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The Lake District, a land of superlatives. | 0:00:34 | 0:00:37 | |
It's home to England's highest mountain... | 0:00:40 | 0:00:43 | |
..its deepest stretch of fresh water | 0:00:46 | 0:00:50 | |
and its longest stretch - | 0:00:50 | 0:00:53 | |
Windermere, jewel of the Lakes and a tourist magnet. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:56 | |
Every year, 16 million people come to the Lake District National Park | 0:00:56 | 0:01:00 | |
and they all have to get here | 0:01:00 | 0:01:02 | |
and once they're here, they've all got to get around. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:05 | |
In this special edition of Countryfile, | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
I'll be looking at different modes of transport. | 0:01:11 | 0:01:13 | |
And hopping on to some of them. | 0:01:15 | 0:01:17 | |
And while I'm here, I'll be looking back at some of the best ways | 0:01:17 | 0:01:20 | |
to travel that we have featured on Countryfile. | 0:01:20 | 0:01:23 | |
Keep your head down, that's the key, isn't it? | 0:01:23 | 0:01:25 | |
Like the time Matt learnt the ropes off the Furnace Peninsula. | 0:01:25 | 0:01:28 | |
Let's go sailing! | 0:01:28 | 0:01:30 | |
Or when Julia saddled up in Grizedale Forest. | 0:01:30 | 0:01:33 | |
Ouch. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:36 | |
Woo-hoo! | 0:01:36 | 0:01:37 | |
'And what happened to me when I revisited my youth.' | 0:01:38 | 0:01:41 | |
Riding like the wind! | 0:01:43 | 0:01:45 | |
The Lake District is a unique corner of England. | 0:01:58 | 0:02:01 | |
Nearly 900 square miles of dramatic scenery, | 0:02:01 | 0:02:06 | |
rough-hewn mountains, | 0:02:06 | 0:02:08 | |
fells and valleys that stretch as far as the eye can see. | 0:02:08 | 0:02:12 | |
My journey begins at Windermere's southern tip. | 0:02:12 | 0:02:16 | |
I'm travelling north by steam train, historic boat | 0:02:16 | 0:02:19 | |
and sheer effort to get to Orrest Head for a view that inspires | 0:02:19 | 0:02:23 | |
everyone who climbs to the top. | 0:02:23 | 0:02:24 | |
There are all sorts of ways to get round the Lake District | 0:02:31 | 0:02:34 | |
but the vast majority of visitors come by car. | 0:02:34 | 0:02:38 | |
And it's been that way ever | 0:02:38 | 0:02:39 | |
since the internal combustion engine was invented. | 0:02:39 | 0:02:43 | |
The gradients here were used for testing the first cars | 0:02:44 | 0:02:47 | |
and the Lakes themselves provided perfect conditions | 0:02:47 | 0:02:50 | |
for the water speed record-breaking attempts | 0:02:50 | 0:02:53 | |
of Sir Malcolm Campbell and his son Donald. | 0:02:53 | 0:02:56 | |
Both men are commemorated in the Lakeland Motor Museum. | 0:02:57 | 0:03:00 | |
Altogether, they captured 21 world land and water speed records. | 0:03:00 | 0:03:06 | |
Donald was tragically killed | 0:03:06 | 0:03:07 | |
attempting to break 300 miles an hour on nearby Coniston Water | 0:03:07 | 0:03:11 | |
one cold January day in 1967. | 0:03:11 | 0:03:15 | |
But they weren't the only ones to travel the Lakes in unusual craft. | 0:03:17 | 0:03:21 | |
This vehicle could also go on water | 0:03:21 | 0:03:23 | |
but it would never break any speed records. | 0:03:23 | 0:03:25 | |
It could, though, do seven knots out on the lake | 0:03:25 | 0:03:28 | |
and 70 miles an hour on the roads. | 0:03:28 | 0:03:30 | |
Engineer Chris Lowe is going to tell me all about it. | 0:03:30 | 0:03:33 | |
-Hi, Chris. -Hello. -It looks more car than boat. | 0:03:35 | 0:03:37 | |
How do you make it waterproof? | 0:03:37 | 0:03:39 | |
Well, there is a lever on each door here, which squeezes this | 0:03:39 | 0:03:42 | |
large rubber seal, and then once you're in the water, | 0:03:42 | 0:03:45 | |
just down here, is a little handle that engages the propeller. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:48 | |
-Oh, right. And it works, does it? -It does. | 0:03:48 | 0:03:52 | |
Did anybody actually use it round here? | 0:03:52 | 0:03:54 | |
There was an identical one on Belle Island | 0:03:54 | 0:03:55 | |
in the middle of Windermere, the only inhabited island. | 0:03:55 | 0:03:58 | |
The owners there wanted to go north up to Ambleside. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:01 | |
In the lake, up to the north, out they come. | 0:04:01 | 0:04:03 | |
Or wherever they fancy going that morning. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:06 | |
-And do you just steer it with the normal car wheel? -It does. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:08 | |
It just steers with the wheels in the water. | 0:04:08 | 0:04:10 | |
It has no separate rudder. | 0:04:10 | 0:04:12 | |
So, not very precise then? | 0:04:12 | 0:04:14 | |
Not particularly but OK on a quiet lake. | 0:04:14 | 0:04:17 | |
Not so good in the North Sea. | 0:04:17 | 0:04:19 | |
-Good for escaping the police if you want to. -Absolutely. | 0:04:19 | 0:04:22 | |
You have got a lot of traditional family cars here, haven't you, Chris? | 0:04:22 | 0:04:26 | |
Yes. Most of our customers, they don't want to see Ferraris and | 0:04:26 | 0:04:29 | |
the like, they want to see the car they grew up in the back seat of. | 0:04:29 | 0:04:32 | |
The car their uncle had, | 0:04:32 | 0:04:33 | |
those family holidays from the 1950s and '60s. | 0:04:33 | 0:04:36 | |
-Like this A35, eh? -Complete with folding boat. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:39 | |
But if you couldn't afford a full-size car, | 0:04:39 | 0:04:42 | |
you could always go with a motorbike and sidecar. | 0:04:42 | 0:04:44 | |
Traditional 1950s family transport. | 0:04:44 | 0:04:46 | |
Dad and Mum on the motorbike, and then the youngsters in here. | 0:04:46 | 0:04:50 | |
-In the days before seat belts. -Absolutely. | 0:04:50 | 0:04:53 | |
Well, as a young man, I couldn't afford a car | 0:04:55 | 0:04:57 | |
but I did love my motorbike. | 0:04:57 | 0:04:59 | |
It wasn't anywhere near as big or as powerful as this one | 0:04:59 | 0:05:03 | |
but last July I went to the Isle of Man, famous for its TT races, | 0:05:03 | 0:05:07 | |
for a little ride down memory lane. | 0:05:07 | 0:05:09 | |
I was in my late teens when I first came here to watch the TT races. | 0:05:12 | 0:05:16 | |
I came on my bike and this was it. My BSA Bantam 125. | 0:05:16 | 0:05:21 | |
Not very fast but I was tremendously proud of it. | 0:05:21 | 0:05:24 | |
And that is my sister sitting on the back there. She didn't come with me. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:28 | |
I came with a pal who had a much bigger bike, | 0:05:28 | 0:05:30 | |
and he had to keep stopping so I could catch up. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:33 | |
And, for old times' sake, I want to get back on one. | 0:05:33 | 0:05:36 | |
Well, I never thought I would see one of these again. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:40 | |
It's your lucky day, John. | 0:05:40 | 0:05:42 | |
As you might expect, there is no shortage of bikes on the island | 0:05:42 | 0:05:45 | |
and vintage bike collector Tony East has | 0:05:45 | 0:05:48 | |
brought along a couple of classic Bantams from 1949 and 1953. | 0:05:48 | 0:05:52 | |
I don't think today's generation realise just how important | 0:05:54 | 0:05:58 | |
Bantams were, Tony, to the likes of you and me. | 0:05:58 | 0:06:00 | |
No, they were absolutely vital. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:02 | |
-Everybody used to go to work on them. -All you could afford. | 0:06:02 | 0:06:06 | |
-Yes. -And they were all this green colour, weren't they? -Mist green. | 0:06:06 | 0:06:10 | |
-And everybody wanted a Bantam. -They did. -There's me on mine. | 0:06:10 | 0:06:14 | |
-Well, that's absolutely fantastic. -Did you have one? -Yes, I had one. | 0:06:14 | 0:06:17 | |
Did you come to the Isle of Man to watch the races? | 0:06:17 | 0:06:19 | |
Yeah, I used to come in the '60s. | 0:06:19 | 0:06:21 | |
I'd go round the circuit - not on race days, of course - | 0:06:21 | 0:06:24 | |
like everybody does. | 0:06:24 | 0:06:25 | |
But the Bantam was a bit slow going up the mountain. | 0:06:25 | 0:06:28 | |
There were some dodgy bits, weren't there? | 0:06:28 | 0:06:31 | |
-Remember that bridge? -Yeah, Ballaugh Bridge. | 0:06:31 | 0:06:33 | |
Over 30 miles an hour over Ballaugh, | 0:06:33 | 0:06:35 | |
particularly on these things, and you'd leave the ground. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:38 | |
Years ago, they used to station a police sergeant there with | 0:06:38 | 0:06:41 | |
his white helmet, with his stick, and you went over too fast - whack! | 0:06:41 | 0:06:46 | |
On your backside, just to teach you a lesson. | 0:06:46 | 0:06:48 | |
And there were some pretty flash bikes around, weren't there? | 0:06:48 | 0:06:51 | |
Not just the ones competing but the spectators bringing theirs as well. | 0:06:51 | 0:06:54 | |
