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Susan Calman's Grand Day Out Season 9 Episode 6
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FunTranscript
00:00I'm on my travels again.
00:02Oh look, season's back!
00:04No!
00:06Enjoying all this wonderful country has to offer.
00:09Woohoo! It's absolutely gorgeous!
00:13And of course, I'm in my beloved camper van,
00:15named after one of my favourite people, Helen Mirren.
00:19That man looked very jealous of you, Helen!
00:21We're hunting for treasures.
00:23Now that's a set of keys.
00:25This is incredible!
00:27Finding new pastimes.
00:28Hello, I've got a call for you.
00:30One and two.
00:32Discovering unexpected local customs.
00:35Oh God, oh my!
00:37And making new pals along the way.
00:39Good morning, madam.
00:41Hiya!
00:42You having a grandie out, Rupert?
00:44Who's the way home?
00:45We're taking in the sights.
00:47Ta-da!
00:48That's a castle.
00:49Nailed it.
00:50And the sounds.
00:52You can't hear anything.
00:54Loving every moment.
00:58This is a country filled with delights.
01:03Oh, that's lovely.
01:04Cheers.
01:05Chin-chin.
01:06This is exactly the experience I want.
01:08So come along.
01:11On my grand day out.
01:13Come on.
01:14Yes!
01:14This time, I'm on a quest in England's southwest, through stunning Somerset.
01:26I've got the sea on that side, and I've got the beautiful hills on the other side.
01:30King Arthur country.
01:31I love any stories involving swords and wizards.
01:36It's a land of ancient history.
01:38You've kept the place gorgeous for me.
01:41Beauty.
01:41Would you look at this?
01:43Fun.
01:44I'm going to get let go on my first day as a volunteer.
01:47And a whole heap of surprises.
01:49Oh, Tim, this is my childhood.
01:51Yeah.
01:52Where sparks fly.
01:53Oh, gosh.
01:55Hi, I'm just in here.
01:56And frankly, that makes it perfect for a grand day out.
02:07Well, Helen and I are very excited.
02:09We are in King Arthur country, and I love a myth and a legend.
02:14I always have.
02:16Glastonbury Abbey has long laid claim to being the resting place of the folk hero,
02:21so that's where I'm heading first.
02:23You're a legend, Helen, you know that.
02:24People will tell stories of you in years to come.
02:35Dating from the 7th century, it's packed with history and legend.
02:40For Arthur was the boy who became king, had a sword named Excalibur,
02:46held court at Camelot, gathered his knights around a round table,
02:50and went in search of the Holy Grail.
02:52Like most people, I grew up with the legend of King Arthur.
02:58And I always assumed it was just that, a legend.
03:01But here, at Glastonbury Abbey, I found this sign saying,
03:06this is the site of the actual King Arthur's tomb.
03:09This is where you can choose to believe the myth or not believe it.
03:13I personally always believe in the legend of anything.
03:17So, it's quite astonishing to think I could be standing at the actual site of King Arthur's tomb.
03:23And what a brilliant place to start my adventure in King Arthur country.
03:28Who knows what else I'll find.
03:30Perhaps Excalibur itself.
03:32On to myths and legends.
03:34On my mythical quest, I'll step back in time to lend a helping hand in Minehead.
03:42Harness the power of fire near Glastonbury.
03:45Go for a spin in Sparkford.
03:49Then I'm sampling one of Somerset's finest exports,
03:52before taking a walk down Memory Lane in Street.
03:57But first, I'm putting my foot down.
04:03Because I've got a schedule to keep.
04:12Operating as a heritage line for nearly 50 years,
04:15the West Somerset Railway is run by 900 volunteers and 50 staff,
04:21who maintain their fleet of diesel and steam locomotives.
04:25Today, I'm joining the ranks, high viz and all,
04:28to get this beauty on the tracks.
04:31I don't know if you can see me.
04:32Hi, Dave. How are you doing?
04:34How am I doing? All right.
04:34Nice to meet you.
04:35This place is extraordinary.
04:39I've been to a few heritage railways in my time.
04:41This one seems quite a scale, isn't it?
04:43Tell me about it.
04:44It is. It's a 22-mile-long railway,
04:47running from Martinhead to Bishop's Lidia.
04:50So, you're a driver?
04:52Yes.
04:52I have driven a diesel train.
04:54I've driven a flying Scotsman.
04:55Yeah.
04:56All right.
04:56I mean, that's not where this conversation was going, Dave.
04:59Right?
04:59But if we're going to do that, right,
05:01I'm going to pick up the name you dropped.
05:03Hold on a second.
05:04So, how was it?
05:04Driving the flying Scotsman then, Dave?
05:07Stressful.
05:08Was it?
05:09Because, I mean, that's iconic, isn't it?
05:11Yeah.
05:11What I'm loving about having this chat with you
05:13is the steam is coming between us
05:15in a brief encounter romantic fashion, Dave.
05:21But learning the ropes here is far from a brief encounter.
05:25It can take 10 years of training to drive this beauty.
05:29Come this way.
05:29Okay, no problem at all.
05:30Round here?
05:31Yep.
05:31So, I'm starting out with the oiling.
05:34So, does it just pour?
05:36Yeah, just pour in slowly.
05:40Like I'm serving a bottle of wine.
05:45Small twist at the end.
05:46So, how often do you need to do this, Dave?
05:50This is done every single day.
05:51Every day?
05:52Every day.
05:53In service.
05:54This locomotive is a faithful recreation of the saint class,
05:58first rolled out in 1902 and last seen in 1953.
06:04Completed in 2019 after decades of dedication,
06:07working on her is a real privilege.
06:09Look at the size of these wheels.
06:12It's immense.
06:13Yeah.
06:13This is solid engineering.
06:15Yeah.
