Winter Special Countryfile


Winter Special

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Winter.

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A season when wild winds whip as snow smothers the land,

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and darkness embraces our days.

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It's easy to hunker down away from the cold weather

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at this time of year.

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But if you head outside and brave the elements,

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you'll be amazed how spectacular this season can be.

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Today, we're embracing the wonders of winter.

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SHEEP BLEAT

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Come on, then.

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Matt's meeting the farmer with a breed of pigs hardy enough

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to tough out even the worst winter weather.

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-HE WHISTLES

-Come on!

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PIG GRUNTS

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Anita's discovering how to beat the winter blues

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with a helping hand from nature.

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As soon as I step outside, there's a change in my mood.

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In fact, it's better than chocolate.

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Better than chocolate, eh?

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DOGS HOWL

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Steve's sledding with huskies...

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Whoa, I really want a break!

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Argh! Whoa!

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..and Adam's on Gower's salt marshes,

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which have their own wintry challenges.

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Goodness me, Rowland, what happens here?

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I mean, the sheep are right over there!

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Have you brought your swimming trunks?

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-ADAM LAUGHS

-Go on, get in!

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MATT: The stark beauty of winter.

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From the snow-capped mountains of the Highlands

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to the far-reaching views of the Isle of Purbeck, here in Dorset.

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This season sweeps across our landscape,

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and takes hold with her icy grip.

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Winter's wild elements batter both coast and country.

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From north to south, east to west,

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we have had our fair share of storms this winter.

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We've had Aileen, Ophelia, Brian, Caroline, Dylan, and Eleanor.

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For farmers and for fishermen, the last few months has been tough.

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With winds of up to 100mph, our rural communities have been hit hard.

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But regardless of what the weather can throw at them,

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those who are producing our food have no choice.

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They need to carry on.

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James Warren champions local farmers and fishermen.

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He sources, sells, and cooks their produce.

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As a farmer himself, he grazes his animals on the coast,

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and knows just how hard the winter can be.

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Has it been pretty tough here?

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Pretty good. We haven't had particularly cold weather,

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-although it's chilly in this wind today, but...

-Yeah.

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It has been wet - for the last three, four weeks,

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it's been really wet, seems to be raining every day and every night.

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Yeah, and the wind, as well.

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Pop down into the valley, it's not nearly so bad,

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but up here, it does blow through a bit of a hoolie, they call it.

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Well, your pigs are grunting impatiently.

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Yeah, I think they're quite keen to get out.

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Oh, good morning!

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JAMES LAUGHS

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Wow, oh, these are absolute beauties, aren't they?

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Such a beautiful array of colours down there. So, what breed are these?

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These are Mangalicas crossed with Berkshire,

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so the Mangalicas are a Hungarian breed,

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-and the Berkshire's a traditional English breed...

-Right.

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..which we cross up, and it gives you these nice colours,

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and gives you a great foraging, outdoor, hardy pig.

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-Some of them are really curly.

-Yeah.

-Those two at the back there.

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-Yeah, some people call them sheep pigs.

-Mmm.

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Yeah, you can see why. And so full of character.

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Oh, absolutely, yeah, you could watch them for ages.

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MATT CHUCKLES I love 'em!

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There we are, team.

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Come on, then.

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These Mangalicas may look quirky, but that curly coat

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keeps them nice and warm up here on the hills in winter.

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-They're very competitive when they eat.

-Are they? Yeah.

-They just run.

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-You know, they...

-Look at them!

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They're brilliant.

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They always think the other pig's got more than they have, constantly.

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And what are they really good at, then, what is their key job here?

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They're going to get rid of brambles, and just the scrubland,

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which allows the heather to have no competition when it's growing.

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JAMES WHISTLES

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Come on!

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PIG GRUNTS

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And what does that fodder do for the taste of the meat, then?

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And this landscape in particular, grazing them here?

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Well, I think having a good percentage of naturally foraged diet

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-has got to be good for a pig.

-Yeah.

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And it's definitely good for the meat.

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I think it makes for a much darker meat,

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and the fact that they're growing slower, you know,

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we're not trying to finish these pigs in three, four, five months -

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they're with us for kind of nine, ten months -

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and a lot of their diet is coming from natural forage,

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so it makes a huge difference.

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-It's exposed round here, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's a bit sharp up here.

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-Cracking view, though.

-Yeah, amazing, isn't it?

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How did all this start for you, then?

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Well, I started working for a local farmer, for a sheep farmer,

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and I became aware of all the fantastic products

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that are being produced around Purbeck,

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and then I couldn't really get my hands on any to eat them,

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so I started looking at the idea of opening up a shop

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and a butchery, and as I looked more into it,

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I realised there was more and more that I could buy.

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It wasn't just local meat James wanted to source,

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but local fish, too.

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So, those initial days as a shepherd, then, they were round...

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Yeah, on the far hills there, down Tyneham valley, Kimmeridge way.

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That's where I started, and that was a big influence, really,

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-overlooking the sea there.

-Yeah.

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-And the beautiful landscape, and...

-Yeah.

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..it just made me want to eat products from those hills, really,

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and around here.

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And do you think that this area has a special taste

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as far as all of that food is concerned?

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Is there something in common that it has?

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-Yeah, I like to think it's like eating the view, really.

-Nice!

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There's salt in the air and on the grass,

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and we get a lot of sunshine here, as well,

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and I think animals with sun on their back,

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that's got to be a positive thing.

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And I'll be getting a taste of this view later.

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PIG GRUNTS

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"This holy fox, Or wolf,

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"or both, for he is equal ravenous

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"As he is subtle, and as prone to mischief

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"As able to perform't."

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"Some animals are cunning and evil-disposed, as the fox."

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ELLIE: Wily creature of ancient myth -

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I've been intrigued by foxes for as long as I can remember.

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When I was a child, I would see foxes on the valley

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opposite the house that we lived in,

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this flash of colour on a bleak green background,

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and even now, if I catch a glimpse of a fox at dusk,

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there's still a moment where it takes my breath away.

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VIXEN CALLS

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But in winter, you're far more likely to hear one than see one.

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VIXEN CALLS

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At this time of year, the vixen cries for a mate.

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It's one of the season's eeriest sounds.

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VIXEN CRIES

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But what lies behind our many myths of the cunning fox?

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Lucy Jones is a journalist who was so intrigued,

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she wrote a book on the subject.

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We're out in the Surrey countryside hoping to catch a glimpse.

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Not the ideal time to spot foxes, but we know they are here.

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-Yeah, we might hear them.

-We might, absolutely, with the breeding.

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-This could even be a fox earth, you never know.

-Yes.

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Our relationship with foxes goes back a long way, doesn't it?

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Yes. If you think about all the placenames in Britain

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named after foxes - there are hundreds of places

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called after "todde," which is an old British word for foxes.

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The conflict's always been there, too,

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people who love them, and people who see them as problematic.

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That's woven into our culture, too.

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The fox particularly in Britain is this kind of flint for emotions,

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because it is our largest remaining predator,

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it succeeds brilliantly in our urban areas.

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And that success, that resourcefulness,

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also lends to this wily fox, cunning fox.

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Yes, if you look back at Chaucer and Aesop,

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and then medieval literature and folklore,

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the fox was characterised as this cunning villain,

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as a device to warn people in communities about sin.

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It's a marvellous hunter, it's very agile,

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-but calling it cunning is a misnomer - it's not true.

-Yeah.

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The fox is the kind of big beast in the woods that we need to kind of,

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I don't know, project our fears on, to tell stories about, be afraid of.

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There are none about today, but luckily,

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I know somewhere I'm guaranteed to see them.

