0:00:25 > 0:00:27Winter.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31A season when wild winds whip as snow smothers the land,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34and darkness embraces our days.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38It's easy to hunker down away from the cold weather
0:00:38 > 0:00:40at this time of year.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42But if you head outside and brave the elements,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46you'll be amazed how spectacular this season can be.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Today, we're embracing the wonders of winter.
0:00:55 > 0:00:56SHEEP BLEAT
0:00:58 > 0:00:59Come on, then.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Matt's meeting the farmer with a breed of pigs hardy enough
0:01:02 > 0:01:05to tough out even the worst winter weather.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06- HE WHISTLES - Come on!
0:01:07 > 0:01:09PIG GRUNTS
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Anita's discovering how to beat the winter blues
0:01:12 > 0:01:14with a helping hand from nature.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17As soon as I step outside, there's a change in my mood.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19In fact, it's better than chocolate.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21Better than chocolate, eh?
0:01:21 > 0:01:22DOGS HOWL
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Steve's sledding with huskies...
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Whoa, I really want a break!
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Argh! Whoa!
0:01:31 > 0:01:34..and Adam's on Gower's salt marshes,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36which have their own wintry challenges.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Goodness me, Rowland, what happens here?
0:01:38 > 0:01:40I mean, the sheep are right over there!
0:01:40 > 0:01:41Have you brought your swimming trunks?
0:01:41 > 0:01:43- ADAM LAUGHS - Go on, get in!
0:01:54 > 0:01:57MATT: The stark beauty of winter.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02From the snow-capped mountains of the Highlands
0:02:02 > 0:02:07to the far-reaching views of the Isle of Purbeck, here in Dorset.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10This season sweeps across our landscape,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13and takes hold with her icy grip.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Winter's wild elements batter both coast and country.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24From north to south, east to west,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27we have had our fair share of storms this winter.
0:02:27 > 0:02:33We've had Aileen, Ophelia, Brian, Caroline, Dylan, and Eleanor.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38For farmers and for fishermen, the last few months has been tough.
0:02:38 > 0:02:44With winds of up to 100mph, our rural communities have been hit hard.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47But regardless of what the weather can throw at them,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51those who are producing our food have no choice.
0:02:51 > 0:02:52They need to carry on.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57James Warren champions local farmers and fishermen.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00He sources, sells, and cooks their produce.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03As a farmer himself, he grazes his animals on the coast,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06and knows just how hard the winter can be.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07Has it been pretty tough here?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Pretty good. We haven't had particularly cold weather,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12- although it's chilly in this wind today, but...- Yeah.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14It has been wet - for the last three, four weeks,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17it's been really wet, seems to be raining every day and every night.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Yeah, and the wind, as well.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Pop down into the valley, it's not nearly so bad,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24but up here, it does blow through a bit of a hoolie, they call it.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Well, your pigs are grunting impatiently.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Yeah, I think they're quite keen to get out.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Oh, good morning!
0:03:31 > 0:03:32JAMES LAUGHS
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Wow, oh, these are absolute beauties, aren't they?
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Such a beautiful array of colours down there. So, what breed are these?
0:03:39 > 0:03:42These are Mangalicas crossed with Berkshire,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44so the Mangalicas are a Hungarian breed,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- and the Berkshire's a traditional English breed...- Right.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49..which we cross up, and it gives you these nice colours,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53and gives you a great foraging, outdoor, hardy pig.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Some of them are really curly.- Yeah. - Those two at the back there.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59- Yeah, some people call them sheep pigs.- Mmm.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Yeah, you can see why. And so full of character.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Oh, absolutely, yeah, you could watch them for ages.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06MATT CHUCKLES I love 'em!
0:04:06 > 0:04:07There we are, team.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10Come on, then.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14These Mangalicas may look quirky, but that curly coat
0:04:14 > 0:04:17keeps them nice and warm up here on the hills in winter.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22- They're very competitive when they eat.- Are they? Yeah.- They just run.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24- You know, they...- Look at them!
0:04:24 > 0:04:25They're brilliant.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29They always think the other pig's got more than they have, constantly.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31And what are they really good at, then, what is their key job here?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34They're going to get rid of brambles, and just the scrubland,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38which allows the heather to have no competition when it's growing.
0:04:38 > 0:04:39JAMES WHISTLES
0:04:39 > 0:04:40Come on!
0:04:40 > 0:04:42PIG GRUNTS
0:04:42 > 0:04:46And what does that fodder do for the taste of the meat, then?
0:04:46 > 0:04:48And this landscape in particular, grazing them here?
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Well, I think having a good percentage of naturally foraged diet
0:04:52 > 0:04:54- has got to be good for a pig.- Yeah.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56And it's definitely good for the meat.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58I think it makes for a much darker meat,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00and the fact that they're growing slower, you know,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03we're not trying to finish these pigs in three, four, five months -
0:05:03 > 0:05:06they're with us for kind of nine, ten months -
0:05:06 > 0:05:10and a lot of their diet is coming from natural forage,
0:05:10 > 0:05:12so it makes a huge difference.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- It's exposed round here, isn't it? - Yeah, it's a bit sharp up here.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21- Cracking view, though. - Yeah, amazing, isn't it?
0:05:21 > 0:05:24How did all this start for you, then?
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Well, I started working for a local farmer, for a sheep farmer,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30and I became aware of all the fantastic products
0:05:30 > 0:05:32that are being produced around Purbeck,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35and then I couldn't really get my hands on any to eat them,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39so I started looking at the idea of opening up a shop
0:05:39 > 0:05:43and a butchery, and as I looked more into it,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47I realised there was more and more that I could buy.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49It wasn't just local meat James wanted to source,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51but local fish, too.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55So, those initial days as a shepherd, then, they were round...
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Yeah, on the far hills there, down Tyneham valley, Kimmeridge way.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02That's where I started, and that was a big influence, really,
0:06:02 > 0:06:03- overlooking the sea there.- Yeah.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06- And the beautiful landscape, and... - Yeah.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09..it just made me want to eat products from those hills, really,
0:06:09 > 0:06:10and around here.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13And do you think that this area has a special taste
0:06:13 > 0:06:16as far as all of that food is concerned?
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Is there something in common that it has?
0:06:18 > 0:06:22- Yeah, I like to think it's like eating the view, really.- Nice!
0:06:22 > 0:06:24There's salt in the air and on the grass,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and we get a lot of sunshine here, as well,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29and I think animals with sun on their back,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32that's got to be a positive thing.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35And I'll be getting a taste of this view later.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37PIG GRUNTS
0:06:43 > 0:06:46"This holy fox, Or wolf,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49"or both, for he is equal ravenous
0:06:49 > 0:06:52"As he is subtle, and as prone to mischief
0:06:52 > 0:06:53"As able to perform't."
0:06:55 > 0:07:00"Some animals are cunning and evil-disposed, as the fox."
0:07:05 > 0:07:08ELLIE: Wily creature of ancient myth -
0:07:08 > 0:07:12I've been intrigued by foxes for as long as I can remember.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18When I was a child, I would see foxes on the valley
0:07:18 > 0:07:20opposite the house that we lived in,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24this flash of colour on a bleak green background,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28and even now, if I catch a glimpse of a fox at dusk,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31there's still a moment where it takes my breath away.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32VIXEN CALLS
0:07:32 > 0:07:37But in winter, you're far more likely to hear one than see one.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39VIXEN CALLS
0:07:39 > 0:07:42At this time of year, the vixen cries for a mate.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45It's one of the season's eeriest sounds.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47VIXEN CRIES
0:07:48 > 0:07:52But what lies behind our many myths of the cunning fox?
