:06:23. > :06:25.That is just mesmerising. These are sea lilies. Right.
:06:26. > :06:29.They're akin today to things like sea urchins.
:06:30. > :06:32.OK, and it's very important, isn't it, to leave this kind of stuff here.
:06:33. > :06:35.For anybody that's visiting the Peak District and thinks
:06:36. > :06:38.and then put this on the mantelpiece...
:06:39. > :06:40.Well, indeed, I bring my students here
:06:41. > :06:43.and we like to have that left there for everyone to see.
:06:44. > :06:47.So this is the reason why we brought these from broken slabs that
:06:48. > :06:58.there are still greater treasures to be found right beneath my feet.
:06:59. > :07:04.And later, I'll be heading underground to see them.
:07:05. > :07:07.Now, it's often claimed it was here in the Peak District
:07:08. > :07:11.that the last of our native wild boar was killed.
:07:12. > :07:17.what we do know is that the wild boar is back in Britain and,
:07:18. > :07:25.as Tom has been discovering, not everyone's happy about it.
:07:26. > :07:28.The idea of reintroducing native wild animals
:07:29. > :07:33.to our countryside sounds romantic and it's already happening.
:07:34. > :07:35.Once on the brink of extinction in the UK,
:07:36. > :07:40.red kites have become a common sight since we brought them back.
:07:41. > :07:45.And released beavers have established colonies in Scotland.
:07:46. > :07:48.Wildlife groups say these are success stories,
:07:49. > :07:51.though some people, including farmers,
:07:52. > :07:56.are worried about their impact on their life and the landscape.
:07:57. > :07:59.The biggest controversy comes from plans to reintroduce
:08:00. > :08:03.large mammals at the top of the food chain, like wolves.
:08:04. > :08:09.There's been lots of speculation about what effect
:08:10. > :08:12.the return of large animals could have
:08:13. > :08:21.but there is already an example here in Gloucestershire - the wild boar.
:08:22. > :08:26.They became extinct in Britain more than 300 years ago but,
:08:27. > :08:30.in the 1990s, people imported them from Europe for commercial farming.
:08:31. > :08:34.Some escaped and now people are reporting sightings
:08:35. > :08:38.By far the biggest population is in the Forest of Dean,
:08:39. > :08:43.where I've come to find out about the impact they are having.
:08:44. > :08:46.First, though, I want to see one for myself.
:08:47. > :08:49.They're very inquisitive, I liken them to cows.
:08:50. > :08:51.They've got very bad eyesight, very good sense of smell,
:08:52. > :08:53.they're very curious and, very often,
:08:54. > :08:58.when they sense ourselves or a dog, they'll approach us.
:08:59. > :09:01.David Slater has become skilled at spotting the boar
:09:02. > :09:07.And he's going to help me to track one now.
:09:08. > :09:11.The paths are quite worn here, do they follow some of the same tracks?
:09:12. > :09:16.They roam around night and day and we're quickly on the trail.
:09:17. > :09:21.Here are some trees where they've been rubbing up against.
:09:22. > :09:25.This one, you can see they've taken a big chunk out of it.
:09:26. > :09:28.What they do, they sharpen their teeth for fighting.
:09:29. > :09:32.An adult male can weigh up to 200 kilos,
:09:33. > :09:39.I'd say that's a few days old. Plenty of signs.
:09:40. > :09:47.Suddenly, every tree stump is a potential boar shape.
:09:48. > :09:52.Two hours in and the most promising sign yet,
:09:53. > :10:01.I think even someone with limited tracking experience,
:10:02. > :10:05.like myself, might have a chance of following this for a while.
:10:06. > :10:07.We follow the trail deep into the woods.
:10:08. > :10:10.Slightly losing the mud but there seems to be some
:10:11. > :10:12.disturbance in the ground going off this way.
:10:13. > :10:14.A lot of ground disturbance, you can see they have been here.
:10:15. > :10:17.But it's gone four o'clock and getting dark.
:10:18. > :10:22.Sadly we haven't seen any boar yet and night has fallen
:10:23. > :10:26.but that isn't the end of our filming because we have an infrared
:10:27. > :10:31.camera, which means you can see in the dark and we have a camera trap.
:10:32. > :10:35.OK, Dave, where do you think we should put it?
:10:36. > :10:38.These night-vision cameras are motion-activated,
:10:39. > :10:42.so any animal passing this way should be recorded.
:10:43. > :10:45.And, when we review the footage, there's plenty of wildlife,
:10:46. > :11:01.We finally caught one on camera, an impressive beast back in the wild
:11:02. > :11:04.but not everyone in the Forest of Dean
:11:05. > :11:08.The presence of the wild boar is certainly causing a stir
:11:09. > :11:13.It seems that, in the Forest of Dean,
:11:14. > :11:19.everybody knows someone who's had a run-in with these beasts.
:11:20. > :11:23.The boar rumours even include claims they've taken lambs,
:11:24. > :11:27.something we've found no direct evidence for.
:11:28. > :11:32.But there certainly have been some nasty incidents involving dogs.
:11:33. > :11:35.Jane Morse nearly lost her springer spaniel Lily
:11:36. > :11:46.No lasting damage? No. She's doing OK. Good, that all seems fine.
:11:47. > :11:50.Lily's one of a handful of boar-injured dogs
:11:51. > :11:53.vet Mark Hinds has operated on in recent years.
:11:54. > :11:56.Tell me about the actual incident, what happened?
:11:57. > :12:00.Well, we just took her out into the wood where we live and we've been
:12:01. > :12:02.doing that walk for years and years and years
:12:03. > :12:07.and the next thing we know, there was horrific squealing and noise
:12:08. > :12:09.and, obviously, she'd disturbed a boar.
:12:10. > :12:12.What did she look like when she came out? There was blood everywhere.
:12:13. > :12:16.Across her stomach she had a piercing right through here
:12:17. > :12:19.and I think she had about 10 or 12 stitches across her stomach.
:12:20. > :12:23.Wow. I know, it was pretty horrific at the time.
:12:24. > :12:25.How often do you see incidents like this?
:12:26. > :12:27.We probably see one or two a year, not too many
:12:28. > :12:30.but, when we do, they're pretty major injuries.
:12:31. > :12:36.Its leg shattered by a boar. It's typical of stories from local vets.
:12:37. > :12:42.Last year, more than 100 boar were killed in car crashes,
:12:43. > :12:46.First thing I knew is all the airbags went off.
:12:47. > :12:49.I didn't even see the boar initially,
:12:50. > :12:51.just ploughed straight into it head-on.
