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S1 E1 – Sailing the Shipping Forecast with Rev Coles ⛵🌊
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00:00Now it's time for the shipping forecast.
00:05Shannon, West Beering.
00:06Northwest, 3 to 5.
00:08For over 100 years, sailors and fishermen have received daily life-saving warnings from the shipping forecast.
00:16Occasional rain. Good. Occasionally poor.
00:19It's now a national institution, and its soothing tones have become a recognisable comfort to all.
00:26Good. Occasionally moderate.
00:29Dividing UK and surrounding waters into 31 areas, it predicts wind, weather and visibility for those venturing out to sea.
00:40With modern technology now providing 24-hour forecasting, the twice-daily shipping forecast is no longer the only safety guide for those at sea.
00:53Hello. I wish I was on yours.
00:58But for me, the shipping forecast is timeless.
01:01It's like almost a prayer.
01:03Yeah, it's comforting.
01:04Comforting.
01:05I'm going to make those poetic words.
01:07It's pharaohs, White, Thames, Lundi. A blueprint for an epic journey around some of our beautiful coasts.
01:16We're sort of on a collision course.
01:18Meeting the people on and offshore.
01:22This is amazing.
01:23This is beautiful, huh?
01:24Whose lives depend on the weather and the sea.
01:28Oh, my goodness. Look at that.
01:30I'll do one of my famous engine prayers, if you like.
01:33Roar!
01:35Cut some fish, yeah.
01:36With the most amazing views.
01:40May the force be with you!
01:41Rain and showers, perhaps thundery later.
01:54Moderate or good.
01:56Lundi, Fastnet, Irish Sea.
01:59Variable two or three, becoming southwest three or five later.
02:03Fog patches, moderate or good.
02:05The Lundi Sea area takes its name from a small granite island off the Devon coast.
02:15It's a triangle of roughly 7,000 square miles linking Ireland, Wales, Devon and Cornwall.
02:23It's an area of notoriously stormy seas where the Bristol Channel meets the Atlantic Ocean.
02:28These waters have long been important for shipping, fishing and trade.
02:36And today they're also home to coastal communities, holiday resorts and fishing villages.
02:45It's a place where daily life is shaped by the power of the weather and the sea.
02:50Where better to start than the Cornish coast, a thousand kilometres of spectacular scenery and ancient villages.
03:08It's 5.30am in Port Isaac and only local fisherman Callum seems to be awake.
03:15This village has earned its keep from fishing since the 14th century.
03:21And Callum has invited me aboard his cheetah catamaran, the Evan George.
03:26Stand on the front bit and get your leg over.
03:28Anything you say, boss.
03:30In the words of my favourite shark-themed film, you're going to need a bigger boat.
03:35And where's my stateroom?
03:39Wait till you see your en suite.
03:45Attention all shipping.
03:47The forecast for Port Isaac is fair, becoming good.
03:51Risk of engine trouble later.
03:57Why is it so bumpy here?
03:59Well, we're right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
04:01Right.
04:02If you look out, there's no land to America from here.
04:05So any large swell's got a long time to envelop.
04:08For fishermen like Callum, predicting stormy weather can be a matter of life or death.
04:16And in this part of Lundi, which is so exposed to the elements, it's especially important.
04:22You wouldn't believe the number of forecasts I look at, paid, unpaid.
04:27And you're just looking at a general theme for a few days.
04:31Yeah.
04:31No one's really got much idea.
04:35A few generations before, what did sailors rely on, fishermen rely on?
04:40Well, they did use the shipping forecast.
04:42I sometimes think, for people who listen to it, it's like almost a prayer.
04:46It's a form of words that you get so used to.
04:49Yeah, it's comforting.
04:50Comforting.
04:50Yeah.
04:51I often hear it if I'm going out early and have the radio on.
04:53It often comes on, and I do listen to it.
04:56What do you want to hear when you switch on the shipping forecast?
04:59What do you want Lundi to be doing?
05:01No gales, hopefully.
05:04Of course, there are some things even the shipping forecast can't predict.
05:12Just hit a bit of something.
05:15I think we've just caught a bit of seaweed.
05:18It's laying on the surface.
05:19Just seemed to have lost power there for a second.
05:21All right.
05:22Can I make myself useful?
05:24Uh, no.
05:24Not at the moment.
05:29Can we see the dolphins?
05:33Oh, my goodness.
05:34Look at that.
05:35Look at that.
05:36Beautiful.
05:45It's wonderful.
05:47Beautiful.
05:48Well, try a bit more oil.
05:56I'll do one of my famous engine prayers, if you like, Callum.
05:59That would be lovely.
06:00Well, if you only like my arsenal prayers, you wouldn't say that.
06:05As Callum wrestles with the engine,
06:07this unscheduled stop is making me realise how small this boat is
06:11and how vast and choppy the sea.
06:16Quite close to being sea.
06:18Oh.
06:19Preferably go over here, would you?
06:22A nice little gap.
06:26And it'll be better once we're moving.
06:29As with every good journey,
06:31I'm already learning new things about myself.
06:34In this instance,
06:35I'm not a good sailor.
06:36You all right?
06:40I'm sorry.
06:41I think I'm good.
06:43All right.
06:44We're just going to give it a final try.
06:46Okay.
06:47To see if we have to abandon ship on them.
06:56Good news.
06:56Yeah, good news.
06:57Good again.
06:58Your prayer must have worked.
07:01Check the football scores as well.
07:06Things are looking up.
07:11Now we're on the move
07:12and finding my sea legs at last.
07:23I don't go that far out
07:25into deeper water anymore
07:27because that's where the crab was
07:30but it's no longer there.
07:32Callum's catch is being badly affected
07:35by climate change.
07:37He used to bring up
07:38a mixed haul of crabs and lobsters
07:40but the crabs can't cope
07:42with the water warming up.
07:4618.5 the water temperature.
07:48That's the surface water temperature.
07:50That's amazing.