06:16There aren't many light bits on a steam engine.
06:18Right, Dave, take your oil back.
06:20I know you've got a busy day,
06:21so I'm going to be around.
06:23Anything I can help with,
06:24just you point me in the right direction and I'll do it.
06:26Fully qualified.
06:28Thank you very much.
06:29We are prepping for a journey
06:30which operates up to four services a day.
06:33And just like me,
06:34this lady loves to travel,
06:36visiting various heritage railways across Britain.
06:39Allowing the nation to experience
06:41an iconic piece of railway history.
06:44Prepare yourselves.
06:46The railway is open.
06:50But it's not just the gate.
06:52The platform bookshop needs opening too.
06:54I'm so short.
06:55I'm so short.
06:59Why did they give me keys?
07:01I'm going to get let go on my first day as a volunteer.
07:04Now the books are ready.
07:05So, what I need to do now is catch my breath
07:10and watch this.
07:11It's like Superman.
07:12Oh, look, season's back!
07:15I get to go on the train now
07:16and enjoy the journey.
07:19The perfect reward.
07:23And I'm just one of the 200,000 passengers
07:26who ride this railway every year.
07:32I think the train's about to go
07:33because I've heard two very distinctive sounds.
07:35One is the slamming of a train door.
07:38Isn't that nice?
07:39Rather than beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
07:41You hear a slam of a door.
07:44And I think I can hear the engine revving up the steam.
07:48Oh, my God, it has nailed that flag waving.
07:51Oh, my God, it has nailed that flag waving.
07:53Ladies and gentlemen,
08:09this train is departing on a unique journey
08:11because this is the longest independent railway line in Britain,
08:16puffing proudly through the Quantock Hills.
08:19There's so many different aspects to it.
08:21You know, I've got the sea on that side
08:23and I've got the beautiful hills on the other side.
08:27In total, there are 53,000 railway sleepers
08:30supporting this stretch of track.
08:33Castle on the hill.
08:35It's a good place to put a castle.
08:37If I would stop a castle, I'd put it on a hill.
08:39We're pulling into one of its 10 stops
08:41and a local sweet treat feels most definitely in order.
08:46It's called Torsey Morsey.
08:48It's called Torsey after Glastonbury Tor.
08:52It's made with dried fruit soaked in cider,
08:55which makes perfect sense.
08:58The left field aspect of this that I've been told about
09:02is it also contains cheese.
09:06So, cheesy fruity side of the cake.
09:14Surprisingly light.
09:16Absolutely packed with flavour.
09:19And what I'm going to do is, like a lady,
09:21I'm just going to nibble at it on my journey.
09:24Just stuff it all in my mouth at once.
09:25If I was on my own, that's what I would do.
09:27I'm just going to nibble at it.
09:29Well earned after a shift on the railway, I reckon.
09:36But, of course, nothing compares to my own little travelling treasure.
09:45I mean, it's idyllic.
09:46There's only one word for it.
09:47It is idyllic just now in Somerset.
09:50It really is.
09:50And in a picture-perfect place,
09:53I'm keen to snap up a quintessentially Somerset souvenir.
09:58Love a bit of shopping.
10:00I mean, these are adorable.
10:02This is one of the best areas in the UK
10:05for growing willow for basket making.
10:07It's been raised here for centuries
10:09and is perfectly suited to thrive
10:11in the wetlands of the Somerset levels.
10:14See, look at this is heaven.
10:17This is heaven for someone who's organisationally obsessed.
10:20Look at this.
10:21Look at the different sizes of baskets.
10:23What could you put in all of them?
10:25Post-it notes, pens, post-it notes, pens.
10:28And all of this is made by the Coates family,
10:31whose roots in willow crafting go back to 1819.
10:34Today, they still grow their own willow
10:36on 70 acres of the wetlands
10:38before harvesting it and transforming it
10:40into all sorts of beautifully crafted goods.
10:44I like that.
10:45Right, let's go and get this.
10:48And who better to tell me more
10:49than head honcho Nicola?
10:52Are they quite a good material to use?
10:54For weaving, yes.
10:55Yeah, they are.
10:56They're brilliant.
10:56Yeah, because it's quite soft.
10:58It grows really, really quickly.
11:00About an inch a day in the height of the summer.
11:03That's insane.
11:04Does that mean it's quite good for sustainability?
11:05Yeah, exactly that.
11:07Yeah, it can go on doing that
11:08for about 20 to 30 years.
11:11So once it's planted,
11:12you could take 20 or 30 crops.
11:15That's amazing.
11:16Oh, willow tree.
11:17You lovely thing.
11:18Thank you very much, Nicola.
11:19Bye.
11:20I'm sure my own garden will welcome
11:22this little bit of Somerset.
11:26Coming up,
11:27I'm following the legend of King Arthur
11:29from ancient swords.
11:31Would you call this a vice?
11:32I'd call it a jig.
11:33Just checking.
11:35This is a jig, not a vice.
11:37Jig.
11:39To modern day steeds.
11:41I'm not getting in the wrong side, by the way.
11:43It's American.
11:44Helen and I are exploring the magical county of Somerset.
12:02Hello.
12:03The supposed resting place of folklore hero, King Arthur.
12:07I'm not saying I used to dress up as a knight
12:10and wander around my garden on my BMX,
12:13but, you know, I did.
12:16Next, I'm heading just outside Glastonbury
12:18to learn more about a legendary blade
12:21that has sparked centuries of fascination.
12:24One of the most iconic parts of the King Arthur legend for me
12:30is the story of Excalibur, the sword and the stone.
12:34And you might think somewhere like this,
12:36essentially a farm,
12:37is a strange place to come to find out more.
12:40But actually, this is exactly where I need to be.
12:43This is the part of the tale
12:45where Arthur removes a magical sword from a stone to become king.
