0:00:09 > 0:00:13We live in a country with some of the most diverse
0:00:13 > 0:00:15and beautiful landscapes in the world.
0:00:17 > 0:00:18So diverse,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21very few of us know every nook and cranny.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29And so beautiful, it would be a crime to miss any of them.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33The British Isles are full
0:00:33 > 0:00:35of secrets and surprises
0:00:35 > 0:00:37just waiting to be discovered.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41- HE GRUNTS - Good.- Thank you!
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Wow!
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Oh, my God!
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Out of nowhere, they came.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49'It's easy to think Britain is a crowded place,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52'but, with more than 60 million acres out there,
0:00:52 > 0:00:57'there's still plenty of the UK for us to discover and enjoy.'
0:00:57 > 0:00:58SHE LAUGHS
0:00:58 > 0:01:02The power of the elements really belittles you.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05'In this series, we are going to escape the crowds
0:01:05 > 0:01:07'and get off the beaten track.'
0:01:08 > 0:01:10We are on the hunt for the unexpected...
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Can you see it? Can you see it?
0:01:12 > 0:01:13There we go. Whoohoo!
0:01:13 > 0:01:15..the breathtaking...
0:01:16 > 0:01:17Oh, it's freezing!
0:01:17 > 0:01:19..the hidden.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I think we've found it.
0:01:21 > 0:01:22CREAKING
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Look at the size of this place!
0:01:27 > 0:01:29This is the place we call home.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30This is our secret Britain.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41WHIRRING
0:01:41 > 0:01:42- Here we go.- All right.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44SHE LAUGHS NERVOUSLY
0:01:44 > 0:01:45HE LAUGHS
0:01:47 > 0:01:48PLANE WHIRS
0:01:51 > 0:01:52ENGINE WHIRS
0:02:13 > 0:02:17The Lake District is one of the last great wild places in Britain.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23It's home to England's highest mountain,
0:02:23 > 0:02:24its deepest lake.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28And it's why so many visitors come each year.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Most of them get here via the M6, but let me tell you...
0:02:32 > 0:02:35..this is a fantastic way to get your first glimpse.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43'16.5 million visitors come to the Lakes every year.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45'But only a handful are lucky enough to see
0:02:45 > 0:02:50'its staggering beauty from 14,500 feet.'
0:02:51 > 0:02:53These views are incredible, they really are.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Sparkling lakes...
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Windermere just down there.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00You really take it all in when you get this high.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07I'm so nervous.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09My tongue is like a big...
0:03:09 > 0:03:11furry cotton-wool ball.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18'The Lake District is one of the most mapped parts of the country.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23'And, guided by their maps, a steady stream of visitors are drawn to
0:03:23 > 0:03:25'some of the most breathtaking views in the Lakes.'
0:03:27 > 0:03:32'It would be easy to assume this place had given up all its secret.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35'But that's where you'd be wrong.'
0:03:35 > 0:03:38And, to find the secrets of the Lakes,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41I need to get off the beaten path and that means...
0:03:41 > 0:03:43getting back down to earth.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46- OK, Mike. I'm ready. I'm ready.- OK.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53Right, Ellie. Smile at the camera.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57OK. Was that a smile?
0:03:57 > 0:03:59I think it's a smile as in a grimace.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00- Head back.- OK.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Feet and knees back. Stay like that.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04WIND DROWNS SPEECH
0:04:29 > 0:04:31The Lake District is an ancient landscape.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42500 million years of geological changes have created
0:04:42 > 0:04:46its dramatic scenery of glacial valleys,
0:04:46 > 0:04:47towering mountains
0:04:48 > 0:04:50and deep lakes and rivers,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52which flow into the Irish Sea.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56To explore all its secrets,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58you've got to get your feet on the ground.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03Landing now, Ellie.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Three, two, one and big slide.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Woo! Yeah!
0:05:13 > 0:05:15SHE LAUGHS
0:05:15 > 0:05:17That was amazing!
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- There you go. - That was amazing!
0:05:20 > 0:05:22- Woo!- Let's get that hat off.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- Oh! Mike, we're alive!- I know.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25SHE LAUGHS
0:05:25 > 0:05:28What an entrance to the Lake District. How about that?
0:05:28 > 0:05:29HE SIGHS My goodness.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33I think this is probably a safer way of getting here than the M6, but...
0:05:33 > 0:05:36I don't know, I might take my chances on the motorway next time.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44With its rugged, mountainous landscape,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47the Lake District has long been a playground for the adventurous.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53And jumping from a plane isn't the only adrenaline-fuelled way
0:05:53 > 0:05:55to get a unique view of the Lakes.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59This is Borrowdale Valley.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00And, for most people like me,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02well, it's the perfect place for a little stroll,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06take in views and, if you're feeling really energetic,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08I don't know, stopping off for a picnic.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12But for others this is where the adventures begin,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14because this...is climbing central.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20The mountains and crags in the Lakes are the birthplace
0:06:20 > 0:06:23of modern British rock climbing.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25And I have it, on good authority,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28that to discover the secrets of this valley
0:06:28 > 0:06:29I've got to climb.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32The only trouble is, I'm terrified of heights.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Now, when I look at a slab of rock like that,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40I think, "How on earth am I going to be able to climb that?"
0:06:40 > 0:06:42It looks just like a wall to me.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Woo!
0:06:46 > 0:06:49But, thanks to a photographer called to Bentley Beetham,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52who climbed Everest with Mallory in 1924,
0:06:52 > 0:06:53I might just make it.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58After Beetham returned from the Himalayas,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01he spent the rest of his life mapping climbing routes
0:07:01 > 0:07:02in the Lakes.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05And his favourite spot was here in Borrowdale.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08What a view.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11But I'm told that just 100 metres up there,
0:07:11 > 0:07:12it's even better.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Mouthwatering, spectacular, I've been told.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16But that 100 metres...
0:07:17 > 0:07:18..is like that.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23'I'm not stupid, though.'
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Leo Houlding, with his dad, Mark,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28has been climbing in this valley since he was a boy.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Leo is now Britain's most famous climber
0:07:35 > 0:07:38and one of the best in the world.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41And he and his dad have been roped in to help me out.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Leo, Mark, do I look a bit scared?
0:07:45 > 0:07:49- Apprehensive.- Apprehensive? As if all the blood has gone from my face?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- A little bit. - Yeah, cos I do feel a bit scared.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55To be honest, Chris, this isn't a super easy climb.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56But it's memorable.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58I guarantee that you will remember this day, Chris.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Yeah, I bet I will. Hopefully for the right reasons.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02Is it getting up,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05or is it what's up there that excites you?
0:08:05 > 0:08:07It's not really about the destination.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10It's more about the journey. And the process you go to get that.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13However, up there, it's a really spectacular view
0:08:13 > 0:08:15and it's a really unique little place
0:08:15 > 0:08:17that you got to be a climber to get there.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19There's no way of walking there.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21'So, channelling the spirit of Bentley Beetham,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25'our task is to reach Troutdale Pinnacle,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27'a terrifying rocky outcrop.'