07:51It's madness, isn't it?
07:52It's utter madness.
07:53So that's the reason for the change.
07:56What should it be?
07:57Now, 16...
07:59And that's a big difference,
08:01two degrees, isn't it?
08:02Yeah.
08:02Yeah.
08:03Half a degree is a massive difference
08:05on the fishing side of things.
08:09So where are the crab going?
08:11They're off into deeper water
08:12and further north.
08:13So the now catching crab,
08:16like in Denmark,
08:18where they've never caught it before.
08:19All the red and orange flags
08:25around here is me.
08:28So we're going to pick up
08:29some lobsters and bring them in.
08:31Right.
08:32So everything's connected
08:33in one long line.
08:35Yeah.
08:36So this is ten lobster pots
08:38all connected together.
08:39OK.
08:41And how far down are they?
08:4220 metres?
08:43So this is 26, 27 metres here.
08:47Well, we've got our first lobster.
08:49Oh, there we go.
08:49Look at that.
08:54Quite lively.
08:56Yeah.
08:56Is that big enough?
08:57We're going to have to get
08:58the measure out and have a look.
09:00By law, Callum can only keep lobsters
09:02if they're at least 90 millimetres
09:04from their eye socket
09:05to the end of their back.
09:08The younger, smaller ones
09:09must be thrown back in the sea
09:11to breed and keep the population
09:13at a sustainable level.
09:14Oh, she's just big enough.
09:17She?
09:17Yeah.
09:18Do you ever get nipped?
09:19I try and avoid it.
09:20It does hurt.
09:21It really hurts.
09:23Oh, and another one.
09:24Second pot, second lobster,
09:26but this one, I would have said,
09:27was small.
09:31Yeah, a bit smaller.
09:32Yeah.
09:32So this one's about, I don't know,
09:34four years old.
09:35OK.
09:36So we'll put that one back
09:37and have that one again
09:38in a few years.
09:40It's hard work, Callum.
09:42It is very physical.
09:43I mean, you would need to be
09:44all right with that, wouldn't you?
09:45There's no way,
09:46you can't really cut a corner with that.
09:47No, no.
09:48It's, um,
09:49it's a vocation.
09:50Yeah.
09:51It's not, um,
09:52yeah, it's not something you do
09:54for the money.
09:57And you say vocation, Callum,
09:59but family business as well, right?
10:01So Tracey's dad and granddad
10:02were doing this.
10:03You've got...
10:03And great-granddad.
10:04And great-granddad.
10:05Yeah, my son's desperate to do it.
10:07He wants to fish.
10:08Yeah, but he's, um...
10:10The economics of it
10:12is struggling at the moment.
10:16Just to make it financially work?
10:18To make it financially work, yeah.
10:20And he's always come out with me from...
10:23Well, since he could walk, really.
10:24And I say to him,
10:25what do you want to do today?
10:26And he say, go fish.
10:27And I say, really, on my day off?
10:29But he's always been super keen.
10:32And now he's still...
10:34He's a proper, fully qualified marine engineer.
10:36And he delivers, you know,
10:38like super yachts and things.
10:39So he's working on the sea?
10:40He's working on the sea,
10:41but he wants to come back fishing.
10:43But at the moment,
10:44because we've lost the crab
10:45because of the global warming,
10:48the viability is not there.
10:50OK.
10:52Hopefully we're not the last generation
10:54to go fishing from Paul Isaac.
10:55This last pot coming up now?
11:03I'm feeling lucky.
11:05Feeling lucky? Good.
11:07Do you manage your prayer for this one as well?
11:09I'll do my best.
11:12After four hours at sea,
11:14we've caught just enough
11:15to head back to Port Isaac
11:17and offload the catch.
11:25It's now 9am
11:27and Callum's wife, Tracy,
11:29is opening up their other business,
11:31a seafood cafe
11:32where some of our freshly caught lobsters
11:35might become dish of the day.
11:38Who shall have the fishy
11:40on a little dishy?
11:42Who shall have a lobster
11:43when that boat comes in?
11:45Hello, Tracy.
11:46Best catch ever.
11:47My first lobster, Tracy.
11:49Yeah, the first lobster caught
11:50missing dolphins,
11:52minky whale,
11:53gannets.
11:53That's lovely.
11:54There's not many lobsters.
11:55Yeah.
11:56So is it lobster
11:58in as many ways as you could?
11:59Yeah, lobster,
12:00lots of different ways,
12:01yeah,
12:02to suit all tastes,
12:03hopefully.
12:04So this is what they would call
12:05a kind of through business now.
12:07You've got Callum catching them,
12:09you're prepping them,
12:10Yes.
12:11serving them.
12:12Yes.
12:12So you get more of the benefit
12:14of that whole process.
12:15Yeah, definitely.
12:16Yeah, rather than
12:17Callum just wholesaling it.
12:19And that's a way
12:19of making it work?
12:20Yes.
12:21Could we do some prep?
12:23Yes, yes.
12:23Excellent.
12:24Well, I'm not going to keep you
12:25from the sea.
12:25Are you hungry?
12:25No, no, I'm off.
12:26I'm always hungry.
12:28It's nice to meet you.
12:28You too.
12:29Catch many more.
12:30Bye, thanks.
12:32So Tracy,
12:32what are we going to do?
12:33What would you like to make?
12:35I would like to make
12:36the most elaborate
12:38lobster termidor
12:39you've ever seen.
12:40Well, happily,
12:41just a regular lobster.
12:42The idea of pulling a lobster
12:45out of the sea,
12:46bringing it to you,
12:47prepping it,
12:49cooking it,
12:50eating it,
12:50all in one go.
12:51I know.
12:52It's a good feeling.
12:53Yeah.
12:53The freshness you're going to get
12:55is fantastic.
12:57On reflection,
12:58perhaps simplicity
13:00seems best.
13:02So you're looking for
13:03a nice clean cut
13:04all the way down.
13:05Yeah.