12:49Some accounts say he was given it by the Lady of the Lake.
12:53Either way, it definitely involved a sword called Excalibur.
12:58Bladesmith Tom, an expert in crafting ancient weaponry,
13:02is just the person to tell me
13:03how Arthur's Excalibur would have been made.
13:06Hi, Tom.
13:09Hiya.
13:09How are you doing?
13:09Yeah, good, thanks.
13:10We both look amazing.
13:13I'm here to talk to you about, I think,
13:16one of the most important parts of the legend of King Arthur,
13:19and that's the sword, that's Excalibur.
13:21It really is so iconic, isn't it?
13:23Yeah, probably one of the most iconic swords
13:26in European history, I'd say.
13:28Correct me if I'm wrong,
13:29most people would have had a sword at that point.
13:31Most people wouldn't have had swords.
13:32Really?
13:33Yeah.
13:33So it would have been quite unusual to have this sword.
13:35There'd be quite an expensive, high-status,
13:38quite special thing to have.
13:41Most people, if they were arming themselves,
13:44would use a spear.
13:45Oh, really?
13:46Or axes, yeah.
13:47In terms of Excalibur itself,
13:48what would the sword have been made of?
13:50Soft iron.
13:51And then they'd have had steel,
13:53which is iron with carbon.
13:55It's like I'm back at school again,
13:57burning all the fire and chemistry.
13:59But science lessons were never quite like this.
14:02So this is where you start?
14:04Yeah.
14:04We've got layers of different kinds of steel here.
14:07And you get the whole thing super hot
14:09and hammer it together.
14:11We'd fold it a bunch of times
14:12and you keep going until you've got about 400 layers.
14:15Okay.
14:16Much like pastry.
14:17It's exactly that principle,
14:19but we're doing it really hot with hammers.
14:22But it's the title of our new cooking show,
14:24Really Hot With Hammers.
14:26And on today's episode of Really Hot With Hammers,
14:29it's safety first.
14:31I've been furnished with a protective apron now,
14:33which is both fashionable and utilitarian at the same time.
14:37Because the furnace reaches well over 1,000 degrees.
14:40Oh, gosh, wow.
14:42The perfect temperature for our iron and steel cuisole.
14:46Once Tom's hunk of metal is softened.
14:49Okay, we're pretty much there now.
14:51It's ready to be flattened.
14:52Oh, gosh.
14:57Okay.
14:58Okay.
14:59I see.
15:00Oh, gosh.
15:02Hi, I'm just in here.
15:04I was very much in the splash zone, it turned out.
15:07I still am.
15:12And you're safe to come back in.
15:14I actually, at one point, though,
15:16when the sparks were flying off that metal there,
15:18acted like I was in the 1920s and clutched my perils.
15:22I actually went, oh, like that.
15:24And that's not like me.
15:26But when it comes to very hot metal,
15:28I find myself, you know, regressing a little bit.
15:31But hammered Tom must to stretch that metal out.
15:35I've got my ear defenders on now.
15:38Ready to be twisted to help give it strength.
15:42Oh, wow.
15:45Yeah.
15:47Would you call this a vice?
15:48I'd call it a jig.
15:49Just checking.
15:50Just so I don't make a mistake.
15:52You've got to know the terms.
15:54You don't look like a fool, do you?
15:55Next to a blacksmith.
15:57It's a jig.
15:58Not a vice.
16:00Jig.
16:01No matter what it's called,
16:02Tom's latest sword is beginning to take shape.
16:06A thousand years ago,
16:07when they came into a blacksmith,
16:09it would have looked like something
16:10from the bowels of hell being created, isn't it?
16:12Yeah, yeah, yeah.
16:13And each hammer strike brings it closer to the finished blade.
16:20You can see it straight away.
16:21Yeah.
16:22In terms of the angle.
16:25Tom would normally work on it for longer,
16:27but he's keen I see the next stage.
16:29So, Tom, we've got a drain pipe.
16:35Yeah.
16:36What's going to happen now?
16:37So, what we're going to do now is etch this blade.
16:40Back in the day,
16:41there were all kinds of chemical things they did
16:44to get the pattern to come out of their steel,
16:47including mare urine.
16:49Because why not?
16:49I wasn't expecting that.
16:50But today we're going to use ferric chloride.
16:52Okay, so you're going to dip it in.
16:54It will show up the pattern that's hidden in the steel.
16:56Okay, let's go for it.
16:57Let's go.
16:58Ferric chloride is a corrosive salt
17:00that reacts with the different layers in the blade.
17:03Just 20 seconds in here
17:04and the blade's hidden pattern will be revealed.
17:07I'm just counting.
17:08Has it been 20 seconds?
17:09Yeah, it's been 20 seconds.
17:10It's been 20 seconds.
17:10Let's have a look.
17:13Oh, wow.
17:14So, what we can see here
17:15are twisted bars on the back of the blade.
17:18Yeah.
17:19And then we can really clearly see...
17:21You can see it, can't you?
17:22...our ropes of steel.
17:24Yeah.
17:24Giving this big knife its structural integrity.
17:28That's amazing.
17:29And I know Excalibur was a particularly precious sword,
17:32but from what I've seen,
17:33it's really brought home
17:34how precious any sword would have been.
17:36Exactly, yeah.
17:37That's why they will sort of become the symbol that they are.
17:39Thank you for letting me into your magical workshop, Tom.
17:42You're very welcome.
17:43A bit of blacksmithing,
17:46a beautiful blade,
17:48and no singed eyebrows.
17:50I'm calling that a win.
17:51Helen's quite old-fashioned.
18:01You have to turn her lights off.
18:04They don't go off or on automatically.
18:07You have to switch your indicator off.
18:08It doesn't go off automatically.
18:10She's a full-functioning, old-fashioned vehicle.