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Try to think about your feet all the time.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Think, where am I going to put my feet?
0:08:32 > 0:08:35'It's been a 30-minute uphill hike to base here
0:08:35 > 0:08:37'and that's the easy bit!'
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- You've checked that, have you?- Yeah. - CHRIS LAUGHS
0:08:40 > 0:08:42'And now, to get to the Pinnacle,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45'it's about a 300-foot climb.'
0:08:45 > 0:08:47And which one...? Which one do I never undo?
0:08:47 > 0:08:48Neither of them.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50CLINKING
0:08:50 > 0:08:53I know absolutely nothing about rock climbing.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55We've gone through the safety drills.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00They seem a nice bunch.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02- HE WHISPERS:- But I'm absolutely petrified.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08So, up here, Chris...
0:09:08 > 0:09:12- Yeah?- ..go all the way along the ledge to the tree
0:09:12 > 0:09:14and then go up behind the tree.
0:09:14 > 0:09:15OK?
0:09:15 > 0:09:18So the tree is on my left?
0:09:18 > 0:09:20- You'll see. There's only one.- OK.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24- HE WHISPERS:- Quite bossy, isn't he?- Uh-huh.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- OK.- OK, Chris. Climb when you're ready.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28- It's not a race, yeah?- OK.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34- I saw him put his feet in there. - Yeah.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37- And get a wedge in there. - Yeah.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Right.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Talking of wedged in, is that wedged in?
0:09:44 > 0:09:46A tricky move and then it gets easy again.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- Oh!- Right, so, Chris, you want to be thinking about
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- doing that swap of the gear.- Yeah. - You know, get your knot above.
0:09:54 > 0:09:55So I have got to get that...
0:09:57 > 0:09:59..underneath that? Correct?
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Yeah.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05It's a good job it's not a race...
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- LAUGHTER - ..cos I would be taking forever.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15You have to smile like you did on Strictly all the time.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16CHRIS LAUGHS
0:10:16 > 0:10:17A big grin.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20This is quite steep.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Can you get your foot quite high?
0:10:23 > 0:10:24Oh, my God!
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- CHRIS SIGHS - You're doing really well, Chris.
0:10:31 > 0:10:32Loving it.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34It hadn't come to my mind, Mark, loving it.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36LAUGHTER
0:10:36 > 0:10:38- More of...- Well, let it.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39Oh, my God.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43- Dealing with it.- Dealing with it.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45One down. Five to go.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46Oh!
0:10:46 > 0:10:47God!
0:10:53 > 0:10:57If hanging off a rock face by your fingertips isn't your cup of tea,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59then seeking out the secret nooks and crannies
0:10:59 > 0:11:03that were the inspiration for Arthur Ransome's classic children's story,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Swallows and Amazons, may well be.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Swallows and Amazons is one of those books
0:11:09 > 0:11:11that many of us think we've read,
0:11:11 > 0:11:13but we actually haven't.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15It's the story of childhood fantasy,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17full of imagination and play,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19with a great sense of freedom.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22All set against this wonderful backdrop.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Ransome wrote the book when he was here on holiday
0:11:28 > 0:11:32on the shores of the breathtaking Coniston Water.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34It tells the story of the five Walker children
0:11:34 > 0:11:37on their summer holiday in the Lake District.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41They set off on an adventure in their boat, the Swallow,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and discover a secret island.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49It's here they come across a pair of sisters, the Amazons,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52who believe the island is their secret place
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and an almighty battle ensues.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Swallows and Amazons is one of the best-known
0:12:00 > 0:12:02children's books of modern times.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04So where, you might be asking, is the secret?
0:12:06 > 0:12:10The inspiration for the story were a real family -
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Roger Altounyan and his older siblings.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Roger passed on his passion for the area to his son, Peter,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22who has had a lifetime of adventures on the lake.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Talk me through this map here.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29So, as you know, my father was Roger, from the book.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32And he brought us here when we were children.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36And we used to stay at various places around the lake.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39And our destination was always Wild Cat Island or Peel Island,
0:12:39 > 0:12:40- as it's really called. - Right, OK.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49'Following the map from the book, we are sailing over to Peel Island.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51'The only trouble is,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53'I don't know how to sail!'
0:12:53 > 0:12:55- So ready about.- Yep.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57- Push it away from you. - Yeah.- That's it.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59And was it...? Not tally-ho.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02- Lee-ho.- Lee-ho!- Lee-ho.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04- Yep.- That's it. Keep going right the way round.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07And the sail should cross over, so just mind your head.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09- Yep.- It's just got caught round there.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11That's it. That's better.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13- Aim for further round. - I'm going to aim for...?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16- Aim for sort of... That's it. - Is that all right?- Yep, perfect.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Ooh, that was a bit nerve-racking.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19LAUGHTER
0:13:19 > 0:13:21- You did it.- I thought it was going to tip us over.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- We've gone a bit further up wind. - Shall I push it away?
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Yep. So aim for, say...
0:13:25 > 0:13:27- The trees? Those trees? - Those two trees, yeah.- Yeah.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- Ooh, we are gaining some speed now. - We're going nicely, aren't we?
0:13:36 > 0:13:39It's actually a perfect day for sailing.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48So you say you bring your grandchildren out here as well?
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Yes, yes.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52So it's nice that you're keeping the tradition going.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Well, I followed in my father's tradition
0:13:55 > 0:13:58and our children followed in our tradition
0:13:58 > 0:14:02and, now, their children are following in the same tradition.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05We've always done the same things and...
0:14:05 > 0:14:09I hope we continue to do the same things.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12- It looks like...- You're going to go about again.- Yeah.- Ready to go?
0:14:12 > 0:14:14- So, ready about?- Ready about, yes.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16- Lee-ho.- Lee-ho.- Lee-ho.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- CLANGING - Oh, Hang on. Wrong way.- Wrong way?
0:14:20 > 0:14:21- Wrong way?- Yeah.- Oh, dear.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23- It's all right. That's it. - CREAKING
0:14:26 > 0:14:29'It might not have been the smoothest crossing...'
0:14:29 > 0:14:30That's it, Denise. Very good.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34'..but with Peter's help, we've made it to this special island.'
0:14:34 > 0:14:36- So this is the secret harbour.- Yeah.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40That's fine.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- Welcome to Peel Island.- Thank you.
0:14:44 > 0:14:45Do you want me to...?
0:14:45 > 0:14:46There we go.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49Put this down there.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51- Oh, sorry. Was that your fingers? - It was.- Sorry!- OK.- All right?
0:14:54 > 0:14:55- Here we go.- OK.
0:15:00 > 0:15:01Hope we've gone the right way.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- SHE LAUGHS - But never mind. We'll get there.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Are you taking me the adventurous way?