:12:52. > :12:53.All the airbags went off, ground to a halt
:12:54. > :12:56.and then through a gap I could just about see this boar in the road
:12:57. > :13:01.and wrote my car off and he walked away.
:13:02. > :13:06.the boar are stumbling into another row,
:13:07. > :13:13.as they churn up land in their hunt for food.
:13:14. > :13:17.Boars can just roll up the turf like it was a piece of carpet,
:13:18. > :13:21.rootling around beneath for worms, grubs, roots,
:13:22. > :13:26.And it's not just an isolated patch. Look at that.
:13:27. > :13:29.Roadside verges and gardens can all get the treatment.
:13:30. > :13:33.Even the local community hospital's putting up a new fence after
:13:34. > :13:38.And there are concerns they turn woodland into mudbaths,
:13:39. > :13:41.destroying bluebells and other wild flowers.
:13:42. > :13:45.It seems the boar are courting trouble every way they turn.
:13:46. > :13:50.So how can a once extinct heavyweight wild animal
:13:51. > :13:54.fit back into the 21st-century British countryside?
:13:55. > :14:01.who want to reintroduce other wild animals like the lynx or the wolf?
:14:02. > :14:14.ELLIE: Earlier, Matt was exploring the limestone country
:14:15. > :14:19.I'm a few miles north in the Dark Peak.
:14:20. > :14:24.This landscape is defined by gritstone, a brooding presence.
:14:25. > :14:27.And, on a clear day, one of the best places to see it is up here
:14:28. > :14:34.I've come up here hoping to walk a bit of the edge with
:14:35. > :14:42.married couple Paul Besley and Alison Council.
:14:43. > :14:47.so he should be able to guide us through this fog.
:14:48. > :14:50.Paul, Alison, how are you doing? Hello. Hello. Good.
:14:51. > :14:54.Worth that hike for this incredible view that I've been promised(!)
:14:55. > :14:57.This is where we are here, so we're on what's called the Long Causeway
:14:58. > :15:01.So, we've got the gritstone behind us, and in front of us,
:15:02. > :15:05.this is the gritstone country we're stood in front of now,
:15:06. > :15:08.and then beyond that you've got the villages of Eyam and Castleton,
:15:09. > :15:10.and that's where the limestone country starts.
:15:11. > :15:12.It's inspiring stuff, isn't it, Alison?
:15:13. > :15:15.So lucky to be living close to the Peak District -
:15:16. > :15:21.'Alison's an internationally renowned artist.'
:15:22. > :15:25.'She draws inspiration from the rocks above her head,
:15:26. > :15:31.'the ground beneath her feet and the maps she uses to explore it.
:15:32. > :15:35.'Her work takes its cue from Ordnance Survey maps,
:15:36. > :15:38.'but instead of flat paper, she brings the land to life
:15:39. > :15:45.'in three glittering and shimmering dimensions.
:15:46. > :15:49.'Her first work can be seen in Sheffield's Millennium Gallery.'
:15:50. > :15:52.And it looks amazing against the older pieces, too, doesn't it?
:15:53. > :15:54.Quite abstract - what's it made out of?
:15:55. > :15:58.It's made out of stainless steel. And what's your idea behind it?
:15:59. > :16:01.I was very interested in photo etching -
:16:02. > :16:03.I just sort of thought I'd try etching a map.
:16:04. > :16:06.So, this is the first map I've done of an actual place.
:16:07. > :16:09.I chose an area very close to where I live,
:16:10. > :16:14.which is the bottom right-hand reservoir, Damflask. Right.
:16:15. > :16:17.We can see the thing on the map, here... Yeah.
:16:18. > :16:21.So, this is very local to where I live, and I used to quite regularly
:16:22. > :16:23.kind of run and walk around this reservoir.
:16:24. > :16:26.And steel because of the area we're in - cos we're here in Sheffield.
:16:27. > :16:28.I love stainless steel as a material,
:16:29. > :16:31.and I was interested in kind of making drawings into 3-D objects.
:16:32. > :16:33.This stainless steel here's about a millimetre thick,
:16:34. > :16:36.but you can still see there's quite a lot of detail in there,
:16:37. > :16:39.with the reservoir being etched into it.
:16:40. > :16:42.It's amazing - the detail on there, as you say,
:16:43. > :16:45.it's quite extraordinary, given how thick it is,
:16:46. > :16:47.and that gives it this almost draughtsman-like quality -
:16:48. > :16:50.the accuracy of a map - and it can kind of, as you move around,
:16:51. > :16:52.gives you a flight over the landscape
:16:53. > :16:54.that you can't really get otherwise. Mm-hm.
:16:55. > :17:00.From this, Alison has gone on to create
:17:01. > :17:05.other areas of Britain in the same exacting detail.
:17:06. > :17:09.Back in her studio, she's showing me how the metal maps are made.
:17:10. > :17:14.I've got a simple grid, so I outline the grid,
:17:15. > :17:17.and I enlarge it, which we see here. Oh, yeah.
:17:18. > :17:23.I then select the contour lines that I'm going to put on the piece...
:17:24. > :17:28.No. So, on this particular map, I'm doing it every 50m.
:17:29. > :17:32.the whole map might kind of disintegrate, so it's...
:17:33. > :17:33.Because they'd be too close together.
:17:34. > :17:40.So, that gives you a printout of what we've got,
:17:41. > :17:53.and I can then e-mail this for etching in stainless steel.
:17:54. > :17:59.Alison's drawings are printed onto film...
:18:00. > :18:07...and chemicals are used to eat away at the metal,
:18:08. > :18:17.It does - it comes back as a flat sheet.
:18:18. > :18:20.Can I have a go at popping them out? You can do.
:18:21. > :18:22.There's the actual map. Oh, it looks amazing.
:18:23. > :18:25.Um, and obviously you've got to read your contours.
:18:26. > :18:27.Shall I just do one to kind of start you off? Yeah.
:18:28. > :18:32.so I would just hold it on each side of the contour...
:18:33. > :18:35.You're pushing down? I'm pushing that one down, and that one...
:18:36. > :18:37.Oh, because that one's high. ..that one's going to go up.
:18:38. > :18:39.A bit of map-reading's in order, as well.
:18:40. > :18:42.You do - you do need to know your contours. How amazing.
:18:43. > :18:48.Oh, a wide variety of people - it could be just general map lovers.
:18:49. > :18:52.People normally have some kind of association with the area, so...
:18:53. > :18:58.because she'd met her fiance climbing at Malham Cove... Aww.