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Lucy Jones is a journalist who was so intrigued,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59she wrote a book on the subject.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04We're out in the Surrey countryside hoping to catch a glimpse.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Not the ideal time to spot foxes, but we know they are here.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10- Yeah, we might hear them.- We might, absolutely, with the breeding.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- This could even be a fox earth, you never know.- Yes.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Our relationship with foxes goes back a long way, doesn't it?
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Yes. If you think about all the placenames in Britain
0:08:20 > 0:08:23named after foxes - there are hundreds of places
0:08:23 > 0:08:26called after "todde," which is an old British word for foxes.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28The conflict's always been there, too,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32people who love them, and people who see them as problematic.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34That's woven into our culture, too.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37The fox particularly in Britain is this kind of flint for emotions,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40because it is our largest remaining predator,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43it succeeds brilliantly in our urban areas.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45And that success, that resourcefulness,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48also lends to this wily fox, cunning fox.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Yes, if you look back at Chaucer and Aesop,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53and then medieval literature and folklore,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57the fox was characterised as this cunning villain,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00as a device to warn people in communities about sin.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03It's a marvellous hunter, it's very agile,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07- but calling it cunning is a misnomer - it's not true.- Yeah.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11The fox is the kind of big beast in the woods that we need to kind of,
0:09:11 > 0:09:16I don't know, project our fears on, to tell stories about, be afraid of.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20There are none about today, but luckily,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23I know somewhere I'm guaranteed to see them.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33David Mills is the owner of the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36He spends his days observing these curious creatures,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39many of which have been rescued from the wild.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Eeh! Hello!
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- Hello!- Hi, David. - Hello, Ellie, how are you?
0:09:46 > 0:09:50- I'm well, and you?- Yes, good. Lovely morning. This is Flo.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53She is a fine looking fox.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- Flo, come and...- Wow! She's very confident, isn't she?- Yes, she is.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59She's hand-reared, she is nine years old.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01What's this?
0:10:01 > 0:10:02Hey!
0:10:03 > 0:10:06- Have you hand-fed a fox before? - No. This is a first!
0:10:06 > 0:10:08And I tell you, it's a great pleasure.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10DAVID CHUCKLES It really is.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13But she still retains a lot of her wildness, even though she's here.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14Oh, yes, she's not a tame fox.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19She is on the alert the whole time. She just trusts us.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22With up to 12,000 young visitors each year,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26the centre aims to educate us all about native wildlife.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29We get a lot of children from London,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31and they first thing they say, "Where are the crocodiles?"
0:10:31 > 0:10:32SHE CHUCKLES
0:10:32 > 0:10:35"Are we going to see lions and tigers today?"
0:10:35 > 0:10:37"No, you're going to see the foxes."
0:10:37 > 0:10:38And they are gobsmacked.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41You know, cos they... They've never seen a fox so close.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47The fox may be a rare sight in children's lives,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50but it's as familiar in their stories as ever.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Coralie Bickford-Smith's award-winning tale
0:10:53 > 0:10:57tells of a friendly fox that loves and loses a star.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Coralie, why have you chosen a fox?
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Well, I was living next door to a vacant plot,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07and the foxes had taken it over,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11and they looked so skinny and small and lost.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16They sort of embodied what I was feeling like when I lost my mum -
0:11:16 > 0:11:18at an early age, she died -
0:11:18 > 0:11:22and this book was basically about my journey of grieving,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27and then the wisdom that she left us with when she passed away.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29You know, you feel a little bit heartbroken for Fox,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31and we're not used to that feeling -
0:11:31 > 0:11:34we don't often feel sad for Fox in literature.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Yeah. I really did want to turn the tables.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42- Just give him some positive story for once.- Absolutely. Fox the hero.
0:11:46 > 0:11:47Be they hero or villain,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51most children experience the fox through stories.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53But short winter days are special -
0:11:53 > 0:11:56a chance for a rare torch-lit glimpse...
0:11:57 > 0:12:01..or just to enjoy a foxy fable around a cosy campfire.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05"Once there was a Fox who lived in a deep, dense forest.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11"He would wake at night to the cool, calm light of Star.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15"Then, one night, Fox woke.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17"Where did Star go?
0:12:18 > 0:12:19"Fox looked up."
0:12:20 > 0:12:23"Fox could not believe there were so many stars.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25"His heart was full of happiness.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30"He knew that somewhere out there was a Star that once was his."
0:12:42 > 0:12:45MATT: The peaks of the Scottish Highlands
0:12:45 > 0:12:47can be cold and unforgiving.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Never more so than in winter.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Yet there is still beauty to be found here.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57But if you look closer...
0:12:57 > 0:12:59..much closer...
0:12:59 > 0:13:00..all is not what it seems.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04That's because these are paintings.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08With their painstaking detail,
0:13:08 > 0:13:13self-taught artist Jamie Hageman's work seems as real as photographs.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Fascinated by the rugged beauty of mountains,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Jamie is off to brave the cold in search of inspiration
0:13:20 > 0:13:23for his latest painting of the steep-sided Glen Coe Valley.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27OK, see you later. I'm off to work.
0:13:27 > 0:13:28- See you.- Bye. Have fun.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Winter's all about the drama of the mountains.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Under snow and ice, everything is just heightened.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I have to paint the most impressive mountain scene I can,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06and that, for me, is winter.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17So I'm going to head up the south ridge of Am Bodach,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20and just get above the valley floor.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21That's the plan.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25It's windy, but, er...might be able to find somewhere sheltered.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32I grew up in Lincolnshire, which is extremely flat, very quiet.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36My father took me to North Wales when I was about 11,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and suddenly opened up this amazing new world of mountains
0:14:40 > 0:14:42which I'd never thought about or seen before.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47It obviously went in deep inside,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49because then I would get back to Lincolnshire,
0:14:49 > 0:14:53and I'd want to draw mountains and paint them and write about them
0:14:53 > 0:14:54and look at books about them.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02I've always taken photographs out on the hills when I was little,
0:15:02 > 0:15:04but I was always disappointed with them.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07I could never quite reproduce the feeling of being in the mountains
0:15:07 > 0:15:11and the emotions that I felt, so I think painting, for me,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14was a way of getting past that, and a way of showing Mum
0:15:14 > 0:15:18where I'd been and what impressive situations I'd found myself in.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36HE SIGHS
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Yeah, it'll be a lovely sunny day soon.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Today, we've got...
0:15:44 > 0:15:47..probably 40-mile-an-hour winds from the west,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51and it's bringing in hail, snow...
0:15:51 > 0:15:54It's probably minus ten wind-chill.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58I'm a bit sheltered in the tent here, luckily,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01but if I was sitting outside without the tent...
0:16:02 > 0:16:03..I'd be freezing.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09So I'm sitting here looking towards the Three Sisters of Glen Coe,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13and I've just sketched in the central peak called Gearr Aonach.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16My style is certainly realistic,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20and pretty accurate when it comes to the features of mountains.