18:12And like all veterans of the road,
18:15Helen enjoys a bit of a rest.
18:18When you have a vintage vehicle like Helen,
18:22she requires a certain level of TLC.
18:25Now, sometimes that happens at a garage,
18:27but you've always got to be prepared
18:29for a little bit of a fix along the way.
18:32And so I've got one of these.
18:33Now, if you're of a certain age,
18:36you'll recognise this straight away, right?
18:38It's the Haynes Manual.
18:41Now, I've got Motor Caravan Manual,
18:43which is choosing, using,
18:44and maintaining your motor caravan.
18:46And I've got a little treat for you, Helen.
18:49Prepare yourself.
18:53Oh, she starts like a dream.
18:57Ta-ra!
19:00My quest has brought me
19:02to the village of Sparkford
19:03in search of the story
19:05behind this particular Somerset legend.
19:08John Haynes,
19:08who launched the iconic Car Manual series,
19:11didn't just love fixing cars,
19:13he collected them too.
19:15And what better treat
19:16for a vintage vehicle like Helen
19:17than a visit to the Haynes Motor Museum?
19:20It has over 300 cars and bikes,
19:23making it one of the largest collections in Britain.
19:26Curator Luca knows all about him.
19:29Luca, it's a delight to be here.
19:32Tell me about how all of this started.
19:35It all started effectively with these two cars.
19:37Right.
19:38So this one and this one.
19:39This one and this one.
19:39So when John Haynes was in sick form,
19:42he took one of these.
19:44There was a shortage of motor cars
19:45and sports cars after the war,
19:47and he turned it into this sports car.
19:49Right.
19:50At 16?
19:51At 16, yeah,
19:52when he was in sick form.
19:52Right, wow.
19:53He then wrote a booklet showing how he did it,
19:56advertised it,
19:57sold 250 copies within a week or two.
19:59So he realised there was something in
20:01making it accessible for people
20:04to be able to turn this into this,
20:07to explain things in really easy to understand ways,
20:10and to make the manuals.
20:13From there,
20:14John Haynes turned a love of tinkering
20:15into a publishing empire.
20:17Those iconic manuals have sold more than 2 million copies
20:20and helped fund a car collection
20:22that in 1985 became the museum.
20:25The story goes that one day,
20:29he was trying to find one of his Jaguars
20:31to drive out on a weekend day.
20:33They were all in kind of lockups
20:34and garages around the place,
20:35and he couldn't find it.
20:37So he decided...
20:38I have that problem.
20:39I can't find my Jaguar often, yes.
20:42Decided that actually,
20:44it'd be better to have all his cars in one space
20:47to donate them to the charity
20:49for the benefit of the public
20:51for now and for the future.
20:52There's such a sense of nostalgia with cars,
20:54because it's...
20:55I was listening to the radio the other day,
20:57and they were talking about what your first car was.
20:59Mine was a Rover 100.
21:02I had a Volkswagen Polo.
21:03Oh, somebody's doing well for themselves.
21:08Thankfully, this place is all about
21:10vehicle-shaped nostalgia.
21:13Oh, of course, this was my first car, really.
21:17Would you look at this?
21:20It's an entire room
21:22full of red spores, come on.
21:28Over 40 tomato-tinted treasures, in fact.
21:31John Haynes believed that
21:32by grouping cars in one colour,
21:34you'd look beyond the paintwork
21:36and focus on the design.
21:38Works for me.
21:41It's got carpet in the boot.
21:43Carpet in the boot.
21:44But I may have found
21:45the perfect Kalman-sized car.
21:47This is wheels around the world,
21:51and the first thing...
21:52It's a Sinclair C5.
21:54Launched in the 1980s,
21:56this tiny one-person electric trike
21:58was once hailed as the future of commuting,
22:01though the future had other ideas.
22:04This is absolutely brilliant,
22:06and I really want one.
22:07Whether it's small ones,
22:09bubble cars,
22:10fast ones.
22:12This one in particular
22:13was driven by Nigel Mansell.
22:16Or big American ones.
22:18Cadillacs,
22:20Fords,
22:22Lincoln Continental.
22:24The collection here
22:25is full of variety.
22:271993 Jaguar
22:29supercar.
22:31Do you know what the first thing
22:32I'm thinking is?
22:32That'd never go over the speed bumps
22:34on my street.
22:35That's how practical I am
22:36about cars.
22:37And on the theme of sports cars...
22:40Luca's got a special treat
22:47lined up for me.
22:48It's a Mustang.
22:49It's a muscle car.
22:51Luca's taking me for a drive.
22:53Yes, please.
22:54Oh, and I'm not getting
22:56in the wrong side, by the way.
22:57It's American,
22:58so it's the wrong way round.
23:01This is all right, isn't it?
23:03A muscle car
23:04is a classic piece
23:05of American engineering.
23:07Born in the 1960s,
23:09it's a two-door powerhouse
23:10with a big engine.
23:11And a big attitude
23:12built to go exceptionally fast.
23:20Careful driver.
23:21And I enjoy that.
23:23I'd say,
23:24when it comes to speed,
23:26Luca is a kindred spirit.
23:27It does just want to go there.
23:29Does it?
23:30Can you feel it?
23:30Is it just going,
23:31come on now?
23:34There she is.
23:35There she goes.
23:37And then we'll stop
23:38because I'm going to be sick.
23:41Think I'll save the sick bag
23:43and call it a day.
23:44Thanks, Luca.
23:45That was the most incredibly
23:48sensible ride in a muscle car.
23:51And if I had ever got one of these,
23:54I would do exactly the same.
23:55A gentle poodle in a muscle car.
23:58Just my kind of grandy out.
24:03Coming up,
24:04there's surprises in Somerset.
24:06Yes, thanks everyone.