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Oh, yeah. Just mind this branch.
0:15:09 > 0:15:10It's...
0:15:10 > 0:15:14- I can already imagine my children here.- Yeah.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15That great sense of wonder,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- just charging through here. - They would love it, yeah.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20And also knowing that they can't really get lost.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Aye, aye.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24It's got a bit of everything, this island.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27- You know, they'd be just charging off.- Yeah.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- Climbing the tree.- Just look at the view. Straight up the lake.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32- Wow.- Yep. And, course, this is the area
0:15:32 > 0:15:34- where they had the lookout in the book.- OK.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39Where Titty kept a lookout for the Amazons coming.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41But now you can see right up to Coniston.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44It's about four miles.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46It's a great place for swimming and fishing
0:15:46 > 0:15:48- and harbouring your boat.- Yeah.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Mind your head. Going round here.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59This is actually where we learnt to swim.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01- Oh, OK. - So, once we could swim this bit,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04swim from the island to the shore, we were allowed to do stuff.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08So your father actually made you swim this?
0:16:08 > 0:16:09- Yeah.- This was the test for you?
0:16:09 > 0:16:11It's actually written in the book.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13- "Better drowned than duffers". - SHE LAUGHS
0:16:13 > 0:16:16If not, duffers won't drown.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19This was before life jackets and all that kind of thing.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21So what happened if you didn't make it?
0:16:21 > 0:16:23If not, duffers won't drown, so...
0:16:25 > 0:16:27- Tough love.- Sink or swim. - Yeah, tough love.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Being here, you really get an essence of the place,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42the magic and the mystery,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46of what it must really feel like to be a child here.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I mean, it's just the perfect size
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and the imagination can just run wild.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54I want to bring my children here. I think they'd love it.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59'Today, Peel Island has become a bit of a pilgrimage site
0:16:59 > 0:17:02'for Swallows and Amazons devotees.'
0:17:02 > 0:17:03You want to hide?
0:17:03 > 0:17:04- Want to go and get it?- Yes!
0:17:04 > 0:17:07'But, when the island gets too busy,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09'Peter and his family know the way
0:17:09 > 0:17:10'to a nearby secret beach.'
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Obviously, swimming is a big thing in the family.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18- And I've heard some stories from your dad...- I'm not...
0:17:18 > 0:17:21..about, you know, the test.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24The case of sink or swim along that middle stretch over there.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27You're not going to be doing that with Otis, are you?
0:17:27 > 0:17:28SHE LAUGHS Erm...er...
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- Stop it!- "Stop it"!
0:17:31 > 0:17:32Well...
0:17:32 > 0:17:34what do you think, Otis?
0:17:34 > 0:17:36- Stop it!- "Stop it."- "Stop it."
0:17:36 > 0:17:38No, Mummy wouldn't do that.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42What I love about the island is just the...
0:17:42 > 0:17:46the scale. It's so compact.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47And, I guess, you know,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49for a child, that's just perfect.
0:17:49 > 0:17:50It is. Yeah, it is perfect.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53It's funny, actually, I think, when I was smaller,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55it did seem a hell of a lot bigger.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58But now, yeah, you go on it and it really is quite small,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01but it's got so many things.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03It's got the rocks you can climb on,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06rocks that we used to play hide and seek for hours on it.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08- You can never be bored.- Yeah. Yeah.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12And I think it's just right for imagination, I think.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14You can see why Ransome fell in love with it.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18And you can see why he based a lot on going to an island
0:18:18 > 0:18:20- and making it a special place.- Mm.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- CHRIS:- 'Swallows And Amazons is a story set at a time
0:18:25 > 0:18:27'when children had the freedom to run wild
0:18:27 > 0:18:31'with barely a nod to health and safety.'
0:18:31 > 0:18:32CHRIS GRUNTS
0:18:33 > 0:18:37'Right now, I'm feeling that a little health and safety
0:18:37 > 0:18:39'might not be a bad idea.'
0:18:39 > 0:18:40CHRIS SIGHS
0:18:40 > 0:18:43OK, then down onto this nice little ledge.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45CHRIS HUMS
0:18:45 > 0:18:46- Nice little ledge? - LEO LAUGHS
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Nice little ledge?! Are you kidding me?
0:19:02 > 0:19:05- This is the worst bit. This is... - You have to concentrate.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08I honestly have to say this is terri... This bit is terrifying.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11- I don't even want to look there. - LEO LAUGHS
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- It's cos you're thinking about it. - No! No! I...
0:19:13 > 0:19:14No, it's just terrifying.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16- CLINKING - Look.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17It's a staircase.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Just the steps are a little bit hidden.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20CLINKING
0:19:25 > 0:19:27OK, so we're going to go down a little bit here.
0:19:27 > 0:19:28CLINKING
0:19:28 > 0:19:29CHRIS SNIFFS
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Ooh!
0:19:31 > 0:19:33It's actually not as steep as it looks.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40OK.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42- CHRIS SIGHS HEAVILY - Dear, oh, Lo...
0:19:42 > 0:19:44- Come on! - MARK CLAPS
0:19:44 > 0:19:45Take your time, Chris.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47When you're ready, Chris.
0:19:47 > 0:19:48CHRIS SIGHS HEAVILY
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Right, concentrate now.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57- HE WHISPERS:- Concentrate. Concentrate. Concentrate.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02CHRIS SIGHS HEAVILY
0:20:02 > 0:20:06There you go. Gets face-on to the rock. That's it.
0:20:06 > 0:20:07CHRIS SIGHS HEAVILY
0:20:09 > 0:20:10- Right.- You can take that one off, please,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12and put it on your harness.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14LEO LAUGHS
0:20:14 > 0:20:17That...that other one, hanging on the green rope...
0:20:17 > 0:20:18Yeah, I know. I know which one.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20- OK. - LEO LAUGHS
0:20:20 > 0:20:24- I need that like a hole in the head right now.- Well done, Chris.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Right...
0:20:29 > 0:20:30HE GRUNTS
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- Good technique. Very good technique.- Oh!
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Do go down for a couple of moves
0:20:41 > 0:20:45and then you should see some chalk on the holds.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46Oh, my God.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48CHRIS SIGHS HEAVILY
0:20:50 > 0:20:51Keep breathing.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54We've got you, Chris. You're safe. Don't worry.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56CHRIS SIGHS
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Can you see where you want to go?
0:21:00 > 0:21:02Up.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- Ooh, no. Ooh, no. Ooh, no. - HE GRUNTS
0:21:04 > 0:21:07I've got you, Chris. Don't worry.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08Oh, God. Don't look down.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Oh! Ooh, no!
0:21:12 > 0:21:14- Oh, my!- Have a little rest.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15I'm going to.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16Oh!
0:21:16 > 0:21:19I can't even rest here. I've got myself into a pickle.
