- 4 days ago
Countryfile - The Power of Water
Category
🚗
MotorTranscript
00:00Oh, you're locking us in.
00:03It's all right. We can get out again.
00:05That was a good slap. Yeah, just double check.
00:30We are in waterfall country,
00:44and this is the jaw-dropping Bannae Bracheniog National Park in South Wales.
00:50Here, the water shapes everything,
00:52from carving caves to feeding rapids, powering mills
00:55and sustaining the area's rich wildlife.
00:57And this is the area's wettest time of year,
01:00and when the rains come, the water flows that little bit harder.
01:10Bannae Bracheniog National Park
01:12covers around 520 square miles of south and mid Wales.
01:18It's a place known for its mountains,
01:21rolling hills,
01:23valleys
01:24and, of course, its spectacular waterfalls.
01:27And we're at the heart of it.
01:34That's good.
01:35Oh, we've got something good.
01:36Straight away, what have we got there?
01:37That is a stonefly.
01:39This is a good indicator of good water quality.
01:44So if you want to grab hold of this rope...
01:46Just pull it.
01:47...and pull it up.
01:48There we go.
01:50And that will start the water wheel.
01:53Whilst we're in one of the wettest parts of the country,
01:56Adam is helping with a rare harvest in one of the driest.
02:00And once you've got your olive, then, what's the process?
02:03So these green ones, if I just squeeze that,
02:05that is pure olive oil.
02:06Banai Brekheniog is also known as waterfall country,
02:21and it doesn't take long to see why.
02:23But the power of water has shaped more than just the surface here.
02:30Deep within this landscape,
02:31it's carved out something truly magnificent.
02:35Ogoff, Fun and Thee Cave.
02:39Below my feet are 60 kilometres of tunnels and caverns.
02:44It's the deepest cave system in Britain,
02:47and I'm going in.
02:52But I'm not going alone.
02:55Husband and wife, Andy and Antonia Freem,
02:57are both members of the South Wales Caving Club
03:00and have more than a century's caving experience between them.
03:06And along with experienced caving instructor Gary Evans,
03:09I'm in safe hands.
03:11Well, there's a bunch of intrepid cavers,
03:17if ever I've seen them.
03:17Oh, here you are. Nice to meet you.
03:19Antonia, hello, Matt. Nice to meet you.
03:20And Gary, good to see you again.
03:21Oh, you too. Really good to see you.
03:22Yeah, super.
03:23So, what is the plan, and where are we headed?
03:26Right, well, it's going to be an exciting day.
03:28Yeah.
03:28We're going to go down OFD1, or Ogoffunum V1,
03:31as it's the proper name is.
03:32Oh, sounds technical.
03:33I've got here a map of what you're going to see.
03:35Oh, this is where we're headed, right.
03:36And the idea is for you to see how water created this cave,
03:41and how it's still creating the cave.
03:43Well, Gary and I, we've been caving before, haven't we?
03:45Actually, on the other side of the valley there.
03:47That's right.
03:47What's special about this one?
03:48I know it's the deepest, isn't it?
03:50The really interesting thing is the streamway here
03:52runs all the way from the far end of the cave
03:54right the way down and into the river in the bottom of the valley.
03:57Right.
03:57So it's got this really extensive water channel
04:00running right the way through the cave,
04:01and that's what we're going to have a look at.
04:02And how accessible is it, Antonia?
04:04Is it easier to get in there?
04:06Pretty straightforward, certainly for caving.
04:07But there's a little door, and then we go down a mystery ladder.
04:12Yeah.
04:12Oh.
04:12And then you'll see what you see.
04:14Excellent.
04:15Well, let's get over to the mystery ladder.
04:16OK, let's go.
04:17OK.
04:17OK.
04:17Today, the caving team are heading for a section of the system
04:27that needs some upkeep.
04:30Along the way, I'll be discovering the magical world
04:32created underground by the power of water.
04:37Oh.
04:38Ha-ha.
04:39We're here.
04:40So this is where our entrance is.
04:41Yeah.
04:41And so we've got...
04:43It just drops down there, does it?
04:43Yeah, there's a series of ladders,
04:45and we're going to climb down,
04:46and then we're in the cave.
04:47This is the magic ladder.
04:49Yeah.
04:49Immediately after the Second World War,
04:50this was found,
04:51and we think these came from Swansea docks.
04:56It's quite a quirky feeling, isn't it?
04:59Dropping down from the beautiful view
05:00into the darkness.
05:03And it is dark,
05:04and it's a long way down.
05:08Wow.
05:09OK.
05:10It's good, isn't it?
05:11It is good.
05:12Oh, look at that, through there.
05:13Where you're looking there is the way on into the cave.
05:16Yeah.
05:17The temperature drop is very noticeable, isn't it?
05:19Yeah.
05:20It is.
05:20It's a constant temperature under here,
05:22sort of 10 to 12 degrees, really.
05:23Yeah.
05:24Oh, you're locking us in.
05:27It's all right.
05:28We can get out again.
05:29That was a good slap.
05:30Yeah, just double-check.
05:31It is a very prison-like noise.
05:38Our route on is over here, Matt,
05:40so follow me if you would.
05:42Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere.
05:43I'm sticking to your light glue.
05:44Oh, I see water.
06:00Yes, indeed.
06:02Look at that coming through there.
06:03That basically is all drain water
06:06that's coming from the earth above.
06:08Yeah, it's come through the forest,
06:10through the roots, through the soil,
06:12and now it's coming through the joints in the rock.
06:14And as it's come down that journey,
06:17it's collected carbon dioxide.
06:19It's actually a very weak carbonic acid.
06:22Oh, right.
06:23And that allows the water to dissolve
06:26and wash away the limestone.
06:29Along, initially, tiny little cracklines.
06:32Yeah.
06:32But gradually, they get bigger and bigger.
06:34And when they get big enough for us to crawl down,
06:37we call that a cave.
06:38How far down would you say we are right now?
06:41Right, we're about 20 metres beneath the surface.
06:44So this water hasn't come that far,
06:46and it will react quite quickly to rainfall.
06:48If it starts raining,
06:49within about 10, 15 minutes, this will increase.
06:52But it's important to note
06:53that although this is happening,
06:56the passage we're in
06:57was formed by a very big river.
07:01So if we were down here in another 100 years' time,
07:05what would be happening there?
07:06Would it be wider?
07:07Would that have opened up?
07:08Probably another 2 centimetres bigger.
07:11Really?
07:12Yeah.
07:12In 100 years?
07:13About 2 centimetres, if you're lucky.
07:15The passage that we're in here
07:16is probably around 250,000 years old.
07:20I love it.
07:20Let's keep going.
07:21As we continue our journey,
07:33we pass by stalactites and stalagmites
07:35on our way to the underground stream.
07:41Oh, this is something else, isn't it?
07:44Mother Nature's incredible.
07:46This cave system sits within sloping limestone beds.
07:56This feature has created the deepest cave in the UK,
08:00with 309 metres between its highest and lowest passages.
08:06It's a massive draw for cavers,
08:09but this also creates a problem with conservation.
08:12If you just step on the edges and not in the pools.
08:21I'm walking a stalactite rope.
08:24And we're making sure that we're staying within these orange lines.
08:27Yeah, the orange lines are critical.
08:29I'm coming over.
08:29This is what we've come to do some work on.
08:31All right?
08:32Well done, mate.
08:33We have to try and get cavers to walk in the centre
08:38to try and preserve as much as we can,
08:40because this passage was opened up in 1946.