13:09Yeah, I just like that.
13:11So to make the most
13:12of its freshness and flavour,
13:14I'm opting for a simple
13:15but delicious sandwich.
13:18Look at that.
13:19Lovely.
13:20Put some salad leaves on.
13:21Again, as much as,
13:22you know,
13:22as much as you like.
13:23A little scatter
13:23of salad leaves.
13:26So do you listen
13:26to the shipping for?
13:27Is that what every
13:28fisher person does
13:29is to kind of tune
13:30into the shipping forecast
13:31and see what's happening?
13:32When I was a child.
13:33Yeah.
13:33And my dad was fishing
13:35from Port Isaac.
13:36So if he wasn't at home,
13:38his children,
13:39we had to listen
13:39to the shipping forecast
13:40and we used to have
13:41to write it down for him.
13:42So if I were to say
13:43Viking 40s,
13:44Cromarty 40s,
13:44you know what I was talking about.
13:46Yeah, I know.
13:46Yeah, it's in there, right?
13:47Yeah, it's in there.
13:48And just that rhythm ever
13:49is so lovely, isn't it?
13:52Pop a little bit of lemon
13:54on top.
13:54Excuse me, if you don't mind.
13:55Well, yeah, make it,
13:56you know,
13:56you've been on MasterChef,
13:57you can do this.
13:59Thank you very, very much indeed.
14:01No one is touching
14:03this sandwich
14:04apart from the presenter.
14:05I just want to be
14:06really clear about that.
14:13Lunchtime.
14:16What could be nicer?
14:19Lobster from the sea.
14:22Prep by my own fair hand.
14:24Squeeze a lemon.
14:24Bon appétit.
14:25Lovely.
14:34Lovely.
14:34All worthwhile.
14:36It's been great to be here.
14:37I've really enjoyed it.
14:39What's most impressive
14:40is the way
14:40Callum
14:41and Tracy
14:42and everybody here
14:43has adapted to
14:45not the sort of
14:47timelessness of it,
14:48but the changing
14:48circumstances, right?
14:49Just like weather
14:51blowing in unpredictably
14:52from the Atlantic,
14:53you never know
14:54whether your business
14:55is going to be viable
14:56or not.
14:56There are all so many
14:57factors that come into play
14:58in that,
14:58and I love the way
14:59they've adapted
14:59with resourcefulness
15:01that's just typical
15:02of fishing communities
15:03everywhere.
15:03And my hope is
15:12that just as Tracy,
15:14you know,
15:14three generations
15:15of fishermen before her,
15:17I just hope
15:18there's a generation
15:18coming after
15:19their son, Will,
15:21who will keep
15:21that tradition going,
15:23obviously adapting it,
15:24rejuvenating it,
15:25reimagining it,
15:26being creative.
15:33I'm back on board ship
15:45exploring the Lundy Sea
15:47area on a beautiful
15:48vintage German ferry.
15:51You join us
15:52on the pitching deck
15:53of the lovely
15:54MS Oldenburg,
15:55making our way
15:56down the Bristol Channel
15:57to the point
15:57where it becomes
15:58the Atlantic Ocean.
16:03It's two hours
16:06by boat
16:07or ten choppy
16:08nautical miles
16:09from the coast
16:09of Devon
16:10to the tiny
16:11remote island
16:11that the Lundy Sea
16:13area is named after.
16:20Since reading
16:21Treasure Island
16:22and Robinson Crusoe
16:23as a kid,
16:24I've always wanted
16:25to have that
16:25castaway experience
16:26and,
16:27celebrity jungle aside,
16:28I have a feeling
16:29Lundy might be
16:30the closest I'll get.
16:33This three-mile-long
16:38lump of rock
16:39is only accessible
16:40by ferry twice a week
16:41and only in summer
16:42in good weather.
16:45Look at that.
16:46Beautiful.
16:47It is beautiful.
16:49Lucy is one of
16:49the few people
16:50who grew up there.
16:52It's a beautiful
16:53place to live
16:54but you've got to be
16:55a certain sort of person
16:56to be able to live there.
16:57Yeah.
16:58You know,
16:58miles away from everything.
16:59When the wind
17:01and the fog comes in,
17:02that island
17:03is quite a rough
17:05place to be.
17:06Also an isolated
17:07place to be
17:07if the ship
17:08can't get there.
17:09What do you do?
17:09So we get moments
17:10when the fog is bad,
17:12the helicopter
17:12can't come in.
17:13If there's an emergency
17:14then the lifeboat
17:15might go.
17:16I think you love it,
17:17don't you?
17:18I can tell you do.
17:19I love it.
17:19We're sort of
17:28on a collision course
17:30right now.
17:30Oh, man.
17:32I've been looking
17:33to see a little
17:33swing to port.
17:34Yeah, we're going.
17:35We're going.
17:38Let's be around here.
17:39OK.
17:41I think we might have
17:42a seal on the beach
17:43because it's really hard
17:44to see.
17:44Oh, yeah, yeah.
17:44Great seal.
17:45Oh, yeah,
17:46one's moving.
17:47Yeah,
17:47all great seals there.
17:48So we're just coming
17:51down the east side
17:52and then we've got
17:54the jetty just ahead of us
17:55so the boat's going
17:56to war up
17:56and you'll be able
17:58to get up on top
17:59of the island
17:59and have a look.
18:00Well, thanks so much
18:01for the introduction.
18:02No problem.
18:03I'm really looking
18:03forward to it.
18:03Have a super day.
18:04I hope you get the magic.
18:08Inhabited since the Iron Age,
18:10Lundy was colonised
18:11by marauding Vikings
18:12and in the 15th
18:14and 16th centuries
18:14even became an independent
18:16pirate kingdom.
18:18Now the only marauders
18:23are tourists,
18:24catered for by
18:25National Trust's
18:26staff and volunteers.
18:29Hello, Richard.
18:31My name's Joe.
18:31I'm the island warden.
18:32Joe, what a pleasure.