:18:59. > :19:01...and she was going to put it on his pillow
:19:02. > :19:04.the night before they got married. Romantic! Really romantic.
:19:05. > :19:08.because I've been so worried about breaking it... It won't break.
:19:09. > :19:11.You're doing very well, there. I'll keep working on it.
:19:12. > :19:13.You're doing very well. I'll keep lifting the land as I go.
:19:14. > :19:16.Is this is where we were? Yes - we walked up there.
:19:17. > :19:19.Oh, yeah! Yes, yeah. We walked up this little kind of valley, here...
:19:20. > :19:23.Hey! ..and then were about to go up Stanage Edge.
:19:24. > :19:27.There we go! So, that feels like a reward for the walk today.
:19:28. > :19:38.'a striking memento of the Dark Peak.'
:19:39. > :19:40.Now, as we know, the UK has taken a battering
:19:41. > :19:45.with flooding in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland,
:19:46. > :19:50.One area that was particularly badly hit was Cumbria,
:19:51. > :19:53.where they had to cope with record amounts of rainfall.
:19:54. > :19:57.We've been there to see how the rural community is managing.
:19:58. > :20:07.This film contains images some people may find upsetting.
:20:08. > :20:12.Cumbria, a land of hill farms, villages and market towns.
:20:13. > :20:18.Last weekend, it was hit hard by record amounts of rain.
:20:19. > :20:22.Nature has turned this beautiful rural county upside down.
:20:23. > :20:28.There are 33 severe flood warnings in place across the UK,
:20:29. > :20:31.and Cumbria Police have declared a major incident.
:20:32. > :20:35.Carlisle and towns like Kendal were hit hard,
:20:36. > :20:39.but the floods also brought chaos to the countryside.
:20:40. > :20:43.Destruction, devastation - there's nothing left, you know?
:20:44. > :20:45.We didn't even know if we were going to survive it.
:20:46. > :20:51.Fierce water - not just still water, raging. Raging water.
:20:52. > :20:55.For many farmers, the damage has been devastating.
:20:56. > :20:59.John Richardson farms Swaledale sheep near the village of Dufton.
:21:00. > :21:03.His family have been here for four generations.
:21:04. > :21:06.There was news warnings on the Friday
:21:07. > :21:09.that the weather was going to be a little bit bleak.
:21:10. > :21:15.We made sure all the sheep were put onto high ground.
:21:16. > :21:21.John received a worrying phone call from his neighbour.
:21:22. > :21:24.He says, "You're going to have to come quick -
:21:25. > :21:27."there's some sheep on the way down the river,"
:21:28. > :21:29.and where the sheep had been sheltering,
:21:30. > :21:35.it had all given away and washed them into the river.
:21:36. > :21:37.The sheer volume of water had caused a landslide,
:21:38. > :21:41.dragging down everything in its path.
:21:42. > :21:50.but altogether we had 41... missing.
:21:51. > :21:58.There's nowhere else for them to have gone.
:21:59. > :22:02.And for John and his son Ben, it's now a recovery operation.
:22:03. > :22:06.The water was - well, you can see, on the rock face, there.
:22:07. > :22:15.the river lays bare the tragedy it inflicted.
:22:16. > :22:19.It's our livelihood, and we've put all the work in -
:22:20. > :22:21.lambing them, picking the rams to get them.
:22:22. > :22:24.But we can't leave them in the river, or the riverside.
:22:25. > :22:34.It's only six months since I had a packet of them pinched, you know,
:22:35. > :22:37.and flood's come and IT'S pinched them, now, so...
:22:38. > :22:42.You just don't recover overnight. It takes a long while.
:22:43. > :22:50.You miss those best bloodlines, and it's... That's the big worry.
:22:51. > :22:54.John's not alone - other farms lost livestock, too,
:22:55. > :22:56.and a huge amount of rural property and land
:22:57. > :23:05.But the Cumbrian community is rallying round.
:23:06. > :23:09.An old fire station in the market town of Penrith
:23:10. > :23:17.to where we're organising the donations...
:23:18. > :23:19.Anne Marie Lynch is one of the volunteers
:23:20. > :23:23.helping to get aid to isolated rural areas.
:23:24. > :23:27.They have no power, they have no water.
:23:28. > :23:30.An area of Appleby last night received no help whatsoever,
:23:31. > :23:35.We have people in Patterdale who are very hard to reach,
:23:36. > :23:40.and we're actually using the army and mountain rescue to get to them.
:23:41. > :23:44.Volunteer Kerryanne Wilde is off to deliver care packages
:23:45. > :23:47.to some of the smaller villages and hamlets in the county.
:23:48. > :23:53.All the houses down here are uninsurable,
:23:54. > :23:58.so when they are flooded, they absolutely lose everything.
:23:59. > :24:02.Driving through Keswick and seeing people's homes, full homes,
:24:03. > :24:08.the dirt and the sewerage that's been left behind,
:24:09. > :24:14.It's really hard to be professional when it's your own county,
:24:15. > :24:20.it's your own people that have been so badly hit and affected.
:24:21. > :24:25.First stop is Sue and John Dust in the village of Tebay.
:24:26. > :24:32.Those garden walls that you can see across the road,
:24:33. > :24:35.it was basically level with those walls.
:24:36. > :24:39.You could have put a boat on it. It was a horrendous sight.
:24:40. > :24:42.Sue's 68-year-old neighbour Joan Smith
:24:43. > :24:45.also became stranded by the rising water.
:24:46. > :24:55.and within less than half a minute - and I mean half a minute -
:24:56. > :24:59.it was completely all across, right the way through the bottom floor.
:25:00. > :25:03.I said to my husband, "There's some candles in there,"
:25:04. > :25:08.so he grabbed some candles, and I was out there trying to light them,
:25:09. > :25:11.and my son said, "Mum, we've got to go, Mum, we've got to go.
:25:12. > :25:18.But trudging through that water from here up to my son's car...
:25:19. > :25:32.But there you go - what did they say in the war? "Keep calm and carry on."
:25:33. > :25:35.Amongst all the heartache, it's great to see how the community
:25:36. > :25:39.and the emergency services in Cumbria have rallied round
:25:40. > :25:45.even in the most isolated rural areas.
:25:46. > :25:48.But many now want to know why this happened,
:25:49. > :25:51.and whether they'll be protected in the future.
:25:52. > :26:01.It's an issue we'll be returning to in the new year.
:26:02. > :26:04.Earlier, Tom was on the trail of wild boar.
:26:05. > :26:07.These once-lost animals now seem to be on the loose all over
:26:08. > :26:11.the British Isles, and causing some concerns.