08:43So it's had 80 years of travel, this one.
08:46Sure.
08:46When it was first seen,
08:47you had families coming up with their kids.
08:50They were miners.
08:51And it wasn't anything to just knock off a piece of the stal
08:54because there wasn't really much in the way of conservation.
08:56Now we have conservation and we look after the cave.
09:01And that's what you're going to do and help us with.
09:03We're going to replace with brand new tape.
09:05All this is being replaced.
09:07Yeah.
09:07Take that one out.
09:09That's it.
09:09There you go.
09:10Do you want to hold that end of the tape?
09:11Yeah, that's right.
09:14I mean, I'm looking at this and thinking
09:16that's going to be there for the next 250,000 years.
09:19Yeah.
09:21What are we trying to protect here?
09:22Beautiful little rimstone pools.
09:24And the idea is to keep these as pristine as possible.
09:27I mean, how many cavers are we talking about?
09:29We're talking hundreds a year.
09:31We'll be going up and down here.
09:32We'll bring the tape through that little gap there.
09:35And there it is.
09:36It's caught.
09:37That's it.
09:37We've done it.
09:43Antonia, I have to say,
09:44you and Andy are very inspirational.
09:46What is it that you get out of it personally
09:48by coming down here, deep down underground?
09:51It's a fascinating environment to be in.
09:53Yeah.
09:54It's got very little of humanity down here.
09:57We're in channels carved out tens of thousands of years ago.
10:19Today, the powerful river shaping this cave system
10:22is still below us.
10:23And it looks and sounds incredibly dramatic.
10:31Oh, my gosh.
10:32Look down there.
10:34It's like there's a thunderstorm going on.
10:35And we're here.
10:50We're at the water's edge.
10:52Oh, my goodness me.
10:53The power.
10:54I know.
10:54It's amazing.
10:55It's noisy, isn't it?
10:56It really is.
10:57So where is this water coming from?
11:00So initially, sort of four and a half kilometres away,
11:02it's sinking underground.
11:04As it's travelling down through the cave,
11:05it's picking up more water from a range of different feeders.
11:08Yeah.
11:08And then volume is growing and growing
11:10as it gets closer to us here.
11:12And all these grooves, Andy.
11:13I mean, these grooves are incredible, aren't they?
11:15These, like, almost scallop-shaped things.
11:18We actually call them scallops.
11:20Yeah.
11:21Perfect.
11:22The water is moving so fast that it's cavitating.
11:26Vacuums are forming.
11:27Right.
11:28And those are very powerful erosive forces
11:30breaking the rock away and dissolving it away.
11:34Being in water like this is so exciting.
11:39You see water outside and you always see it from the side.
11:43Here you feel you're with it, you're inside it.
11:47And it's fantastic.
11:57It's just incredible that all of this is going on under our feet.
12:05You look at the beauty of the landscape,
12:08but you don't think of the beauty of what's going on underneath.
12:13Well, I guess you guys do,
12:14because you've dedicated your life to doing this.
12:16Yeah, but that's the fascination.
12:16How can you ever tire of that?
12:18I mean, it's incredible to witness,
12:20and I thank you all for bringing me down here.
12:26Just to see water shaping the magic that is all around us,
12:30I'm very grateful.
12:32It's been a pleasure.
12:43The water that runs through the mountains and the valleys here,
13:06not only has the power to sustain life,
13:09but the power to heal.
13:14Lois Jackson is the co-founder of Millimetres to Mountains,
13:18whose main goal is simple,
13:20to help people heal and reconnect with nature
13:23as part of the recovery from injury,
13:26trauma or isolation,
13:29and to support their mental health.
13:32Lois set up the foundation with her husband, Ed,
13:36a former professional rugby player.
13:39Ed was left paralysed eight years ago
13:42after breaking his neck in an accident,
13:44and his path to recovery inspired him and Lois to help others.
13:52Recently, Lois and Ed led a walk
13:55through the challenging terrain of Henrid Falls
13:58in Banai Brekhinyog's waterfall country.
14:03I was being told I was never going to be able to walk again.
14:06I'm very fortunate that I'm back on my feet,
14:08living with a disability,
14:09but, however, a lot further on than I ever thought I'd imagined.
14:12But having those positive examples
14:14to show that no matter what happens to you in life,
14:17there is an opportunity moving forward,
14:19and a lot of it is about mindset.
14:21We can't control what happens to us,
14:23but we can control how we respond.
14:26Not everyone can go and climb mountains.
14:28A lot of people here,
14:29they just want to get outside and go for a walk,
14:31or we've got plenty of beneficiaries in wheelchairs as well.
14:34It's more about that community space
14:35and the hope that life can be good again,
14:38because when these changes come,
14:40it can seem very hopeless, you know,
14:43and we've all been there.
14:45And now we come together
14:46and realise that it doesn't have to be that way.
14:49We use the outdoors as kind of the arena for the healing.
14:53The real healing comes through the community
14:55and the shared experience.
14:57Being in a group around like-minded people,
15:00especially if you've been in a position
15:02where you're struggling
15:03and you've isolated yourself
15:05or you've been isolated,
15:07that's the real magic.
15:09So it's kind of the combination of the two
15:11that's the most powerful bit.
15:13Wow, that is a lot of water coming over there.
15:16That's huge.
15:17I haven't seen...
15:18That's like high force size.
15:19Did you, what, you go, wow!
15:25Wow!
15:29Even though it's wet and windy and raining,
15:32it's still incredibly healing being outside.
15:34I mean, the science is irrefutable.
15:37Being in green spaces, being outside,
15:39being amongst nature is kind of where we're supposed to be.
15:42And I think all of that is accentuated
15:44when you've been through something traumatic.
15:46Wow, look at that!
15:51Oh, my gosh, Kareem!
15:52They're whooping and hollering.
15:55That is impressive.
15:57It's incredibly humbling and freeing
16:00to realise almost how small and insignificant you are
16:03compared to Mother Nature.
16:06It makes all your problems feel smaller,
16:07it gives you that sort of place in the world,
16:09so going into those environments,
16:11spending time by big, powerful nature
16:13is healing in itself.
16:16Three, two, one, and do it!
16:19And do it!
16:22I take inspiration from the beneficiaries
16:24as much as they take inspiration from me,
16:26and we've got so many incredible success stories
16:28to talk about.
16:29A lot of them stood behind me right now.
16:32One person that's been helped by Ed and his team
16:35is Kerry-Ann.
16:37About four years ago, I was in a serious car crash.
16:39It took everything from me, really.
16:42And I had a lot of frustration and anger because of it.
16:47And luckily enough, I found M2M and started to become a beneficiary.
16:51And, yeah, they just showed me how much I have to live for, really,
16:55and gave me hope back.
16:57Hannah's life has also been changed since she joined the group.
17:02About 20 years ago, I had a climbing accident
17:04and I lost use of my right leg.
17:07And I also was diagnosed with Crohn's disease about six months later.
17:11So, for me, my health has been, like, problematic throughout my teenage years.
17:16I love the challenge of pushing myself physically and mentally
17:19to my absolute limit.
17:22I'm unstable on my feet, as are a few of the group as well.
17:25But we have been working to adapt kit with various brands
17:29to make that easier.
17:32On my trousers, I've got a knee loop,
17:34and this helps me move this leg
17:35because the nerve damage means I can't really lift this leg very well.
17:40I've also got an access point, extra access point,
17:43on my trousers that allows me to access my catheter bag.
17:46So I don't have to take my trousers down,
17:48especially in conditions like this,
17:50to go to the toilet.
