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0:00:10 > 0:00:13- I've been birdwatching - and observing wildlife all my life.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19- But pressures on nature - due to man's intervention...
0:00:20 > 0:00:24- ..have seen some species decline - or disappear altogether in Wales...
0:00:25 > 0:00:27- ..over the past half a century.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31- I'm travelling to England, to - locations teeming with wildlife...
0:00:32 > 0:00:35- ..to rediscover species - no longer found at home.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50- I'm standing on a slope in - the Cotswolds in Worcestershire.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53- They say - that on a clear day like today...
0:00:54 > 0:00:56- ..if you look all around you...
0:00:56 > 0:01:00- ..you can see 12 different counties - from this location.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04- I can see the Brecon Beacons - in the distance.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07- I've passed through the Cotswolds - many a time...
0:01:08 > 0:01:10- ..but I've never spent - any time here.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13- I'm looking forward - to exploring the area.
0:01:15 > 0:01:21- The Cotswolds' Area of Outstanding - Natural Beauty crosses six counties.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26- It's the largest of its kind - in England and Wales.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29- It covers almost 800 square miles.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36- Most of it is in Gloucestershire, - which is where I begin my journey.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43- The Cotswold Way leads you through - hills above towns like Cheltenham.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51- The land is rich in lime, providing - a stunning floral display in summer.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56- As well as - a plethora of butterflies...
0:01:56 > 0:01:59- ..and birds - that eat their caterpillars.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14- 80% of the Cotswolds - is agricultural land...
0:02:14 > 0:02:19- ..but not much of it is richer in - wildlife than this particular area.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38- I've come to a special farm today - - Whittington Lodge Farm...
0:02:38 > 0:02:40- ..not far for Cheltenham.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44- The farmer keeps cattle - and cultivates crops.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48- But look at this place. - He's made a site for wildlife.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53- He's kept some sites wild, he's - created others, such as these pools.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57- It's an ideal habitat for wildlife - that was familiar in my childhood...
0:02:58 > 0:02:59- ..but has since disappeared.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07- One of the things the farmer - has done surrounding the lake...
0:03:07 > 0:03:11- ..is laid - strips of zinc on the ground...
0:03:11 > 0:03:14- ..in order to monitor what's here - in terms of snakes.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17- I'm going to lift it up - to see what we find.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21- Look.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26- This a slow worm. I'm not - going to pick it up by its tail.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30- If I do that, I might lose it - as the tail comes off.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41- Oh, yes, yes, yes. Do you see that?
0:03:42 > 0:03:45- It's a grass snake. It's curled up.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- I'm not sure if there are two there.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54- It's a big one curled up. - Her head is here.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59- I'm not going to pick her up. - It wouldn't be fair on her.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- She's working her way down. - There's her head.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- I'll put this back down.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12- Great, isn't it? I haven't seen - one of those since last year.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14- Once she's warm...
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- ..this'll heat up and she'll - be ready to hunt in the water.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27- There's a vole.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31- A bank vole.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- Nice, isn't it? - This is a great place for mice.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36- They nest under the zinc.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- He's happily just sitting there.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- This is great - because they can hide...
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- ..from buzzards and kestrels - that prey on them.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48- I'd better put this back down.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52- It's nice to see a bank vole.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- Alright, sweetie, watch yourself.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05- Though the farmland - is both private and commercial...
0:05:05 > 0:05:09- ..you can come here - and observe wonderful wildlife.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- I've seen more hares - in the last 10 minutes...
0:05:24 > 0:05:26- ..than I've seen in Wales in a year.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30- I've seen at least a dozen.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40- It's an incredible place.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45- Ian the farmer tends to his crops - but he also leaves a wide area...
0:05:46 > 0:05:48- ..alongside every single field.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52- It's an ideal place for hares...
0:05:52 > 0:05:54- ..and partridges.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56- It's incredible.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21- I never thought - I'd get quite so worked up...
0:06:21 > 0:06:25- ..about a small, fat - inconspicuous bird.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- It's currently singing.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30- It's a corn bunting.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35- If we went back a century, these - were common in the Welsh lowlands...
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- ..where there were crops - and a few animals.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- They've completely disappeared.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- The last pair nested in Wales - about a decade ago.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- Hearing one on farmland such as this - lifts my spirits.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- As well as the wild farmland...
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- ..farmer Ian Boyd...
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- ..has created - wildflower meadows for his cattle.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07- Ian, hello. How are you?
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- Very well today.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14- I have to tell you, - I'm so impressed with your farm.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18- It's an amazing place, I'd swear - I was on a wildlife reserve...
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- ..not a working farm - because it is a working farm.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26- How do you balance the business - of making money, producing meats...