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David Mills is the owner of the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey.

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He spends his days observing these curious creatures,

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many of which have been rescued from the wild.

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Eeh! Hello!

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-Hello!

-Hi, David.

-Hello, Ellie, how are you?

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-I'm well, and you?

-Yes, good. Lovely morning. This is Flo.

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She is a fine looking fox.

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-Flo, come and...

-Wow! She's very confident, isn't she?

-Yes, she is.

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She's hand-reared, she is nine years old.

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What's this?

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Hey!

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-Have you hand-fed a fox before?

-No. This is a first!

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And I tell you, it's a great pleasure.

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DAVID CHUCKLES It really is.

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But she still retains a lot of her wildness, even though she's here.

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Oh, yes, she's not a tame fox.

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She is on the alert the whole time. She just trusts us.

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With up to 12,000 young visitors each year,

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the centre aims to educate us all about native wildlife.

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We get a lot of children from London,

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and they first thing they say, "Where are the crocodiles?"

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SHE CHUCKLES

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"Are we going to see lions and tigers today?"

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"No, you're going to see the foxes."

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And they are gobsmacked.

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You know, cos they... They've never seen a fox so close.

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The fox may be a rare sight in children's lives,

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but it's as familiar in their stories as ever.

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Coralie Bickford-Smith's award-winning tale

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tells of a friendly fox that loves and loses a star.

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Coralie, why have you chosen a fox?

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Well, I was living next door to a vacant plot,

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and the foxes had taken it over,

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and they looked so skinny and small and lost.

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They sort of embodied what I was feeling like when I lost my mum -

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at an early age, she died -

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and this book was basically about my journey of grieving,

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and then the wisdom that she left us with when she passed away.

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You know, you feel a little bit heartbroken for Fox,

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and we're not used to that feeling -

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we don't often feel sad for Fox in literature.

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Yeah. I really did want to turn the tables.

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-Just give him some positive story for once.

-Absolutely. Fox the hero.

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Be they hero or villain,

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most children experience the fox through stories.

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But short winter days are special -

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a chance for a rare torch-lit glimpse...

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..or just to enjoy a foxy fable around a cosy campfire.

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"Once there was a Fox who lived in a deep, dense forest.

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"He would wake at night to the cool, calm light of Star.

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"Then, one night, Fox woke.

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"Where did Star go?

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"Fox looked up."

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"Fox could not believe there were so many stars.

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"His heart was full of happiness.

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"He knew that somewhere out there was a Star that once was his."

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MATT: The peaks of the Scottish Highlands

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can be cold and unforgiving.

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Never more so than in winter.

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Yet there is still beauty to be found here.

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But if you look closer...

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..much closer...

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..all is not what it seems.

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That's because these are paintings.

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With their painstaking detail,

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self-taught artist Jamie Hageman's work seems as real as photographs.

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Fascinated by the rugged beauty of mountains,

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Jamie is off to brave the cold in search of inspiration

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for his latest painting of the steep-sided Glen Coe Valley.

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OK, see you later. I'm off to work.

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-See you.

-Bye. Have fun.

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Winter's all about the drama of the mountains.

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Under snow and ice, everything is just heightened.

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I have to paint the most impressive mountain scene I can,

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and that, for me, is winter.

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So I'm going to head up the south ridge of Am Bodach,

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and just get above the valley floor.

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That's the plan.

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It's windy, but, er...might be able to find somewhere sheltered.

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I grew up in Lincolnshire, which is extremely flat, very quiet.

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My father took me to North Wales when I was about 11,

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and suddenly opened up this amazing new world of mountains

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which I'd never thought about or seen before.

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It obviously went in deep inside,

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because then I would get back to Lincolnshire,

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and I'd want to draw mountains and paint them and write about them

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and look at books about them.

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I've always taken photographs out on the hills when I was little,

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but I was always disappointed with them.

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I could never quite reproduce the feeling of being in the mountains

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and the emotions that I felt, so I think painting, for me,

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was a way of getting past that, and a way of showing Mum

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where I'd been and what impressive situations I'd found myself in.

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HE SIGHS

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Yeah, it'll be a lovely sunny day soon.

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Today, we've got...

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..probably 40-mile-an-hour winds from the west,

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and it's bringing in hail, snow...

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It's probably minus ten wind-chill.

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I'm a bit sheltered in the tent here, luckily,

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but if I was sitting outside without the tent...

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..I'd be freezing.

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So I'm sitting here looking towards the Three Sisters of Glen Coe,

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and I've just sketched in the central peak called Gearr Aonach.

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My style is certainly realistic,

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and pretty accurate when it comes to the features of mountains.

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Accuracy-wise,

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I like to think that climbers might be able to map their climbs out.

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I mean, this seems ridiculous, but actually,

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what I'm going to end up with is a nice little souvenir of being here.

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I've got something that I've produced while I was here,

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on-site, looking at the mountain itself.

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Oh, look, I'm getting hail on the canvas now. This is good!

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I do enjoy it. I don't think I'm bonkers.

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HE CHUCKLES

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As a sketch, I think I'm pretty happy with that,

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given the conditions.

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The relentless winter seas of the British Isles.

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But fishermen all across the country brave these rough waters

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all year round to bring home the catch of the day.

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-RADIO:

-Now the shipping forecast, issued by the Met Office.

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Portland, west five to seven, backing south four or five,

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then veering west five to seven, occasionally gale eight in Portland.

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This is the Dorset coastline, a place that is both friend and foe.

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For local fishermen, winter is a waiting game.

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As Nick Ford knows only too well.

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He fishes for shellfish out of Kimmeridge Bay,

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but if he can't get out, he's nothing to sell on.

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Which means James Warren,

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the pig farmer and local food champion who I met earlier,

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has no shellfish for his farm shop devoted to Dorset produce.

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-Nick!

-Hello!

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-How are we, sir?

-Good. You?

-Nice to see you. I'm good, I'm good.

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I'm guessing, because of all these white horses out here,

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is collecting pots off today?

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It's definitely off today.

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And has that been the story, then, for most of the winter?

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Well, I've managed to get three days in this month.

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-Have you really?

-Yeah.

-Three?

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And this that unusual for a winter, then, or is that normally the case?

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It's fairly standard.

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-You know, other Januarys, I've done 20 days...

-Right.

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It's all down to which way the weather swings.

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The winter doesn't just hamper his catches.

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It plays havoc with the gear that Nick depends on, too.

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-Some of these have been damaged at sea in the rough weather.

-Right.

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There's the rubber binding on them,

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it's all looped round, and eventually that wears through,

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and then the pot breaks down.

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How many pots do you have out there at the moment, then,

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thrashing around in this weather?

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-NICK CHUCKLES

-300!

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-300?!

-Yeah, 300.

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And of your 300 pots that are out there now,

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-how many crabs would you expect?

-It could be one, it could be...

-Really?

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-Yeah, or it could be ten.

-Right.

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But in the winter time, the lobsters are a lot less,

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but the crabs more so.

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To turn over the gear you'd probably catch sort of around 120 kilo

0:19:210:19:25

of crab, probably.

0:19:250:19:26

120kg is equal to 170 crabs from Nick's 300 pots.

0:19:260:19:33

Hey, the weather's coming in now, Nick.

0:19:350:19:37

Yeah, looks like a little squall coming.

0:19:370:19:39

Good job we're not out there.

0:19:390:19:40

-Right, so, this is the latest haul?

-This is the latest haul.

0:19:400:19:43

Ooh, my word! They're huge!

0:19:430:19:46

Right! THEY LAUGH

0:19:460:19:48

-So, these are brown crabs?

-These are brown crab, yeah.