17:51And that might seem quite niche to me,
17:53but more people with disabilities can get outdoors
17:56and be seen in these environments.
17:58Sometimes that just motivates others
17:59to be able to do the same things.
18:02OK.
18:03Right, do you want to come round, guys?
18:05A lot of the time in life,
18:07we are carrying extra weight,
18:09like an invisible weight, on our shoulders.
18:12But quite a lot of the time, we don't recognise it.
18:14We're not aware of that weight.
18:16So what we're going to do,
18:17we're going to walk off into the woods,
18:18and I want you to try and find an object.
18:21And that object is going to symbolise that weight.
18:24And then, all together,
18:26we're going to throw it into the river
18:27and then leave the walk a little bit lighter today.
18:31So this leaf does not look maybe as we would like it to look
18:35in terms of perfection.
18:38There's a lot going on in my life,
18:39so I just want to make sure I kind of drop that need
18:42to always be perfect at everything that I do.
18:48It's been the most powerful experience of my life,
18:50I think.
18:51I was very lost for a long time.
18:53I didn't know what my purpose was.
18:54I kind of lost identity with losing being a rugby player
18:57because I thought that was one and the same,
18:59which, of course, it wasn't.
19:00It was just what I did at the time.
19:01And I found some hope again or purpose again
19:04in helping others or finding my story was helping others.
19:07But it's more the emotional stories.
19:11It's people who come seeing their trauma
19:13as the worst thing that ever happened to them
19:15and two, three years later, as being part of the group,
19:18then using their trauma as a point of experience
19:21to help mentor the people who are just coming in.
19:23So they flip their perspective on it
19:25from being a bad thing that happened to them
19:27to being a good thing that happened to them.
19:29And often it's not actually about what happens to you,
19:31it's just the way you view it.
19:32And that's what the charity's been really successful of doing
19:36and that's the thing I'm most proud of.
20:06What you see down here is absolutely unbelievable.
20:14From the fossils to the features,
20:16the stalagmites, the stalactites,
20:18to this, the countryfile calendar look,
20:21sold in aid of children in need.
20:23If you haven't got yours yet for 2026,
20:26here's John caving with all the details.
20:28It costs £11.99, which includes UK delivery.
20:34You can go to our website,
20:36bbc.co.uk forward slash countryfile,
20:40where you'll find a link to the online order page.
20:44Or you can call 0-330-333-4564
20:50to place your order by phone.
20:52Standard geographic charges will apply
20:55to both landlines and mobiles.
20:59The phone line will be available
21:00from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm,
21:04and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.
21:08If you prefer to order by post,
21:11then send your name, address and a check
21:13to BBC Countryfile Calendar,
21:16P.O. Box 25,
21:18Melton Mowbray,
21:20LE 13 1ZG.
21:23And please make your checks payable
21:25to BBC Countryfile Calendar.
21:28A minimum of £5.50
21:31from the sale of each calendar
21:32will be donated to BBC Children in Need.
21:37Over the years,
21:38your support has helped the Countryfile Calendar
21:41raise more than £33 million
21:43for BBC Children in Need.
21:46The photographs taken by viewers
21:47not only brighten up our homes,
21:50but they help to change the lives
21:52of countless families
21:53right across the UK.
21:56So thank you.
21:56From one of the wettest corners of Wales
22:08to one of the driest parts of Britain,
22:11where a new kind of harvest is taken root.
22:19Farming has always been about adapting,
22:22and with the weather playing up
22:23and costs rising,
22:25that's never been more important.
22:27And up here in Lincolnshire,
22:28there's one family
22:29that's found a rather unexpected way of doing it.
22:33This land that's being ploughed for peas
22:36feels a world away
22:37from the sun-soaked Mediterranean.
22:40Yet, just a few fields over,
22:42a crop more at home in warmer climes is growing,
22:45on a scale never seen before in the UK.
22:49Olives.
22:50Growing in what is now
22:51the world's most northerly olive grove.
22:55David Hall's family have farmed here
22:58for more than 250 years,
23:00but his approach is far from old-fashioned.
23:04Like many farmers,
23:05he's rethinking what's possible,
23:08diversifying his business
23:09not only with new crops,
23:11but various new ventures
23:12and innovative ways of working
23:14to keep the farm productive for the future.
23:16Hello, David.
23:21Hi, Adam.
23:21Good to meet you.
23:22Thanks for letting me interrupt your day.
23:24This is an interesting set-up.
23:26Dual wheels on a plough.
23:27I've never seen this before.
23:27Yeah.
23:27The dual wheels allow us
23:28to spread the weight of the tractor
23:30across the bigger surface area.
23:31It means that we're not putting compaction
23:33into the soil.
23:34And that gives you some financial savings?
23:36Yeah, very much so.
23:37So we're trying to make the plants grow
23:39as well as they can.
23:40So if we don't cause compaction
23:41down at the bottom plough furrow,
23:43then those roots can grow better.
23:45Might be 15% savings.
23:47Well, this is very impressive.
23:48I've never seen a set-up like this before.
23:50And you're clearly quite an innovative person.
23:53Heading towards David's olive crop,
23:55it's clear he's someone who squeezes
23:57every bit of potential from his farm.
24:01So tell me about the farm then, David.
24:04We've got about 700 hectares,
24:07two metres below sea level,
24:08on really naturally fertile Louisville silt.
24:12So this would be some of the most fertile land
24:14in the country?
24:15Yeah, very much so.
24:16Around this area,
24:17we get very high-yielding crops.
24:19So winter wheat in here?
24:20That's actually the third crop
24:21in that field this year.
24:22On our farm at home,
24:23with the wheat yields,
24:24we're getting an average
24:25eight and a half, nine tonne a hectare.
24:26What would you get?
24:27We'll often get 15 tonne a hectare
24:29in a season in some fields.
24:31And we were lucky enough in the past
24:33sort of 10, 12 years ago.
24:35We used to hold the world record
24:36for wheat yield.
24:38Goodness me,
24:38you're really making the most
24:39of what you've got.
24:40Every hectare of land
24:42has really got to perform.
24:44These days,
24:46fertile soil alone
24:47doesn't always guarantee
24:48a good return.
24:50This summer's drought
24:50hit yields hard across the country.
24:53And with energy costs climbing,
24:55margins are tighter than ever.
24:57So David's investing
24:59in more resilient ways
25:00to keep his farm thriving,
25:02whatever the weather.
25:03That's a 100 kilowatt wind turbine.
25:05That and a bit of solar
25:06make us about 70% self-sufficient
25:08on energy.
25:09It is interesting, isn't it?
25:10People think of farmers,
25:11you know, you're growing crops
25:12or veg or animals
25:13or whatever it may be.
25:14But here you are.
25:15You're now an energy expert.
25:17Well, certainly not an energy expert,
25:19but we try and work
25:19with energy experts.
25:21We're employing things
25:22that are relevant
25:22and are going to give us
25:23a return on investment.
25:25And quite often,
25:26more recently,
25:27that's been about non-farming.
25:29Food matters are more about
25:31energy, water management
25:33or farm diversification.
25:34Can we take a look
25:35at the reservoir?
25:36Yeah.
25:36Yeah, let's go.
25:41Wow.
25:42Goodness me, it's huge.
25:43He's even built
25:45two extra reservoirs,
25:47banking water when it's wet
25:48to keep crops alive
25:50when it's dry.
25:53Across the three reservoirs,
25:55we've got about 180,000 cube
25:57or that's about 70, 75
26:00Olympic swimming pools full.