-They looked down their noses a bit at us Bantam riders. -Oh, yeah. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:57 | |
Us Bantam riders, yes. | 0:06:57 | 0:06:59 | |
They'd forgotten that they'd probably owned them in the past. | 0:06:59 | 0:07:02 | |
I think they stopped being made in the early '60s. | 0:07:02 | 0:07:05 | |
But the noise of the engine is something I'll always remember. | 0:07:05 | 0:07:08 | |
-Yes, you do. -Any chance of going for a spin? -Of course there is. | 0:07:08 | 0:07:11 | |
ENGINE REVS NOISILY | 0:07:11 | 0:07:14 | |
Well, it's 50 years since I last rode a BSA Bantam | 0:07:15 | 0:07:19 | |
but they do say you never forget how to ride a bike. | 0:07:19 | 0:07:22 | |
Let's hope they're right. | 0:07:22 | 0:07:24 | |
Woo-hoo! | 0:07:26 | 0:07:27 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:07:27 | 0:07:29 | |
This is fantastic! | 0:07:29 | 0:07:30 | |
Oh, the years are rolling back. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:34 | |
This is instant transport to the days of my youth. | 0:07:34 | 0:07:37 | |
The freedom that the Bantam gave us all in those days. | 0:07:39 | 0:07:43 | |
We must be doing about 30 miles an hour now. | 0:07:45 | 0:07:47 | |
-This is life, isn't it? -Yes. | 0:07:49 | 0:07:51 | |
This is really moving as far as a Bantam's concerned. | 0:07:51 | 0:07:55 | |
Riding like the wind! | 0:07:56 | 0:07:58 | |
Whoa, bending it over a little bit. | 0:08:04 | 0:08:06 | |
Not done that for a while. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:07 | |
I had forgotten just what fun it is. What great fun. | 0:08:09 | 0:08:14 | |
'And I'm not the only one who thinks so. | 0:08:16 | 0:08:18 | |
'For the last 105 years,' | 0:08:18 | 0:08:20 | |
these quiet island lanes have been overrun by leather-clad bikers | 0:08:20 | 0:08:24 | |
ready to take on the challenge of the TT course. | 0:08:24 | 0:08:27 | |
Not for nothing has it been called | 0:08:27 | 0:08:29 | |
one of the greatest motorcycle sporting events in the world. | 0:08:29 | 0:08:32 | |
What I would love to do is re-ride the 37-and-three-quarter-mile | 0:08:34 | 0:08:37 | |
course like I used to all those years ago. | 0:08:37 | 0:08:40 | |
But I have only ever been round it on a dear old Bantam, | 0:08:42 | 0:08:46 | |
so maybe this time something a little bit more powerful. | 0:08:46 | 0:08:49 | |
Something like this. A Supertrike. | 0:08:52 | 0:08:55 | |
Now I can let somebody who really knows the course | 0:08:55 | 0:08:58 | |
do the driving and I can sit back and enjoy. | 0:08:58 | 0:09:01 | |
As a passenger for once, I get to admire the views. | 0:09:07 | 0:09:10 | |
And what views they are, whatever the weather. | 0:09:10 | 0:09:14 | |
The course snakes through picturesque villages and stunning countryside | 0:09:14 | 0:09:18 | |
and up towards the summit of the island's only mountain, Snaefell. | 0:09:18 | 0:09:22 | |
'It's bends like this, known as the hairpin, | 0:09:25 | 0:09:27 | |
'that challenge the most experienced of riders.' | 0:09:27 | 0:09:30 | |
-Exhilarating, Andy. Thank you very much indeed. -My pleasure. | 0:09:39 | 0:09:43 | |
-It's my pleasure. -It really makes you realise, doesn't it, | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
just how demanding this course is? | 0:09:46 | 0:09:48 | |
Yes, it's 37 and three quarter miles long and it's very much | 0:09:48 | 0:09:51 | |
man and machine against the course. | 0:09:51 | 0:09:53 | |
And it seems to me to be much faster than it was in my day. | 0:09:53 | 0:09:56 | |
Certainly, there are certain things being done to the course | 0:09:56 | 0:09:58 | |
all the time that improve the speed and improve the safety | 0:09:58 | 0:10:01 | |
of the course as well, which is the most important thing. | 0:10:01 | 0:10:03 | |
So, what's the top speed these days? | 0:10:03 | 0:10:05 | |
They're doing well over 200 miles an hour in certain places. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:08 | |
Around here is roughly the fastest part of the course, | 0:10:08 | 0:10:11 | |
coming down off the mountain. | 0:10:11 | 0:10:12 | |
-Well, onwards, Andy. -Onwards. -Onwards. | 0:10:12 | 0:10:15 | |
There's no doubt that on race days the Isle of Man is a great | 0:10:22 | 0:10:25 | |
showcase for motorcycling skills. | 0:10:25 | 0:10:28 | |
But the Lake District can provide its fair share | 0:10:28 | 0:10:31 | |
of thrills on two wheels. | 0:10:31 | 0:10:33 | |
And you don't need an engine to experience them. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:36 | |
Long before the car was invented, | 0:10:38 | 0:10:40 | |
people were travelling round the Lake District by bicycle. | 0:10:40 | 0:10:43 | |
Well, bikes really opened up the Lakes, didn't they, | 0:10:44 | 0:10:47 | |
-to ordinary people? -Absolutely. | 0:10:47 | 0:10:48 | |
There was a huge boom in cycling in the 1880s. | 0:10:48 | 0:10:51 | |
This is a Penny Farthing that the young gentlemen tended to ride. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:53 | |
They'd bring them up on the train and travel the route ways | 0:10:53 | 0:10:56 | |
of the Lake District, enjoying the scenery. | 0:10:56 | 0:10:58 | |
-And for the, shall we say, more sensible gentleman... -Uh-huh. | 0:10:58 | 0:11:01 | |
..you have three wheels on your tricycle here. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:05 | |
A safety version of the Penny Farthing, really? | 0:11:05 | 0:11:08 | |
-Absolutely. It's a little difficult to get on. -How DO you get on? | 0:11:08 | 0:11:11 | |
You turn backwards and then you put your right foot on the right pedal | 0:11:11 | 0:11:16 | |
and lift yourself up into position. | 0:11:16 | 0:11:18 | |
HE GROANS | 0:11:19 | 0:11:21 | |
-It's not so easy, is it? -Certainly not. Not all that comfortable either. | 0:11:21 | 0:11:25 | |
-Have you worked out the steering? -No, no idea. | 0:11:25 | 0:11:28 | |
-As you turn the handle, say, clockwise... -This one? -Yeah. | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
..the front wheel turns one way and the back wheel turns the other. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:34 | |
Very simple. And how did you know where to go? | 0:11:34 | 0:11:36 | |
Because there weren't guides in those days, were there? | 0:11:36 | 0:11:39 | |
They had little guide books. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:40 | |
It shows you the steepness of the hills. | 0:11:40 | 0:11:42 | |
Very important, especially on something like this. | 0:11:42 | 0:11:45 | |
And also the locations of the friendly inns, | 0:11:45 | 0:11:48 | |
cos not everybody liked the newfangled bicycle and tricycle. | 0:11:48 | 0:11:51 | |
-Why not? -They thought they would scare the horses | 0:11:51 | 0:11:54 | |
and they were more old-fashioned, like their horses and carriages. | 0:11:54 | 0:11:58 | |
And cycling in the Lakes is still as popular as ever. | 0:12:00 | 0:12:03 | |
Just beyond those fells, there is the Grizedale Forest, | 0:12:06 | 0:12:09 | |
the Lake District's biggest stretch of woodland | 0:12:09 | 0:12:11 | |
and, last August, Julia went there and jumped into the saddle to see | 0:12:11 | 0:12:15 | |
just how much fun you can have on two wheels. | 0:12:15 | 0:12:18 | |
Ouch! | 0:12:18 | 0:12:20 | |
'Grizedale is famed for its excellent cycling, | 0:12:21 | 0:12:24 | |
'with bespoke cycle tracks both on and off-road. ' | 0:12:24 | 0:12:26 | |
There are about a dozen trails for riders of just about every ability. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:31 | |
Beginners, riders in good health, it says here, | 0:12:31 | 0:12:34 | |
proficient mountain bikers, experts. | 0:12:34 | 0:12:36 | |
And this is a sinuous, adrenalising section | 0:12:36 | 0:12:39 | |
of single-track descent with a leg-burning climb. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:42 | |
Oh, no thank you. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:44 | |
Sounds like really hard work. | 0:12:44 | 0:12:46 | |
'I'm off to explore the flatter parts of this enchanting forest | 0:12:47 | 0:12:51 | |
'and, best of all, I get to soak up the views along the way. | 0:12:51 | 0:12:54 | |
'And, no, not just those views. | 0:12:56 | 0:12:58 | |
'There are some rather more curious ones here too.' | 0:12:58 | 0:13:01 | |
Couldn't resist. | 0:13:03 | 0:13:05 | |
MUSIC BOX MUSIC TINKLES | 0:13:09 | 0:13:14 | |
That's quite spooky, isn't it? | 0:13:18 | 0:13:20 | |
I know what Matt Baker would say now. | 0:13:22 | 0:13:25 | |
He'd say, "That's a bit of a wind-up." | 0:13:25 | 0:13:27 | |
In 1977, Grizedale became the UK's first forest for sculptures. | 0:13:33 | 0:13:38 | |
Very ahead of its time. | 0:13:38 | 0:13:39 | |
Many of the early sculptures have decayed | 0:13:41 | 0:13:43 | |
but the Forestry Commission is working | 0:13:43 | 0:13:46 | |
with the next generation of artists | 0:13:46 | 0:13:48 | |
to develop new works. | 0:13:48 | 0:13:49 | |
They are beautiful. | 0:13:51 | 0:13:53 | |
Fantastic piece, isn't it? | 0:13:53 | 0:13:55 | |