0:07:27 > 0:07:29- ..crops and then wildlife?
0:07:29 > 0:07:33- As part of an environmental - stewardship scheme...
0:07:33 > 0:07:35- ..we have to manage the habitat.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39- I get compensation for not - growing intensive crops of wheat.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43- That is an important part - which Natural England funds.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- But also - we balance it with selling the meat.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50- The crux is having top-quality meat - to sell that people want to buy.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53- If I was to bring - farmers that I know here...
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- ..who are lovely people, - they'd look at this and say...
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- .."This is no good, this has to be - ploughed, re-seeded, fertilized.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05- "We need ryegrass in here - to feed the cattle."
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- And yet you make it work.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09- And yet you make it work.- - You've got to have the right cattle.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- Having the slow-growing breeds - wouldn't work.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- They're largely Herefords, - the older type of Hereford.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22- They mature much earlier and can eat - a much poorer quality of grass.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26- The wildflower meadows - is what they thrive on.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- I've left the Cotswold Way now...
0:08:42 > 0:08:46- ..and I'm near another - important path called Fosse Way.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51- A Roman road connecting - the southwest with the north.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56- There are all kinds - of Roman ruins in the Cotswolds.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01- This is a villa. It's enormous. - I can't get over its size.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04- I haven't come - to learn about its history...
0:09:04 > 0:09:06- ..I've come to see a special snail.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27- Here is is. It's a Roman snail.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32- The Romans brought them over - from Italy as food.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- They were portable.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- They thrived here.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41- They also fed them milk.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- They claimed the milk - gave them a better flavour.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47- I don't know if that's true or not.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- They're still thriving here.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- It's trying to escape to the walls - as the sun's rising.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58- They hang on the wall all day - and come out at night...
0:09:58 > 0:10:02- ..as it gets damper and darker - with decreased sunlight.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06- It's rather pretty. - It's big but it's pretty.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10- Whereas our snails are brown, - these are white.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46- This is Painswick Beacon.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- It's the site - of an ancient hill fort.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53- It's no wonder they built - an Iron Age hill fort here.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55- It's a great vantage point.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- There's Gloucester, - with its cathedral.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- England's flat plains over there - stretch to the north.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05- I can see - the Beacons in the distance.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10- The Severn Estuary comes into view.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- I'm continuing to push southwards...
0:11:13 > 0:11:17- ..and my next stop is - that tree-covered hill over there.
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0:11:23 > 0:11:23- Subtitles
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0:11:37 > 0:11:42- I've come to the Ebworth Estate, - which belongs to the National Trust.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- Their buildings are behind me.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- They say - it's a good place to see deer.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52- If you ever go deer spotting, - this is the ideal habitat for it.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56- There are plenty of trees, - where they spend the day.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01- There's also pasture here, - so they come out at night to feed...
0:12:01 > 0:12:03- ..to feed on fresh grass.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- The wind blows in this direction...
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- ..and my scent - is being blown that way.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- They have a keen sense of smell...
0:12:12 > 0:12:16- ..so I'm going to - find somewhere suitable to sit...
0:12:16 > 0:12:20- ..hoping that they venture out - to the field, looking for food.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34- I've found a sheltered spot.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38- There's a wall behind me, - which keeps the wind at bay.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42- There's a carpet of nettles - in front of those woods.
0:12:42 > 0:12:48- Deer can venture out of the woods - without being completely exposed.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52- They can still hide - before feeding on the grass.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57- You have to wait an hour or two...
0:12:58 > 0:13:00- ..before a deer appears.
0:13:01 > 0:13:06- But at least there's other wildlife - to observe in the meantime.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13- Sometimes, - if you're completely motionless...
0:13:13 > 0:13:16- ..you'll see a fallow deer.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18- This is a very smart animal.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- Her summer coat looks very healthy.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25- A lovely reddish brown coat.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29- They aren't native - to this country...
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- ..the Normans introduced them...
0:13:32 > 0:13:34- ..back in the 12th century.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- They're fairly common nowadays.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- This is the commonest deer in Wales.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46- You'll often find them - in Gelli Aur and Margam.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- It's a very smart animal.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19- This place is teeming - with butterflies. Look at them all.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- Most of them - are green-veined whites.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34- This is something - everyone should do.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37- Find a meadow, sit down...
0:14:37 > 0:14:42- ..and enjoy the flowers and all the - insects that inhabit these places.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47- I'm in one of a series - of nature reserves in the Cotswolds.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51- We've lost 98% of our meadows.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- I remember them everywhere - as a child.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57- Almost all of them have disappeared.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- This place is full of orchids.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04- This is a pyramidal orchid.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08- My favourite orchid is here too, - the bee orchid.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11- It's a very pretty flower.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- That used to be - my favourite orchid until now.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- Look at this, it's so rare...