0:19:480:19:51

-Oh, that colour, I mean, they are gorgeous!

-Yeah.

0:19:510:19:55

-Can I pick one up?

-Yes, you can.

0:19:550:19:57

Look, it's huge!

0:20:020:20:04

And this, I mean, the sizes, then, obviously there's various sizes.

0:20:040:20:07

Yeah, they're all different ages,

0:20:070:20:09

I mean, I don't exactly know how old,

0:20:090:20:10

but they could be up to about 15 years old,

0:20:100:20:12

-some of these bigger ones.

-Beautiful.

0:20:120:20:15

-All right?

-And I'm going to turn you back over there, as well.

0:20:150:20:17

So, if it's really bad weather, right, you can't get out,

0:20:170:20:20

-you've got no lobsters, you got no crabs at all...

-Yeah.

-What happens?

0:20:200:20:23

-Does James go elsewhere?

-No.

0:20:230:20:25

It just won't be in the window, and he'll put a little note,

0:20:250:20:29

-"Too rough, no fish today."

-But that adds to the magic of it, doesn't it?

0:20:290:20:33

And actually, eating seasonally, that's the whole point,

0:20:330:20:37

that the education side of all this, as well.

0:20:370:20:39

Yes, so sometimes his window can be full,

0:20:390:20:41

and another time, it can look quite bare!

0:20:410:20:43

Yeah!

0:20:430:20:45

-Well, I'll tell you what, it's going to look brilliant this week.

-Yeah.

0:20:450:20:49

And I'll get a taste later on in a seasonal surf and turf.

0:20:490:20:52

STEVE: There's nothing quite like a bracing Scottish winter's day

0:21:010:21:04

to invigorate the senses.

0:21:040:21:06

When the snow blows in, there are those who come out to play.

0:21:070:21:12

HE LAUGHS

0:21:140:21:16

DOGS BARK

0:21:170:21:18

And then there are those on four legs who are just born to run on it.

0:21:180:21:22

Huskies.

0:21:220:21:24

Hey! Mush!

0:21:250:21:27

Not how one would normally address

0:21:270:21:29

acquaintances in refined circles,

0:21:290:21:31

but you could say this farm has gone to the dogs.

0:21:310:21:34

Deep in the Perthshire countryside is Bowland Trails,

0:21:400:21:45

a 220-acre farm run by John and Mary Carter,

0:21:450:21:48

who are world champion dog sled racers.

0:21:480:21:51

Having been brought up in England, it was John's dedication

0:21:540:21:57

to his huskies that brought him north of the border.

0:21:570:22:00

I had a dozen dogs in the year 2000,

0:22:010:22:04

and just towards the end of the race season,

0:22:040:22:06

the foot and mouth outbreak happened.

0:22:060:22:09

I was training at Thetford, and...

0:22:090:22:11

basically I just couldn't go to the forest,

0:22:110:22:13

they'd locked the forest off, and my dogs were climbing the walls.

0:22:130:22:16

So I looked to see if I could find a bit of land in Scotland and move up.

0:22:160:22:19

Everything seemed to fall into place.

0:22:190:22:21

It's just minus a house, that was all.

0:22:210:22:22

Yep - despite living here for more than 15 years,

0:22:230:22:27

John and Mary still haven't got round to building a permanent house.

0:22:270:22:31

Everything in life has a price, doesn't it?

0:22:310:22:33

The dogs come first, you know? We both feel like that.

0:22:330:22:35

It has its trials at times, there's no question.

0:22:350:22:37

We've got no running water,

0:22:370:22:39

and the genny's only on a certain amount of the day,

0:22:390:22:41

so Mary has to plan when she opens the freezer and does the washing.

0:22:410:22:44

-So you're completely off the grid here?

-Totally off the grid.

0:22:440:22:47

The only thing that we get up here free is grass.

0:22:470:22:49

And there's plenty of grass here for the animals,

0:22:520:22:55

but they've got to work hard to find it under the snow.

0:22:550:22:59

When it comes to grazing, John and Mary farm breeds

0:22:590:23:02

that are capable of thriving in the toughest of conditions.

0:23:020:23:05

Wow!

0:23:050:23:06

COW MOOS

0:23:070:23:08

Good morning!

0:23:080:23:09

Good morning!

0:23:110:23:12

Alongside their 36 Siberian Huskies,

0:23:120:23:15

John and Mary farm a flock of 200 Hebridean sheep,

0:23:150:23:19

and more than 50 pedigree Highland cattle.

0:23:190:23:22

We're surrounded by your Highland cattle, Mary.

0:23:220:23:25

What makes them the perfect breed up here?

0:23:250:23:26

Well, they are incredibly hardy, as you can see, but for us,

0:23:260:23:31

because our focus is always the Huskies,

0:23:310:23:33

we need something that we don't have to have too much input ourselves -

0:23:330:23:37

we like something that's going to really just get on

0:23:370:23:40

and do the job without too much of our intervention,

0:23:400:23:43

so through the winter, all we need to do is put out a few

0:23:430:23:46

bales of silage to keep them going, and in the summer,

0:23:460:23:48

I keep an eye on them through calving time,

0:23:480:23:51

but they just get on and do the job,

0:23:510:23:53

so we really have to do very little with them.

0:23:530:23:56

-Their temperament - they're so friendly.

-Yeah!

0:23:560:23:59

Not all Highlanders are friendly.

0:23:590:24:00

We're always nice and calm and quiet with our cows,

0:24:000:24:02

so our cows are really steady - they know that we're no threat.

0:24:020:24:05

What about that interaction between the livestock and the Huskies?

0:24:050:24:09

Well, with all the cows that have been born here,

0:24:090:24:12

they've grown up seeing the Huskies go past,

0:24:120:24:14

and so they know that it's no threat,

0:24:140:24:15

they're really quite used to it,

0:24:150:24:17

you know, it's like, same dogs, different day, going fast.

0:24:170:24:20

Our dogs are so focused, all they want to do is run.

0:24:200:24:22

They don't want to have to be stopping

0:24:220:24:24

and going off the trail to chase things.

0:24:240:24:26

It's no interest to them. They just want to run.

0:24:260:24:28

DOGS BARK

0:24:280:24:29

And, boy, do they run.

0:24:320:24:34

With more than 10 miles of purpose-built trails,

0:24:340:24:37

this is the go to place for Huskies and their mushers to come to train.

0:24:370:24:41

But if you think this kind of paw-pounding action

0:24:430:24:45

is just for the non-disabled, then think again.

0:24:450:24:49

Whoa, that's amazing, the speed she's going!

0:24:490:24:52

Good girl.

0:24:520:24:53

Catherine Lewis has spina bifida, a condition that affects her spine,

0:24:530:24:58

but from what I can see,

0:24:580:24:59

she's certainly not one to pull back on the reins.

0:24:590:25:02

So, Catherine, where did this love of the dogs come from?

0:25:030:25:06

Well, when I was very young, I had a lot of surgery

0:25:060:25:09

and I spent a lot of time at Great Ormond Street Hospital,

0:25:090:25:11

and I didn't have much else to do,

0:25:110:25:13

so my parents brought me a lot of books to keep me occupied,

0:25:130:25:15

and one of them was about wolves,

0:25:150:25:17

and I was completely captivated by this book,

0:25:170:25:19

I thought it was absolutely wonderful,

0:25:190:25:21

and decided that when I was older, I wanted to have wolves as pets.

0:25:210:25:24

And as I grew, I realised that that's not very practical.

0:25:240:25:26

And I met a lady who had some Siberian Huskies.

0:25:260:25:30

I was absolutely bowled over by them, they were fantastic,

0:25:300:25:33

and I decided there and then, this is what I want.