26:02Excuse my ignorance,
26:03but how do you get all this water
26:04across a 700 hectare farm?
26:07We have an extraction pump
26:08that is then powered
26:09by the wind turbine.
26:10That pumps water
26:12around underground pipes.
26:13So we've got
26:14eight kilometres of them.
26:15We have spurs off
26:16to our neighbours
26:16selling them water
26:17and that's why we've invested
26:18in the last two reservoirs
26:19actually, Adam,
26:20so it's a business opportunity.
26:22Debbie, looking at
26:23the reservoirs turbine,
26:24huge investment.
26:26Yeah, the family's invested
26:27quite a lot of money
26:29over the years.
26:30This reservoir,
26:31you're just over
26:31a million pounds for this.
26:33And that's an enormous
26:33amount of money, isn't it?
26:35When we first put the reservoir in,
26:36my father asked me,
26:37how many years
26:38do we get a return on investment?
26:39I don't think we used
26:40much of it at all
26:41for about three years.
26:42Then we had a dry year
26:43and one year nearly paid
26:45for half the investment
26:45of the reservoir.
26:46Wow, incredible, isn't it?
26:48It seems the secret
26:49to success on this farm
26:51is foresight,
26:52powered by data,
26:54guided by experience
26:55and proven in the results.
26:59Their beet harvest
27:00can produce around
27:01700,000 bags of sugar.
27:04Their wheat
27:05can bake around
27:064 million loaves
27:08and their potato harvest
27:10can produce around
27:1111 million portions of chips.
27:20Now David's taking a gamble
27:22by growing his new
27:23olive crop for oil
27:24on a scale the UK
27:26has never seen before
27:27and it's quite a sight.
27:29Once a grade one cereal field,
27:32it's now home
27:33to 18,000 olive trees
27:34imported from Spain.
27:37Ten hectares planted
27:38just two years ago,
27:39now transformed
27:40from grain to grove.
27:43So, has David
27:44completely lost the plot
27:45or has he found the future?
27:48David, this is
27:49extraordinary to see.
27:51I've got to ask,
27:51you know, why olives?
27:53It wasn't necessarily
27:54going to be olives at the start.
27:55I was looking for a crop
27:56that might suit
27:57the warmer climates
27:58we're getting in the UK.
27:59So, I then looked at grapes.
28:01Doing really well in the UK
28:02but I saw it was wrong.
28:04It was by chance,
28:05I was looking at some veg
28:06in southern Italy
28:07where I saw olives
28:08growing right next door
28:09to veg
28:10and I thought,
28:11well, their land's
28:11quite similar to ours.
28:12And with climate change
28:13then, how have the
28:14Spanish and Italians
28:15been coping with their olives?
28:16A few years ago,
28:17actually they had
28:17two really bad years.
28:19The weather was just
28:19too, too hot
28:20in central Italy,
28:22central Spain
28:22and their yields
28:24were massively down.
28:25So, they're actually
28:26moving their olive grows
28:27further north as well
28:28and that's to mitigate
28:29those extreme temperatures.
28:32So, how are your languages?
28:33How's your Italian
28:34or your Spanish?
28:35Oh, my Spanish.
28:37What's that mean?
28:38More or less.
28:42What have we got here then, David?
28:44So, this is our
28:45imported olive tree planter
28:46and we've just got
28:47a carousel system here.
28:49So, we'll have boxes
28:49of olive trees
28:50and then we drop them
28:51down a hole
28:52and then this back wheel
28:53here presses the olive
28:55and squashes it
28:56in the ground.
28:57And you've put in
28:58the irrigation pipe
28:59so olives need
29:00watering too?
29:01Yeah, originally
29:02I thought that
29:03they wouldn't need
29:04a lot of water
29:05but it's been remarkable
29:06just how much water
29:07they've taken.
29:08These trees have had
29:09330 millimetres
29:12of water on them.
29:15A potato crop
29:15that is 80% water
29:18has had less than that.
29:19It's had about
29:19250 millimetres.
29:21Wow.
29:22Just as well
29:22you've got a big reservoir.
29:23Yes, we've been
29:24very scientific
29:25we've got different
29:26water irrigation trials
29:27that we're doing
29:28spacing trials
29:29we're scanning the fields
29:30as to how much
29:31plant growth there's been
29:32because no one can tell me
29:33what's right or wrong
29:34because it hasn't really
29:35been done before
29:35on this scale.
29:36And we've made many mistakes
29:37we've had quite a lot of death
29:38in some varieties
29:39so we're learning as we go
29:40and what might be right this year
29:42might be wrong next year.
29:43I understand you've got
29:44something to pick today.
29:45Yeah, so all hands on deck
29:46and let's have a go.
29:47Let's get to it.
29:48The trees finish ripening
29:53around November
29:54which means David
29:56can now get started
29:57with his first
29:57commercial olive harvest.
30:00So who have we got here
30:01then, David?
30:02We've got a group
30:03of family and friends
30:04who are coming to help out
30:05with the first bit of harvest.
30:08With all the tech
30:09you've got on the farm
30:10and automation
30:11and here you are
30:12with your olive picking
30:13it's a bunch of mates
30:14with buckets.
30:15Yep.
30:16In the future
30:16we'll be doing this
30:17mechanically
30:18which is why
30:19these olives
30:20have been planted
30:20in long lines
30:21not spaced out
30:22how you might have
30:22traditionally have seen them.
30:23And once you've got
30:24your olive then
30:25what's the process?
30:26So these green ones
30:27if I just squeeze that
30:28that is pure olive oil.
30:31So how many different
30:32olive varieties are there?
30:33We've got ten varieties
30:34on this site.
30:36Four main varieties
30:37big blocks
30:38of four or five thousand
30:39trees each
30:40and then we've got
30:41six varieties
30:42where we've just got
30:42one line of them
30:43and they're the ones
30:44that I thought
30:45might not be
30:46quite so good.
30:48Ironically
30:48of the four big varieties
30:50I've got
30:50only two of them
30:51are looking quite good
30:52at the moment.
30:52Out of the six
30:53single line varieties
30:54they're all looking
30:55quite smart.
30:56Are they?
30:56So if we do do phase two
30:58and put ones in
30:59then we might choose
30:59some different varieties.
31:01So you're thinking
31:01of phase two already?
31:02Might plant another
31:03ten hectares
31:04we'll have to make
31:04that decision
31:05summer 2026
31:06we'll see which varieties
31:08are better
31:08and then we'll obviously
31:10pick up the principles
31:10that we've learnt.
31:11We've obviously put
31:15a huge amount
31:16of energy and effort
31:16into this
31:17and money
31:18a massive investment.
31:19Overall for this
31:20ten hectare
31:21olive grove
31:21you're looking at
31:22close on
31:23£700,000 investment.
31:24And are you convinced
31:25it's the right thing
31:26to be doing?
31:27We can't really afford
31:28not to do it Adam
31:28so we've seen the challenges
31:30that climate change
31:31is bringing to the farm
31:32so actually
31:33what's it going to be like
31:33in ten, twenty, thirty years time?
31:35So investing now
31:36we're setting ourselves
31:37up for the future
31:38and why is that important?