0:21:19 > 0:21:20Right, steady now.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23HE SIGHS
0:21:24 > 0:21:26It's just this first bit.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30- Yes, yes, yes, yes! - CHRIS GRUNTS
0:21:30 > 0:21:32I've got you, don't worry.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35CHRIS GRUNTS
0:21:35 > 0:21:37- Good.- Well done. - Thank you!- Keep going.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Oh, that was tough, that bit.
0:21:41 > 0:21:42Cor, Mummy!
0:21:43 > 0:21:45CHRIS GRUNTS
0:21:45 > 0:21:46He's got it.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48- LEO GRUNTS:- Go on!
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Powering through like a commando.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53Well done.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56CHRIS GRUNTS
0:22:05 > 0:22:06CHRIS GRUNTS
0:22:06 > 0:22:08I imagined a nice little platform here.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10This is a nice little platform.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11This is it?!
0:22:11 > 0:22:13This is it. This is Troutdale Pinnacle!
0:22:13 > 0:22:15LAUGHTER
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Tell you what, why don't you sit there?
0:22:18 > 0:22:20- That side? - That's comfortable, yeah.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22Do I look really happy
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- and delighted to be here? - LAUGHTER
0:22:24 > 0:22:26No, you don't, actually.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28You look, er...
0:22:28 > 0:22:31you look decidedly nervous, so...
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Right, shall we have a look at the view then?
0:22:35 > 0:22:36A secret little bit of Britain, this.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38That is amazing, mate, actually.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Gives you a different perspective, eh?
0:22:57 > 0:22:58CHRIS GRUNTS
0:23:00 > 0:23:02- Yay!- Yeah! - CHRIS LAUGHS
0:23:04 > 0:23:05Mark...
0:23:05 > 0:23:07- It's a pleasure.- ..Leo.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09- Group hug. - ALL:- Group hug.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11You survived.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14That's probably one of the most mentally testing things
0:23:14 > 0:23:18I've ever done in my entire life.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Looking down, but not really looking down.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Looking up,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25holding on for dear life.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27And pretending to enjoy the views.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31I can now...
0:23:31 > 0:23:32enjoy this view.
0:23:33 > 0:23:34HE SIGHS HEAVILY
0:23:41 > 0:23:44The Lakes may be the go-to destination
0:23:44 > 0:23:46for British climbers and thrill-seekers,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49but it's poetry that made the area world-famous.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57Wordsworth was inspired by this magnificent landscape
0:23:57 > 0:24:01and in the 19th century, he wandered lonely as a cloud here
0:24:01 > 0:24:05and composed one of the most famous poems ever written.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08But you might be surprised to learn
0:24:08 > 0:24:11that Wordsworth didn't just write poetry.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14He also wrote one of the first-ever guidebooks to the Lakes,
0:24:14 > 0:24:18sharing the secrets of the place he called home.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20200 years later, there are now
0:24:20 > 0:24:23more than 6,000 guidebooks and maps available
0:24:23 > 0:24:26to direct visitors to the best walks, climbs
0:24:26 > 0:24:29and viewpoints in the Lake District.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31But you know what?
0:24:31 > 0:24:34The local maps and guides don't really know everything,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37because, all across the Lake District,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40there is a network of ancient pathways,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44known only to a handful of local passionate walkers.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Three years ago, Alan Cleaver,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52inspired by his passion for the Lakes' history and myths...
0:24:54 > 0:24:56..stumbled across the secret of the lonnings.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03It all started, because I was researching a local legend
0:25:03 > 0:25:06of the lady of the manor being killed by a wolf
0:25:06 > 0:25:08and that happened in a lonning at Beckermet.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12And somebody said, "Oh, Rakes Lonning still exists".
0:25:12 > 0:25:13So I did what anybody does these days
0:25:13 > 0:25:16and got onto Google and Google said
0:25:16 > 0:25:18"no matches found". You know? No such thing.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19And I thought, well, that's odd.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22They don't know lonnings in Silicon Valley, do they?
0:25:22 > 0:25:24So this is a lonning we are on now?
0:25:24 > 0:25:25This is a lonning we are on now.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28And a lonning was a...
0:25:28 > 0:25:32well, is, a very beautiful country lane.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Just short, never more than half a mile, usually.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38And I think the name comes from "loan",
0:25:38 > 0:25:41which was the quiet place by the farm.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47There is a dialect word in Cumbria,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49which is "slare" - S-L-A-R-E -
0:25:49 > 0:25:53which is to amble, to walk very slowly.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55- Like this?- A bit like this, yeah. - A gentle pace.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59And, you know, to appreciate lonnings and the nature
0:25:59 > 0:26:03and the wildlife, you need to do it at a very slow pace.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07And we started this Slare Bears Club, where a group of us
0:26:07 > 0:26:08go walking down the lonning.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11So we said, right, if somebody starts going too fast,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13we will just get out...
0:26:13 > 0:26:14- SHE LAUGHS - ..a yellow card.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16And warn them to slow down.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18How dare you get your heart rate up! Come back.
0:26:18 > 0:26:19And then we said, well,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22whoever gets back to the car first has obviously gone too fast.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24So we've got a red card
0:26:24 > 0:26:26to sort of disqualify them for a week.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28- Fell runners not allowed then? - No, no.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31- Only the slow may apply. - Good grief, no.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- That's a view down here.- Yes. Gorgeous, isn't it?- Wow! Yeah!
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Of all the hobbies you could have had,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40you're mapping all of these lonnings.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42I mean, what a mission.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Yes. There's probably about 250 so far.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46Crumbs!
0:26:46 > 0:26:50I suspect there will be a lot more by the time we finish this project.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52These are the ones you've discovered so far?
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Yes. And...
0:26:54 > 0:26:58the names are just fantastic.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00You've got Gallows Lonning,
0:27:00 > 0:27:01- Fat and Thin Lonning, - SHE LAUGHS
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Dirty Lonning.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Erm, Tatie Pot Lonning is...
0:27:05 > 0:27:10- Tatie Pot is a Cumbrian delicacy of meat and potato pie.- Ah!
0:27:10 > 0:27:13And at the end of that lonning was a bakery that made those.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Here's Wine Lonning,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18where they used to smuggle wine down to the Solway Estuary.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21I imagine there'll be... How many more do you think you'll find?
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Well... I don't know. I keep thinking I must have run out by now.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26But I'm still getting people, very locally, coming up to me
0:27:26 > 0:27:30and saying, "Oh, you've missed out Dog Lonning or Badger Lonning",
0:27:30 > 0:27:34or whatever else, so I think it will just keep going on and on for ever.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37'At a slare's pace,
0:27:37 > 0:27:42'this project really is a lifetime's work for Alan.'
0:27:42 > 0:27:44I see what you mean. You do get to absorb a lot more.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47- See a lot more of what is going on. - Yeah.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50But, blimey, it's such a slow pace that it's sedate for me.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53I've got a reputation to maintain as an adrenaline junkie!