0:16:20 > 0:16:21Accuracy-wise,
0:16:21 > 0:16:26I like to think that climbers might be able to map their climbs out.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I mean, this seems ridiculous, but actually,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36what I'm going to end up with is a nice little souvenir of being here.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39I've got something that I've produced while I was here,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42on-site, looking at the mountain itself.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Oh, look, I'm getting hail on the canvas now. This is good!
0:16:47 > 0:16:50I do enjoy it. I don't think I'm bonkers.
0:16:50 > 0:16:51HE CHUCKLES
0:16:54 > 0:16:56As a sketch, I think I'm pretty happy with that,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58given the conditions.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14The relentless winter seas of the British Isles.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19But fishermen all across the country brave these rough waters
0:17:19 > 0:17:21all year round to bring home the catch of the day.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26- RADIO:- Now the shipping forecast, issued by the Met Office.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Portland, west five to seven, backing south four or five,
0:17:30 > 0:17:35then veering west five to seven, occasionally gale eight in Portland.
0:17:35 > 0:17:41This is the Dorset coastline, a place that is both friend and foe.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46For local fishermen, winter is a waiting game.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50As Nick Ford knows only too well.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53He fishes for shellfish out of Kimmeridge Bay,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57but if he can't get out, he's nothing to sell on.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58Which means James Warren,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02the pig farmer and local food champion who I met earlier,
0:18:02 > 0:18:07has no shellfish for his farm shop devoted to Dorset produce.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08- Nick!- Hello!
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- How are we, sir?- Good. You? - Nice to see you. I'm good, I'm good.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15I'm guessing, because of all these white horses out here,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17is collecting pots off today?
0:18:17 > 0:18:18It's definitely off today.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21And has that been the story, then, for most of the winter?
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Well, I've managed to get three days in this month.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27- Have you really?- Yeah.- Three?
0:18:27 > 0:18:30And this that unusual for a winter, then, or is that normally the case?
0:18:30 > 0:18:32It's fairly standard.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35- You know, other Januarys, I've done 20 days...- Right.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37It's all down to which way the weather swings.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41The winter doesn't just hamper his catches.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44It plays havoc with the gear that Nick depends on, too.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48- Some of these have been damaged at sea in the rough weather.- Right.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51There's the rubber binding on them,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55it's all looped round, and eventually that wears through,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57and then the pot breaks down.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59How many pots do you have out there at the moment, then,
0:18:59 > 0:19:00thrashing around in this weather?
0:19:00 > 0:19:02- NICK CHUCKLES - 300!
0:19:02 > 0:19:04- 300?!- Yeah, 300.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07And of your 300 pots that are out there now,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11- how many crabs would you expect?- It could be one, it could be...- Really?
0:19:11 > 0:19:16- Yeah, or it could be ten.- Right.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19But in the winter time, the lobsters are a lot less,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21but the crabs more so.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25To turn over the gear you'd probably catch sort of around 120 kilo
0:19:25 > 0:19:26of crab, probably.
0:19:26 > 0:19:33120kg is equal to 170 crabs from Nick's 300 pots.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Hey, the weather's coming in now, Nick.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Yeah, looks like a little squall coming.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40Good job we're not out there.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43- Right, so, this is the latest haul? - This is the latest haul.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Ooh, my word! They're huge!
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Right! THEY LAUGH
0:19:48 > 0:19:51- So, these are brown crabs? - These are brown crab, yeah.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55- Oh, that colour, I mean, they are gorgeous!- Yeah.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57- Can I pick one up?- Yes, you can.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Look, it's huge!
0:20:04 > 0:20:07And this, I mean, the sizes, then, obviously there's various sizes.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Yeah, they're all different ages,
0:20:09 > 0:20:10I mean, I don't exactly know how old,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12but they could be up to about 15 years old,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- some of these bigger ones. - Beautiful.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17- All right?- And I'm going to turn you back over there, as well.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20So, if it's really bad weather, right, you can't get out,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- you've got no lobsters, you got no crabs at all...- Yeah.- What happens?
0:20:23 > 0:20:25- Does James go elsewhere?- No.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29It just won't be in the window, and he'll put a little note,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33- "Too rough, no fish today."- But that adds to the magic of it, doesn't it?
0:20:33 > 0:20:37And actually, eating seasonally, that's the whole point,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39that the education side of all this, as well.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Yes, so sometimes his window can be full,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43and another time, it can look quite bare!
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Yeah!
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- Well, I'll tell you what, it's going to look brilliant this week.- Yeah.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52And I'll get a taste later on in a seasonal surf and turf.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04STEVE: There's nothing quite like a bracing Scottish winter's day
0:21:04 > 0:21:06to invigorate the senses.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12When the snow blows in, there are those who come out to play.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16HE LAUGHS
0:21:17 > 0:21:18DOGS BARK
0:21:18 > 0:21:22And then there are those on four legs who are just born to run on it.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Huskies.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Hey! Mush!
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Not how one would normally address
0:21:29 > 0:21:31acquaintances in refined circles,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34but you could say this farm has gone to the dogs.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45Deep in the Perthshire countryside is Bowland Trails,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48a 220-acre farm run by John and Mary Carter,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51who are world champion dog sled racers.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Having been brought up in England, it was John's dedication
0:21:57 > 0:22:00to his huskies that brought him north of the border.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04I had a dozen dogs in the year 2000,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06and just towards the end of the race season,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09the foot and mouth outbreak happened.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11I was training at Thetford, and...
0:22:11 > 0:22:13basically I just couldn't go to the forest,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16they'd locked the forest off, and my dogs were climbing the walls.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19So I looked to see if I could find a bit of land in Scotland and move up.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Everything seemed to fall into place.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22It's just minus a house, that was all.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27Yep - despite living here for more than 15 years,
0:22:27 > 0:22:31John and Mary still haven't got round to building a permanent house.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Everything in life has a price, doesn't it?
0:22:33 > 0:22:35The dogs come first, you know? We both feel like that.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37It has its trials at times, there's no question.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39We've got no running water,
0:22:39 > 0:22:41and the genny's only on a certain amount of the day,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44so Mary has to plan when she opens the freezer and does the washing.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47- So you're completely off the grid here?- Totally off the grid.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49The only thing that we get up here free is grass.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55And there's plenty of grass here for the animals,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59but they've got to work hard to find it under the snow.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02When it comes to grazing, John and Mary farm breeds
0:23:02 > 0:23:05that are capable of thriving in the toughest of conditions.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06Wow!
0:23:07 > 0:23:08COW MOOS
0:23:08 > 0:23:09Good morning!
0:23:11 > 0:23:12Good morning!
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Alongside their 36 Siberian Huskies,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19John and Mary farm a flock of 200 Hebridean sheep,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22and more than 50 pedigree Highland cattle.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25We're surrounded by your Highland cattle, Mary.
0:23:25 > 0:23:26What makes them the perfect breed up here?
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Well, they are incredibly hardy, as you can see, but for us,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33because our focus is always the Huskies,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37we need something that we don't have to have too much input ourselves -
0:23:37 > 0:23:40we like something that's going to really just get on
0:23:40 > 0:23:43and do the job without too much of our intervention,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46so through the winter, all we need to do is put out a few
0:23:46 > 0:23:48bales of silage to keep them going, and in the summer,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51I keep an eye on them through calving time,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53but they just get on and do the job,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56so we really have to do very little with them.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59- Their temperament - they're so friendly.- Yeah!