31:39Well three things really
31:41one is to exploit
31:42the climate change
31:43if we want to carry on farming
31:44we need to adapt
31:45the second point
31:46is that we want to have
31:47our end market
31:48closer to us
31:49so if we've got
31:50our own brand
31:50our own product
31:51then we can control
31:52that end price
31:53and hopefully
31:53our own profitability
31:54and the third thing
31:55is family succession
31:57giving my kids
31:59or other family members
32:00the opportunity
32:00to carry on
32:01with something
32:02in the future
32:02might not be
32:03the traditional farming
32:04but the olive business
32:05gives them that opportunity.
32:08David's gamble is huge
32:09with returns
32:10he may never see himself
32:12but like these
32:13slow growing olive trees
32:14which can bear fruit
32:16for centuries
32:16he could be planting
32:18a lasting legacy.
32:20Well I'm really impressed
32:21by your attention
32:22to detail
32:22across the whole farm
32:23and all the tech
32:24you're using
32:25and all I can do
32:27is wish you luck
32:28with your olive project
32:29it's good fun anyway
32:30I've never picked olives before
32:32well thank you for your help.
32:33back in Banai Bracheniog
32:46the flowing waters
32:47have transformed
32:48this landscape
32:49over the centuries
32:50and as well as being home
32:52to a vast array of wildlife
32:54they're still hard at work
32:56as they turn the water wheel
32:57off a 250 year old mill
32:59to produce one of our
33:01most used daily essentials
33:02flour
33:04I'm here at Talgarth
33:06to visit the water mill
33:07to witness the power of water
33:09and what it can give
33:10to this community
33:11Dick Donovan
33:14is the head miller
33:15at the water mill
33:16which was once
33:18the hub of the village
33:19and now
33:20along with his team
33:21of dedicated volunteers
33:23he's got the wheel
33:24turning once again
33:25we have the water
33:29coming down
33:29from a local river
33:30which we stop
33:31with these two boards here
33:32so if you want to
33:34grab hold of this rope
33:35just pull it
33:36and pull it up
33:37there we go
33:39and that will start
33:41the water wheel
33:42so you can now see
33:43the water wheel working
33:44yeah
33:45all that's doing
33:46is providing power
33:47to turn the millstones
33:49which is how we produce
33:51our flour
33:51it's a process
33:52that's been used
33:53for hundreds of years
33:55in Talgarth
33:56this particular mill
33:57dates to around
33:58about 1780
33:59although there's been
34:00milling in Talgarth
34:01probably since
34:02about the 12th century
34:03from about 1945
34:05to 2010
34:07the mill was not
34:08used at all
34:08the current owner
34:09when he inherited the mill
34:11basically inherited
34:12a derelict building
34:12which was an eyesore
34:14yeah
34:14a project then started
34:16to renovate the mill
34:18to look at how
34:18they put this all
34:19together
34:20which meant
34:21they had to go
34:22and raise an awful
34:22lot of money
34:23from National Lottery
34:24and various other sources
34:25and they then said
34:28okay
34:28we need a millwright
34:29where do we find
34:30a millwright
34:31who can advise
34:32on how we put
34:33the mill back together
34:33yeah
34:34there can't be many of them
34:35there aren't many of them
34:36it's actually on the
34:37endangered list
34:37of professions
34:38in the UK
34:38because nobody's building
34:40these mills any longer
34:41luckily
34:43there was a millwright
34:44who lived locally
34:45called Tim Martin
34:46and in 2010
34:47under Tim's expert guidance
34:50a long neglected
34:51Talgarth water mill
34:52was lovingly restored
34:53one of the biggest challenges
34:56Tim's team faced
34:57was installing
34:58a new half tonne
34:59cast iron wheel
35:00through a hole made
35:02in the wall of the mill
35:03this task
35:04and thousands of others
35:05were only made possible
35:07thanks to the many
35:08willing volunteers
35:09from the surrounding area
35:10is it the right way around
35:12is it the right way around
35:13and in 2011
35:17we started to produce
35:18flour again
35:19from using water
35:20wow
35:21what an incredible story
35:22nearly 60 years
35:23after the last time
35:24the mill had been used
35:25that's amazing
35:26I'm excited to see
35:26how it all works
35:27absolutely
35:28let's go inside
35:29let's turn around
35:29this is the next step
35:38of the process
35:38this is actually
35:39where the flour is made
35:40okay
35:41so what we have here
35:42are the two millstones
35:44that produce the flour
35:45we have what's called
35:47the bed stone
35:47which sits underneath
35:49the running stone
35:50okay
35:51so the two stones
35:52are exactly the same
35:53but one just rotates
35:55and the power
35:56of the water wheel
35:57is what is providing
35:58the rotation
35:59for the stone
35:59that stone itself
36:02weighs about 300 kilos
36:03so you do need
36:05an awful lot of water
36:06to be able to turn
36:07that stone
36:07what we're now doing
36:08here is this hopper
36:10which sits on the top
36:11has the wheat grain in it
36:13and then it feeds
36:14the grain onto
36:15this little chute
36:16which is at an angle
36:17and as the stone
36:19is turning
36:20this metal component
36:22here which is called
36:22the damsel
36:23it's called the damsel
36:24because this action
36:26of knocking
36:27against the chute
36:28it's called chattering
36:29it chatters all day
36:31and just trickles
36:33the grain in
36:34so cool
36:35it's so simple
36:36but it's so
36:37so simple
36:38but it's a proven
36:40technology
36:41that's worked
36:42for hundreds
36:42and perhaps thousands
36:43of years
36:44when the damsel
36:45is turning
36:46we may get
36:46to a situation
36:47where the grain
36:48is running out
36:49in the hopper
36:50right
36:50and inside
36:51we have a little paddle
36:53which will flip up
36:54and this bell
36:58starts knocking
36:59against the damsel
37:00which is basically
37:01telling whoever
37:03is managing this
37:03we need to put
37:05some more grain in
37:06and this bell
37:07has a name
37:07what's the bell called
37:09it's called the distress
37:10distress bell
37:11so damsel in distress
37:13oh really
37:13help
37:14I need some more grain
37:15putting in here
37:16yeah yeah
37:16that's amazing
37:17so how much grain
37:18do you typically
37:19put through this a day
37:20we would put through
37:21on a typical day
37:22maybe 100 kilograms
37:24of grain
37:24but this is a small mill
37:26that was only providing
37:27enough flour
37:28for the local community
37:29when we don't have water
37:31yeah
37:31we have a small
37:33electric mill
37:34okay
37:34which we can use
37:35which we can see over there
37:37oh and that's tiny
37:38but that will produce
37:39as much flour
37:40as this will
37:41in a day
37:41although now
37:45might be the wettest season
37:47in Banai Rehinyog
37:48the small substitute
37:49electric mill
37:50has been essential
37:51this year
37:52as the hot summer
37:54meant there wasn't
37:55enough water
37:55in the river
37:56to run the mill
37:57for six months
37:58but the recent rainfall
38:01means the water will
38:02is turning today
38:03wow
38:05what am I looking at here
38:07basically what we're
38:08looking at here
38:08is the inside
38:09of the water wheel
38:09okay
38:10so all of this
38:11mechanism here
38:12is all about
38:13transferring the
38:14rotation of the
38:15water wheel
38:15into a horizontal
38:17rotation
38:17and that turns
38:18the millstone upstairs
38:19which we've just
38:20seen okay
38:21we've just seen
38:21so the grain is
38:22cut down into
38:23flour
38:24and that's now
38:25coming down
38:25this chute
38:26which you can see
38:26there and collected
38:27in this box
38:28so what kind of
38:29flour is this
38:30this particular wheat
38:32is an old
38:33heritage variety
38:35Welsh variety
38:35called hen gumro
38:36right
38:37which in English
38:37means old
38:38Welshman
38:38okay
38:39it was grown
38:40traditionally in
38:41Wales
38:41up until about
38:431930
38:43but it fell out
38:45of favour
38:45because it wasn't
38:47easy to grow
38:48but it's no
38:49interest in regrowing
38:51it and to
38:52remilling it
38:52because it has
38:54a flavour
38:54which you do not
38:55get in modern
38:56wheats
38:56really
38:57do you always
38:58try and use
38:58Welsh grain
38:59we try and use
39:00Welsh supplied grain
39:01wherever possible
39:02most of our grain
39:03comes from a local
39:04farm four miles
39:05away
39:05hen gumro is
39:07grown on a farm
39:08in Carmarthenshire
39:09and we bring it
39:10over from there
39:11Margaret McBlain
39:18is the mill's
39:19chief bagger
39:20I moved here about
39:22ten years ago
39:23and I came up to
39:24Talgarth and I saw
39:26this wonderful place
39:27being completely
39:29renovated and I
39:30thought this is
39:30wonderful and I
39:32decided I'd like to
39:33do my bit to help
39:34it keep going
39:35all bagged
39:37it's now time for a wee
39:39taste
39:39oh wow
39:40oh my mouth's already
39:42salivating
39:42should be
39:43it's good stuff
39:44so what have I got
39:45going on here then
39:46okay
39:46all the products here
39:48are made from flour
39:49that we milled
39:50at the mill
39:51so this is a Welsh
39:52rare bread
39:52made with a
39:54wholemeal flour
39:55this is a wholemeal
39:56scone
39:57this is carrot cake
39:58made with wholemeal
39:59flour
39:59and this is a loaf
40:01of bread
40:01made with
40:02hen gumro flour
40:03which you saw
40:04being milled today
40:05beautiful
40:06do you want to
40:06try some?