0:25:330:25:36

So talk me through that first time you went out on a rig.

0:25:360:25:39

Well, we went to a very secluded beach, and they just ran,

0:25:390:25:43

and it was just like freedom.

0:25:430:25:46

When you see them work, they work together as a group,

0:25:460:25:48

and their will to move and to go

0:25:480:25:51

and see what's around the next bend is absolutely infectious.

0:25:510:25:54

For me, it's the fastest I can go.

0:25:540:25:56

I'm using somebody else's legs to run, but I'm still running,

0:25:560:25:59

and I'll never forget that day.

0:25:590:26:00

The sun was shining, the sky was blue, very like today, except...

0:26:000:26:03

-But you was on a beach!

-But I was on a beach, yes.

0:26:030:26:06

Well, this is the polar opposite of a beach, but...

0:26:070:26:11

They said every dog has its day, so I guess it's my turn.

0:26:110:26:15

DOGS BARK

0:26:150:26:17

I'm going to be using Catherine's specially adapted rig,

0:26:180:26:21

and Mary's given me an expert steer.

0:26:210:26:24

The dogs are going to set off at quite a pace.

0:26:240:26:26

That's when I need you just to brace yourself, cos...

0:26:260:26:28

Brace myself? How fast are they going to go?

0:26:280:26:30

If you're taking a left turn...

0:26:320:26:33

-Yeah, that's that way...

-..say, "Haw."

0:26:330:26:35

"Haw."

0:26:350:26:36

If you're taking a right turn, you say, "Gee."

0:26:360:26:38

Haw, gee.

0:26:380:26:40

OK, I've got that.

0:26:400:26:41

They're more excited than I am!

0:26:420:26:44

-Excited?

-It's going to be fun, isn't it?

-Yeah!

0:26:450:26:48

With speeds of up to 25mph,

0:26:480:26:51

it's time for this young pup to run with the big dogs.

0:26:510:26:54

Gee!

0:26:570:26:58

Gee!

0:26:580:26:59

This is amazing! Gee!

0:27:010:27:03

Gee!

0:27:040:27:06

Gee!

0:27:070:27:08

HE LAUGHS

0:27:080:27:10

Whoa! I really want to brake! Argh!

0:27:100:27:13

Whoa!

0:27:150:27:16

Go on, dogs.

0:27:170:27:18

Well, I'll tell you what...

0:27:190:27:21

Thank you, firstly, Mary, that was something else.

0:27:210:27:24

These dogs are strong, they're powerful,

0:27:240:27:26

and you want to see the way that they go round the corners.

0:27:260:27:28

All I wanted to do was brake and slow it down -

0:27:280:27:31

they're just relentless - they would not stop.

0:27:310:27:34

And talking of not stopping, neither am I. Let's go again.

0:27:340:27:37

DOGS BARK

0:27:370:27:39

JOE: This season never ceases to amaze.

0:27:540:27:57

This magnificent spot overlooks the three counties

0:27:570:28:00

of Dorset over there, Devon there, and Somerset right here.

0:28:000:28:03

And even in the middle of winter, it just oozes charm.

0:28:030:28:07

There is a sense of tranquillity here.

0:28:080:28:11

A timeless landscape where the sight and sounds

0:28:130:28:16

of the majestic deer, antlers ablaze,

0:28:160:28:20

are not out of place.

0:28:200:28:22

Because these hills are home

0:28:250:28:27

to a collection of extraordinary creatures.

0:28:270:28:29

This is the South West Deer Rescue Centre.

0:28:300:28:33

Run by Mike Gage, also known as the Deer Whisperer,

0:28:350:28:38

these rolling acres are home to more than 150 deer.

0:28:380:28:42

-Mike, how are you doing?

-OK, mate.

-Good to see you.

0:28:440:28:47

So what are you doing here?

0:28:470:28:48

This is fodder beet, and it's high in sugar.

0:28:480:28:51

The deer seem to love it.

0:28:510:28:53

Where did this passion for deer come from?

0:28:530:28:55

I was a plasterer, and I, erm...

0:28:550:28:57

..got a contract down in Dulverton on Exmoor,

0:28:590:29:02

and one morning, driving into Dulverton,

0:29:020:29:05

nine red deer ran across the road in front of my van,

0:29:050:29:07

and that was it, really, I got hooked, and that was 42 years ago.

0:29:070:29:12

-Wow!

-So I went out, bought a camera, and off I went.

0:29:120:29:17

And I couldn't understand how I sneaked all down

0:29:170:29:20

across these fields, under hedges, and I knew they couldn't see me,

0:29:200:29:23

and when I got there, they weren't there.

0:29:230:29:26

I thought, "Well, how did they know?"

0:29:260:29:28

And I worked it out - they could smell me coming down the wind.

0:29:280:29:30

-Wind, yeah.

-So, then, I walked with the wind in my face,

0:29:300:29:34

and I've walked right up to deer.

0:29:340:29:36

From that first encounter with the red deer on Exmoor,

0:29:370:29:41

Mike's become the go-to deer guy.

0:29:410:29:44

His herd's grown along with his reputation.

0:29:440:29:47

So this place really is...

0:29:480:29:50

-My life.

-..to give people a chance to share your passion,

0:29:500:29:53

-that they can come and experience deer quite up close.

-Yes.

0:29:530:29:56

And talk to them, and photograph them, and...

0:29:560:29:59

Which people can't do very often.

0:29:590:30:01

-Yeah. So shall we get in there and give them their breakfast?

-Good idea.

0:30:010:30:04

ENGINE STARTS

0:30:050:30:06

Great.

0:30:120:30:13

Ooh!

0:30:130:30:14

Right...

0:30:150:30:16

-You've done this before!

-JOE LAUGHS

0:30:190:30:21

So, Mike, introduce me to some of the characters in this field, then.

0:30:240:30:27

This is Rosie. Rosie!

0:30:270:30:30

Rosie comes from Exmoor.

0:30:300:30:32

-Now, Rosie's a little bit different, clearly.

-She's a red deer.

0:30:320:30:34

She's a red, I thought so. Good! MIKE CHUCKLES

0:30:340:30:37

Well, she came with the RSPCA about four years ago,

0:30:370:30:40

and I bottle-fed her...

0:30:400:30:42

..with Lola, over there.

0:30:420:30:44

-This is Lola here?

-Yeah.

0:30:440:30:46

She's a little fallow deer, and they came together,

0:30:460:30:48

and they go everywhere together, they follow each other.

0:30:480:30:52

Now, look.

0:30:520:30:53

I think fallow deer are really gentle animals, to be honest,

0:30:530:30:57

and they're like my family, really.

0:30:570:30:59

And Mike wants to show others just how fabulous

0:31:000:31:03

his fallow deer family is.

0:31:030:31:05

Today, some local youngsters are here to get hands-on

0:31:050:31:08

with these gentle, hungry creatures.

0:31:080:31:10

What do they like? Carrot?

0:31:130:31:15

-They're muddy.

-It is a bit muddy.

0:31:150:31:17

But it doesn't seem to bother them too much.

0:31:170:31:19

Would you eat a muddy carrot?

0:31:190:31:20

-No!

-No?!

0:31:200:31:21

Oh, that's lots! Oh, thank you! Thank you!

0:31:210:31:25

This is Damme.

0:31:280:31:29

Damme is 16 years old. She'll be 17 years old this June.

0:31:290:31:35

It's not just fallow and red deer.

0:31:350:31:37

Mike also looks after axis, sika, and muntjacs.