0:15:18 > 0:15:21- ..it only grows - in the meadows of the Cotswolds.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25- This is the wasp orchid.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29- There are none in Wales, - so this is currently my favourite.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56- Swift Hill...
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- ..is the name given to this spot.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01- It's cloudy today, thank goodness.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- The perfect weather - to come to somewhere this steep.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07- I've left the Cotswold Way.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- That's over there now, - and it stretches 102 miles...
0:16:13 > 0:16:15- ..right through the Cotswolds.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- What's surprised me - more than anything...
0:16:18 > 0:16:23- ..is that I remember the Cotswolds - as an area of hills and valleys...
0:16:23 > 0:16:28- ..but forgot about the peaks - which are also prominent.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31- There are a few of them - and they're very wooded too.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- Stroud is over there - in the distance...
0:16:34 > 0:16:38- ..and like many - of these towns and villages...
0:16:38 > 0:16:41- ..it lies neatly in these valleys.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45- I'm even further away - from the Cotswold Way here...
0:16:45 > 0:16:49- ..and over that way - is the Golden Valley.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- It's a very fitting name...
0:16:52 > 0:16:56- ..because a creature lives there - with an interesting background.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01- It's something I've wanted to see - ever since I was a child.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18- I think there's one over here - but I can't see very well.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- I think there's one here. - Yes, up here.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33- Here it is. Oh, wow!
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- I don't want to get too close to it.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- It's over there with its wings open.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44- This is the large blue.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48- It's Britain's rarest butterfly.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52- It's sitting there in the sunshine. - It's so smart.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- Notice the black spots on its wings.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57- Off it goes.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04- They became so rare that they - died out in Britain for a time.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- They've been reintroduced - from Sweden...
0:18:07 > 0:18:12- ..but you'll only see them in three - places in Britain, including here.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24- I've probably seen...
0:18:25 > 0:18:28- ..about half a dozen of them - in this patch alone.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33- There must be dozens more of them.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36- Some of you might think...
0:18:37 > 0:18:42- ..why has so much effort gone into - reintroducing a butterfly like this?
0:18:42 > 0:18:47- Well, it's sad that it's died out - in the first place...
0:18:47 > 0:18:51- ..and that's our fault because - they lost their original habitat.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55- But I think it's important - we bring them back, if we can.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59- What's ironic - is that they came from Sweden...
0:19:00 > 0:19:04- ..and last year, because the - population was doing so poorly...
0:19:04 > 0:19:09- ..they took butterflies from here - back to Sweden.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13- The population - is obviously thriving here.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18- It's wonderful that they can - help the population in Scandinavia.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45- This is the Cotswold Water Park.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51- I've come right down to the south, - past Cirencester, almost to the M4.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- I didn't realize...
0:19:54 > 0:19:56- ..there were so many lakes here.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- There are 157 of them in total.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- Remarkably, - at the beginning of the 1960s...
0:20:03 > 0:20:06- ..there were none here - - this was all farmland.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10- They turfed out the gravel - and stone to create lakes.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14- In winter - it's a great place for water birds.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- It's not so great - during high summer like this.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22- If you venture to more sheltered - areas, you'll still find wildlife.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59- This is the reason - I wanted to come here in summer.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04- I wanted to come somewhere like - this, where there was still water...
0:21:04 > 0:21:06- ..with plenty of vegetation.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11- It's a great place for dragonflies, - of which there are many species.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14- What I'm looking at here...
0:21:14 > 0:21:18- ..is the Emperor, - one of our most prominent.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- The male is back and forth - but doesn't land.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25- I'm watching the female. - She's laying eggs.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27- She's putting her tail...
0:21:27 > 0:21:32- ..under the leaf - and lays one egg on every leaf.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36- She moves on and does the same - over and over again.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49- Flying back and forth in the air, - defending its territory...
0:21:50 > 0:21:52- ..is the four-spotted chaser.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20- This is Frocester Hill.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24- Though the Severn Estuary - is nearby, I'm standing...
0:22:25 > 0:22:27- ..nearly 800 feet above sea level.
0:22:27 > 0:22:33- I have to say, the views have been - spectacular, from start to finish.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38- This is where I end my journey, - but the Cotswold Way carries on...
0:22:38 > 0:22:40- ..all the way to Bath.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45- I must admit, I've had an unexpected - surprise here in the Cotswolds.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51- Next time, - I venture to the Yorkshire Dales.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- The uplands - and dramatic valleys of Yorkshire.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:23:29 > 0:23:29- .