What does it represent then, Hayley? | 0:13:59 | 0:14:01 | |
Well, I think the real sort of inspiration behind the work is | 0:14:01 | 0:14:04 | |
the forest environment itself. | 0:14:04 | 0:14:06 | |
All the sculptors that came here have made pieces in response | 0:14:06 | 0:14:09 | |
to particular locations that they found. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:11 | |
-And it's carved out of wood, isn't it? -That's right. | 0:14:11 | 0:14:13 | |
A lot of the artists that came here | 0:14:13 | 0:14:15 | |
made work from natural materials in the forest. | 0:14:15 | 0:14:18 | |
So wood and stone are the most often found materials. | 0:14:18 | 0:14:21 | |
This would be timber from the forest and it is a carved piece | 0:14:21 | 0:14:25 | |
and it has actually been preserved by being wet all the time, | 0:14:25 | 0:14:28 | |
believe it or not. | 0:14:28 | 0:14:29 | |
It's a bit counter-intuitive but because it doesn't get wet | 0:14:29 | 0:14:31 | |
and then dry out, that's actually making the wood last longer. | 0:14:31 | 0:14:34 | |
And how many pieces have you got | 0:14:34 | 0:14:36 | |
scattered around and throughout the forest? | 0:14:36 | 0:14:38 | |
There are about 60 works in the forest at the moment. | 0:14:38 | 0:14:41 | |
If I wanted to do a tour of every single work of art within the forest | 0:14:41 | 0:14:45 | |
how long do you think it would take me? | 0:14:45 | 0:14:47 | |
Well, we reckon about three days to get around all of them | 0:14:47 | 0:14:50 | |
so it's maybe a holiday rather than a day visit | 0:14:50 | 0:14:52 | |
-if you want to see all of them. -Favourite? Your favourite? | 0:14:52 | 0:14:55 | |
Oh, there's lots. | 0:14:55 | 0:14:56 | |
Lots for different reasons as well and at different times of year. | 0:14:56 | 0:14:59 | |
But I think the work behind this is fantastic | 0:14:59 | 0:15:01 | |
cos all the excitement and drama of the landscape | 0:15:01 | 0:15:03 | |
has been incorporated into the work. | 0:15:03 | 0:15:06 | |
-Can we just have five minutes just to look at it? -Yeah. -OK. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:09 | |
Just five minutes, though. | 0:15:14 | 0:15:16 | |
If I want to make it round to the rest of them | 0:15:16 | 0:15:18 | |
I'd better get pedalling. | 0:15:18 | 0:15:19 | |
Grizedale Forest has dozens of purpose-built biking trails | 0:15:25 | 0:15:29 | |
for all abilities. | 0:15:29 | 0:15:30 | |
Well, I've had a little whirl on the red trail | 0:15:32 | 0:15:35 | |
and I have to say, I think that's probably about my limit. | 0:15:35 | 0:15:37 | |
That is the much tougher black trail, the toughest of them all, | 0:15:37 | 0:15:41 | |
and I'm going to leave that to the professionals. | 0:15:41 | 0:15:44 | |
I don't want to scrape my knee. | 0:15:44 | 0:15:45 | |
It hurts when you get the grit under your skin. | 0:15:45 | 0:15:48 | |
This trail is a magnet for adrenaline junkies. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:53 | |
The pros can pick up speeds | 0:16:02 | 0:16:03 | |
of more than 40 miles an hour down these runs. | 0:16:03 | 0:16:06 | |
Local biker Paul Noble runs a bike shop in the heart of the forest. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:14 | |
I know I said that this was a tough track but, really, | 0:16:14 | 0:16:17 | |
how tricky is it, Paul? | 0:16:17 | 0:16:19 | |
It's not that unsafe once you've learnt how to look after yourself. | 0:16:19 | 0:16:22 | |
But it'd be dangerous if you were a novice | 0:16:22 | 0:16:24 | |
-and tried to have a go? -Absolutely. Yes, absolutely. | 0:16:24 | 0:16:26 | |
If you just turned up here on any old bike and threw yourself at it, | 0:16:26 | 0:16:29 | |
you'll end up in a pile and it won't be nice. | 0:16:29 | 0:16:31 | |
It's a real community project, this, isn't it? Built with love. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:40 | |
It was indeed, yeah. | 0:16:40 | 0:16:41 | |
It was something that the locals wanted and they really badly wanted | 0:16:41 | 0:16:44 | |
and the Forestry gave them permission to build it | 0:16:44 | 0:16:47 | |
and helped with it and it turned out it was a real community project. | 0:16:47 | 0:16:50 | |
We had lads as young as 12 | 0:16:50 | 0:16:51 | |
and people as old as 60s helping out with it. | 0:16:51 | 0:16:53 | |
It's a superb addition to the forest, no doubt. | 0:16:53 | 0:16:56 | |
Oh! Speedy Gonzales! | 0:17:00 | 0:17:03 | |
It certainly looks great fun whizzing downhill but... | 0:17:03 | 0:17:08 | |
If you don't fancy struggling up these hills by pedal power | 0:17:09 | 0:17:12 | |
and sitting for hours in a car just doesn't appeal, | 0:17:12 | 0:17:16 | |
well, you could always let the train take the strain. | 0:17:16 | 0:17:19 | |
The next stage of my journey revisits the glorious age of steam. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:25 | |
The Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway is run as a tourist attraction now | 0:17:26 | 0:17:30 | |
but in its day it serviced a thriving industrial centre | 0:17:30 | 0:17:34 | |
right here at the southern end of Windermere. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:36 | |
Day-trippers and holiday-makers soon cottoned on | 0:17:39 | 0:17:42 | |
to the delights of this place, and they flocked here | 0:17:42 | 0:17:45 | |
from the mill towns of Lancashire and from far beyond. | 0:17:45 | 0:17:48 | |
And they still come. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:50 | |
In fact, people come here from as far away as China | 0:17:51 | 0:17:54 | |
to travel on these historic trains. And it's not hard to see why. | 0:17:54 | 0:17:58 | |
WHISTLE BLOWS | 0:17:58 | 0:18:00 | |
After the line closed in 1967, | 0:18:00 | 0:18:02 | |
it was bought by the manager of a Lancashire cotton mill, Austin Maher. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:07 | |
I'm here to meet his son, Mike, who's now the managing director. | 0:18:07 | 0:18:10 | |
Mike, how come your dad bought a railway, then? | 0:18:10 | 0:18:14 | |
That's a very good question. I think opportunity knocked, really. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:20 | |
He was always very enthusiastic, right from being a child, | 0:18:20 | 0:18:25 | |
very enthusiastic railwayman. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:27 | |
He had a railway at the bottom of the garden, practically. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:30 | |
As he got older, and had the ability | 0:18:30 | 0:18:33 | |
to buy himself a camera, he set off filming | 0:18:33 | 0:18:36 | |
locally and elsewhere on the basis that steam was going to die out. | 0:18:36 | 0:18:41 | |
This was about 1960. | 0:18:41 | 0:18:43 | |
He didn't just take pictures of steam trains, he took pictures of you too. | 0:18:50 | 0:18:54 | |
He did, yes, some delightful pictures of little me. Yes. | 0:18:54 | 0:18:57 | |
And you have more or less now inherited your father's enthusiasm | 0:19:02 | 0:19:06 | |
-for steam trains. -I appear to have done, yes. | 0:19:06 | 0:19:10 | |
I think I talked myself into it, really. | 0:19:10 | 0:19:12 | |
When I first started at the railway in 1981, my dad bought me | 0:19:12 | 0:19:15 | |
a chainsaw and I started tidying up | 0:19:15 | 0:19:18 | |
because at that time you wouldn't have been able to see anything. | 0:19:18 | 0:19:21 | |
The trees were brushing the side of the train, really. | 0:19:21 | 0:19:24 | |
We managed to push it back to the fence line and now we've got a view | 0:19:24 | 0:19:28 | |
and I don't get my chainsaw out very often now, I am pleased to say. | 0:19:28 | 0:19:33 | |
There's something magical, isn't there, about a steam train? | 0:19:33 | 0:19:36 | |
People always have the windows open. You can smell the smoke. | 0:19:36 | 0:19:40 | |
The grit and the smell of sulphur, yes. They are magical things. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:45 | |
Steam trains live on, | 0:19:45 | 0:19:46 | |
captivating the minds of people of all ages and of all nationalities, | 0:19:46 | 0:19:50 | |
especially those of us lucky enough to remember them in all their pomp. | 0:19:50 | 0:19:54 | |
But transport doesn't need to be from a bygone age | 0:19:56 | 0:19:59 | |
to lure people into the countryside, | 0:19:59 | 0:20:01 | |
as Ellie discovered when she headed to Loch Lomond, | 0:20:01 | 0:20:04 | |
the winter before last. | 0:20:04 | 0:20:05 | |
Not many people brave these waters at this time of year. | 0:20:07 | 0:20:10 | |
Biting cold and rain keep the hordes of tourists away, | 0:20:10 | 0:20:13 | |
leaving it unusually peaceful. | 0:20:13 | 0:20:16 | |
But even cold weather like this doesn't deter the locals | 0:20:16 | 0:20:20 | |
because they found an eco-friendly way of breathing life | 0:20:20 | 0:20:23 | |
back into the loch on a winter's day. | 0:20:23 | 0:20:26 | |
These electric scooters are a more familiar sight around cities, | 0:20:32 | 0:20:36 | |