0:31:370:31:40

During the winter, when the pickings are thin,

0:31:410:31:43

the deer need a helping hand,

0:31:430:31:45

so it's time to move his herd of red deer to pastures new.

0:31:450:31:49

MIKE CALLS TO DEER

0:31:490:31:50

So why are you moving them today?

0:31:500:31:52

Cos the grass has had it

0:31:520:31:54

and there's some fresh grass in there, look.

0:31:540:31:56

How much more work, how much more effort is it in the winter,

0:31:580:32:01

having to look after them all?

0:32:010:32:03

It's a heck of a lot of work in the winter.

0:32:030:32:06

On my own, it takes me from about eight to two o'clock...

0:32:060:32:09

-Wow.

-..to feed everyone.

-So in the winter it's the best part of a day

0:32:090:32:13

-going round feeding them all?

-Yeah.

0:32:130:32:14

Do you ever sort of sit back and think,

0:32:140:32:16

when you came here and started this, there was none of this,

0:32:160:32:19

-and now you've done all this?

-Yes.

0:32:190:32:20

You must be very proud of what you've achieved.

0:32:200:32:22

Erm... I never thought of it. Yes, you're right!

0:32:220:32:25

THEY LAUGH

0:32:250:32:26

MATT: Now, this year, we are celebrating 30 years of Countryfile.

0:32:410:32:46

And it also happens to be the 30th anniversary

0:32:460:32:48

of another memorable event that was watched by millions of us.

0:32:480:32:53

In 1988, Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards from Gloucestershire

0:32:550:32:59

became the unlikely hero of the Calgary Winter Olympics.

0:32:590:33:03

Eddie leapt into the nation's hearts

0:33:040:33:06

with an unforgettable show of strength in the face of adversity,

0:33:060:33:10

finishing last in not one but two ski jumping events.

0:33:100:33:14

With the Winter Olympics starting later this week,

0:33:200:33:22

Eddie is going back out on the piste

0:33:220:33:25

at Glenshee Ski Centre in the Scottish Cairngorms.

0:33:250:33:28

He used to be a ski instructor here before gaining Olympic notoriety,

0:33:300:33:34

so Eddie's going to show us the slopes.

0:33:340:33:37

This is the bit I remember most -

0:33:380:33:40

the approach from Blairgowrie up to Glenshee.

0:33:400:33:44

I used to run up here to get warmed up and stretch,

0:33:440:33:48

and then get ready for a day's skiing.

0:33:480:33:50

The other guys, the ski instructors and workers at Glenshee,

0:33:500:33:53

they just let me get on with it, but I was serious about my racing,

0:33:530:33:56

and for me, fitness was everything.

0:33:560:33:58

So I guess, yes, they must have thought to themselves, "He's mad,"

0:33:580:34:01

but...it didn't stop me doing it, though.

0:34:010:34:04

Yeah, this looks fantastic, it's quite modern. It's very posh.

0:34:120:34:17

When I remember skiing here 35 years ago,

0:34:170:34:19

it was literally a garden shed over there, and we had to walk in,

0:34:190:34:22

there was no heating.

0:34:220:34:23

Gosh! Glenshee have come into the 21st century! This is wonderful!

0:34:230:34:28

Ha-ha!

0:34:280:34:29

I was 19 years old - back in 1982.

0:34:330:34:37

That's when I came up for the season to ski here at Glenshee.

0:34:370:34:41

Oh, my God!

0:34:480:34:49

-Is it who I think it is? Eddie! How lovely to see you!

-How are you?

0:34:490:34:54

And you!

0:34:540:34:55

-Two - we have to be...

-Oh, gosh! You're still here!

0:34:550:34:58

I'm still here, yeah.

0:34:580:35:00

We always remember you affectionately up here,

0:35:000:35:03

-and say, "Oh, he used to work up here!"

-Yes, yes.

0:35:030:35:05

I do tell people, yes. They say, "Have you skied in Scotland?"

0:35:050:35:08

I say, "Of course! I worked there as a ski instructor in Glenshee.

0:35:080:35:11

-"Get up there and ski!"

-Yeah.

0:35:110:35:13

-So are you going to get your skis on?

-I'm going to have a ski,

0:35:130:35:15

and I hope I don't need your services as a medical officer.

0:35:150:35:19

-Or the dog to find you!

-THEY LAUGH

0:35:190:35:21

-Or the dog to find me, yeah!

-THEY LAUGH

0:35:210:35:24

-"We've lost Eddie, where's Eddie?"

-THEY LAUGH

0:35:240:35:27

-Yes!

-I'll find you!

0:35:270:35:29

HE SIGHS

0:35:360:35:37

I'd never been to Scotland before.

0:35:390:35:42

Coming up to Glenshee was a bit of a culture shock.

0:35:420:35:45

A - they speak funny up here,

0:35:450:35:47

and I couldn't understand the way they were speaking.

0:35:470:35:51

And the weather was really, really harsh, cos sometimes the wind

0:35:510:35:56

would blow you up the hill faster than you could ski down it.

0:35:560:35:59

I couldn't see where I was skiing for the first month that I was here.

0:35:590:36:03

It was like a permanent whiteout,

0:36:030:36:05

but that was really good for my skiing, too,

0:36:050:36:07

because if you can ski well when you can't see where you're going

0:36:070:36:11

and you can't see what you're doing, that makes you an even better skier.

0:36:110:36:14

I love the outdoors.

0:36:260:36:28

I think that's part and parcel of being a skier -

0:36:280:36:31

the enjoyment of being in the mountains.

0:36:310:36:34

You know, not only here in Glenshee, but when you go to Italy or Austria.

0:36:340:36:37

Beautiful scenery, fresh air, the wildlife that you see,

0:36:370:36:41

the elements - it's all different challenges.

0:36:410:36:44

Now, the reason I went into ski jumping

0:36:530:36:55

was quite by accident, really.

0:36:550:36:57

I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

0:36:570:37:00

After working here in Glenshee, I went to Europe for a year or two,

0:37:000:37:03

and I kept running out of money.

0:37:030:37:05

My dad was a plasterer, my mum worked in an office,

0:37:050:37:07

we weren't rich, so I had to decide,

0:37:070:37:09

either I'd come back home to Cheltenham,

0:37:090:37:11

and go back to plastering with my dad and forget about skiing,

0:37:110:37:14

or find something cheaper to do, and I saw the ski jumps.

0:37:140:37:17

And when I sat and looked at them, I realised that Great Britain

0:37:170:37:20

have had lots of Alpine skiers, cross-country skiers,

0:37:200:37:23

biathlon skiers, but we'd never had a jumper,

0:37:230:37:25

and I thought, "I'll give it a go."

0:37:250:37:27

And then, two years later, there I was at Calgary,

0:37:330:37:36

jumping in the Olympics, and all the broken bones that occurred

0:37:360:37:39

over those 20 months were all worth it, cos I got there,

0:37:390:37:43

and I realised my dream of getting to an Olympic Games.

0:37:430:37:46

And they rest, as they say, is history.

0:37:480:37:50

ELLIE: from the Highlands of Scotland to the Gower Peninsula in Wales.

0:38:010:38:05

Adam's visiting a farmer

0:38:050:38:07

whose livestock live life on the edge of this unusual coastline.

0:38:070:38:11

Farming during the winter definitely has its challenges,

0:38:110:38:14

but in this landscape, it can be even tougher,

0:38:140:38:17

especially when it comes to gathering up the sheep on the salt marshes.

0:38:170:38:21

SHEEP BLEAT

0:38:210:38:23

ADAM: I love Gower, and it's particularly stunning

0:38:290:38:31

at this time of year, during the winter months.