0:27:53 > 0:27:55I'm stepping up the pace.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Ooh, I don't know. That's definitely a yellow card.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Aw! Alan!
0:28:01 > 0:28:03'The lonnings are from a time almost before maps,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06'when locals knew the secret paths and routes across the lakes
0:28:06 > 0:28:08'like the back of their hands.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13'In a hidden valley in the north-west Lakes,
0:28:13 > 0:28:15'there is a family who have turned their backs
0:28:15 > 0:28:18'on the lifestyle most of us take for granted.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23'They've moved off the beaten track and back to the good life.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25'And, what's more, if you wait till nightfall,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28'their valley might reveal its greatest secret.'
0:28:28 > 0:28:30CHICKENS CLUCK
0:28:30 > 0:28:32ROOSTER CALLS
0:28:37 > 0:28:38I'm off to meet a family
0:28:38 > 0:28:41who live in one of the remotest valleys in the Lake District.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45The nearest main road is 2½ miles away.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Now, for a city boy like me,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49who is used to having everything on his doorstep,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52like supermarkets or coffee shops...
0:28:52 > 0:28:55I just can't imagine living in the middle of nowhere.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01But Ellen and Walter Cloete have chosen to raise their family
0:29:01 > 0:29:05in the back of beyond, here in the Ennerdale Valley.'
0:29:07 > 0:29:09THEY LAUGH
0:29:11 > 0:29:13'Seriously, there's nothing here.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17'No street lights, no traffic, no mobile phone signal.'
0:29:17 > 0:29:19You want to climb on the other tree?
0:29:21 > 0:29:25'Ellen grew up here and had to persuade her husband, Walter,
0:29:25 > 0:29:27'to move away from the bright city lights.'
0:29:27 > 0:29:28THEY LAUGH
0:29:28 > 0:29:30- Cos you're from South Africa, right? - Yes.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33So you're quite used to that out-and=about lifestyle?
0:29:33 > 0:29:36That's correct, yes. Then what happened was actually
0:29:36 > 0:29:40when she said... When I said I grew up quite in the wild, she was like,
0:29:40 > 0:29:42- "Well, top this". - LAUGHTER
0:29:42 > 0:29:46And I didn't...I didn't believe that anything like that,
0:29:46 > 0:29:49like this, exists, you know, in Britain.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53'Over an hour's walk from the nearest main road,
0:29:53 > 0:29:54'the Cloetes live off-grid,
0:29:54 > 0:29:57'with their own hydroelectric power system.'
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Come on, Charlie!
0:29:59 > 0:30:01I mean, the idea. I've got a 17-month-old.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03If I woke up without any central heating,
0:30:03 > 0:30:07or any water, oh, my goodness!
0:30:07 > 0:30:11I think they treat it as an adventure as much as we do
0:30:11 > 0:30:14when they know that they're not always going to have electric,
0:30:14 > 0:30:18they know that they're not always going to be wrapped up warm and cosy
0:30:18 > 0:30:20and that they might have to work for it a bit.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22They seem to take it on the chin, I think.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Being so remote makes the Ennerdale Valley
0:30:26 > 0:30:29a tough place to live sometimes.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31But it's this isolation
0:30:31 > 0:30:34that also keeps the valley's most special secret.
0:30:36 > 0:30:41So, tell me, cos I live in London and it never gets that dark,
0:30:41 > 0:30:43how dark does it get here?
0:30:43 > 0:30:47If you don't have a light on it goes completely pitch-black.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49You can't see a thing?
0:30:49 > 0:30:53You can't see the field, but you can just see the stars.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56And the moon, it's like you have a lamp on.
0:30:56 > 0:30:57- Really?- Yeah.
0:30:57 > 0:31:02Because it's miles away from the night lights of towns and cities,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Ennerdale is one of the very few places in the UK
0:31:05 > 0:31:08with designated Dark Sky status.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12What have you seen? What's the best thing you've ever seen?
0:31:12 > 0:31:14My best thing is meteorites,
0:31:14 > 0:31:17shooting stars or planets.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Do you stand here at night looking at all the stars?
0:31:19 > 0:31:22- Contains.- Sometimes, when Joe's supposed to go to sleep,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25he just puts the blind down and looks at the stars.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29Sometimes we just move all the sofas around the skylight
0:31:29 > 0:31:34over on that side and then we just watch out the skylight all night.
0:31:34 > 0:31:35Who needs television?
0:31:39 > 0:31:44Now all we have to do is to wait for it to get really dark
0:31:44 > 0:31:45and hope it's a clear night.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52It's not only in Ennerdale that nightfall reveals a
0:31:52 > 0:31:53secret side to the Lakes.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Once a week on the shores of Lake Windermere,
0:31:57 > 0:32:00a group of friends gather to enjoy the splendour of the lakes
0:32:00 > 0:32:03from a completely different point of view.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09The experience is led by outdoor adventure guide, Pete Kelly.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12The idea of night swimming, for me, conjures up the idea
0:32:12 > 0:32:14of sangria, after dinner on holiday,
0:32:14 > 0:32:15but not in the Lake District.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18- We can arrange that for you if you like.- I wouldn't mind!
0:32:18 > 0:32:21Where did you get the idea of going out and doing it at night?
0:32:21 > 0:32:23Well, you know, if you're going for a walk in the woods, or
0:32:23 > 0:32:27something like that during the day, then you go back and do it at night,
0:32:27 > 0:32:28it's a different experience altogether.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30It's exactly the same with swimming.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Swimming itself is quite a sensuous experience
0:32:33 > 0:32:36but to do it at night, it highlights everything you're feeling.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38So, there'll be a group I can hang back with
0:32:38 > 0:32:39and do my lady's breaststroke with?
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Absolutely, yes, we've got a couple who specialise in breaststroke.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46And there's some front-crawlers, I can see. Keen as mustard.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49We don't need to worry about them. You will have company, don't worry.
0:32:49 > 0:32:50Excellent.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53So, is everybody really up for this? Is it a good night for it?
0:32:53 > 0:32:55Have you been bribed by Pete to come down here?
0:32:55 > 0:32:57- Yup.- Fish and chips were promised.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59He promised us chips for afterwards.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01Fish and chips? Good! First round's on Pete's, then.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03I'm going to delay the inevitable
0:33:03 > 0:33:05and going to get this on now like I really mean it.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Yeah, it's action time.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43There is only one word to describe this, if you're a Wurzel like me,
0:33:43 > 0:33:45and that is lush.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47It's absolutely amazing.
0:33:51 > 0:33:52The trouble is,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55rather than doing sensible swimming like the rest of the group,
0:33:55 > 0:33:59I just feel massively inclined to muck about and swivel round.