24:08Yes, I've been to the moon.
24:10And I get my hands
24:11on a keepsake fit for a king.
24:13Two hands on a hammer.
24:14One girt big swing at that.
24:17There we go.
24:18Crikey.
24:18Crikey.
24:18Helen and I are on a grandy out
24:32in King Arthur country.
24:34Sensational Somerset.
24:36And we're getting a real taste
24:37of the county.
24:39The West Country,
24:40very well known for its cider
24:41and its apples.
24:42I love apples, personally.
24:47Especially in the way
24:49nature intended them
24:50in a crumble.
24:54Any form of apple-based dessert
24:57is good,
24:59as far as I'm concerned.
25:02But nothing screams Somerset
25:05more than the apple-based
25:06alcoholic tipple.
25:07So I'm heading to a cider producer
25:11near the village
25:12of Kingsbury Episcopie.
25:18Of course,
25:19this area is also famed
25:21for the Glastonbury Music Festival.
25:23And these days,
25:24any glasto-reveller
25:25is likely to be familiar
25:27with a certain bus.
25:29It offers cider
25:30from Burrow Hill,
25:32where they've been growing apples
25:33for over 300 years,
25:35pressing them to make cider
25:36and cider brandy.
25:38The only English spirit
25:39with protected status.
25:42Boss Matilda
25:42comes from a long line
25:44of cider makers.
25:46Matilda,
25:47it's lovely to meet you.
25:48This is a glorious sight.
25:50It's beautiful, isn't it?
25:51Peak blossom.
25:52And the smell is incredible.
25:53The bus that's out there,
25:55that's at Glastonbury,
25:56isn't it?
25:56Yeah, she drives to Glastonbury.
25:58And we go in
25:58and we serve cider for a week.
26:00It's a big get-together.
26:01There's lots of us there.
26:02I've only ever been
26:03to two festivals in my life.
26:05I found it quite overwhelming.
26:06Did you drink cider in black?
26:08I didn't drink anything
26:10because I was terrified
26:11about needing to go
26:12to the portaloos
26:14at the festivals.
26:15I want you to talk to me
26:17about Somerset and cider
26:19because the two things
26:20go together, don't they?
26:22Like hello and goodbye.
26:23They totally go together
26:25and apples from this village
26:26have fetched a premium
26:27for the last few hundred years
26:30because they're considered
26:31to be the best village
26:32for cider apples in the UK.
26:34Really?
26:35Yeah.
26:36What makes the apple
26:37so good for making cider?
26:38It is the soil
26:39and the climate here
26:40and a lot of these apples
26:41will have originated
26:42within ten miles
26:43of this farm.
26:44We grow at least
26:45105 varieties of apple
26:47on this farm.
26:48Could you eat the apple
26:49or is it specifically
26:50for cider?
26:51There's very few cider apples
26:52that taste nice to eat.
26:53Right, okay.
26:54The traditional cider apple
26:55is full of tannins
26:56so it's quite bitter
26:58and it has quite chewy flesh
27:01which makes it good
27:01for pressing.
27:02Right.
27:03And the whole art
27:04to making cider
27:05is blending the right
27:06type of apples
27:06to get your flavours
27:08and your mouthfeel
27:09and your acidity levels
27:11right in the first instance.
27:12It all sounds like
27:13very skilled work
27:14but I dare say
27:15there's fun to be had
27:16in such a lovely orchard too.
27:19Do you know what I do sometimes?
27:20I'm going to tell you
27:20a secret Matilda
27:21because in my street
27:22there's a few other
27:22blossom trees
27:23and you know
27:23when they start to fall
27:24the petals
27:25you know those
27:26old fashioned newsreel
27:26of ticker tape parades
27:27in New York City
27:28when astronauts come back
27:29I walk down the street
27:30and pretend I'm in my own
27:31ticker tape parade
27:32just myself
27:33I enjoy it.
27:34We can stand you under here
27:35and do one here.
27:36We can stand and shake it
27:36and go yes
27:37thanks everyone
27:38yes I've been to the moon
27:40I've been to the moon.
27:42But here on earth
27:42Matilda has a table of treats.
27:46That smells absolutely delightful.
27:49One of which is even suitable
27:50for a driver
27:51on a grand day out.
27:53You're developing
27:53a zero alcohol cider
27:54aren't you?
27:55Yes we are.
27:56Lots of people
27:57are not drinking
27:57and people don't want
28:00to drink apple juice
28:00necessarily
28:01because it's very sweet.
28:03I'm going to be
28:04one of the first to try it.
28:05Yes you are.
28:06In fact
28:06I haven't even tried this one.
28:09It's using
28:09bittersweet cider apples
28:11which should give you
28:16a new grown up taste.
28:19Okay.
28:20Cheers.
28:20Cheers.
28:21Chin chin.
28:21It smells like cider.
28:27What do you think?
28:28That's really nice.
28:29Yeah that is very nice
28:30isn't it?
28:31I like the way yours is spiced.
28:33That sounds really nice actually.
28:35Mmm.
28:35Oh that's lovely.
28:40That may be as close
28:41as I ever get
28:42to the Glastonbury Festival.
28:44And now Helen and I
28:48are back on our quest
28:50but this time
28:51we're in search
28:51of another king
28:52King Alfred
28:53who some would describe
28:54as the first king
28:56of the English.
28:57We're heading
28:58to the incredible
28:59Avalon archaeology
29:00where history
29:01is not just studied
29:02it's rebuilt
29:03using ancient techniques
29:05by passionate people
29:06like Mark.
29:08Mark
29:09pleasure to meet you.
29:10Hello.
29:11First things first
29:12tell me
29:13what your job title is
29:14please.
29:15Oh that's a good one
29:16so I'm an experimental archaeologist.