0:38:310:38:34

Now, you wouldn't expect to find

0:38:340:38:36

grazing animals out here, would you?

0:38:360:38:38

But unbelievably,

0:38:380:38:39

along the salt marshes here,

0:38:390:38:41

there's a flock of sheep that graze all along the side of the estuary.

0:38:410:38:44

And I've brought along Peg here, my sheepdog, to give me a hand.

0:38:440:38:47

She likes a trip to the seaside.

0:38:470:38:49

But also, I've come to learn about the shepherding skills,

0:38:490:38:52

because they have to gather these sheep off the salt marsh

0:38:520:38:55

so they don't get swept away during the high tide.

0:38:550:38:58

So I'm going to use Peg, and hopefully,

0:38:580:38:59

she'll be able to cope with this very unusual terrain.

0:38:590:39:02

Rowland Prichard has been farming here his whole life.

0:39:130:39:16

I'm meeting him at Weobley Castle.

0:39:160:39:18

It's a stunning spot overlooking the spectacular landscape.

0:39:180:39:22

Hi, Rowland.

0:39:240:39:25

-Hi, Adam, how are you?

-Really well.

0:39:250:39:27

-What a place to live, eh?

-This is lovely, isn't it?

0:39:270:39:29

Incredible!

0:39:290:39:30

Well, I've just been down on the marshes,

0:39:300:39:33

but it's completely different looking down on it from up here.

0:39:330:39:35

Oh, yeah, from here, you can see all the gutters, all the inlets,

0:39:350:39:38

the pills that divide the marsh off, you can see the lot, can't you?

0:39:380:39:41

Is that what you call the sort of river inlets, the pills?

0:39:410:39:44

-That river there, we call them a pill, yeah.

-OK.

0:39:440:39:46

The tide comes in through it, and then goes back out.

0:39:460:39:49

-So what's the job first?

-First job, we've got to go feed them.

0:39:490:39:52

-OK, I'll give you a hand.

-OK, great.

0:39:520:39:54

We jump aboard the tractor and head straight out to the marshes,

0:39:570:40:00

where the sheep are eagerly waiting to be fed.

0:40:000:40:03

This track is extraordinary,

0:40:050:40:07

it just seems to go straight out into the sea.

0:40:070:40:08

Is it safe?

0:40:080:40:10

It always has been - I'm still here!

0:40:100:40:11

THEY LAUGH

0:40:110:40:13

-So you're just used to farming in this extraordinary environment?

-Yeah.

0:40:130:40:17

We know the tide is coming in tonight,

0:40:170:40:19

so we've got a few hours' gap now

0:40:190:40:20

to feed the sheep before the tide comes in.

0:40:200:40:23

Rowland unhitches the trailer,

0:40:260:40:27

and starts by unloading two big bales of silage

0:40:270:40:30

onto the sand at the edge of the marsh.

0:40:300:40:32

Silage is grass cut during the summer

0:40:350:40:37

that's then used during the winter months when there is little to graze.

0:40:370:40:41

And then underneath that, he's got fodder beet,

0:40:420:40:45

and they're running in to feed on it already.

0:40:450:40:48

Most farmers are feeding their animals extra grub

0:40:500:40:52

at this time of year,

0:40:520:40:54

but out on the sands like this, it's quite extraordinary.

0:40:540:40:58

The sheep seem to love it. They're totally at home out here.

0:40:580:41:01

Rowland, did you grow this fodder beet?

0:41:050:41:06

This fodder beet is grown, yes, on the farm.

0:41:060:41:08

Particularly now they are heavy in lamb,

0:41:080:41:10

they need a little bit more than the grass they can eat off the marsh.

0:41:100:41:14

They seem in fit condition. How many ewes have you got out here?

0:41:140:41:17

-We've got about 1,000 on the marsh here.

-Brilliant.

0:41:170:41:19

It takes the sheep a couple of hours to finish munching

0:41:210:41:24

on their high energy lunch before they return to the salt marshes.

0:41:240:41:28

Well, the tide is on its way in now,

0:41:290:41:31

so we need to get these sheep in now before they get underwater.

0:41:310:41:34

And do they literally get washed away by the sea if they don't get in?

0:41:340:41:38

Yeah, we've got to come out and get them in, because,

0:41:380:41:40

as you can see, there's little gutters all along the marsh,

0:41:400:41:43

and they fill with water, then they can't come in.

0:41:430:41:45

-They're sort of trapped on the island.

-They're trapped.

0:41:450:41:47

So we've got to be at least two hours before high water,

0:41:470:41:50

getting them in.

0:41:500:41:51

We head towards the flock in the distance,

0:41:510:41:53

but it's slow progress on this terrain.

0:41:530:41:56

The sheep know these marshes like the back of their hooves.

0:41:580:42:02

When we seem to be gaining on them, the tide beats us to it,

0:42:020:42:05

and we're cut off from the flock.

0:42:050:42:07

It's now down to the dogs to play their part.

0:42:080:42:11

Goodness me, Rowland, what happens here?

0:42:110:42:13

I mean, the sheep are right over there!

0:42:130:42:15

Have you brought your swimming trunks with you?

0:42:150:42:16

ADAM LAUGHS

0:42:160:42:18

Go on, get in!

0:42:180:42:19

-Will your dog go across?

-I don't know! I've got no idea. Will yours?

0:42:190:42:22

-I think so. We'll give them a try, shall we?

-Go on, then, yeah.

0:42:220:42:25

Away. Away!

0:42:250:42:27

She's making her way along the edge there -

0:42:270:42:29

-looking for somewhere to cross, is she?

-Yeah, she's looking.

0:42:290:42:31

She'll go in a minute now. Keep an eye on her.

0:42:310:42:33

There she is, she's in the water.

0:42:330:42:34

-Gosh, she can swim well, can't she?

-She's swimming terrific, yeah.

0:42:340:42:37

Fair play, and that's a strong current coming the other way.

0:42:370:42:40

-Brave, isn't she?

-Yeah. Right, let's see your dog.

0:42:400:42:42

-Come on, then!

-Not sure she will! I'm not filled with confidence!

0:42:420:42:45

ROWLAND LAUGHS Peg, good girl. Away, away.

0:42:450:42:48

Peg, away. Away.

0:42:480:42:49

Peg, away.

0:42:500:42:52

Just when it looks like Lib will have to do the job on her own,

0:42:540:42:57

I'm amazed by Peg -

0:42:570:42:59

she finds a narrow crossing, and she takes the plunge.

0:42:590:43:02

Once on the other side,

0:43:060:43:08

the dogs have a quick shake before they race off to find the sheep.

0:43:080:43:11

The dogs work as a perfect team, coming in from different sides,

0:43:140:43:18

cutting the flock off, and sending them back in the right direction.

0:43:180:43:22

With her years of experience, Lib leads the way.

0:43:280:43:32

But Peg is like a duck to water,

0:43:320:43:34

and is soon handling this terrain like an old-timer.

0:43:340:43:37

This might be a difficult environment to farm,

0:43:390:43:42

but Rowland has a very good reason for grazing his flock here.

0:43:420:43:45

It's great watching them move off the marshes,

0:43:470:43:49

and the weather is closing in now, isn't it?

0:43:490:43:51

-Yeah.

-But what makes this salt marsh lamb so special?

0:43:510:43:54

It is the vegetation they're eating.

0:43:540:43:55

We haven't got the rye grasses that you get in fields.

0:43:550:43:58

There's a lot of fescues, and an awful lot of herbs,

0:43:580:44:01

so the fact that they're eating a different vegetation,

0:44:010:44:04

that affects the flavour.

0:44:040:44:06

And is it anything to do with the salt in the ground?