40:07yeah I absolutely do
40:08I mean I'm going to
40:08try some of them all
40:09but well yeah
40:10I'm excited to try
40:11the bread
40:11oh look at that
40:14that's better than
40:14anything I do at home
40:15incredible
40:16cheers
40:17cheers
40:18that's good
40:23it's got like a nice
40:24chewiness to it
40:25isn't it
40:25lovely nutty flavour
40:26to it
40:27that's fab
40:27oh it's good
40:29it's good bread
40:30I'm sure the force
40:34of the water
40:35running through
40:35this Welsh valley
40:36will keep the wheel
40:38turning
40:38and the flour
40:39grinding
40:40for many years
40:40to come
40:41as winter sets in
40:59our waterways
41:00right across the country
41:02are surprisingly
41:03full of life
41:03unmistakable
41:08with their white bib
41:09dippers
41:11dippers are spotted
41:11perched on stones
41:13all year round
41:14below the water surface
41:17are caddisfly larvae
41:20hoping not to be
41:23the dipper's next meal
41:24they have encased
41:25themselves in small stones
41:27a camouflage
41:28to evade predators
41:29but the dipper is a remarkable
41:35songbird
41:35perfectly adapted
41:37for aquatic foraging
41:38with eyes that can see
41:45underwater
41:45and strong wings
41:47to help them propel
41:48themselves
41:48through fast flows
41:49they are masters
41:51of river life
41:52dippers are not the only ones
41:56at home in icy waters
41:57whilst known for being
42:03active at night
42:04otters will sometimes
42:06take advantage of
42:07daylight hours
42:08and with less vegetation
42:09around
42:10winter is a great chance
42:11to catch a glimpse
42:12of them on the riverbank
42:14and hunting for fish
42:15rustling reed beds
42:21provide a moment of peace
42:22where waters run calm
42:29it's the flash of blue
42:32from a kingfisher
42:33to look out for
42:33favoured branches
42:35are frequently returned to
42:37stealthy herons
42:41search for a variety
42:42of prey
42:43along the water's edge
42:44often going totally
42:50unnoticed
42:50as they stand
42:52statue-like
42:52it's not all about food
42:56a good bath
42:58is sometimes needed
42:59look close enough
43:02and a walk
43:03alongside winter waters
43:05can be magical
43:06well this may be
43:15one of the wettest times
43:16of year in wales
43:17and today
43:18certainly hasn't
43:20disappointed
43:20but what has the
43:21weather got in store
43:22for us all
43:23across the uk
43:24in the week ahead
43:25let's find out
43:25with the countryfile
43:26five day forecast
43:28good evening
43:36wading through water
43:37could be a feature
43:38to the weather story
43:39I suspect
43:39over the next few days
43:41it's been a wet start
43:42to December
43:42hasn't it
43:43just take a look
43:44at this
43:44the exception
43:45the far north of Scotland
43:46here it's been
43:46particularly dry
43:47at the moment
43:48but so far
43:49many areas
43:50across the country
43:51have had
43:51half a month's
43:53worth of rain
43:53and we're only
43:54through the first week
43:55of December
43:55and there is
43:56plenty more to come
43:57through the week ahead
43:59in fact computer models
44:00suggest quite widely
44:01we are going to see
44:02at least another
44:0350 millimetres
44:04but across northwest England
44:06west facing coast
44:07of Scotland
44:07we could see as much
44:08as 80 to 100 millimetres
44:11starting to tot up
44:12over the next five days
44:14and that could have
44:15some consequences
44:16today's rain
44:18is starting to ease away
44:19though
44:20and we just need
44:21to draw your attention
44:22to this little fella
44:23here
44:23it's going to enhance
44:24some showers
44:25through northern Ireland
44:26and along west facing
44:27coast during the night
44:28tonight
44:29some of those showers
44:29really quite sharp
44:31as well
44:31driven on by a blustery
44:33southwest wind
44:34now a mild source
44:35it's going to be
44:36an incredibly mild start
44:37to tomorrow morning
44:39these kind of temperatures
44:40actually above where
44:41they should be
44:41as a daytime maximum
44:43so a mild start
44:44to Monday
44:45and a relatively quiet one
44:46the showers in Scotland
44:47will tend to fade away
44:49this southwesterly wind
44:50feeding in
44:51some coastal showers
44:52but on the whole
44:53Monday will be a day
44:54of sunny spells
44:55perhaps the sunshine
44:56run a little more hazy
44:57further south
44:57and some rain
44:58into the Channel Isles
44:59by the end of the day
45:00but temperatures peaking
45:02at 9 to 14 degrees
45:04the high
45:05but it's Tuesday
45:06that's the real cause
45:07for concern
45:07there's a potential
45:08for some stormy weather
45:10to arrive during
45:10the early hours
45:11of Tuesday morning
45:12and linger for much
45:13of the day
45:13heavy rain
45:14and also gales
45:15or severe gales
45:17so keep listening
45:18or watching the weather
45:19forecast
45:19as we head towards
45:21Tuesday
45:21here's that storm
45:22developing quite quickly
45:23the heaviest of the rain
45:24through southwest England
45:25and Wales
45:26during the early hours
45:27of Tuesday morning
45:28that heavy rain
45:29pushes its way
45:30into northern England
45:30and Scotland
45:31and then the gales
45:33really strengthen
45:33behind through the Irish Sea
45:35and the North Channel
45:36so Tuesday
45:37a pretty miserable day
45:38even once the rain's cleared
45:39it'll be cloudy
45:40it'll be windy
45:41there'll be dribs and drabs
45:42of rain on and off
45:43for some throughout the day
45:45but it will be
45:46potentially
45:46the mildest day
45:48of the week
45:48with top temperatures
45:49of 15 degrees
45:51now as we move
45:52out of Tuesday
45:53into Wednesday
45:54the southern flank
45:55of that low
45:55we could see
45:56some severe gales
45:57for a time
45:58the position
45:58of the low
45:59will determine
46:00exactly where
46:01those winds
46:01are going to be
46:02but anywhere
46:02over 70 mile an hour
46:04or stronger
46:04is possible
46:06for a time
46:06across the far
46:08northwest of Scotland
46:09there'll be a real
46:09rush of showers
46:10as well
46:11still the wind direction
46:13coming from a southwesterly
46:14and so sheltered eastern areas
46:16actually seeing
46:17some reasonably dry weather
46:18not quite as warm
46:19Wednesday
46:20but nevertheless
46:2010 to 13 degrees
46:22is very respectable
46:23for the middle of December
46:25now as we move
46:26out of Wednesday
46:26into Thursday
46:27central and southern areas
46:28under an influence
46:29of high pressure
46:30but we've got this
46:31conveyor belt
46:32feeding wet weather
46:33into the west
46:34so a northwest
46:35southeast divide
46:36during Thursday
46:37which means we might
46:39see a little bit
46:39more quieter weather
46:40across central
46:41and southeastern parts
46:42of England and Wales
46:43but out to the north
46:44and west
46:45it is going to stay
46:46unsettled
46:47and then
46:48it looks likely
46:49that the low pressure
46:50is going to continue
46:50to anchor itself
46:51to the northwest
46:52high pressure
46:53trying to quiet things
46:55down into the southeast
46:56but it does look likely