29:18Now stop right there
29:19what on earth is that?
29:20Tell me what that is.
29:21It's a very niche
29:22career path.
29:23Yes I'm loving it
29:24I'm loving it yes.
29:25My specialism is
29:26reconstructing
29:27buildings from the past.
29:29What different periods
29:30of history have we got
29:31here that I'm looking at?
29:32So that is
29:33our earliest building
29:34so we're currently
29:35constructing it
29:36it's a Iron Age roundhouse.
29:38And what's behind me?
29:39This is
29:40a reconstruction
29:41of a
29:42Saxon mead hall
29:43Right.
29:44Based on one
29:45that was excavated
29:46in the 1960s
29:47in Cheddar.
29:48This would have been
29:48a kind of
29:49a royal palace
29:50where
29:50the eldermen
29:52the lord
29:52would hold court.
29:53King Alfred the Great.
29:54I know
29:55really nothing about him
29:56apart from he's
29:57King Alfred
29:57the Great.
29:59What I'd really love to see
30:00is inside this building.
30:01Yeah let's do it.
30:01Right.
30:02It may be an ancient
30:04royal hall
30:04but I'm not forgetting
30:06my 21st century manners.
30:08It's your house
30:08you go first.
30:10This 9th century
30:11reconstruction was built
30:13by an army of volunteers
30:14using traditional methods
30:16and materials
30:17to bring it to life.
30:19Come on in.
30:20This is lovely Mark.
30:23Yeah it's alright.
30:24You've kept the place
30:25gorgeous for me.
30:27This is a space
30:28that feels both
30:29grand and grounded.
30:30I'm calling it
30:31early medieval chic.
30:34Talk to me about this.
30:36So what we've created here
30:38is the story
30:40of King Alfred
30:40and Somerset.
30:42Now we've got the answer.
30:44It's right here.
30:44Okay.
30:45The style is taken
30:46from various
30:48kind of psalters
30:49and illustrated manuscripts.
30:50Here are
30:51some very obvious
30:53Vikings invading.
30:54Vikings.
30:54Landing in England
30:55and laying waste
30:57to the countryside.
30:58So that's the representation
30:59of King Alfred.
31:00Yep.
31:01There.
31:01Yep.
31:01Quite a grand affair.
31:03And then here we are.
31:04Alfred has been
31:05pushed
31:06onto the Somerset levels
31:08on the Isle of Athelny
31:09building his fort
31:11and assembling the people
31:12to strike out
31:14against the Vikings.
31:15And the next panel up here
31:16is the bloody battle
31:18at Eddington.
31:19They defeat them.
31:20This looks to me
31:21like they're describing
31:22the depths of hell.
31:23Well that's it.
31:24They're also trying to
31:25demonise
31:26the Vikings.
31:27The Vikings.
31:28Absolutely.
31:29But instead of
31:30wiping the Vikings out
31:31Alfred made peace
31:32with a treaty
31:33that saw their leader
31:34Guthrum
31:34convert to Christianity
31:36and retreat
31:37to the east.
31:38That left Alfred
31:39ruling the rest
31:40and for the first time
31:41one man was able
31:43to style himself
31:44as the King of the English.
31:46I mean it's
31:47a beautiful representation.
31:49Would a room like this
31:49have had artwork
31:50similar to this in it?
31:52Oh definitely.
31:52Yeah.
31:53You imagine living
31:53in the Anglo-Saxon period
31:54where everything is green
31:55and brown
31:56you know natural shades.
31:57If you wanted to show off
31:59you would make it
32:00as garish as possible.
32:01You would paint it.
32:02You would get colour in there.
32:04The attention to detail
32:05is extraordinary.
32:07Carefully crafted
32:08to bring the past
32:09back to life.
32:11It's an astonishing thing.
32:13It's a wonderful way
32:14to get an insight
32:14into a period in history
32:15I really didn't know
32:16anything about.
32:17Do you want a souvenir?
32:18Do you have a souvenir for me?
32:19Oh yeah.
32:20Let's do it.
32:20Okay.
32:21Love it.
32:22If it's a crown
32:24I'm waiting at home.
32:25We're going to make
32:26ourselves a little penny.
32:28A little Anglo-Saxon penny.
32:29A little coin.
32:30Uh-huh.
32:30So it commemorates
32:31King Alfred.
32:32Uh-huh.
32:33So on one side
32:33it says
32:34King Alfred,
32:35Alfred Rex
32:36and the other
32:36a monogram of London.
32:39And this is your blank.
32:40Okay.
32:40So you take a hold of that.
32:42So place that in there.
32:43Right.
32:44And then you've got to make sure
32:45it's right in the middle.
32:46Yep.
32:46Okay.
32:47So this is the top part.
32:48So put that in there.
32:52That's it.
32:53Right.
32:54The hammer.
32:54Two hands on the hammer.
32:56One girt big swing at that.
32:58Just one.
33:04Just one?
33:04Yeah, yeah, yeah.
33:05Okay.
33:07There we go.
33:08Quakey.
33:09I'll take that off too.
33:12So now take it apart.
33:14So take that top piece off.
33:15There we go.
33:16Let's have a look at it.
33:17So
33:17then we have
33:19Yeah, there we go.
33:20Nicely stamped on one side.
33:22There's Alfred's face
33:23grinning back at you.
33:24Alfred's face.
33:25That is a beautiful souvenir.
33:26I was good with that hammer,
33:28wasn't I?
33:29Spectacular.
33:30Yeah.
33:32And just like that,
33:33a little piece of Alfred
33:35to take home.
33:36Right.
33:37Onward, Helen.
33:41Coming up,
33:42a real life quest
33:44that sent the nation digging.
33:46This is my holy grail.
33:48And a search of my own
33:49for hidden treasure.
33:51Oh, Tim,
33:52this is my childhood.