:26:12. > :26:14.So, are there lessons to learn about reintroducing wild animals
:26:15. > :26:26.Escapes from boar farms have resulted in sightings
:26:27. > :26:31.and here, in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire,
:26:32. > :26:36.a perfect habitat seems to be leading to a population explosion.
:26:37. > :26:38.There are said to be over a thousand here,
:26:39. > :26:42.but their apparent success isn't going down well with everyone.
:26:43. > :26:47.The wild boar root up pasture and the roadside verge,
:26:48. > :26:50.have run-ins with dogs, and are even blamed for car accidents.
:26:51. > :26:53.So, have all of you guys got stories about boar?
:26:54. > :26:54.We've had instances of boar in our garden.
:26:55. > :26:57.They've broken through our garden fence
:26:58. > :26:59.and managed to turn over the whole garden,
:27:00. > :27:01.so it looks like a vegetable patch, now.
:27:02. > :27:03.It's been rotovated all the way over,
:27:04. > :27:06.so we let the dogs out to try and shoo him away,
:27:07. > :27:08.and he chased all three dogs back into the house,
:27:09. > :27:15.is when they get onto the cricket pitches, the football pitches...
:27:16. > :27:21.So, just if I can go round - I mean, if I can ask you, sort of,
:27:22. > :27:24.leave them alone, fewer or none at all, what would you say?
:27:25. > :27:31.Get rid of them. LAUGHTER
:27:32. > :27:36.'It seems the boar are making rather a meal of this comeback.'
:27:37. > :27:40.Some locals are so annoyed they've taken the law into their own hands,
:27:41. > :27:44.and there are reports of attacks with crossbows and air guns -
:27:45. > :27:47.and Gloucestershire Police say they get a call
:27:48. > :27:50.about illegal boar hunting most weeks.
:27:51. > :27:56.But there is an official way to control the boar population.
:27:57. > :28:00.Shooting boar - with the right gun and the landowner's permission -
:28:01. > :28:05.Felix Bihlmeier gets called in to do just that
:28:06. > :28:09.when wild boar stray out of the forest and onto farmland.
:28:10. > :28:12.I've come to private woodland on the edge of the Forest of Dean
:28:13. > :28:18.that the boar have come back to the British countryside?
:28:19. > :28:21.Er, well, I'm an old romantic - I think it's wonderful.
:28:22. > :28:29.Us hunters like pursuing it, it's a very old tradition,
:28:30. > :28:39.however, boar and man will create conflict,
:28:40. > :28:47.It's a prolific breeder, and the breeding time bomb is ticking.
:28:48. > :28:49.This point you make about - you welcome them,
:28:50. > :28:52.but they need to be managed - do you think that need to manage
:28:53. > :28:54.the species applies to other things people are thinking
:28:55. > :28:58.of reintroducing, I don't know, like, lynx or wolf or beaver,
:28:59. > :29:05.but then you probably need compensation schemes
:29:06. > :29:09.for livestock that is going to get killed, et cetera, et cetera.
:29:10. > :29:13.With the necessary amount of public protection, it can be done.
:29:14. > :29:16.You can't just introduce them and sort of forget about it,
:29:17. > :29:18.and hope that everything will rub along OK?
:29:19. > :29:22.Er, it won't. You will end up with a huge problem.
:29:23. > :29:25.'The body trying to prevent that kind of problem with the boar
:29:26. > :29:29.'is the Forestry Commission, which owns most the woodland here,
:29:30. > :29:32.'and culls increasing numbers of them every year.'
:29:33. > :29:35.They want to limit the population to under 400 -
:29:36. > :29:39.the trouble is, the fast-breeding boar keep producing more young
:29:40. > :29:48.but they say the population went up by 200.
:29:49. > :29:53.think that cull may not be needed at all.
:29:54. > :29:57.with photographer and boar-lover David Slater.
:29:58. > :30:05.but it seems that the problem is with a minority of residents here,
:30:06. > :30:10.who, for one reason or another, don't like the mess they cause.
:30:11. > :30:13.So, for you, no need for a cull in the forest?
:30:14. > :30:16.No, I think that the core area should be left alone as,
:30:17. > :30:20.like, a preserve for the wild boar to become natural,
:30:21. > :30:22.and natural behaviour, and marksmen should be brought in
:30:23. > :30:26.on high chairs to shoot them once they've left the forest.
:30:27. > :30:29.Right, so, within the forest, a sanctuary - but beyond there,
:30:30. > :30:32.if they're causing problems on farmland, you can cull them?
:30:33. > :30:36.Oh, yeah, yeah - I think most of the public here do support the boar.
:30:37. > :30:39.They find it a thrill to go out in the forest, now.
:30:40. > :30:43.Previous to that, it was just deer and foxes which you already saw,
:30:44. > :30:46.and your day in the forest was a bit drab, actually.
:30:47. > :30:49.Now there's something actually to go out and find.
:30:50. > :30:53.The possibility of meeting a 200 kilo wild boar
:30:54. > :30:57.certainly adds a frisson to a walk in the woods.
:30:58. > :31:01.But will the reaction be "welcome back" or "watch out"?
:31:02. > :31:05.Reinstating native species is generally welcomed
:31:06. > :31:10.as evidence of us redressing the balance with nature and wilderness -
:31:11. > :31:17.and preventing that spiralling into undue suffering -
:31:18. > :31:27.for us or, in this case, the boar - requires management and tolerance.
:31:28. > :31:30.The story back here in the Peak District
:31:31. > :31:37.is one of rock, and time, and the actions of elements.
:31:38. > :31:42.to take fantastic limestone formations like these for granted,
:31:43. > :31:47.but this view - well, it's just a moment in time
:31:48. > :31:53.which has taken 350 million years to get here.
:31:54. > :31:56.But how can something as simple as rain on rock cause
:31:57. > :32:02.Pete, my geologist guide to the Peak District,
:32:03. > :32:06.has a simple experiment to show how this happens.
:32:07. > :32:11.and you can see limestone, as we've said,
:32:12. > :32:15...and the shells are also calcium carbonate.
:32:16. > :32:20.is you can see these joints in here - that's very, very important.
:32:21. > :32:22.Right, so, we'll get the goggle down for this bit... Yes.
:32:23. > :32:25...and pick up this bottle of hydrochloric acid.
:32:26. > :32:27.Indeed - this is dilute hydrochloric acid,
:32:28. > :32:29.and I'm going to pour it on the limestone here,
:32:30. > :32:32.and I want you to see what happens. OK.