18:33How was your sailing today?
18:34It was great.
18:34Great.
18:35It's a pleasure to be here.
18:35I've always wanted to come.
18:36Excellent.
18:36Let's show you the island.
18:37Great.
18:41Joe has lived on the island
18:42for two years.
18:43His job is to make sure
18:45the bird population
18:46here is thriving.
18:50So for someone
18:51who's interested in birds,
18:52well, then this is great
18:53because it's a sort of
18:53very distinctive environment
18:55and protected environment.
18:56It is, yeah.
18:57So we're a special
18:58scientific interest.
19:00We've recently become
19:01a bird observatory.
19:02The water's behind us,
19:03a marine protected area.
19:04It's one of the highest
19:06marine protections
19:06in the country.
19:09I'm an avid bird watcher,
19:11so Joe's offered
19:11to take me
19:12for a closer look
19:13at the cliffs
19:13where there's a huge
19:14colony of rare seabirds,
19:16including the Manx shearwater.
19:21A slim, black-winged bird
19:24the size of a small gull
19:25that winters in South America
19:27but breeds on islands
19:29around the UK.
19:30Manx shearwaters,
19:35they're burrow-nesting
19:35seabirds.
19:36They need
19:37predator-free environments.
19:39You're not going to get
19:39that on the mainland.
19:40You need an island
19:41that's free of rats.
19:42And Lundy here,
19:43for the last 20 years,
19:44has been a safe haven
19:45for these seabirds.
19:47Numbers have increased
19:48exponentially.
19:49We've now got
19:49over 40,000,
19:5050,000 seabirds
19:51breeding on the island.
19:53Take me to your seabirds.
19:54I would love to show you
19:55a chick, Richard.
19:56Come on, this way.
19:57OK.
19:57Manx shearwaters
20:00often occupy
20:01pre-made burrows
20:02dug by rabbits
20:03or other birds.
20:05But Joe's made a few, too,
20:06to help the colony along
20:08and covered this one
20:09to protect the chick
20:10while we're filming.
20:15And this chick...
20:17Oh, my goodness,
20:17look at that.
20:18My goodness,
20:19look, that's a chick.
20:20Really?
20:21Absolutely, Richard.
20:22So this is being
20:23handled under
20:24a ringing licence,
20:25which I hold,
20:26so I'm happy for you
20:27to hold the bird.
20:27I just don't want
20:28to stress that.
20:28Let's hold that wing.
20:29That's perfect.
20:31You're doing really well,
20:31Richard.
20:32I love these,
20:33but I seriously,
20:34I seriously love
20:35them making shearwaters.
20:35I never thought
20:36I would ever hold
20:37a chick.
20:37That's wonderful.
20:38Very special.
20:39Beautiful.
20:40You've got the
20:41perfect grip.
20:42That is the most...
20:42Look at that, Bill.
20:45Long hook tip.
20:46Quite bitey.
20:47Quite bitey.
20:48They're perfectly evolved
20:49for catching squid,
20:51small fish.
20:51It's the most
20:53beautiful thing,
20:54isn't it?
20:55So downy and just...
20:57Absolutely.
20:58What's it about?
20:59Yeah, absolutely.
21:00We're going to reduce
21:00the amount of time
21:01this bird has got
21:02out in the environment.
21:05In you go, buddy.
21:09I can't believe
21:10I just held
21:10a Manx Shearwater.
21:13Is there a distinctive
21:14call to the Manx Shearwater?
21:17I'll do my best
21:18for you, Richard.
21:19All right.
21:19You've got to imagine
21:2025,000 birds going...
21:22Flying all over the
21:26island, coming
21:27into the slopes.
21:28Just again, please.
21:30I'd like to hear yours.
21:32Bit coarser, bit coarser.
21:34Yes, perfect.
21:36You sound like a female,
21:37the male, slightly high-pitched.
21:38Hey, we're kind of fluid.
21:40With careful guardians
21:55like Joe around,
21:56Lundy has been nurtured
21:57by the Landmark Trust
21:58since the 1960s.
22:01But before then,
22:02wealthy and often
22:03eccentric owners
22:04made their own
22:05mark on the place.
22:10In the 1800s,
22:12the appropriately named
22:13Reverend Hudson Grosset Heaven
22:15built the church.
22:17In 1925,
22:19Martin Coles Harmon
22:20bought the island,
22:21declared himself king
22:22and even introduced
22:23his own currency.
22:24How could you ever
22:29move from here?
22:31Seriously.
22:32It's just pinched
22:33yourself a lot of the time.
22:34I can feel already,
22:36Joe, that the sort of
22:38stresses of living
22:39in a highly
22:40technological,
22:41busy, crowded world
22:43that affect you
22:43that real estate,
22:44I can feel them going.
22:46Dissipate immediately.
22:47The Lundy effect.
22:48It is absolutely
22:49Lundy time out here.
22:51My time is spent
22:51out on the cliffs,
22:53watching birds,
22:54watching wildlife,
22:54I've got a question
22:55for you.
22:56Go for it.
22:56It may be an
22:57indelicate question.
22:58Yeah.
22:59Romance.
23:00Yes.
23:01Someone in your life.
23:02Do you have to have
23:02that ready made
23:03before you come here?
23:04Can it bloom here?
23:05It's a small pool
23:06of people, right?
23:06That would help.
23:08You meet like-minded
23:09people out here.
23:10So it actually becomes
23:11a bit of a love island
23:12in itself.
23:13So it could be
23:14Lunder instead of
23:15T.
23:15It could, yeah,
23:16absolutely.
23:17Absolutely.
23:25The hub
23:26is the important thing,
23:27isn't it?
23:27We're in the middle
23:28of the island now.
23:29Tavern just down here.
23:31Five o'clock today.
23:32Once we wave the ship off,
23:34everyone's going to
23:34gather in there,
23:35decompress,
23:37enjoy a pint in the pub.
23:38Talking about the
23:39terrible behaviour of tourists.