but here in Scotland they've found a new use for them - offroading. | 0:20:36 | 0:20:39 | |
Right, it's my turn now. | 0:20:39 | 0:20:41 | |
Apparently, it's one of the best ways to see the loch. | 0:20:41 | 0:20:44 | |
-All right there, Ben. -Hello. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:46 | |
So get me started on one of these. | 0:20:46 | 0:20:48 | |
Right, first things first, you need one of these to protect your head. | 0:20:48 | 0:20:52 | |
You stand with your feet on each of these contact points. | 0:20:52 | 0:20:56 | |
If you start to lean forward slightly and move your weight | 0:20:56 | 0:21:00 | |
beyond where the wheels are touching the ground, | 0:21:00 | 0:21:02 | |
-it'll start to roll forwards. -Off I go! -It's got no brakes. -Oh... | 0:21:02 | 0:21:06 | |
..so if you kept going, you might get wet. | 0:21:06 | 0:21:08 | |
-So, if you just centre your weight again. -Just stand up a bit more. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:11 | |
There you go. Are you going to take me to see the sights? | 0:21:11 | 0:21:15 | |
-Yes, we'll go for a ride along the beach, round the woods. -Let's do it. | 0:21:15 | 0:21:19 | |
Ben leads loch safaris on these and I need the practice, | 0:21:24 | 0:21:27 | |
as later I'll be racing Matt on one. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:30 | |
It's a funny thing cos it's now being associated with | 0:21:30 | 0:21:32 | |
the skateboarding crowd, | 0:21:32 | 0:21:34 | |
which isn't necessarily what you'd expect from these things. | 0:21:34 | 0:21:37 | |
Generally, it's the people that snowboard, skateboard, | 0:21:37 | 0:21:40 | |
BMX, skiers, they're the ones that want to try the new stuff. | 0:21:40 | 0:21:44 | |
The good thing is they're not noisy, not churning out fumes, | 0:21:44 | 0:21:48 | |
-they're not petrol-based. -No petrol, they don't churn up the ground | 0:21:48 | 0:21:52 | |
cos you can't wheelspin them. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:54 | |
If you manage to do a wheelspin, you're doing something wrong. | 0:21:54 | 0:21:57 | |
-How fast do they go? -About 12.5mph. -Oh, dizzy speeds! -Yes. | 0:21:57 | 0:22:02 | |
Let's just say, hypothetically speaking, | 0:22:02 | 0:22:04 | |
I wanted to beat somebody at a race - | 0:22:04 | 0:22:07 | |
Matt Baker - what would be your tips for me to win? | 0:22:07 | 0:22:11 | |
We could sort something out that means that you will definitely win. | 0:22:11 | 0:22:14 | |
-Dirty tactics? -Yeah. -That's more like it. | 0:22:14 | 0:22:17 | |
Don't tell Matt, but the speed of these scooters can be restricted | 0:22:17 | 0:22:21 | |
to a measly 6mph. | 0:22:21 | 0:22:23 | |
Now, Ben has promised me a spectacular view of Loch Lomond. | 0:22:29 | 0:22:33 | |
Oddly, though, he seems to be taking me to the nearest tee. | 0:22:33 | 0:22:37 | |
But this is no ordinary golf course. | 0:22:37 | 0:22:39 | |
It's part of the national park and we've been given special permission | 0:22:39 | 0:22:43 | |
to explore it in this way. | 0:22:43 | 0:22:45 | |
Ho-ho! Look at the view! | 0:22:45 | 0:22:47 | |
-Incredible, isn't it? -That's awesome, even on a rainy day. | 0:22:47 | 0:22:50 | |
-Almost makes me want to convert to golf. -Nearly. -Not really. | 0:22:50 | 0:22:54 | |
I love that! | 0:22:54 | 0:22:57 | |
The site of this golf course is so special | 0:22:57 | 0:23:00 | |
it has its own countryside ranger, James Elliott. | 0:23:00 | 0:23:03 | |
-Hi, James. How are you doing? -Hi, Ellie, how are you? -I'm good. | 0:23:03 | 0:23:07 | |
Apologies for the random arrival. I'll have to power this thing down. | 0:23:07 | 0:23:10 | |
What are you doing here? | 0:23:10 | 0:23:12 | |
I'm planting some oak trees here along with some other | 0:23:12 | 0:23:15 | |
native broadleaves just to replace these Sitka spruce | 0:23:15 | 0:23:18 | |
that have been recently felled. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:20 | |
What's wrong with the spruce? Why have they come down? | 0:23:20 | 0:23:23 | |
Spruce are actually non-native to Britain. | 0:23:23 | 0:23:25 | |
They provide pretty poor habitat for wildlife. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:29 | |
Oakwood, on the other hand, has the most biodiverse habitat in Britain. | 0:23:29 | 0:23:33 | |
You've got quite an unusual job - you're a ranger at a golf course. | 0:23:33 | 0:23:36 | |
That's quite specific, isn't it? | 0:23:36 | 0:23:38 | |
Yes, it might seem unusual, but when you think about it, | 0:23:38 | 0:23:40 | |
this golf course takes up a very large chunk of land. | 0:23:40 | 0:23:43 | |
Only a proportion of that is actually used for the game of golf. | 0:23:43 | 0:23:46 | |
The rest of it, we've got woodlands, wetlands, native grasslands. | 0:23:46 | 0:23:51 | |
And the landscape here is amazing. | 0:23:51 | 0:23:53 | |
Where we are at the moment is | 0:23:53 | 0:23:55 | |
right on the boundary between the Highlands and the Lowlands. | 0:23:55 | 0:23:59 | |
-Right here? -Yes. | 0:23:59 | 0:24:01 | |
So, going back 450 million years ago, | 0:24:01 | 0:24:03 | |
these were two different continents. | 0:24:03 | 0:24:05 | |
They came together and if we look at the islands going right across | 0:24:05 | 0:24:09 | |
the loch, that's the crumple zone of where these two continents met. | 0:24:09 | 0:24:13 | |
-It's amazing, isn't it? -Yes, it's fantastic. | 0:24:13 | 0:24:16 | |
It's all very well admiring it from up here, | 0:24:16 | 0:24:18 | |
but it's time to get myself back to shore for the big race. | 0:24:18 | 0:24:22 | |
Look at this, Highlands... Lowlands. | 0:24:22 | 0:24:25 | |
Whay! Highlands... | 0:24:25 | 0:24:28 | |
Lowlands. SHE LAUGHS | 0:24:28 | 0:24:31 | |
And Ben is going to be our umpire. | 0:24:31 | 0:24:34 | |
You are going to love this. | 0:24:34 | 0:24:35 | |
-Where is the other half of your quad? -Oh, no, no! | 0:24:35 | 0:24:39 | |
-This is completely different. Do you want a quick lesson? -I do! Why not? | 0:24:39 | 0:24:43 | |
Why not two more wheels? So stand on first. | 0:24:43 | 0:24:46 | |
-How do you go forwards, then? -Lean your whole body forward. | 0:24:46 | 0:24:49 | |
-We're going to go for a race, if you're up for it. -Yes! | 0:24:49 | 0:24:53 | |
Where are we going to race? First round the loch? | 0:24:53 | 0:24:55 | |
No, first to the end of the big, big puddle. | 0:24:55 | 0:24:58 | |
-Ben is going to start us off. -Oh, hello, Ben! I didn't see you there! | 0:24:58 | 0:25:03 | |
Can I get you both level, so it's a fair, even playing field? | 0:25:03 | 0:25:07 | |
-Are you ready? -Ready. -Go! | 0:25:07 | 0:25:09 | |
-And there's the lean. -Yeah, have some of that! | 0:25:09 | 0:25:13 | |
-I'm slowing down. -Do you want me to wait for you, Matt? | 0:25:13 | 0:25:17 | |
How do you make it go faster? I'm hanging over the bars, it keeps... | 0:25:17 | 0:25:21 | |
-I'm leaning forwards and it's... -It's a first on Countryfile! | 0:25:21 | 0:25:25 | |
-I'm beating Matt at something! -Oh! -Here comes a puddle! | 0:25:25 | 0:25:29 | |
Ooh-la-la-la-la! I win! Woo-hoo! | 0:25:30 | 0:25:35 | |
Ooh, here he comes, slowly. WHISTLES | 0:25:36 | 0:25:40 | |
Proper leaning forwards, this is rubbish! | 0:25:40 | 0:25:44 | |
How were you going that fast? | 0:25:46 | 0:25:49 | |
-Do you know what, Matt? -What? -I've got to tell you something. | 0:25:49 | 0:25:52 | |
-Go on. Have you got a little trick? -I had the limiter taken off mine. | 0:25:52 | 0:25:57 | |
-You're kidding me. -It's dirty play, it's dirty play! -What a surprise. | 0:25:57 | 0:26:02 | |
Right, can we swap now and I have a go on one without the limiter? | 0:26:02 | 0:26:05 | |
It's only fair. | 0:26:05 | 0:26:07 | |
Well, this train's got a limiter on it, | 0:26:10 | 0:26:12 | |
it's only allowed to do 25 miles an hour maximum. | 0:26:12 | 0:26:16 | |
Usually it's round about 17 miles an hour. | 0:26:16 | 0:26:18 | |
Time to see the grass grow. | 0:26:18 | 0:26:20 | |
I'm on my way through the Lake District, | 0:26:21 | 0:26:24 | |
following a route that's been travelled for well over 100 years. | 0:26:24 | 0:26:29 | |
The railway was built to link up with the steamers on Windermere. | 0:26:29 | 0:26:33 | |
They were also a product of the Industrial Revolution. | 0:26:33 | 0:26:36 | |
At the time, not everyone was pleased about them. | 0:26:36 | 0:26:39 | |
In the 1840s, one of the Lake District's most famous residents, | 0:26:43 | 0:26:46 | |
William Wordsworth, campaigned vigorously against plans | 0:26:46 | 0:26:50 | |
for Windermere to have its first steamer. | 0:26:50 | 0:26:52 | |
He didn't get his way | 0:26:52 | 0:26:54 | |
and the steamers have been plying their genteel trade ever since. | 0:26:54 | 0:26:59 | |
In a moment, I'll be following in royal footsteps as I hop aboard. | 0:27:02 | 0:27:06 | |
Before then, here's what's still to come | 0:27:06 | 0:27:09 | |
on this special travel edition of Countryfile. | 0:27:09 | 0:27:12 | |
We look back at Matt's turn in a very special boat. | 0:27:14 | 0:27:17 | |