0:23:59 > 0:24:00Not all Highlanders are friendly.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02We're always nice and calm and quiet with our cows,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05so our cows are really steady - they know that we're no threat.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09What about that interaction between the livestock and the Huskies?
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Well, with all the cows that have been born here,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14they've grown up seeing the Huskies go past,
0:24:14 > 0:24:15and so they know that it's no threat,
0:24:15 > 0:24:17they're really quite used to it,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20you know, it's like, same dogs, different day, going fast.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Our dogs are so focused, all they want to do is run.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24They don't want to have to be stopping
0:24:24 > 0:24:26and going off the trail to chase things.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28It's no interest to them. They just want to run.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29DOGS BARK
0:24:32 > 0:24:34And, boy, do they run.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37With more than 10 miles of purpose-built trails,
0:24:37 > 0:24:41this is the go to place for Huskies and their mushers to come to train.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45But if you think this kind of paw-pounding action
0:24:45 > 0:24:49is just for the non-disabled, then think again.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Whoa, that's amazing, the speed she's going!
0:24:52 > 0:24:53Good girl.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58Catherine Lewis has spina bifida, a condition that affects her spine,
0:24:58 > 0:24:59but from what I can see,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02she's certainly not one to pull back on the reins.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06So, Catherine, where did this love of the dogs come from?
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Well, when I was very young, I had a lot of surgery
0:25:09 > 0:25:11and I spent a lot of time at Great Ormond Street Hospital,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13and I didn't have much else to do,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15so my parents brought me a lot of books to keep me occupied,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17and one of them was about wolves,
0:25:17 > 0:25:19and I was completely captivated by this book,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21I thought it was absolutely wonderful,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24and decided that when I was older, I wanted to have wolves as pets.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26And as I grew, I realised that that's not very practical.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30And I met a lady who had some Siberian Huskies.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33I was absolutely bowled over by them, they were fantastic,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36and I decided there and then, this is what I want.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39So talk me through that first time you went out on a rig.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Well, we went to a very secluded beach, and they just ran,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46and it was just like freedom.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48When you see them work, they work together as a group,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51and their will to move and to go
0:25:51 > 0:25:54and see what's around the next bend is absolutely infectious.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56For me, it's the fastest I can go.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59I'm using somebody else's legs to run, but I'm still running,
0:25:59 > 0:26:00and I'll never forget that day.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03The sun was shining, the sky was blue, very like today, except...
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- But you was on a beach! - But I was on a beach, yes.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Well, this is the polar opposite of a beach, but...
0:26:11 > 0:26:15They said every dog has its day, so I guess it's my turn.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17DOGS BARK
0:26:18 > 0:26:21I'm going to be using Catherine's specially adapted rig,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24and Mary's given me an expert steer.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26The dogs are going to set off at quite a pace.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28That's when I need you just to brace yourself, cos...
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Brace myself? How fast are they going to go?
0:26:32 > 0:26:33If you're taking a left turn...
0:26:33 > 0:26:35- Yeah, that's that way... - ..say, "Haw."
0:26:35 > 0:26:36"Haw."
0:26:36 > 0:26:38If you're taking a right turn, you say, "Gee."
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Haw, gee.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41OK, I've got that.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44They're more excited than I am!
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- Excited?- It's going to be fun, isn't it?- Yeah!
0:26:48 > 0:26:51With speeds of up to 25mph,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54it's time for this young pup to run with the big dogs.
0:26:57 > 0:26:58Gee!
0:26:58 > 0:26:59Gee!
0:27:01 > 0:27:03This is amazing! Gee!
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Gee!
0:27:07 > 0:27:08Gee!
0:27:08 > 0:27:10HE LAUGHS
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Whoa! I really want to brake! Argh!
0:27:15 > 0:27:16Whoa!
0:27:17 > 0:27:18Go on, dogs.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Well, I'll tell you what...
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Thank you, firstly, Mary, that was something else.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26These dogs are strong, they're powerful,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28and you want to see the way that they go round the corners.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31All I wanted to do was brake and slow it down -
0:27:31 > 0:27:34they're just relentless - they would not stop.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37And talking of not stopping, neither am I. Let's go again.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39DOGS BARK
0:27:54 > 0:27:57JOE: This season never ceases to amaze.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00This magnificent spot overlooks the three counties
0:28:00 > 0:28:03of Dorset over there, Devon there, and Somerset right here.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07And even in the middle of winter, it just oozes charm.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11There is a sense of tranquillity here.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16A timeless landscape where the sight and sounds
0:28:16 > 0:28:20of the majestic deer, antlers ablaze,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22are not out of place.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Because these hills are home
0:28:27 > 0:28:29to a collection of extraordinary creatures.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33This is the South West Deer Rescue Centre.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Run by Mike Gage, also known as the Deer Whisperer,
0:28:38 > 0:28:42these rolling acres are home to more than 150 deer.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47- Mike, how are you doing?- OK, mate. - Good to see you.
0:28:47 > 0:28:48So what are you doing here?
0:28:48 > 0:28:51This is fodder beet, and it's high in sugar.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53The deer seem to love it.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Where did this passion for deer come from?
0:28:55 > 0:28:57I was a plasterer, and I, erm...
0:28:59 > 0:29:02..got a contract down in Dulverton on Exmoor,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05and one morning, driving into Dulverton,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07nine red deer ran across the road in front of my van,
0:29:07 > 0:29:12and that was it, really, I got hooked, and that was 42 years ago.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17- Wow!- So I went out, bought a camera, and off I went.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20And I couldn't understand how I sneaked all down
0:29:20 > 0:29:23across these fields, under hedges, and I knew they couldn't see me,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26and when I got there, they weren't there.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28I thought, "Well, how did they know?"
0:29:28 > 0:29:30And I worked it out - they could smell me coming down the wind.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34- Wind, yeah.- So, then, I walked with the wind in my face,
0:29:34 > 0:29:36and I've walked right up to deer.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41From that first encounter with the red deer on Exmoor,
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Mike's become the go-to deer guy.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47His herd's grown along with his reputation.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50So this place really is...
0:29:50 > 0:29:53- My life.- ..to give people a chance to share your passion,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56- that they can come and experience deer quite up close.- Yes.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59And talk to them, and photograph them, and...
0:29:59 > 0:30:01Which people can't do very often.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04- Yeah. So shall we get in there and give them their breakfast?- Good idea.
0:30:05 > 0:30:06ENGINE STARTS
0:30:12 > 0:30:13Great.
0:30:13 > 0:30:14Ooh!
0:30:15 > 0:30:16Right...
0:30:19 > 0:30:21- You've done this before! - JOE LAUGHS
0:30:24 > 0:30:27So, Mike, introduce me to some of the characters in this field, then.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30This is Rosie. Rosie!
0:30:30 > 0:30:32Rosie comes from Exmoor.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34- Now, Rosie's a little bit different, clearly.- She's a red deer.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37She's a red, I thought so. Good! MIKE CHUCKLES
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Well, she came with the RSPCA about four years ago,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42and I bottle-fed her...
0:30:42 > 0:30:44..with Lola, over there.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46- This is Lola here?- Yeah.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48She's a little fallow deer, and they came together,
0:30:48 > 0:30:52and they go everywhere together, they follow each other.