0:34:06 > 0:34:07That's amazing.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23I've swam in so many places ever since I was really little,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26but never anything like this.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30It's absolutely flat-calm, really quite warm
0:34:30 > 0:34:32and when you knock off all your senses,
0:34:32 > 0:34:36when you knock off the light, everything else really zings.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39You know, you can feel the water through your fingers,
0:34:39 > 0:34:43you can feel... Well, you can hear every last splash of the water
0:34:43 > 0:34:45and any sounds coming from the shore.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47You feel completely alone.
0:34:47 > 0:34:53And actually, it's a really awesome feeling.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56I feel very present in the moment, very alive.
0:34:57 > 0:34:58It's amazing.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06Well, the boys were right.
0:35:06 > 0:35:11It's absolutely pitch-black out here, you can't see a thing...
0:35:11 > 0:35:13until you look up into the sky...
0:35:15 > 0:35:17and you see the most incredible show.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19I've never seen the stars...
0:35:19 > 0:35:21burn so brightly.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01The rugged landscape of the Lakes can sometimes be
0:36:01 > 0:36:03seen in the very people who live here.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10Toughness, it seems, is part of Cumbrian DNA.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13And for some locals, it's this characteristic that makes
0:36:13 > 0:36:16the Lake District even more special.
0:36:16 > 0:36:17Great job.
0:36:19 > 0:36:25Millions of people come each year to sample the beauties of the area,
0:36:25 > 0:36:29but they miss one of the hidden secrets,
0:36:29 > 0:36:31which is Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35My name is Roger Robson.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38I took up wrestling when I was ten years of age
0:36:38 > 0:36:41and finished wrestling when I was 45.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46My grandsons wrestle now and I'm very proud of them.
0:36:46 > 0:36:52And also my granddaughter, Gemma, has made a very successful start
0:36:52 > 0:36:54to a wrestling career.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59'My name's Gemma and I'm 12 years old
0:36:59 > 0:37:01'and last year, with my wrestling winnings
0:37:01 > 0:37:05'I bought my cow Lily for £300.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09'She was an orphan and she grew up on my grandad's farm
0:37:09 > 0:37:12'and I took over loving and caring for her.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19'I go to about 50 shows in a whole year.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23'I get to the shows by my grandparents
0:37:23 > 0:37:27'because my granny and grandad, they always go to the shows
0:37:27 > 0:37:29'and they're very involved with it.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34'They've probably drove me about 1,000 miles in one summer.'
0:37:42 > 0:37:44APPLAUSE
0:37:46 > 0:37:51Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling is the simplest sport that I know.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53You shake hands to show you're sort of friends,
0:37:53 > 0:37:58then you put your right arm under the opponent's left armpit
0:37:58 > 0:37:59and take a grip round the back.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03The chin goes on his right shoulder, you move your legs as far away
0:38:03 > 0:38:06from them as possible, so that you can't be tripped.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09The referee then says, "On your guard,"
0:38:09 > 0:38:12and he sees that everything is fair and even and
0:38:12 > 0:38:14then he says, "Wrestle."
0:38:14 > 0:38:17After that, the first person to touch the ground with anything
0:38:17 > 0:38:20but the soles of their feet is the loser.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24The other way you can lose a bout is if you break hold too early.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33The traditional wrestling strip is really very simple,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37with a white vest, white long johns and a coloured centrepiece.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41But recently the youngsters seem to have been personalising them
0:38:41 > 0:38:45much more, so they express their interests and their hobbies
0:38:45 > 0:38:48and the areas that they live in
0:38:48 > 0:38:52what they put on their vests and the centrepiece.
0:38:55 > 0:38:56My name's Abi,
0:38:56 > 0:39:02I'm 15 years old and I think my biggest competition will be Gemma.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07APPLAUSE
0:39:25 > 0:39:28APPLAUSE
0:39:31 > 0:39:33Well done, lass, that was really good.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35You stuck at it.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Just the final now, I think, yeah.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40It was good.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43She's ended up bleeding, so it must have been tough.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45I'm feeling a bit gutted,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47but I suppose that's just how it went today.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51I'm going to be in the final and...
0:39:51 > 0:39:52I might win, I might not.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57APPLAUSE
0:40:22 > 0:40:26Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling has gone from strength to strength
0:40:26 > 0:40:27over the last 200 years.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32But there's another tradition that, as far as we know,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34has all but died out.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38Today, the Lakes is all about clean-living, outdoor pursuits,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42literary inspiration and mint cake.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44But one of the best kept secrets about this stunning
0:40:44 > 0:40:49National Park is that it has an illicit, dark, illegal past.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56Back in the day, the spectacular fells and valleys of the Lakes
0:40:56 > 0:40:58were home to secret smuggling routes
0:40:58 > 0:41:02for locally and illegally made whisky.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Have you heard of Lanty Slee?
0:41:05 > 0:41:08Lanty, short for Lancelot, well, he was a smuggler
0:41:08 > 0:41:11that lived here in Little Langdale in the 19th century.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17To avoid getting caught, Lanty worked at night
0:41:17 > 0:41:20to make his moonshine whisky in caves dotted around
0:41:20 > 0:41:22the Western Lakes' Langdale valley.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27The mystery of where these caves are
0:41:27 > 0:41:29has captured walkers' imaginations for years.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33I've got my hands on one of their maps
0:41:33 > 0:41:36and who better to help me try and track one down than
0:41:36 > 0:41:40Lanty's great-great-granddaughter Helen Slee.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45So, one of the walkers said...
0:41:45 > 0:41:49that this path here...
0:41:49 > 0:41:52and Lanty's cave is in that direction.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54That's right.
0:41:54 > 0:41:55- So, we'll go that way.- Yeah.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07I mean, this is pretty...
0:42:07 > 0:42:09challenging terrain, isn't it?
0:42:09 > 0:42:13Yes, I suppose even worse if you're carrying illicit moonshine.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15DENISE LAUGHS
0:42:15 > 0:42:18I just can't imagine how he did it.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22I would maybe think that with the help of a horse or a small cart.
0:42:24 > 0:42:25He must have been pretty fit.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28Yeah, cos it wouldn't have been just once a month,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31it would have been constantly to come and check
0:42:31 > 0:42:34- and probably to make sure nobody was stealing it.- Yeah.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38That's why they were so hidden, so the locals couldn't find his stills.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42Wow, look at this view.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44- It's fantastic, isn't it?- Ooh.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49- Town down there.- Yeah.
0:42:51 > 0:42:52Just spectacular.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54Oh.
0:42:56 > 0:42:57Could this be it?
0:42:59 > 0:43:01It looks cave-like.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03- Oh.- Definitely.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07I think we've found it.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10Wow.
0:43:10 > 0:43:11Although, he did blow them all up,
0:43:11 > 0:43:14so nobody would really know, would they?
0:43:14 > 0:43:16Can you feel the temperature change?