33:54Yeah.
33:56Helen and I are on a grand day out
34:09amidst the magical beauty
34:10of Somerset.
34:12It's a county steeped
34:14in legend and mystery,
34:15like King Arthur
34:16and the quest
34:17for the holy grail.
34:20And it reminds me
34:21of a time
34:21when I went on a quest
34:22along with what felt
34:24like the whole of Britain
34:25in a search
34:26for hidden treasure.
34:28I wanted to share with you
34:30the story of my holy grail,
34:32which I've never actually
34:33talked about before.
34:34This was a book
34:35that was published
34:35in 1979
34:36and it's called
34:37Masquerade.
34:38And it was a global phenomenon.
34:40This book sold
34:41millions of copies.
34:44And this book
34:44is essentially
34:45a treasure hunt.
34:47It captured the imagination
34:50of millions
34:51and sparked its own
34:52holy grail-style quest
34:53because author Kit Williams
34:55had made and buried
34:56a splendidly bejeweled
34:58golden hair.
34:59And if you solved
35:01the clues
35:01in the book,
35:03you could dig up
35:04the golden hair.
35:05I spent hours
35:07and hours
35:08and hours
35:09poring over
35:10these pictures
35:10looking for clues
35:13because in every single picture
35:14like this one here,
35:16there are codes in it.
35:18And I would think
35:18maybe I could dig up
35:20the golden hair
35:20and I wasn't alone.
35:21Honestly,
35:22people were all over
35:23this country
35:23digging bits of fields up.
35:26It was absolutely
35:28astonishing.
35:29I never did
35:30crack the riddle
35:31and it took three years
35:33before the hair was found,
35:35with some even saying
35:36that it was only
35:36after the solution
35:37was leaked.
35:38But it was a great hunt
35:40while it lasted.
35:42To this day,
35:43I wish I'd found it.
35:46I wish I'd solved the puzzle.
35:47This book has affected
35:48my life more than
35:49almost any other book
35:50I've ever, ever read.
35:51And it sparked
35:52a lifelong obsession
35:54for me with treasure
35:55and clues.
35:56This is my holy grail.
35:59But of course,
36:03not all treasures
36:03are buried in fields
36:04because sometimes
36:06a holy grail
36:07can come in a shoebox
36:09from the high street.
36:11I don't know about you,
36:13but for me,
36:14some things are so
36:15ingrained upon
36:17our consciousness.
36:17We're so used to things
36:19we always expect them
36:20to be there.
36:21But remember,
36:23everything started somewhere.
36:24And for high street brand
36:26Clark's,
36:27it started
36:29right around here.
36:32Clark's isn't just
36:33a high street name.
36:34It was founded by Quakers
36:36who believed in doing good.
36:38For beyond their factory,
36:40they championed workers' rights
36:41and built homes
36:42and leisure facilities.
36:44I'm in the village of Street
36:46to meet Tim,
36:47keeper of the archives,
36:49who puts his heart
36:50and soul
36:50into preserving stories
36:52of every size.
36:55Clark's.
36:55Yes.
36:56I mean,
36:57iconic high street name,
36:59especially for a generation
37:00like myself.
37:01So this part of Somerset
37:02is the home of Clark's.
37:03Clark's has been in Street
37:04about 200 years.
37:05How did the Clark's family start?
37:07They're farmers,
37:08sheep farmers specifically.
37:09They become rug makers,
37:11basically a by-product
37:12from the rugs,
37:12the pieces of wool
37:13that were too short
37:14in the material to make.
37:15Rugs were then made
37:16into slippers
37:16and then you get
37:18the shoe business.
37:18You must find
37:19some real nuggets
37:20in all of the paperwork
37:21that inform you
37:23about the business.
37:24People that have worked here
37:25can sometimes trace
37:26their own family's involvement
37:28in the company
37:28back three, four,
37:30even five generations.
37:31They've tended to provide
37:32for the people that live here.
37:34So we've got swimming pools
37:35and working men's clubs
37:36and colleges and schools
37:37and all being provided
37:38by the business.
37:40Is this one of the most
37:40interesting archives
37:41you've ever laid your hands on?
37:43I was only supposed
37:43to come for two years
37:44and I've been here
37:44for over 20.
37:46Really?
37:46Yeah.
37:47Yeah.
37:47I don't look old enough,
37:48do I?
37:48I love the way
37:48you just turn up every day.
37:50I've always tried
37:50to look busy.
37:51I used to do that
37:53in my job as a lawyer
37:54as well, Tim.
37:54I used to do that.
37:55Oh, look at all the papers
37:57I've got.
38:00Decades later,
38:01I'm still perfecting
38:02the art of looking productive.
38:03This time,
38:04there's actually
38:04something worth seeing.
38:10Here we go.
38:11I've always wanted
38:12to be in a room like this
38:13with these things
38:14that swirl around.
38:16There you go.
38:17It's like that bit
38:20at the end
38:20of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
38:22It is.
38:23So we're going in here?
38:24Yep.
38:26There are thousands
38:27of items in this collection,
38:29each holding
38:29a slice of British history.
38:31Tim,
38:32show me what you have
38:32to show me, Tim.
38:33What's in here?
38:34We're going for a joint.
38:35Joint.
38:36So they were first
38:36made in 1933,
38:38but they were still
38:39being made.
38:39I mean, I wore these,
38:40so they were made
38:41in the 70s.
38:43And most people
38:44recognise the kind of big.
38:45Oh, no, Tim.
38:47There we go.
38:48Oh, Tim,
38:49this is my childhood.
38:51Yep.
38:54These are absolutely
38:56just iconic, aren't they?
38:59Yeah.
38:59They really are.
39:00T-bar.
39:01Yep.
39:02A little decoration
39:03on the front.