0:44:060:44:08

The salt affects the vegetation, and the vegetation then affects

0:44:080:44:13

-the flavour, so the salt is doing it indirectly...

-Yeah.

0:44:130:44:16

-..but you won't taste salt on the meat.

-Yeah, just a rich flavour.

0:44:160:44:19

-Just a rich flavour, yeah.

-Sounds lovely.

0:44:190:44:21

-They're leaving us behind, we'd better catch up.

-Let's catch up.

0:44:210:44:24

Before we know it, most of the sheep have made it to the track

0:44:240:44:27

that leads them to higher ground.

0:44:270:44:29

-We've got the main flock in, Rowland.

-They've come in well, haven't they?

0:44:290:44:32

-But there's a few stragglers here.

-Yeah, they're on the bridge.

0:44:320:44:35

Oh, look, and the gate has blown shut on them.

0:44:350:44:37

What shall we do, try and squeeze through?

0:44:370:44:39

See if you can pass, if you can open the gate.

0:44:390:44:41

ADAM WHISTLES That'll do, Peg!

0:44:410:44:42

-They're pushing it open.

-There we are, they've gone now.

-Oh, perfect!

0:44:420:44:46

-Automatic gates!

-THEY LAUGH

0:44:460:44:47

ADAM WHISTLES Here!

0:44:470:44:50

We've got shepherds all over the UK managing sheep in different ways,

0:44:500:44:53

you know, in the Cotswolds, the Lake District fells,

0:44:530:44:56

the Scottish mountains, but here on the salt marshes,

0:44:560:44:58

there's nothing like it, is there?

0:44:580:45:00

No, this is completely different, isn't it?

0:45:000:45:02

You see the dogs working, he's got to learn to swim...

0:45:020:45:04

ADAM CHUCKLES

0:45:040:45:06

..jump gutters, and it's all completely different here.

0:45:060:45:08

-Incredible.

-Mmm.

0:45:080:45:09

Well, it's been a real experience for me,

0:45:090:45:11

and I think Peg's still got a lot to learn.

0:45:110:45:13

Oh, she's learning fast, fair play.

0:45:130:45:16

Another three years, and you'd be a marsh shepherd.

0:45:160:45:19

ADAM LAUGHS

0:45:190:45:20

ANITA: The colder months bring much beauty.

0:45:290:45:32

But unsurprisingly,

0:45:340:45:36

shorter days and plummeting temperatures

0:45:360:45:39

don't bring joy for everyone.

0:45:390:45:41

For many of us, winter is a time of darkness and anxiety,

0:45:420:45:46

when those long, warm days of summer seem like a million miles away,

0:45:460:45:50

and it's all too easy to start feeling a little bit glum.

0:45:500:45:54

But you don't have to be blue.

0:45:570:45:59

Emma Mitchell, a Cambridgeshire-based biologist, writer and artist,

0:45:590:46:03

has come up with a way of living with winter that's all about embracing it.

0:46:030:46:08

-Hello.

-Now, winter can be gloomy,

0:46:080:46:09

but I think this is what you'd describe as a perfect winter's day,

0:46:090:46:12

wouldn't you? So what are we out here to do?

0:46:120:46:15

What I'm after, really, is tiny little seasonal nature finds.

0:46:150:46:19

Seed heads or perhaps little seedlings coming out,

0:46:190:46:23

and despite it being quite the depths of winter,

0:46:230:46:27

there's quite a lot to find.

0:46:270:46:28

I'll make things with it.

0:46:280:46:30

I'll either draw with them or cast them in silver.

0:46:300:46:32

Are we going to be crafting?

0:46:320:46:33

-We are.

-Oh, I'm looking forward to it already.

0:46:330:46:36

A decade ago, Emma's life was very different.

0:46:370:46:40

She had a stressful job which caused depression that got

0:46:400:46:43

worse in the winter.

0:46:430:46:45

I became really lacking in energy, I did have to have antidepressants,

0:46:460:46:50

and also counselling for the stress levels,

0:46:500:46:52

so it was a serious situation.

0:46:520:46:54

Feeling lost, Emma turned to social media to ask what others do

0:46:540:46:58

to fight the winter blues.

0:46:580:47:00

Again and again, they came up with the same answer.

0:47:000:47:03

Lots of people got out to walk in green spaces,

0:47:030:47:06

even in their garden, and so I started to come for regular walks.

0:47:060:47:09

And...?

0:47:090:47:10

And as soon as I step outside, there's a change in my mood.

0:47:100:47:14

In fact, it's better than chocolate.

0:47:140:47:16

-Shall we gather?

-Yes!

-Shall we do what you do?

-Let's go.

-Come on, then.

0:47:160:47:19

Better than chocolate? Nothing's better than chocolate!

0:47:200:47:22

EMMA LAUGHS

0:47:220:47:24

DUCKS QUACK

0:47:240:47:25

So, this is just a hedge.

0:47:280:47:30

But look deeper, and it's full of treasures.

0:47:300:47:33

That's gorgeous!

0:47:330:47:34

Here, we've got another really common plant, and that's yarrow.

0:47:360:47:40

-We're making jewellery with these, aren't we?

-Absolutely.

0:47:410:47:44

-Look, that would make a great...

-Oh!

-What do you reckon?

0:47:440:47:46

-Woman of the woods. Looking beautiful there.

-An earring.

-Nice.

0:47:460:47:50

Now, there's proper science behind this, isn't there?

0:47:530:47:55

There's quite a lot of scientific research that has unpicked

0:47:550:47:59

why we feel so good in a green space,

0:47:590:48:02

and in fact, it's the oils and chemicals

0:48:020:48:04

-being released by the plants that we inhale...

-Mmm-hmm...

0:48:040:48:08

..that affects our circulatory system, it affects our mood.

0:48:080:48:11

So it's not just open space, meditation,

0:48:110:48:14

it's actually physical, there's physical effects...

0:48:140:48:16

-Absolutely, yes.

-..that are making us feel good.

0:48:160:48:19

Surprisingly, these chemicals aren't only active in summer,

0:48:190:48:22

with its abundance of foliage.

0:48:220:48:25

They are around all year, and in winter,

0:48:250:48:27

they're even more critical for our wellbeing.

0:48:270:48:30

-I can't wait to do the making bit.

-Are you excited?

0:48:300:48:33

-Yeah, really excited! Shall we give it a go?

-Yeah.

0:48:330:48:35

-There may be cake.

-Oh! Oh! This gets better and better!

0:48:350:48:39

Emma's workshop is based in her picture-perfect cottage

0:48:400:48:44

in the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fens.

0:48:440:48:46

-Come on in, it's a bit cosier in here.

-It's lovely. That's better.

0:48:470:48:52

This is where the natural objects she's carefully collected

0:48:520:48:56

take on a whole new life.

0:48:560:48:58

-So here we are, this is where I hold my workshops.

-It is lovely!

0:49:020:49:07

First, we need to make the mould. Who doesn't love a bit of squidgy putty?

0:49:080:49:12

I really have regressed.

0:49:120:49:15

I'm four, and I want to be really naughty!

0:49:150:49:17

THEY LAUGH

0:49:170:49:18

The idea is to make an impression of the plant.

0:49:180:49:22

Oh... Oh!

0:49:220:49:24

Amazing!

0:49:240:49:25

I'm really enjoying myself. It's just me and this little bit of craft.

0:49:250:49:30

Then it's transferred to the silver clay, which is 93% silver.

0:49:300:49:36

Oh, look!

0:49:360:49:37

That's fab.

0:49:370:49:39

A flash of flame burns away the impurities,

0:49:390:49:42

leaving just the solid precious metal.