0:30:52 > 0:30:53Now, look.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57I think fallow deer are really gentle animals, to be honest,
0:30:57 > 0:30:59and they're like my family, really.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03And Mike wants to show others just how fabulous
0:31:03 > 0:31:05his fallow deer family is.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08Today, some local youngsters are here to get hands-on
0:31:08 > 0:31:10with these gentle, hungry creatures.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15What do they like? Carrot?
0:31:15 > 0:31:17- They're muddy.- It is a bit muddy.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19But it doesn't seem to bother them too much.
0:31:19 > 0:31:20Would you eat a muddy carrot?
0:31:20 > 0:31:21- No!- No?!
0:31:21 > 0:31:25Oh, that's lots! Oh, thank you! Thank you!
0:31:28 > 0:31:29This is Damme.
0:31:29 > 0:31:35Damme is 16 years old. She'll be 17 years old this June.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37It's not just fallow and red deer.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Mike also looks after axis, sika, and muntjacs.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43During the winter, when the pickings are thin,
0:31:43 > 0:31:45the deer need a helping hand,
0:31:45 > 0:31:49so it's time to move his herd of red deer to pastures new.
0:31:49 > 0:31:50MIKE CALLS TO DEER
0:31:50 > 0:31:52So why are you moving them today?
0:31:52 > 0:31:54Cos the grass has had it
0:31:54 > 0:31:56and there's some fresh grass in there, look.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01How much more work, how much more effort is it in the winter,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03having to look after them all?
0:32:03 > 0:32:06It's a heck of a lot of work in the winter.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09On my own, it takes me from about eight to two o'clock...
0:32:09 > 0:32:13- Wow.- ..to feed everyone.- So in the winter it's the best part of a day
0:32:13 > 0:32:14- going round feeding them all?- Yeah.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16Do you ever sort of sit back and think,
0:32:16 > 0:32:19when you came here and started this, there was none of this,
0:32:19 > 0:32:20- and now you've done all this?- Yes.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22You must be very proud of what you've achieved.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25Erm... I never thought of it. Yes, you're right!
0:32:25 > 0:32:26THEY LAUGH
0:32:41 > 0:32:46MATT: Now, this year, we are celebrating 30 years of Countryfile.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48And it also happens to be the 30th anniversary
0:32:48 > 0:32:53of another memorable event that was watched by millions of us.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59In 1988, Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards from Gloucestershire
0:32:59 > 0:33:03became the unlikely hero of the Calgary Winter Olympics.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06Eddie leapt into the nation's hearts
0:33:06 > 0:33:10with an unforgettable show of strength in the face of adversity,
0:33:10 > 0:33:14finishing last in not one but two ski jumping events.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22With the Winter Olympics starting later this week,
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Eddie is going back out on the piste
0:33:25 > 0:33:28at Glenshee Ski Centre in the Scottish Cairngorms.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34He used to be a ski instructor here before gaining Olympic notoriety,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37so Eddie's going to show us the slopes.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40This is the bit I remember most -
0:33:40 > 0:33:44the approach from Blairgowrie up to Glenshee.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48I used to run up here to get warmed up and stretch,
0:33:48 > 0:33:50and then get ready for a day's skiing.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53The other guys, the ski instructors and workers at Glenshee,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56they just let me get on with it, but I was serious about my racing,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58and for me, fitness was everything.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01So I guess, yes, they must have thought to themselves, "He's mad,"
0:34:01 > 0:34:04but...it didn't stop me doing it, though.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17Yeah, this looks fantastic, it's quite modern. It's very posh.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19When I remember skiing here 35 years ago,
0:34:19 > 0:34:22it was literally a garden shed over there, and we had to walk in,
0:34:22 > 0:34:23there was no heating.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28Gosh! Glenshee have come into the 21st century! This is wonderful!
0:34:28 > 0:34:29Ha-ha!
0:34:33 > 0:34:37I was 19 years old - back in 1982.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41That's when I came up for the season to ski here at Glenshee.
0:34:48 > 0:34:49Oh, my God!
0:34:49 > 0:34:54- Is it who I think it is? Eddie! How lovely to see you!- How are you?
0:34:54 > 0:34:55And you!
0:34:55 > 0:34:58- Two - we have to be... - Oh, gosh! You're still here!
0:34:58 > 0:35:00I'm still here, yeah.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03We always remember you affectionately up here,
0:35:03 > 0:35:05- and say, "Oh, he used to work up here!"- Yes, yes.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08I do tell people, yes. They say, "Have you skied in Scotland?"
0:35:08 > 0:35:11I say, "Of course! I worked there as a ski instructor in Glenshee.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13- "Get up there and ski!"- Yeah.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15- So are you going to get your skis on?- I'm going to have a ski,
0:35:15 > 0:35:19and I hope I don't need your services as a medical officer.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21- Or the dog to find you! - THEY LAUGH
0:35:21 > 0:35:24- Or the dog to find me, yeah! - THEY LAUGH
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- "We've lost Eddie, where's Eddie?" - THEY LAUGH
0:35:27 > 0:35:29- Yes!- I'll find you!
0:35:36 > 0:35:37HE SIGHS
0:35:39 > 0:35:42I'd never been to Scotland before.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45Coming up to Glenshee was a bit of a culture shock.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47A - they speak funny up here,
0:35:47 > 0:35:51and I couldn't understand the way they were speaking.
0:35:51 > 0:35:56And the weather was really, really harsh, cos sometimes the wind
0:35:56 > 0:35:59would blow you up the hill faster than you could ski down it.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03I couldn't see where I was skiing for the first month that I was here.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05It was like a permanent whiteout,
0:36:05 > 0:36:07but that was really good for my skiing, too,
0:36:07 > 0:36:11because if you can ski well when you can't see where you're going
0:36:11 > 0:36:14and you can't see what you're doing, that makes you an even better skier.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28I love the outdoors.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31I think that's part and parcel of being a skier -
0:36:31 > 0:36:34the enjoyment of being in the mountains.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37You know, not only here in Glenshee, but when you go to Italy or Austria.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41Beautiful scenery, fresh air, the wildlife that you see,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44the elements - it's all different challenges.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55Now, the reason I went into ski jumping
0:36:55 > 0:36:57was quite by accident, really.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03After working here in Glenshee, I went to Europe for a year or two,
0:37:03 > 0:37:05and I kept running out of money.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07My dad was a plasterer, my mum worked in an office,
0:37:07 > 0:37:09we weren't rich, so I had to decide,
0:37:09 > 0:37:11either I'd come back home to Cheltenham,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14and go back to plastering with my dad and forget about skiing,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17or find something cheaper to do, and I saw the ski jumps.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20And when I sat and looked at them, I realised that Great Britain
0:37:20 > 0:37:23have had lots of Alpine skiers, cross-country skiers,
0:37:23 > 0:37:25biathlon skiers, but we'd never had a jumper,
0:37:25 > 0:37:27and I thought, "I'll give it a go."