That thing is going at the pace of nature though, | 0:27:17 | 0:27:19 | |
that's the beauty of it. | 0:27:19 | 0:27:21 | |
-The pace of the wind, yes. -Yes. | 0:27:21 | 0:27:22 | |
Remember when Ellie took to the Pennine Way | 0:27:24 | 0:27:26 | |
with one of our greatest poets? | 0:27:26 | 0:27:28 | |
And we journey again in style with Katie on Evesham's Blossom Trail. | 0:27:30 | 0:27:35 | |
For me, part of the appeal of this trail | 0:27:35 | 0:27:37 | |
is the picturesque countryside that it passes through. | 0:27:37 | 0:27:40 | |
It is incredibly pretty. | 0:27:40 | 0:27:42 | |
For the next stage of my journey, | 0:27:44 | 0:27:46 | |
I've stepped on board a boat with a royal pedigree. | 0:27:46 | 0:27:49 | |
In 1956, the Queen came to the Lake District | 0:27:50 | 0:27:53 | |
as part of the long-running celebrations to mark her Coronation. | 0:27:53 | 0:27:57 | |
And she and the Duke of Edinburgh sailed on this very boat, the Teal. | 0:27:57 | 0:28:02 | |
Here on Windermere, | 0:28:03 | 0:28:05 | |
they're still waiting for the Queen to make a return visit. | 0:28:05 | 0:28:08 | |
In the meantime, Windermere has visited the Queen. | 0:28:08 | 0:28:11 | |
I'm talking to the local man who was chosen to be its skipper | 0:28:12 | 0:28:16 | |
when one of its boats joined the flotilla | 0:28:16 | 0:28:19 | |
in Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee pageant. | 0:28:19 | 0:28:22 | |
He's Captain Ron Walker. | 0:28:22 | 0:28:24 | |
-You took part, didn't you, in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations... -Yes. | 0:28:24 | 0:28:28 | |
-..with one of these boats? -Yes, we had the Queen Of The Lake, | 0:28:28 | 0:28:33 | |
which was a traditional Windermere launch. | 0:28:33 | 0:28:37 | |
The other connection was that Prince Charles had been on it when he came | 0:28:37 | 0:28:42 | |
up to open the businesses after the floods, the floods from Cockermouth. | 0:28:42 | 0:28:46 | |
It was quite an experience and honour to be asked to go as skipper on the boat. | 0:28:48 | 0:28:52 | |
The Queen Of The Lake was hoisted out of the water | 0:28:53 | 0:28:56 | |
and transported by road to London, where she proudly took her place | 0:28:56 | 0:28:59 | |
in the biggest party seen on the Thames | 0:28:59 | 0:29:02 | |
since the monarchy was restored with Charles II 350 years ago. | 0:29:02 | 0:29:07 | |
One of my, I suppose, greatest memories | 0:29:08 | 0:29:10 | |
was the sheer number of people. | 0:29:10 | 0:29:15 | |
And there were so many umbrellas. | 0:29:15 | 0:29:17 | |
And every time we went under a bridge, | 0:29:17 | 0:29:19 | |
the enthusiasm was fantastic. | 0:29:19 | 0:29:21 | |
But what an honour for a Lake District boat | 0:29:21 | 0:29:25 | |
to be in the Diamond Jubilee parade. | 0:29:25 | 0:29:28 | |
It was, it was the honour of being able to go and skipper the boat. | 0:29:28 | 0:29:32 | |
This boat, the Teal, was built just a few miles west of here | 0:29:36 | 0:29:39 | |
in Barrow-in-Furness, one of the country's great shipbuilding centres. | 0:29:39 | 0:29:44 | |
Last summer, Matt went to Barrow to find out all about renovating | 0:29:44 | 0:29:49 | |
a little boat and building some very big ones. | 0:29:49 | 0:29:52 | |
Now, this is the Royal Navy's latest submarine. | 0:29:54 | 0:29:57 | |
It's nearing completion and it's absolutely massive. | 0:29:57 | 0:29:59 | |
'Making these magnificent machines here not only takes advantage | 0:30:00 | 0:30:04 | |
'of generations of local shipbuilding talent, | 0:30:04 | 0:30:07 | |
'but also the make-up of the surrounding land.' | 0:30:07 | 0:30:10 | |
The banks of the Barrow sit on a deep water channel | 0:30:14 | 0:30:16 | |
which means big ships and submarines can sail in and out of here | 0:30:16 | 0:30:20 | |
to the open sea. | 0:30:20 | 0:30:22 | |
This area is constantly on the move. | 0:30:22 | 0:30:24 | |
And this channel is only kept open | 0:30:24 | 0:30:27 | |
by the lads I'm about to meet. | 0:30:27 | 0:30:29 | |
'The crew of the Norma | 0:30:31 | 0:30:33 | |
'are part of a team of dredgers who work all year round | 0:30:33 | 0:30:35 | |
'to keep this 40-foot deep channel clear. | 0:30:35 | 0:30:39 | |
'I'm heading out to get a closer look at her, | 0:30:39 | 0:30:42 | |
'with the man in charge of the operation.' | 0:30:42 | 0:30:45 | |
What's Norma up to out here, Bob? | 0:30:45 | 0:30:48 | |
The Norma is a plough vessel. | 0:30:48 | 0:30:50 | |
It's about ten metres wide | 0:30:50 | 0:30:52 | |
and this is the final process in the dredging campaign this year. | 0:30:52 | 0:30:56 | |
What's been going on in the past few weeks? | 0:30:56 | 0:30:59 | |
The main channel dredgers are much bigger vessels | 0:30:59 | 0:31:02 | |
and they come in and take up the material off the bottom. | 0:31:02 | 0:31:06 | |
This tends to leave quite deep furrows, | 0:31:06 | 0:31:09 | |
a bit like a ploughed field, | 0:31:09 | 0:31:10 | |
-on the bottom of the channel... -I'm with you. | 0:31:10 | 0:31:13 | |
-..Which we like to level off. -That's where the Norma comes in? | 0:31:13 | 0:31:16 | |
That's absolutely it. | 0:31:16 | 0:31:17 | |
How much stuff are you taking out, then? | 0:31:17 | 0:31:19 | |
It's quite a lot. It's well in excess of a million tonnes this year. | 0:31:19 | 0:31:23 | |
'It was the clearing of this deep-sea channel | 0:31:25 | 0:31:28 | |
'that secured Barrow's place as the shipbuilding capital | 0:31:28 | 0:31:31 | |
'of this coast. | 0:31:31 | 0:31:32 | |
'But as Barrow rose, | 0:31:34 | 0:31:36 | |
'it was at the cost of its smaller neighbour, Ulverston.' | 0:31:36 | 0:31:40 | |
So fine were the boats that were built in Ulverston, they were sold all over the country. | 0:31:40 | 0:31:44 | |
But as the deep waters of Barrow lured more industrial, bigger loads, | 0:31:44 | 0:31:48 | |
the boatyards in Ulverston were forced to close | 0:31:48 | 0:31:51 | |
and up until recently, | 0:31:51 | 0:31:53 | |
it was thought all trace of the vessels built there | 0:31:53 | 0:31:56 | |
had been lost. | 0:31:56 | 0:31:58 | |
'That was until one woman stumbled across the story | 0:32:00 | 0:32:03 | |
'of the Hearts of Oak - | 0:32:03 | 0:32:04 | |
'the last boat to set sail from Ulverston shipyards.' | 0:32:04 | 0:32:08 | |
Jennifer, how did your connection with the Hearts Of Oak start? | 0:32:08 | 0:32:11 | |
You're not exactly a mad boat fan, are you? | 0:32:11 | 0:32:13 | |
I certainly aren't, no. | 0:32:13 | 0:32:15 | |
It quite horrifies me, really, to think of going in deep water. | 0:32:15 | 0:32:19 | |
The boat? Well, | 0:32:19 | 0:32:21 | |
we began in 1977, when I visited an old man called John Wilson, | 0:32:21 | 0:32:25 | |
who lived quite near us. | 0:32:25 | 0:32:27 | |
He told us about Hearts of Oak and showed me a picture of it. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:31 | |
I kept thinking about Hearts of Oak | 0:32:31 | 0:32:34 | |
and that she was built in Ulverston. | 0:32:34 | 0:32:37 | |
I thought, "Really, she needs restoring." | 0:32:37 | 0:32:40 | |
Did you know where she was? | 0:32:40 | 0:32:41 | |
Not at that stage, no. | 0:32:41 | 0:32:43 | |
My husband and I got on the trail | 0:32:43 | 0:32:45 | |
and we just kept on looking. | 0:32:45 | 0:32:47 | |
A series of coincidences and good luck, | 0:32:47 | 0:32:51 | |
and we eventually found her. | 0:32:51 | 0:32:53 | |
'The Hearts of Oak was built by this man, | 0:32:54 | 0:32:56 | |
'John Randall McLester, | 0:32:56 | 0:32:58 | |
'the last apprentice of the Ulverston shipyards. | 0:32:58 | 0:33:01 | |
'When she set sail in 1912, | 0:33:01 | 0:33:04 | |
'she was a thing of beauty. | 0:33:04 | 0:33:06 | |
'Almost a century later, | 0:33:06 | 0:33:08 | |
'when Jennifer set eyes on her, | 0:33:08 | 0:33:10 | |
'she was a weather-beaten wreck. | 0:33:10 | 0:33:12 | |
"Bonfire condition" probably is the best thing | 0:33:12 | 0:33:15 | |
we could say. | 0:33:15 | 0:33:17 | |
The guy who owned her said if he hadn't contacted me, | 0:33:17 | 0:33:20 | |
he was going to set fire to her. | 0:33:20 | 0:33:22 | |
'Thanks to Jennifer, | 0:33:22 | 0:33:24 | |
'far from becoming firewood, | 0:33:24 | 0:33:25 | |
'this last link to Ulverston's glorious past | 0:33:25 | 0:33:28 | |
'was saved. | 0:33:28 | 0:33:30 | |
'Jennifer bought her for just £1, | 0:33:30 | 0:33:32 | |
'but helped raise over £80,000 | 0:33:32 | 0:33:35 | |
'to pay for three years of painstaking restoration.' | 0:33:35 | 0:33:38 | |
And here she is, look. | 0:33:43 | 0:33:44 | |
In all of her glory. | 0:33:44 | 0:33:46 | |
She's absolutely beautiful. | 0:33:46 | 0:33:49 | |
Yes, she's a wonderful boat. | 0:33:51 | 0:33:54 | |
Quite a history. Yeah. | 0:33:54 | 0:33:56 | |
And now I have the chance to set sail on her | 0:33:59 | 0:34:02 | |
as I hitch a ride over to Peel Island. | 0:34:02 | 0:34:04 | |
-How are you doing, lads, all right? -OK! | 0:34:04 | 0:34:06 | |
'The crew are all volunteers, | 0:34:06 | 0:34:08 | |