0:43:16 > 0:43:18It's dark and dingy.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21- Definitely! And wet.- And wet.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23I wouldn't fancy being in here too long.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25No, me neither.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28I won't follow in his footsteps.
0:43:28 > 0:43:29Definitely not.
0:43:31 > 0:43:36This whole mountainside is riddled with old quarries and caves
0:43:36 > 0:43:38that would have made brilliant hiding places
0:43:38 > 0:43:41for Lanty's illegal whisky stills.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43But to make money from his moonshine,
0:43:43 > 0:43:45he had to get it to the coast.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51Lanty's cave was here and he had to get the moonshine
0:43:51 > 0:43:54across to the coast, which is here, which is about 11 miles or so.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56Which doesn't seem too bad
0:43:56 > 0:43:59if he didn't have to navigate these hideous hills.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08Most people come to Hardknott Pass in search of the perfect view.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12And even in a car, that's a struggle.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17With a gradient of one in three, it shares the title
0:44:17 > 0:44:19of the steepest road in England,
0:44:19 > 0:44:21with just one other in Yorkshire.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29Sue Paterson's idea of a good time is cycling up the same pass
0:44:29 > 0:44:33Lanty climbed when he was smuggling his contraband whisky to the coast.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36I suppose it's closer to Lanty's experience
0:44:36 > 0:44:39than whizzing up in a convertible.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43Sue, when I told a friend of mine that I was actually cycling up
0:44:43 > 0:44:44Hardknott Pass, they just laughed
0:44:44 > 0:44:46and I'm talking proper bellyache laugh.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48They said it's difficult.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50So, how difficult is it?
0:44:50 > 0:44:54It is one of the toughest passes in Cumbria, so...
0:44:54 > 0:44:56But I'm sure you'll be fine, the athlete that you are,
0:44:56 > 0:44:59you'll have no problem.
0:44:59 > 0:45:00No pressure, no pressure(!)
0:45:00 > 0:45:01Let's do this.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06Aaaaiiiiyaa! Not a good start, Sue!
0:45:06 > 0:45:10It's hard to get clicked in once you're pedalling along, I'm afraid.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19'Extreme passes like Hardknott take your breath away.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22'In this case, quite literally.'
0:45:22 > 0:45:24COW MOOS
0:45:24 > 0:45:27SUE LAUGHS
0:45:27 > 0:45:29That's it, run along.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33We're coming up to the first kick, Denise.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40- You've got to go for it up here. - So go for it up here?
0:45:48 > 0:45:50DENISE PANTS
0:45:51 > 0:45:54SHE SCREAMS
0:46:01 > 0:46:02Flipping heck!
0:46:02 > 0:46:03SUE LAUGHS
0:46:03 > 0:46:06THIS IS MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE!
0:46:08 > 0:46:10'For me, the worst-case scenario
0:46:10 > 0:46:13'if I don't get up the hill is a dent to my ego.
0:46:13 > 0:46:18'For Lanty, it would have been a crippling fine or even jail.'
0:46:18 > 0:46:21You got on well!
0:46:21 > 0:46:23No problem about strength.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27I just can't imagine... someone coming up here...
0:46:27 > 0:46:30Probably the roads were much more uneven than this...
0:46:30 > 0:46:32Yeah, they wouldn't have had the tarmac
0:46:32 > 0:46:36and, for sure, on foot it must be even harder climbing up there.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39Really steep. I'd much rather be on the bike.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44I'd much rather take a taxi.... at this point.
0:46:45 > 0:46:46Right...
0:46:48 > 0:46:51- Onwards and upwards.- Excellent.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53We need to get going on this bit.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Well done.
0:47:03 > 0:47:04Good going.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08Come on! Come on, you basket!
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Yeah!
0:47:11 > 0:47:13That's it, I'm in.
0:47:14 > 0:47:15Ohhh!
0:47:17 > 0:47:19- Ohhh!- Well done!
0:47:20 > 0:47:25- Oh, my goodness, Sue! - Fantastic! Great effort.
0:47:25 > 0:47:26Come and look at the view.
0:47:36 > 0:47:37DENISE PANTS
0:47:37 > 0:47:39SUE LAUGHS
0:47:39 > 0:47:41- The view's worth it!- Good!
0:47:41 > 0:47:42SUE LAUGHS
0:47:42 > 0:47:46- Well done.- Definitely going to need a bath tonight.- Excellent.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49Well done, partner. Thank you for that.
0:47:52 > 0:47:57ELLIE: The dramatic landscape of the Lake District created challenges
0:47:57 > 0:48:00and opportunities for men like Lanty, but it's the magnetic
0:48:00 > 0:48:04beauty of this place that's the draw for most visitors.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08I'm no different from most of the people that visit
0:48:08 > 0:48:11the Lake District every year, in one hand armed with a map,
0:48:11 > 0:48:14and in the other a camera or, at the very least, a phone.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21This spectacular corner of England has long inspired
0:48:21 > 0:48:24artists like Turner and Constable.
0:48:28 > 0:48:32And this little grotto tucked away in the corner of the grounds
0:48:32 > 0:48:36of Rydal Hall was built with an artistic purpose in mind.
0:48:37 > 0:48:42Oh, my word! That's so beautiful! Wow!
0:48:42 > 0:48:44I wasn't expecting that.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46How glorious is that?!
0:48:46 > 0:48:49I haven't got an artistic bone in my body,
0:48:49 > 0:48:52but it makes me want to daub on paper.
0:48:52 > 0:48:53Or go for a dip.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56A room with a view.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02It was built in the 17th century precisely for this purpose,
0:49:02 > 0:49:06a handy hidy-hole for visiting artists so they could paint
0:49:06 > 0:49:08while sheltered from the elements.
0:49:12 > 0:49:14There you go. That's not bad.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17But this is Secret Britain, after all, and I haven't worked really
0:49:17 > 0:49:21hard enough got nearly wet enough to earn this view.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27Some artists will go to any lengths to find the perfect vantage
0:49:27 > 0:49:29point for the picture.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32A 21st-century Turner is as likely
0:49:32 > 0:49:35to be a photographer as an oil painter.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41Nick Landells has spent years wandering the lakes seeking out
0:49:41 > 0:49:46the path less travelled to capture this landscape's secret corners.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50I cannot believe that in the Lake District,
0:49:50 > 0:49:53with all the people who come here, there are any secret places left.
0:49:53 > 0:49:55I think there's still one or two
0:49:55 > 0:49:57if you're prepared to put the legwork in.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59You're the man to show me, though,
0:49:59 > 0:50:02because you must have spent a while out in these hills, haven't you?
0:50:02 > 0:50:05I've been walking the hills since I was a boy.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07Some 30 years or so, probably.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10And judging by this request for a helmet and that rope
0:50:10 > 0:50:14in your bag, we're not going to be strolling along a flat path, are we?
0:50:17 > 0:50:21'Nick's taking me to the highest waterfall in the Lake District.'