:32:33. > :32:36.Oh, there's a definite reaction there, then - it's fizzing.
:32:37. > :32:40.It's fizzing - and what's coming off there is carbon dioxide gas...
:32:41. > :32:42.Mm-hm. ..and this is what happens to limestone.
:32:43. > :32:45.Limestone, when you put acid on it, it will effervesce,
:32:46. > :32:48.it will fizz - and this is weathering.
:32:49. > :32:51.Of course, it's rain - rain, also, is slightly acidic,
:32:52. > :32:55.it starts to weather away the limestone.
:32:56. > :32:58.You also notice it's going down the cracks, here,
:32:59. > :33:00.and the joints on the rock, and, of course,
:33:01. > :33:02.this limestone is very, very jointed,
:33:03. > :33:05.and so what's happening is, as the water goes down,
:33:06. > :33:10.it weathers away the rock and erodes away the rock,
:33:11. > :33:13.and this is why we have such fabulous caves
:33:14. > :33:15.right beneath us here in the Peak District. Yeah!
:33:16. > :33:19.I am going to be going and having a look at.
:33:20. > :33:26.from looking back 350 million years into the past,
:33:27. > :33:29.to looking forward to 365 days in the very near future.
:33:30. > :33:33.If you haven't got your hands on the Countryfile calendar for 2016 yet,
:33:34. > :33:39.It costs ?9.50, including free UK delivery -
:33:40. > :33:45.will be donated to the BBC Children in Need appeal.
:33:46. > :33:51.You can buy yours either via our website, at...
:33:52. > :34:12.To order by post, send your name, address and cheque to...
:34:13. > :34:22...and please make cheques payable to BBC Countryfile Calendar.
:34:23. > :34:24.The British countryside is forever changing,
:34:25. > :34:28.moulded by the force of nature and by farming -
:34:29. > :34:32.but the land needs to be worked to provide us with food.
:34:33. > :34:40.It's something Adam knows only too well.
:34:41. > :34:43.There's one machine that's not only shaped our landscape
:34:44. > :34:47.more than any other, but also changed the future of agriculture.
:34:48. > :35:02.As a kid, I had a fascination with tractors -
:35:03. > :35:04.and why wouldn't I, growing up on a farm?
:35:05. > :35:07.And it was always on the top of my Christmas wish list
:35:08. > :35:14.to have a toy tractor just like this one.
:35:15. > :35:16.But as I got older, it was out with the toys
:35:17. > :35:21.I've owned about 20 different tractors over the years,
:35:22. > :35:24.and, like many farmers, I couldn't live without one.
:35:25. > :35:27.Tractors might have all the mod cons these days,
:35:28. > :35:30.but the latest technology isn't for everyone.
:35:31. > :35:34.Patrick Edwards from Little Clanfield in Oxfordshire
:35:35. > :35:40.has, well, just a slight obsession with vintage tractors.
:35:41. > :35:45.My word, what a beautiful traction engine. Thank you very much.
:35:46. > :35:50.It's built in 1899 - Charles Burrell and Sons.
:35:51. > :35:52.It's a seven-horse single traction engine
:35:53. > :35:55.which would have been used for agricultural work.
:35:56. > :36:00.hearing it chuntering away in the background? Yeah, yeah.
:36:01. > :36:02.How long does it take to get it going, then?
:36:03. > :36:04.From pulling out a shed, you're about three,
:36:05. > :36:07.four hours before you can go to work. Oh, goodness me!
:36:08. > :36:10.Most farmers would have turned the key and done half the farm by then!
:36:11. > :36:12.That's right. That's right, yeah, yeah.
:36:13. > :36:17.So, big effort. Shall we take her for a spin? Yes, no problem.
:36:18. > :36:20.HE LAUGHS Always wear your hat, do you?
:36:21. > :36:22.Always wear my bowler hat when I'm on the engine.
:36:23. > :36:27.Hang on, I'm on the steering wheel - does that matter? That's fine.
:36:28. > :36:29.Oh, this is exciting - it's a first for me!
:36:30. > :36:36.And when these things first appeared on the roads,
:36:37. > :36:38.it must have been an amazing scene. Well, it must have been -
:36:39. > :36:43.because obviously the transport then, in 1899,
:36:44. > :36:46.A horse could plough an acre of ground in a day,
:36:47. > :36:50.and, you know, ploughing engines could probably plough
:36:51. > :36:57.Wow, so it really was a step in mechanisation. It was.
:36:58. > :37:01.And you've got quite a collection of old tractors, haven't you?
:37:02. > :37:05.if you'd like me to show you round an old tractor or two,
:37:06. > :37:08.I can do that, that's no problem. Yeah, I'd love to do that.
:37:09. > :37:10.I'm just thankful I didn't bring my chequebook.
:37:11. > :37:18.LAUGHS: My word, Patrick! How come you've got so many?
:37:19. > :37:22.Well, it started as a hobby 35 years ago,
:37:23. > :37:25.and then we started buying and selling tractors,
:37:26. > :37:29.and it became a business which we're running today.
:37:30. > :37:32.Some lovely classics - a little Fergie, there.
:37:33. > :37:34.Yeah, the little grey and gold 35, yeah - it's a classic.
:37:35. > :37:39.I worked away on Chatsworth Estate for a year,
:37:40. > :37:42.and that was my tractor, a 135. Was it? Incredible, yeah. Yeah.
:37:43. > :37:44.I was very proud to be driving it at the time.
:37:45. > :37:47.Lots of people learn on a little 135.
:37:48. > :37:51.I've got an old standard Fordson, which was my first tractor,
:37:52. > :37:55.which was my hobby, and that was when I was 14,
:37:56. > :37:57.so I can show you that, if you like. Still got it?! Still got it!
:37:58. > :38:06.So, this is your first tractor - it's lovely, Patrick.
:38:07. > :38:09.Yeah, this is it. Why did you go for a Fordson?
:38:10. > :38:11.Well, as a seven-year-old, I came over to your farm,
:38:12. > :38:15.and your dad let me sit on his old standard Fordson.
:38:16. > :38:18.You probably didn't know that. No! No, what a connection!
:38:19. > :38:20.And that inspired me to want a Fordson -
:38:21. > :38:24.and when I was 14, I bought this tractor, and restored it, and...
:38:25. > :38:26.OK, shall we start her up? We can try!
:38:27. > :38:31.Yeah. I'll turn the handle, shall I? I'll do the controls, here.
:38:32. > :39:11.where's the satellite guidance, has it got any of that?