'keen amateurs who've fallen in love with the idea | 0:34:08 | 0:34:11 | |
'of sailing a vintage cutter. | 0:34:11 | 0:34:13 | |
'And I'm keen to find out more about her.' | 0:34:13 | 0:34:17 | |
-She was a prawner? -Yeah. | 0:34:17 | 0:34:18 | |
Morecambe Bay prawner. | 0:34:18 | 0:34:20 | |
-It's not too far away. -Morecambe Bay's just over there, yeah. | 0:34:20 | 0:34:23 | |
We're on the corner of it. | 0:34:23 | 0:34:25 | |
How would she have worked and why is she the design she is? | 0:34:25 | 0:34:28 | |
She would have typically been worked by a man and his son. | 0:34:28 | 0:34:32 | |
They're built like this for speed, | 0:34:32 | 0:34:34 | |
to get out on the tide and back on the same tide | 0:34:34 | 0:34:39 | |
to get the catch back | 0:34:39 | 0:34:41 | |
because there was no refrigeration. | 0:34:41 | 0:34:43 | |
Is there any significance with the red sails? | 0:34:43 | 0:34:45 | |
Yes, it's tradition. | 0:34:45 | 0:34:47 | |
And they look nice! | 0:34:47 | 0:34:50 | |
I believe they used to treat the sails, | 0:34:50 | 0:34:52 | |
the fishermen of the time, with stuff like red lead | 0:34:52 | 0:34:56 | |
and linseed oil. | 0:34:56 | 0:34:57 | |
That gave them the colour to cause them to last. | 0:34:57 | 0:35:00 | |
I understand there's quite an interesting technique to stop | 0:35:00 | 0:35:03 | |
-it from tipping over. -Yeah! Stones - do you want to have a look? | 0:35:03 | 0:35:06 | |
Yeah, if we can. | 0:35:06 | 0:35:08 | |
Right, you just chucked it along there. | 0:35:12 | 0:35:15 | |
Lead would be ideal | 0:35:15 | 0:35:17 | |
but we can't afford lead. | 0:35:17 | 0:35:19 | |
-Do they go the full length of the hull? -They do. | 0:35:19 | 0:35:21 | |
-I might jump up there and do a bit of rope-pulling with Gordon. -OK. | 0:35:21 | 0:35:26 | |
Gordon, you look a picture there! | 0:35:31 | 0:35:33 | |
It's pleasant out here, isn't it? | 0:35:33 | 0:35:35 | |
You do look at home. It looks like we have a little bit of wind here. | 0:35:35 | 0:35:38 | |
We're actually sailing. Pleasant change. | 0:35:38 | 0:35:40 | |
Very gently, but we are actually sailing. | 0:35:40 | 0:35:42 | |
Show me the ropes, quite literally. | 0:35:42 | 0:35:45 | |
'I'll try and help the lads tack - | 0:35:45 | 0:35:48 | |
'that's moving the sail to change direction.' | 0:35:48 | 0:35:50 | |
Keep your head down - that's the key, isn't it? | 0:35:50 | 0:35:52 | |
So undo these, Gordon? | 0:35:52 | 0:35:53 | |
Yes, cast off the jib... | 0:35:53 | 0:35:55 | |
-This one as well? -Yes. Cast them both off. | 0:35:55 | 0:35:57 | |
Tighten those up. | 0:36:00 | 0:36:01 | |
'That felt like plain sailing. | 0:36:02 | 0:36:05 | |
'There's only one small problem.' | 0:36:05 | 0:36:06 | |
-Peel Island's that way. -'Fraid so. | 0:36:06 | 0:36:09 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:36:09 | 0:36:10 | |
'So it's take two on the turning.' | 0:36:10 | 0:36:13 | |
Just a nice full flow in the sail. | 0:36:13 | 0:36:15 | |
'This time, things are heading in the right direction.' | 0:36:15 | 0:36:18 | |
Good, we are going the right way now. | 0:36:22 | 0:36:25 | |
We should be there for midnight(!) | 0:36:25 | 0:36:27 | |
You go at the pace of nature, though. | 0:36:27 | 0:36:29 | |
-Yes. -That's the beauty of it. -The pace of the wind, yes. | 0:36:29 | 0:36:33 | |
I think we're going a little faster than the wind | 0:36:35 | 0:36:38 | |
but not by very much. | 0:36:38 | 0:36:40 | |
Here on Windermere I'm travelling sedately up to Bowness. | 0:36:41 | 0:36:45 | |
Chances are it's still quicker than travelling by car | 0:36:45 | 0:36:48 | |
along busy lakeside roads. | 0:36:48 | 0:36:50 | |
I'm going to have a chat with the man in charge, Ken MacLeod. | 0:36:50 | 0:36:54 | |
Can I squeeze past, Captain Ken? Not a lot of room in your wheelhouse. | 0:36:54 | 0:36:57 | |
It's pretty tight today. | 0:36:57 | 0:36:59 | |
What a big wheel you have! It's enormous, isn't it? | 0:36:59 | 0:37:03 | |
That's the standard wheel. It's been there | 0:37:03 | 0:37:05 | |
since it was built in 1936. | 0:37:05 | 0:37:07 | |
Some of these huge cruise liners these days | 0:37:07 | 0:37:10 | |
have tiny little wheels to steer with. | 0:37:10 | 0:37:12 | |
No such technology on here. | 0:37:12 | 0:37:15 | |
This is chain-driven from here right to the back of the boat. | 0:37:15 | 0:37:17 | |
There's a cog and chains...? | 0:37:17 | 0:37:20 | |
It runs along the deck head | 0:37:20 | 0:37:22 | |
down to the rudder at the back of the boat. | 0:37:22 | 0:37:25 | |
Is it easy to steer? | 0:37:25 | 0:37:26 | |
It's fairly easy. | 0:37:26 | 0:37:28 | |
It does have a kick now and again, just off-centre | 0:37:28 | 0:37:30 | |
but then you pull it back again, it's not a problem. | 0:37:30 | 0:37:33 | |
-Am I allowed to have a go? -Absolutely. It's all yours. | 0:37:33 | 0:37:36 | |
You've got a few passengers back there. | 0:37:36 | 0:37:39 | |
You just keep an eye I'm doing the right thing. | 0:37:39 | 0:37:41 | |
So...what should I do, then? | 0:37:41 | 0:37:44 | |
Avoid the shore, basically? | 0:37:44 | 0:37:46 | |
Avoid the shore, avoid the other vessels. | 0:37:46 | 0:37:49 | |
Try and keep it in a straight line. | 0:37:49 | 0:37:51 | |
Not a lot of traffic at the moment, is there? | 0:37:51 | 0:37:54 | |
It's very quiet today, | 0:37:54 | 0:37:56 | |
but in the summer weekends, there's a lot of yacht races - | 0:37:56 | 0:37:59 | |
up to 2,000 boats out there | 0:37:59 | 0:38:01 | |
and we have to give way to all the sailboats. | 0:38:01 | 0:38:03 | |
This big boat has to give way to little sailboats? | 0:38:03 | 0:38:06 | |
Anything with a sail on, I have to give way to. | 0:38:06 | 0:38:08 | |
So with lots of races going on, | 0:38:08 | 0:38:11 | |
it's entertaining! | 0:38:11 | 0:38:13 | |
-You really have to keep your eye open. -We're OK today. | 0:38:13 | 0:38:16 | |
This is the perfect way to get around Windermere. | 0:38:22 | 0:38:26 | |
But if you're going into the countryside in your car, | 0:38:26 | 0:38:29 | |
do it style... | 0:38:29 | 0:38:30 | |
..like Katie did a couple of springtimes ago. | 0:38:31 | 0:38:34 | |
'I'm in Worcestershire to see first-hand | 0:38:37 | 0:38:40 | |
one of nature's most impressive displays.' | 0:38:40 | 0:38:43 | |
For me, it's one of the most uplifting signs of spring, | 0:38:43 | 0:38:47 | |
and Worcestershire is one of the best places to see it - blossom. | 0:38:47 | 0:38:51 | |
'This picturesque corner of Britain, packed full of fruit trees, | 0:38:54 | 0:38:58 | |
'has long been famed for its colourful flourishings. | 0:38:58 | 0:39:01 | |
'I'm driving the famous Vale of Evesham Blossom Trail, | 0:39:03 | 0:39:06 | |
'and waiting for me on the route is the mastermind behind it, Angela Tidmarsh.' | 0:39:06 | 0:39:11 | |
So, Angela, how popular is the Blossom Trail? | 0:39:13 | 0:39:17 | |
It's really popular. We've been doing this for 28 years. | 0:39:17 | 0:39:20 | |
It's very much a natural attraction, | 0:39:20 | 0:39:22 | |
so we're really guided by the weather. | 0:39:22 | 0:39:25 | |
As you can see, around this area, we have no blossom at the moment. | 0:39:25 | 0:39:28 | |
I didn't like to say, "Where's the blossom?!" | 0:39:28 | 0:39:31 | |
We have apple blossom coming out, but last week, | 0:39:31 | 0:39:34 | |
there was lots of plum blossom. It's very, very early this year, | 0:39:34 | 0:39:37 | |
which is surprising, given the harsh winter we had. | 0:39:37 | 0:39:39 | |
It started off as an eight-mile trail | 0:39:39 | 0:39:42 | |
and now it's almost a 50-mile trail. | 0:39:42 | 0:39:45 | |
So somewhere on the Blossom Trail, you will find trees in blossom. | 0:39:45 | 0:39:49 | |
How many people come each year? | 0:39:50 | 0:39:52 | |
It's so difficult to say because obviously it's a self-drive trail. | 0:39:52 | 0:39:56 | |
But we estimate that thousands each year come and visit. | 0:39:56 | 0:39:59 | |
We know we have an awful lot of coach visitors as well. | 0:39:59 | 0:40:02 | |
We have Blossom tour guides who can go on the coaches coming in | 0:40:02 | 0:40:05 | |
and this year we've got 35 guided tours going out. | 0:40:05 | 0:40:09 | |
We believe it is the only blossom trail in this country. | 0:40:12 | 0:40:15 | |
We believe there's only four in the world. | 0:40:15 | 0:40:17 | |
-People go to Japan, don't they? -They do, yeah. | 0:40:17 | 0:40:20 | |
-Why go to Japan when you can come to Evesham? -Exactly, yes. | 0:40:20 | 0:40:22 | |
And they only have cherry blossom there, we have all sorts. | 0:40:22 | 0:40:25 | |
-Cherry, pear, plum and apple. -Fantastic. | 0:40:25 | 0:40:28 | |
'A little further along the trail, there are plenty trees in bloom, | 0:40:31 | 0:40:35 | |
'from the bright, showy pink of the ornamental cherry | 0:40:35 | 0:40:38 | |
'to white apple blossom.' | 0:40:38 | 0:40:40 | |
But what's the reason for all this? | 0:40:42 | 0:40:44 | |
What's the scientific explanation for blossom, | 0:40:44 | 0:40:47 | |
and why does it appear every year in spring? | 0:40:47 | 0:40:50 | |