46:58that it is going to
46:58continue to stay
46:59unsettled
47:00with showers
47:01or longer spells of rain
47:02bye bye
47:03we're exploring
47:14Banai Brekhaniog
47:16oh
47:17we're here
47:19it's quite a quirky
47:22feeling isn't it
47:23dropping down
47:24from the beautiful view
47:25into the darkness
47:26where the waters
47:29that have shaped
47:30this landscape
47:31have been put to work
47:38in all sorts of ways
47:40over the centuries
47:41this is a loaf of bread
47:43made with flour
47:44which you saw being
47:45milled today
47:46beautiful
47:47do you want to try some
47:47yeah
47:48that's better than anything
47:49I do at home
47:49it was good bread
47:51Banai Brekhaniog
48:00is all about
48:01sweeping valleys
48:01carved by rivers
48:03and their tributaries
48:04and it's the power
48:06of these waters
48:06that run deep
48:08through the national park
48:09that has transformed
48:10this landscape
48:11both above
48:12and below ground
48:14one of those
48:16major waterways
48:16is the river Usk
48:18the river was once
48:20teeming with life
48:21but now
48:22one of its most
48:23well-known inhabitants
48:24has all but disappeared
48:26the Atlantic salmon
48:27they're native
48:31to these waters
48:32starting life
48:33in the river
48:33and living here
48:34until they're about
48:35four years old
48:36before heading off
48:37on an epic journey
48:38to the cold
48:39North Atlantic
48:40plenty of them
48:42used to return
48:43each winter
48:44to breed
48:44but not anymore
48:46numbers here
48:48are now so low
48:49anglers by law
48:50must release
48:51any salmon
48:52they catch
48:53Sophie Gott
48:55is the senior
48:56monitoring officer
48:57for Natural Resources
48:58Wales
48:59and is helping
49:00the Four Rivers
49:01for Life
49:01restoration project
49:02she's on a mission
49:04to bring the river
49:05Usk and its tributaries
49:06back to life
49:07by restoring habitats
49:09to help boost
49:10the numbers
49:11of Atlantic salmon
49:12Hiya Sophie
49:17you need even your work
49:19that's what I like to see
49:20so why did all of this project
49:22and this work
49:23begin in the first place
49:24the Usk is classified
49:26as unfavourable
49:27at the moment
49:28over the years
49:29there's been quite a lot
49:30of human impact
49:32on our rivers
49:33and so we're looking
49:33to try and reverse
49:34that a little
49:35make the rivers
49:36a bit more natural
49:37right
49:37water conditions
49:40have become worse
49:40for the wildlife
49:41that should be thriving here
49:43due to contamination
49:44and as far as
49:47the salmon is concerned
49:48then what impact
49:49has those changes
49:49had on the Atlantic salmon
49:51Atlantic salmon
49:52across the whole
49:53of the UK
49:54have declined in number
49:55over the last few years
49:57so we're looking
49:57at about a 70%
49:59decline in our salmon
50:00numbers across Wales
50:01so when you're talking
50:02about 70% then
50:03I mean what kind
50:04of numbers
50:04are we talking about
50:05do you know
50:06typically rod catch numbers
50:07would have been up
50:08around 800-900
50:10and they're now
50:11looking at this year
50:13it's estimated
50:13to be around
50:14about 50%
50:15so that's
50:16there's a big decline
50:17that is a big decline
50:18and what do you
50:19put that down to
50:20because it's not
50:21as if an enormous
50:22amount has kind
50:23of changed
50:24over those years
50:25there's problems
50:26with pollution
50:26and then quality
50:28of habitat as well
50:29obviously there's
50:30all those different
50:30complex situations
50:31that you're talking
50:32about but locally
50:33what is the best
50:35situation that you
50:35could create
50:36for those salmon
50:37so we would like
50:38to see good
50:39water quality
50:40we need to have
50:41good complex habitats
50:43so you're looking
50:44at having nice
50:45clean gravels
50:46for spawning in
50:47and for the juveniles
50:48to live in
50:49but it's important
50:50to have shade
50:51and cover
50:52and a good variety
50:53of invertebrates
50:54and food
50:55for the salmon
50:55to feed on
50:56so we're looking
50:57at complexity
50:58in the river
50:59and with regards
51:00to the diet then
51:01what is the ideal
51:02food for them
51:03so the small insects
51:04bugs and beagles
51:05and monitoring
51:05those invertebrates
51:07is the work
51:07that you're doing
51:08today then
51:08it is
51:08yes
51:09well I'll put
51:10a life jacket
51:10on and can I
51:11chuck some waiters
51:11on and come
51:12and join us
51:12yes definitely
51:13excellent right
51:14a kick sample
51:19will let Sophie
51:20know if the
51:20invertebrates here
51:21are good enough
51:22for the juvenile
51:22salmon to eat
51:23so if you stand
51:27with the net
51:28just downstream
51:29of you
51:29and then just
51:30disturb
51:31use your foot
51:31to just disturb
51:32the stones
51:33underneath
51:34what you're
51:34looking to do
51:35is just disturb
51:36the invertebrates
51:37and they'll drift
51:38down with the flow
51:39into the net
51:40into the net
51:40yeah
51:41okay
51:41looking at this
51:50particular tributary
51:51you wouldn't think
51:52that it was unfavourable
51:53there are a few
51:54issues here
51:55so there's a bit
51:55of intensive grazing
51:56going on
51:57it's very much
51:58one type of habitat
51:59all the way through
52:00here
52:00and what we would
52:01be looking for
52:02in a restored reach
52:03or a more natural
52:04reach is to have
52:04a bit more complexity
52:05what does that
52:07look like to you
52:07looks good
52:08oh that's good
52:10oh we got something
52:10good straight away
52:11what have we got
52:12there
52:12that is a stonefly
52:14and this is a good
52:16indicator of good
52:17water quality
52:18so what we are
52:19looking for is a
52:20diverse range of
52:21invertebrate species
52:22okay right
52:26let's have a look
52:28see what we've got
52:29just tip it in
52:30yeah
52:31let's tip it in
52:33get all the
52:34bugs and beasties out
52:35okay so what can you
52:38see in there
52:38Sophie
52:39we've got some
52:39mayflies here
52:40we've got a
52:42freshwater shrimp here
52:43and here we've got
52:47a caddis fly
52:48so with the
52:50scientific monitoring
52:51side of things
52:52what do you do
52:53with a sample
52:53like this from here
52:54we'd take this
52:55back to the lab
52:56and we would
52:56identify every
52:57single invertebrate
52:58that was in there
52:59and we would
53:00allocate a score
53:01to those
53:01based on their
53:03tolerance of pollution
53:04and that gives us
53:05an indicator of
53:06the water quality
53:07so things like
53:08these mayflies here
53:09and the stoneflies
53:10they're ten scorers
53:12which means that's
53:13the top score
53:14for water quality
53:15and we've got
53:16quite a good
53:16variety of species
53:18here as well
53:18so that's shown us
53:19that there's a
53:20decent amount of
53:21food for the
53:22juvenile salmon
53:23so food is a tick
53:24then so with
53:25regards to all
53:26the other
53:26requirements of
53:27the Atlantic salmon
53:28which are plentiful
53:30how are things
53:31looking?