23:40Absolutely, yeah.
23:42What about everyday stuff?
23:43Say you've kind of run out
23:44of sugar or something.
23:45Bang your neighbour's door,
23:46is there something you can do?
23:47I do have to knock
23:48on my neighbour's door
23:49and get the key
23:49to the shop,
23:50just here.
23:51The Harrods of Lundy.
23:53Absolutely.
23:53Go check it out.
24:00Wow.
24:01Well, it has got a bit
24:02of everything.
24:03Look, savoy cabbage,
24:04very important.
24:06Hello.
24:06Sorry of interrupting
24:07your shopping.
24:09Oh, look, coconut milk.
24:12Marigold's very important.
24:14That's very good.
24:16Blimey.
24:16Choice of Cabernet Sauvignon.
24:18Ah, that's what I'm after.
24:21My favourite chocolate bar
24:23containing coconut.
24:25I'll say no more than that,
24:26but can I buy this, please?
24:28Certainly.
24:29Thank you very much.
24:29Is money all right?
24:30Yes, we can take card
24:32or cash is fine,
24:33so that's 90 pence, please.
24:34Thank you very much.
24:36I've lived in a village
24:37where the village shop
24:38was really this sort of
24:39comm centre as well.
24:41You'd know everything, right?
24:42Oh, yes, definitely.
24:43We know all the gossip.
24:45I shall come back
24:46off camera.
24:46Yes, absolutely.
24:48Absolutely.
24:48See you later.
24:49See you.
24:52The area forecasts
24:54for the next 24 hours.
24:56Viking,
24:57Northwood Sierra,
24:58Southwood Sierra,
24:59southerly or
25:00southeasterly,
25:01four,
25:01good,
25:02occasionally moderate.
25:03Lundy,
25:04Fastnet,
25:05Irish Sea,
25:07northerly or
25:07northwesterly,
25:08three to five.
25:09Occasionally six,
25:10Irish Sea.
25:11I've been asking myself,
25:16could I live on Lundy?
25:18To be honest,
25:19although I wouldn't be
25:19short of aubergines
25:20or my favourite bottle
25:21of Sauvignon,
25:22I'm not sure I have
25:23the temperament for it.
25:25I miss my friends too much
25:26and meeting new people.
25:29But I can see that
25:30for the right sort of person,
25:31Lundy's isolation
25:32is charming
25:33and its unspoiled beauty
25:35makes it a slice
25:37of paradise.
25:42Before I reduce
25:43its population by one
25:45and jump back
25:46on the ferry,
25:47there's a final thing
25:48I must do
25:48to get the best view
25:50of all.
25:52I guess the dead centre
25:54of Lundy,
25:55the shipping forecast area,
25:56is here,
25:57the old lighthouse
25:58on the island itself.
26:00Over there
26:00is Cornwall
26:01and over there
26:02through the haze
26:03is Wales
26:04and that's where
26:05we're going next.
26:07The next port of call
26:18is southwest Wales
26:20where the Lundy Sea area
26:22borders a 200-mile strip
26:23of some of the most
26:24beautiful coast
26:25in Britain.
26:33The Gower Peninsula,
26:34west of Swansea,
26:35is an area
26:36of outstanding
26:37natural beauty,
26:38popular with walkers,
26:39surfers
26:40and bird watchers.
26:47Here they have
26:48unusually high tides,
26:50the second highest
26:51on earth,
26:52in fact.
26:57Hi Richard.
26:58Hey Will.
26:59Great to meet you.
26:59Yeah, nice to meet you too.
27:00This farm,
27:02complete with historic
27:03Webley Castle,
27:04has belonged to
27:04Will's family
27:05since the 1950s.
27:09For over 70 years,
27:10their sheep have grazed
27:11on the unique
27:12marshland.
27:14That's amazing.
27:16Look at that.
27:19I've never seen
27:20anything quite like it
27:21because you've got
27:21the flat marsh,
27:22you've got the estuary,
27:23you've got the beach,
27:24you've got, well,
27:26like mountains and hills
27:26beyond that.
27:27It's something,
27:27isn't it?
27:29The sea beyond the farm
27:30rises 10 metres
27:32at high tide
27:33and when it recedes,
27:34leaves acres
27:35of almost
27:36unusable land.
27:37So presumably when
27:40the tide comes in,
27:41how far does it come?
27:43It can come in
27:44and cover everything
27:45you can see,
27:46particularly if there's
27:46a high wind as well
27:47at the same time.
27:48So, well, I'm thinking
27:49that's a logistical issue
27:51for you if you've got
27:51animals out there.
27:52Yeah, we rely on tide times,
27:54we know when the tide's
27:55coming in and we all,
27:56you've always got to
27:56keep a guard for it
27:57and then we've got to
27:58get out there
27:59and bring them in
27:59if we know there's
28:00a tide coming.
28:01They look happy from here
28:02but can we see them
28:02closer?
28:03Yeah, we'll have to
28:03go and have a look
28:04at them, yeah.
28:04There's nothing like
28:10clinging to the back
28:11of a father's quad bike
28:13to make you feel
28:13like easy rider,
28:15though uneasy rider
28:16might be a better
28:17description.
28:19So, Will,
28:20how many acres
28:21of marsh are there?
28:23Oh, several thousand
28:25acres, you know.
28:28So happy sheep
28:30with big marsh
28:31to graze on.
28:32They've got a lovely
28:32area to graze on.
28:33They can go to the beach
28:34if they wanted
28:35and they can do it all,
28:36yeah.
28:40But the sheep seem
28:41quite happy grazing here.
28:43A salt marsh like this one
28:44where the tide continually
28:45floods coastal grassland
28:47is rare in the UK.
28:51Watch this bit.
28:51How are your boots, Richard?
28:52Are you OK?
28:53Come to the end.
28:54It's characterised by
28:55gullies and drops
28:56created by silt deposits
28:57and water erosion.