'Horticulturist John Edgeley knows all there is to know. | 0:40:54 | 0:40:57 | |
'He will talk me through | 0:40:59 | 0:41:01 | |
'just what part this glorious floral display plays | 0:41:01 | 0:41:04 | |
'in turning these flowers into fruit. | 0:41:04 | 0:41:06 | |
'It's all about pollination.' | 0:41:06 | 0:41:09 | |
The insects, which could be honey bees, bumble bees, | 0:41:09 | 0:41:11 | |
any other wild bees, | 0:41:11 | 0:41:13 | |
are attracted by the colour and the scent. | 0:41:13 | 0:41:16 | |
They're attracted down the petal into the nectary, | 0:41:16 | 0:41:19 | |
and as they go in, they rub the pollen on the stamens | 0:41:19 | 0:41:23 | |
against the stigma, which is the female part, | 0:41:23 | 0:41:26 | |
and either pollinate that flower | 0:41:26 | 0:41:27 | |
or go to other flowers and pollinate those as well. | 0:41:27 | 0:41:30 | |
And then that ultimately goes on to creating fruit? | 0:41:30 | 0:41:33 | |
It will do. The pollen germinates a bit like seed germinates | 0:41:33 | 0:41:38 | |
and that then will form pips | 0:41:38 | 0:41:40 | |
and that, in turn, will give us fruit. | 0:41:40 | 0:41:43 | |
For me, part of the appeal of this trail | 0:41:50 | 0:41:52 | |
is the picturesque countryside it passes through. | 0:41:52 | 0:41:55 | |
It is incredibly pretty. | 0:41:55 | 0:41:57 | |
'Fladbury is typical of the villages that dot the route. | 0:42:02 | 0:42:05 | |
'But the quaint serenity of this peaceful, idyllic scene | 0:42:05 | 0:42:09 | |
'belies a hidden history.' | 0:42:09 | 0:42:11 | |
Because in World War II, the enemy was right here. | 0:42:14 | 0:42:17 | |
The Germans were in our orchards, and they were picking our fruit. | 0:42:17 | 0:42:20 | |
'The Bloor family owned the farm here at the time. | 0:42:22 | 0:42:25 | |
'They could see the Germans from their bedroom windows. | 0:42:25 | 0:42:29 | |
'John Bloor remembers it well.' | 0:42:29 | 0:42:31 | |
They were prisoners of war and they came over here after D-Day | 0:42:32 | 0:42:36 | |
into this big camp that was built | 0:42:36 | 0:42:40 | |
actually for the Americans, | 0:42:40 | 0:42:42 | |
who were here until V-Day. | 0:42:42 | 0:42:45 | |
So they went and the Germans came. | 0:42:45 | 0:42:48 | |
How did you know the enemy was so close at hand? | 0:42:48 | 0:42:50 | |
We must have heard they were arriving, | 0:42:50 | 0:42:52 | |
I don't know how. | 0:42:52 | 0:42:54 | |
But this is the first lot of German prisoners to come. | 0:42:54 | 0:42:58 | |
I went upstairs, feeling a bit scared - | 0:42:58 | 0:43:01 | |
I'd never seen a German before - | 0:43:01 | 0:43:03 | |
and took this photograph. | 0:43:03 | 0:43:05 | |
-That's great, you've captured history. How old were you? -14. | 0:43:05 | 0:43:08 | |
'And as soon as they arrived, these prisoners were put to work.' | 0:43:10 | 0:43:14 | |
They mostly worked on the farms. | 0:43:14 | 0:43:16 | |
We had this land here. | 0:43:16 | 0:43:18 | |
We employed up to 17 at one time, I think | 0:43:18 | 0:43:22 | |
Doesn't sound like a very bad existence | 0:43:22 | 0:43:25 | |
for a prisoner of war to come here and to be working on the farms. | 0:43:25 | 0:43:28 | |
It wasn't, really, no. | 0:43:28 | 0:43:29 | |
'Today, the blossom on these fruit trees | 0:43:29 | 0:43:32 | |
'still draws thousands of visitors to the Vale of Evesham | 0:43:32 | 0:43:35 | |
every spring.' | 0:43:35 | 0:43:36 | |
'The blossom may have gone for this year but all those orchards would | 0:43:38 | 0:43:43 | |
'still make a great subject for the Countryfile photographic competition. | 0:43:43 | 0:43:47 | |
'The theme for this year's competition is | 0:43:49 | 0:43:51 | |
'"our living landscape".' | 0:43:51 | 0:43:54 | |
We want pictures that capture the beauty | 0:43:54 | 0:43:56 | |
of the British countryside, all the wonderful life, | 0:43:56 | 0:44:00 | |
the fantastic scenery that you find within it. | 0:44:00 | 0:44:03 | |
CAMERA CLICKS | 0:44:05 | 0:44:06 | |
CAMERA CLICKS | 0:44:07 | 0:44:08 | |
The 12 best photographs chosen | 0:44:08 | 0:44:10 | |
by our judges will make up the Countryfile calendar | 0:44:10 | 0:44:13 | |
for 2014. | 0:44:13 | 0:44:16 | |
CAMERA CLICKS | 0:44:16 | 0:44:18 | |
We'll also have an overall winner who'll be able to choose photographic equipment | 0:44:18 | 0:44:23 | |
to the value of £1,000. | 0:44:23 | 0:44:26 | |
Whoever takes the picture that the judges like best | 0:44:26 | 0:44:29 | |
will be able to pick equipment worth £500. | 0:44:29 | 0:44:32 | |
CAMERA CLICKS | 0:44:34 | 0:44:36 | |
The Countryfile photographic competition is not open to professionals | 0:44:36 | 0:44:40 | |
and because we want every entry to be an original, | 0:44:40 | 0:44:43 | |
they mustn't have won any other competition. | 0:44:43 | 0:44:46 | |
You can send in up to four photos | 0:44:46 | 0:44:49 | |
and they must have been taken in the UK. | 0:44:49 | 0:44:51 | |
And please could you send in hard copies, | 0:44:51 | 0:44:54 | |
not e-mails or computer files. | 0:44:54 | 0:44:57 | |
CAMERA CLICKS | 0:44:57 | 0:44:58 | |
'Write your name, address and a daytime and evening | 0:44:58 | 0:45:01 | |
'phone number on the back of each photo, | 0:45:01 | 0:45:03 | |
'with a note of where it was taken. | 0:45:03 | 0:45:06 | |
'Then send your entries to:' | 0:45:06 | 0:45:09 | |
The full terms and conditions are on our website, | 0:45:18 | 0:45:21 | |
which is where you'll also find details of the BBC's code of conduct | 0:45:21 | 0:45:24 | |
for competitions. | 0:45:24 | 0:45:25 | |
Our closing date is Friday, 26th July. | 0:45:25 | 0:45:30 | |
I'm sorry, but we can't return any entries. | 0:45:30 | 0:45:33 | |
If you're thinking of entering the competition, | 0:45:33 | 0:45:35 | |
we have some pretty useful tips coming up in just a moment. | 0:45:35 | 0:45:39 | |
Before that, will the weather be picture-perfect | 0:45:39 | 0:45:41 | |
in the week ahead? Let's find out with the Countryfile forecast. | 0:45:41 | 0:45:44 | |
. | 0:47:49 | 0:47:56 | |
'On this special edition of Countryfile, | 0:48:07 | 0:48:10 | |
'I've journeyed in style through the Lake District. | 0:48:10 | 0:48:14 | |
'I've glided up Windermere on a genteel steamer. | 0:48:14 | 0:48:17 | |
'I've trundled through the countryside on a train from a bygone era.' | 0:48:17 | 0:48:21 | |
WHISTLE BLOWS | 0:48:21 | 0:48:24 | |
'And now, in time-honoured fashion, it's...' | 0:48:24 | 0:48:27 | |
Shanks' pony. The best way to see the Lakes is on foot, | 0:48:27 | 0:48:31 | |
and I'm off up there for one of the grandest views | 0:48:31 | 0:48:34 | |
in all the Lake District. | 0:48:34 | 0:48:36 | |
'I'm heading to the top of Orrest Head, | 0:48:36 | 0:48:38 | |
'the first fell ever climbed by the legendary walker Alfred Wainwright. | 0:48:38 | 0:48:42 | |
'It's just a mile from Windermere town, but a world away.' | 0:48:42 | 0:48:46 | |
It's a bit of a climb, | 0:48:48 | 0:48:49 | |
but not as challenging as the Pennine Way, | 0:48:49 | 0:48:52 | |
as Ellie discovered last winter. | 0:48:52 | 0:48:54 | |
'Mind you, she didn't do the walk all on her own.' | 0:48:56 | 0:49:00 | |
Few have managed to complete the whole walk. | 0:49:00 | 0:49:02 | |
I won't even attempt it. | 0:49:02 | 0:49:04 | |
But one brave soul who did just that and wrote about it along the way | 0:49:04 | 0:49:08 | |
was one of our national treasures, poet Simon Armitage. | 0:49:08 | 0:49:12 | |
"Then it's back to the work, | 0:49:13 | 0:49:15 | |
"to the acid acres, | 0:49:15 | 0:49:17 | |
"to wade through waterlogged peat, | 0:49:17 | 0:49:19 | |
"trawling the breeze, | 0:49:19 | 0:49:22 | |
"carding the air for threads of sheep wool | 0:49:22 | 0:49:25 | |
"snagged on the breeze." | 0:49:25 | 0:49:26 | |
'In 2010, | 0:49:26 | 0:49:28 | |
'Simon set off on a journey that was a lifetime's ambition | 0:49:28 | 0:49:31 | |
'and would test the strength of local hospitality.' | 0:49:31 | 0:49:34 | |
It was a bit of a gamble. I set off without any money in my pocket. | 0:49:34 | 0:49:37 | |
'To find out how he got on with that journey, | 0:49:39 | 0:49:41 | |
'I've arranged to meet him here at Ickornshaw Moor | 0:49:41 | 0:49:44 | |
'and we're retracing some of his last steps.' | 0:49:44 | 0:49:47 | |
It's a really hard walk. | 0:49:47 | 0:49:49 | |
It's not in any way a glamorous walk | 0:49:49 | 0:49:52 | |
or one of these new boutique walks. | 0:49:52 | 0:49:55 | |
It's a difficult slog across pretty tough terrain. | 0:49:55 | 0:49:59 | |
Why did you do it? | 0:49:59 | 0:50:01 | |
Well, the southern part of the Pennine Way | 0:50:01 | 0:50:04 | |
goes through the village of Marsden where I was born and brought up. | 0:50:04 | 0:50:08 | |
So it had always been part of my consciousness - | 0:50:08 | 0:50:11 | |
there'd always been this regular influx of hikers | 0:50:11 | 0:50:14 | |
coming through the village as I was growing up. | 0:50:14 | 0:50:17 | |
It was a bit odd, cos when I showed my dad what I was taking, | 0:50:17 | 0:50:19 | |