39:04Yep.
39:05Worn by boys and girls.
39:06Unisex.
39:07Yeah?
39:08Yeah.
39:08They did a patent one,
39:09I'm sure,
39:10for fancy days.
39:11And I'll tell you
39:12something, Tim.
39:13Picture the scene.
39:15Me and my sister.
39:16Velvet knickerbockers.
39:18Pedal pushers.
39:19Yeah.
39:20Fluffy white blouse.
39:22Patent ones of these
39:23looking like the twins
39:23from The Shining.
39:25Let's just all hope
39:26those images are never
39:27unearthed from any archives.
39:29And anyone who went
39:30shoe shopping as a child
39:31will be familiar
39:32with something else here.
39:34So,
39:36what treasures are down here?
39:37Oh, hey, hey!
39:39Foot gauges.
39:40Tim,
39:40I used to look forward
39:41every year
39:43to get my feet measured.
39:44Yeah.
39:44And I am not alone.
39:46I know I'm not.
39:46I'll tell you why.
39:47Because if my feet are grown,
39:48I can get a new pair of shoes.
39:49Yeah.
39:50From the 1940s,
39:52Clarks were one
39:52of the leading manufacturers,
39:54making sure everyone
39:55had shoes
39:55that properly fitted their feet.
39:58Tell me,
39:58why is
39:59measuring
40:01your feet important?
40:02Certainly during wartime,
40:04there were real issues
40:04with foot health.
40:05They realised
40:06that they were turning away
40:06a lot of the people
40:07they were trying to enlist
40:08because their foot health
40:09was so poor.
40:10It usually occurred
40:11because of the fact
40:11that you were wearing footwear
40:12that didn't fit your feet.
40:14So,
40:15post-war,
40:15it becomes quite a national
40:16kind of issue.
40:18The objective really
40:19was to create
40:19the fewest number of widths
40:21that would fit
40:21the most number of feet.
40:23That push soon
40:24filtered through
40:24to children's shoes
40:25and created a whole lot
40:27of memories for me.
40:28This,
40:30I remember
40:31like it was yesterday
40:33because this was
40:34for the kids,
40:34wasn't it?
40:35Yeah,
40:35so that's a pentagram foot gauge
40:36in those kind of
40:37primary colours.
40:39It's wonderful.
40:41Absolutely,
40:42viscally remember
40:42the feeling of the tape measure
40:43being pulled around my foot.
40:45The fact that it came
40:46from essentially
40:46a health effort.
40:48I mean,
40:48you don't know that
40:48when you're a kid,
40:49do you?
40:49You just think,
40:49this is a great day out.
40:51Yeah,
40:51it's the experience.
40:51And Tim's got more
40:55treats in store for me.
40:57Artwork,
40:57original.
40:59Clerks have attempted
41:00to be all things
41:00to all people
41:01and tended to focus
41:02very much on
41:03omissioning the best
41:04illustrators,
41:05best photographers.
41:06It could be no other time
41:07than the 80s.
41:09No.
41:09It's the colours,
41:10it's the hairstyles.
41:12And of course,
41:13the 1960s provided
41:14inspiration too.
41:17Wow!
41:19It's lifestyles
41:20they're selling.
41:20Yeah,
41:20it's aspirational.
41:21That is a lady
41:22about town.
41:23It is.
41:24To have these
41:25beautiful original artworks,
41:27that's an adorable one
41:28as well,
41:28isn't it?
41:28Yeah,
41:28so that's teenage.
41:29Out with her boyfriend
41:30on their bikes,
41:33picking flowers,
41:34like every teenager
41:35does with her boyfriend,
41:36idyllically.
41:38So they're selling
41:39a lifestyle
41:40the parents would approve of.
41:41Very much so.
41:42That is stunning.
41:44Yeah.
41:44But it's also
41:45not really
41:46what I thought
41:46Clark's would be
41:47because she's got
41:48a large Doberman,
41:49I think,
41:49or something like that.
41:50She has, yeah.
41:50Doberman dressed
41:52very, very fashionably.
41:54That is an absolutely
41:55stunning image.
41:56It's about
41:57what was happening
41:58in the 1960s,
41:59in the 1940s,
42:00in the 1950s.
42:01It's a social commentary.
42:03Yeah.
42:03I get it now, Tim,
42:05why you've been
42:06hanging around here
42:07for 20 years.
42:08I get it.
42:08Yeah.
42:09Because in every single
42:10one of these drawers
42:11and on every single
42:13one of these shelves,
42:14there's something else
42:15wonderful to discover.
42:16Yeah.
42:17Thank you so much
42:18for showing me all of this.
42:19It's been such a wonderful
42:21wander down memory lane
42:23with Tim
42:23in comfortable
42:24T-bar shoes.
42:26Somerset
42:27has truly given me
42:28a grand day out.
42:30My visit
42:31to King Arthur country
42:32has been
42:33magnificent.
42:35It's almost as if
42:36Merlin himself
42:37has cast
42:38a spell
42:39upon me.
42:41It really is quite
42:41spiritual,
42:42actually.
42:43If I was to sum it up,
42:46looking at that,
42:47I'd say
42:48my adventure here
42:49has been
42:51magical.
42:52magical.
43:22magical.
43:23Magical.
43:24Magical.
43:25Magical.
43:26Magical.
43:27Magical.
43:28Magical.
43:29Magical.
43:30Magical.
43:31Magical.
43:32Magical.
43:33Magical.
43:34Magical.
43:35Magical.
43:36Magical.
43:37Magical.
43:38Magical.
43:39Magical.
43:40Magical.
43:41Magical.
43:42Magical.
43:43Magical.
43:44Magical.
43:45Magical.
43:46Magical.
43:47Magical.
43:48Magical.
43:49Magical.
43:50Magical.
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