0:37:33 > 0:37:36And then, two years later, there I was at Calgary,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39jumping in the Olympics, and all the broken bones that occurred
0:37:39 > 0:37:43over those 20 months were all worth it, cos I got there,
0:37:43 > 0:37:46and I realised my dream of getting to an Olympic Games.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50And they rest, as they say, is history.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05ELLIE: from the Highlands of Scotland to the Gower Peninsula in Wales.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07Adam's visiting a farmer
0:38:07 > 0:38:11whose livestock live life on the edge of this unusual coastline.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Farming during the winter definitely has its challenges,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17but in this landscape, it can be even tougher,
0:38:17 > 0:38:21especially when it comes to gathering up the sheep on the salt marshes.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23SHEEP BLEAT
0:38:29 > 0:38:31ADAM: I love Gower, and it's particularly stunning
0:38:31 > 0:38:34at this time of year, during the winter months.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36Now, you wouldn't expect to find
0:38:36 > 0:38:38grazing animals out here, would you?
0:38:38 > 0:38:39But unbelievably,
0:38:39 > 0:38:41along the salt marshes here,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44there's a flock of sheep that graze all along the side of the estuary.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47And I've brought along Peg here, my sheepdog, to give me a hand.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49She likes a trip to the seaside.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52But also, I've come to learn about the shepherding skills,
0:38:52 > 0:38:55because they have to gather these sheep off the salt marsh
0:38:55 > 0:38:58so they don't get swept away during the high tide.
0:38:58 > 0:38:59So I'm going to use Peg, and hopefully,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02she'll be able to cope with this very unusual terrain.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16Rowland Prichard has been farming here his whole life.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18I'm meeting him at Weobley Castle.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22It's a stunning spot overlooking the spectacular landscape.
0:39:24 > 0:39:25Hi, Rowland.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27- Hi, Adam, how are you?- Really well.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29- What a place to live, eh? - This is lovely, isn't it?
0:39:29 > 0:39:30Incredible!
0:39:30 > 0:39:33Well, I've just been down on the marshes,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35but it's completely different looking down on it from up here.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Oh, yeah, from here, you can see all the gutters, all the inlets,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41the pills that divide the marsh off, you can see the lot, can't you?
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Is that what you call the sort of river inlets, the pills?
0:39:44 > 0:39:46- That river there, we call them a pill, yeah.- OK.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49The tide comes in through it, and then goes back out.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52- So what's the job first?- First job, we've got to go feed them.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54- OK, I'll give you a hand.- OK, great.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00We jump aboard the tractor and head straight out to the marshes,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03where the sheep are eagerly waiting to be fed.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07This track is extraordinary,
0:40:07 > 0:40:08it just seems to go straight out into the sea.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Is it safe?
0:40:10 > 0:40:11It always has been - I'm still here!
0:40:11 > 0:40:13THEY LAUGH
0:40:13 > 0:40:17- So you're just used to farming in this extraordinary environment?- Yeah.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19We know the tide is coming in tonight,
0:40:19 > 0:40:20so we've got a few hours' gap now
0:40:20 > 0:40:23to feed the sheep before the tide comes in.
0:40:26 > 0:40:27Rowland unhitches the trailer,
0:40:27 > 0:40:30and starts by unloading two big bales of silage
0:40:30 > 0:40:32onto the sand at the edge of the marsh.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37Silage is grass cut during the summer
0:40:37 > 0:40:41that's then used during the winter months when there is little to graze.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45And then underneath that, he's got fodder beet,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48and they're running in to feed on it already.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52Most farmers are feeding their animals extra grub
0:40:52 > 0:40:54at this time of year,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58but out on the sands like this, it's quite extraordinary.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01The sheep seem to love it. They're totally at home out here.
0:41:05 > 0:41:06Rowland, did you grow this fodder beet?
0:41:06 > 0:41:08This fodder beet is grown, yes, on the farm.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Particularly now they are heavy in lamb,
0:41:10 > 0:41:14they need a little bit more than the grass they can eat off the marsh.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17They seem in fit condition. How many ewes have you got out here?
0:41:17 > 0:41:19- We've got about 1,000 on the marsh here.- Brilliant.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24It takes the sheep a couple of hours to finish munching
0:41:24 > 0:41:28on their high energy lunch before they return to the salt marshes.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31Well, the tide is on its way in now,
0:41:31 > 0:41:34so we need to get these sheep in now before they get underwater.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38And do they literally get washed away by the sea if they don't get in?
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Yeah, we've got to come out and get them in, because,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43as you can see, there's little gutters all along the marsh,
0:41:43 > 0:41:45and they fill with water, then they can't come in.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47- They're sort of trapped on the island.- They're trapped.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50So we've got to be at least two hours before high water,
0:41:50 > 0:41:51getting them in.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53We head towards the flock in the distance,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56but it's slow progress on this terrain.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02The sheep know these marshes like the back of their hooves.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05When we seem to be gaining on them, the tide beats us to it,
0:42:05 > 0:42:07and we're cut off from the flock.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11It's now down to the dogs to play their part.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13Goodness me, Rowland, what happens here?
0:42:13 > 0:42:15I mean, the sheep are right over there!
0:42:15 > 0:42:16Have you brought your swimming trunks with you?
0:42:16 > 0:42:18ADAM LAUGHS
0:42:18 > 0:42:19Go on, get in!
0:42:19 > 0:42:22- Will your dog go across?- I don't know! I've got no idea. Will yours?
0:42:22 > 0:42:25- I think so. We'll give them a try, shall we?- Go on, then, yeah.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Away. Away!
0:42:27 > 0:42:29She's making her way along the edge there -
0:42:29 > 0:42:31- looking for somewhere to cross, is she?- Yeah, she's looking.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33She'll go in a minute now. Keep an eye on her.
0:42:33 > 0:42:34There she is, she's in the water.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37- Gosh, she can swim well, can't she? - She's swimming terrific, yeah.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40Fair play, and that's a strong current coming the other way.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42- Brave, isn't she?- Yeah. Right, let's see your dog.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45- Come on, then!- Not sure she will! I'm not filled with confidence!
0:42:45 > 0:42:48ROWLAND LAUGHS Peg, good girl. Away, away.
0:42:48 > 0:42:49Peg, away. Away.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Peg, away.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57Just when it looks like Lib will have to do the job on her own,
0:42:57 > 0:42:59I'm amazed by Peg -
0:42:59 > 0:43:02she finds a narrow crossing, and she takes the plunge.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Once on the other side,
0:43:08 > 0:43:11the dogs have a quick shake before they race off to find the sheep.
0:43:14 > 0:43:18The dogs work as a perfect team, coming in from different sides,
0:43:18 > 0:43:22cutting the flock off, and sending them back in the right direction.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32With her years of experience, Lib leads the way.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34But Peg is like a duck to water,
0:43:34 > 0:43:37and is soon handling this terrain like an old-timer.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42This might be a difficult environment to farm,
0:43:42 > 0:43:45but Rowland has a very good reason for grazing his flock here.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49It's great watching them move off the marshes,
0:43:49 > 0:43:51and the weather is closing in now, isn't it?
0:43:51 > 0:43:54- Yeah.- But what makes this salt marsh lamb so special?
0:43:54 > 0:43:55It is the vegetation they're eating.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58We haven't got the rye grasses that you get in fields.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01There's a lot of fescues, and an awful lot of herbs,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04so the fact that they're eating a different vegetation,
0:44:04 > 0:44:06that affects the flavour.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08And is it anything to do with the salt in the ground?