he said, "You don't need any of that stuff, just take a bin bag | 0:50:19 | 0:50:22 | |
"to pull over your head when it rains." | 0:50:22 | 0:50:25 | |
-That's optimistic! -Yeah, well, books, obviously some water... | 0:50:25 | 0:50:30 | |
-Good old-fashioned map. -Good old-fashioned map. | 0:50:30 | 0:50:33 | |
-Excellent for orienteering. -Whistle. | 0:50:33 | 0:50:35 | |
-Did you need it? -I didn't. | 0:50:35 | 0:50:37 | |
I did blow it a couple of times but only for fun. | 0:50:37 | 0:50:40 | |
-A compass. -What else have we got in there? -Notebook. | 0:50:40 | 0:50:43 | |
-Essential for a poet. -Absolutely. | 0:50:43 | 0:50:46 | |
-GPS unit. -Ah. | 0:50:46 | 0:50:48 | |
I thought I wouldn't need this | 0:50:48 | 0:50:50 | |
and it had to come out on day two. I got lost in the Cheviots. | 0:50:50 | 0:50:54 | |
-You were glad of it then? -Yeah. | 0:50:54 | 0:50:57 | |
If I hadn't had it, the whole thing would have gone pear-shaped. | 0:50:57 | 0:51:00 | |
'One of the images that inspired Simon's poetry | 0:51:03 | 0:51:05 | |
'were the black huts dotted across this stretch of the landscape. | 0:51:05 | 0:51:09 | |
'They're thought to be old shooting huts.' | 0:51:09 | 0:51:11 | |
"Above Ickornshaw, Black Huts | 0:51:11 | 0:51:13 | |
"are raised against damp | 0:51:13 | 0:51:16 | |
"on footings of red brick, | 0:51:16 | 0:51:18 | |
"landlocked chalets lashed to the bedrock | 0:51:18 | 0:51:21 | |
"with steel guy-ropes | 0:51:21 | 0:51:23 | |
"and telegraph wire braced for Atlantic gales." | 0:51:23 | 0:51:27 | |
'It was poetry that financed Simon's 19-day journey along | 0:51:27 | 0:51:31 | |
'the Pennine Way. | 0:51:31 | 0:51:33 | |
'Having left home without any cash, | 0:51:33 | 0:51:35 | |
'he offered recitals in return for bed and board.' | 0:51:35 | 0:51:37 | |
Every night, I gave a reading. | 0:51:37 | 0:51:40 | |
I passed the cap around and just said to people, | 0:51:40 | 0:51:44 | |
-"Put in whatever you think I was worth." -Oh! | 0:51:44 | 0:51:47 | |
And I made my way on that. | 0:51:47 | 0:51:50 | |
'Just beneath us is the village of Cowling, | 0:51:50 | 0:51:54 | |
'where one particular couple remembers this weary, weather-beaten poet | 0:51:54 | 0:51:57 | |
'doing a reading in their sitting room.' | 0:51:57 | 0:52:00 | |
He'd done 20 miles from Malham | 0:52:00 | 0:52:01 | |
and the last five miles was a lot of climbing, | 0:52:01 | 0:52:05 | |
and so he wasn't in the best condition at all. | 0:52:05 | 0:52:08 | |
Bit sweaty! | 0:52:08 | 0:52:10 | |
'Well, he's back here today | 0:52:11 | 0:52:13 | |
'with a bit more vigour, more poetry | 0:52:13 | 0:52:15 | |
'and an audience ready and waiting.' | 0:52:15 | 0:52:17 | |
Handmaidens, | 0:52:17 | 0:52:20 | |
humble courtiers, | 0:52:20 | 0:52:22 | |
yes-men in silver wigs, | 0:52:22 | 0:52:25 | |
they stoop low at the path's edge, | 0:52:25 | 0:52:28 | |
bow to the military parade | 0:52:28 | 0:52:30 | |
of boot and stick. | 0:52:30 | 0:52:33 | |
You won't find many silvered wigs here in the Lake District, | 0:52:35 | 0:52:39 | |
but you will find lots of boots and sticks. | 0:52:39 | 0:52:42 | |
'I'm meeting a photographer who knows a lot about capturing | 0:52:44 | 0:52:47 | |
'movement out in the countryside.' | 0:52:47 | 0:52:49 | |
Jon, good to see you. | 0:52:49 | 0:52:51 | |
You're an expert in taking action pictures in the great outdoors. | 0:52:51 | 0:52:55 | |
What tips have you got for our viewers | 0:52:55 | 0:52:58 | |
who would like to do those kind of pictures for the photographic competition? | 0:52:58 | 0:53:02 | |
The first thing I'd say is just that "action" | 0:53:02 | 0:53:04 | |
is a very wide variety of subject. | 0:53:04 | 0:53:06 | |
It's not just the traditional sporting action. | 0:53:06 | 0:53:09 | |
I have some examples here which include | 0:53:09 | 0:53:13 | |
both some sporty shots but also some more general shots | 0:53:13 | 0:53:15 | |
which still show a lot of action movement in the outdoors. | 0:53:15 | 0:53:18 | |
One of the points I think this illustrates is | 0:53:18 | 0:53:21 | |
the patience you need, even for fast action sometimes. | 0:53:21 | 0:53:24 | |
How long did you wait for that one? | 0:53:24 | 0:53:26 | |
I was sitting at the side of the trail for at least 20 minutes. | 0:53:26 | 0:53:29 | |
So the message is wait, wait, wait for the right moment? | 0:53:29 | 0:53:32 | |
Yes, you have to be patient but also on the ball, ready to go. | 0:53:32 | 0:53:36 | |
What else have you got to show us? | 0:53:36 | 0:53:39 | |
There's a very different example of a kayaker. | 0:53:39 | 0:53:41 | |
One of the most important things with action photography | 0:53:41 | 0:53:44 | |
is the shutter speed. | 0:53:44 | 0:53:46 | |
If people are going to experiment with one thing on the camera, | 0:53:46 | 0:53:49 | |
it would be the shutter speed. | 0:53:49 | 0:53:50 | |
What kind of speed did you use for this picture? | 0:53:50 | 0:53:53 | |
That one would be, I think, a thousandth of a second. | 0:53:53 | 0:53:56 | |
The importance of that to me is really not so much | 0:53:56 | 0:53:59 | |
freezing the motion of the kayaker himself | 0:53:59 | 0:54:01 | |
but the water around him, | 0:54:01 | 0:54:03 | |
because that is what gives the shot its real dynamism, I think. | 0:54:03 | 0:54:07 | |
That's a beautiful photograph. | 0:54:08 | 0:54:10 | |
That's not maybe what everyone would consider as an action photo, | 0:54:10 | 0:54:14 | |
but it still deals very much with movement. | 0:54:14 | 0:54:17 | |
Here the exposure is something like five or six seconds. | 0:54:17 | 0:54:21 | |
And it gives this smoothed-out, kind of flowing quality. | 0:54:21 | 0:54:25 | |
Obviously, for a shot like that, you need a tripod or some means | 0:54:25 | 0:54:28 | |
-of supporting the camera really solidly. -What did you use? | 0:54:28 | 0:54:32 | |
One of my favourite bits of photographic gear | 0:54:32 | 0:54:34 | |
is a very simple beanbag. | 0:54:34 | 0:54:36 | |
If you balance the beanbag, you can get just as stable a picture | 0:54:36 | 0:54:41 | |
as you can with a tripod. | 0:54:41 | 0:54:42 | |
Let's get to the top and see what we can see from there. | 0:54:42 | 0:54:45 | |
The weather's not all that promising today. | 0:54:45 | 0:54:48 | |
We'll see what it's like. You don't have to have perfect weather conditions | 0:54:48 | 0:54:52 | |
to get a perfect picture, do you? | 0:54:52 | 0:54:53 | |
'From the top of Orrest Head you get a 360-degree panorama, | 0:55:04 | 0:55:08 | |
'which takes in the Langdales, | 0:55:08 | 0:55:10 | |
Troutbeck Valley and even Morecambe Bay, if the weather plays ball. | 0:55:10 | 0:55:14 | |
And who can resist reaching for the camera?' | 0:55:18 | 0:55:20 | |
Well worth the climb, Jon. What a fantastic view, isn't it? | 0:55:23 | 0:55:27 | |
It certainly is, yes. You're in the land of great views here, | 0:55:27 | 0:55:31 | |
but this is certainly one of the most celebrated. | 0:55:31 | 0:55:33 | |
Today we've had all kinds of weather. | 0:55:33 | 0:55:36 | |
We've had rain, a bit of sunshine, lots of grey sky. | 0:55:36 | 0:55:39 | |
It's changing almost every second, isn't it? | 0:55:39 | 0:55:41 | |
For me, it's almost more interesting than if it was | 0:55:41 | 0:55:44 | |
a boring sunny day when everything's green and the sky is blue. | 0:55:44 | 0:55:48 | |
But if you were here taking a photograph professionally, | 0:55:48 | 0:55:51 | |
how many pictures would you take? | 0:55:51 | 0:55:53 | |
I think it's a mistake to think that | 0:55:53 | 0:55:56 | |
the route to success is just shooting hundreds of pictures, willy-nilly. | 0:55:56 | 0:55:59 | |
It's much more about thinking before you shoot. | 0:55:59 | 0:56:03 | |
People often say to me, "I've only got a point-and-shoot camera." | 0:56:03 | 0:56:06 | |
I tend to think point-and-shoot is not a type of camera, | 0:56:06 | 0:56:10 | |
it's a state of mind. | 0:56:10 | 0:56:12 | |
The mistake that people make | 0:56:12 | 0:56:13 | |
is not just looking and thinking before they point and shoot. | 0:56:13 | 0:56:18 | |
'Some good advice for anyone sending in photos to our competition. | 0:56:19 | 0:56:23 | |
'No matter how you get to the Lake District | 0:56:23 | 0:56:26 | |
'or however you travel once you're here, | 0:56:26 | 0:56:29 | |
'it's views like this that make it all so worthwhile.' | 0:56:29 | 0:56:33 | |
And that's it from the Lake District. | 0:56:36 | 0:56:38 | |
Next week, Countryfile will be in the Cambrian Mountains, | 0:56:38 | 0:56:41 | |
one of Wales' best-kept secrets. | 0:56:41 | 0:56:44 | |
Matt will be rounding up Welsh mountain sheep | 0:56:44 | 0:56:46 | |
in traditional style | 0:56:46 | 0:56:47 | |
and I'll be joining some of the locals | 0:56:47 | 0:56:50 | |
finding new ways of capturing the ancient landscape, | 0:56:50 | 0:56:52 | |
so hope you can join us then. Bye for now. | 0:56:52 | 0:56:55 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:57:16 | 0:57:19 |