53:31well at different
53:32stages in their
53:33life they need
53:33different requirements
53:34so instead of
53:36what we've got here
53:36is a bit of a
53:37monoflow
53:38you're looking at
53:38that being broken
53:39up a bit more
53:40so you've got areas
53:41of fast flowing
53:41water
53:42trails of
53:42slow flowing
53:43water
53:43and some cover
53:44and shade
53:45so that it offers
53:46different habitats
53:47for different
53:47life stages
53:48and you've been
53:49doing all of that
53:50have you as part
53:50of the project
53:51we have
53:51yes
53:51so hopefully I can
53:52show you a great
53:53example of that
53:54work downstream
53:54well shall we pop
53:55this lot back in
53:56and then we can
53:58go off downstream
53:58thanks for your
54:00help you lot
54:00you were brilliant
54:02there you go
54:04Sophie and her team
54:11started the project
54:12three years ago
54:13their ambition
54:14to clear the way
54:15for the fish
54:16they replaced old
54:18bridges and tackled
54:19areas that were
54:20stopping the salmon
54:20from making their
54:21journey
54:22well this looks like a
54:25particularly fast flowing
54:27part of the tributary
54:28here
54:28it is
54:29there's no pools
54:30or slower areas
54:31for fish to hold up in
54:33or to recover
54:34and conserve their energy
54:35and so this is something
54:37that you're trying to deal
54:37with is it as part of the project
54:38yeah so we're trying to just
54:40make the habitat a little bit
54:42more complex
54:42and we've got an example
54:43of that downstream
54:44right yeah let's carry on
54:45to help the salmon even more
54:50the team have created
54:51a migration channel
54:52called a smalt pass
54:53helping young salmon
54:55swim freely
54:56without any obstacles
54:57in their way
54:58since starting the project
55:01Sophie and her team
55:02have transformed
55:03nearly 10%
55:04of this tributary
55:05on the usk
55:06called the tarrel
55:07to try and coax
55:09the salmon back
55:10gosh
55:13this is a bit of a difference
55:15isn't it
55:15it is
55:15yes
55:16this is all part of the work
55:18it is
55:18all the fallen trees
55:19and what have you
55:20we've winched these trees in here
55:22just to create
55:23some different habitats
55:24yeah
55:24and I mean look at all this
55:25that's going around here as well
55:27and then off in that direction
55:28yeah
55:29yeah we've had a fair bit
55:30of rain recently
55:30so it's looking great
55:31at the moment
55:32yeah
55:32by slowing the water down
55:34it just takes that energy
55:35out of the river a little
55:36so you don't have
55:37such big surges
55:39and is this something
55:40then that you've designed
55:41or have you kind of
55:42like
55:42felled the trees
55:43and let nature
55:45take its cause
55:45the idea behind creating
55:47this sort of messy river
55:48is that it's nature led
55:50that's the beauty of these
55:52it's low cost
55:53it's low intervention
55:54we just push the trees
55:55in the river
55:56and let the river react
55:57however it wants to react
55:59it's a very different energy
56:00as well
56:00isn't it
56:01when you think of where
56:02we've just come from
56:03to here
56:04I mean you can
56:04yeah
56:05this is where you'd want
56:07you'd want to spawn here
56:08wouldn't it
56:09yes
56:09yeah
56:10with the right invertebrates
56:13to eat
56:14a new fish path to swim
56:15and new spawning grounds
56:17to breed
56:18the team are well on their way
56:20to creating the perfect environment
56:21for the Atlantic salmon
56:23so are there any salmon
56:25or any signs of salmon
56:27here at the moment
56:28we haven't actually found salmon
56:30here yet
56:31right
56:31but we're hoping that
56:32when they do start to come up
56:34they've got the best chance
56:35of survival
56:36you must be pleased
56:37with how it's
56:38how it's going
56:39yeah
56:39it's really great
56:41it's so dynamic as well
56:42it changes every time I come here
56:44it looks different
56:45so yeah
56:46it's fab
56:46with this ambitious project
56:50in full flow
56:51there's hope that one day
56:53this river
56:53and its tributaries
56:54will be restored back
56:56to how it once was
56:57where nature will take its course
56:59with fallen trees
57:01flooded banks
57:02and plenty
57:03of Atlantic salmon
57:09well true to form
57:13it's raining
57:14you found a lovely spot here
57:16it is beautiful
57:17yeah
57:17slightly sheltered
57:19underneath the trees
57:20but it's amazing to think
57:21that water has shaped
57:22this whole place
57:24I know
57:24and it's going to continue
57:25to change over time
57:26you know
57:26both above and below ground
57:28yeah
57:28well you can see why
57:29it's called waterfall country
57:30anyway
57:30that's all we've got time for
57:31for this week
57:32well next week
57:33Vic and Joe
57:34will be exploring
57:34Wiltshire's ancient
57:36stoned henge
57:37does that suggest
57:40these sort of populations
57:42have been here
57:43for thousands of thousands
57:45of years
57:45that's the point
57:46exactly
57:46this is an amazing story
57:48it comes from
57:49about 450 miles away
57:51my goodness
57:52that's a long way
57:53from Salisbury
57:53the sound
57:55that is coming off
57:56all of this work
57:58when you use
57:59the stone axes
58:00that's a noise
58:01that hasn't been heard
58:02in this landscape
58:02for 5,000 years
58:04technology has allowed us
58:06to really narrow it down
58:07and say with some certainty
58:08this is where they came from
58:10can't be a bit of science
58:11can't be a bit of science
58:12that's next week
58:15at 5 to 5
58:16hope you can join us then
58:19bye
58:19right keep your eye out
58:20for salmon
58:21oh yeah
58:21a culinary travelogue
58:27with culture and connections
58:28Hebrideen and Baker
58:29explores the Nordic Islands
58:31on BBC iPlayer
58:32this and everything
58:33across the BBC
58:35is made possible
58:36because we're funded
58:37by you
58:37thank you
58:39thank you
58:40for all the work
58:42we're done
58:43you
58:43we're done
58:44you
58:45you
58:45you
58:46you
58:46you
58:47you
58:47you
58:47you
58:48you
58:48you
58:48you
58:49you
58:49you
58:50you
58:50you
58:52you
Be the first to comment