0:44:08 > 0:44:13The salt affects the vegetation, and the vegetation then affects
0:44:13 > 0:44:16- the flavour, so the salt is doing it indirectly...- Yeah.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19- ..but you won't taste salt on the meat.- Yeah, just a rich flavour.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21- Just a rich flavour, yeah. - Sounds lovely.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24- They're leaving us behind, we'd better catch up.- Let's catch up.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Before we know it, most of the sheep have made it to the track
0:44:27 > 0:44:29that leads them to higher ground.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32- We've got the main flock in, Rowland. - They've come in well, haven't they?
0:44:32 > 0:44:35- But there's a few stragglers here. - Yeah, they're on the bridge.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37Oh, look, and the gate has blown shut on them.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39What shall we do, try and squeeze through?
0:44:39 > 0:44:41See if you can pass, if you can open the gate.
0:44:41 > 0:44:42ADAM WHISTLES That'll do, Peg!
0:44:42 > 0:44:46- They're pushing it open.- There we are, they've gone now.- Oh, perfect!
0:44:46 > 0:44:47- Automatic gates! - THEY LAUGH
0:44:47 > 0:44:50ADAM WHISTLES Here!
0:44:50 > 0:44:53We've got shepherds all over the UK managing sheep in different ways,
0:44:53 > 0:44:56you know, in the Cotswolds, the Lake District fells,
0:44:56 > 0:44:58the Scottish mountains, but here on the salt marshes,
0:44:58 > 0:45:00there's nothing like it, is there?
0:45:00 > 0:45:02No, this is completely different, isn't it?
0:45:02 > 0:45:04You see the dogs working, he's got to learn to swim...
0:45:04 > 0:45:06ADAM CHUCKLES
0:45:06 > 0:45:08..jump gutters, and it's all completely different here.
0:45:08 > 0:45:09- Incredible.- Mmm.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11Well, it's been a real experience for me,
0:45:11 > 0:45:13and I think Peg's still got a lot to learn.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16Oh, she's learning fast, fair play.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19Another three years, and you'd be a marsh shepherd.
0:45:19 > 0:45:20ADAM LAUGHS
0:45:29 > 0:45:32ANITA: The colder months bring much beauty.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36But unsurprisingly,
0:45:36 > 0:45:39shorter days and plummeting temperatures
0:45:39 > 0:45:41don't bring joy for everyone.
0:45:42 > 0:45:46For many of us, winter is a time of darkness and anxiety,
0:45:46 > 0:45:50when those long, warm days of summer seem like a million miles away,
0:45:50 > 0:45:54and it's all too easy to start feeling a little bit glum.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59But you don't have to be blue.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03Emma Mitchell, a Cambridgeshire-based biologist, writer and artist,
0:46:03 > 0:46:08has come up with a way of living with winter that's all about embracing it.
0:46:08 > 0:46:09- Hello.- Now, winter can be gloomy,
0:46:09 > 0:46:12but I think this is what you'd describe as a perfect winter's day,
0:46:12 > 0:46:15wouldn't you? So what are we out here to do?
0:46:15 > 0:46:19What I'm after, really, is tiny little seasonal nature finds.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23Seed heads or perhaps little seedlings coming out,
0:46:23 > 0:46:27and despite it being quite the depths of winter,
0:46:27 > 0:46:28there's quite a lot to find.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30I'll make things with it.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32I'll either draw with them or cast them in silver.
0:46:32 > 0:46:33Are we going to be crafting?
0:46:33 > 0:46:36- We are.- Oh, I'm looking forward to it already.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40A decade ago, Emma's life was very different.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43She had a stressful job which caused depression that got
0:46:43 > 0:46:45worse in the winter.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50I became really lacking in energy, I did have to have antidepressants,
0:46:50 > 0:46:52and also counselling for the stress levels,
0:46:52 > 0:46:54so it was a serious situation.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58Feeling lost, Emma turned to social media to ask what others do
0:46:58 > 0:47:00to fight the winter blues.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03Again and again, they came up with the same answer.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Lots of people got out to walk in green spaces,
0:47:06 > 0:47:09even in their garden, and so I started to come for regular walks.
0:47:09 > 0:47:10And...?
0:47:10 > 0:47:14And as soon as I step outside, there's a change in my mood.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16In fact, it's better than chocolate.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19- Shall we gather?- Yes!- Shall we do what you do?- Let's go.- Come on, then.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22Better than chocolate? Nothing's better than chocolate!
0:47:22 > 0:47:24EMMA LAUGHS
0:47:24 > 0:47:25DUCKS QUACK
0:47:28 > 0:47:30So, this is just a hedge.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33But look deeper, and it's full of treasures.
0:47:33 > 0:47:34That's gorgeous!
0:47:36 > 0:47:40Here, we've got another really common plant, and that's yarrow.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44- We're making jewellery with these, aren't we?- Absolutely.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46- Look, that would make a great... - Oh!- What do you reckon?
0:47:46 > 0:47:50- Woman of the woods. Looking beautiful there.- An earring.- Nice.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55Now, there's proper science behind this, isn't there?
0:47:55 > 0:47:59There's quite a lot of scientific research that has unpicked
0:47:59 > 0:48:02why we feel so good in a green space,
0:48:02 > 0:48:04and in fact, it's the oils and chemicals
0:48:04 > 0:48:08- being released by the plants that we inhale...- Mmm-hmm...
0:48:08 > 0:48:11..that affects our circulatory system, it affects our mood.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14So it's not just open space, meditation,
0:48:14 > 0:48:16it's actually physical, there's physical effects...
0:48:16 > 0:48:19- Absolutely, yes. - ..that are making us feel good.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Surprisingly, these chemicals aren't only active in summer,
0:48:22 > 0:48:25with its abundance of foliage.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27They are around all year, and in winter,
0:48:27 > 0:48:30they're even more critical for our wellbeing.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33- I can't wait to do the making bit. - Are you excited?
0:48:33 > 0:48:35- Yeah, really excited! Shall we give it a go?- Yeah.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39- There may be cake.- Oh! Oh! This gets better and better!
0:48:40 > 0:48:44Emma's workshop is based in her picture-perfect cottage
0:48:44 > 0:48:46in the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fens.
0:48:47 > 0:48:52- Come on in, it's a bit cosier in here.- It's lovely. That's better.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56This is where the natural objects she's carefully collected
0:48:56 > 0:48:58take on a whole new life.
0:49:02 > 0:49:07- So here we are, this is where I hold my workshops.- It is lovely!
0:49:08 > 0:49:12First, we need to make the mould. Who doesn't love a bit of squidgy putty?
0:49:12 > 0:49:15I really have regressed.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17I'm four, and I want to be really naughty!
0:49:17 > 0:49:18THEY LAUGH
0:49:18 > 0:49:22The idea is to make an impression of the plant.
0:49:22 > 0:49:24Oh... Oh!
0:49:24 > 0:49:25Amazing!
0:49:25 > 0:49:30I'm really enjoying myself. It's just me and this little bit of craft.
0:49:30 > 0:49:36Then it's transferred to the silver clay, which is 93% silver.
0:49:36 > 0:49:37Oh, look!
0:49:37 > 0:49:39That's fab.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42A flash of flame burns away the impurities,
0:49:42 > 0:49:44leaving just the solid precious metal.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46Ah!
0:49:46 > 0:49:49- Wow!- Look at that!