28:58It's really important
29:02we've got to get
29:02the sheep in.
29:03The sheep won't notice
29:03the water coming in.
29:04They won't notice
29:05the little pills filling.
29:07So it's really important
29:08we go and get them in
29:09well in advance.
29:09So, looking at it
29:10in a sort of
29:11logistics point of view,
29:14wouldn't it be easier
29:15to graze your sheep
29:17on land which isn't
29:18covered by water?
29:19Yeah, it'd be a lot easier
29:22if they were safe
29:23and sound in a field,
29:24wouldn't it?
29:24But this is what we do.
29:26This is the farm.
29:26This is our fantastic product.
29:29This is a part and parcel
29:30of what makes it so great.
29:33And it is great.
29:35Lean like venison
29:36because the sheep
29:36are exercised so much
29:38and with unusual floral notes
29:39because of the unique grazing.
29:42This lamb is a delicacy
29:43served in some of the best
29:44restaurants in the UK.
29:48Where we're standing now,
29:50it's so different,
29:52the grass and all the herbs
29:53that grow here,
29:54which only grow here.
29:55Grass looks like grass to me,
29:56but it's obviously
29:57not regular grass.
29:58This grass,
29:59what we're on now,
30:00thrives in this environment.
30:02And if you notice
30:02it stands on it,
30:03it's actually firm and dry,
30:04isn't it,
30:05even though it gets
30:05covered by salt water.
30:07Yeah.
30:07The sheep and the lambs
30:08will have a nibble on that
30:09and that all adds
30:10to the profile of the lamin.
30:12The tide's about to come in
30:23and when that happens,
30:25there's no messing around.
30:26Will and his dad and brother
30:30all work together
30:31to bring in
30:32the thousand or so sheep
30:33that cover the six-mile area
30:35of Salt Marsh.
30:36With the help of Toby the dog,
30:38of course.
30:38and what can you get
30:42the dog to do
30:43to kind of steer them?
30:45Um, you can shout commands.
30:48Come on!
30:49No.
30:50Perfect.
30:50Come on!
30:51I'd whistle if I could.
30:53You've done this before.
30:54Yeah.
30:54I am.
30:56To be fair,
30:57it's a different sort of flock
30:59from the usual Sunday crowd.
31:01I've seen natural command,
31:02natural authority.
31:03And as you can see,
31:04they're on their way.
31:05They're on their way, aren't they?
31:06Yeah.
31:06This is time-consuming,
31:09labour-intensive work.
31:11They're flying it now.
31:13Especially for sheep,
31:14which are normally
31:14such low-maintenance animals.
31:17Power!
31:18Man over nature!
31:19Come on!
31:20But it's obviously worth it
31:22to turn the marsh
31:22into useful grazing
31:23and the lamb
31:25into an unusual delicacy.
31:28Don't ignore me over there.
31:30Yeah!
31:36Will's farm is a brilliant example
31:39of finding a way
31:40to work with the challenges
31:41of the weather and the sea,
31:43as many in Lundy have to do.
31:47But after that hair-raising dash
31:48to higher ground,
31:49we're starving,
31:51so Will's offered me a dinner
31:52of, what else?
31:53His saltmarsh lamb.
31:56So, as they say here,
31:58yakida.
31:59Oh, I'm going to go with this one.
32:08I don't know if this is
32:09me just thinking it,
32:11but I think there's
32:12a slight salt-backed taste to it.
32:14Yeah, yeah.
32:15Could that come off?
32:16It could come,
32:17because you've got the grass down there,
32:18I guess,
32:19the salt water.
32:20So, yes,
32:20it almost is,
32:22I sometimes say,
32:23it's almost like seasoned ready,
32:24and you don't need to season it sometimes.
32:26I wonder if, yeah,
32:27that tastes really, really good.
32:29I'm going to have to have
32:29another pizza to check.
32:30Keep on going.
32:39I've really enjoyed my day
32:40in Lundy,
32:42and what a Lundy sort of day
32:43it's been,
32:43because it's all been about
32:44the weather,
32:45been about the rain,
32:46of course,
32:46and also that,
32:47that extraordinary landscape
32:49of the saltmarsh,
32:50sea coming in,
32:51nourishing it,
32:52and in turn,
32:53nourishing those sheep
32:54that give us
32:55that delicious lamb
32:56that seems to sort of
32:57distill something of the place
32:59into something on the plate.
33:05This is Radio 4,
33:07and now it's time
33:07for the shipping forecast,
33:09issued by the Met Office
33:10on the behalf of the Maritime
33:11and Petsline Agency.
33:12Seoul,
33:13Lundy,
33:14Fastnet,
33:15Irish Sea,
33:17westerly or southwesterly,
33:18three to five,
33:19occasionally six at first
33:21in East Lundy,
33:22and later in West Seoul.
33:24Next,
33:26in my whistle-stop tour
33:27of the shipping forecast,
33:28I'm heading for
33:29some Lundy seaside.
33:43Fifty miles south-east
33:43of Will's Farm
33:44at the mouth
33:45of the Bristol Channel
33:46is Barry Island,
33:47the iconic seaside town
33:49of Gavin and Stacey fame.
33:51So I'm off to see
33:52what's occurring.
33:56It's one of those places
33:57that kind of conjures
33:58summer of excitement
34:00and holiday and refreshment.
34:01It's at the sort of
34:03more kind of Margate-y,
34:05I guess,
34:05Mablethorpe end of the spectrum.
34:07But a traditional seaside resort
34:10is one of my favourites.
34:14Some of my best childhood memories
34:16are of endless summers
34:18spent on Hunstanton Beach,
34:20running around in trunks,
34:21shrimping
34:22and eating chock ices.
34:25It probably wasn't
34:27unlike Barry,
34:28which by the early 20th century
34:29was a seaside mecca
34:31for miners and their families
34:32from the valleys.
34:33In fact,
34:38Barry was so popular
34:39that in 1934,
34:41on a hot August bank holiday,
34:43there were 440,000 visitors.