0:50:21 > 0:50:23Just round this track.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26'Before I can even get a glimpse of the falls, it's a
0:50:26 > 0:50:28'hard two-hour uphill hike.'
0:50:31 > 0:50:33Definitely off the beaten track, isn't it, this?
0:50:33 > 0:50:35Nearly there.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40It's just around the corner there.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42'Viewing them from afar is one thing,
0:50:42 > 0:50:45'but with Nick's dogged pursuit of the perfect shot,
0:50:45 > 0:50:48'he's promised to show me something
0:50:48 > 0:50:50'most people don't get to experience.'
0:50:54 > 0:50:57It's super slippy! Crikey!
0:50:57 > 0:51:01- It's probably easier coming round this way, Ellie.- Is it?
0:51:01 > 0:51:04If you put your left foot on that boulder there and then...
0:51:04 > 0:51:05Strewth!
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Oh!
0:51:07 > 0:51:09Wow, this feels really wild.
0:51:11 > 0:51:12Not many tourists up here.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14WATER ROARS
0:51:18 > 0:51:22- Are you all right?- Yeah! - Come on up!- Awesome.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26This place really lives up to its name - Scale Force.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30It's absolutely massive. And even from here I can feel the spray.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33The energy from this thing is absolutely immense.
0:51:33 > 0:51:38I am quite keen, though, to see if I can get just that little bit closer.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40Going to push our luck a little bit.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45Right. Now, just... Just be careful of the green.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48It's better to get your feet wet than keep them dry on this.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50It's really slippery.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54- The green is the bit to watch out for, right?- Yeah.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56- Don't trust the green.- Or black.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00- Keep your feet on the sharp bits. - Yeah.- It's a bit of a ledge.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03No slime on there, so your boots will get a good grip on them.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06Whoo! It's yet more powerful!
0:52:08 > 0:52:13I can feel that already! Oh, it's blooming cold, isn't it?
0:52:13 > 0:52:16- Yeah!- Can I get over there? Thank you. And even up here?
0:52:16 > 0:52:20Yeah, just as far as you like.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22Woohoo! That's chilly!
0:52:25 > 0:52:26That is chilly.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31Oh, my goodness! The force of that!
0:52:31 > 0:52:32Whoa!
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Oh-ha-ha!
0:52:36 > 0:52:39Yeah! Have some of that!
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Woohoo!
0:52:41 > 0:52:42Now I'm wet.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48There we go! Soaking wet!
0:52:48 > 0:52:52It feels like you're in a thunderstorm, actually.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Ha-ha! The power of the elements really belittles you
0:52:55 > 0:52:58and it's a great feeling.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Yeah!
0:53:00 > 0:53:02Right, I'm coming out, I'm cold.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04SHE CHUCKLES
0:53:04 > 0:53:06Brrrrr!
0:53:06 > 0:53:09BIRDSONG
0:53:09 > 0:53:13It's a challenge finding a secret spot in the Lake District.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16So much of it has already been explored and mapped.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20If there is one name above all others that associated with
0:53:20 > 0:53:24the mapping of the Lakeland fells, it's Alfred Wainwright.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28Back in 1955, Alfred Wainwright began to map walking
0:53:28 > 0:53:34routes along all the 214 Lakeland fells, and this is the very first
0:53:34 > 0:53:39route he ever mapped, and it's going to lead me all the way to Dove Crag.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44Dove Crag is one of the Lake District's
0:53:44 > 0:53:46most impressive landscapes.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50It rises up over 2,500ft
0:53:50 > 0:53:53and is topped by sandstone crags
0:53:53 > 0:53:57which Wainwright described as its "scarred and rugged face".
0:53:59 > 0:54:02Now, I have been told, off this well-trodden path,
0:54:02 > 0:54:07there's a secret cave, a priest hole, and every hardcore
0:54:07 > 0:54:12hiker or climber has to stay the night as a rite of passage.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15Sounds pretty scary to me, but there is a reward, apparently.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19The view at breakfast is spectacular.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25I have to confess, when I was a child,
0:54:25 > 0:54:29my family holidays were more a beach in the Med than camping
0:54:29 > 0:54:34in the north of England, so this really is a rite of passage for me.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38The route may be well trodden but it's not easy.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42A two-hour uphill climb.
0:54:42 > 0:54:46Just as well I've got this beautiful scenery to distract me.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53It's supposed to be around this corner.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57- HE PANTS - It better be!
0:55:01 > 0:55:03Wainwright does mention Priest's Hole,
0:55:03 > 0:55:08but he says it's hard to locate and hard to reach.
0:55:08 > 0:55:09And he wasn't kidding.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18Ah! Thank goodness!
0:55:20 > 0:55:21Phew!
0:55:25 > 0:55:27Wow!
0:55:28 > 0:55:30Not much, but it's home.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37This little cave is called Priest's Hole
0:55:37 > 0:55:40because it was used as exactly that -
0:55:40 > 0:55:44a hiding place for a 16th-century priest.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48Now, in Elizabethan times, practising the wrong religion
0:55:48 > 0:55:51could be fatal, and legend has it, a local Catholic
0:55:51 > 0:55:56family hid a priest up here and he used to say Mass in this cave.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00That was until he was caught, tried for treason
0:56:00 > 0:56:03and then later hanged, drawn and quartered.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06Now, personally, I don't believe in ghosts.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12I'm just hoping I don't get a visit from a priest this evening.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36RUSTLING AND GRUNTING
0:56:47 > 0:56:49HE GRUNTS
0:56:49 > 0:56:53I won't lie to you, that wasn't a comfortable night's sleep.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58Phew. Freezing cold as well.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04But when you wake up to this...
0:57:06 > 0:57:08..it was all worthwhile,
0:57:08 > 0:57:11and I'd do it again tonight without even thinking.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17I've been up since, what, about five o'clock,
0:57:17 > 0:57:19waiting for that sun to rise.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22And now it is. Just look at it!
0:57:22 > 0:57:24You can see, like, seas of mist
0:57:24 > 0:57:28and they're slowly but surely burning away now.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33You don't see that in London.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48We've cycled, hiked...
0:57:51 > 0:57:53..swum...
0:57:53 > 0:57:58and even jumped, in search of the Lake District's hidden treasures.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00We've discovered, while there are thousands of maps
0:58:00 > 0:58:01and guidebooks to help us
0:58:01 > 0:58:05get around, if you put in a bit of effort
0:58:05 > 0:58:07and maybe put up with a bit of discomfort,
0:58:07 > 0:58:12there are still secrets to be found in the Lake District.
0:58:18 > 0:58:20Wow!
0:58:20 > 0:58:23My God! The wind turbines go on and on into the distance!
0:58:27 > 0:58:30Whoo! I haven't done this since I was at school.
0:58:34 > 0:58:37After all those tunnels, I didn't know what to expect, but this...
0:58:37 > 0:58:40Look at the size of this place!