0:49:49 > 0:49:52- We've made real silver, we're alchemists!- I cannot believe it.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55- That is so beautiful, so satisfying. - I know.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57What's really special about it
0:49:57 > 0:49:59is the joy that the whole process has brought.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03- Absolutely.- Going outdoors, and then that will always be a memory.- I know.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05We've captured a seasonal moment.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09In the depths of winter, a tiny, really common,
0:50:09 > 0:50:12very beautiful little plant cast in silver like a fossil.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17How beautiful is that? It's gorgeous, isn't it?
0:50:17 > 0:50:20And if it's inspired you to get out there into the depths of winter
0:50:20 > 0:50:22and do some gathering,
0:50:22 > 0:50:24then you'll definitely need to know what the weather's up to.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26Here's the Countryfile five-day forecast.
0:51:01 > 0:51:06MATT: Today, we're embracing winter's icy charms.
0:51:06 > 0:51:11From the countryside to the coastline, Dorset has it all.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15Even in the most unforgiving season,
0:51:15 > 0:51:20this diverse landscape lends itself to an array of top produce.
0:51:20 > 0:51:24So, when it comes to fresh food, even in the middle of winter,
0:51:24 > 0:51:26Dorset is the place to be.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31Earlier, I met James Warren,
0:51:31 > 0:51:34a farmer championing local producers and their food,
0:51:34 > 0:51:38and he's about to rustle up a storm of seasonal delicacies.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45James, this is a mightily impressive barbecue, to say the least...
0:51:45 > 0:51:47- Thank you.- ..and the produce that's
0:51:47 > 0:51:49on here, I mean, what you're cooking,
0:51:49 > 0:51:51it smells divine here.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53Erm...so, yeah, just talk us through
0:51:53 > 0:51:54the grill here and what we've got.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56So, er...we've got a ribeye there
0:51:56 > 0:51:57still on the bone,
0:51:57 > 0:51:58which is of White Park beef.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00Look at that!
0:52:00 > 0:52:02We've left the cap on just to cook it,
0:52:02 > 0:52:03but we'll take that off before we eat it.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05Beautiful. This lamb here?
0:52:05 > 0:52:07Yeah, again, this is truly local,
0:52:07 > 0:52:09because up behind us
0:52:09 > 0:52:10in the fields there is where that
0:52:10 > 0:52:11lamb was born and raised.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13It's actually from that sheep farm?
0:52:13 > 0:52:14Yeah, it's part of the flock
0:52:14 > 0:52:15you can see, those white dots.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17Then have we got your pork there?
0:52:17 > 0:52:18Yeah, this is a rolled
0:52:18 > 0:52:19shoulder of our pork here,
0:52:19 > 0:52:22which we've stuffed and we just roll up and down the barbecue.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24- You see it's getting a nice colour now.- Yeah.
0:52:24 > 0:52:25And frying off in the pan?
0:52:25 > 0:52:26Then over there,
0:52:26 > 0:52:27I just picked a little bit of
0:52:27 > 0:52:29sea beet from the cliffs here.
0:52:29 > 0:52:30It's a feast, but it doesn't end here,
0:52:30 > 0:52:32because you've been doing something
0:52:32 > 0:52:33with Nick's crab, as well.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35Yeah, we've made a lovely
0:52:35 > 0:52:36crab butter, which,
0:52:36 > 0:52:37when I take that off
0:52:37 > 0:52:38to rest in just a moment,
0:52:38 > 0:52:39we'll put a couple of discs
0:52:39 > 0:52:41- of the crab butter on there.- Right.
0:52:41 > 0:52:42And that will just melt in,
0:52:42 > 0:52:43so a bit of a surf and turf theme,
0:52:43 > 0:52:45- as we're next to the sea.- Right!
0:52:45 > 0:52:47So, you're farming it, you're selling
0:52:47 > 0:52:48it, and you're cooking it, as well.
0:52:48 > 0:52:49- Yeah.- You're basically
0:52:49 > 0:52:51the jack of all trades here.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53- We do the full thing, yeah.- Wow.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55I mean, obviously, this is a real passion of yours,
0:52:55 > 0:52:59but how challenging is this in today's kind of agriculture
0:52:59 > 0:53:02and today's market, as far as the consumer is concerned?
0:53:02 > 0:53:04I think it is challenging,
0:53:04 > 0:53:07but if something's only coming from a few fields away, you feel
0:53:07 > 0:53:11it should be good value, you feel you should be able to save costs.
0:53:11 > 0:53:12- Yeah.- It's not as easy as that,
0:53:12 > 0:53:15but we certainly manage it wherever we can.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17We must almost be at the eating stage.
0:53:17 > 0:53:18Yeah, I think
0:53:18 > 0:53:19we can start carving up.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21We'll leave that for now. OK.
0:53:25 > 0:53:26Wow!
0:53:29 > 0:53:31And Nick the fisherman is also joining us
0:53:31 > 0:53:34to sample his own surf and turf.
0:53:34 > 0:53:35I don't know what to start with.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37Pick off those, they're like a lamb lollipop.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40- Yeah. Good luck to you all.- Yeah.
0:53:42 > 0:53:43Oh, my word!
0:53:44 > 0:53:47I'm going to have a go at the crab butter on a...
0:53:47 > 0:53:50Oh, yeah! Good, isn't it?
0:53:51 > 0:53:55I mean, this, really, is what the essence of local food
0:53:55 > 0:53:57is all about, I mean, here we are, in the landscape,
0:53:57 > 0:54:01we're looking at exactly where the lamb was reared, you know,
0:54:01 > 0:54:04we're just at the water's edge of where the crowd was caught, and...
0:54:04 > 0:54:06I mean, it just doesn't get any better than this.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09- It makes everything taste better, doesn't it?- Oh, my word!
0:54:12 > 0:54:14Well, that's almost all we've got time for for this week,
0:54:14 > 0:54:18but if you would like to see more of what our spectacular winter season
0:54:18 > 0:54:21has to offer, then you can watch Countryfile Winter Diaries,
0:54:21 > 0:54:24all week, 9:15am, on BBC One.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27Little sieves make perfect feeders.
0:54:27 > 0:54:28Brilliant!
0:54:30 > 0:54:32I'll be revealing how wearing wellies
0:54:32 > 0:54:34could be affecting your feet.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37When we have a particular disease or condition,
0:54:37 > 0:54:40that changes our odour, and the dog can identify the disease.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43- So you are going to look after me out there?- We'll look after you!
0:54:43 > 0:54:44Yahoo!
0:54:47 > 0:54:50- So, wow, this is Robird, is it? - This is it.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53Some people would say, "Why don't you put the heating on at home?"
0:54:53 > 0:54:54Cos we can't afford it.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57We've had landslides, the railway moved 40 metres towards the sea.
0:54:57 > 0:54:58Really?
0:54:58 > 0:55:01Wow, look at that!
0:55:01 > 0:55:03There's a garden in a carton in there.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05- Got first!- Were you expecting that?
0:55:05 > 0:55:07- Yes. - HE LAUGHS
0:55:12 > 0:55:13From all of us here on the
0:55:13 > 0:55:15Dorset coastline, it's goodbye.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17- Say goodbye.- Goodbye!- Goodbye!- Ta-ra!
0:55:17 > 0:55:19THEY LAUGH
0:55:19 > 0:55:22Right, crew, we're finished! Come and eat!
0:55:23 > 0:55:25THEY LAUGH