0:49:420:49:44

Ah!

0:49:440:49:46

-Wow!

-Look at that!

0:49:460:49:49

-We've made real silver, we're alchemists!

-I cannot believe it.

0:49:490:49:52

-That is so beautiful, so satisfying.

-I know.

0:49:520:49:55

What's really special about it

0:49:550:49:57

is the joy that the whole process has brought.

0:49:570:49:59

-Absolutely.

-Going outdoors, and then that will always be a memory.

-I know.

0:49:590:50:03

We've captured a seasonal moment.

0:50:030:50:05

In the depths of winter, a tiny, really common,

0:50:050:50:09

very beautiful little plant cast in silver like a fossil.

0:50:090:50:12

How beautiful is that? It's gorgeous, isn't it?

0:50:140:50:17

And if it's inspired you to get out there into the depths of winter

0:50:170:50:20

and do some gathering,

0:50:200:50:22

then you'll definitely need to know what the weather's up to.

0:50:220:50:24

Here's the Countryfile five-day forecast.

0:50:240:50:26

MATT: Today, we're embracing winter's icy charms.

0:51:010:51:06

From the countryside to the coastline, Dorset has it all.

0:51:060:51:11

Even in the most unforgiving season,

0:51:130:51:15

this diverse landscape lends itself to an array of top produce.

0:51:150:51:20

So, when it comes to fresh food, even in the middle of winter,

0:51:200:51:24

Dorset is the place to be.

0:51:240:51:26

Earlier, I met James Warren,

0:51:290:51:31

a farmer championing local producers and their food,

0:51:310:51:34

and he's about to rustle up a storm of seasonal delicacies.

0:51:340:51:38

James, this is a mightily impressive barbecue, to say the least...

0:51:420:51:45

-Thank you.

-..and the produce that's

0:51:450:51:47

on here, I mean, what you're cooking,

0:51:470:51:49

it smells divine here.

0:51:490:51:51

Erm...so, yeah, just talk us through

0:51:510:51:53

the grill here and what we've got.

0:51:530:51:54

So, er...we've got a ribeye there

0:51:540:51:56

still on the bone,

0:51:560:51:57

which is of White Park beef.

0:51:570:51:58

Look at that!

0:51:580:52:00

We've left the cap on just to cook it,

0:52:000:52:02

but we'll take that off before we eat it.

0:52:020:52:03

Beautiful. This lamb here?

0:52:030:52:05

Yeah, again, this is truly local,

0:52:050:52:07

because up behind us

0:52:070:52:09

in the fields there is where that

0:52:090:52:10

lamb was born and raised.

0:52:100:52:11

It's actually from that sheep farm?

0:52:110:52:13

Yeah, it's part of the flock

0:52:130:52:14

you can see, those white dots.

0:52:140:52:15

Then have we got your pork there?

0:52:150:52:17

Yeah, this is a rolled

0:52:170:52:18

shoulder of our pork here,

0:52:180:52:19

which we've stuffed and we just roll up and down the barbecue.

0:52:190:52:22

-You see it's getting a nice colour now.

-Yeah.

0:52:220:52:24

And frying off in the pan?

0:52:240:52:25

Then over there,

0:52:250:52:26

I just picked a little bit of

0:52:260:52:27

sea beet from the cliffs here.

0:52:270:52:29

It's a feast, but it doesn't end here,

0:52:290:52:30

because you've been doing something

0:52:300:52:32

with Nick's crab, as well.

0:52:320:52:33

Yeah, we've made a lovely

0:52:330:52:35

crab butter, which,

0:52:350:52:36

when I take that off

0:52:360:52:37

to rest in just a moment,

0:52:370:52:38

we'll put a couple of discs

0:52:380:52:39

-of the crab butter on there.

-Right.

0:52:390:52:41

And that will just melt in,

0:52:410:52:42

so a bit of a surf and turf theme,

0:52:420:52:43

-as we're next to the sea.

-Right!

0:52:430:52:45

So, you're farming it, you're selling

0:52:450:52:47

it, and you're cooking it, as well.

0:52:470:52:48

-Yeah.

-You're basically

0:52:480:52:49

the jack of all trades here.

0:52:490:52:51

-We do the full thing, yeah.

-Wow.

0:52:510:52:53

I mean, obviously, this is a real passion of yours,

0:52:530:52:55

but how challenging is this in today's kind of agriculture

0:52:550:52:59

and today's market, as far as the consumer is concerned?

0:52:590:53:02

I think it is challenging,

0:53:020:53:04

but if something's only coming from a few fields away, you feel

0:53:040:53:07

it should be good value, you feel you should be able to save costs.

0:53:070:53:11

-Yeah.

-It's not as easy as that,

0:53:110:53:12

but we certainly manage it wherever we can.

0:53:120:53:15

We must almost be at the eating stage.

0:53:150:53:17

Yeah, I think

0:53:170:53:18

we can start carving up.

0:53:180:53:19

We'll leave that for now. OK.

0:53:190:53:21

Wow!

0:53:250:53:26

And Nick the fisherman is also joining us

0:53:290:53:31

to sample his own surf and turf.

0:53:310:53:34

I don't know what to start with.

0:53:340:53:35

Pick off those, they're like a lamb lollipop.

0:53:350:53:37

-Yeah. Good luck to you all.

-Yeah.

0:53:370:53:40

Oh, my word!

0:53:420:53:43

I'm going to have a go at the crab butter on a...

0:53:440:53:47

Oh, yeah! Good, isn't it?

0:53:470:53:50

I mean, this, really, is what the essence of local food

0:53:510:53:55

is all about, I mean, here we are, in the landscape,

0:53:550:53:57

we're looking at exactly where the lamb was reared, you know,

0:53:570:54:01

we're just at the water's edge of where the crowd was caught, and...

0:54:010:54:04

I mean, it just doesn't get any better than this.

0:54:040:54:06

-It makes everything taste better, doesn't it?

-Oh, my word!

0:54:060:54:09

Well, that's almost all we've got time for for this week,

0:54:120:54:14

but if you would like to see more of what our spectacular winter season

0:54:140:54:18

has to offer, then you can watch Countryfile Winter Diaries,

0:54:180:54:21

all week, 9:15am, on BBC One.

0:54:210:54:24

Little sieves make perfect feeders.

0:54:240:54:27

Brilliant!

0:54:270:54:28

I'll be revealing how wearing wellies

0:54:300:54:32

could be affecting your feet.

0:54:320:54:34

When we have a particular disease or condition,

0:54:340:54:37

that changes our odour, and the dog can identify the disease.

0:54:370:54:40

-So you are going to look after me out there?

-We'll look after you!

0:54:400:54:43

Yahoo!

0:54:430:54:44

-So, wow, this is Robird, is it?

-This is it.

0:54:470:54:50

Some people would say, "Why don't you put the heating on at home?"

0:54:500:54:53

Cos we can't afford it.

0:54:530:54:54

We've had landslides, the railway moved 40 metres towards the sea.

0:54:540:54:57

Really?

0:54:570:54:58

Wow, look at that!

0:54:580:55:01

There's a garden in a carton in there.

0:55:010:55:03

-Got first!

-Were you expecting that?

0:55:030:55:05

-Yes.

-HE LAUGHS

0:55:050:55:07

From all of us here on the

0:55:120:55:13

Dorset coastline, it's goodbye.

0:55:130:55:15

-Say goodbye.

-Goodbye!

-Goodbye!

-Ta-ra!

0:55:150:55:17

THEY LAUGH

0:55:170:55:19

Right, crew, we're finished! Come and eat!

0:55:190:55:22

THEY LAUGH

0:55:230:55:25

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