:39:12. > :39:14.I'm afraid it hasn't got any of that!
:39:15. > :39:22.Oh, it's just beautiful. Really lovely.
:39:23. > :39:26.Today's tractors offer a whole new level of technology,
:39:27. > :39:29.which even as a farmer, I'm struggling to keep up with.
:39:30. > :39:32.I'm visiting the largest tractor factory in the UK.
:39:33. > :39:36.This site in Basildon, Essex, has more than a mile of assembly line.
:39:37. > :39:39.It's staggering to think a brand-new tractor
:39:40. > :39:42.rolls off the production line every four minutes.
:39:43. > :39:46.From here, the machines are shipped all over the world.
:39:47. > :39:50.Plant manager Bob Shirley is on hand to tell me more.
:39:51. > :39:53.This is incredible, Bob. What's going on here, then?
:39:54. > :39:58.The transmissions and the axles start over here,
:39:59. > :40:01.we then put them onto the auto-guided vehicles,
:40:02. > :40:03.they take them, then, into sequence in this production process,
:40:04. > :40:08.They then go to the beginning of the production line.
:40:09. > :40:18.then it joins onto a continuous process for the next 2.5km.
:40:19. > :40:21.It's a full-on production line, isn't it? Absolutely, for sure.
:40:22. > :40:23.And this is one element where we need the people content
:40:24. > :40:27.This is where we now marry the cab to the chassis,
:40:28. > :40:29.and it's very much a teamwork effort.
:40:30. > :40:32.There's four people in four corners of the cab,
:40:33. > :40:37.drop it down onto the chassis in a safe way.
:40:38. > :40:40.It's really lovely - it's when the tractor sort of comes altogether
:40:41. > :40:46.Next, the tractors are tested on a dynamic rolling road -
:40:47. > :40:51.and I've been given the chance to put this one through its paces.
:40:52. > :41:01.The electronics on these modern machines are just incredible.
:41:02. > :41:07.All done through a hi-tech computer on board.
:41:08. > :41:11.Gone are the days if you could drink cider and use a scythe,
:41:12. > :41:19.farming was for you - you've got to be a techno-wizard nowadays.
:41:20. > :41:29.These modern day tractors are designed for operator comfort -
:41:30. > :41:33.but, also, the technology on here is just unbelievable.
:41:34. > :41:36.Everything's at your hand - touch screen,
:41:37. > :41:40.all on a joystick, press buttons to go up and down through the gears,
:41:41. > :41:43.and the engine is working out its optimum capacity
:41:44. > :41:52.for fuel consumption and torque and drive - just amazing.
:41:53. > :41:55.That was a lot of fun, driving that tractor on the rolling road -
:41:56. > :41:59.and it really brings home to me how much technology's on these tractors.
:42:00. > :42:01.I mean, it's like being in a helicopter or a jet.
:42:02. > :42:05.and how long before we don't need drivers any more?
:42:06. > :42:08.but certainly we're going in that direction -
:42:09. > :42:09.the same as we are in the auto world.
:42:10. > :42:12.But clearly we've got auto guidance within the tractor,
:42:13. > :42:15.we're going to precision farming, where we can actually...
:42:16. > :42:17.You can put the tractor within one or two centimetres,
:42:18. > :42:21.year on year, in exactly the same position in the field.
:42:22. > :42:23.And what sort of cost are we talking about?
:42:24. > :42:27.Again, the T7 range, which is one of the larger tractors here, that range
:42:28. > :42:32.is between ?150-180,000, so the price of a very expensive Ferrari.
:42:33. > :42:39.Depends on whether you want to earn money or not, for sure!
:42:40. > :42:42.Well, I might not get to take home a brand-new tractor,
:42:43. > :42:44.but I have been given the opportunity to drive
:42:45. > :42:56.the latest model off the end of the production line.
:42:57. > :43:00.it's just brilliant the way these machines have evolved -
:43:01. > :43:04.and who knows where they're going to be in the next 20 or 30 years?
:43:05. > :43:07.I think the future for agriculture is really exciting.
:43:08. > :43:10.While I'm in it, I wonder if anybody will notice
:43:11. > :43:39.ELLIE: The Peak District in winter can be an unforgiving place.
:43:40. > :43:43.The wind howls, it's damp, it's dark.
:43:44. > :43:50.The feeble sun, shrouded in cloud, provides little warmth.
:43:51. > :43:56.and I'm heading up onto the second highest peak in the area -
:43:57. > :44:04.This is Bleaklow, and it's easy to see how it gets its name.
:44:05. > :44:07.It's a plateau of peat bogs and open, exposed moorland,
:44:08. > :44:14.and at this time of year, it's windy, cold and undeniably bleak.
:44:15. > :44:18.To make your home up here, you'd have to be as hardy as they come -
:44:19. > :44:30.and this is its last outpost in England.
:44:31. > :44:34.An animal that, at this time of year,
:44:35. > :44:38.undergoes an amazing transformation.
:44:39. > :44:43.and, I really hope, to help me spot one -
:44:44. > :44:48.They're well adapted to this tough place, aren't they?
:44:49. > :44:51.They are - they're small, and they look cuddly,
:44:52. > :44:53.but they're extremely tough little animals.
:44:54. > :44:56.for thousands and thousands of years.
:44:57. > :44:59.They were here following the last ice age -
:45:00. > :45:02.brown hares were introduced much more recently by people,
:45:03. > :45:07.but the mountain hares are able to survive in the upland,
:45:08. > :45:09.where brown hares really don't do so well.
:45:10. > :45:12.And this time of year they're going through this moulting process.
:45:13. > :45:15.One of the really interesting things with mountain hares,
:45:16. > :45:17.and it's something we don't really see
:45:18. > :45:21.is that they change from the summer coat,
:45:22. > :45:23.which is a sort of dull brown, to white,
:45:24. > :45:26.and it happens about this time of year,
:45:27. > :45:32.through the winter, and then they start to change back in March.
:45:33. > :45:35.Their thick coat and small ears help stop heat loss.
:45:36. > :45:39.Big back feet make walking on snow easier,
:45:40. > :45:42.and that white coat makes them almost impossible to spot
:45:43. > :45:48.and even though there's no snow on the ground today,
:45:49. > :45:52.Phil reckons we'll be lucky to see one.
:45:53. > :45:54.Their Latin name - I'm going to ask you to pronounce it.
:45:55. > :45:58.Lepus timidus. "Timidus" - is that the clue that sort of tells us
:45:59. > :46:01.that it's not going to be an easy day finding them?