34:47That's a long queue
34:48for the dodgems.
34:54Like many seaside towns,
34:56Barry isn't quite as busy
34:57as it used to be.
35:00But I do get the sense
35:01that one thing
35:02it's bursting with
35:03is civic pride.
35:06We would like to take
35:07this opportunity
35:08to welcome all visitors
35:09to Barry Island today
35:10and we hope you appreciate
35:12how clean and tidy it was
35:13when you arrived.
35:15Could you please help us
35:15keep it that way
35:16by bringing your litter
35:17and rubbish
35:18off of the beach
35:19and putting it
35:20in the bins provided?
35:26Now I'm hoping
35:27to do some kayaking
35:28with a Barry bigwig
35:29called Brian.
35:32Hello.
35:32Hi there.
35:34You are fob.
35:35Yes, friends
35:35of Barry beaches.
35:36Richard.
35:37Brian.
35:38Hello, Brian.
35:39But we've entered
35:39into an agreement
35:40where if I help him
35:41do a bit of litter picking
35:42first,
35:43then he'll take me
35:44out on the water.
35:46Tool me up.
35:47Bill.
35:48Hello, Bill.
35:49Is that the litter picker?
35:50Thank you very much.
35:51Now what's the technique?
35:52Oh, right.
35:53So it's a highly skilled job
35:54as you can see.
35:56You've done such a good job
35:57I need to find some litter.
35:59Yes.
35:59Oh, hang on.
36:00Ah.
36:01I detect a shard.
36:02Right.
36:03Oh, excellent technique.
36:06There you go.
36:06Look at that.
36:08Not on my watch.
36:10Do you think there's
36:11something special
36:11about Barry, Brian,
36:13that makes people
36:14want to come out
36:15and join with you
36:15and do this
36:16and take care
36:17of the place
36:17and make it nice?
36:18Barry is a special place.
36:20It's such a beautiful beach.
36:22And, you know,
36:23people are interested
36:24and they care
36:25and they want to show
36:26and protect where they live.
36:28And I think you can see that
36:29by the numbers that we have.
36:30They come out
36:31on our activity days.
36:34With not a stray contact lens
36:36left on the beach,
36:37it's time for Brian
36:38to make good
36:39his end of the bargain.
36:48Ta-da!
36:49Wow.
36:50I'm ready to go.
36:51Yes.
36:51Sadly, I've got some bad news.
36:53Oh, what's happened?
36:54The wind is a bit too frisky
36:56and you can see
36:57that it's a bit choppy out there.
36:59It's a shame
37:00because I was looking forward
37:01to cleaving the waves
37:02with my mighty upper body strength.
37:04Oh, of course.
37:04And I was expecting
37:05to see that as well, Richard.
37:07If you've been listening
37:07to the shipping forecast
37:08this morning,
37:09we might have seen this coming.
37:10Indeed.
37:11Thank you for putting
37:12presenter safety first.
37:14No problem.
37:15Not everybody does.
37:16Take care.
37:17Look after yourself.
37:17Yeah, you too.
37:18Bye.
37:18Bye.
37:18I might not have been able
37:29to kayak in that
37:30but a lot of people
37:31are taking their chances
37:33so I've come to spend some time
37:34with some lifeguards
37:35and see if I too
37:36could express yet more
37:37of my natural innate heroism.
37:39The RNLI are best known
37:43for saving lives out at sea
37:45but they also have trained
37:47professional lifeguards
37:48at over 230 of the UK
37:50and Ireland's beaches
37:51including Whitmore Bay
37:53here in Barrie
37:54which has four full-time lifeguards.
37:59Most are young, highly trained
38:01and super fit like Beth
38:03so I think I might fit in nicely.
38:05I'm sort of from this area
38:08and I just, I love it
38:09I love being by the beach
38:10it's something
38:12I've been around it
38:13my whole life
38:13we're all quite good
38:14on the board and swimming
38:15we know the sea
38:16we're aware of the dangers.
38:19So the best thing
38:19is to stop anyone
38:21getting into trouble.
38:22Yeah, we're sort of trying
38:23to keep people
38:24into the safest areas
38:25of the red and yellow flags
38:27that's our sort of
38:28safe swimming zone
38:29so people will just
38:30sort of think
38:30they're having fun
38:31before they realise
38:32that they're out of their depths
38:33or this or they've moved
38:35really far down the beach
38:36and they just don't even realise it.
38:38And it's really important
38:39for you guys then
38:39to know what's going on
38:41and comps is a big thing.
38:42Yeah, if we've ended up
38:43having to swim out
38:44and we don't have a radio on us
38:46we do have as a last minute rule
38:48sort of hand signals
38:49which we use to communicate
38:52with other lifeguards.
38:54It could be me, right?
38:55Yeah, it could be you.
38:56I could make those interviews for me.
38:58Beth has roped in
39:00another lifeguard, Joe
39:01to pretend to be
39:02a swimmer in trouble
39:03and I've got to direct her
39:05to find him
39:06before it's too late.
39:10Time to save a life.
39:24Hoping my signals
39:25are less disco
39:26and more hero
39:27it's time
39:28to put them to the test.