:46:02. > :46:05.I think that's probably a decent hint, yeah - they like to sit tight,
:46:06. > :46:08.and quite often you come across them when you're walking across the moor,
:46:09. > :46:17.and they'll jump up from underneath your feet.
:46:18. > :46:24.but with the weather closing in, the chances are slim.
:46:25. > :46:35.God, I can't believe our binoculars picked that up, even!
:46:36. > :46:37.Agh, disappointing! Little bit embarrassing, as well.
:46:38. > :46:41.That must happen a lot, though. It does, yeah.
:46:42. > :46:44.There's lots of things that look a little bit like a hare
:46:45. > :46:51.Oh, sneaky. Let's keep looking. All right, let's keep looking.
:46:52. > :46:54.And just when we're about to give up,
:46:55. > :46:57.a flash of white from right under my feet.
:46:58. > :47:07.Within moments, it's gone - a blur in the distance.
:47:08. > :47:20.So, that's absolutely typical of the way that you'd see most hares.
:47:21. > :47:24.But the hares here could be under threat.
:47:25. > :47:28.A changing climate might affect their habitat.
:47:29. > :47:31.The moorland here is part of a huge conservation project
:47:32. > :47:35.to restore peat bogs and the uplands the hares love.
:47:36. > :47:37.Sarah Proctor from Moors For The Future
:47:38. > :47:42.How are you doing, you all right? Yeah, good, thank you.
:47:43. > :47:44.Tell me about your community science project.
:47:45. > :47:47.So, the community science project is encouraging people,
:47:48. > :47:51.in the Peak District and South Pennines,
:47:52. > :47:54.to tell us when and where they see mountain hares,
:47:55. > :48:00.So, we're looking for them to tell us when they've seen them,
:48:01. > :48:03.where they've seen them, how many of each animal,
:48:04. > :48:06.and, for the mountain hares, we want to know what colour they are -
:48:07. > :48:09.because mountain hares turn white in winter.
:48:10. > :48:13.is whether or not there was snow on the ground when you've seen them,
:48:14. > :48:16.because that's quite an important thing to know, as well.
:48:17. > :48:19.What is the trigger for them moulting and changing colour?
:48:20. > :48:23.We think it's day length, which means that in future,
:48:24. > :48:27.if we continue to see a change in climate,
:48:28. > :48:29.will we see a change in the mountain hares?
:48:30. > :48:32.If they're bright white in winter and there's no snow... Yeah.
:48:33. > :48:35...then they're quite vulnerable to predation.
:48:36. > :48:37.Much easier for predators to pick them off, then.
:48:38. > :48:41.Much easier for predators to pick them off, yes.
:48:42. > :48:43.It's a bitter irony that the very adaptations
:48:44. > :48:46.that help these hares survive in these harsh surroundings
:48:47. > :48:50.could threaten their existence if the climate were to change.
:48:51. > :48:54.I'm happy to do my bit and record my sighting.
:48:55. > :48:56.So, I've seen one... Great! ..and it was very much...
:48:57. > :48:59.Well, it wasn't fully white, but it was as good as,
:49:00. > :49:01.so I'm going to stick that down as an A.
:49:02. > :49:04.And then...no snow. Great. Just a lot of rain. Brilliant.
:49:05. > :49:07.I'll take this with me, in case I see any more. Great, wonderful.
:49:08. > :49:11.All right, cheers! See you later. All right, bye!
:49:12. > :49:15.Though we continued searching until the sun was low in the sky,
:49:16. > :49:23.which makes even the fleeting glimpse I had all the more special.
:49:24. > :49:32.Let's hope there'll be hares here for many more years to come.
:49:33. > :49:35.It's not very often I find myself wishing for bad weather,
:49:36. > :49:37.but if it helps these amazing animals,
:49:38. > :49:40.I'm willing to put up with some colder days ahead.
:49:41. > :49:43.To find out what nature has in store for the rest of us this week,
:49:44. > :49:56.here's the Countryfile five-day forecast.
:49:57. > :50:01.We have colder air across Scotland at the moment and snowfall to come
:50:02. > :50:04.tonight but the forecast this week is one again which is out of step
:50:05. > :50:09.with the season. Unusually mild weather at times throughout the
:50:10. > :50:12.week, breezy too. But with the depepgs of south-west England and
:50:13. > :50:18.parts of Wales, not as wet as it has been. -- but with the exception. You
:50:19. > :50:24.saw Adam in Cumbria earlier. The exceptional rainfall and floods.
:50:25. > :50:30.Let's put it into context. Since 1st November we have seen 90 cms of rain
:50:31. > :50:37.in Shap, representing six months of rainfall in six weeks. And after
:50:38. > :50:41.last weekend you can understand the extent of the flooding.
:50:42. > :50:44.This is all being fired by a strong jet stream. Unusually mild
:50:45. > :50:48.conditions, both combined to make things wet. The jet stream is weaker
:50:49. > :50:51.but there is mild air with us, pushing northwards behind the
:50:52. > :50:59.weather front, hitting the cold air now across Scotland and through
:51:00. > :51:01.tonight across parts of the southern Highlands. Further south
:51:02. > :51:05.temperatures continue to rise through the night. Most away from
:51:06. > :51:11.that part of Scotland will be frost-free but a grey, murky start
:51:12. > :51:16.to Monday for many. Patchy rain and drizzle around, he extensive mist
:51:17. > :51:21.and hill fog. The damp weather through the central strip fades
:51:22. > :51:23.away. Through the latter stages of the morning and afternoon,
:51:24. > :51:27.south-west England and Wales will see outbreaks of rain on a
:51:28. > :51:32.strengthening breeze. Those areas hit by the floods a dry day in
:51:33. > :51:36.prospect and temperatures by the afternoon, 5-12. Through Monday
:51:37. > :51:39.night, bouts of rain pushing northwards and generally fizzling
:51:40. > :51:43.out. Not a strong enough jet stream to push the areas of low pressure
:51:44. > :51:46.which are lingering to the west at the moment. Because they are staying
:51:47. > :51:50.there, we are stuck with a south to south-easterly flow much that's
:51:51. > :51:52.important for parts of western Scotland, Northern Ireland,
:51:53. > :51:55.north-west England and north-west Wales, affording a bit of shelter
:51:56. > :51:59.from the rain. There won't be too much rain for many on Tuesday. Damp
:52:00. > :52:04.and drizzly for many to begin. Lots of cloud around. Brighter breaks in
:52:05. > :52:07.the north-western corner of the UK but later in the day, more rain to
:52:08. > :52:14.parts of south-west England and Wales. This time strengthening
:52:15. > :52:16.winds. All linked into a push of low pressure across England and Wales,
:52:17. > :52:20.and particular into the night on Wednesday. The winds easing down but
:52:21. > :52:25.a wet and windy start it the day on Wednesday. South-easterly winds mean
:52:26. > :52:28.it'll be east of the Pennines seeing highest rainfall totals. Given the
:52:29. > :52:31.fact the ground is saturated and river levels high, we have to
:52:32. > :52:35.monitor things closely. Temperatures above where they should be for the
:52:36. > :52:37.time of year. They'll rise further through Wednesday night into
:52:38. > :52:41.Thursday. Low pressure pushing towards Iceland and we drag in wibds
:52:42. > :52:44.all the way from the south. -- winds.
:52:45. > :52:48.Through the night, temperatures may not dip below the mid-teens in some
:52:49. > :52:53.parts. Only lifting a bit throughout the day. A cold front pushing
:52:54. > :52:57.eastwards. A shift on and not too much in the way of rainfall but any
:52:58. > :53:01.wave on that delaying its progress could push things over the edge so
:53:02. > :53:05.minor flooding could be possible. It turns quieter for a time through
:53:06. > :53:08.Thursday night into Friday. A ridge of high pressure moves N enough of a
:53:09. > :53:11.breeze. Breezy conditions to stop mist and fog in the morning. A
:53:12. > :53:16.little bit of sunshine around, perhaps one of the brighter of the
:53:17. > :53:19.days before more wet and windy weather towards the west. In Friday,
:53:20. > :53:32.active jet stream I'm in the White Peak of Derbyshire -
:53:33. > :53:37.limestone country. Earlier, I saw how the actions
:53:38. > :53:40.of time and the weather have carved out
:53:41. > :53:43.this landscape, but these forces
:53:44. > :53:46.didn't just shape the scenery, they shaped the lives of the people
:53:47. > :53:52.here and their industry. Now, below my feet
:53:53. > :53:55.are tunnels and caverns They're rich in minerals,
:53:56. > :54:07.glittering in the darkness. In the 18th century,
:54:08. > :54:10.men ventured deep into the earth to extract metal ores
:54:11. > :54:17.from under these hills. Here, near Castleton,
:54:18. > :54:22.the prize they were after was lead. 'John Harrison looks after
:54:23. > :54:30.Speedwell Cavern, a former lead mine, 'where miners went to extraordinary
:54:31. > :54:34.lengths to raid the earth.' I thought we'd have to do
:54:35. > :54:40.quite a bit of crawling. Watch your head, cos it's very low
:54:41. > :54:44.and very uneven. Hence the hard hat. Is that a hard cap you've got on
:54:45. > :54:53.there? It is. Oh, right, yeah. So, all this, then,
:54:54. > :54:56.that's above our heads, so they used black powder,
:54:57. > :55:03.pickaxes and chisels and it's 400 metres long,
:55:04. > :55:09.took five years to blast through. You can see all the pick marks,
:55:10. > :55:12.can't you? You can, yeah. you can see the grooves
:55:13. > :55:21.from the blast holes. This tunnel was driven
:55:22. > :55:24.to hit a specific point, where they could then use the
:55:25. > :55:27.rivers, the water from the rivers, to flood the tunnels and bring
:55:28. > :55:32.the lead out by boat. Yeah. as you're clanking your way through
:55:33. > :55:37.it to get to the point? And you think that they were just,
:55:38. > :55:39.you know, A very unpleasant place to work.
:55:40. > :55:43.Yes. Only four men
:55:44. > :55:46.worked on a shift down here and they did that with the aid
:55:47. > :55:48.of a young lad from the age of about seven,
:55:49. > :55:51.who was known as the bellows boy, and he would sit
:55:52. > :55:54.in a little alcove down here, pumping a pair of blacksmith's
:55:55. > :55:57.bellows, to circulate to help the men breathe
:55:58. > :56:03.and work all day. 'Finally, there really is
:56:04. > :56:11.a light at the end of the tunnel.' Right, so here we go.
:56:12. > :56:15.If you follow me off, Matt. Yeah. John, it's the final destination,
:56:16. > :56:25.then, of these miners? This is it - formed on one of these
:56:26. > :56:30.east-west running faultlines It's these faultlines that have
:56:31. > :56:36.filled up with the minerals, such as lead, sphalerite, fluorspar,
:56:37. > :56:41.calcite. And I can see... Is that a ladder, then? That's
:56:42. > :56:44.a ladder working all the way up, so the miners have followed
:56:45. > :56:49.the vein up the side of the wall. That is galena, lead sulphide,
:56:50. > :57:01.from this mine. These subterranean chambers
:57:02. > :57:05.still draw people deep underground, but, these days, you're more likely
:57:06. > :57:12.to see tourists than lead miners... ..and they come to see this -
:57:13. > :57:18.fluorspar. Right, where do you want me
:57:19. > :57:20.to start, then, John? 'Normally it glistens like a jewel,
:57:21. > :57:24.so when the crowds have gone, Quite beautiful, isn't it,
:57:25. > :57:29.when you see it close up? It really is, close up. You can see
:57:30. > :57:32.little lines of lead crystals running through it and all sorts.
:57:33. > :57:34.Yeah. Slowly come down the vein now
:57:35. > :57:42.and rinse all that dirty water off. Job's done, I think.
:57:43. > :57:44.You've done a cracking job. You've got to know when to stop.
:57:45. > :57:49.This is... You've got to know
:57:50. > :57:51.when to put that down. Oh, no, you just... Hey, you get
:57:52. > :57:56.yourself back down that tunnel. Go and get me a cup of tea,
:57:57. > :57:59.I'll be quite happy. It will be cold by the time
:58:00. > :58:01.you get out. Come on. Well, it might be a jet wash
:58:02. > :58:05.instead of a pickaxe, but when working underground,
:58:06. > :58:08.it's easy to imagine the people who lived their lives in the shadow
:58:09. > :58:13.of the mighty White Peak. I could quite happily stay down here
:58:14. > :58:16.jet washing for a while, so I'm going to say
:58:17. > :58:18.goodbye from here. Listen, that's all we've got
:58:19. > :58:21.time for from the White Peak. Next week, we're going to
:58:22. > :58:24.be in Cornwall in a place where they celebrate Christmas
:58:25. > :58:27.in a big way. We'll be helping get the tiny
:58:28. > :58:31.fishing village of Coverack Hope you'll join us
:58:32. > :58:36.for a real Christmas treat.