39:32out a bit further
39:34out a bit further
39:36out a bit further
39:36right
39:37right
39:38right
39:39right
39:40pick up casualty
39:44yes
39:46Joe
39:48when you want to name
39:50your first kid after me
39:52it's Richard
39:53I'll keep it in mind
39:55I'm finishing my tour of Lundy
40:09back in the beautiful village
40:11of Port Isaac
40:12on the Cornish coast
40:13the stunning scenery
40:18warm weather
40:19and historic buildings
40:20make this place
40:21a popular destination
40:22but an additional draw
40:26for tourists
40:27is that it's the home
40:28of one of the last decade's
40:30musical sensations
40:31first of the day
40:34ginger
40:34dear
40:35it's just cold tea
40:37with a fluffy head on
40:37the fishermen's friends
40:44are a phenomenon
40:45a group of ex-fishermen
40:47who sing sea shanties
40:48they've played Glastonbury
40:49and the Albert Hall
40:51toured the world
40:52and recorded ten albums
40:53they've had two feature films
40:57made about them
40:58a musical
40:58and several books
41:00they're folk music royalty
41:02and I've always wanted to meet them
41:04it occurs to me that Port Isaac
41:06this part of the world
41:07is like Nashville
41:09for shanties singing
41:10right
41:10that's nice
41:11and you're Dolly Park
41:12well I'm not going to say that
41:12but this is absolutely
41:14the sort of place
41:15where shanties would have come from
41:16and it's still sun today
41:17yeah definitely yeah
41:19when I first went fishing
41:20we used to bring the moorans up
41:21with a block and tackle
41:22and my father used to keep time
41:24just going like
41:25one two and hey up
41:26and that sort of thing
41:27in a rhythm
41:27to get all three of us
41:29leaning back at the same time
41:30and that is a shant
41:31it's just a chant
41:31well it's a bit like
41:32marching soldiers then
41:33using somebody to keep a rhythm
41:35keep in step yeah
41:35call and response
41:36to keep the rhythm going
41:38so that a group of men
41:40can act together
41:40almost as a machine
41:41like herding cats
41:42but easier
41:43yeah
41:43so it's kind of almost
41:46anticipates the machine age
41:47doesn't it
41:48you're doing somebody
41:48keep people together
41:49and in rhythm
41:50yeah yeah absolutely
41:51and it sort of
41:52began to die out
41:53come the 1860s
41:54when there was a lot
41:56of mechanisation came in
41:57with steamships
41:58and everything
41:59and so
42:00the era of shanties
42:02sort of
42:03finished
42:04I guess
42:04around about
42:05the 1870s
42:06so like the last time
42:07Arsenal won silverware
42:08I won't be a typical
42:10in fact
42:12the only reason
42:13many shanties
42:14have survived
42:15is thanks to
42:15a Cornish fisherman
42:16from the late 19th century
42:18called Yankee Jack
42:19he found himself
42:20sailing ships
42:21during the American
42:22Civil War
42:23hence the nickname
42:24but travelled the world
42:26collecting sea shanties
42:28which he passed on
42:29to a famous
42:29folkson collector
42:30ensuring
42:31they were preserved
42:33I was thinking
42:36where do you
42:38where do you hear men sing now
42:39well maybe at the football
42:40perhaps
42:41if you call that singing
42:42but it's quite unusual
42:43for adult men
42:44to come together
42:45and sing
42:45it's not down in Cornwall
42:46like I say
42:47Cornwall and Wales
42:48as well
42:48I mean
42:49they've got tremendous
42:49the male voice choir
42:51has never died out
42:52here or Wales
42:52you know
42:53that's really interesting
42:54because I wonder
42:54if it has an origin
42:55in a bit of male camaraderie
42:57solidarity
42:58sure
42:58mining is no walk in the park
43:00fishing also has its
43:01heralds
43:02I think in this day and age
43:04as well
43:04there's a lot said
43:05about men's mental health
43:06and you know
43:08unashamedly
43:09we're an all male group
43:11yeah
43:11trying to make it
43:12a feel good thing
43:12and an engagement
43:13with people as well
43:14and not to take
43:16ourselves too seriously
43:17and also that the songs
43:18are
43:19because they're not
43:20by and large
43:21they're not written songs
43:22they're songs that have
43:24evolved
43:24and so they're quite
43:26accessible to people
43:27they're not terribly complex
43:28and so people find it
43:30easy to join in
43:31within a couple of verses
43:32people already know the chorus
43:33it's very simple
43:34to get into
43:35people just find themselves
43:36singing along
43:37and tapping their feet
43:38if they weren't simple
43:39we couldn't do them
43:40to be honest
43:40I'm glad they're simple
43:42because
43:43if there's an accordion
43:45hanging about
43:45I might just join you
43:46oh there you go
43:47oh yeah
43:47that would be nice
43:48yeah we've got the
43:49can't make any promises
43:50about a feel good factor
43:52well if you make people laugh
43:54that's half the battle
43:55well let's do it
43:57luckily for me
43:59it wasn't too hard
44:00to twist a few arms
44:01and rustle up
44:02the rest of the band
44:03for a last hurrah
44:04from Lundy
44:05hello everyone
44:08what a nasty surprise for you
44:10we are the saucy
44:11the fruity
44:11the bawdy
44:12the jolly rogering
44:14fisherman's friends
44:14today and today only
44:16featuring the reverend
44:17Richard Gull
44:18big round of applause please
44:20we're going to do a song
44:24you'll all know
44:24which is a drunken sailor
44:26please join in
44:26but not too loud
44:27we don't want you to spoil it
44:28thank you very much
44:29here we go
44:30what shall we do with a drunken sailor
44:33what shall we do with a drunken sailor
44:36what shall we do with a drunken sailor
44:38Hello!
45:08Put him in the brig until he's sober
45:13Put him in the brig until he's sober
45:15Her eye in the morning
45:18Hooray, up she rises
45:20Hooray, up she rises
45:23Hooray, up she rises
45:25Her eye in the morning
45:27Hooray, up she rises
45:39Hooray, up she rises
45:42Hooray, up she rises
45:47Her eye in the morning
45:56I'll tell you, that's it!
46:08So Lundy, really the interaction of people and coastlines, sea, sky, weather, the variables, and also the unknowns of politics and economics.
46:18But what I come away with is actually something that really affirms that sense that it's through facing those challenges,
46:24the resourcefulness and the creativity that that produces.
46:27Well, that's what gives a community its pulse and its heartbeat and really makes it live.
46:33Live!
46:34Live!
46:35Live!
46:36Live!
46:37Live!
46:38Live!
46:39Live!
46:40Live!
46:41Transcription by CastingWords
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